For the Russian people, New Year is one of the most festive occasions of the year. They believe that the year that follows will be as good as the way they celebrate New Year’s Day.
In most cultures, the traditions are usually handed down from one generation to the next with meticulous precision. In Russia too, many of the traditions of the land have been faithfully handed over from the older generation to the younger, who have in turn passed it onto their succeeding generation. In this manner, the traditions from ancient times have been passed from grandfather to father to child in relentless succession. The people of Russia also give a lot of importance to the traditions that they have learnt from their elders. They revere the traditions and faithfully pass it onto their next generation.
Most of the traditions are very evident during the holidays. For the Russian people, New Year is one of the most festive occasions of the year. They believe that the year that follows will be as good as the way they celebrate New Year’s Day. So they take the occasion very seriously and really celebrate in real style. You will see a lavish meal being prepared on the eve of the New Year. A large number of dishes is prepared with duck or goose and stuffed carp. 'Holodets' which is a jellied meat is also one of the famous dishes for the New Year. They also prepare pastries and pies with fillings made from meat or with fruits and vegetables like apple and cabbage. January first is typically celebrated with mushroom soup accompanied by holodets. The pies that are left over from the day before are also brought out and served.
Easter is also a time for various traditions during the celebrations. The Easter egg is painted using hard boiled eggs. Since new life is signified by the colour red, red is the colour mostly used for painting Easter eggs. The Russian people exchange their painted eggs on Easter Sunday as a way of greeting each other during Easter.
Unlike the rest of the world, Russia celebrates Christmas on the 7-th of January according to their orthodox calendar. As usual, a large meal is prepared as family members join together for a great time of celebration. Many of the religious celebrations were officially banned during the Soviet regime. But this did not prevent the people from celebrating their beloved holidays. They however had to celebrate them in secret and not out in the open.
Just like Easter is a time for new life, the birth of a baby in the family is another great time for celebration. As a tradition, the father of the child plants a tree. This is to signify that the child may also grow healthy and strong just like the tree being planted. As the child grows, the child’s birthday every year is another occasion for family members and friends to get together and celebrate. Birthdays are always celebrated in style as it is a joyous occasion and a time to meet and greet each other.
As in all societies, weddings are also a great time of celebration in Russian families. As a tradition, the oldest member of the family removes a religious icon from the wall of the house as the bride and the groom leave the house for the wedding ceremony at the church. When the two kneel together in the church, the senior member of the family blesses the couple with the icon removed from the wall. This is a way of blessing the union with icon so that they might have a long and blessed marriage.
Once the wedding ceremony at the church is over, the fun begins. As a tradition, the newly married couple is then made to play a game where they have to bite a loaf of bread without using their hands. The person gets the largest piece is considered to be the probable leader of the new family. As the couple get back home, the man is supposed to carry his wife over the threshold as in most cultures. The man is also supposed to get a new lock for the house to signify that the happiness of the family will be safe and secure. The most favorite time of the year for weddings in Russia is during autumn. Autumn is a time of gathering in the harvest after a hard season of labouring in the fields. Therefore, the Russian people feel that it is an auspicious time to get married when the barns are full and there is no lack or want.
But in order to really understand the richness of these traditions, you need to learn Russian. You can easily learn Russian free online from many web resources. To really relish the richness of the Russian traditions, you can learn Russian free and savour for yourself the rich cultural heritage of this ancient land.
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