С Рождеством Христовым! This means Merry Christmas in Russian. I congratulate all people who belong to Orthodox Church on this great holiday.
Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on the 7th of January in accordance with the old Julian calendar. There is a Christmas all-night service in church (liturgi). It’s traditional for all family members to gather and have a meal. People also visit their relatives and friends. In the past there were a lot of special traditions. Unfortunately many of them are not held now.
e.g. In some small towns and villages there’s still an interesting and funny tradition called “Kolyadki”. Early in the morning on the 7th of January children go from house to house singing a song or reading poems and asking a penny for Jesus Christ. People usually give them a coin and some sweets and fruits.
Though New Year remains a bigger event in Russia Christmas is becoming more and more important as now we can observe the rebirth of religion in Russia.
С Рождеством Христовым!
Comments
Hello Martin!
You aren't late at all, as only yesterday in Russia there was the last day of an old Slavic holiday called Svyatki. This holiday begins on January 6 ( Christmas Eve) and ends January 19 with Kreshcheniye or Christening or Epiphany. There's a very interesting tradition in Russia on Christening: a lot of people bathe in an ice-hole, though the temperature of water is 0 or 1 degree and the temperature of air is 15 - 20 degrees below zero. Also many people go to church and take bessed water there.
Thanks for congratulation...in addition I had my birthday on the 6th of January..so we had a lot of celebration.
It's interesting to know that the tradition "kolyadki" is followed in Slovakia.Thanks for sharing this information.
Best wishes.
Galina
Hello Galina!
May all the dreams in your eyes, all the desires in your heart and all the hopes in your life
blend together to give you the most spectacular Merry Christmas ever!
С Рождеством Христовым!
Hi Galina!
Thank you very much for sharing such an interesting information with us. It’s an enlightening piece of writing of our diversified culture. Hope you’ll put pen to paper further regarding other practices from the Russian culture. I’m more than eager to learn about my friends on the northern hemisphere. See you around...!
Gabriel Sowrian
Dear Galina!
I would like to take this Opportunity
to Wish You
and
all the Christians of the Denomination
here at our English Club,
especially
the Saratov Girls:
Irra, Yana, Ksenia, Karina, Nataliya & Juli
A
Merry Christmas... Ho.. ho.. ho..!
~* ~
Hi, Galina! Христос Рождається! Славімо його! These are Ukrainian greetings which are heard everywhere in my country these days. In Ukraine the tradition called "Kolyadky" is observed not only in small villages ant town.... we've got even the special festivals of Ukrainian Christmas carols.
Have a nice Christmas Day!