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Feature
RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES
BOOKMARKS bd.english.fom.ru Population Poll: Holidays in Russia
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Celebrations Russia Enjoys a Holiday Season Longer Than Most Nations; How Did the Country Get So Many Festivals?
Four in One
That’s How Many
Celebrations We
Pack into Our Winter
Holidays
Before the 1917 revolution, Russia of each. Thus, for the most Europhile
operated according to the Julian Russians, festivities begin on December
calendar, which is some 13 days behind 24 in celebration of the Christians'
the more modern Gregorian calendar. Christmas Day. After Christmas
When the Communists came to power follows the most enthusiastically
they celebrated according to the new celebrated holiday of all: New Year’s
Georgian calendar but the Church Eve. Then there is the Russian Orthodox
refused to accept the new order. The Christmas (January 7) and, finally, the
Communists, in turn, refused to accept Old New Year (January 13).
the old Orthodox festivals. The result Last year these festivities were made
is that, instead of one New Year and law, and December 30 to January 8 is
one Christmas, Russia celebrates two now an official state holiday.
IZOSOFT.RU
Christmas Characters
bells. Instead, he is only aware
of his most important responsi-
Time for Home & Travel
A great number of restaurants for skiing and snowboarding.
have opened; travel agencies These tours are usually the
bility, which is to hand out good are now plentiful; and dachas most popular; elite resorts like
There is no Russian home that able in the West, handmade presents to good people. And Generally speaking, the Rus- another option — the dacha, have been swapped for foreign Courchevel become Russian
would do without a Yolka decorations are not used in in this he is aided by his charm- sian New Year is a festival that an out-of-town retreat some- palaces. All the same, the habit colonies over the New Year
(spruce) Christmas/New Year’s Russia. This is because the ing niece the Snow Maiden — has traditionally been celebrat- times translated (though some- of staying at home remains. break. The second group of
tree. Whether real or synthetic, Russian Yolka is not supposed who, as legend has it, is sup- ed at home (under the old re- what erroneously) as “country Even those Russians with rest- destinations are European
miniscule or scratching the ceil- to demonstrate talent and per- posed to melt in spring. gime, all restaurants were or- house.” The use of the word less feet generally leave the capitals, of which Paris is most
ing, from the forests just outside sonal ability, as much as to Just as with the Santas you see dered to close at 10 in the “house” here presents difficul- country only in the days follow- popular. The third option is to
Moscow or from Scandinavian show off a family’s riches. Rus- working at malls in America, evening). Whether one liked it ties in that it suggests the pres- ing the New Year. turn winter into summer and
farms (in which case, it is not a sians are obliged to break the Granddad Frost and the Snow or not, there was no choice but ence of sewer systems and Travel itself is usually in one of set off for exotic locales like
spruce but simply a fir tree), few bank on toys for their Yolkas: Maiden entertain countless to sit at home. For lovers of ex- water supply. three directions. The first is to Thailand and the United Arab
Russian homes are without one. baubles, electric lights, bells, families all over the country -- treme adventure, there was Much has changed since then. Europe's snow-topped peaks Emirates.
A sister of the European or snowflakes and so on. visiting homes on paid to order
American Christmas tree, the The director of festivities, on requests. At each home Grand-
Russian Yolka does, however, the other hand, is the unusually dad Frost will be treated to a
differ in a few important ways. conservative Grandad Frost. A drink. On New Year’s Eve, re-
The Old
This occasion will, once again, cake smeared with butter and stubborn choose to continue.
call for an full festive table (if caviar. There is one club in St. Pe-
First, Russians do not aim to tall old man with a full beard, quests come so fast and fre-
decorate the tree by Christmas Frosty is not well disposed to quent that, by 12pm, Granddad
New Year
just a little less exuberant than On this occasion, champagne tersburg, The Snowstorm,
the New New Year). Most like- and presents are usually over- which stoically prolongs the
Day, but continue to do so right extravagance, like throwing Frost is in the kind of state that ly, the table will be covered by looked. Instead, this is a day celebrations to unheard of di-
up until midnight on New Year’s presents down chimneys or usually befits the Snow Maiden Officially speaking, Russians bliny (pancakes), which have when the New Year most defi- mensions. The club is the only
Eve. Secondly, though fashion- wearing dainty hats with jingle in spring. are obliged to return to work come to represent a Russian nitely fades back into the usual place on Earth that I know of
on January 9. In reality this winter rite. The traditional way routine; it is a time to take the which, every day, on the
rarely happens, as most peo- of eating blinys is to spend decorations down, brush away stroke of midnight cracks
Presents and Presidents
to monitor how presents ap- ple extend their already gen- some time outside in the the fallen pine needles and open the bottles champagne
pear under the tree. The same erous 10 days’ leave to in- freezing cold before returning store away a mass of unwant- to celebrate the traditional
thing has happened to me clude the Old New Year on to the warmth, downing a shot ed presents in the loft. Russian New Year. And no
Every New Year is celebrated First, the obligatory bottle of every year: just before the January 13. of vodka and grabbing a pan- From this point, only the most one seems to mind.
