Well I meant to write more about my trip, but I didn't take into account how hard Russia celebrates the New Year. I actually had a reserved New Year's Eve; I was home with my host family (it felt great after my big travels to just relax in my apartment), and we had some guests over. The traditional Russian NYE includes a few important things. First, there are a few movies that always go with the New Year--Ирония судьбы (the Irony of Fate) is the most famous. These movies play on the main TV channel, and everyone knows them by heart. Then, people always eat salad Oliver (sometimes called Russian salad) and other potato-salad-like salads. Of course, there are tons of other foods on the table as well: We had caviar, salmon, all sorts of fruits, and a few other salads. The final ingredient is friends: People have lots of guests over, and a lot of people make the rounds of several different New Year's parties throughout the night.
When I say throughout the night, I mean that the festivities only really begin at midnight. After having like three dinners' worth of food and an incomprehensible amount of vodka (all that food, though, keeps you from getting drunk--the vodka just, as the Russians say, loosens your tongue), midnight finally rolls around. Putin gave the yearly presidential address, and then the bells of the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower signal midnight. After exchanging gifts, we went outside, where people were shooting off fireworks. It's too bad I didn't bring my camera because it was quite a sight to see. All around the neighborhood fireworks were going off, and there were some really big ones. After watching that for about an hour, we went back inside, and more guests came. The party went on until about 5am.
The next day, I went to see Life of Pi with my host brother (I highly recommend the movie), and then we had a repeat of the night before. We ate more salads and finished off the salmon, and there was a lot of singing and dancing and merriment. The night went on until about 5am again.
Pretty much the whole country is off work until January 8th, and people tell me these kinds of parties happen all the way until the end of the holidays. I have a feeling I'm going to be happy to get back to work by the end of this break! Here is a picture of our New Year's table:
When I say throughout the night, I mean that the festivities only really begin at midnight. After having like three dinners' worth of food and an incomprehensible amount of vodka (all that food, though, keeps you from getting drunk--the vodka just, as the Russians say, loosens your tongue), midnight finally rolls around. Putin gave the yearly presidential address, and then the bells of the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower signal midnight. After exchanging gifts, we went outside, where people were shooting off fireworks. It's too bad I didn't bring my camera because it was quite a sight to see. All around the neighborhood fireworks were going off, and there were some really big ones. After watching that for about an hour, we went back inside, and more guests came. The party went on until about 5am.
The next day, I went to see Life of Pi with my host brother (I highly recommend the movie), and then we had a repeat of the night before. We ate more salads and finished off the salmon, and there was a lot of singing and dancing and merriment. The night went on until about 5am again.
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