Christmas in Russia is celebrated in a unique way, which is different from the
rest of the world. Eastern Orthodox Christians form the majority of Christian
population in the country. Even today, they follow the old Julian calendar to
commemorate different festivals, including Christmas. This is the reason why the
festival is celebrated 13 days after Christmas Day (December 25) - the Russian
Orthodox Christmas is observed on January 7, every year. People in Russia
observe 39 days of fasting, which is broken on January 6, when the first
Christmas Star appears in the sky. Read on to know more Christmas celebrations
in Russia.
Christmas Celebrations In Russia
Special Church Service
In Russia, special church services are conducted on Christmas Eve - January 6.
The procession of devotees carries candles, torches and homemade lanterns and
revolves round the church for one time. The procession then returns to the
church to sing carols and chant hymns, in the praise of Lord Jesus Christ. After
the ritual is over, people present in the church would disperse and return to
their homes, to relish on the traditional Christmas Eve dinner, which typically
consists of twelve apostles - fish, beet soup or Borsch, cabbage stuffed with
millet, cooked dried fruit and much more. On Christmas Day, people would return
to the church, to attend the services and return home to feast on lip smacking
delicacies including a variety of different meat, goose being the favorite.
Manger
On Christmas Eve, people in Russia would make a beautiful manger, depicting the
Nativity Scene. According to the traditions, people wearing masks, portraying as
manger animals, would visit every home in the country and sing songs in the
praise of Baby Jesus Christ. The songs were known as 'Kolyadki'. Carols are also
sung in the praise of Baby Jesus. They also sing songs to invoke their ancient
Solar Goddess 'kolyada'. In return, the masqueraded people would accept food and
coins from every household.
Babushka - The Gift Giver
In Russia, the concept of Santa Claus is a bit different from other countries of
the world. In the country, the legendary gift-giver is known as 'Babushka'.
According to the legends, Babushka is a grandmother, who refused to accompany
the Three Wise Men to visit Baby Jesus Christ. When Babushka felt guilty of her
deed, she took a basket full of gifts and set her trail to visit Baby Jesus
Christ. However, due to her refusal to accompany the Three Wise Men, she failed
to find Jesus Christ anywhere. As a result, she decided to leave a present at
the doorsteps of every house in Russia, during the festive season of Christmas,
every year.
St. Nicholas
St. Nicholas is very popular in Russia. As per the legends connected to
Christmas celebrations in Russia, in 11th century AD, Prince Vladimir traveled
to Constantinople to be baptized. There, he was amazed by the miracles done by
St. Nicholas of Myra. He brought back with him, the stories associated with the
miracles done by St. Nicholas. Since then, December 6 was dedicated to the Saint
and was named as St. Nicholas Day. A special feast is prepared on the day. The
tradition of celebrating the day was followed for many centuries until the
Communist revolution. The tradition returned after the fall of Communism in
Russia. |
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