Christmas in the West is the main holiday of the year. They prepare for it for over a month. They wait for it and celebrate it to the fullest.
The cities are decked out in decorations. Santa Claus comes to the children and gives long-awaited presents. But in the Slavic countries, Christmas takes a back seat.
But how exactly do they celebrate Christmas in Russia and America? What are the similarities and differences between Christmas traditions?
How Christmas is celebrated in the USA
America is a very religious country. Catholicism came into American culture during the colonization period.
Christmas in the United States is celebrated on December 25. But that does not mean that Jesus was born on that day. There is a version that he was born in the summer.
According to one version, the Catholic Church wanted to counter paganism. So they approved a new holiday on the date of the pagan solstice festival.
Festive services are being held in all the churches.
This is a very important day for all Americans. Children know the Bible and traditions from a young age.
The traditional decoration of streets and houses for the holiday deserves special attention. There are even competitions among residents for the best house decoration. Official and unofficial.
This holiday is usually spent with family and loved ones around a big table or at a interesting games.
The center of the table in America at Christmas is always a huge roasted turkey or whole pig.
It's quite a complicated dish. And every hostess is very anxious to make it work.
But there are simpler dishes. that you can even with kids.
For example, the traditional ginger cookies. The same cookies that traditionally should be left for Santa Claus under the tree with milk as a treat.
To make these cookies you will need:
- flour - 300 g;
- sugar - 150 g;
- honey - 100 g;
- ginger (fresh or ground) - 2 tsp;
- cinnamon - 1 tsp;
- dough leavening - 1 tsp;
- ½ tsp. salt;
- egg - 1 egg;
- butter - 100 g;
- vanilla extract - 1 tsp.
Mix all ingredients until homogeneous. Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Roll out the dough and cut out cookies with special cookie cutters.
Bake the cookies at 180°C for about 10-12 minutes.
Such cookies are usually painted with icing sugar and treat all the guests with them.
Christmas in Russia
Christmas in Russia is celebrated on January 7 and is part of the New Year holidays. This date became a holiday because of the difference in calendars.
Until 1918, the Russian Empire lived according to the Julian calendar. And according to this calendar system Christmas fell on January 7.
Russia switched to the Gregorian calendar a long time ago, but the church started to change nothing.
There are no large-scale festivities in Russia on this day. Usually this holiday becomes just another reason to set the table and invite guests during the holiday season.
New Year's Eve is the biggest holiday in Russia. On the night from December 31 to January 1, large-scale festivities take place. In America, however, New Year's Eve is celebrated in a rather mediocre way.
Christmas is a holiday for the whole family. It's a time with loved ones for the most interesting and cozy evenings. For example, for board games games or watching movies.
May the coming holidays bring you and your loved ones only joy and new accomplishments.