-
by Russians in identical fash- champagne is popped (recent- Kremlin chimes begin to ring,
ion. Two minutes before the ly, some sophisticates have there is not one present to
New Year, the President ap- begun to open the bottle in the speak of; by the time the
pears on TV with a national ad- French manner — quietly and chimes finish, a mountain of other linguistic peculiarity here; ation for brands. So a modest
dress. This is a Russian tradi- without pomp — though this is them appears! the word ikra means both stur- sparkling wine was amply pro-
tion — Brezhnev did it, as did generally recognized as wholly Russians traipse around shops
A Magic Night for
geon caviar and the cheaper duced under the name of Sovi-
Gorbachev and Yelstin, and improper). for a good week or two prior to salmon eggs. The former is re- et Champagne. Public taste for
Putin does it now. Second, everyone shouts s the New Year, collecting pres- ferred to as “black caviar,” and it did not vanish with the fall of
Then, for one whole minute, novym godom! ('Happy New ents of all descriptions, the av-
Great Food
the latter as “red.” Communism.
the whole country watches Year!'); some also open up erage price of which has for Caviar is spread on buttered New Year’s celebrations and
their television sets which are doors and windows, so as to let many years been ballooning. bread as a prelude to the New dishes that go with them are
invariably broadcasting an the New Year into their house. For example, this year the Rus- All over the world, traditional small pieces, plus canned Year feast, accompanied by shared by all Russians,
image of the country's largest Third, a mass of presents begin sian version of the Robb Re- holiday cooking remains even green peas, lavishly garnished champagne. The Iron Curtain though the choice of hot food
clock on the Kremlin's Spass- to materialize under the Yelka, port recommended: a) the as globalization encroaches. with mayonnaise. The salad is made real champagne from is not as obligatory. Everyone
kaya tower (erected during the for kids as well as adults. If you Zonda F – Pagani sports car, Dishes prepared for the main served in amazing quantities. France unavailable, and the re- chooses something to his or
era of Catherine the Great). As find yourself celebrating New b) a full-size merry-go-round holidays ignore the rules of Ranking next in popularity is gime never had any consider- her taste.
-
the minute hand slowly ap- Year in a Russian family, you or, c), a retro Black Swan sail- healthy eating and replace seledka pod shuboi (literally,
proaches 12, everyone counts can be sure that a present will ing ship. As stocking fillers, the them with tradition. “herring in a fur coat”)—an elab-
the bell chimes monot- materialize for you too. magazine recommended a orate dish with a bottom layer of
onously. I say the word "material- vineyard in South Africa, an Such occasions are rare—usu- grated boiled potatoes, then a
When they ring for ize" for the simple reason apartment in Moscow and a ally once a year, on the principal layer of sliced herring, which
the twelfth time, that every year, begin- chateau in France. religious feasts in most coun- sits beneath a layer of chopped
three things fol- ning with childhood, I tries. Russians celebrate New hardboiled eggs and is topped
low automatical- have attempted Year’s Eve on the grandest with grated boiled beet. All this
ly. scale, the night to reconcile all also drowns in mayonnaise to
religions and denominations. make a delicious, if somewhat
The centerpiece of a Russian heavy, hors-d’oeuvre.
holiday table is a dish that has Next come zakuski. Many lan-
too many calories to be guages have borrowed the word
healthy, but is excellent for from Russian but in Russia it
the soul. Called Olivier simply refers to any number of
Salad, it is named after starters. The most popular is na-
its inventor, Lucien Ol- rezka, an arrangement of sliced
ivier, a French chef meats. The word derives from
who lived in Moscow rezat, meaning to “cut” or “slice.”
in the 1860s. It is a There are about 50 kinds of na-
mixture of fresh ap- rezkas, with usually at least five
ples, pickled cucum- served at the New Year table.
bers, boiled potatoes The most famous Russian del-
and carrots and hardboiled icacy is caviar, usually served
eggs, all chopped into very in cut-glass bowls. There is an-
This new year material prepared by Dmitri Gubin, Robb Report (Russian version) IZOSOFT.RU
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