Christmas in St. Petersburg
Over the past three years, I have noticed a marked increase in the complexity and attractiveness of the New Year's decorations around St. Petersburg. As a quick recap, everything that we in the West have for Christmas, the Russians have for New Year's - lights, trees, presents, and an old guy in a red suit. Though the Russians have added Snegurochka, a nubile young female who dresses in blue and accompanies her "grandfather," Ded Moroz. There are numerous versions of Snegurochka's story, but being a Russian character, it rarely ends well.
Since I have far more friends in St. Petersburg than Moscow, I decided to go up there last weekend to celebrate. Russians celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January, though most of them know about the 25th of December, which they refer to as "Catholic Christmas." Most Russians don't know about Protestantism, and assume all non-Orthodox Christians are Catholics. Though you can't really fault them for that distinction, after three generations of Communist rule, most Russians don't even know anything about Orthodox Christianity, much less the intricacies of Western Christianity.
I celebrated Christmas Eve at the church I used to go to in St. Petersburg. They put on a nice show that included music, theatre, and the testimonial of the worship leader. Russian identity, especially in the aftermath of the Soviet Union, is a very interesting topic. The identity of a Russian who becomes Protestant is complex, to say the least. For Catholics, Christmas is the 25th, period. For Protestants, however, it is much more fluid. Tradition would dictate the 25th, but there are no hard and fast rules. Celebrating on the 25th or the 7th are both possible options, and the choice says something about the person's self-identity. Most Protestant churches and individuals get out of this dilemma by celebrating on both dates.
This is all background to say that the seasonal decorations are the same. If you grew up in a Slavic country, you'll walk around and think "Oh, the New Year's decorations are up." And if you grew up in the West, you'll notice the "Christmas" decorations. I would say that the single biggest achievement over the past few years has been the use of colored lights of various shades to illuminate trees. In short, walking around the city was a very pleasant experience.
The fountains at Moskovskaya are turned off and covered in lights.
The square in front of the Russian Museum.
A closeup of the square.
Since I have far more friends in St. Petersburg than Moscow, I decided to go up there last weekend to celebrate. Russians celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January, though most of them know about the 25th of December, which they refer to as "Catholic Christmas." Most Russians don't know about Protestantism, and assume all non-Orthodox Christians are Catholics. Though you can't really fault them for that distinction, after three generations of Communist rule, most Russians don't even know anything about Orthodox Christianity, much less the intricacies of Western Christianity.
I celebrated Christmas Eve at the church I used to go to in St. Petersburg. They put on a nice show that included music, theatre, and the testimonial of the worship leader. Russian identity, especially in the aftermath of the Soviet Union, is a very interesting topic. The identity of a Russian who becomes Protestant is complex, to say the least. For Catholics, Christmas is the 25th, period. For Protestants, however, it is much more fluid. Tradition would dictate the 25th, but there are no hard and fast rules. Celebrating on the 25th or the 7th are both possible options, and the choice says something about the person's self-identity. Most Protestant churches and individuals get out of this dilemma by celebrating on both dates.
This is all background to say that the seasonal decorations are the same. If you grew up in a Slavic country, you'll walk around and think "Oh, the New Year's decorations are up." And if you grew up in the West, you'll notice the "Christmas" decorations. I would say that the single biggest achievement over the past few years has been the use of colored lights of various shades to illuminate trees. In short, walking around the city was a very pleasant experience.
The fountains at Moskovskaya are turned off and covered in lights.
The square in front of the Russian Museum.
A closeup of the square.