Winter holidays in Russia. By valeko in Culture Mon Dec 22, 2003 at 08:45:54 PM EST Tags: Culture (all tags)
	In Russia, winter holidays are celebrated somewhat differently than in the United States and most of the West. Although the underlying substance of the winter holidays -- presents, trees, family gatherings -- is the same, it corresponds to different holidays and customs. This results from a blend of Russian national tradition, the influence of Eastern Orthodox heritage and of course, Soviet secularisation. There is a lot more to be said about this than is actually practical, so I would like to focus on two axial aspects that sit comfortably within my sphere of knowledge: New Year and the custom of giving presents. The latter topic is a little more editorial than encyclopedic, but please bear with me. Also, please understand that none of this information is in any way "authoritative." I tell you all this as a Russian immigrant, not as a cultural anthropologist or otherwise a person bearing any credentials or officialdom.

New Year New Year is the principal winter holiday, as opposed to Christmas. It is universally recognised as such by both secular and religious people. Whereas New Year is mostly an occasion merely for parties and drinking in the West, most of the traditions associated with Christmas fall on New Year in Russia. The welcoming of the new year is considered the most significant occasion of the winter. The New Year's tree (called "yolka", singular) is identical to a Christmas tree, although of course there is nothing in its name that binds it to a given holiday. It is decorated in the same way, with ornaments, lights and garland. Stars are usually perched atop the tree rather than angels, and ornaments of a religious nature as well as nativity scenes are notably absent, from the perspective of a Western observer. Folklore holds that Ded Moroz ("Grandfather Frost") is charged with the responsibility for delivering presents on New Year's Eve. He is a large, bearded and grandfatherly man resembling Santa Claus, although he has no saintly identity, nor sleigh nor reindeer. He is sometimes said to be dressed in blue rather than red - this is a point of contention. Either way, he emerges on New Year's Eve with a gargantuan, overflowing sack of gifts and dispenses them to each family. The actual procedure of doing this is not a significant component of the mythology; he doesn't come down the chimney, but it doesn't really matter how he gets into your dwelling. Perhaps through the front door, perhaps through the window - who knows? Instead of elves to help him, Ded Moroz has his grand-daughter Snegurochka ("Snowy"), with whom he lives somewhere in the northern forest. Snegurochka is generally portrayed as an attractive young blonde girl, often dressed in light winter attire and sometimes a red cap. (In my experience, she is distinguished by a scarf. At the Russian New Year's parties I have been to, there was always a young woman dressed as Snegurochka, usually in a minimalist outfit -- perhaps a dark or red dress -- but always with a scarf draped about her neck.) Presents are also given on New Year. There is no requirement of waiting until the morning of New Year's Day to open them; instead, they are usually presented and opened shortly after greeting the New Year at midnight. Perhaps one would think that with the observation of such traditions on New Year, there comes a certain solemnity that precludes "party"-style celebration. This is not true. In fact, both are easily reconciled. New Year's parties complete with drinking and dancing are in fact very common, especially among young people. (Growing up in America, I've been to a number of all-Russian New Year's gatherings that illustrate the fusion of a warm, solemn holiday with flamboyant parties. First, great care was taken that the children receive their presents as the guests looked on, and once these 'formalities' were diligently taken care of, there followed a long night of club-style dancing that lasted until dawn.) Christmas is celebrated in Russia as a religious holiday. Because the Russian Orthodox Church does not recognise the Gregorian calendar, religious events are timed according to the Julian calendar. This means that Christmas falls on the 7th of January. In point of whether New Year and Christmas have always held their respective positions, my knowledge is rather weak. As far as I have been told, New Year has always held a position of eminence, yet it is safe to assume that its position as the dominant affair of the winter was bolstered by the official atheism of the Soviet regime. Christmas was stripped of official recognition as a holiday after the 1917 revolution, and it was not re-established as such until 1992, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Some Americans (mostly of the "Christian Conservative" variety) have gone so far as to speculate that this configuration of holidays is a testament to the "repression" of the Russian people. Allegedly, we have yearned all these years for the "true holiday" of Christmas with all our moral strength, only to have our longing cries silenced under the heel of the totalitarian (and Godless) jackboot. The story goes that we've been forced to take what could be salvaged of Christmas and crudely graft it onto New Year, prodded along by our Communist heathen overlords. I really beg to differ. True, public interest in the Orthodox Church and Christmas has been revived significantly since the fall of the Soviet Union, but Russians are happy with and proud of their New Year-centric tradition. I don't believe it's going to change with the flourishing of "freedom" or whatnot. Presents I would also like to mention briefly the Russian approach to presents in order to contrast it with what I have observed in America. While the Russian approach is more traditional and European than nationally idiosyncratic, it is still a matter for illustration of difference in customs. Presents are generally a thing intended to be shrouded in mystery and surprise. In America, it is not uncommon to simply request what you want from family or friends and to receive it without ceremony. This is unthinkable in our tradition. It is a vital element of the present that it is picked out by the person giving it, that it is sincere and comes from the heart. It is also important to be surprised; advance knowledge of your present defeats the entire purpose. Presents are generally things of quality but modest in quantity; it would be considered extremely poor form to have a "wish list" or a "Christmas list" or something so pretentious. Likewise, giving money would be regarded as very blunt, offensive and unrefined. Simply giving someone the means to buy themselves a present is contrary to the entire purpose. This is not to say that the giver of the present should ignore the apparent wishes of the receiver and get him something totally random. On the contrary, the point is to get someone you love what they want. If you are a parent, perhaps you overheard your son or daughter talking once about something they wish they had. You should keep this in mind for a present. The point is for this to happen by implied understanding, and not by explicit request. It should be a surprise, and should be given based on an earnest desire to please. It is also a matter of principle that presents retain a fog of mystery. That is to say, it is inappropriate to inquire as to when, where and how your present was obtained, before or after receiving it. It is also forbidden to ask about the price; if by chance there is a price sticker that the giver neglected to remove, you should throw it away promptly and act as though you never saw it. These things simply don't matter. In fact, not only is it a matter of ethics, but seeking information about presents is regarded by many superstitious people as inviting bad luck. The less you know, the better and the more magical it is. I realise that most things I identify here as "American" (requesting gifts, giving money, wish lists) are not so much American custom as the result of crass commercialism and greed, but the fact remains that they are the de facto practises I have observed. I'm very critical of them and always do my best to give and receive presents strictly adhering to our tradition.

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