Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Christmas in Russia


This is from Russia. The sender writes Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, but I'm not sure that is what the above translates to.

The grey you see in the snow, along the buildings roofs, and in the trees is all glitter! It's a very pretty postcard.

Postmarked in 2009 with two Russian stamps

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Christmas celebration in Russia is not as widely followed as in Western countries in favor of the New Year celebration. Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January. The tradition of celebrating Christmas has been revived since 1992, after decades of suppression by the communist government. It is centered on the Christmas Eve "Holy Supper", which consists of 12 servings, one to honor each of Jesus' apostles. The Russian traditions were largely kept alive by shifting some of them, including the visit by gift-giving "Grandfather Frost" and his "Snowmaiden", to New Year's Day. Many current Russian Christmas customs, including their Christmas tree were brought by Peter the Great, after his western travels in the late 17th century.

3 comments:

Eagel said...

"The sender writes Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, but I'm not sure that is what the above translates to."

Yes, the text on the card means that. :)
"С Новым Годом" = Happy New Year
"С Рождеством" = Merry Christmas :)

Brenda said...

Wonderful Eagel! Thank you very much :D

Natalya Ntk said...

All right, so it is written on a postcard.
I - join - Happy New Year! Merry Christmas!
We order another, as we celebrate Christmas on January 7. But actually it does not change!