18 December 2012. Video. To, to, to, Nikolae lyubit (sang in Ukrainian dialect)… HAPPY ST NICK’S!

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Tomorrow is my Nicky’s nameday… here’s a modern riff on the well-known O kto, kto, kto, Nikolae lyubit (as it’s sung in Galician-Ukrainian dialect, the singers use “h” for “g”, they swallow the initial “k” in “kto”, and pronounce “Nikolai” as “Mikolai”). Happy nameday to all you Nicks out there! Lift the jug and cheer!

The icon above is of a real occurrence in history… in the early 20th century, a group of Carpatho-Russian coalminers took a (unpaid) day off to go to church for a feastday of St Nick. That day, a mine cave-in trapped many miners. The icon represents St Nicholas holding his veil of intercession over the Orthodox miners.

BMD

Ded Moroz Starts His Russia and Foreign Visitations

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Ded Moroz set out on his traditional tour of Russia and foreign countries in the run-up to the New Year. In Salekhard, on Siberia’s Yamal Peninsula, he is due to meet his northern counterpart, Yamal Iri, to start the city’s New Year festivities and visit orphanages. On 29 November, he’s expected in Germany, Czechia, and Slovakia. He’ll meet his German counterpart, Weihnachtsmann, in Peine, to open a Christmas bazaar there. In Czechia, Dede will socialise with the members of the Russian community in Ostrava. He’s due in Slovakia on 4 December, as part of the Slovak celebration of St Mikuláš Day.

26 November 2012

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_11_26/Father-Frost-is-on-tour-of-Russia-and-foreign-countries/

20 December 2011. Here’s Two Sources for St Nick “Stamps” For Baked Goods

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You guys are great. I still can’t give a source for the St Nick cookie/biscuit mould in one of my recent posts, but my sources came up with two possible “work-arounds“. The first is a 6-inch (15-centimetre) bread stamp, the second is a Western-style cookie mould. Click here for the first item (scroll all the way to the bottom of the page) and click here for the second. D’ya think that these might make nifty stocking stuffers for that cook in your life?

Now, ain’t that special! A big “Thank You” to my sources…

BMD

20 December 2011. St Nick Cookie Mould From Mount Athos… NO… I DO NOT Know Where You Can Get These Things

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A friend kindly sent me an image of a St Nick cookie mould. NO… I do NOT know where you can buy these. I DO know that they come from Mount Athos. You’ll have to find an expert potter or carver to make one of these for you (a ceramic item would appear to be best). Remember, you’re seeing the outside of the mould, the inside is inset to put a relief pattern on the cookies/biscuits. It seems like a good idea…

BMD