Blog - New Year's
For lack of Sinterklaas and a proper commercial/family oriented, Coca-Cola-backed Christmas (it's mainly a religious event), New Year's is Russia's main, going-all-out holiday of the year. (Btw., Christmas takes place January 7th, because for some reason the church still uses the Julian calendar.)
It is widely and intensely celebrated, leading till up to 10 days off in January, giving everyone enough time to get completely wasted and recover again :)
People usually celebrate New Year's with their core family and prepare lots and lots of food: meat, fruits (mainly mandarins), lots of alcohol and the obligatory Olivier salad ("оливье" in Russian). Every year the movie "The Irony of Fate" is shown, and just before midnight the president gives his New Year's speech, which is watched by millions upon millions. This is probably caused by the fact that this speech is shown on every single TV channel :)
After the midnight toast, people go outside to light some fireworks and often go to friends to party on into the night.
It is widely and intensely celebrated, leading till up to 10 days off in January, giving everyone enough time to get completely wasted and recover again :)
People usually celebrate New Year's with their core family and prepare lots and lots of food: meat, fruits (mainly mandarins), lots of alcohol and the obligatory Olivier salad ("оливье" in Russian). Every year the movie "The Irony of Fate" is shown, and just before midnight the president gives his New Year's speech, which is watched by millions upon millions. This is probably caused by the fact that this speech is shown on every single TV channel :)
After the midnight toast, people go outside to light some fireworks and often go to friends to party on into the night.