How Russians celebrate New Year

The Russian New Year is a long one. It takes about three weeks. But not all of it is spent at the table. In many families the New Year's tree is put up for a longer period of time, and until January 19 people remain in high spirits, continue to make delicious dishes and visit friends' homes.

Russia, like China, has an ancient folk calendar in addition to the Gregorian calendar. According to the Orthodox calendar, Christmas and New Year's are celebrated two weeks later than in Europe, with Christmas falling on January 7 and New Year's on January 14. January 19 is also an important folk holiday - the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus. It is believed that the water from the spring on this day has healing properties. Many people go swimming in the winter despite the cold and do not get sick. It is customary for most people to go to church on this day and receive holy water; the water received on January 19 remains good for a whole year. Most of Russia's inhabitants are Orthodox, about 70 percent of the population, but there are also people of other religions and atheists in Russia, so the national holiday still falls on January 1st.

People prepare for the New Year in advance. In small villages and towns the local authorities decorate the central square with real Christmas trees and colorful lights appear on the tallest buildings. In big cities real and artificial Christmas trees are everywhere. In Moscow, stores and restaurants have to be dressed up by New Year's Day or they are fined. The city administration is responsible for holiday street lighting and organizing outdoor entertainment.

Fathers are obliged to bring back a Christmas tree. Of course there is no need to go to the forest to find a real Christmas tree - the penalties for illegal logging are very severe - and real ones can be bought at a small market set up especially before New Year's Day.

New Year's in Russia would be overshadowed by a lack of gifts. The vast majority of people buy gifts, although in recent years giving money to loved ones has been recognized. Everyone, from babies to great-grandmothers, deserves a gift. And gifts come in all shapes and sizes, from rattling toys to cozy penny loafers. It's customary for children to look for their gifts under the Christmas tree on the morning of Jan. 1, but they generally pester their parents to hand out gifts early. This also makes it easier for the adults to sit and chat with loved ones and friends while the kids play with their new toys. If you want to give children a memorable holiday, you can call a specialized company, and the New Year's fairy tale characters Snowman and Snowgirl will come to your home. The Iceman will take out from his big pockets the gifts predetermined by the parents, while the Snow Maiden and the children play together. The leader of the company asks the client not to let the Snowman drink with his hosts, because he has to visit many houses on this day to congratulate the New Year, and the consequences would be unimaginable if every house invites a drink. However, it is possible to invite the Snowman and the Snow Maiden to enjoy a festive meal together. Nowadays, the content of the holiday meal is relatively reduced a bit, and people try not to eat too much. However, there are still a few cold dishes that can be found on the traditional table, such as the famous Russian salad, meat jelly, fish with horseradish, homemade pickled red fish, pickled mushrooms, slices of bread with red fish roe, and so on. Hot dishes are a specialty of each family. Meat, fish, and poultry are always put in the oven whole or in large pieces to make the holiday meal even bigger. In Russia there has been a saying since ancient times: "Big fish, big meat, good mood". In recent years the Russian table has followed the Chinese zodiac. If it is the year of the rooster, then most people do not have chickens on the table.

Every New Year's Day, the country takes a vacation. At the same time, all kinds of celebrations are organized. New Year, Russian New Year and Christmas events are intertwined to make the holiday seem more lively and festive. Even before the arrival of the New Year, people get busy and immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere, cleaning, purchasing fine food, decorating New Year's fir trees, and preparing for the family reunion to welcome the New Year with great joy. The main streets are lined with colorful Christmas trees. The trees are filled with ornaments, ribbons, lights, and all kinds of small gifts. It has become a tradition in many cities to organize various ″City Nights″ during the New Year. New Year's fir trees are placed in the city's central square and mass celebrations are organized. On New Year's Eve, fireworks are set off in many places or large bonfires are burned. When the Kremlin's own clock rings past 12 o'clock, broadcast on TV and radio, the announcer congratulates the whole country on the New Year. At this time, all people stop all activities, shout ″Ula″, while congratulating each other and entering the table for a drink. It is customary to celebrate the New Year with champagne before drinking other wines and having a New Year's dinner. After the meal, people sit around and watch special New Year's programs prepared by TV stations, or hold various entertainment activities such as dancing and singing. Some young people even take to the streets and party until dawn. There is a traditional saying among Russians that ″those who have a bad New Year's Day will have bad luck for the rest of the year. Therefore, everyone enjoys playing all night long. Children get a gift in addition to the games. It is also customary to send congratulatory letters, cards and phone calls to each other to congratulate them on the New Year. Friends and relatives living in the same place visit each other and give each other gifts. Russia, with its vast territory and many time zones, is the first country in the world to welcome the New Year and the country with the highest number of New Year's greetings. In total, 11 New Years are celebrated throughout the country. In many places, people traditionally welcome the New Year twice, once according to local time and once according to Moscow time.

The New Year is considered a family holiday, but young people can slip away. It is customary for families to gather around the dinner table until midnight, then turn on the television, listen attentively to the president's message to the people, raise glasses of champagne and congratulate each other on the new year to the sound of the bells of the Kremlin's Savior Tower, and then the young people go outdoors. Like the Chinese New Year, firecrackers are fired, and young people open the champagne they have hidden behind their parents' backs in the freezing cold. The main form of entertainment for the middle-aged is chatting until sleepiness sets in. Hosts prepare bedding for their guests, who usually don't leave until the next day.

These are only the superficial aspects of welcoming the New Year. Russians grew up with the habit of associating winter festivals with magic, magic, fairy tales. Everyone expects something unusual, but it must be something very good. Everything that happens during the holiday is viewed as special. People often choose to court on New Year's Eve.

Since ancient times, young girls have been divining marriages during this time. The Orthodox Church condemns the act of divining the future, but it is permitted during Christmas and the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus, so the custom of fortune-telling during the winter is very popular in Russia. The most famous method of divination is using a ring in water. It is necessary to take an ordinary flat-bottomed glass without any pattern, pour it with water, carefully place someone's wedding ring in the center and look at the middle of the ring. After a while, the girl will see the fiancé. If you eat something salty before going to bed and ask him to appear, then you can also see your future husband in your dreams. The simplest method of divination is with snow: go outdoors at night, lie down on the snow, then get up and leave without turning back. In the morning look at the position: if the snow is imprinted with lines, then the husband will be rough and hasty; if the imprints are flat, then the husband will be gentle and kind; if the imprints are deep, then the marriage will be more than once; if the imprints are covered up, then there will be no marriage in the near future.