New Years in Russia is a big deal and people take celebrating it very seriously. At least a month in advance they start buying champagne (before the prices go up), planning meals, and inviting people over. For various reasons the biggest of which being my performance schedule, Andrey and I planned a low key New Years Eve.
I had my premiere with the company in the New Years Concert on the 30th and 31st. So our plan was to prep a little food in advance, so after the show we could come home and have a nice meal, watch a Christmas movie, and toast the New Year. This as you might guess is not an acceptable New Years in Russia. But, we managed to fend off the many suggestions that we make other plans for the evening and we had our simple quiet New Years.
After my show we stopped by the ice park downtown. It was full of people beginning their celebrations. People were there to take photos with the impressive ice sculptures and festive lights. Kids were enjoying the ice slides that had been built and there were vendors selling shashlik, or Russian shish kabob. It was not too cold that night so we spent a little time there and I finally started to have that holiday feeling.
I had my premiere with the company in the New Years Concert on the 30th and 31st. So our plan was to prep a little food in advance, so after the show we could come home and have a nice meal, watch a Christmas movie, and toast the New Year. This as you might guess is not an acceptable New Years in Russia. But, we managed to fend off the many suggestions that we make other plans for the evening and we had our simple quiet New Years.
After my show we stopped by the ice park downtown. It was full of people beginning their celebrations. People were there to take photos with the impressive ice sculptures and festive lights. Kids were enjoying the ice slides that had been built and there were vendors selling shashlik, or Russian shish kabob. It was not too cold that night so we spent a little time there and I finally started to have that holiday feeling.
It has become a custom for people to stick копейкы to the ice sculptures.
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Once we arrived home Andrey set to work cooking the vareniki he had prepared before coming to the theater. As they cooked, we put on Christmas carols and broke open the prosecco. Part two of our menu was supposed to be belini with caviar, but the belini did not cooperate in the cooking process, so it ended up being caviar on toast, which was still quite good. We had our caviar while watching Miracle on 34th Street, but about halfway through it as Andrey began to drift to sleep in my lap I heard fireworks. We checked the time and it was 12:05! Oops. So, we made a late toast and went to the window to try and see some of the fireworks. And then the truth is we went to bed, boring I know, but I was exhausted.
The next morning we started the New Year off with French toast and the second half of Miracle on 34th Street. Then we finally tried the pie I had made for our dessert the night before. It was a chocolate coconut pie with a date and toasted coconut crust and it was worth the wait. I found the recipe on Oh She Glows and it is amazing!
The next morning we started the New Year off with French toast and the second half of Miracle on 34th Street. Then we finally tried the pie I had made for our dessert the night before. It was a chocolate coconut pie with a date and toasted coconut crust and it was worth the wait. I found the recipe on Oh She Glows and it is amazing!
We finished off our holiday with a long walk through the trees by the river and curling up on the couch for a few more movies. To me it was a very successful celebration and start to the New Year even if it did lack the usual fan fare.
Happy New Year!
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