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Correct artice and being from ex communist country even after more than 25 years I certainly have issues celebrating christmas. "They were able to celebrate Ch

Correct artice and being from ex communist country even after more than 25 years I certainly have issues celebrating christmas. "They were able to celebrate Christmas, but they had never done it before." most resonates with me. Makes me realize the importance of traditions and how fragile they are.

m0zg 7y ago
You do? We (Russian Americans in the US) celebrate two Christmases and two New Years, both by the "new" calendar (Dec 25/Jan 1) and by the old (Jan 7 Christmas, Jan 13 "Old" New Year). Because, as they say in Russia, "there's no reason not to drink".
- twooclock 7y ago
  Sure we have this drinking excuse as well! (Mind that even our anthem is basicly a toast) But Christmas went more into comsumerism with crowded shopping malls, excessive buying etc. We stil have some people celebrating santa and others dedek mraz.
- nradov 7y ago
  Serbians also still celebrate Christmas and New Years according to the old Julian calendar. In a few thousand years they really will have Christmas in July.
  - peapicker 7y ago
    It moves 3 days forward versus the Gregorian calendar every 400 years. So about 24,000 years (a little less) to hit July
    - ddsea 7y ago
      Think positive: it's just another reason to drink in July in 400 years.
      - m0zg 7y ago
        It shows that you're not an Eastern European. There they need a reason to stay sober. Drinking is the natural state, hence the lower life expectancy.
rimliu 7y ago
Mostyl correct but it somehow gives impression that religon pracitce was banned in USSR ("After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, religious practice became legal again."). Which is not true. There were still churches and priests and religious practice. While being religious was seriously frowned upon and would not allow you to have any serious hopes for making a bigger career it was legal. I remember my mother telling stories about "Christmas patrols" but I guess those were the years around the WWII, because we used to have a Christmas tree and Christmas Eve celebration without much fear. New Year was still wayyy bigger deal.
- nbabitskiy 7y ago
  Religious practice was certainly illegal, unless it was official Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish etc. There was no way to organize a non-canonical congregation, unless it was a clandestine operation for a dozen people. There was an article in the RSFSR Felony codex ("breaking the laws of separation of the church from the state, and of the school from the church", #142) the sole purpose of which was to outlaw religious congregations. Many baptists (mostly Ukrainian) were imprisoned indefinitely - well into eighties - for refusing to obtain passports. Finally the idea of "legality" of something for which you get persecuted and mocked by state and party officials (as part of their line of duty), and get auto-fired from a significant part of the economy in a state with no (legal) private economy seems a little twisted.
  - Koshkin 7y ago
    Well, it is not unusual when some religious practices turn out to be incompatible with law.
  - ddsea 7y ago
    The repressions varied in time, place and also depended on who's in charge. As the old anecdote goes, bent along the line of the Communist Party.

m0zg 7y ago

You do? We (Russian Americans in the US) celebrate two Christmases and two New Years, both by the "new" calendar (Dec 25/Jan 1) and by the old (Jan 7 Christmas, Jan 13 "Old" New Year). Because, as they say in Russia, "there's no reason not to drink".

twooclock 7y ago
Sure we have this drinking excuse as well! (Mind that even our anthem is basicly a toast) But Christmas went more into comsumerism with crowded shopping malls, excessive buying etc. We stil have some people celebrating santa and others dedek mraz.
nradov 7y ago
Serbians also still celebrate Christmas and New Years according to the old Julian calendar. In a few thousand years they really will have Christmas in July.
- peapicker 7y ago
  It moves 3 days forward versus the Gregorian calendar every 400 years. So about 24,000 years (a little less) to hit July
  - ddsea 7y ago
    Think positive: it's just another reason to drink in July in 400 years.
    - m0zg 7y ago
      It shows that you're not an Eastern European. There they need a reason to stay sober. Drinking is the natural state, hence the lower life expectancy.

rimliu 7y ago

Mostyl correct but it somehow gives impression that religon pracitce was banned in USSR ("After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, religious practice became legal again."). Which is not true. There were still churches and priests and religious practice. While being religious was seriously frowned upon and would not allow you to have any serious hopes for making a bigger career it was legal. I remember my mother telling stories about "Christmas patrols" but I guess those were the years around the WWII, because we used to have a Christmas tree and Christmas Eve celebration without much fear. New Year was still wayyy bigger deal.

nbabitskiy 7y ago
Religious practice was certainly illegal, unless it was official Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish etc. There was no way to organize a non-canonical congregation, unless it was a clandestine operation for a dozen people. There was an article in the RSFSR Felony codex ("breaking the laws of separation of the church from the state, and of the school from the church", #142) the sole purpose of which was to outlaw religious congregations. Many baptists (mostly Ukrainian) were imprisoned indefinitely - well into eighties - for refusing to obtain passports. Finally the idea of "legality" of something for which you get persecuted and mocked by state and party officials (as part of their line of duty), and get auto-fired from a significant part of the economy in a state with no (legal) private economy seems a little twisted.
- Koshkin 7y ago
  Well, it is not unusual when some religious practices turn out to be incompatible with law.
- ddsea 7y ago
  The repressions varied in time, place and also depended on who's in charge. As the old anecdote goes, bent along the line of the Communist Party.