In preparation for the upcoming holidays I have been reading & researching Russian holiday traditions. I found the funny Ukrainian tradition (below) for the day after Christmas. This day after Christmas tradition seems reminiscent of Halloween rather Christmas to me!

My Russian ancestors' family home was in in the Ukraine but I think they still considered themselves be White Russians, so I am not sure if my Russian ancestors would have celebrated this way of not.

www.uazone.net/holidays/christmas.html

Christmas in Ukraine is celebrated January 7 according to the Gregorian calendar as in most of other Orthodox Christian countries...

...Next day in some villages in Western Ukraine people organize some folk performances which obviously were inspired by ancient pagan habits. They dress up themselves as monsters with pelts and horns and run through the village trying to scare people. After that they run to the special place on the outskirts of the village and there happens the main act: they fight with all people of the village and finally are defeated. The scarecrows are burned in the big fire. And all people are dancing around this fire. This symbolizes the fight of Good and Evil and that Good defeated Evil for the whole next year.

As I locate more interesting holiday traditions I may add to this blog.

& here is more (added Nov. 17, 2007)


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chri...wideRussia

In Eastern Europe, Slavic countries have the tradition of Ded Moroz ("Grandfather Frost"). He is accompanied by his granddaughter Snegurochka ("Snowmaiden"). According to legend, he travels in a magical decorated sleigh drawn by reindeer, and delivers gifts to children. He is thought to descend more from Santa Claus than from Saint Nicholas.

Christmas celebration in Russia is on the 7th of January (which corresponds to December 25 in the Julian Calendar). 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 twelve 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, or "yolka", were brought by Peter the Great, after his western travels in the late 17th century.


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavic_mythology

There probably also was an important festival around winter solstice, which later became associated with Christmas. Consequently, in many Slavic countries, Christmas is called Bozhich, which simply means little god. While this name fits very nicely with the Christian idea of Christmas, the name is likely of pagan origin; it indicated the birth of a young and new god of Sun to the old and weakened solar deity during the longest night of the year. The old Sun god was identified as Svarog, and his son, the young and new Sun, as Dazhbog. An alternative (or perhaps the original) name for this festival was Korochun.


www.unc.edu/depts/slavic...rochure2.html

Russian Orthodox believers still celebrate Christmas on January 7, according to the Julian calendar, which the Russian Orthodox Church follows. Their celebration of Christmas does not generally include gift-giving, and is confined to a purely religious observance of the birth of Christ. New Year's is the Russian holiday that would probably remind you most of Christmas as it is celebrated in the United States. In preparation for New Year's, Russians decorate a fir tree (yolka) with ornaments and lights just as we decorate Christmas trees. On New Year's Eve (December 31) they prepare an enormous dinner for their families and friends and exchange gifts with each other. Grandfather Frost (called Ded Moroz in Russian - he looks a lot like our Santa Claus, although he's usually not quite as fat) comes in the middle of the night and brings presents to the kids. Instead of elves, Grandfather Frost gets help distributing gifts from the Snow Maiden (Snegurochka), a character from a famous Russian fairy tale. Parents and schools often have New Year's parties just for kids. At these parties the kids dance around the New Year's tree and sometimes get dressed up in costumes, like the mummers in War and Peace.


www.rispubs.com/article.cfm

December 6th marks the Feast Day of St. Nicholas of Myra; a Turkish bishop who became the patron saint of Moscow and Santa to the world. Due to the suppression of religion during the Soviet regime, St. Nicholas was replaced by Dyed Moroz or Grandfather Frost, the Russian Spirit of Winter who brought gifts on New Year's. He is accompanied by Snyegurochka, the Snowmaiden, who helps distribute the gifts...

...Another cherished Christmas tradition, prior to the Soviet era, was the endearing character known as Babouschka. According to folklore, Babouschka did not offer food and shelter to the Magi during their search for the Christ Child. To this day, she wanders the countryside in search of the Baby Jesus. Along the way, she visits homes where children live, leaving them gifts at Christmas time. Babouschka, a character similar to the Italian Befana (picture), has returned as a continued favorite of the Russian Christmas traditions.

The Christmas tree (Yolka) is yet another tradition banned during the Soviet era.To keep the custom alive, people decorated New Year's trees, instead. Since ornaments were either very costly or unavailable, family trees were trimmed with homemade decorations and fruit. Yolka comes from the word which refers to a fir tree. The custom of decorating Christmas trees was introduced to Russia by Peter the Great, after he visited Europe during the 1700's.

An old Russian tradition, whose roots are in the Orthodox faith, is the Christmas Eve fast and meal. The fast, typically, lasts until after the evening worship service or until the first star appears. The dinner that follows is very much a celebration, although, meat is not permitted. Kutya (kutia), a type of porridge, is the primary dish. It is very symbolic with its ingredients being various grains for hope and honey and poppy seed for happiness and peace.

A house blessing is customary at this time. The priest sprinkles a bit of holy water in each room of the home, praying that the abode and all who live there have a safe and happy year. After the blessing, the kutya is shared from a common bowl to symbolize unity. After the Christmas Eve meal, a great deal of merriment commences. Music, singing, dancing, games and a visit from the mummers are a part of the fun.

www.russianlife.com/article.cfm

I have always loved gingerbread, another Russian trait I guess :)

Prianiki for the Holidays

Russian Prianiki
Gingerbread, or prianiki, was a favorite treat throughout Europe including Russia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland. In the beginning, prianiki was made of flour, honey and sometimes, egg. With the creation of leavening agents, such as baking soda and baking powder, prianiki took on height. Honey was an essential ingredient as refined sugar was not available in Europe or Russia yet.

Each country developed trade guilds who endeavored to create a better product than the next. Similar to bread baking, prianiki became a matter of pride for many communities. During the 1500 to 1800s, some of the most popular bakers of ginger bread were Nuremberg in Germany, Torun in Poland and Tula, Vyazma and Arkhangelsk in Russia. In Tula, bakers garnished their prianiki with berry jams while Vyazma introduced the use of molasses. Arkhangelsk created fancy little shaped cakes, bathed in colored icings.

Traditional prianiki is dense, spicy and chewy, not crunchy as is the case with modern ginger cookies. Prianiki were and are made in many shapes and are often stamped with a wooden press to produce a design on the surface of the cake. Possibly the most popular prianiki comes from Tula, south of Moscow and famed home of metal crafts and samovar production. Not surprising considering prainiki is perfect with a hot, dark cup of tea!

What follows is a traditional Russian recipe for prianiki. It's easy to prepare and sure to be a joy during the Holidays, or any time throughout the year. This recipe will make about 15 - 18 cakes. Of course, you can cut your dough into any desired shape.

Ingredients
1 oz butter
6 oz honey (I like wildflower honey best)
6 oz jam (plum is preferred, quince is good too)
1 egg
8 oz plain flour
2 oz icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp each cardomon, ginger, and cinnamon
1 tbs crushed blanched almonds
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preparation
- Cream together butter and honey
- Add egg and beat
- Blend in baking soda, spices and almonds
- Add enough flour to make a soft ball of dough
- Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate for 1 hour
- Heat oven to 350 F and prepare a lightly floured board
- Roll out dough to 1/8" thickness
- With a 2 - 3" floured cutter, cut out an even number of circles
- Cut each circle in half
- Spread half with jam and place other half on top, sealing edges
- Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes
- Reduce oven heat to 325 F and bake for 10 more minutes
- Cool cakes on a wire rack
- Combine lemon juice and icing sugar, drizzle over cooled cakes