CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD: Russia and Neighbors

Russia
In Russia the religious festival of Christmas is being replaced by the Festival of Winter but there are some traditions that are still kept up in some parts of the country.

In the traditional Russian Christmas, special prayers are said and people fast, sometimes for 39 days, until January 6th Christmas Eve, when the first evening star in appears in the sky. Then begins a twelve course supper in honor of each of the twelve apostles - fish, beet soup or Borsch, cabbage stuffed with millet, cooked dried fruit and much more.

Hay is spread on the floors and tables to encourage horse feed to grow in the coming year and people make clucking noises to encourage their hens to lay eggs.

On Christmas Day, hymns and carols are sung. People gather in churches which have been decorated with the usual Christmas trees or Yelka, flowers and colored lights.

Christmas dinner includes a variety of different meats - goose and suckling pig are favorites.

Babushka is a traditional Christmas figure who distributes presents to children. Her name means grandmother and the legend is told that she declined to go with the wise men to see Jesus because of the cold weather. However, she regretted not going and set off to try and catch up, filling her basket with presents. She never found Jesus, and that is why she visits each house, leaving toys for good children.

The role of Father Christmas was played by Dedushka Moroz or Grandfather Christmas.

Babushka is a traditional Christmas figure who distributes presents to children. The word ''Babushka'' is translated to English as a grand-mother!

A traditional Christmas figure is Snegurochka. She is a grand-daughter of Ded Moroz.

Ukraine
Sviata Vechera OR "Holy Supper" is the central tradition of the beautiful Christmas Eve celebrations in Ukrainian homes. The dinner table sometimes has a few wisps of hay on the embroidered table cloth as a reminder of the manger in Bethlehem.

When the children see the first Star in the eastern evening sky, which symbolizes the trek of the Three Wise Men, the Sviata Vechera may begin. In farming communities the head of the household now brings in a sheaf of wheat called the didukh which represents the importance of the ancient and rich wheat crops of Ukraine, the staff of life through the centuries. Didukh means literally "grandfather spirit" so it symbolizes the family's ancestors. In city homes a few stalks of golden wheat in a vase are often used to decorate the table.

A prayer is said and the father says the traditional Christmas greeting, "Khristos rodyvsya!" which translated is Christ is born!, which is answered by the family with "Slavite Yoho!" which translated is Let Us Glorify Him!. In some families the Old Slavic form Khristos razhdayetsya is used.

At the end of the Sviata Vechera the family often sings Kolyadky which is a Ukrainian Christmas Carols. In many communities the old Ukrainian tradition of caroling is carried on by groups of young people and members of organizations and churches calling at homes and collecting donations.

The favorite Ukrainian carol is Boh predvichny meaning God Eternal which has a very beautiful melody and lyrics. Some Ukrainian carols are unusual because they mention Ukraine while others are ancient pagan songs of a thousand years ago which have been converted into Christian carols.

Christmas is a joyous day which opens for Ukrainian families with attendance at Church. Ukrainian Churches offer services starting before midnight on Christmas Eve and on Christmas morning. Christmas supper, without Lenten restrictions, does not have as many traditions connected with it as Sviata Vechera. The old tradition in Ukraine of giving gifts to children on St. Nicholas Day, December 19th, has generally been replaced by the Christmas date.

The traditional Christmas customs of Ukraine add color and significance to the winter festival of Christmas, and Ukrainian Christmas on January 7th is usually a peaceful and quiet event. This celebration reminds us of the baby in a Bethlehem manger whose birthday we celebrate. But whether Christmas is celebrated on December 25th or on January 7th the message is the same: "Peace on Earth! Good will towards men!

In the Ukraine, Father Frost visits all the children in a sleigh pulled by only three reindeer.

He brings along a little girl named Snowflake Girl. She wears a silver blue costume trimmed with white fur and a crown shaped like a snowflake.

