How the Russians Celebrate Christmas

Unlike the rest of the Western world, Russia celebrates its Christmas on the Julian calendar; therefore it falls on a different day of the year. Orthodox Christmas falls on January the 7^th, exactly 13 days behind Western Christmas. The Orthodox Russian church also celebrates the 40 day long Advent, beginning on the 28^th of November and ending on the 6^th of January.

The official Christmas and New Years holidays in Russia runs from the 31^st of December to the 10^th of January; with New Years almost being celebrated more than Christmas itself. The Russian greeting for Christmas is "S Rozhdestvom" and for New Years, "S Novym Godom".

Six weeks before Christmas, Russians fast on a completely vegetarian diet, even at Christmas parties and family reunions. On Christmas Eve, some people do not eat anything until they see the first star in the sky. After the sun goes down, people eat "sochivo", which is a dish made from rice or wheat including fruit and honey.

The most important Christmas dish is a porridge called kutya, made of berries and wheat that symbolize immortality. Most families throw a spoonful of kutya up at the ceiling and the tradition goes that if it sticks, there will be a very good honey harvest. The poppy seeds and honey represent happiness and success. Other Christmas foods include cakes, meatballs, and pies. At midnight on January 7 ^th, families go to Mass together and attend Christmas Ever services prior to Mass.

Before communist rule, a woman named Babushka would bring presents to the children. The legend says that she did not get food and shelter to the three wise men when they went to visit Baby Jesus; therefore she still roams the countryside in search for Baby Jesus and visiting people's homes.

When the Soviets took over Russia in 1917 in the Russian Revolution, they banned Christmas and all other religious celebrations. During the Communist rule, Christmas trees (though families still put up "New Years trees") and Santa Claus were banned as well and replaced with Father Frost, or as the Russians know him, Ded Moroz. Snegurochka, his granddaughter, always accompanies him when he gives out presents to children. Father Frost brings presents to children on the 1^st of January, not on the actual day of Christmas. 75 years later along with the fall of Communism in the early 1990s, Christmas again became openly observed and a national holiday.