Merry Christmas! like, again!

[avrelia]

Other than that the mean cold has cauhgt with me, and I feel disgusting. I should be doing fun stuff, yet I don't. Slowly writing several long posts, that I eventually hope to post this weekend - if I have time, because it is looking to be busy.

Or, and it is the Christmas Eve for me, finally. I don't do anything specific, and I would be really confused if anyone asked me to do something, but I still consider this day special.

Several years ago (10-14 years ago) I would be fortune-telling right now - using various weird means like burning paper on a skillet and others. The way of surviving Russian customs boggles me to no end.

Our pagan ways managed well through Christianity, and state-approved atheism, and all kinds of enlightenment. I mean, it is not what it was before, but when I think of origins of some stuff, I realize that it goes a way back, so way, it isn’t funny. But, I guess, other cultures have their pagan rudiments as well – I mean not in books, in myths, in but in the general life habits.

Comments

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

When people ask me about Russian Xmas customs, I shrug and say that everything I know is from books. Very sad, but true, at least in my case.

I've never tried the fortune-telling stuff... it had freaked me out just reading about it... and still does [yeah, I'm a big baby sometimes]

Merry Christmas, again!

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

I was influenced by literary examples. If Tatiana Larina did it, I can as well. Plus, it started when we with my friends from school were on trips during winter vacation. Bunch of teenage girls left to their own devices for a week – we were up to no good. ;) So, it was kind of fun we had in a company, without taking anything seriously (a good beginning for a teenage horror movie.) Then, when the school trips and the school was over, the fortune-telling stayed as a special, slightly weird kind of amusement to perform at home, and to discuss later.

[elisi]

Merry Christmas! Actually went to church yesterday - it was a service for the school children, very sweet!

other cultures have their pagan rudiments as well – I mean not in books, in myths, in but in the general life habits.

We just tend not to think about it - there must be books about it somewhere, it'd make fascinating reading.

Also thank you SO MUCH for your wonderful comment! You cheered me up no end! *many, many many hugs*

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

I ususally don't think about it as well, those things are so common, that everyone doing without thingking twice about its meaning.

Like not greeting over the threshold, or the necessity to sit before the long journey...

[lillianmorgan.livejournal.com]

Other than that the mean cold has cauhgt with me,
::hugs:: That's the problem with January....
Or, and it is the Christmas Eve for me, finally.
Please excuse my extreme ignorance - Christmas Eve because you're Russian? Because I know the 6th January is also a religious day for Spaniards.
In return, you can ask me a silly question too!

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

It is not because I am Russian per se, as because of the Russian Orthodox Church that, along with several other Orthodox churches, uses old Julian calendar that is thirteen days late by now. Usually it isn’t noticeable, but with Christmas the two weeks delay is in the open, which is confusing for all parties involved. It is easier in Russia, where we are on the same page with the most (not that everyone is Christian, or Orthodox Christian), and here the Christmas spirit is all but gone by the time, especially since I don’t go to church. I still celebrate it, quietly, at home.

With Easter it is different – sometimes Easter is on the same day, sometimes not, because of the slight differences in rules about it.

Have I made anything clear or more confusing? Do tell, don’t worry about silliness, I am a master of silly questions myself.

[lillianmorgan.livejournal.com]

Fairly clear! :) I have a friend who's Greek Orthodox, so I understand some of it! :)
I must admit January can get pretty depressing in the post-Christmas lull, so it must be nice in a way to have something to look forward to again! :)