🎉 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)

⚡️Year 2025 saw the launch of our new but already beloved project — the MGIMO International Applicants Club.

It feels like just yesterday — in September 2025 — that we excitedly published our first announcement about opening applications to join the International Applicants Club. And now, as December draws to a close, we are ready to sum up the Club's activities in 2025.

In just 3 months, the Club has:
✔grown its community to 185 members;
✔expanded its reach to cover more than 50 countries worldwide.

✒️ During this time, we have held over 10 events in a wide variety of formats: from lectures by MGIMO professors to engaging quizzes, from masterclasses on preparing for the Olympiad and entrance interviews to online meetings with MGIMO's international students.

❗️But our greatest pride is the community of like-minded, active, and motivated individuals we have managed to build. Club members have shared their impressions of the first months, and we (with tears of joy in our eyes) are sharing them with you! (see photos)

However, our Club's story is just beginning — the most exciting part is yet to come. Join us!

Your team of the MGIMO International Applicants Club ❤️

#InternationalApplicantsClub

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