Christmas in Russia

My people raise their voices and their fists to be heard this holiday in Russia to keep our new found freedoms alive.  Support the right of Russian people to honest elections~

During the Soviet Union, Christmas was not celebrated much. New Year was the important time.

Now Christmas is celebrated normally on the January 7th (only a few Catholics celebrate it on the 25th December). The date is different because the Russian Orthodox church uses the old 'Julian' calendar for religious celebration days. The official Christmas and New holidays in Russia lasts from 31st of December to the 10th of January.

The Russian Christmas greeting is 'S Rozhdestvom!'.

In Russia, our "Father Frost" is a character like Santa Claus.  He is usually accompanied by his Grandaugher the "Snow Maiden" or Snow Angel.  At New Years time "Ded Moroz" ( Father Frost) along with his helper, the Snow Angel, usually delivers presents to children in person. 

 The traditional greeting for Happy New Year is 'S Novym Godom'

The New Year celebrations are still very important to Russians (sometimes more than Christmas).

This is when –  'Father Frost' (known in Russian as 'Ded Moroz' or Дед Мороз) brings presents to children. He is always accompanied by his Grandaughter the Snow Angel (Snegurochka). On New Year's eve children hold hands, make a circle around the Christmas tree and call for Snegurochka or Ded Moroz. When they appear the star and other lights on the Christmas tree light up! Ded Moroz carries a big magic staff.

'Ded Moroz" is a symbol of Russian winter.  In my region near where I lived in Volgada is the  town of Veliky Ustyug in the Vologodsky Region of Northern Russia (approximately 500 miles northeast of Moscow) where in the dense forest sits the log cabin of Ded Moroz.  There, in Veliky Ustyug, Ded Moroz waits through the summer reading letters that kids from all over the country have written to him regarding the presents they wish to find under the New Year’s Tree the next January 1st.

.