Winter Traditions Across Russia

Winter Solstice Traditions

In winter, daylight hours grow shorter. Today, electric lighting means this has little impact on our daily routines, but for earlier generations, preparing for the long winter months was an essential part of life. This was especially true in the Russian North, where the polar night lasts for several months. Nomadic peoples shortened their migration routes and prepared sheltered winter camps, the Pomors turned to sea hunting, and reindeer herders focused on caring for their herds.

Food preservation was equally important. Meat was dried, smoked, or stored in snow and ice, allowing it to last until spring. Oil lamps and hearth fires replaced the sun as sources of light, giving rise to shared traditions—songs around the fire, games, and long evenings spent together—that helped lift spirits during the darkest months.

The winter solstice marked a significant turning point in the natural calendar. From this day onward, daylight gradually begins to return, signaling that the harshest part of winter is over and spring is drawing closer. Communities traditionally celebrated by lighting bonfires, singing, and making offerings to the fire, symbolically helping the sun make its return.

Many of these ancient traditions are still observed in parts of Russia today. The Nenets and other Indigenous peoples of the North gather around ceremonial fires, offering prayers and singing traditional songs. Shamans perform smoke-cleansing rituals to ward off misfortune, and communities across the taiga and tundra pray for the health of their reindeer herds and success in the hunt. Visitors can witness these traditions in northern villages, at cultural festivals, and in ethnographic parks and open-air museums.

Christmastide (Svyatki)

Svyatki, or Christmastide, is a holiday where Christian traditions intertwine with ancient pagan customs. In the Orthodox tradition, it is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ. In pre-Christian beliefs, it is a mystical period when the boundary between the human and spirit worlds is believed to become thinner.

Svyatki lasts from Orthodox Christmas (7 January) to Epiphany (19 January). Festive folk traditions—including kolyadki (caroling), fortune-telling, and vertep—take place alongside church services and religious observances. Young people dance in circles and tell fortunes about their future spouses. Costumed performers go from house to house, staging short plays and singing shchedrovki.

During this period, cities host open-air fairs filled with artisan stalls, local food, and holiday markets. On the Epiphany Day, many Orthodox Christians follow the tradition of immersing themselves in ice holes cut into frozen rivers or lakes. In many ways, the symbolism of Svyatki echoes that of the winter solstice: both celebrate the return of light and express hopes for a prosperous year ahead.

For travelers, Svyatki offers a unique opportunity to experience the richness of Russia's cultural traditions—from vertep puppet theatre in Russian villages to shamanic songs in the tundra. Between 7 and 19 January, cities and cultural centers host public festivals and performances. In rural communities, celebrations are typically more traditional and intimate.

How Different Peoples of Russia Celebrate the New Year

Pegytti — New Year in Chukotka

Pegytti is celebrated on the night of the winter solstice (in 2026, from 21 to 22 December). The festival takes its name from the Pegytti constellation, known in modern astronomy as Aquila. According to Chukchi tradition, the appearance of its brightest star marks the arrival of the New Year.

Roshtuvan Kud — New Year in Mordovia

In Mordovia, the New Year begins on the winter solstice, and the celebrations continue until Christmas. Before the festivities begin, women pray for the well-being of their people. Young people gather in the Roshtuvan Kud ("Christmas House"), where they prepare sweet kvass and pies filled with guelder rose berries.

On 31 December, everyone dresses in traditional carnival costumes decorated with Mordovian ornaments and takes part in festive celebrations filled with songs and dances. Children dress up as bears and mythical characters.

Surkhuri — New Year in Chuvashia

Surkhuri is celebrated during the winter solstice period. Its name, meaning "sheep's leg," comes from an old fortune-telling custom. Young women would enter a sheepfold, blindly grab a sheep by the leg, and pull out a tuft of wool. White wool foretold a fair-haired future husband; black wool meant he would be dark-haired.

