New Year in St. Petersburg

New Year Two Times

New Year is one of the most important and anticipated holidays in Russia. While in the whole world the biggest celebration events usually take place not on the New Year but on Christmas still russians give their preferences to celebrations of the New Year. It is fair to say that the situation with the New Year and Christmas holidays in Russia is so confusing that it is not within everyone’s powers to take in. The winter holidays in Russia linger on for several weeks: first russians enthusiastically celebrate catholic Christmas, then New Year, then orthodox Christmas which is on the 7th of January and finally on the 13th of January they celebrate a holiday absolutely strange for the foreigners – the Old New Year. But the most favourite and respected one in this long line is the New Year’s night of the Dec 31-Jan 1.

Interesting Fact

The tradition of the New Year celebration in Russia was introduced by Peter the Great. Before that New Year in Russia was on the 1st of September. But the tsar interdicted the autumn celebration of the New Year willing to keep step with Europe and having issued a special edict he moved the holiday to the 1st of January. The tradition of celebrating the Christmas on the 7st of January and the New Year on the night of the Jan 14 can be explained with the fact that in pre-revolutionary Russia they used the julian calendar which is actually still the official calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church. That is why the celebration of the second (old) New Year is a great opportunity extend the holidays though this particular one is not an official holiday.

Beginning from 1704 the main celebration events were moved to the Nothern capital of Russian Empire. The main event was the open air celebrations and not the table as it is now. The St.Petersburg mascarades were organized on the square close to the Peter&Paul’s fortress, the birthplaces of the city, and Peter I used to take part in the open air celebrations not only by himself but he also obliged noblemans to participate. Those who didn’t show up under the pretence of some kind of a desease were examined by the doctors. If the reason was lame the guilty person was set a fine: he must have drunk a huge cup of vodka in full view of everybody.

New Year  in St. Petersburg

New Year in St. Petersburg means taking a dive into the fantastic atmosphere of the city, walking around its snowy streets, admiring fairy decoration and illumination of the palaces, visiting christmas markets where you will have the possibility to buy russian worsted mittens and socks, to try russian traditional food and drinks and also take a sledge ride with legendary Troika.
There is a wide range of things to do on the night from Dec 31 to Jan 1 in St. Petersburg: dinners in the cozy restaurants of the city center with the new year entertainment programs, concerts and open air celebrations on the Nevsky prospect, the mail avenue of St.Petersburg, dancing in the numerous clubs of the city and if you want to welcome in the New Year the way St. Petersburgers do – go on the Palace square opposite the Hermitage, and there under the biggest New Year’s tree in the city you will blend into the festive crowd, take part in the main New Year’s concert, hear the president’s congratulatory speech 5 minutes before midnight, make a wish, then a toast and you will celebrate the New Year with a glass of legendary Soviet Champagne!