While some Russian Christmas traditions are similar to those practiced in the West, others are specific to Russia, reflecting Russia's rich history and the traditions associated with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Many of Russia's Christmas customs originated with the pagan culture that existed in Russia before the arrival of Christianity. Pagan rituals designed to bring about a good year with a rich harvest were performed from the end of December until around mid-January. When Christianity arrived in Russia, these rituals transformed and merged with the customs of the newly arrived religion, creating a unique mixture of Christmas traditions that are still observed in Russia today.
Currently, the difference between the Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar is 13 days. Starting in , the difference will increase to 14 days, and Russian Christmas will thus be celebrated on January 8th from then onwards, until the next increase.
During the Soviet era, Christmas and all other church holidays were banned though many people continued to celebrate them in secret. Many Christmas traditions were moved to New Year's, which has been the most popular holiday in Russia ever since. Russian Christmas is spent with family, and is considered a time of forgiveness and love. Thoughtful gifts are given to loved ones, and homes are decorated with figures of angels, stars, and nativity scenes. Many Russians attend a Christmas mass on Christmas Eve.
After dark, once the fast is broken, families sit down for a celebration meal. Traditionally, various pickled items are served, including gherkins, pickled mushrooms, sauerkraut, and pickled apples. Other traditional dishes include pies meat, mushroom, fish, or vegetable fillings. Today, Russian Christmas meals are eclectic and varied, with some families following tradition and others choosing entirely different dishes.
Many Russians do not follow the fast or attend church, but still celebrate Christmas, viewing the holiday as a celebration of love, acceptance, and tolerance. Fortune-telling is a tradition that began in Russia's pre-Christianity times and is not condoned by the Russian Orthodox Church. The women wore only their nightgowns and kept their hair loose. Married women and men were not allowed to take part in fortune-telling rituals. In today's Russia, many fortune-telling rituals involve the whole family.
Tarot reading, tea leaf reading and coffee grounds divination are also common. Here are some examples of traditional fortune-telling methods performed at Russian Christmas celebrations:.
A bowl is filled with rice and a question is asked or a wish is made. An interesting fact: we have not only two Christmas but also two new years.
The first one — official, on January 1, and the second one — unofficial celebrated on January Now you know what to expect of the winter festivals while you are in Latvia, and you know how to say Merry Christmas and a happy New Year in Russian to your colleagues, friends and host family.
If you are talking about small children, we have no such tradition. But adult children who are themselves working, as a rule, prepare gifts for their relatives. Despite the fact that in our country there is no official religion, Catholic and Lutheran Christmas is an official holiday, because most people profess these religions. Your email address will not be published.
Design by LatInSoft. Learn Russian in the European Union. Student Login Student Account. Login Forgot password. Staff Login Staff Account. Christmas How to wish Merry Christmas? How do Catholics and Lutherans celebrate Christmas? What would she wear? What about the gift?
The house will have to be cleaned when they've gone. I couldn't just leave it. Finally, she went to the small cupboard, opened the door and gazed at all the toys. But they were very dusty. They weren't fit for a baby king. They would all need to be cleaned. She cleaned all of the toys until each one shined.
Babushka looked through the window. It was morning! The star had came and gone. The kings would have found somewhere else to rest by now. She could easily catch them up, but she felt so tired. She had to sleep. The next thing she knew, she was awake and it was dark outside. She had slept all day! She quickly pulled on her cloak, packed the toys in a basket and ran down the path the kings had taken. Everywhere she asked "Have you seen the kings?
They went that way. But Babushka never stopped. Then she came to a city. They were soon on their journey. I can't imagine why. It's a very poor place. But that's where they went. She set off towards Bethlehem. It was evening when Babushka arrived at Bethlehem and she had been traveling for a long time. She went into the local inn and asked about the kings. They were very excited, but they didn't even stay the night. I couldn't offer the couple anything better at the time.
My inn was really full, so they had to go in the stable. Babushka followed him across the yard.
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