Categories: General
      Date: Dec 26, 2009
     Title: December, 29, 2009

Meeting the New Year by having all-night long, noisy parties has become a tradition that unites all nation, no matter what social class, age group or religious confession one belongs. Most of the families tend to get together for an enormously plentiful holiday dinner, which may last for many hours, and even turn into breakfast of January, 1st.

The older people love watching all-night TV shows, while the younger play games, arrange noisy partying outside in cold winter air, or sing and dance for hours. Arranging New Year fireworks has recently become a tradition among young Ukrainians. Fireworks can be heard everywhere during all the New Year night, so if you want to spend the New year night in a Ukrainian city, do not even think about going to bed on the New Year night.

It's not a secret to anyone that Russians (Ukrainians) drink lots of alcohol on the New Year night. If you decide to join a family (or a group of friends) for the New Year party, be ready to  have to take at least one sip of champaign at 12 o'clock, and then, if you don't intend to drink more, you'll have to stand strong against repeated "attacks" of others trying to incline you to take another drink. Ukrainians are very hospitable, so you will have to try lots of foods, which they praise along with praising those who cooked the dish. All celebration is usually spontaneous and noisy.

So if you want to receive a real pleasure of this national tradition, try to follow what others do and enjoy even the most unusual moments of the celebration. If you join a company of young people, be ready to hear see lots of jokes, fooling around, and laughing. It is not unusual to dance a lot, and things like embracing, flirting and kissing is a norm among young people, especially on the New year night. Teenagers tend to get together and celebrate the holiday separately from their parents. This is their first celebration away from the families, which is especially popular among college and university students.

There will be no serious talk, no remembering of the challenges of the previous year, no New Year resolutions. The new Year night is all about fun. After the enormous dinner which will last for at least 3 hours, everyone needs to move a little, to let the food settle down before the dessert. The dessert is usually plentiful, too, and in many cases the time for it comes already in the morning.

Many people like bringing little presents to each other, and it is very traditional to bring foods to add to the dinner table, if a few friends (or couples) decide to celebrate it together. Lots of untouched food often remains after the celebration, which may be enough to feed a family for a whole week after the celebration.

In villages and small towns, musical national caroling often takes place all over the night and then in the morning. It's not unusual to see people dressed like Punches (Skomorokhi), or just wearing some national costumes, with popular instruments, walking along the streets and singing.

Here, Russian and Ukrainian traditions mix up. Though there are some differences in the ways traditional Russian and Ukrainian folklorists sing and play, but no one thinks about this on the holiday night.

In cities, you will see Russian  Santa - Ded Moroz, and often the women dressed in similar costumes - the famous Russian Snegurockha  (according to national folklore, Ded Moroz's grand daughter). These fairy-tale characters sing and dance happily in the streets, bringing up people's mood. All the nation unites for a few days of happy partying, before the biggest religious holiday of Orthodox Christmas, which is celebrated on January, 7. But that will be a different story. PLease, visit our website in a week or so to read about traditions of celebrating Christmas in Ukraine.