by Emma Reznick
New Year Celebrations Across the World is a series of articles describing the different New Years’ histories, traditions, and changes throughout different countries and cultures. Do note that a country, region, or larger culture can have many subcultures that may celebrate differently.
History
Modern Russian traditions come from the time of the Soviet Union, when religion and religious practices were banned. New Years had been celebrated as a holiday for long before then, but increased in popularity at this time, when it became a secular winter that anyone could celebrate. Many New Years’ traditions began to include traditions that were once more common for Christmas.
Traditions
New Years' is generally celebrated as a family gathering, but some people will have larger parties. A large part of the celebration is the meal. The whole family gathers together—usually at one of the grandparents’ houses—and eats a meal together to start off the celebration. The children play together, and the adults would talk. Sometime after the meal, everyone would gather together for an exchange of gifts. A tree would be set up in the largest room, and all of the gifts would be underneath the tree. Traditionally, there is the story of Дед Мороз—Father Frost—and his granddaughter Снегурочка—the Snow Maiden—who made and distributed the gifts. As children got older and stopped believing that story, everyone acknowledges that it’s just everybody bringing gifts to put under the tree. The tree would often be decorated with various ornaments, and sometimes chocolates for the children to find. The New Year is welcomed with the words “С Новым годом!” which means “To the New Year.”
Food
Of course, the most important part: food. Every family will have eaten something different, but some of the most common were Шуба—Shuba, or Herring Under a Fur Coat—which was a very common New Years’ food, along with сельдь—herring—картофель с луком—potato with onion—оливье—olivier salad—борщ—a beet soup—and several other things. Mandarin oranges or clementines (in Russian, мандарин) are commonly served with desserts. Salads are very popular foods in Russian celebrations, but olivier is most common for the New Year.
Sources
1. Crescente. (December 26, 2014). The top 10 requirements for a stereotypical Russian New Year. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://www.rbth.com/society/2014/12/26/the_top_10_requirements_for_a_stereotypical_russian_new_year_42591.html
2. CAI. (July 27, 2018). New Year's Traditions in Russia. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://culturalawareness.com/new-years-traditions-in-russia/
3. Primary sources