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 Do you know what day is today (Jan 13)? 

Russians celebrate the Old New Year on the night of January 13-14.






How did it happen that Russians celebrate the New Year twice? 

Simply by adopting a different calendar. Of course, it was not really simple, but after the October Revolution (1917), the Bolsheviks switched from the Julian calendar to Gregorian one. Because of this, all the dates moved 13 days ahead.


The year 1919 began on January 1st but in accordance with the new Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar was 2 weeks behind the Gregorian one, as a result of which the celebration of the new year was postponed from January 14th to January 1st.

The Old New year isn't an official holiday.

There are definitely no people who would remember the old calendar. Russians, by definition, like to celebrate holidays. The more reasons to celebrate, the better.






The Old New Year is usually less festive. There may be no more gifts under the tree. 

Many Russians will wait until the 14th before taking down their Christmas tree and putting away the decorations. 

My current family is only half Russian. We keep the tree until the Orthodox Christmas, but not until the Old New Year. No champagne for us tonight, no salads and no delicatessen. 

But I like to remember this tradition. Oranges and “Die Hard-2” help to create the right mood.






Happy Old New Year!

 Journaling 5*



It is getting colder but somehow it doesn’t bother me. 

Russians say there is no bad weather but lack of right clothes*.

 

On my lunch break I watch videos of making simple crunchy cookies Khvorost. 

I made them numerous times in Russia for kids. 


Here, when I need to bring something to a family party, I like to introduce the Russian dishes. 

Quite often it can be a dessert. One day I found out that Daniel's brother-in-law loves Khvorost! He called it “crust” or “frost” ….I don’t remember. In Russia, we call these cookies Khvorost** (“Brushwood”). But anyway, he said that his grandmother baked just such cookies. LOL. I am not a Polish grandma but I am familiar with these cookies.

Unfortunately, I lost my Russian recipe. So I had to look for a new one, preferably simple and tasty. After a few tries I found the perfect one.

Here is a YouTube video of the recipe I used. It is in Russian, but even by watching I believe you can  understand. 


Recipe:

In a mixing bowl blend together 1 egg, 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon vodka, and a little salt and the same amount of sugar. Add flour (about 140 grams). Mix the dough until it is well incorporated and the dough is firm but easy to handle. 





Cover with plastic and put into a fridge for about an hour or less. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Place one, not in use, in the bowl and cover with plastic, so that the dough doesn’t dry. 

Roll out the second piece of dough as thin as you can. 



Using a pizza cutter or a knight cut the dough in stripes. Cut a small strip into the center of each strip and fold the dough in on itself. Actually you can make any preferable shapes. Prepare all the strips before frying. 






In a large pan, heat half an inch of vegetable oil over medium/high heat. Fry cookies until golden brown and set over paper towels. 

In the end, top the cookies with powdered sugar. 











* I still promise very soon I will explain what it means. 

**Scandinavian countries have similar expressions.

***If you follow the link I am posting below you can read a little of the history of the cookies and its name. 


https://www.melangery.com/2014/02/russian-monday-khvorost-sugar-dusted.html


https://rainingdogsandblogs.blogspot.com/2024/12/hygge-in-america-with-accent.html


 



It seems winter has come. It's not about the calendar, but about the temperature. Now I start my car from home to warm up before leaving and keep a shovel in the car in case of an unexpected snowfall.

I want to watch “Home Alone” and “Die Hard". But I dress up as cabbage and go to work.

It's good that the Scandinavians came up with Hygge.


Lately we can hear this  word quite often. 

A good samaritan  donated the book The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking to our library. 

The author says that learning to pronounce Hygge is easier than explaining what it is*. 


There are some interesting things that I learned from the book.


For example, Denmark and Norway were once (before 1814) one kingdom. I probably didn't study history well at school, or maybe I didn't see anything useful in memorizing this information and quickly forgot. And yet, the author claims that the expression “there is no bad weather, only bad  clothing” is Danish. Whereas I translated it to Dan as Russian. Most likely, in every country with a specific climate there is an expression that sounds about the same in English.


The book has a chapter with the Hygge manifesto, which I translated as principles, and the Hygge emergency kit, and summer Hygge and so on…

I won't rewrite the book (just a little bit). If you're interested, you can check it out from the library or simply Google. 


Here I write about myself and my Hygges.


Candles. 

I just love any candles: red, green, white, gel and wax and even plastic. As it turned out, Daniel also loves candles during the Christmas holiday season.


Hot drink. 

In my case, it's Tea. Preferably with a cake. And with a book.


Book. 

This may sound ridiculous, but I have my favorite seasonal books. At Christmas, I like to read the detective story “The Trap on the Stage” (author G. Scherfling)**. 


