Министерство финансов российской федерации всероссийская государственная налоговая академия

Финансово-экономический факультет

Кафедра иностранных языков

Реферат на тему: « The Russian Federation. I am proud of Russian traditions»

Выполнила: студентка группы АНО-201

Бабуркина Алина

Проверил: Дьяконова Станислава Аркадьевна

Москва 2012

Russian Traditions

Russia is indeed a unique country, which, along with highly developed modern culture carefully preserves the national traditions deeply rooted not only in the Orthodox religion but also in paganism. The Russians still celebrate pagan holidays, many people believe in numerous omens and legends.

Christianity gave Russians such great holidays as Easter and Christmas, and Paganism – Maslenitsa (Shrovetide) and Ivan Kupala. Old traditions are passed on from generation to generation.

Easter in Russia

Easter is the day of the resurrection of Christ. The holiday came to Russia from Byzantium together with Russia’s christening in the end of the 10th century. Since then, this Christian holiday has been widely celebrated all over Russia.

The day before Easter all churches hold night services and organize religious processions around churches. By that time, kulich, the traditional holiday baking symbolizing the body of Christ, had been already baked and Easter eggs painted. The morning starts from visiting neighbors and giving away Easter eggs. The common phrase you can hear on that day is: “Khristos voskres! (Christ is risen!), which is to be followed by “Voistinu voskres” (Truly He is risen! This traditional greeting followed by hugging and triple kissing is called “kiss of peace”. Christian Easter feast lasts seven days and is called the Holy Week or Sedmitsa.

Easter is the day of abundant food. After the Great Lent the best and the most delicious food is on tables. The main meals are ritual ones: Easter cakes, kulich and painted eggs.

Egg, which is traditionally painted red and its shades, was the mandatory attribute and the symbol of Christian Easter in the 12th century. High and round kulich with cross image on top has always been baked from yeast dough. It is believed that quality Easter bread ensures well-being of the family. It is to be cut across, keeping the top intact to cover the rest of the Easter cake.

And, of course, the old Russian tradition of Easter is to send and deliver gifts to poor families, relatives and strangers, orphanages, hospitals and prisons. Wondering beggars are not an exception: people say that “from Easter to the Ascension Christ with the Apostles travel on earth testing everyone for mercy and kindness”.

Ivan Kupala in Russia

Since ancient times all peoples of the world have celebrated the end of June, the peak of the summer. Russia’s version of such a holiday is Ivan Kupala. On the night of 23 June, everyone celebrated this mystical but at the same time jolly holiday full of ritual acts, rules and prohibitions, songs, chants and all kinds of fortune-telling, legends, and beliefs.

Even in the time of the ancient pagan deity Ancient Russians used to have Kupalo, the God of summer fertility. In his honor people of sang songs and jumped over the bonfire. This ritual act has become an annual celebration of summer solstice, combining a pagan and Christian traditions. Kupala got the name Ivan after the baptizing of Russia, when he was replaced by John the Baptist (the way he was percepted by common people), who baptized Christ and whose birthday was celebrated on 24 June.