For those wondering why Christmas is January 7 it's really rather simple. Historically Christmas was always celebrated in January. However several hundred years ago a Roman Pope adjusted the calendar to catch up for "leap years" over the several previous centuries. All calendars in the Western world were adjusted. The Patriarchs in the East (over which the Pope has no authority) felt it better to leave the calendar alone.
Legal, thanks my friend! Yes, that is the Communications tower in St P, a unique sight on winter nights.
I also share your nostaligia and for me the most beautiful time of year in Russia/Ukraine is winter. This is the time of year when Russia becomes "Russia" and I think you understand what is meant by that.
Olga, nice cards!
Christmas divine service in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
It's Russian holiday trivia time:
It would be fun to play, "Who is that writer/composer?"
Hints:
- He was born in Ukraine.
- But lived his adult life in the USA.
- He was Jewish.
- He wrote one of the most famous Western Christmas songs in modern history.
Who was he.......and what is that very famous song?
Sammy Cahn was of Polish descent and born in NY city. But no matter, you both mentioned Irving Berlin so our distinguished committee has declared you co-winners!
administrator.) tiphat
Mirror, thank you for the reminder! I have one but had forgotten about it! :) Now I must find what I did with it. :happy0023:
Your avatar looks very fashionable! :THUB: tiphat
Ded Moroz decorate Yelka
Mirror, how about at your home?
If you have a few extra grand sitting idle, here is a bottle of vodka called "Christmas Fairtale."
(Attachment Link)
Weather report from Moscow:
10 days ago there was some snow:
(Attachment Link)
Weather report from Moscow:
10 days ago there was some snow:
(Attachment Link)
Hey, hey, you took a photo of the house I live in without my permission!!
I bet you have plenty of room to scurry around in the presidential residence, eh :D :P 8) :laugh:
Olga, I knocked on the door but you weren't home! :biggrin:
(Attachment Link)
So, it is better to congratulate your girlfriend/wife or close friends with this holiday than just to forget :)To my mind, it is always nice to be interested in everything what has something to do with your soulmate, as all women like attention and care :)
Mirror is telling about fortune telling, if practiced, generally done after the New Year and Christmas holiday, usually between 6 and 19 January.
I'm curious, why are the people filling jugs with water ?
Is it because there is no common water supply system ?
LOL ... personally, I'd be afraid to drink the water that some guy is standing in.
Jinx, I hope that this will be helpful: http://ruadventures.com/forum/index.php/topic,5271.msg75540.html#msg75540
Yes St Nicholas brought Nata some presents today, as is the tradition in the FSU. He did really well to find her too as she was at her grandparents at the time :-XWe Dutch have a big celebration for the children at the 5th of December in the honor of the same saint :)
Yes St Nicholas brought Nata some presents today, as is the tradition in the FSU. He did really well to find her too as she was at her grandparents at the time :-XWe Dutch have a big celebration for the children at the 5th of December in the honor of the same saint :)
Know your history properly....Yes St Nicholas brought Nata some presents today, as is the tradition in the FSU. He did really well to find her too as she was at her grandparents at the time :-XWe Dutch have a big celebration for the children at the 5th of December in the honor of the same saint :)
Only in Holland doesSantaSt Nick have black slaves running alongside him. :-X
Only in Holland doesSantaSt Nick have black slaves running alongside him. :-X
Only in Holland doesSantaSt Nick have black slaves running alongside him. :-X
I've never heard of this. ??? What black slaves?
Only in Holland doesSantaSt Nick have black slaves running alongside him. :-X
Know your history properly....
They're not black slaves according to the children's songs we have for St Nick, but black because of the chimneys they go through.....
Springirl, lovely winter photo!It is pure FSU feast meal, also salad " оливье" :)
Yes, we have "Herring Under a Fur Coat" in the RUA recipe section. Good suggestion as I LOVE this dish (this is one of those black/white dishes--you'll love it or hate it but there is no in between).
http://ruadventures.com/forum/index.php/topic,2058.msg24586.html#msg24586
(Attachment Link)
Here is " НОВОГОДНЯЯ ЕЛКА" at my home, Boris (he is 10) decorated it last everning!
