History UsefulNotes / ChristmasIsBourgeois

Winter holiday traditions of Russia and the former Soviet Union[[note]][[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and also emigrants from the FSU]], particularly in Israel where they form a significant share of the population [[/note]]. [[GloriousMotherRussia In Soviet Russia]], it was [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia always winter but never Christmas]], and the Soviets liked it that way.

Winter holiday traditions of Russia and the former Soviet Union[[Note]][[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and also emigrants from the FSU]], particularly in Israel where they form a significant share of the population [[/Note]]. [[GloriousMotherRussia In Soviet Russia]], it was [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia always winter but never Christmas]], and the Soviets liked it that way.

* '''Presidential Address''': just before 0:00, it is customary for families to gather in front of their TV sets and listen to the president's public speech congratulating citizens with New Year, and listen to the national anthem.[[Note]]In Israel, a New-Year's address is given on the Russian-speaking Channel 9, typically by the Prime Minister, but occasionally by whatever highest ranking Russian Oleh there is in the government, like former (2013-2020) Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein[[/Note]] So far, there were two seriously abnormal speeches — first on December 31, 1991, read by the famous standup comedian Mikhail Zadornov: in the chaos of Soviet Union dissolution few days before no one up there thought about the traditional speech, and Zadornov just happened to be the most universally recognized figure that's been in studio at the time, and the second was on December 31, 1999, when Boris Yeltsin repeated his surprise resignation announcement from earlier that day, followed immediately by a more typical New Year speech by Vladimir Putin, then acting president.

Winter holiday traditions of Russia and the former Soviet Union. [[GloriousMotherRussia In Soviet Russia]], it was [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia always winter but never Christmas]], and the Soviets liked it that way.

* '''Presidential Address''': just before 0:00, it is customary for families to gather in front of their TV sets and listen to the president's public speech congratulating citizens with New Year, and listen to the national anthem. So far, there were two seriously abnormal speeches — first on December 31, 1991, read by the famous standup comedian Mikhail Zadornov: in the chaos of Soviet Union dissolution few days before no one up there thought about the traditional speech, and Zadornov just happened to be the most universally recognized figure that's been in studio at the time, and the second was on December 31, 1999, when Boris Yeltsin repeated his surprise resignation announcement from earlier that day, followed immediately by a more typical New Year speech by Vladimir Putin, then acting president.

Winter holiday traditions of Russia and the former Soviet Union. [[GloriousMotherRussia In Soviet Russia]], it was [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia always winter but never Christmas]], and the Soviets [[NayTheist liked it that way]].

After TheGreatPoliticsMessUp, which happened to be the day after the Gregorian Christmas of 1991, the little Christmas mess-up happened. Everyone was used to the Soviet New Year, and no one really knew what Christmas is supposed to be like. So it became a mostly quiet holiday for the religious, and every festive tradition remained attached to the New Year.

After TheGreatPoliticsMessUp, the little Christmas mess-up happened. Everyone was used to the Soviet New Year, and no one really knew what Christmas is supposed to be like. So it became a mostly quiet holiday for the religious, and every festive tradition remained attached to the New Year.

Winter holiday traditions of Russia and the former Soviet Union. [[GloriousMotherRussia In Soviet Russia]], it was [[ChroniclesOfNarnia always winter but never Christmas]], and the Soviets [[NayTheist liked it that way]].

Instead of Santa, a new SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute was created, named Ded Moroz (Uncle Frost). He was loosely based on an old Slavic nature spirit Morozko (or Jack Frost), who didn't have any association with holidays and was "responsible" for cold and frost; the new Ded Moroz, however, was explicitly a Santa-like figure. A sidekick was also invented for Ded Moroz, his supposed grand-daughter named Snegurochka (Snow Maiden); likewise, she was loosely based on Myth/RussianMythologyAndTales but previously didn't have any connection with either Christmas or New Year.

Instead of Santa, a new SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute was created, named Ded Moroz (Father Frost). He was loosely based on an old Slavic nature spirit Morozko (or Jack Frost), who didn't have any association with holidays and was "responsible" for cold and frost; the new Ded Moroz, however, was explicitly a Santa-like figure. A sidekick was also invented for Ded Moroz, his supposed grand-daughter named Snegurochka (Snow Maiden); likewise, she was loosely based on Myth/RussianMythologyAndTales but previously didn't have any connection with either Christmas or New Year.

However, everything changed with the Revolution. At first, the Bolsheviks tried to suppress the winter holiday traditions entirely. Christmas was banned as part of general antireligious propaganda as a "bourgeois clerical tradition", and for the New Year the Bolsheviks simply didn't care. Things changed in 1935, when the Soviet authorities decided to strip the Cristmas imagery from everything religious and reattach it to the New Year. Thus the current tradition was born.

Before the October Revolution, Russia was not much different from other countries regarding Christmas traditions. The only important bit of local color was the day of Christmas: the Russian Orthodox Church still observes the Julian Calendar, so their Christmas falls on January 7 for Gregorians. The rest was mostly the same: Christmas trees with garlands and decorations, the old grandfatherly gift-giver who was identified as St.Nicholas (Santa Claus). The New Year was a separate secular holiday estabilished by Peter the Great, and it was not yet intertwined with Christmas.