Today, Surkhuri is celebrated with lively festivities featuring songs, dances, caroling, fortune-telling, and generous feasts. It is believed that eating heartily during the holiday ensures prosperity throughout the coming year. Traditional dishes include yăva pastries made from unleavened dough, festive porridge, flatbreads, sausage, and roasted peas.

A particularly fun tradition involves fortune-telling with meat dumplings. Each dumpling contains a symbolic surprise: a coin promises wealth, salt predicts tears or hardships, and flour represents abundance and prosperity.

Sagaalgan and Zul — Two Buddhist New Year Celebrations

Sagaalgan (the Buryat White Month) and Zul (the Kalmyk New Year) are two closely related Buddhist festivals. Both are celebrated on the 25th day of the 10th lunar month, so their dates change each year. In 2026, Sagaalgan falls on 18 February, while Zul is celebrated on 14 December. Both holidays center on purification, prayer, and family traditions.

Nowruz — New Year in Tatarstan

Nowruz is celebrated on the vernal equinox. In the morning, children and young people visit elderly neighbors, singing, dancing, receiving treats, and asking for blessings.

The festivities feature horse races, running competitions, archery, and kuresh, the traditional Turkic style of wrestling. The celebration also includes the selection of Navruzbike, the most beautiful and accomplished young woman, who is asked to predict the coming harvest and the fortunes of the year ahead. The festival concludes with the burning of a straw effigy dressed as a woman, symbolizing the departure of winter.

Traditional festive dishes include beshbarmak, pilaf, kazy, sumalak, chak-chak, tea with milk or cream, and kumis. Like Orthodox Easter, Nowruz among Turkic peoples also includes the tradition of decorating eggs.

Ysyakh — New Year in Yakutia

The Yakuts celebrate the New Year at the height of summer. Ysyakh, meaning "abundance," is held around the summer solstice. The dates vary each year; in 2026, the celebrations will take place from 10 to 25 June.

Traditional Crafts and Household Customs

Many of Russia’s Indigenous peoples continue to preserve their traditional crafts and livelihoods, passing down skills and knowledge from one generation to the next.

Daily life and local traditions have long been shaped by the natural environment. In the tundra, people migrated with their reindeer herds, cared for the animals, built traditional sleds, and tanned reindeer hides. In the forests, they mastered woodcarving and fur processing. Along the coasts, communities built boats and relied on fishing, smoking, salting, and air-drying their catch to preserve food throughout the winter.

These craft traditions remain alive in mountain villages, Old Believer settlements, and nomadic communities. Ethnographic parks and cultural festivals offer demonstrations by skilled artisans, and visitors can join hands-on workshops to create their own souvenirs to take home. Many experiences also include cooking traditional dishes and sampling regional specialties.

Siberia. Taste traditional stroganina (thinly sliced frozen raw fish) and Siberian omul. Hike among the striking syenite rock formations of the Krasnoyarsk Stolby Nature Reserve, then unwind in a traditional Siberian banya, surrounded by the rich aroma of wood.

The Kola Peninsula. Befriend playful huskies, glide through snow-covered landscapes by sleigh, and embark on a voyage across the Barents Sea, with the chance to spot majestic whales.

Karelia. In the Russian North, join a cooking workshop and prepare regional specialties such as kalitki pastries, mushroom soup, and Scandinavian-style trout. Ride through snowy forests on a husky sled before relaxing in a traditional lakeside banya on the shores of Lake Ladoga.

Kamchatka. Ride a dog sled through snow-covered forests, relax in natural hot springs, and enjoy ice fishing for smelt, char, flounder, herring, rainbow trout, and grayling.

Yamal. Experience the life of a Nenets reindeer herder by staying in a traditional chum tent in the tundra, tasting meals cooked over an open fire and in a wood-burning stove, and learning how to harness and drive a reindeer sled.

The Caucasus. Visit Chechnya's magnificent mosques and hike through the mountains of Dagestan. Sample regional cuisine and discover traditional craftsmanship at the Kubachi Ethno House and the Carpet Museum in the ancient city of Derbent.