Seasons Greetings 2009 Year
Winter holidays are very close and the tradition that I have followed for the past few years is to send my seasons greetings to all my former, current and future clients and friends. With the current global economic crisis, the second half of the year was quite intense and stressful for many people across the world and I hope that the next year 2009 will bring us more positive news with stability, peace, prosperity and happiness in our lives!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, your relatives and friends!
This week I was with several of my repeat clients who currently work in Moscow or had a short business trip here just before the holiday. My clients told me that at the end of a the year they are very tired and dreaming about returning home and meeting relatives and friends. As usual, the last month of a year goes faster than the others as people try to finish up their business or household tasks, buy gifts to be ready for the upcoming holidays, or to meet their family and friends. Of course, in the big cities such as Moscow, during this month there are terrible traffic jams on the roads and long lines at the stores with crowds everywhere. People are rushing and a bit nervous to finish their shopping and plans for the holidays. For many people in the world, the winter holidays are the favorite time of the year.
In different countries there are various traditions and customs for Christmas and New Year's Eve. From the request of one of my former clients (currently a very good and close friend), I will share with you how we celebrate New Year's in Russia. If you are wondering why I am first telling you about New Year's Eve and not about the most beloved holiday of Christmas (December 25th), the answer is simple enough and with my pictures that I took for you recently you will find out the reason as you read about our traditions: part I The most favorite holiday in Russia, part II Celebrations of New Year's Eve in Russia.
There are many holidays in Russia, but without a doubt the celebration of New Year's is the favorite holiday in modern Russia when people from all generations start to plan far in advance how they will spend this time. At first I would like to point out to you the difference in dates between the celebration of Christmas in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. In the West, the favorite family holiday is the celebration of Christmas on December 25th (Gregorian claendar), almost a week before the New Year. In the Orthodox countries such as Russia, the Ukraine, or Belorussia, we celebrate Christmas a week after New Year's, on January 7th (Julian calendar). During the Soviet times religion was underground in the USSR and right after the Soviet October Socialist revolution in 1917, the leaders tried to eliminate religion from the lives of the people. In the period after the revolution, but before the Great Patriotic War that started in 1941, the Communists and Bolsheviks destroyed many of the monasteries and churches all over the country. Stalin had a plan in the beginning of the 1940's where all the religious houses would be closed and transferred into state houses. This plan was to use the buildings of the churches for different purposes, but not for religious means. For example, in the villages it was quite popular to use the former churches as clubs of culture, offices for state companies or just simply to use them as places for storage of agricultural products or machines. Instead of the celebration of Christmas, the Bolsheviks and Communists, who had banned the open expression of religion, reinvented the New Year's holiday tradition to include a decorated tree and also intorduced a character called "Ded Moroz," (Grandfather Frost). This fairy tale figure resembled Santa Claus, with the exception of different clothes. The celebration of New Year's then became one of the main holidays in the USSR instead of the "forgotten" Christmas. After the start of democracy from 1991, the situation of course was changed dramatically. Now we can see the revival of Russian traditions from before the Soviet times where more and more poeple returned to the recently renovated or rebuilt churches. We celebrate Christmas on January 7th as well and it is one of our national holidays. Yet the most favorite event for Russians is still the celebration of New Year's.
This picture of State Historical Museum with New Year's tree nearby I took this early morning when was pretty cold (-10 C) and my fingers were almost frosen to hold and operate my camera with tripod. Still was not snow in Moscow... Please, continue to read my story with a picture of the Red Square I took for you on the next morning: Celebrations of New Year's Eve in Russia.
Note: These Moscow Photos are to help you familiarize yourself with Moscow's Sightseeing and my services. The photos in my albums are protected by international copyright law. You may keep my photos in your personal albums or, you may use these images as personal wallpaper on your computer, but, they are not for distribution (commercial or non-profit). If you would like to buy a specific photo, feel free to make your request via E-mail. I do hope you enjoy my work as photographer. Many of these photos were taken during excursions with my clients. You can find my pictures in Internet under nickname "ArtLook" (short from Arthur Lookyanov) at the follow websites:
Moscow, Russia 
Contact Info: Arthur Lookyanov