And this is what my older son made ( by gluing tops from fistash nuts) and paint it after . I put it in the corridor
Happy New Year RUA!
I'd like to share some scenes from one of Russia's premier photographers, Sergei Chadov. His talent behind the lens makes me incredibly jealous, but also awestruck at the gift to which he has been endowed and has perfected over the years. My hat is off to you, dear Sergei. tiphatvery charming photos! I wish , one day will be able to buy professional camera to make photos! It is my hobby to take photos, I also have some , but it is not for winter!LOL May be I will post later something for spring!if you will allow me to do it!!! :) I also have some photos of Odessa made with old camera "Zenit ET"
These are winter scenes from the city of Nizhniy Novgorod (in it's 785 year of existence!) and I hope you enjoy the artistry of Sergei's camera and style.
(Attachment Link) Nizhniy Novgorod Kremlin tower
(Attachment Link) Snow in the trees
(Attachment Link) Breathtaking! Nikolskaya tower
(Attachment Link) Winter fog
(Attachment Link) Church of the Prophet John (Рождества Иоанна Предтечи)
Christ is born. Glorify Him!
When the lady (a striking blonde!) who lives there arrives home, she of course is surprised to find a strange man sleeping in her bed. That is complicated even further upon the soon arrival of her boyfriend who thinks he is coming over to spend a romantic New Year's Eve in the arms of his girlfriend.
Adding a few pictures and comments, from Belarus.Hey! you are a bit late for new year post! but as long as you are in Minsk and me too ;D , you are not late for old New Year, lol coming on 14th january! Nice photos, it is main avenue, and oktiabrskaya square with skating ring , my children was skating there this evening, but it is snowing a lot today, so it is really nice!
As it's common to have friends and family visit throughout the holidays, it's a big time for cleaning. Many will bring out their rugs and cover them with snow, then beat them with an unusual "beating stick" (sorry, don't recall the name), to help make them smell fresh.
The streets in Minsk were well decorated and lit up, including some "flashing stars" overhead from building to building across the street.
Both Russian (Moscow time, an hour earlier) and Belarusian NYE times are toasted to. Luschenko was on a large LCD in the square giving a speech before - no one could hear him, but no one seemed to mind. :) You could still rent ice skates at midnight, at least on this night.
PS - Snovum Go-dem (my pathetic attempt at phonetics :) )
(From today's edition of the Mendeleyev Journal (http://russianreport.wordpress.com))Mendy :) BUELORUSSIAN: " СТАРЫ НОВЫ ГОД" :) ;D
Three holidays in one short period — what a culture! Countries across the Eastern world are nearing the end of the New Year (31 Dec-01 Jan), Christmas (06/07 January) and the traditional “Old New Year” on 13/14 January.
(Attachment Link)
To be completely honest, this last holiday while celebrated, usually goes out with a fizzle. Most folks have just had enough holiday and partying to last for a while. But it is observed and an enduring part of life in the East. It's just not met with the same gusto as the first two holidays.
The Old New Year is an informal traditional Slavic Orthodox holiday, celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian calendar. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the Old New Year falls on January 13/14.
How it looks in a sampling of Cyrillic alphabets-
Russian: Старый Новый год
Ukrainian: Старий Новий рік
Macedonian: Стара Нова Година
Serbian: Православна нова година
(Attachment Link)
Babushka means Grandmother, not God mother. It is a usual way to address any older lady, not necessarily the mother of your mother, although it literally means just this.
Russian Calendars
Most of the calendars in the West are almost the same in layout, except from the East where the day of the week on a calendar begins on Monday instead of Sunday. Starting the week on Monday is the format for a genuine Russian calendar.
As you can imagine, with Western calendars beginning the week on Sunday
Russian Calendars
Most of the calendars in the West are almost the same in layout, except from the East where the day of the week on a calendar begins on Monday instead of Sunday. Starting the week on Monday is the format for a genuine Russian calendar.
As you can imagine, with Western calendars beginning the week on Sunday
I must admit I've never seen a calendar starting on a Sunday - is this an American thing
All British calendars start on a Sunday Nick.
