Russian Blog
This is a blog by JustRussian about learning Russian. You will find useful tips for learning Russian, Russian courses available in London, information about Russian culture and links to websites with information for students of Russian.
Russian holidays and celebrations Part 1
By Vlada 28 October 09
More country info from a Russian tutor, or something you might find interesting but won’t learn in a Russian course.
In Russian lessons, students often ask me about traditional Russian holidays and celebrations. So here are a few facts:
Russians like a good celebration – any excuse to have one is welcome! If you look at a traditional Russian calendar you will see that almost every day is dedicated to someone or something: there is a day for medical workers, a day for teachers, scientists, computer programmers – every profession and sphere of activity is celebrated. On top of that, there are religious Orthodox holidays and days commemorating various historical events – so plenty of reasons for celebration! Not all these days are public holidays of course. If they were, people would not have any time to work! But generally there are more days off in a Russian working person’s year than in most other countries. And we like our days off to be a cause for celebration, not just “bank holidays”. We even have holiday “spree” times when the whole country comes to a standstill. The biggest one is the New Year celebration; it’s the first holiday of the year, so it will be the first one on my list.
The New Year, Christmas and the “Old New Year”
This is the longest holiday “spree” of the year. Most people start celebrating on the 25th of December (the Western Christmas, a working day in Russia, but a good pretext to start a holiday season), and carry on till the so-called “Old New Year” on the 13th of January. From the 31st of December till the 10th of January most businesses and state institutions are closed, children are on school holidays, and if you need to get something done in Russia, this is not the time to go.
The New Year (and not Christmas) is the biggest celebration of the year. The New Year (Novy God) is traditionally a home celebration, when families and close friends stay at home, eat, drink, exchange gifts and watch a lot of television. The traditional food includes Russian salad (called “salat Olivier” in Russian), as well as several other salads, pies, a meat course with vegetables and a lot of sweets and desserts. In all kitchens across the country people frantically chop salads and watch one particular movie, a new year romantic comedy which has been shown every New Year Eve for the last 30 years. (It’s a very good film called “Ironiya Sud’by, ili S Legkim Parom!” It used to be really funny until everyone learned it by heart… and now it’s become a tradition to show it.) A couple of minutes before midnight the president appears on TV with a short speech, in which he outlines what happened in the country in the last year and wishes all Russians a happy new one. The Kremlin clock (the Russian equivalent of Big Ben) strikes 12, at which point glasses should be filled with champagne and people make their secret wishes for the New Year while the clock is chiming… The New Year begins with a glass of champagne and the most entertaining TV night of the year. All TV channels go out of their way to prepare the best New Year programme, inviting all the most popular pop stars, comedians and presenters, who sing, dance and joke all night.
Some people, mostly young ones, go out for the night to restaurants and clubs, or walk outside and launch fireworks. Fireworks are a relatively new trend which makes the noise unbearable and sleeping impossible. In Moscow, lots of people gather in Red Square to see the New Year in.
On the 1st of January, most of the adult population of the country wakes up very late with a hangover. Streets are empty, everything is closed. Some slight signs of life return on the 2nd, with most shops opening and more people waking up.
The period from the 1st till the 10th of January is the official New Year time off. It’s marked, apart from the traditional Christmas/New Year decorations, by the presence of Grandfather Frost (Ded Moroz), the Russian Santa Claus, and his assistant the Snow Maiden (Snegurochka) in the streets and at numerous children’s New Year performances. Grandfather Frost is a tall old man with a huge white beard, dressed in a satin coat trimmed with fur, with a magic walking stick that can turn anyone into a block of ice. His assistant (PA!) Snegurochka is his granddaughter, a pretty blond girl who was originally made of snow and became alive with the help of the same magic stick. The two of them go around delivering presents to children and lighting Christmas trees. There are, as you can imagine, numerous jokes about the pair and the fact that they sometimes become confused after having a few drinks.
Russian Christmas comes on the 7th of January because of the difference between the Gregorian (new style) and Julian (old style) calendars. Russia used to follow the old Julian calendar until 1918, being two weeks behind Europe! When the calendar was changed, the Russian Orthodox Church wouldn’t accept it, and all religious celebrations follow the old calendar to this day. Christmas is a religious occasion, and although it’s a public holiday, it is observed mostly by believers, and it is not as commercialised as in the West.
The most curious occasion of this holiday marathon is the “Old New Year”, the 13th of January. It’s the date of the New Year celebration before the calendar was changed in 1918, and it’s not a significant date but usually a day to remember old friends and see one’s family. This day is the last chance to celebrate the New Year, also welcomed by religious people who observe a Christmas fast. Also, there is a tradition of divination on the old New Year Eve, in order to try and see what the New Year will be like. Dreams on that night are deemed to be significant.
Men’s Day – the 23rd of February
This day was introduced as a celebration of the Red Army and Navy in 1918 and was, for many years, strictly the Army Day. But because there is compulsory military service for all men in Russia, this day gradually became associated with all men, regardless of whether they have served in the army or not. It wasn’t a day off until recently, but now it’s a public holiday. All men receive little gifts, cards and congratulations. This occasion is the male counterpart of Women’s day, one of Russia’s favourite public holidays, celebrated on the 8th of March. Women’s day has always been a public holiday, so men felt that they deserved one too! At present the 23rd of February is officially called the Day of the Country’s Defender, so the Army connection is still there but it has become more vague.
If you are in Russia around the 23rd of February, you’ll see men getting cards and gifts from their wives, girlfriends, daughters and colleagues. And if you are foreign and have absolutely nothing to do with the Russian army, women will still wish you a Happy Men’s Day!
Women’s Day – the 8th of March
This day was originally introduced as a feminist and communist celebration. It was celebrated for the first time in 1911 in four countries: Austria, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland, on different days, to celebrate the struggle for equal rights for women. It came to Russia in 1913 but was forgotten at the time of the 1st World War. 1914 was the only year when it was celebrated in several European countries on the same day, the 8th of March. After the revolution of 1918 the Soviet government introduced this day as a public holiday, to celebrate women’s equal rights and their contribution to the communist cause. Also, it was a day to distract the Soviet people from religious holidays of the Spring, such as Easter.
In 1975, at the request of the Soviet delegation at the UN congress, the 8th of March was officially pronounced International Women’s Day.
The 8th of March has become one of everyone’s favourite national holidays. Just as with Army day, it has lost connection with its ideological roots. It’s a day when all women, regardless of age or status, get flowers, gifts and a lot of compliments (not only from men, but from other women as well) and the whole country has a day off. This day is associated with the beginning of Spring, and its first flowers, mimosas, daffodils and tulips. Being a teacher, I used to receive a lot of flowers from my students on this day, so I do miss this particular holiday living in England!
To be continued.