Why so many holidays?
The simple answer is that one needs a lot of reasons to be merry to make it through the cold, dark winter. Besides, Russians have no problem with borrowing holidays from other nations if needed. Here’s the lowdown:
December 24 — 25. Western Christmas kicks off the festivities season. With St. Petersburg the country’s "window to Europe," it’s particularly popular here. This year, along with religious services, check the ball hosted at the Hermitage Youth Center.
December 31 — January 1, New Year’s Eve and Day, like everywhere else in the world. It has firmly established itself as the country’s chief holiday, the idea that dates back to atheist Communism years.
January 6 -7 — Russian Orthodox Christmas. Peter the Great moved Russia to the now defunct Julian Calendar, which accumulates an extra day every 128 years. So over time Russian Christmas "separated" from Western Christmas. In 1918 Russia moved to the Georgian Calendar but the Russian Orthodox Church continued to celebrate its holidays and important dates by the old calendar.
January 14 — Old New Year. This date is also determined by the Julian Calendar and nowadays is a cue to get going on those New Year’s resolutions or at least put the Christmas tree away.
Finally, once Old New Year has subsided, it’s all incontestably over. Back to work again. Regular service in Russia has returned!
Who on earth are Ded Moroz and Snegurochka?
A Russian version of Santa, Ded Moroz is alive and well, regardless of what his name might suggest. Ded means "grandpa" in Russian, making him "Grandpa Frost" in direct translation. Based on the Slavic character of the keeper of cold, Ded Moroz gained its popularity after appearing at 19th century in classic poems by Ostrovsky and Nekrasov. In the beginning of the 20th century he became the main Christmas and New Year gift-giver of urban legends. In the period between the 1917 Revolution and mid-30's he (together with Christmas and New Year) was practically crossed out from public mentioning. In 1936 the communist party decided that Soviet Children need at least one winter holiday, and Ded Moroz started his life as a symbol of New Year and the most beloved character. He was decked out in a blue long coat and valenki (felt boots) and was supported (and sometimes armed with) a walking stick. Many children were afraid to touch this magical instrument that was able to freeze them.
From the early 90's his image became more Santa-like. The coat turned red — though it continued to be longer, and the essential Russianness was retained with the child-freezing stick and valenki.
In 1998 he got assigned a permanent home in Velikii Ustug, a small town near Moscow, where his house has become a tourist attraction. But there’s no need to travel that far. Ded, like Santa, can be found pretty much everywhere over the holiday season — in malls, driving his own bus, the DedMoBus, running his own novelty tram service, even running, along with hundreds of other Ded Morozes, in the yearly Ded Moroz Marathon.
Ded Moroz’s trusted companion — Robin to his Batman, Supergirl to his Superman — is Snegurochka, a snow maiden of an indeterminable age and shimmery, silvery appearance, who’s supposed to be his granddaughter. Inspired by Russian fairytales, she’s his liaison with the kids and a general helper, especially when he’d had too many celebratory shots with parents.
If you feel inclined, feel free to dress up as either one for your New Year’s party but be prepared to dish out gifts!
Why all this talk of the Year of a Fiery Rooster?
According to the Chinese calendar, 2017 is going to be a year of a "fiery rooster". Russians love eastern traditions when it comes to horoscopes, and no doubt you’ll see roosters made into everything from candles to cakes. If in doubt what to get for a house gift, something with a rooster will be welcomed and appreciated. Technically, the rooster will take over from the monkey, the current sign, on Chinese New Year on January 28th. But who says you can’t start now?
What is "Herring Under Fur Coat' and why has a salad with funny French name become Russia’s national festive dish?
Food coma is expected and welcomed as you ring in the New Year. After all, abundance of food at the festive dinner is supposed to guarantee abundance of food in general throughout the next year. So all stops get pulled out for elaborate, and often costly, dishes. Yet a few staples remain. A Russian version of potato salad, Olivier Salad is named after a French chef who had a restaurant in Moscow in the middle of the 19th century. Along with potatoes and carrots it features pickles, green peas, sausage (or chicken meat) and copious amounts of mayo. Similar to Big Mac Index, Olivier Index can track the cost of basic food in Russia.
If you’ve lived in Russia long enough to like beets, Herring Under Fur Coat will tickle your taste buds. This feast staple is a layered salad with diced pickled herring, grated vegetables, chopped onions and eggs, and of course, mayo. The combo is also money as leftovers.
Piles of various food are obligatory for the New Year celebrations. Otherwise you’ll be hungry for the whole next year. So, caviar, salads, appetizers, pickles, main course (very often — two or even three), cakes, ice cream and obligatory — tangerines and Champagne, or rather the Russian sparkling wine, will be served even in the most humble of homes.
A lengthy affair, the festive feast is likely to take at least a couple of hours, starting with zakuski — appetizers, and moving onto the main dish and potentially dessert, all while the TV is playing special concerts by Russian pop stars. People will take their time with toasts, passing around sandwiches with caviar and imitation crab salad. Pacing yourself might be a wise strategy.
What exactly happens on Russian New Year’s Day and what makes it different from celebrations elsewhere?
New Year’s Eve and Day in Russia, like most places in the world, falls on December 31 — January 1.
Just like the countdown on Times Square in New York, the anticipation builder of the night is the annual congratulatory speech by President Putin. Five minutes before the clock strikes midnight on Spasskaja Tower of the Kremlin, the President does a short inspiring recap of the past year and wishes everyone a happy new year. He raises his glass as the camera spans over the capital to the music of the national anthem. The clock strikes midnight twelve times, Champagne corks are popped and flutes are filled. This is the magic moment to make a wish. If your wish is particularly unlikely to come true, you can boost its chances by writing it down on small piece of paper, burning it and drinking the ashes with the "Happy New Year!" toast. If you celebrate New Year with someone you love, kiss him or her while the clock strikes and you’ll be in love for all of next year. The combo of making a wish with ash in a glass of champagne and kissing requires a different level of New Year Magic and you probably need some training beforehand.
If a family affair is not up your alley, you’re welcome to participate in public celebrations that take over downtown St. Petersburg. The festivities kick off at 11 pm, but Nevsky Prospect will be closed for traffic and turn pedestrian at 9 pm, so you can enjoy performances and dance parties around the stages by Gostini Dvor, Malaya Konushennaya, and of course, the heart of the celebration — Palace Square. Just make sure that you are back on the banks of the Neva by 3am, for the spectacular fireworks display. It’s pyrotechnics as you’ve not witnessed before!
The Metro is open all night.
There is a Russian proverb: "How you meet the New Year is how you will spend it.' So it’s really important to get things right or you could be destined to an entire year of misfortune! Just throw yourself headlong into the chaotic madness of the tidal flow of celebration and nothing — or everything — can go wrong.
How to spend the Morning After
The morning of January 1st, or rather, lunchtime, is reserved for pickle juice, leftovers and people who are practically your relatives by now. Arguably, the best way to start a new year is standing barefoot in front of a refrigerator and eating potato salad straight from the crystal dish. Don’t expect anyone to start functioning until closer to noon, and even at that point the activity is likely to be limited to the trip to the kitchen, bathroom and the couch.
Have immense fun and C' Novim Godom!
Main Photo Credit: briz-tula.ru
