Текст на английском про Новый год

New Year is my favourite holiday. The new year starts on the first of January. But the party is on the thirty-first of December.

We have got a big New Year tree at home. My sister and I like decorating it.

Ded Moroz is Grandfather Frost. He has got a long white beard and a red coat. His granddaughter is Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden.

In the evening there is a big dinner. We eat salads, fish and cake. At midnight we say 'Happy New Year!'

Then we open our presents. I love New Year!

Last year we celebrated New Year at my grandparents' house in a small town near Tver. We arrived on the thirtieth of December, because we wanted to help Grandma with the cooking.

On the morning of the thirty-first, Dad and I bought a fir tree at the market. It was taller than our tree at home! My little brother was very excited, and he put a shiny star on the top.

In the evening the whole family sat at the table. Grandma made Olivier salad and herring under a fur coat, the most popular New Year dishes in Russia. At midnight we listened to the Kremlin clock on TV and made wishes.

After that we went outside. The neighbours were setting off fireworks, and everyone was shouting 'Happy New Year!' My parents gave me new skates.

This year we are going to stay at home, but I am sure it will be fun too.

For most people in Russia, New Year is the most important holiday of the year. Although Christmas is also celebrated, it comes later, on the seventh of January, because the Russian Orthodox Church follows the old Julian calendar. As a result, the main family celebration takes place on the night of the thirty-first of December.

Preparations usually begin weeks in advance. Streets and shops are decorated with lights, and almost every family puts up a fir tree, which is called a yolka. Children write letters to Ded Moroz, who is said to live in the town of Veliky Ustyug in the north of the country.

The New Year table is famous for its generous food. Olivier salad, herring under a fur coat and tangerines can be found in almost every home. Just before midnight, people listen to the chimes of the Kremlin clock and quickly make a wish.

The celebration does not end on the first of January. Schoolchildren have long winter holidays, and most adults have several days off, so there is plenty of time to visit friends, go skating or watch old New Year films.

I have celebrated New Year in several different cities, but I have never been to Veliky Ustyug. If I get the chance, I will visit the home of Ded Moroz and send a postcard from his post office.

Ask almost anyone in Russia to name their favourite holiday, and the answer is likely to be New Year. Unlike many celebrations tied to a particular faith or historical event, it belongs to everyone, regardless of age or background, which may explain why it has become the emotional centre of the Russian calendar.

Interestingly, many of its customs were originally Christmas traditions. It was Peter the Great who ordered his subjects to decorate their homes with fir branches and to celebrate the new year on the first of January 1700. Two centuries later, when Christmas was no longer officially celebrated, the tree, the star and the gift-bringer were simply transferred to New Year, and there they have remained ever since.

What strikes foreign visitors most is the sense of ritual. Families repeat the same steps year after year: the same salads, the same films on television, the same countdown to the chimes. Seen from outside, this might look monotonous. For those taking part, however, the repetition is precisely the point, offering a feeling of continuity in a world that changes all too quickly.

There is also a half-serious belief that the way you see in the new year determines how you will spend it. Rarely do people admit to taking this seriously, yet few would risk starting a quarrel at midnight.

Personally, I think the holiday's greatest value lies in its ability to bring people together. Had my relatives not gathered at the same table every December, I would hardly know my cousins at all. If New Year were just another day off, it would lose the warmth that makes it unforgettable.