| Christmas in Russia
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Home to two of the biggest and most ornate cities of Europe, Russia looms large on the European map not just for its sheer size but for its grandeur too. The land of Alexander Pushkin, Leo Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Stalin and of course Lenin has much to offer than that meets the ordinary eye. Lenin seems to come alive at every step, right from the time you step into Russia. Kurshkaya Kosa National Park features among the Unesco World Heritage Sites and houses the second largest sand dunes, lush stretches of pines | |
,indented coastline and not to mention the Curonian Lagoon of which it is a part. Set Sail to Russia and turn your Christmas in Russia into a memorable experience.
Many are of the opinion that the popularity of the traditional Russian Christmas is dwindling by the years and the Festival of Winter is gaining ground but everything said and done, some parts of Russia still celebrate Christmas with glee and merriment. Under the communist regime, most of the festive rituals and customs were suppressed but after its demise, they resurfaced with vengeance and still continue unabated.
Since most Christian Russians belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church they follow the tradition of fasting till the first church service on Christmas Eve. (Sometimes for 39 days, until January 6th Christmas Eve, when the first evening star appears in the sky)
Russians resort to a twelve course meatless supper in honor of each of the twelve apostles and the traditional Christmas dinner constitutes of goose and suckling pig, fish, beet soup or Borsch, cabbage stuffed with millet, cooked dried fruit etc. A special porridge called kutya is made out of wheat berries, which symbolize hope, and immortality while honey and poppy seeds ensure happiness, success.
A ceremony involving the blessing of the home is frequently observed where the priest visits the home accompanied by boys carrying vessels of holy water, and sprinkles water in each room. The kutya is eaten from a common dish to symbolize unity. Folks make clucking noises to encourage their hens to lay eggs and spreads hay on the floors and tables to encourage horse feed to grow. On Christmas Day, people gather in churches for masses, decorate Christmas trees or Yelka and sing hymns and carols.
Babushka the traditional Christmas figure, distributes presents to children. According to the age-old legend she failed to give food and shelter to the three wise men during their journey to visit the Christ Child. Repentant and dejected she still roams the countryside searching for the Christ Child and visits the homes of children during the Christmas season. St. Nicholas is especially popular in Russia and he used to feature as Grandfather Frost during the communist regime.
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