Seven differences between Russian and Filipino holiday season

The difference between Christmas dates in Russia and the Philippines

The first difference between the Russian and Filipino Holiday season is the date of Christmas day. Just like most of the countries in Eastern Europe, Russia is traditionally an Eastern Orthodox country. With that being said, its liturgical calendar is based on the old Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar which other Christian sects such as the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches follow. Therefore, Christmas in Russia is normally celebrated on January 7 instead of December 25.

I can’t imagine myself celebrating New Year first than Christmas. But of course, this is because I don’t come from the Eastern Orthodox sect of Christianism. When I talk to my friends in Russia after New Year, it seems everybody is busy during these days. Usually, either they are in their village to see their family or they are somewhere out of town with friends. Whereas in the Philippines, after January 1, people are already back to work by January 2 or January 3.

The Russian Orthodox Church also celebrates Advent. However, it observes a fixed date, starting on the 28th of November and going to the 6^th of January, so it's 40 days long. For us Catholics, there is no fixed date for the Advent season. Advent begins on Sunday that falls between November 27th and December 3rd each year) until the 24th of December.

A view of the Kremlin and Saint Basil Cathedral in Moscow, Russia in winter. Photo by Michael Parulava

Difference between the Russian and Filipino holiday season no.2: Santa Claus vs. Father Frost (Ded Moroz)

As you may know by now, the Filipino culture is strongly influenced by the American culture as we were occupied by the US for 50 years. Another ‘legacy’ of their stay in our country is the English language. After the United States and India, we are the 3rd largest English-speaking country in the world!

Going back to the Holiday topic, just like in the US and other Western countries, Santa Claus is very popular in our country. Children of all ages hung their socks the night before Christmas in the hope of getting a present from Santa. As a kid before, I often do this.

Unlike ‘Ded Moroz’s blue attire, Santa Claus’ is red. Photo by Tim Mossholder

Unlike Santa Claus who is always dressed in red attire, his Russian equivalent ‘Father Frost’ or locally known as Ded Moroz can be dressed in red, blue or, white. The other notable difference between them is that Father Frost has 3 white horses for his transport while Santa Claus has a set of magic flying reindeers. Also, accompanying Father Frost to help him on giving gifts to children is his beautiful granddaughter ‘Snegurochka’ (translated literally as little snow). While Santa Claus is also known as ‘Saint Nicholas’ has his magic elves as helpers. 
 

The third difference between the Russian and the Filipino holiday season is that the Christmas season in the Philippines is longer and more celebrated than New Year, unlike in Russia

In the Philippines, Advent, which begins by the end of November or the beginning of January signals the ‘official’ start of the Christmas season. Unofficially, though, Filipinos start the countdown for Christmas from September 1. You will see a countdown in some public spaces such as the mall and when TV news during the night end. Christmas songs are played (almost) everywhere from this date. I think it is one strategy of the malls to remind the shoppers that you can now shop for Christmas gifts!

So, if you are going to count the days from September 1 to January 6, which is the day of the Epiphany or the Three Kings, in total, we celebrate the Christmas season for four months! There is also a unique Christmas tradition that exists only in the Philippines in which if you can complete, you can make a wish! ‘Misa de Gallo’ or more known in our country as ‘Simbang Gabi’ (translated as Night Mass) is a devotional nine-day series of masses before Christmas day held during the wee hours of the morning from 3 am-5 am. This tradition traces its origins during the Spanish colonial period, hence the Spanish name ‘Misa de Gallo’ (English translation: Mass of the Rooster). Filipino farmers who were unable to attend night masses leading to Christmas day requested for a mass schedule before sunrise after which they would be starting their work for the day.

