Tag Archives: christmas

Winter holidays in Russia The winter holidays season has already started. For religious Russians, this means that a 40 day fasting period which began on the 28th of November. Nevertheless, not least because of the influence of western habits, this time has been adapted more to the western Europe pre-Christmas habits, which is characterized by ...

Gratitude Days Turn Into Years! Happy 2017 ! The months of Gratitude are upon us. Or, should I say days? Starting with Thanksgiving in the West all the way to Epiphany in the East. I am talking about two different religions here, конечно (clearly). What about the rest of the year? What is it about ...

It’s beginning to look a lot like… New Year! So December is well underway and that means one thing: Christmas! Except, Christmas isn’t quite the same over here in Russia. First of all, they celebrate New Year (Новый год), a tradition that is a remnant of the atheist Soviet state. Christmas, which falls on the ...

Feeling Festive: Moscow’s Seasonal Skating Rinks So the snow is here to stay (along with the rain and sleet and whatever else was going on yesterday evening) and for me, a girl from a city that didn’t have a single snowflake last winter, that means getting ready for Christmas or, if you will be spending ...

What is the difference: Russian vs Western Christmas? Christmas is a heart-warming time of year. It is a time when families gathers together in order to joyfully celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem all those years ago. I must admit that I myself am not religious in any way, but I still celebrate Christmas ...

As we move further into December and approach the new year, the feeling of the holiday season is in the air. In Russia however, the holiday season is not quite the same as in most western countries. The numerous decorations, lights and “Christmas” Trees (Ёлка) you see scattered throughout the city are in fact, not ...