Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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roasts dripping with fatty sauces, cured meats, veal in aspic, salads packed with
diced ham and egg and heaped with mayonnaise, buttery pancakes heaped
with caviar. . . . To drink, men stick to vodka; women either join in or sip
nas-
toika,
a homemade liqueur made of vodka brewed with berries, herbs, or roots.
Pre-revolutionary aristocrats introduced fine French champagne to their
Christmas feasts; the Soviets spread the tradition to the masses with the pro-
duction of cheap sparkling wine that is still a staple of the New Year's table. The
most popular brand is Sovietskoye (all categories but the
brut
are quite sweet).
The New Year's celebrations peak with a midnight fireworks display over Red
Square, broadcast nationwide. The crowds of mostly young revelers in the
square are so dense that few of them notice the freezing temperatures. In St.
Petersburg, the biggest fireworks are shot over the Neva River across from the
Hermitage. Back at home, many families celebrate well into the night, or go
outside to set off their own small firecrackers. The first day of the year is a day
of rest and lots of leftovers.
If you visit Moscow or St. Petersburg over New Year's, be sure to check in
advance online or through your travel agent for special holiday events at your
hotel. If you can't get invited to a Russian home, try one of the elaborate parties
at traditional Russian restaurants such as One Red Square, Baltschug Kempinski
hotel, or Le National hotel (all have great views of the Moscow fireworks). Meal
service starts at 10pm or later. Seats are expensive and must be booked well in
advance. For English-language listings on New Year's parties, see
The Moscow
Times
newspaper (www.themoscowtimes.com) or
The St. Petersburg Times
(www.sptimes.ru). And practice saying “S Novym Godom!” (“Happy New Year!”).
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sacred holiday and official day off work
for everyone nonetheless, and every
Russian male is expected to present
flowers or chocolates to his wife,
mother, daughters, and female col-
leagues.
April/May:
Orthodox Easter. The date
varies, but it's usually 1 or 2 weeks after
Catholic/Protestant Easter. The follow-
ing Monday is a state holiday, though
Good Friday is not. The day has taken
on greater significance since the col-
lapse of Soviet atheism, and on Easter
morning, every Orthodox church has
lines of people waiting to have their
traditional Easter cakes blessed. The
holiday feast is the richest on the Rus-
sian calendar, with eggs a major theme.
April/May:
Easter Arts Festival (Mos-
cow). A weeklong event showcasing St.
Petersburg's Mariinsky Company
orchestra in Moscow and small choral
ensembles performing in the city's
cathedrals following Orthodox Easter.
Bell ringing is a major part of the event.
May 1-2:
Labor Day/Spring Festival.
May Day parades under red Commu-
nist banners still wend through Mos-
cow's streets, though they're no longer
allowed on Red Square, site of the tre-
mendous Soviet-era demonstrations of
Kremlin-enforced proletarian solidarity.