Lithuania
Lithuanian Christmas traditions are a combination of old and new and Christian and pagan, and they have similarities with traditions from the other two Baltic nations, as well as with the traditions of Poland, whose past is linked with Lithuania's.
In pagan Lithuania, the Christmas celebration as we know it today was actually the celebration of the winter solstice. Roman Catholics, the predominant religious population in Lithuania, gave new meaning to old customs or introduced new ways to celebrate the religious holiday. For example, some people say the practice of placing hay underneath the tablecloth on Christmas Eve predates the introduction of Christianity to Lithuania, though now obvious parallels can be drawn between hay on the Christmas table and the hay in the manger where Jesus was born.

As in Poland, the Christmas Eve feast traditionally consists of 12 meatless dishes (though fish is permitted, and herring is often served). The breaking of religious wafers precedes the meal.

The practice of decorating the Christmas tree is relatively new to Lithuania, though evergreen branches have long been used to bring color to homes during the long winter. If you visit Vilnius during the Christmas season, it's possible to see the Christmas tree on Vilnius' Town Hall Square. Handmade straw ornaments are particularly traditional. They can decorate Christmas trees or be used as decoration for other parts of the house. Sometimes these are made with plastic drinking straws, but the more traditional material is the yellow straw usually used for farm animals.

Vilnius celebrates Christmas with public Christmas trees and a relatively new traditions - a European-style Christmas market. The Vilnius Christmas market takes place in the historic center; stalls sell seasonal treats and handmade gifts.

Latvia
Traditional Christmas Greeting: "Prieci 'gus Ziemsve 'tkus un Laimi 'gu Jauno Gadul"

The straw ornaments are made out of material found in the fields. There are also several cross shapes made from the tops of wheat. The straw ornaments are made into geometric shapes from simple to more complex designs.
The garlands are made from cranberry, apples and pinecones.
The tree was originally decorated with lit candles though today electrified candles are used.
Traditions: In Latvia the Christmas celebration is know as Ziemassvetki or winter festival. The festival is a direct descendent of ancient winter solstice celebrations. A central element to Ziemassvetki is the log burning which involves groups of people dragging a log around the house during the day, burning the log all night singing ritual songs and drinking beer.

Latvia also claims to be the home of the first Christmas Tree! The first documented use of a evergreen tree at Christmas and New Year celebrations is in town square of Riga, the capital of Latvia, in the year 1510. It is stated that members of the local merchant guild carried a Firtree decorated with artificial roses to the marketplace. They danced around it and then set it on fire. The reasoning behind this has been lost to history, though it may have been associated with the ancient tradition of the Yule Log.

On Christmas Eve the family gathers around the tree and sings traditional Christmas carols. Traditional foods served during this time include pork, pig's snout, pig's feet, beans, whole grains, peas and a variety of breads and rolls. Each food has a meaning: e.g. eat a pea you'll cry one day less; eat a bean one day you will mature; eat a pig's snout you will write a great deal; eat a dumpling there will be many sunny days. Later, Father Christmas may visit. He is a stern looking man dressed in gray and has a long white beard. He brings gifts for the good children and for the bad ones he gives them stick-switches.

Estonia
In Estonia, as in the other Baltic nations, Christmas is associated with the winter solstice, which was celebrated before the Christian aspect of the holiday prevailed in importance. While the Advent is observed, Estonians really kick off the Christmas holidays on December 23 and celebrate through Christmas Day. During the month of December, Estonians celebrate at the Tallinn Christmas Market, where even Santa likes to regularly hang out.

It has been a centuries-long tradition for the leader of Estonia to declare Christmas Peace on Christmas Eve.

Other long-standing Estonian Christmas traditions center around food, which is left on the table for visiting spirits. Blood sausage, sauerkraut, and other foods are traditional for Estonian Christmas, and beer is also drunk as a part of the holiday festivities.

Some old traditions are observed symbolically or not at all today. For example, covering floors with straw or hay, a practice that used to be a part of Estonian holiday observance, is impractical for people living in city apartments with modern floors. However, the past few decades have seen a resurgence of Christmas customs in Estonia, just as new ones are being established and borrowed from other cultures and world culture.