Our #NewYearReport series continues! In this edition, Ana – a member of the International Applicants Club – takes us through the unique New Year traditions of Serbia!🇷🇸

🎉New Year (January 1) is one of the biggest celebrations full of feasts with sarma (grape or cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, vegetables, and meat) and barbecue, city square parties, and endless hugs. Streets and homes are decorated, and fireworks are believed to chase away evil spirits.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Children’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are sweet family holidays celebrated on three Sundays before Christmas.

Children and parents are playfully “tied up” with rope and must give a small gift or sweets to be free, thus symbolizing family unity, gratitude, and festive preparation.

➡ Christmas Eve in Serbia is called Badnji Dan. At dawn, men cut the badnjak (oak branch) while women prepare česnica bread. The house is scattered with grain for prosperity and straw for fertility. In the evening, three badnjaks are brought inside, prayers are said, and a lenten dinner is shared.

✔Christmas, or Božic (January 7). The morning begins with breaking the fast and burning the badnjak with wishes for health. The česnica bread is broken open, hiding inside a coin, grains, or beans, each with its own meaning.

🇷🇺 And, finally, Serbian New Year is celebrated on January 14 by the Julian calendar. Families and close friends gather for traditional food and songs, representing a beautiful blend of faith, tradition, and culture.

Which Serbian custom is your favorite? Share below! 🇷🇸✨

By Ana Janković

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

🎄 We continue sharing New Year’s stories from participants of the International Applicants Club all over the world.

🇧🇷 Today’s #NewYearReport comes from sunny Brazil. It’s impossible to imagine this country without the sea, warmth, and vibrant, noisy celebrations. And New Year’s Eve is no exception.

🎇 Massive nighttime festivities (including on the beaches), fireworks, and free concerts by major artists are the usual way to celebrate the New Year in Brazil. At midnight, a shared ritual begins: sparkling wine is uncorked, hugs are exchanged— often even with strangers —and toasts are raised together for health, happiness, and well-being. Social boundaries fade, giving way to a sense of unity.

Those who prefer a calmer atmosphere celebrate with family. But Brazilians are more accustomed to lively, collective festivities.

🍽️ The New Year’s table in Brazil reflects the holiday’s spirit of community and togetherness. Every guest brings a dish, and everyone shares with one another.

You’ll often find roasted turkey, stuffed pork, glazed ham, baked cod, salmon, shrimp in pumpkin, salpicão salad, and the famous raisin rice.

Some consider it an essential part of the celebration, others a culinary curiosity—so debates about it return every year, always in good humor. Sparkling wine is opened exactly at midnight.

🤍 One of the key traditions is wearing white to welcome the New Year—a symbol of peace and new beginnings.

🌊 After midnight, many step into the sea and jump over seven waves while making wishes. This ritual has pagan roots and reflects Brazil’s cultural diversity— a country with the largest Catholic population in the world, yet rich in multi-faith and multi-ethnic traditions.

Feliz Ano Novo!

By Bruno Leimig

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

👼🏼 Orthodox Christmas is celebrated in Russia today.

🎄 MGIMO International team wholeheartedly congratulates everyone who celebrates this bright holiday! We wish you and your loved ones kindness and inspiration. May the coming year 2026 bring you the joy of new discoveries and success in the implementation of the most ambitious plans.

On the occasion of this holy holiday, we’ve collected interesting historical facts about the history and traditions of celebrating Christmas in Russia ❤️

🗓️ Date is a matter of style
Christmas in Russia is celebrated not on December 25, but on January 7 because of the difference in calendars. The Russian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar ("old style"), which is 13 days behind the generally accepted Gregorian calendar.

💫 Christmas Eve and the first star
Christmas Eve (January 6) is called “Sochelnik”, from the word "sochivo" — a lean dish made from soaked wheat grains with honey, nuts and raisins (it is also called kutya). The main ancient tradition of this day is not to sit down for dinner before the first star appears in the sky. This is a symbolic memory of the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the Magi the way to the Christ Child. The traditional Christmas Eve dinner is lenten and consists of 12 dishes according to the number of apostles.

🙏🏻 From prohibition to rebirth
After the 1917 revolution, the celebration of Christmas in the USSR was completely banned as a religious relic. The star of Bethlehem was replaced with a five-pointed star, and the Christmas tree with a New Year's tree. It was only in 1991 that January 7 was declared an official non-working day in Russia, and the holiday began its public revival.

🎄New Year and Christmas
A unique festive "marathon" has developed in modern Russia. First, on December 31 – January 1, the whole country celebrates the New Year (with champagne, Olivier salad and social events). And after that, in a quieter and more spiritual atmosphere, Christmas comes — with church services and family feasts.

🍽️ Main dish
The traditional Christmas meat dish was and often remains baked goose with apples.

🎪 Carols and mummers
An old Christmas tradition is caroling (“koluyadki” in Russian). In the old days, young people and children dressed up (often using turned-out fur coats and masks), wandered around villages, sang special carols with wishes of well-being to the owners, and received sweets and coins in return. It was believed that such rounds brought good luck to the house for the whole year.

🫶🏻 Orthodox Christmas, rich in traditions, is an integral part of Russia's historical cultural code. A holy, warm family holiday symbolizing spiritual renewal and faith in the bright present and future.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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

✨A New Year Celebration with Global Scale and National Flair ✨

We're keeping the festive spirit alive and publishing a #NewYearReport from Turkmenistan by Kerim, a member of the International Applicants Club, who told us how his homeland transforms during this holiday time! 🇹🇲

"For each of us, Kerim shares, the New Year is associated with something personal. For me, as a Turkmenistani, it's an amazing combination of incredible scale of festivities on the streets and heartfelt tranquility at home."

🎄During these days, Ashgabat fully lives up to its status as the "White Marble Pearl of Central Asia." The white marble city is adorned with festive lights, and the main attraction becomes the central square – "Älem." It is there that the country's Main New Year Tree stands tall.

🏡Despite all the external glitter, the heart of the holiday is the family feast. It's not customary in Turkmenistan to celebrate the New Year alone or just with friends. This is a time when several generations gather at one table: from the deeply respected "Yaşuly" (elders) to the youngest family members. It is in this continuity of generations that the main meaning of the holiday lies.

"We listen to the advice of our elders, share our plans, and believe in the best," Kerim says.

🇷🇺 The festive table here is a reflection of hospitality, where traditional New Year's salads are always accompanied by fragrant plov (rice dish with meat, vegetables, and spices): it's important for the table to be "bereketli" – abundant! In Turkmenistan, they say a guest is a blessing, so doors are always open, and even an unexpected guest will not leave hungry.

⭐And the main characters of the holiday are Aýaz Baba (Father Frost) and his granddaughter Garpamyk (Snow Maiden). Their costumes often feature elements of national dress: intricate embroidery and traditional patterns.

The New Year in Turkmenistan reminds us that even in a holiday celebrated all over the world, there is always room for national roots.

By Kerim Dovletov

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