21 January 2013. Great Russian Kolyadka… Нова радость настала (Nova Radost Nastala: Newborn Joy is Here)… Performed by Egor Strelnikov and Mitya Kuznetsov

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Russian contemporary folk performers give a new twist on an old Russian kolyadka. It’s NOT exclusively Ukrainian… don’t listen to Galician Uniate nutters…

13 January 2013. It’s Old New Year’s Eve

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Belarusians shall celebrate the Old New Year. The tradition of observing Old New Year appeared in 1918, when the new calendar was introduced in Russia. The difference between the two styles was 13 days. This tradition is also observed in Russia, the Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Serbia, and Montenegro. Click on the first URL below for a 36-second video (on the page presented, click on “watch”, it’ll download… and you can play it, and, then, delete it). Even if you don’t know Russian, it has good visuals.

In the evening of 13/14 January people will celebrate the Old New Year by singing shchedrivky. On this day, people gather as family, cover the table with a generous variety of food, and go carolling. What else does one need to do to ensure success for the whole year? Our correspondents visited a rehearsal of the celebration at the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life for the Svyatki (Holy Days). It was at a typical village house, typical of those found in Kopyl Raion, showcasing the traditional rituals of the Christmas period. One of the customs was that you’d try to “steal” your neighbour’s decorations, but, of course, you’d have to return them the next morning. It was believed that if the person who stole them wasn’t caught, they’d have good luck on their farm for the next year. Only here, in the open-air museum by village Ozertso, can you witness a folklore festival and learn how our ancestors celebrated prosperity and success in the New Year. The organisers invited groups from all parts of Belarus. One, from the north, in Lepel Raion, another, from the south, was the ensemble Chornabrytsy. Many in  the crowd warmed up dancing and singing, whilst others learned the basics of making Christmas stars, and one did a little Christmas goat… a good luck charm. From now on, for the rest of the week, the museum will present carolling with shchedrivki. Click on the second URL to download a three-minute video with interesting visuals. By the way, notice that the people are singing songs claimed by Ukie nationalists… NEVER argue with such sorts… it’s not only pointless, they use such arguments to accuse YOU of “hate speech” (what a laugh)… take that threat seriously, these people aren’t wrapped too tightly and they’re fanatics.

For the twelfth year, the Minsk House of Mercy brought together residents and visitors for a Christmas pageant. On Old New Year’s Eve, Ded Moroz is once again in the spotlight. He showed up at the House of Mercy on Frantsiska Skorina Street. Ded Moroz and Snegurochka flew in by helicopter; his landing was the highpoint of the celebration. Joyful kids met the magician after his voyage. Archpriest Fyodor Karpov, the rector of All Saints Chapel at the House of Mercy said that families coming to the House of Mercy for this pageant have started a good tradition. After all, spirituality in the family is the key to its well-being; by the way, I think that most would agree that’s the point of the holiday. Click on the third URL to download a three-minute video with good visuals.

This is how “nasty” and “dictatorial” Belarus keeps the feast. C’mon… aren’t most of you ashamed of supporting those who hate them? It’s clear that Belarus isn’t Hell on Earth… it isn’t the Lap of Luxury, either, but it isn’t the cesspit depicted by the Western media and some Western political factions. They DO have a noxious, put-on, and deceitful agenda, after all (amply illustrated by the likes of Rod Dreher, Terrence Mattingly, and Freddie M-G, amongst others)…

13 January 2013

Belteleradiocompany

http://www.tvr.by/eng/society.asp?id=81279

http://www.tvr.by/lib/news.video?id=81277

http://www.tvr.by/lib/news.video?id=81308

13 January 2013. Sergei Yolkin’s World. Holiday Week, Work Year…

Holiday Week, Work Year…

Sergei Yolkin

2013

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Every year, Russians have a holiday break from New Year’s to after Orthodox Christmas (on 7 January). That is, it’s the start not only of a new calendar year and of a new liturgical season, it’s the beginning of a new work year, too. Yolkin plays a visual joke here… the New Year ribbon seems to go on without end (and the guy’s looking backward with a wistful glance), seeming to symbolise the longing of this poor commuter for his home and holiday… that is, the poor fellow doesn’t want his holiday to end, but he knows that he has to show up onsite or else…

BMD

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This week, the long New Year’s holiday ends in Russia. There will be a short work week of only three days, from 9 to 11 January inclusive.

