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......... :?