All British calendars start on a Sunday Nick.
That's not quite right. I've just bought a Top Gear 2011 calendar for my nephew. I have it in front of me now and it definitely starts on a Monday in the left most column and Sunday in the right most column.
ps I've just checked the Dr Who 2011 calendar I got for my niece and that starts on a Monday as well.
I've just bought a Top Gear 2011 calendar for my nephew. I have it in front of me now and it definitely starts on a Monday in the left most column and Sunday in the right most column.
ps I've just checked the Dr Who 2011 calendar I got for my niece and that starts on a Monday as well.
Grandfather Frost has a reputation for bringing gifts to good children and forgetting those who were naughty. He can be either jolly or cold hearted at the drop of a hat. During the Christmas season, he is known to roam the streets, handing out toys to well-behaved children-and overlooking those who behaved badly.
He doesn't ride a sleigh either and there are no reindeer on his farm. He travels about in a Lada most of the year but if you see him in winter he'll be riding his trusty troika. What is a тройка? A troika is technically "three of a kind." But in this case it refers to an old-fashioned sled pulled by three horses.
Belle, thanks and please add whatever you feel to this thread.QuoteBabushka means Grandmother, not God mother. It is a usual way to address any older lady, not necessarily the mother of your mother, although it literally means just this.
Yes, its normative use is for grandmother and/or older lady and I should have made that more clear. Thanks for the correction.
I'd be grateful if you could confirm or correct the idea that babushka in older times had the meaning now associated with крестная мать. It sounds like that is not the case.
Belle, thanks and please add whatever you feel to this thread.QuoteBabushka means Grandmother, not God mother. It is a usual way to address any older lady, not necessarily the mother of your mother, although it literally means just this.
Yes, its normative use is for grandmother and/or older lady and I should have made that more clear. Thanks for the correction.
I'd be grateful if you could confirm or correct the idea that babushka in older times had the meaning now associated with крестная мать. It sounds like that is not the case.
Sorry, I almost overlooked this question. I never heard that Babushka would be ever associated with Godmother, крестная мать.
Babushka would mostly be the name of the parents' mother. Or, sometimes just a very casual manner to address an older lady.
Godmothers (sometimes there is in fact Godparents, but I mostly see just the female version of it) in Russia are those who were invited for this role by the newborn's parents to introduce their offspring into religion and spiritual life. Godmothers, or Godparents were not only to hold the baby in church during the baptism procedure. They were to a certain extent responsible for upbringing of their Godchild. Earlier, the Godparents were considered as even closer than the actual parents.
In the Russian version of Cinderella (in Russian: Zolushka) composed by Sergei Prokofiev, issued in 1970x on vinyl discs and adopted for children, the Fairy who arranges everything for Zolushka is her Godmother. In his ballet version however, the Fairy is a beggar.
Listen to it here: http://www.muz-urok.ru/zolushka.htm
This past year marked the death of Muslim Magomaev, a giant entertainer during the Soviet years. Beloved by young and old alike, he made a lasting impact on FSU music. Here he and follow superstar Tamara Sinyavskaya sing Silent Night:
Here is the audio version of Babushka. (http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerlightsmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://russianreport.podbean.com/mf/play/pq9hmz/Babushkafinal.mp3&autoStart=no) Just click on the play arrow when the player appears.
24 hour round-the-clock Christmas music has already replaced the normal fare of "Smooth Favourites" (Smooth Jazz) at the Mendeleyev Journal's radio channel (http://www.myfavoritechannel.com), MyFavoriteChannel.com
"...And her name was BabUshka.." Only a non-Russian speaker could say it like this
(Attachment Link)
Of course the tradition in most Russian homes is to watch the movie "The Irony of Fate" (subtitled "Enjoy Your Bath").
It's a fun movie and worth the several hours it takes to watch. To understand the signifance of Russian apartment living this movie is one of the best teaching tools around!
If memory serves correctly, the street that was duplicated in Moscow and Leningrad for the movie actually existed but was later renamed after Lenin's mother (?) I think.