 
Filipino Christmas lanterns commonly called as ‘Parol’ Photo by Stitch

While in Russia, if we are to look at the country’s history, the secular holiday of New Year was more favored during the communist times over the Christmas holiday due to its association with the Russian Orthodox religion. Furthermore, the ruling party back then came up with the idea of converting things that have to do with religion. One good example is the Christmas tree which became the ‘New Year” tree.  People had to celebrate Christmas with their families in private. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, people were free to celebrate Christmas again but it's still a quieter and smaller holiday in Russia after the big New Year celebrations.

Another contrast between the Russian and Filipino holiday season: Food

Next on the list for the difference between the Russian and Filipino holiday season is the food eaten during Christmas Eve dinner. After hearing the night mass in the Church, people in the Philippines return to their homes before midnight to celebrate Nochebuena (literally translated as ‘the Good Night’) with their family. Our celebration is not complete without what we consider as the ‘star’ of the dinner, roasted pork called ‘litson’, which is placed normally at the center of the table. Filipino cuisine in general is heavily influenced by its neighbors and former occupiers. So, if you are to eat in a typical Christmas Eve dinner in the Philippines do not be surprised if you are going to encounter foreign influenced dishes such as Paella (Spanish influence), Ham (Spanish influence), Macaroni salad (American influence), fried spring rolls (Chinese influence), etc. served on the table together with the local dishes.

‘Puto Bumbong’, a type of rice cake in the Philippines commonly eaten during the holiday season. 
Photo by John Brian Silverio

Local dishes during Nochebuena with the exception of a few are mostly limited to desserts. It is because Filipinos back in the day prefer to eat expensive food or those they don’t usually eat during ordinary days. In the past and until now, this meant foreign influenced dishes. Local desserts commonly eaten during Christmas in the Philippines are Bibingka (a type of baked rice cake), Buko salad (coconut salad mixed with condensed milk and other fruits), Puto Bumbong (the one showed in the photo above, made of rice and topped with palm, margarine or butter, and grated coconut), etc.

As I was researching for the Christmas traditions in Russia, I was astonished that the Christmas Eve (Sochelnik) dinner is a meatless 12-course meal which represents the 12 disciples of Jesus! First on the list is a porridge named ‘kutya’ made from wheat or rice served with honey, poppy seeds, fruit (especially berries and dried fruit like raisins), chopped walnuts, or sometimes even fruit jellies. It is often eaten from a common bowl to symbolize unity and togetherness. Other popular Christmas Eve foods include beetroot soup (borsch) or vegan potluck (solyanka) served with individual vegetable pies (often made with cabbage, potato, or mushroom); sauerkraut, porridge dishes such as buckwheat with fried onions and fried mushrooms, salads often made from vegetables like gherkins, mushrooms or tomatoes, and also potato or other root vegetable salads. Here we can see a difference: While Filipinos go to hear the church mass first before eating at the Christmas Eve dinner, the Russians on the other hand, go to the midnight church services after eating.
 

Contrast between the Russian and Filipino holiday no.5: The traditional New Year speech by the President does not exist in the Philippines!

For our Russian readers, you guys might be used to watching your country’s President making the traditional New Year speech before midnight. A long time ago, I was talking to a Russian who I’ve encountered online and he was surprised how I knew that even though I’ve never been to Russia. To be honest I don’t remember anymore how I came to know this ‘insider’ information, maybe from a random Russian film I was watching :P What I only know is that I’ve always been interested in different societies and cultures around the world!

In detail, the President gives the New Year speech from the Kremlin, a few minutes before the Kremlin Clock strikes at midnight. The speech concludes the main events of the year and discusses prospects for the coming year. In our country, we don’t have an equivalent of this New Year tradition. For us, in the Philippines, though, when the late-night news end they make a countdown during their airing time, and the rest of the TV network staff are also shown. The programs following them are mostly outdoor concerts that often take place at famous places in the country like in Manila’s Rizal Park, Boracay beach, and at Bonifacio Global Center (a famous shopping and financial district).