Cake. 

It's complicated here, because I'm already got used to the taste of American butter, but I can't get used to American pastries and cakes. So in winter I bake myself, sometimes it turns out good. By the way, according to the laws of Hygge, food should not be difficult to prepare, but taste is very important. I understand that baking a cake is much more difficult than frying potatoes. But if baking gives you a feeling of comfort, then this is your Hygge and you should bake.


Fireplace. 

I love our fireplace. Even though it has a built-in electric motor that blows warm air into the room. Anyway, the fire is going, the wood is cracking, and even sparks fly out sometimes.




Favorite chair. 

According to Hygge, this is Hyggekrog (a nook). Hyggekrog - “this is the place in the room where you like to get cozy, wrapped in a blanket, with a book and a cup of tea.” I have this chair in the living room. Daniel tells that he is drowning in it. But I knit in it, read, watch youtube videos on my tablet, learn a new pattern, etc.


Favorite movies. 

During the Christmas holidays, I like to watch “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2”. And also “Die Hard, 1 and 2".


Favorite people. 

Beloved people are the most important thing, in my opinion. Family, friends, colleagues - it doesn't matter. It is very important that there are those with whom you are comfortable, who can be called your flock.


The book has a lot more about other Hygges (sweaters, blankets, holidays, hobbies, outdoor movies...)


The last chapter of the book is called “Hygge as  everyday happiness”. The author writes that each day he tries to answer the question: why are some people happier than others?  


I am not a psychologist and I will not delve into this issue. I haven't been in a very good mood myself lately.

But... if you share your Hygge, I will appreciate it. In case, if I do have the same, but don’t know that it is Hygge. Lol 


*Hygge is a word in Danish and Norwegian that describes a mood of coziness and "comfortable conviviality" with feelings of wellness and contentment. As a cultural category with its sets of associated practices hygge has more or less the same meaning in both places and in both languages, however, the emphasis on hygge as a core part of Danish culture is a recent phenomenon, dating to the late 20th century.

**One of several that I brought from Russia.


I wish you all Merry and Hygge Holidays! 






https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygge

 Journaling 4*



Yesterday, a Christmas tree was decorated in our library. I don't like decorating other people's Christmas trees. Like Taurus, I love only my own things. 

Yesterday I helped decorate our library Christmas trees. And finally I got a feeling... no, not a  holiday, but the approach of a holiday.


I'm not a child and do not wait for a miracle. 

And, in general, Christmas was not celebrated in the Soviet Union. 

Of the wonders in our family were the expected sweet gifts from my parents' employers. I did not like 2/3 of the sweets from the gifts and did not eat them. But the presence of a natural Christmas tree in the house, garlands, Christmas tree toys and the smell of tangerines created a sense of celebration.




Yesterday, while helping to decorate the Christmas tree, I remembered: 

1. the Soviet film “Look for a woman” because the employees were decorating the office for Christmas. 


2. the book “A trap on the stage”  (Konzeption für einen Mord) German detective story by Gerhard Scherfling because the action took place before Christmas  too.


Movie

The film is based on the French play "The Parrot and the Chicken" by Robert Thomas, which, in turn, is an adaptation of the play by British playwright Jack Popwell “Mrs. Piper leads the Investigation.”


A dead man has been found in the notary office of Maitre Rocher. The secretary of the office, Mademoiselle Alice Postik, a woman of indomitable energy, joins the search for the killer….


I don’t know any Russians who wouldn’t like the movie. The cast and acting, and the story - a detective comedy. The Russians immediately took apart the movie for quotes. I try to translate some myself from time to time.


For example:

-When you don't hope for anything, it's great, the best way not to be disappointed.

-Employees are divided into two categories: some are not capable of anything, others are capable of everything. I prefer the latter.


Book

in the Carlsberg District Theater, after a rehearsal, the main director of the opera troupe fell through a trapdoor. An accident due to negligence or murder.

I like to read this detective story around the winter holidays.

Eastern Soviet Germany with all the Soviet attributes such as a shortage of goods, theft, making efforts to get gifts and set the festive table.


When I read the book for the first time, about 20 years ago, I was surprised that there were private bakeries in Germany. In the Soviet Union, private business did not exist, everything was controlled by the state until the collapse of this very state. Somehow in Eastern Germany it existed. 


I tried to find plays by Robert Thomas and Jack Popwell and any novels by G. Scherfling in our library system, but with no result. I guess it was a little too long ago, no libraries keep such "ancient" books. 


So I will re-read the novel (in Russian) and watch the movie on YouTube. 

Down below is a link to a movie (2 episodes) but I'm not sure of English subtitles. 


