New Year Traditions: The New Year is the biggest celebration for Russians, and lavish meals would be prepared as they believe that the way you celebrate the New Year determines how your year will be like. Thus, on New Year’s eve, Russians prepare huge meals with dishes that include duck or goose, stuffed carp, and a jellied meat called “holodets”. Small pies and pastries filled with cabbage, apple or meat are also prepared and on New Year’s Day itself, soup is prepared and served together with the “holodets” and the leftover pastries and pies.
Easter: During Easter, Russians paint hard-boiled eggs usually using the colour red as it signifies new life. They then exchange kind wishes and these painted eggs for the Easter celebration.
Christmas: Christmas on the Orthodox calendar is celebrated on the 7th of January and not on the 25th of December. Just like the other holidays and celebrations, Russians would celebrate Christmas by preparing a huge meal.
Family Traditions
Baby’s birth: When a baby is born, the father would plant a tree so that the baby would grow up strong and healthy like the tree.
Birthdays: A birthday celebration is usually celebrated with a lavish dinner and it is a custom for the birthday person to provide this dinner. This celebration can sometimes last for more than a day.
Wedding: In Russia, church weddings are not considered official and couples who want to get married have to exchange their vows at a Russian marriage civil ceremony where they would receive bread and salt to symbolize health, prosperity and long life. During the Wedding, a relative or close friend would make a wedding toast to the couple and it is a Russian tradition for everyone to throw their champagne glasses onto the floor. It is considered as good luck if the glasses break when they hit the ground.
Other Traditions
Travel: Before departing for a trip, Russians would sit in silence for a few minutes to pray for good luck and fortune on their trip.
Spring: At the beginning of Spring, Russians celebrate Maslenita (Pancake week), because a pancake is round like the sun and symbolizes the new life that comes with spring.
References:
http://www.worldweddingtraditions.com/locations/east_europe_traditions/russian_traditions.html
http://www.advantour.com/russia/traditions.htm
http://www.russian-language-for-lovers.com/russian-traditions.html
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