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New years • New years is the biggest celebration in Russia, there is a belief that how you celebrate New years indicates how you will do in the next year. So weeks or even months are put into this celebration. Teens mingle and party with family till midnight before partying with friends.
New years pt.2 • Also Russians give and receive gifts and have a Christmas like activity in which a variant of the western “Santa” (Grandfather frost in this case) comes and gives gift with a “Snow Maiden” (Snegurochka) who helps distribute the gifts. (New years precedes Christmas so a western “Christmas tree” is a “New years tree” in Russia) • A part of New years is that often Zakuska or Zakuski are served as a after dinner snack in Russia. • Fireworks are often displayed.
Christmas • Russian Christmas is celebrated seventeen days after the Western one, it is traditional to fast on January sixth for a big feast the following day. • Meat is forbidden in the Christmas meal so instead the Russians make Kutya, a vegetarian borscht with some side dishes like fruit and potatoes. • A Russian tradition is to throw a spoon full of kutya (Kutya is made of a type of porridge with honey) and if the kutya sticks it is a good omen. • The Yolka is a Russian Christmas tree. During the 17th century most peasant families could not afford decorations so they used home spun decorations and occasionally fruit.
Victory day • Victory day is held on May the ninth, it celebrates how Nazi Germany surrendered to the Soviet Union and the Allies of WWII and to remember who died in WWII, wreathes are placed on graves and special concerts are held for the veterans later in the day there are fireworks and a huge military parade, the parades are usually in Red square, Moscow but parades are also planed out for other big cities across Russia. • Victory day is a important holiday in Russia.
Russia day • Russia day is the national holiday, it symbolizes when Russian parliament formally declared Russian sovereignty from the USSR on June, 12, 1990
Easter Like the western version Easter changes the date each year which is determined by the lunar calendar, in Russia they give colored hard-boiled eggs. Easter is a bigger holiday then Christmas. The traditional way to dye the eggs red is to boil the eggs in the skins of red onions. ~Easter Thursday
Easter pt.2 • On this day women would clean the home and make a sweet pastry called a (phonetically spelled in English) “kulichi” which would be taken to church to be blessed, this day is also called “clean Thursday” • ~Easter Sunday • On easter Russians go to church and get their “kulichi” blessed then they go back home and have a large feast, the children play with the eggs and say a greeting meaning “Christ is alive!” (“Xristosvoskrese!”)
Women’s day • This is the biggest holiday for women in Russia on this day they are treated by their brothers, fathers, peers, workers and other males to flowers and chocolate and such although most women prefer to celebrate this day without men around.
Valentines day • Valentines day is a big celebration in Russia, in which lovers get together celebrate their love by giving romantic cards and exchanging kind words, it is not unusual for friends (male to female) to give each other cards on this day.
Defender of the fatherland day • Defender of the fatherland day is sort of a counter part to women’s day held on March 8th, it officially celebrates the men and women who are in the Russian armed forces, but unofficially it celebrates men as a whole.
Defender of the fatherland day pt.2 • The day is also celebrated with parades for the veterans and those currently in service, women often give small gifts to men in their lives giving gifts to fathers, brothers, boyfriends and male co-workers. • Defender of the fatherland day is celebrated on February 23.
Unity day • Unity day was first celebrated on November 4, 2005, Unity day commemorates the popular uprising led by KuzmaMinin and Dmitry Pozharsky which ejected the Polish invaders from Moscow on November 1612.
