New Year’s Eve is a time for the world to anticipate a brand new year with celebration and festivities. Cultures across the world have different ways of celebrating this holiday, whether it’s through parties, family get-togethers, or in a more religious aspect. My entire family is Russian, and the Russians absolutely love New Year’s Eve and often celebrate it all night long with friends and family. My family has always celebrated New Year’s Eve with equal parts sophistication and hilarity, making this fun holiday one of the most important and memorable ones for us. Though many countries and their people may have big celebrations on New Year’s Eve, there is something about the traditional Russian way that makes it so amazing to experience. …show more content…
At this point, the younger children have already fallen asleep and have been carried off by their fathers into any available beds in the house. My father’s cousins and friends, having drank a bit excessively, usually end up passed out on the couch or in a chair. The women are too tired to begin cleaning, except for my grandmothers who seem to be on the constant move. I usually look through the night’s photographs on our cameras and laugh along with my mother, female cousins, and aunts at the memorable moments. Everyone always feels the familial bond tighten after such events, and it’s something that Russians look forward to all year long. New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest holidays for us, even surpassing Christmas. By morning, the food and alcohol may be gone, a few people may not remember the entire night, and every joke and story known to us may have been retold multiple times, but the memories do not fade away. Russians hold strong family values and love to share their homes and their love with friends and family, especially when it comes to ringing in the New Year by welcoming it with love, warmth, partying, and
With the sled as old as the marriage and a brake as old as their daughter their ritual is now a strong bond which they hold dearly to their hearts. This family ritual is strong and makes them look forward to each Christmas together as a family. Knowing that they will always be there to carry on the tradition that they have installed in themselves.
Christmas has consumed itself. At its conception, it was a fine idea, and I imagine that at one point its execution worked very much as it was intended to. These days, however, its meaning has been perverted; its true purpose ignored and replaced with a purpose imagined by those who merely go through the motions, without actually knowing why they do so.
This story may seem solely comedic, but within it is a darker tale of a Russia where, in the current times and those prior to it, social rank and position were key. ...
This murder was one of the biggest cases upstate has ever seen. The gangland style killing of the Egan family rattled the police force in Watertown, New York for many years even after the case was closed. The murder victims were brothers Peter and Gerald Egan and Peters wife Barbra Egan. The triple murder happened on New Year’s Eve 1964. The only life left was a dog found in the car with the bodies of the Egan’s. The only man who was ever tried for the case was acquitted in 1970.
The celebration is a lot like Christmas here in America. But Navidad has a much more traditional and spiritual significance than what we celebrate. From December sixteenth to December twenty-fourth children perform the Posada, Posada in Spanish is Inn or Lodging. Symbolizing when Joseph and Mary were searching for an Inn to stay in. Children walk the streets with candles, clay figures of Mary on a donkey and Joseph. They sing a song about Mary and Joseph asking for a room in the house, they are told that there is no room in the home, so they continue the process through the night until someone welcomes them in and are told there is room. The evening ends with the children having a party at the desired home with prayers of thanks, fireworks,
When the new year comes around in Mexico, a lot comes in hand. In the Mexican culture, they are very full of traditions, year end rituals are a key part of trending beliefs for finding love, money, and good luck. There are a ton of rituals, usually one for every Mexican family, and they’re passed on from generation to generation. Some rituals have religious backgrounds, like praying the rosary, attending mass before 12o’clock and lighting candles, but most have more to do with luck and good
The puritans from England not only escaped from the religious pressure by the king but brought their cultures and traditions when they left from their home. The example of those is Christmas. As the believer of Jesus Christ, they had been celebrating the birth of their god by their ways. After their immigration to New England, the religious ritual changed by times.
In Russia After the Russian Revolution of 1917, authorities of the newly formed USSR prohibited the practice of all religions. After the USSR broke up in 1991, the Russian Orthodox Church revived Christmas rituals. Like the Greeks, some Russians fast during a period before Christmas. Then, at the sight of the first star in the sky on Christmas Eve, a 12-course supper begins, with one course for each of Jesus’ 12 disciples. The meal includes , or beet soup; stuffed cabbage; and kutiya, a dish of whole wheat grains soaked in water for hours and seasoned with honey, nuts, and crushed poppy seeds.
