I’m married to a Russian. It is clear that “Dima” is Russian, actually there is no Russian name than Dima. As a matter of fact, Dima denies being Russian: he doesn’t eat Russian food, he barely has an accent (his mother said that, not me), and whenever he a makes Kiddush prayer on Friday, he uses the Sephardic version.
But a new year is coming, and Russians celebrate – “Novigod”, and although it is not a Russian holiday, Dima really loves it. There are so many Russians in Israel, and still people there do not know the difference between Christmas, Sylvester and Novigod, and I thought this is the time to explain the differences.
Novigod means New Year (Novi-New God – Year), and as it is, it is celebrated on the night between December 31st and January 1st. It is neither a Christian holiday nor a religious one at all. The holiday was a kind of compromise between the public in the former Soviet Union and the Communist government. In 1917, with the rise of the Bolshevik party, it was forbidden to celebrate any religious holidays,so Christmas and New Year’s Eve were gone. In the 1930s, due to public pressure, New Year celebrations were permitted and Novigod was created.
So what’s the difference between Novigod and New Year’s Eve?
Sylvester was the Pope who had been canonized by the Catholic Church and was given the 31st of December dedicated to him as a saint. However, January 1st , is considered more sacred because it is dedicated by Catholics to the Virgin Mary and all believers are obliged to participate in Mass. Since the holiday masses can be held on the evening before the holiday, some of the many Christian communities start the mass on the evening of December 31. A mass may sometimes last until after midnight, and includes prayers for admission and requests for the New Year. In other words, Sylvester is essentially a religious holiday.
Novigod is not a Christian holiday and in fact is not religious at all. It is a holiday celebrating the coming of the New Year.
And what are the differences between Christmas to Novigod?
Christmas is celebrated on December 25th and marks the birth of Christ. Again, it is a religious holiday, so it does not really overlap Novigod.
So why do we get confused?
– We celebrate Novigod and New Year’s Eve on the same date.
– There is also a fir tree both on Novigod and on Christmas. But in fact, the fir tree had appeared for the first time in ancient pagan tradition, before Christianity adopted it. Because it is pretty and green in the winter time, it symbolizes the continuity of life even in the winter.
Another sign that makes us all get confused is the grandpa; both on Novigod and on Christmas there is a fat grandpa with a magnificent white beard. Only the Russians call him “Dad Moroz”, meaning- Grandfather Frost- and the christians call him is Santa Claus. The obvious difference between the two is that a Grandfather Frost is dressed in blue clothes and has no reindeer but horses.
Santa Claus, however, is dressed in red and has a reindeer. It should be noted that the image of Santa Claus as we know it today is a wonderful product of the Coca-Cola company, which aspired to advertize the brand through the a character.
A Novigod dinner can last for many hours, and there should be a lot of delicious dishes on the table, which makes me wonder how come it is not a Jewish holiday. It is customary to drink champagne for the New Year, to exchange gifts (who does not like gifts)? to buy new clothes – all because of the belief that the New year will be exactly as how you celebrate it.
So after I have briefly explained that Novigod is not a Christian holiday – it is just the reason to celebrate it; here’s Svetlana’s recipe- Dima’s mother- for delicious cookies that would fill the house with a good smell for the New Year.
Ingredients
- 100 gr. of butter
- 250 gr. of honey
- 125 gr. of sugar
- A teaspoon of clove powder
- A teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- About 1 inch of fresh ginger root
- 1 egg
- Half a teaspoon of salt
- 10 gr. of cocoa powder
- 500 gr. of flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
Instructions
1
Put the honey, the sugar and the butter in a pot and let melt down on low heat.
2
Grade the ginger and mix it with the clove, the cinnamon, the cocoa and the coriander.
3
Mix the spice mixture with the solution created in the pot and add an egg.
4
Gradually, while stirring, add the flour.
5
You're going to have a pretty liquidy dough -that's all right! It should be like this.
6
Put the dough in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
7
Heat the oven to 340 F°
8
With the help of a rolling pin, flatten the dough to half a centimeter and nick cookies with a glass or with other shapes.
9
Bake for about 10 minutes and remove. The cookies should be viscous and not soft.
Ingredients
- 100 gr. of butter
- 250 gr. of honey
- 125 gr. of sugar
- A teaspoon of clove powder
- A teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- About 1 inch of fresh ginger root
- 1 egg
- Half a teaspoon of salt
- 10 gr. of cocoa powder
- 500 gr. of flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
Instructions
1
Put the honey, the sugar and the butter in a pot and let melt down on low heat.
2
Grade the ginger and mix it with the clove, the cinnamon, the cocoa and the coriander.
3
Mix the spice mixture with the solution created in the pot and add an egg.
4
Gradually, while stirring, add the flour.
5
You're going to have a pretty liquidy dough -that's all right! It should be like this.
6
Put the dough in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
7
Heat the oven to 340 F°
8
With the help of a rolling pin, flatten the dough to half a centimeter and nick cookies with a glass or with other shapes.
9
Bake for about 10 minutes and remove. The cookies should be viscous and not soft.
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