Christmas Around the World: Russia
We spent day 2 of our Christmas Around the World unit study in…
Russia!
Christmas in Russia is different than in the United States. For a long time, it was even banned in Russia. Now, however, some Russians celebrate it twice!
Christmas was outlawed in the Soviet Union in 1929. Christmas trees were banned until 1935, when they were turned into ‘New Year’ trees! If a family wanted to celebrate Christmas, they had to do so in secret. However, when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the people of Russia were then free to once again celebrate Christmas!
Russia puts more emphasis on the New Year holiday rather than Christmas. Some Catholic families may celebrate on the traditional date of December 25, and then again on the official Russian Christmas date of January 7. The holiday festivities usually go on from the end of December to the 10th of January.
Fun Facts About Christmas In Russia
- New Year is the bigger celebration in Russia. Russians spend their money on celebrating the New Year and feast and drink more. Christmas is celebrated but is much smaller and more private.
- New Year is when Grandfather Frost (Ded Moroz) brings gifts to children. He is always accompanied by his granddaughter and carries a staff. Children gather around the tree, holding hands, and call for Grandfather Frost.
- Christmas Eve meal often has 12 dishes, for the 12 disciples of Jesus.
- Meat dishes of lamb and goose are popular.
- A popular Christmas story told in Russia is the tale of Babushka. There are many variations, so I encourage you to seek out a few if you’re intrigued.
What We Did
Why Christmas is a great resource to learn more about Christmas in other countries! We read online articles and library books about Russian traditions and also watched the following videos on YouTube.
The highlight of our time in Russia was creating Russian nesting dolls out of cardstock. I found a template here. They loved it! Our nesting doll craft turned out adorably.
Stay tuned for Christmas Around the World day 3!