9 January 2013

Sergei Yolkin

RIA-Novosti

http://ria.ru/caricature/20130109/917408503.html

12 January 2013. A Photo Essay. It Happened on Orthodox Christmas in 2013…

Most Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas on 7 January. Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos Giannopoulos of Jerusalem served on Christmas Eve in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in Palestine.

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Coptic Orthodox believers came to St Mark Cathedral in the Abbassia District in Cairo for a service led by newly-elected Patriarch Tawadros Sulayman of Alexandria and all Africa.

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Ethiopian Orthodox believers celebrated the holiday.

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In Šabac, west of the Serbian capital of Belgrade in Mačva Okrug (Šumadija and Western Serbia Region), believers took part in the badnjak, a traditional Serb Christmas Eve custom.

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Believers in Verbovichi (Gomel Oblast. Narovlya Raion), a town south-east of the Belarusian capital of Minsk, at Christmas services. Most Orthodox Christians follow the Julian Calendar for calculating the feasts of the Church Year. There isn’t any such thing as the “Revised Julian Calendar”… that’s just a cobbled-together pseudo-intellectual abortion consisting of the Julian Calendar for calculating Easter and the Gregorian Calendar for fixed feasts… neither fish nor fowl, it isn’t defensible in scholarly terms, nor is it logically-sound in its argument or application, and it shows a lack of charity towards the faithful majority of Orthodox believers who continue to follow the Received Tradition.

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Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias served at Christmas at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow (he visited Maternity Home nr 3 afterwards to bring holiday cheer to the mothers, families, and staff).

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Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev was amongst the believers that attended Christmas services at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

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Fireworks were part of the celebrations outside the newly-built Church of the Nativity of Christ in Krasnoyarsk in Siberia.

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In Gaza, Greek Orthodox believers attended Christmas service at St Porfirios Church.

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Over 80 percent of all Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas on its traditional date. The rest should reconsider their position. Don’t you want to be in union with the rest of Christ’s Church? What the heterodox do is of no moment to us… they do what they do, and that’s that, and it has NO relevance to the Church. There are three midwinter holidays called “Christmas”:

• Xmas: C S Lewis used this term for the secular midwinter holiday… it’s a good distinction. When most people wish you “Merry Christmas”, this is what they refer to. Show them kindness and charity… say, “Thank you, and the same to you and yours”. Orthodox can keep this as a secular holiday… we keep all the rest of ‘em like the Fourth of July, Fête du Canada, Australia Day, and the May Day Bank Holiday, don’t we? In any case, to give your kids some gifts on this date is good, as it allows them not to feel out-of-place amongst their mates at school. It’s a secular bank-holiday… keep it as such.
• Catholic Christmas: This is the 25 December religious holiday. The Proddies keep this date, too, as they’re the bastard children of Rome. This is a heterodox celebration, and the Church enjoins us to show respect to other religions and their believers. If you’re wished “Merry Christmas” in this sense, again, show charity (for that’s what Christ’s Church COMMANDS you to do), and say, “Thank you, and the same to you and yours”. Many religious people will be hip to the fact that Orthodox Christmas is a different day. Be kind… show respect to their holy day. Oh… don’t forget to break the opłatek with the Soloniewiczs down the street and get the scungilli and calamari for Nona Sophia next-door (she’ll call ‘em scungil and calamad in Sicilian). You might get an invite to the feast… accept and show your gratitude… that’s what real true-blue down n’ dirty Christians do.
• Orthodox Christmas: This is on 7 January on the civil calendar for the rest of this century (it’ll be 8 January in 2100). Most Eastern and Oriental Orthodox believers keep this date; this is Orthosphere Christmas. Don’t you wish that all of us celebrated together on this day?

If you’re not keeping Orthodox Christmas… you should. Most Orthodox who follow Catholic Christmas are guiltless… they didn’t decide to do such… that was the work of notional and misguided heretics such as Meletios Metaxakis and Aleksandr Schmemann. All Russian Orthodox believers in the diaspora should follow the Mother Church… we should not only celebrate when she celebrates, we should be as one, and scrap all the foolish divisions that split us now. The OCA, Paris Exarchate, ROCOR, and MP Abroad are false and pernicious artificial constructs. We should be as one, under the omofor of our Mother Church. God willing, that day will be soon…

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BMD