The country created a different tradition with the tree, presents after 12 am at New Year’s night, Ded Moroz, Snegurochka, and lots of fun for kids. It’s a big symbol - it means the new year is here.” A family friend stated: “We did not celebrate religious holidays in the USSR. Once the tree is there, it helps us get into the holiday spirit. When I asked my Jewish mom what the meaning of the tree was to her, she said that “the tree is part of New Year’s. (Igor Golovniov/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) USSR holiday postcard depicting Grandfather Frost and Snow Maiden riding in a troika of horses, circa 1988. He shares the same white beard and wizened face, but he is a pagan winter spirit who predates Christianity, wearing blue and silver robes along with his companion and granddaughter, Snegurochka (Snow Maiden). Within East Slavic cultures, Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) bears some resemblance to Santa Claus in the West. After midnight, it is the site of a gift exchange with loved ones.Īnd this goes beyond the tree. So - the fir tree normally associated with Christmas, which is referred to as yolka (literally meaning fir or spruce tree) or novogodnyaya yelka (New Year’s tree) has taken on secular significance, decorated to the nines for New Year’s. Many of the traditions that North Americans associate with Christmas were instead connected to the secular New Year. Instead, New Year’s, or Novy God, became the biggest official holiday celebrated in the winter season.

In terms of holidays, this meant that, in the eyes of the Soviet regime, Christmas or Hanukkah were not really celebrated either. (I always visualize her as a Jewish Red Riding Hood running away from the antisemitic beasts who hunt her.) For instance, my babushka has recounted how she felt she had to hide the matzah she got for Passover. What this meant was that public displays of religion were stigmatized, if not criminalized - especially for religious minorities like the Jewish population of which my family was a part. From what I gather from my immigrant relatives, religion was essentially not allowed to be openly practiced there, as the Soviet government pushed a doctrine of state atheism. For many FSU (Former Soviet Union) citizens, religion has always been a contentious subject. To provide some context, I come from a family of Ukrainian-Jewish immigrants who lived during the Soviet Union.

Merry christmas and happy new year tree