HOW TO SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS IN RUSSIAN?

These days people in different countries congratulate each other on Christmas and wish all the best. Perfect time for gathering together with a family and spend cozy evenings near the Christmas tree.  For Russian people this holiday comes only in January (and to be honest it’s not that hugely celebrated as the New Year’s Eve) which is why all eyes are on Russian traditional New Year recipes, presents, mandarins and champagne. But it goes without saying that many Russians congratulate their relatives and friends who enjoy Catholic Christmas, send them postcards and photos with snowy and beautiful winter sceneries. Let’s learn how to say Merry Christmas in Russian and wish each other all the best!

For more Russian “winter vocabulary” check out the video lesson with Alina and Jack!

5 items you need to arrange perfect Russian New Year’s Eve!

+  some New Year Russian slang

It is typical of Russians to celebrate New Year’s Eve large and loudly. Even 24/7 busy Russian language teachers put away the books and make up their minds to an exciting celebration. Here are top 5 things you better buy before your Russian festive season starts. Why? In order to stay calm, happy and fully enjoy the holiday.

1 Mandarins

Every Russian woman and man knows that mandarins’ smell means New Year is coming. Even though this fruit was popular in Europe for a long time in the USSR people got a chance to taste it only at the beginning of 1960s. Since November is considered to be a very season for mandarins, people in Russia usually buy it in December and never forget to leave some for New Year’s dinner.

2 Special Soviet champagne  

NOTICE: it’s not that kind of champagne produced in France, it is special Russian brand. Back to the USSR the Soviet government made winemakers to invent something similar but affordable for everyone and since that time almost all Russians buy this “Soviet Champagne” bottles for 31 of December.

3 Mayonnaise

That sauce is extremely important for all kind of dishes. You may need 1 kg, or maybe 2 or 3 to cook all the salads. Yes, that much! Russians like it a lot and add to almost every New Year treat. For example, it is number one ingredient for Olivier salad, which remains a symbol for Russian New Year for a long time so far.

4 Bengal Lights (tiny sparklers)

Also must-have thing during holiday season. These colored and bright flames are magnificent not only for Russian kids but for their parents too. Even though to use them you should be aware of safety measures Russians can hardly imagine celebration without it.

5 Tinsels (as many as possible!)

Russians love decorating houses and gardens and use different techniques and styles here. But honestly, even those who doesn’t want to spend much time on decorating always put some tinsels around the flat. To be honest some Russians keep them all year roundJ
And as promised, the piece of Russian slang you may use to congratulate your friend or stranger at the streets of Russian cities (teens are more preferable):

-  Будь на хайпе и чтобы всё было бэнч! [bud' na khaype i chtoby vso bylo bench] – which means:  Stay trendy and let everything be ok!

If you want to celebrate New Year 2018 in a Russian style, feel free to choose our special individual course and come to Petrozavodsk! Not only to learn Russian, but also to get familiar with the Russian festive traditions!

ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS: LET’S CLARIFY THE DATES AND LOOK THROUGH RUSSIAN TRADITIONS

When and how do people celebrate Christmas in Russia?

Sometimes “Enjoy Russian” school students who come to learn Russian in Petrozavodsk during winter time (December and January in particular) associate Christmas in Russia with the 25th of December. Catholic world does celebrate Christmas on this day, but not the Orthodox communities. At least, not all of them. To understand the reason dates differ from country to country one should get an insight into the history.

Why Christmas date is different around the world

The reason for this 13-days-difference is hidden in the calendars people use. Starting with the year 1582 many countries around the globe switched to Gregorian calendar from the Julian one (introduced by Julius Caesar in ..) According to some statistics the process took almost 300 years. And when it finally came to Russia the  Orthodox Chirch did not approve shifting to this new-made year calculating system and remained stick to the Julian calendar.

As a result, in modern world we have Catholic communities using Gregorian calendar, some Orthodox communities living with renewed Julian calendar (which nowadays coincides with Gregorian one and Christmas in these countries is celebrated on 24-25th December) and countries living with Julian calendar like Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Montenegro, Belarus, Egypt that celebrate Christmas on 6-7th of January.

What do Russians do on Christmas day

At all times people in Russia were preparing themselves to Christmas day very carefully. From November 28 till January 6 the religious are fasting and mentally purifying themselves. On this holiday people cook traditional Christmas food, but do not start dinner ceremony before participating in a night church service (usually starts at midnight). Making a wish on this night is also a common tradition.

On the next day the front doors of all houses were open to everybody: people congratulate each other with the great day and invite even strangers to drop by.

And after that the 12-day holiday season starts. Through to the Epiphany Day (January 19) people go sledding, join open-air celebrations, play musical instruments at the streets. An integral part of Russian Christmas celebration is called «колядки». People dress up in a fancy way, come to random houses and sing short humorous songs. The men of the house usually give some sweets to unexpected guests.

Even though Russians do not celebrate Christmas in a grand-scale manner as they do on New Year’s Eve, they find it very enjoyable and delightful.

To experience your Christmas in Russia, choose our 1 or 2 week Russian language course with special festive cultural program! You will have a chance to enjoy a trip to Russian Uncle Frost Residence, will be able to decorate your own Christmas tree toys and attend special theatre performances! Sign up for a course here