Russian New Year celebrations include a visit from Father Frost, a Russian Santa Claus of sorts.

Meet Father Frost, Russias answer to Santa Claus and the giver of gifts! His image of an old man clad in a red robe, with a white beard and holding a staff, is radically changing. Make a wish and he will try to make it come true.

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With the brutal cold of Russian winter, people remain in high spirits and enjoy traditional winter time festivities. The bulk of cultural events and celebrations take place in the winter.  While the temperatures can discourage the cold blooded, those who are more adventurous will find the cost of travel and lodging is lowest in the coldest months.

Although Russians officially switched to the Gregorian calendar after the revolution of 1917, the Russian Orthodox Church has maintained its holiday schedule using the Julian calendar, meaning Christmas is celebrated on the day the Gregorian calendar calls Jan. 7 and New Year on Jan. 14.

Christmas is mostly a family affair, but come New Year, it’s party time. A few weeks later comes the traditional celebration of Maslenitsa, a last-chance party before Lent, like Mardis Gras or Carnival. And because Russians seem to find their holidays too good to leave behind, even if you can’t make it all the way to Russia this winter, you can find opportunities to join the celebration. (New York Times)

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