Russian New Year traditions

Did you think the mad rush of holiday cooking and feasting was finally over? Many Russians are just getting into the swing of it. On New Year's Eve in Russia, people eat and drink through the night, occasionally taking a break to visit neighbors. The holiday is routinely extended by observing Orthodox Christmas, which falls on Jan 7 in the Julian calendar used by the Russian Orthodox Church, then Old New Year on Jan 14. Orthodox New Year celebrations include dinner dances and traditional buffets among Orthodox Christian communities.

What's to eat? There are pelmenyi, of course - little, juicy Siberian meat dumplings served with rich Russian sour cream. It's perfectly authentic to buy them frozen - that, after all, is how Siberians store them through the winter.

There's herring, too, with the fish pickled or prepared as selyodka pod shuba - "in a fur coat". In this case, the "fur" is beet salad with a coating of mayonnaise.