In case you didn't know, Russia-InfoCentre has been acquainting the visitors with Russian history and culture since 2004. Naturally, in these 7 years so many articles have been published that it is almost impossible to bring them all to light. And although we always strive to streamline the site's navigation, it is still an arduous task to bring all the different topics and texts to your attention.

This season we decided to help you glide through the Russian winter. The forecasters promise us a "European" winter, meaning it is going to be mild, but the holiday season is nearing, and we wanted to feel the festival glee and to share it with you.

To partake in the festive joy, please follow the Russian Winter tag. You can also click on the lovely Christmas tree in the right sidebar, to get to the tag's page. We will be uploading photos to Facebook page, so follow us there, too. And now we want to guide you through several articles that have already been written about the winter festivities in Russia.

The New Year is without a doubt one of the principal holidays all over the world. Annually people gather either in the warmth of their houses, or in the cold streets, to bid farewell to the going year and to welcome the coming year. According to one of the traditions, "women should wear something new and change their clothes every half an hour, so that new things will be there all the year through". Of course, you cannot do it if you are celebrating the New Year in Red Square. However, if you are inside, you can use the very same tradition to spend an unforgettable night welcoming the new year. Just imagine how many dresses a woman can change in the space of one night...

Read more about the New Year traditions and beliefs and how the New Year has been celebrated from the ancient times to nowadays.

If you are thinking of where to travel in Russia in winter, look no further than Veliky Ustyug - this is where the Russian Father Frost (Ded Moroz, or Santa Claus) lives. Last month one of the favourite folklore characters celebrated his birthday, although in the best traditions of fairy tales his age remains undisclosed.

Read more about Ded Moroz, Veliky Ustyug, and even book your train tickets to visit the homeland of the Russian Father Frost.

Knowing that many of you like the idea of cooking something for the Christmas and New Year table, we thought this recipe of Russian spicy cakes, kozuli (similar to gingerbreads) may well tickle your taste buds. It's easy to bake, and kozulis were historically cooked in Arkhangelsk and Murmansk regions. Imagine explaining to your guests that they are enjoying the delicious traditional Russian cakes!

Prepare the ingredients to cook your own Russian kozuli.

And as we promised, here is what also awaits you this festive season from our team: 

- Christmas markets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg;
- ice rinks in the mentioned 3 cities;
- Russian postal cards, new and old, commemorating Christmas and New Year;
- the unmissable symbols of the Russian New Year (and it's not just the President's Address);
- Russian Christmas tree toys;
- Russian paintings, films, and poems commemorating the winter season;
- a digest of winter resorts and museums to visit;
- and more...

We send you sincere greetings at the start of the winter season (after all, it is December 2), and hope to make it warm, quirky, and unforgettably Russian!

Julie Delvaux (cited articles are by Vera Manykina)