The making of an annual Christmas Station ID by the Philippine media company ABS-CBN

What we have is an annual tradition during the Christmas and New Year is the ‘Christmas Station ID’ of the major TV networks broadcasted that starts usually by the end of November. To explain it simply, it is a music video where the journalists, actors, and actresses of the TV networks sing together to deliver their company’s holiday message to its viewers. To date, there are only two major TV networks that do this tradition every year, namely ABS-CBN (Channel 2) and GMA (Channel 7). Each of them tries to outdo the performance of the other in their music videos in the hope of getting more TV ratings. For us viewers, we then are going to discuss with friends or family which TV network made the better Christmas station ID this year.

Talking about Popular culture, we don’t have the equivalent of the Soviet/Russian film ‘The Irony of Fate’ that is shown every New Year

Still on TV shows during the Christmas and New Year season, I remember watching this classic Russian film made during the Soviet era called ‘The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath’ (1976). The said romantic comedy television film was a blockbuster in the whole USSR and was even televised in other countries within the Soviet sphere. Up to this day, it remains a cult favorite among the Russian viewers which they watch on TV every New Year. We don’t have such TV traditions in the Philippines during New Year, sadly. During the Lenten season, I believe we have this practice to show a particular film on TV year after year but not during New Year.

The Soviet/ Russian film ‘The Irony of Fate’ is truly a New Year classic

The story goes when a young man in Moscow named Zhenya, who after having a drink with his friends in a banya during New Year’s Eve, mistakenly took a flight to Leningrad in lieu of his friend. Upon arriving in the city, he took a taxi and gave the address. Due to the uniformity of urban planning in the USSR, he arrived at the same address except that it is not in Moscow! His key also fits into the apartment’s door and after some time the real owner, a woman named Nadya enters the scene. And as they say, the rest is history.
Going back to the film, it is a romantic comedy with a very interesting intro because it mocks the housing program during the Brezhnev era. The animated intro shows that the architects are overruled by politicians and red tape. As a consequence, it is very common to see the same apartment blocks style, the same name of streets and even the small details like the apartment’s door key were also uniformed!

And, the last example of the difference between the Russian and Filipino holiday season is the outdoor activities

And lastly, one of the main differences between the Russian and Filipino holiday season is the outdoor activities their locals often do during this time of the year. It is important to remember that unlike Russia, the Philippines has only two seasons: wet and dry. Therefore, we do not have snow in our country. A big factor that influences outdoor activities is of course the weather or climate in a particular place.

Some holiday activities in Russia are associated with snow which we don’t have in the Philippines.  
Photo by Dora Nyiro

In Russia, common winter outdoor activities for children include ice skating, ice hockey, snow sledding, building snowman, and snowboarding and skiing (the last two are equally enjoyed by adults!). Other activities that are also worth doing during winter is the traditional ‘troika’ ride (sleigh with three horses) and ice fishing. Although not an outdoor activity, going to a ‘banya’ during winter has become a tradition for some locals just like Zhenya and his friends from the film ‘The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath’!

As mentioned, since we do not have snow in the Philippines unfortunately for me there isn’t much to say about our outdoor activities during this time of the year. Although not a common Christmas tradition nor a New Year one, some people choose to go to the beach like in Boracay, in Siargao or Palawan. Luckily for them, the months of December and January coincide with the country’s ‘dry season’ which means typhoons are almost non-existent on these months. Our country boasts of rich and diverse marine wildlife so if ever you will visit one of the archipelago’s lovely beaches you should try snorkeling or scuba diving!

Russia and the Philippines are two countries that are far from each other. Just like the rest of the world, Filipinos and Russians love to spend the holiday season with their friends and families. However, how they celebrate Christmas and New Year is different, starting from the holiday dates to activities. Despite the pandemic crisis the world is currently experiencing, we at 7Mango would still like to wish you our dear readers a joyful and safe holiday season with your loved ones, whether in person or virtual. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, С новым годом и Рождеством! ❤️

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© Lara Titan for 7mango. Manila, Philippines
 (Writer's punctuation, spelling and style of the original are kept)