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The first serious snow – I mean snow which settled, and didn’t blow away immediately – fell this weekend. The temperature in Moscow can drop alarmingly in just a few hours – I went out to a party on Saturday evening in canvas shoes and 9°C. By the time I went home (admittedly at 2am) it had dropped to –7°C and there was thick snow. A Sunday afternoon walk in Izmailovsky Lesopark, a “wild wood” park in Moscow that stretches for miles, and is cheerfully free of crowds of people (Muscovites tend to prefer the landscaped parks). Of course, what comes to mind for most Russians when snow falls is… skiing? sledging? skating? No, it’s outdoor swimming. Russians love “extreme” (useful vocabulary – “ekstreem!”) and plunging into the icy water is allegedly very good for you (I was reliably informed). Christmas in Western Europe may only be a few short shopping days away, but the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas (as ever!) on 7th January. This means that here in Russia we get New Year before Christmas, and with a month now to run before the biggest beanfeast of the year, the shops moved into high–speed action with decorated trees (which are “New Year” trees in Russia – not Christmas trees) and every kind of seasonal gimmick. I decided to give the shops a miss this weekend, as they’ll already be heaving with crowds – but in the end there is no avoiding it, because gift–giving is pretty–much compulsory within Russian culture. And it’s not only your friends and family – the back–scratching that’s quintessential to doing business in Russia runs riot at New Year, as it presents a genuine, tax–deductible (!) chance to proffer your business partners the bri…, errr, gift that oils the wheels of industry.
Coming up on our blog in the run–up to New Year:
- We go shopping Russian–style, to see what Russians are blowing their dosh on for their nearest and dearest (provided we don’t get chucked–out by Security).
- New Year’s supper a la Russe – the traditional seasonal recipes enjoyed all over Russia.
- Long before New Year itself, everyone from Office Parties through to Kiddies Concerts will be partying in honour of New Year – we take our Alkaseltzer along in readiness (while you in W Europe are enjoying Christmas).
- The day itself – Russian New Year in all its glory! What we got up to ourselves, and what others get up to at New Year.
- Just when you thought it was all over – Russian Christmas (7th January), an entirely different thing to what you expected.
- And the strangest one of all – “The Old New Year”, on 14th January. Now what is that about?
Coming up on December 3: Trips and Tales (Part 20)
More on Moscow.
