A-Z||R.

With just 3 days to go until the big day! (Christmas day) I thought I would incorporate a little Christmas cheer into my R post this evening. I have chosen Russia as my Christmas Country and I am going to be exploring some of the Christmas traditions the good people of Russia celebrate during the holiday period. 

Unlike most countries I know of and have learnt about during my blogging process Russia is very different with its Christmas traditions. I have recently learnt that during the days of the Soviet Union Christmas was barely even celebrated! (Can you even imagine a world without this magical day?- me neither) This was because New Years was more heavily celebrated. Since then however Christmas is celebrated more but instead of it normally being celebrated on the 25th of December, it is usually traditionally celebrated on the 7th of January, way into the New Year. This is due to the fact that the Russian Orthodox church uses old 'Julian' calender dates. 

Another different tradition I have noticed is the food. Whilst the Westerners among us tuck into our Turkey roast dinner and Christmas Pudding with Brandy cream desserts during Christmas, In Russia during Christmas Eve Sauerkraut is eaten as part of the main meal and is usually served with cranberries, shredded carrot and onion rings . The meal is usually accompanied by fresh and dried fruits, fruit pies or gingerbread for dessert. 


Vzvar is a drink which is commonly served after a meal at Christmas and this comes from a tradition celebrated after a birth at a christening, so at Christmas time it is drunken to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. Which differs to the English holiday drink traditions of Eggnog. 

Unlike the Christmas stories we hear as children about Mary and Joseph giving birth to baby Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem, in Russia they tell a different tale which is the story of Babushka. I was very interested to read all about the story of Babushka and if you would like to read about it you can do so HERE. That is just another little tradition the people of Russia have which differs to ours.

One last note on Russia is that New Years (which I previously mentioned) is still celebrated in a massive way, and some families and organisations actually celebrate this more than the actual Christmas period. Expect to see a lot of fireworks in the sky and party's or family gathering's all around the town which go on well into the early hours of the morning. New Years day just like it is here is usually a family orientated affair and many families come together during this time to see in the New Year with a celebration of all types of traditional food and beverages.

**Stay tuned because in a few weeks I will be doing a special new years eve post and I will be giving more info into how Russia and other countries see in the New Year.** 

Really hope you enjoyed my christmassy post all about the traditions of Russia. Happy Holiday celebrations everybody, no matter where and when you are spending it this year I hope you all have a Merry time.  :)