Thread: Christmas and New Years Traditions

I have my Christmas tree up and decorated, lights also decorate outside. Christmas Eve (Dec. 24 here in America) I usually make and decorate cookies. I never put presents under the tree until late that night, so they miraculously have appeared (after Santa has delivered them) on Christmas morning. In my house, we never open presents until Christmas day. New Years' Eve is for drinking, and I'll take the tree down a week or so into the new year. Oh yeah, we watch "A Christmas Story" over and over and over (you're going to shoot your eye out!)! So..... a friend of mine wrote me this: "We decorate the fir trees on the eve of New Year and it stays till Christmas, most people celebrate the New Year on the 13-14th of January according to the old calendar keeping the traditions which came from the old times." Someone help me. I know Orthodox Christmas is Dec. 7; I want to learn what "celebrating New Year on Jan 13-14 means, and what other "Traditions" occur in Russia (and Ukraine) for Christmas and New Years. Thanks.........

want to learn what "celebrating New Year on Jan 13-14 means, and what other "Traditions" occur in Russia (and Ukraine) for Christmas and New Years. Thanks.........
About New Year on Jan 13-14 means.We celebrate New Year on 31Dec-1Jan and Christmas on 6-7Jan and then Old New Year(Старый Новый Год) not official.I think we celebrate old new year when In past celebrate simple New Year few centures ago.But now Old New Year means that we accompany previous year as we welcome New Year on 31Dec-1Jan.New Year is more festive than Christmas,for example presents on Christmas not usually.New Year similar to your Christmas.

Russian Orthodox Church is still using Julian calendar. That's where Christmas on January 7th (which is, surprise-surprise, Dec. 24th according to Julian calendar) and "Old" New Year on 13-14th night come from.

Спасибо, теперь я понимаю!