We all know this time of the year: fairy lights, tinsels, Christmas trees, the smell of cinnamon, Gingerbread lattes, white bearded men dressed in red handing out leaflets in the streets...Yes, my friends: it's almost Рождество! As you know, Orthodox Christianity is Russia's largest religion, and Orthodox Christians don't celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but on January 7th as the Eastern Orthodox Church still follows the Julian calendar which was replaced in Russia by the Gregorian calendar in 1918. However, some people, western-oriented/English speaking/Catholic or Protestant minorities, still celebrate it, but it is not a national holiday, which means no time off from school or work. The orthodox Christmas, on the other hand, was re-established as a national holiday in 1992, but is regarded mainly as a religious event and not as a cultural or particularly festive or popular one. Under the Soviet Union, the government adopted an anti-religious atheistic policy and all displays of religiosity were rejected. Christmas as a religious holiday was banned in 1929 and Christmas Trees were turned into "New Year" Trees / ёлка (fun fact: decorations during the 60s/70s consisted of figurines of astronauts, rockets, satellites). With time, Santa Claus turned into Дед Мороз (Grandfather Frost) accompanied by his granddaughter Снегурочка. New Year's Eve came to replace Christmas as a secular, national celebration and Новый Год became the main holiday of the year. Now imagine yourself in Moscow on the 31st of December. You're sat around a large table with family or friends. On the TV plays "Ирония судьбы, или С лёгким паром!" (this classic of Soviet cinema has been broadcasted every year on New Year's Eve since 1976). You are all chatting, not really paying attention to the film, whose plot and denouement everyone knows. One of your friend suggests to провожать Старый Год (literally: see off the old year). You can't open the champagne yet, but you start eating. On the tables lie multiple salads amongst which the famous "оливье" (отварной картофель, варёная колбаса, яйца вкрутую, солёные огурцы, зелёный горошек и майонез) and "селедка под шубой" (филе сельди, луковица, картофелины, морковки, яйца, крупные свеклы, майонез), колбаса, холодец, икра or лосось, пироги с вареньем или с вишней, and фруктовый салат. You then watch President Putin's annual speech, the clock strikes midnight, you open шампанское and поздравляете друг друга с Новым Годом и Новым Счастьем! You just had the typical Russian New Year's Eve experience! Thank you for reading. I hope you found it interesting.
Я желаю вам счастливых Рождества и Нового Года! Наслаждайтесь и хорошо празднуйте, потому что "как встретите Новый год, так его и проведёте"! Пока!
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AuthorThird year student at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Studies Russian, German and International Relations. Loves traveling. Loves languages. Loves to share. Hence, this BLOG! Archives
January 2018
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