Russian New Year (Новый год) and the First Encounter

Of all the Russian holidays and traditional days – of which there are many – New Year or Novy God is by far the most important. Also, a holiday that lasts at least two days: it starts on 12/31, with Christmas, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving, All Rolled Into One (The New York Times, 2018).

Begin = continuation

Linked to New Year is a Russian saying (in the realm of superstition) that can sound both motivating and ominous. Как встретишь Новый год (How you begin/meet the New Year), так его и проведёшь (is how it will go). A good reason to come together and celebrate with everyone, but that’s a bit complicated in Corona times.

Advice for a good start during hard times can be found in Если ты один и дома. Новый год в условиях пандемии: как встретить его с оптимизмом (Союз, 2020). See/read Тайные ритуалы: как правильно проводить старый и встретить новый год (MarieClaire.ru, 2020), «Как Новый год встретишь»: самые популярные новогодние приметы (1obl.ru, 2019), Новогодние приметы (Relax.by) and ВикиЧтение (WikiReading).

Russian New Year’s Speech

In nearly every country, at the start of a new year, the head of state appears on TV – to say little, wish well, and then return to their palace. In Russia, the president’s speech happens the night before, not on January 1.

The most recent edition (so far) can be seen in Новогоднее обращение Владимира Путина 2020 (русский с носителем, 2019, 4 m), and also in Learn Russian with Vladimir Putin (2020; there is a Part 2 as well). Of more historical interest is Putin’s the first speech from 1999, inextricably tied to Boris Yeltsin‘s last one. See also The day Boris Yeltsin said goodbye to Russia (BBC News, 2017, 4 m).

Leonid Brezhnev’s speech for 1979 (9 mins) gets better with every passing year.

Language: Russian New Year’s wishes

The Russian way to say Happy New Year is с Новым Годом, which puts New Year (новый год) in the instrumental case, resulting in “with the New Year,” making literal congratulations or wishes for happiness unnecessary. More (and often the same) can be found in:

• Новогодние поздравления (русский с носителем, 2020, 5 mins), see also Учим русский: новогодние традиции (2017, 13 mins)
• Новый год. Изучаем русский язык по песням (РКИ для всех, 2019, 15 mins)
• Russian Christmas and New Year’s Eve Vocabulary (Russian with Nastya, 2018, 7 mins)
• How to say Happy New Year (Merry Christmas) in Russian (Real Russian Club, 2016, 6 mins)
• Russian Holidays Words with Katya – New Year’s Day (RussianPod101, 2017, 4 mins)
• How to Say “Happy New Year” in Russian (Howcast, 2013, 1.5 mins)

Culture: Celebrations, Traditions, History

That and more in the videos below.

How do Russians celebrate New Year | Как русские празднуют Новый год
(Hack Your Russian, 2020, 14 mins)

New Year in Russia 2021! History and traditions of winter holidays in the USSR
(Unforgettable Russian accent, 2020, 10 mins)

Russian Christmas (New Year) | Traditions, Symbols and History
(Yeah Russia, 2019, 10 mins)

How to Celebrate New Year in Russia
(RussianPod101, 2018, 5 mins)

Russian Holidays – New Year’s Day – Новый год
(RussianPod101, 2014, 3 mins)

From the same channel, Learn Russian Holidays – Old New Year (2018, 3 m), and How to Say Happy New Year in Russian & New Year Wishes (2017).

More Russian New Year

Watch

• How Do Russians Celebrate the New Year? (The Moscow Times, 2020, 3 mins)
• Russian Christmas and New Year | Super Easy Russian (Be Fluent in Russian, 2018, 5 mins), and from the same channel, Talking about New Year and Christmas (2020, 2 mins)
• Russian Christmas and New Year celebration customs (Firebird, 2018, 6 mins)
• Russian New Year – nine cliches for New Year, traditions (A. Romaker, 2015, 15 mins)
• The cost of Russia’s New Year salad (BBC News, 2014, 2 mins)

Read

• Yolka: the story of Russia’s ‘New Year tree’, from pagan origins to Soviet celebrations (The Calvert Journal, now New East Digital Archive, 2020)
• How to Celebrate New Year’s Like a Russian (Holidappy, 2019)
• New Year in Russia: how to celebrate (Liden & Denz, 2019)
• History of New Year celebrations in Russia (Tass, 2018)
• How to Celebrate New Year’s holidays Like a Russian (Tatiana Fedorova, 2017)
• The top 10 requirements for a stereotypical Russian New Year (Russia Beyond, 2014)
• New Year’s Day in Russia (Time and Date)

с Новым Годом everyone!

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Last updated March 23, 2026