⚡️With less than a week until the New Year, we are launching our #NewYearReport series.

🇷🇺 Today, we’ll tell you how New Year and Christmas are celebrated in Russia.

A few interesting historical facts:
✔ In our country, New Year began to be celebrated on January 1 in 1699, during the reign of the first emperor — Peter the Great. Before this, the New Year was celebrated on September 1st — after the harvest was completed.
✔ In Russia, “Yolka” historically refers not only to the Christmas tree (spruce) but also to the New Year celebration itself. The first public “Yolka,” which anyone could attend, was held in St. Petersburg back in 1852.
✔ And in 1947, New Year became an official day off.

🎄 Traditionally, New Year trees are decorated all across Russia. Decorations vary: from string lights and modern bright ornaments to old, childhood-favorite ones that our parents and grandparents used to adorn their trees. Many buy real trees so the scent of pine fills the house and adds to the festive coziness. But there are also those who want to keep the magic alive longer and opt for artificial trees.

⛸ Weeks before December 31, the whole country transforms. In cities and villages, New Year lights glow in the evenings, decorations are put up, and pre-New Year and New Year fairs begin, where you can, for example, go ice skating.

✨By December 25, the spirit of the upcoming holiday is already in the air. Russia is a multi-confessional country where all religions are respected and valued. And although most Russian citizens celebrate Orthodox Christmas rather than Catholic Christmas, by December 25, the atmosphere of Christmas and New Year magic already envelops the entire country.

🥂New Year is celebrated on the night of December 31 to January 1. The whole family gathers around the table. They enjoy New Year salads, the most famous of which is, of course, “Olivier”. They drink champagne and snack on tangerines, which become especially abundant in stores during the pre-New Year period.

Then everyone gathers in front of the screens to watch the

special New Year’s address by the President of Russia

.

🇷🇺 The "Kuranty" chimes on the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin count down the final seconds of the departing year. The chimes strike twelve times. Before the last strike sounds, everyone must hurry to make a wish, and it will surely come true.

🇷🇺 On January 7, Orthodox Christmas is celebrated in Russia.

🤍 In Russia, New Year is considered not just a holiday, but one of the main festive seasons of the year. This season features the longest public holidays of the year across the entire country. It is a time of joy and hope, warm family gatherings, and happy reunions. A time for reset and renewal.

🌐 MGIMO International (ENG) / МГИМО для иностранцев (RUS)

🎉 Let’s immerse ourselves in the New Year celebration atmosphere from different corners of the world! Especially for our channel, members of the MGIMO International Applicants' Club have shared how this holiday is celebrated in their home countries. Throughout the entire New Year holidays, we will be sharing their stories. One of the first to send us her #NewYearReport was Nino from Georgia! 🇬🇪

Georgia is famous for its unique culture, hospitality, world-renowned cuisine, national dances, choral singing, and traditions passed down through generations. On the eve of this bright holiday, we’re sharing the folk traditions and rituals without which a Georgian New Year and Christmas are simply unimaginable.

🎄 From mid-December, Georgian towns and villages are adorned with bright lights, and the air is filled with a special atmosphere of magic and festive spirit. Tbilisi is especially charming during these days. On New Year's Eve, homes are decorated with a "chichilaki" – the Georgian Christmas tree or "tree of happiness", carved from a walnut tree branch. It is often burned after the holidays so that all the worries of the old year disappear with the smoke.

▶️The traditional New Year's table is a true feast. It always features the best dishes: satsivi, khachapuri, pkhali, churchkhela, and sweet gozinaki.

▶️A special role in the celebration is given to the "mekvle" – the person who is the first to cross the threshold of the house in the coming year. It is believed that they bring good luck to the household.

But Georgian celebrations don't end there!
🗓️ After the festivities, on January 2nd, Georgians celebrate "Bedoba" – the Day of Fate. There is a belief that how this day goes will determine the course of the entire year.
🗓️ And on January 7th comes one of the most revered Orthodox holidays – Christmas, or "Shoba". It is met with nighttime services, festive feasts, and the traditional "Alilo" procession, where people march in a column with hymns and icons, collecting donations for the needy and orphanages.

That’s what New Year in Georgia is like – a time when generational boundaries fade and everyone is united by a feeling of joy. A holiday that leaves unforgettable impressions for the entire year. 💙

By Nino Ivanova

🌐 MGIMO International (ENG) / МГИМО для иностранцев (RUS)

🎉We continue our series on New Year's traditions from around the world! Today, especially for our #NewYearReport, another member of the International Applicants Club – Bilol from Dushanbe – shares his impressions of celebrating New Year in Tajikistan!🇹🇯

✒️ Although New Year is not considered an indigenous national holiday (that role has been held since ancient times by Navruz, celebrated on March 21) it has firmly secured an important place in the modern life of Tajikistanis.

🍊 At the heart of the celebration is family warmth and hospitality. On December 31, a family gathers around a generously set table, which includes dishes of national cuisine, as well as sweets and dried fruits, so that the coming year will be sweet and prosperous.

As for the main holiday dish – it must be meat-based: some prepare a roast, others baked chicken or lamb, and some cook shashlik (grilled meat).

🤩 Children are visited by Father Frost (Boboi Barfī) and his granddaughter, the Snow Maiden (Barfak).

An important moment of the celebration is the address by the country's President, broadcast shortly before midnight. After it, people traditionally exchange congratulations.

▶️Overall, Tajikistan's New Year traditions largely resonate with those of other post-Soviet countries, though the holiday is celebrated a bit more modestly here. New Year trees are not set up in schools, noisy children's matinees are not organized, and streets are not decorated with bright garlands.

❗️Despite this, the commonly accepted New Year is still widely celebrated in the country. On the contrary, it is treated with special reverence and anticipated no less than Navruz, Ramadan, or Eid al-Adha.

That's how they celebrate the New Year in Tajikistan – blending modern holiday elements with the traditions of an Eastern family.❤️

By Bilol Kireyev

🌐 MGIMO International (ENG) / МГИМО для иностранцев (RUS)

Global New Year — Celebrations Around the World

⚡️On December 27, the MGIMO International Applicants Club held a presentation contest. More than 30 participants from different countries shared how this holiday is celebrated in Angola, Brazil, Gabon, Italy, Kazakhstan, China, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Namibia, Nigeria, Russia, Serbia, the United States, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Sweden, Finland, and Japan.

For example, did you know that:
➡In Central Asian countries, the true beginning of the new year is considered not January 1st, but March 21st;
➡Finns tell fortunes for the future by pouring molten tin into water and interpreting its intricate shapes;
➡In Japan, an integral part of New Year's preparations is a thorough house cleaning – a ritual of purification meant to cleanse the home of the negative energy of the passing year;
➡In Brazil, New Year is celebrated with lively beach parties?

Choosing the best presentations was a challenge, as all performances were vibrant, engaging, and professional. However, based on the participants' votes, three winners were determined:
⭐Best presentation was awarded to Artem Kuznetsov, who spoke about New Year's traditions in North Korea;
⭐Best visual design went to the team of Akmal Tovboyev and Islambek Yuldashbekov from Uzbekistan;
⭐The prize for best command of English was given to Daria Dmitrieva and Artem Plyutinsky, who shared about the Japanese New Year traditions in flawless English.

💙A huge thank you to all participants for such a lively, warm, and informative meeting! In the coming year, we look forward to new activities where our members can continue to shine!

#InternationalApplicantsClub

🌐 MGIMO International (ENG) / МГИМО для иностранцев (RUS)