Instead of Santa, a new SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute was created, named Ded Moroz (Father Frost). He was loosely based on an old Slavic nature spirit Morozko (or Jack Frost), who didn't have any association with holidays and was "responsible" for cold and frost; the new Ded Moroz, however, was explicitly a Santa-like figure. A sidekick was also invented for Ded Moroz, his supposed grand-daughter named Snegurochka (Snow Maiden); likewise, she was loosely based on RussianMythologyAndTales but previously didn't have any connection with either Christmas or New Year.

* '''Presidential Address''': just before 0:00, it is customary for families to gather in front of their TV sets and listen to the president's public speech congratulating citizens with New Year, and listen to the national anthem. So far, there were two seriously abnormal speeches — first on December 31, 1991, read by the famous standup comedian Mikhail Zadornov: in the chaos of Soviet Union dissolution few days before no one up there thought about the traditional speech, and Zadornov just happened to be the most universally recognized figure that's been in studio at the time, and the second was on December 31, 1999, when Yeltsin repeated his surprise resignation announcement from earlier that day, followed immediately by a more typical New Year speech by Putin, then acting president.

* Fall semester exams in higher education. Traditionally, they start somewhere close to end of December with series of 'зачет's, before New Year and continues with proper exams (usually, but not always, after New Year holyday season). The problem is, that students of higher education are prone to long alco-maraphones and it so happens that the greatest holyday falls just in between exams.

Before the October Revolution, Russia was not much different from other countries regarding Christmas traditions. The only important bit of local color was the day of Christmas: the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates that holiday on January 7. The rest was mostly the same: Christmas trees with garlands and decorations, the old grandfatherly gift-giver who was identified as St.Nicholas (Santa Claus). The New Year was a separate secular holiday estabilished by Peter the Great, and it was not yet intertwined with Christmas.

* '''Old New Year''': celebrated by those who haven't had enough of New Year and Christmas on January 14, which corresponds to New Year's Day in the Julian calendar. Unlike New Year and Christmas, Old New Year is not an official holiday. The wildest party animals and the biggest alcoholics will start "celebrating" on the Gregorian Christmas and continue all the way until the Julian New Year.

Some parents hire Ded Moroz impersonators to deliver gifts to their children personally, in exchange for a small poem recited by heart, usually New Year themed. Every children's New Year festival, usually carried out in schools and kindergartens, also has a Ded Moroz and Snegurochka. There's also a single official Ded Moroz impersonator who anonymously lives in Veliky Ustyug, Archangelsk Oblast and is supposed to represent the real Ded Moroz.

Some parents hire Ded Moroz impersonators to deliver gifts to their children personally, in exchange for a small poem recited by heart, usually New Year themed. Every children's New Year festival, usually carried out in schools and kindergartens, also has a Ded Moroz and Snegurochka.

* '''Winter Festival Season''': note the plural. There is the official holiday season, which lasts a week from the New Year to Orthodox Christmas. It is a universal holiday week, applying to school, university and work; only shops and emergency services work as normal, and the citizens sit at home and continue celebrating. There's also the unofficial holiday season, which is more than twice longer; it starts with the Western Christmas and ends with the "Old New Year" (see below). The Russian comedian Michail Zadornov said once, that if some American calls a Russian company near New Year, he may hear a recommendation to call again in April: even after the unofficial season is over, many people cannot get back into working mood quickly.

* '''Winter Festival Season''': note the plural. There is the official holiday season, which lasts a week from the New Year to Orthodox Christmas. It is a universal holiday week, applying to school, university and work; only shops and emergency services work as normal, and the citizens sit at home and continue celebrating. There's also the unofficial holiday season, which is more than twice longer; it starts with the Western Christmas and ends with the "Old New Year" (see below).

*

* ''New Year Supper'': this is a big deal meal that is eaten during the New Year night. Usually it is had by the whole family, gathered in front of the TV. The stock dishes are Olivie salad (known as the Russian salad worldwide) and another kind of salad called "herring under a coat". Much alcohol is had, usually in the form of champagne or locally produced faux-champagne; it is customary to open the bottles at 0.00. It usually continues from 23.00 to 2.00 or 3.00
* ''Presidential Address'': just before 0:00, it is customary for families to gather in front of their TV sets and listen to the president's public speech congratulating citizens with New Year, and listen to the national anthem. So far, there were two seriously abnormal speeches — first on December 31, 1991, read by the famous standup comedian Mikhail Zadornov: in the chaos of Soviet Union dissolution few days before no one up there thought about the traditional speech, and Zadornov just happened to be the most universally recognized figure that's been in studio at the time, and the second was on December 31, 1999, when Yeltsin repeated his surprise resignation announcement from earlier that day, followed immediately by a more typical New Year speech by Putin, then acting president.

Instead of Santa, a new SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute was created, named Ded Moroz (Father Frost). He was loosely based on an old Slavic nature spirit Morozko (or Jack Frost), who didn't have any association with holidays and was "responsible" for cold and frost; the new Ded Moroz, however, was explicitly a Santa-like figure. A sidekick was also invented for Ded Moroz, his supposed grand-daughter named Snegurochka (Snow Maiden); likewise, she was loosely based on RussianMythologyAndTales but previously didn't have any connection with either Christmas or New Year.

Winter holiday traditions of Russia and the former Soviet Union. [[GloriousMotherRussia In Soviet Russia]], it was [[ChroliclesOfNarnia always winter but never Christmas]], and the Soviets [[NayTheist liked it that way]].