New Year in Russia :clapper:
Yagudin used to say it was his favourite celebration. Not his birthday. Though not long ago he started to say, that he didn't enjoy it as much as before.
We speak about New Year more than about Christmas. Of course, one may say "Merry Christmas!" to his friends, may tend to church, have a good dinner on that day and etc. But New Year is a celebration for all the people (all nationalities, all religions). Soviet people were not expected to be religionists. So we dress fir-trees for the New Year, and Grandfather Frost (Ded Mor
oz) brings presents for children. He is not saint, but he looks much more serious than Santa. And he's not alone! He has a granddaughter - Snow Maiden (Sneg
urochka).
New Year celebrations at schools and in nurseries, New Year shows for children... we call these events "fir-trees" (single: "y
olka"). Children have to call for Ded Moroz. But he never comes at a word. Adults say, that he's old, he doesn't hear. Louder, all together! Children always should call for three times. If children didn't have to call for him, if he came at once, they would shout for Sneg
urochka: "Sne-gu-roch-ka!". She's young, but... just the same: she should be called for three times. All together! Dear parents, help us! And even if Ded Moroz and Snegurochka came uninvited, children would have a reason to shout. Light bulbs on our New Year tree are off. "Fir-tree, ablaze!" For three times, of course.
Some Russians were surprised, when Averbukh started putting up New Year shows on ice. "If we have to go to a "fir-tree" for children to see skating, we'll go to a "fir-tree"!" - they were saying. Some fans felt pity for Yagudin: "An Olympic champion! Skating at "fir-trees" for children..." And then... Johnny Weir came to put on Yagudin's costume and to become a new Mad Hatter (at New Year, though I wouldn't say, that "Alice" was a "fir-tree"). Now Russians were nearly shocked: foreign skaters perform at "fir-trees" for children! (We are used to the idea, that foreign stars are rich and are not too quick to come to Russia.) It was announced, that Brian Joubert was also going to be The Hatter in Russia. "Who is next? Where is the list? Yagudin has the list!" And many more jokes.
The season of "fir-trees" gives much money to all our actors (even to those, who can never get work). So there is a joke about actors:
An actor of the second rank receives a proposal to act in a good film (a good role!!!). And he answers:
"Oh, yes! When do we start?"
"We start in December."
"Oh, no! Impossible. I have "fir-trees" in December!"
Russia is a very broad country. We know, that first the New Year will come to Kamch
atka, in 2 hours it will get to Khab
arovsk. Khabarovsk is not as Russian as many other cities, they say: "Moscow is far, China is near". 4 hours later (2+4=6) the New Year is in Novosib
irsk. Ekaterinb
urg, Kaz
an (our "third capital") - from city to city... Moscow will welcome the New Year 9 hours (!) later than Kamch
atka. After that... the last step: to reach Kaliningr
ad.
Awesome, isn't it?
The president delivers a New Year speech near Kremlin (a record, of course), and the Kremlin clock strikes twelve. Moscow can see that on all main cannels at 12. As for other cities... the info goes from Moscow, and I read, that there is no one system for all the channels: one channel may show the speech at 23.00, other channels show it at 12.00, 1.00, 3.00...
Oh! And we also have Old New Year. Not a joke. If we still were using the Julian calendar, we would welcome New Year later than we do now. Usually we don't celebrate Old New Year - but it's a good reason to laugh, and we like it. Mom may say: "Let's cook that dish today, the Old New Year comes." Though for somebody Old New Year is an occasion to remember oneself: "All holidays are gone - it's time to start working. Beginning tomorrow!"
A New Year, a new day... Our country starts making breakfast television and morning news in the evening, because Kamch
atka is ready to welcome a new morning. Good morning, Kamchatka! (Actually, we hear "kind morning!". "Good"? Yes, this word has such a meaning, but its main sense now is "kind".) And... for example, the president comes to Kamchatka, holds a meeting with some people... An important event will take place in Moscow... Hours go by, the country lives. Nine hours (!) have passed. "The morning is kind, dear Moscow! Your president has already visited Kamchatka today, has visited China and Japan. And now the reporters are ready to tell about an important event in Moscow." "Morning is never kind." - says Moscow and starts working... That's our country. How should a man administer such a country, no-one knows! But... who cares?
Moscow never sleeps. Moscow lights are amazing! Especially at New Year. :luv17:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoP39TQ0eHs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sJVsJDNvH0
and a beautiful rink on VDNH (Yagudin was opening the season on this rink in 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9NOOhNfd_0
and... a nice song about five minutes :luv17:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bGqRC30lFE