Makovsky has created a majestic piece of work that manages to convey the different aspects of a wedding day, and more specifically a traditional 1800's Russian Wedding. Through his shapes, colors, tones, light, value and an incredible attention to detail, Makovsky has stepped beyond the boundaries of the medium and transferred an idea of “traditional” marriage and sparked a dialogue of what traditional should constitute and whether or not it's right for everyone. Being able to step into a piece of time gives one an outlook on what life was like back then and a chance for reflection on what time is like now. The attention to detail, down to the most inanimate and tiny object, gives the painting the illusion of being real, rather than blots of paint on canvas.
As December approaches the air all around becomes filled with the smell of Christmas. Without thinking, people get out their trees, put up their decorations, and start buying their gifts. To do all these things is normal; almost a force of habit. These habits are customs that people look forward to and treasure. For some, though, holidays have deeper meanings. They hold a deeper meaning, and are sacred and pure, in a way. To them, they have deep religious roots that span over generations and generations. What most people do not realize is that their beloved holidays often have pagan roots, and unpure beginnings.
According to Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president, the average Russian drinks 18 liters (equivalent to 38 pints) of strictly vodka each year. Vodka is Russia’s favored drink and has a strong Russian history. Although vodka has provided a large issue to the economy due to the abuse of the substance, there are many good outcomes from the production of it with respect to jobs and tax revenue. The Russian government has tired to enforce multiple different ways of curbing the vodka consumption from the citizens, but they do not last. Russia has a large distribution of vodka around the world and the income keeps many Russians employed. For Russia, vodka is an occupation, pleasure and a devil, and a way of life.
My family had many memorable holiday and birthday celebrations that are still valued by me as I age and move up in life. Before my parents decided to divorce we used to cook all day and night on Christmas Eve and when we finally decided to sleep, or my parents decided, we would wake up at 4:30 in the morning to open presents. I believe that custom is still with me to this day because I still wake up at 4:30 in the morning on Christmas Day. I think that customs depend on the emotional connection. My family would sit around the living room and laugh, talk, and reminisce about different times in their lives. We used to have a big celebration for birthdays and would invite everyone. It was always a personal affair that we would cook for and dance and just have a great time with family and close friends. It was a beautiful thing and it was extremely enjoyable. I cherish those moments with my family and I plan to have those customs and also to add my own customs into my own family one day in the
...religion is different but there are many similarities about each religion that is not evident in our everyday lives. This course allowed me to understand more deeply why things happened for us to be living on the earth today and also how it happened or got us to this point. Faith is a very big part of my life and this just made it enhance more and stronger because I was able to understand certain concepts more than I did before and not just hearing what I have heard in church I actually know now why they did it and I am clearer to how it was done. Even though they are many different views and faiths that is why our world is diverse and it a good thing because if everyone only believed in one faith there would not be much difference and that would make us not as connected or interesting amongst one another.
Ever since I could remember, I have spent Christmas at my grandmother’s house, a house which is full of comfort, warmth, and happiness. At Christmas, I have always been able to escape the cold and dark real world allowing myself to truly enjoy just several moments in time. These moments have left impressionable memories from my childhood making Christmas a holiday that is special to me and my family. It is a time for my family to get together, share stories, laugh, and even cry.
Chinese New Year is the most widely celebrated tradition in Asia. The tradition is usually celebrated on the first day of the first month on the Chinese Lunar calendar. This tradition is rooted in centuries-old customs and is one of the most popular public holidays in China. Apart from China, this tradition is also celebrated in many Asian countries like Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan. There are many values and rituals tied with this tradition. For example, people would wear red clothing, decorate the house with red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. According to legend, it is said that red can drive away bad luck, which is why the color red is highly emphasized. In myths, our ancestors would light bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would scare off evil spirits. This is why fireworks and firecrackers are set off during this special tradition. Other values and traditions during Chinese New Year dinner such as eating specific dishes during the New Years Eve Dinner, exchanging red envelopes, and cleaning the house. These traditions all emphasize one value: the importance of family reunion during Chinese New Year. Family reunion is essential because it is a time to interact with family and friends who often times do not live nearby. Family and relatives will plan their schedules around Chinese New Year dinner, instead of taking family for granted. Adults also teach children important tradition and lessons during Chinese New Year so that when they grow older, they would continue this tradition with their families.