Christmas tide

Christmas is followed by two weeks of holidays which are known as 'Svyatki' - "Святки" - or 'Twelve days of Christmas' or 'Christmas tide' which finish with the holidays of Epiphany, in Russian it is the 19th of January.

After the long Christmas fast, Christmas tide is the time when we have no fast at all, even Wednesday and Friday are free from fasting. It is the happy period as well as the Pancake week, you do many funny things like amusing games, sliding, skating, singing Christmas carols and caroling which we call 'kolyadovanie'. And 'fortune telling' as well! But indeed it is just the recall of very old pagan traditions.

 

As for the Christmas caroling, Russia and Ukraine are rich for the songs and melodies. Let us show you Rozhdestvenskaya which Pelageya is singing. 

Как в Иерусалиме...

Как в Иерусалиме
Рано зазвонили.
Припев:
Радуйся, ой, радуйся, Земле!
Сын Божий народився!

Накрывайте столы
Да всё колымами!
Припев.

Доставайте калачи
С яровой пшеницей!
Припев.

С яровой пшеницей,
С ключевой водицей!
Припев.

Как придут до тебе
Три праздничка в гости.
Припев.

Как первый же праздник
Свято Рождество.
Припев.

А другой же праздник
Свято Василя.
Припев.

А третий же праздник
Святое Крещенье.
Припев.

А на тому слове
Бувайте здоровы.
Припев.

А за те Колядки
Просим шоколадки!
Припев.

One more tradition is to watch the very famous cartoon which is based on famous book by Nocholai Gogol 'The Christmas Eve'. This colourful and original cartoon shows the way slavonic people used to celebrate Christmas and Christmas tide