* I promise very soon I will explain what it means. 


https://youtu.be/fjfB08JEALY?si=b4l1bUdohW8wgcoy

https://youtu.be/gWnefFBV_sY?si=3iJYaA9WmQ7flLdU








 My friend sent me photos of Tomsk, take a look.







It’s winter there. 

And here I am sitting outside with  my computer.


Well, the weather is definitely different. 

The thermometer will rise to 32°  on Saturday afternoon in Tomsk, light snow and gusty winds are also expected, according to the website of the regional hydrometeorological center.


Here we need some rain. Very rarely does it snow in November.


Here we are getting ready for the holidays.

Russians are doing so too. Some of them are getting ready for The Christmas fast*. This year will begin on November 28 and last until January 6. 

Less religious people are getting ready for the New Year’s celebration. Well, maybe not right now. But with food prices rising, it may take longer to prepare a festive table.


Some few less fortunate people left the city.


In Tomsk  35 conscripts** were sent to the service on November 15th. The recruitment campaign will last until the end of the year. In the autumn of 2024, it is planned to recruit more than 950 people aged 18 to 30 years into the Russian army in the Tomsk region.


Military commissar Sergei Yeger said that conscripts will serve in almost all branches of the armed forces anywhere on Russian territory (from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok). He also said that   military personnel serving on conscription will not be involved in performing the tasks of a special military operation, including on the territory of new regions.


Well, one can hope. 


In the article Darya Berdnikova mentioned that from 2024, conscripted Russians can enter into annual contracts with the Ministry of Defense after a month of service.

And because of the new law (Presidential Decree No. 647) contracts concluded by military personnel are automatically extended until the end of the period of partial mobilization. In fact, all contracts for military service are now indefinite.


You would think why on earth would someone want to sign the contract? Honestly not many boys/men really want to go to war. But I hear all the time that young boys are forced to sign a document. I hear, but Russians (including my own sister) who watch only TV don’t hear that. 

But to each his own.


Meanwhile, on November 12, ten servicemen voluntarily left a military unit in the village of Kochenevo in the Novosibirsk*** region. By November 13, four of them had already been detained. The rest should be detained in the near future - said rbc.ru.


Poor boys. I hope they won't be found.


In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Far East region), a military court sentenced four military men for unauthorized abandonment of their duty station in the special operation zone in Ukraine. This was reported by the press service of the court. They were sentenced from six to eight years in prison in a high-security colony.


One more today's news.


In Izhevsk****, on Sunday night, a drone attacked the “Kupol” defense plant. One person was injured, he was hospitalized in a moderate condition. The head of Udmurtia, Alexander Brechalov, said that there was no serious damage; just broken windows in the workshop building.


Izhevsk is located west of Moscow, about 2 hours away by plane. Another 2-3 hours, and we are in Tomsk. Izhevsk is very far from the front line, but nevertheless it was attacked.





As usual, links to all the articles will be down below. Of course, they are in Russian, but you can translate with Google or just look at the photos. 


*The Christmas fast – one of the most important multi–day fasts in Orthodoxy. It is designed to prepare a person and purify his soul and body before the important date – Christmas.

**There is a law, when boys reach 18 years old have to go to the military for 1 year. 

***If you remember, the distance between Tomsk and Novosibirsk on the highway is 259 km. It is about 3-4 hours. 

****Izhevsk is the capital of the Udmurt Republic. The history of the city is directly connected with industrial production.  It’s known for the Kalashnikov Museum and Exhibition Complex of Small Arms, which displays weapons and documents the Russian arms trade. 




Recourses:

 Дорога ложка к обеду - Russian proverb.

A few years ago, before that ugly war, I was proud to be Russian and passionate about the Russian language. I started a Facebook page where I shared Russian proverbs.

Well, it didn’t attract much interest, and I was very active and flighty—my interests were always quite broad. So, the page was neglected but not forgotten.

I’m not exactly proud of being Russian, but the language is still my native tongue, and I often think in it. Recently, one activity brought an expression to my mind:

Дорога ложка к обеду (A spoon is dear when lunch time is near).

The simple meaning is that a spoon is valuable when it’s almost time to eat.

There’s a story behind this related to recent events. 

About a month ago, I came across a job opening online. I wasn’t really looking or thinking about changing my occupation; it just happened.

As I read through the job description, hours, and salary, I discussed it with my husband and colleagues, and I became very interested in the position. “It doesn’t hurt to apply,” my husband often says.

However, I realized that my resume and cover letter were quite outdated. By the time I managed to update everything, the position was gone, which I expected.

Here comes the proverb: Дорога ложка к обеду.

I don’t complain. I’m glad to have a reason to write here and the mood to do so; it doesn’t happen often lately.