RUSSIA - THE BEST PLACE TO BE DURING NEW YEARS
New Years celebration in Russia is the by far the best in the world - as a world traveler I have rung in the New Year in many different countries in many different ways and have found Russia to be the best. Late family dinners, sparkling wine and fireworks at midnight are some of the traditional ways of celebrating New Year’s Day in Russia.
Children decorate a New Years tree much like they do for Christmas trees in the west but instead of going to bed to wait for Santa to come - they get to meet "Father Frost" or as Russians call him -"Дед Мороз, Ded Moroz" and his granddaughter "Snow Maiden" or "Снегурочка, Snegurochka" and the gifts he brings them. In our apartment block we had a couple of people who went around the apartments dressed as father frost and snow maiden.
New Year’s Day is a family holiday for many Russians. Dinner usually starts late on December 31. Traditional meals include Russian salad, herring and sparkling wine. A pre-recorded address by the country’s president appears on TV, listing the achievements of the past year, at 11.55pm (23:55) local time in each of Russia’s time zones. Many people watch his address and raise a toast to the chiming of the Kremlin clock. The Russian national anthem begins at midnight and people congratulate each other and exchange presents. People may celebrate the day at a friend’s house or attend the fireworks in their city or set off their own as the whole city looks like WWIII has hit.
In St Petersburg people walk down the main street (Nevsky Prospect) during this time - passing many New Year's villages set up for people to purchase items needed for the New Year and the last minute gift.
THIS WAS MY LAST YEAR IN ST PETERSBURG FOR NEW YEARS CELEBRATIONS 2013
New Year’s Day is a national holiday in Russia, in which most businesses and public offices are closed. The Russian Labor Code declares January 1-5 as a non-labor period. If any of these days fall on a weekend, they move to January 6 or January 8 (January 7 is Christmas Day). Schools and universities are usually closed as part of their winter vacation at this time of the year. There may be limited public transport on January 1. In October 2012, a decree signed by Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev changed the dates for the New Year break. Russians will have a 10 day break for New Year, starting Sunday, December 30, 2012 and ending Tuesday, January 8, 2013. This was the last time I celebrated New Years in Russia.
Between 1919 and 1937, the Bolsheviks banned public celebrations of New Year’s Day, calling it a bourgeois holiday. It became a non-labor day again in 1947. The tradition of having Russia’s leader give a televised address became a New Year’s tradition in 1976.
2017 PRESIDENT PUTIN'S NEW YEAR ADDRESS
I look forward this year to hear what the President has to say about 2017