00:00Today I'll tell you about the most important holiday in the Soviet Union – New Year's Eve.
00:06It wasn't just a celebration, it was a full-scale operation requiring strategy, connections and a
00:14whole lot of effort. So let's dive into the sparkling, chaotic and delicious traditions of
00:21the Soviet New Year. The first step to a successful Soviet New Year was stockpiling as much delicious
00:34and preferably rare food as possible. Smugged sausages, canned peaches and sprouts were symbols
00:42of success. You couldn't just walk into a store and buy these treats. No, no, no. You had to either
00:49procure them through connections or receive coveted holiday food packages from work.
00:55The quality of your package depended on your rank. My parents were thrilled to receive canned peas and
01:02mayonnaise because these were the essential ingredients for Olivier salad, the crown jewel
01:09of the Soviet holiday table. Known everywhere as Russian salad, Olivier started as a luxurious dish
01:16made with grouse, veal tongue, caviar and crayfish. But in the Soviet era, people adapted it using
01:25whatever they could find, like potatoes, bologna and pickles. By the 1960s, it became a must-have on New
01:33Year's tables. If you couldn't get peas and mayonnaise, well, you were a loch, a loser who didn't know how
01:40to live.
01:47The New Year's tree, not a Christmas tree, was essential. We'd buy hours at the market and let
01:54it sit on the balcony until my sister and I cleaned the apartment and managed to go 24 hours without
02:00fighting. Then my dad would retrieve a dusty box of ornaments from the top shelf. These weren't just any
02:08ornaments. They were treasures, shiny spheres, cotton stuffed dead morose figures and glass birds on clips.
02:17We carefully hung them on the fragrant, filed branches, layering so much tinsel that the tree
02:24began to resemble a silver haystack. The crowning touch was a string of oversized yellowed plastic lights
02:33that still somehow felt magical.
02:42Spending New Year's Eve alone at home was unthinkable. You had two options. Go to someone's
02:48house or host a party yourself. Either way, it was a social obligation. New Year's Eve called for your
02:55finest attire. Girls wore dresses and bows and if we were visiting friends, we also packed warm pants for
03:02you later. You'll see why.
03:10Guests were welcomed with gasps of admiration and then everyone gathered around the table to eat.
03:16Adults gradually got tipsy and swept heroic tales about how they acquired everything on the table.
03:23Meanwhile, children and dogs migrated under the table where we traded candy wrappers,
03:29swept toys and spun wild stories about the gifts our imaginary important relatives had sent us.
03:36I once claimed to own a real Mickey Mouse doll, which of course a friend in 8th grade had borrowed
03:43at the
03:43moment. My friends gasped, wow, no way, and immediately came up with even cooler gifts and even more impressive
03:51friends once from 9th grade.
04:00Five minutes before midnight, glasses of champagne and soda for the kids were poured and the TV volume
04:07was turned up. The leader of the Soviet Union gave a monoton speech about milk yields, coal production and world
04:15peace,
04:15none of which interested us kids. We waited impatiently for the gremlin clock to strike midnight. When it did,
04:24everyone hugged, shouted Happy New Year and cleaned glasses.
04:35After the feast, it was time to venture outdoors. It was tradition to do the following.
04:42Light sparklers. Wish strangers a happy new year. Slide down icy hills and inevitably fall, hence the warm pants.
04:51Sing a song in unison, usually all frost frost. I'll try to sing it now.
05:22My son just keep in. Mom, are you okay?
05:26My son just keep in. Mom, are you okay?
05:26Yes, I'm okay. So back to the story.
05:35Next step was visiting the town square's New Year's tree complete with child mechanical
05:42fairy tale characters. My favorite was the princess who turned her head and batted her eyelashes with a
05:49metallic screech. Beside her stood the gray wolf in a red shirt, bowing as he presented her with a loaf
05:57of bread, occasionally dusted with falling snow. After returning home, Rosie, cheeked and hoarse,
06:03we'd collapse into sleep, usually insisting on sleeping on the floor because it was more fun.
06:09The next morning, we'd rush to the tree to unwrap the long-awaited gifts. The best ones were always books.
06:16What? A little trick-nosed? Happy new year everyone
06:23We'd like you to see math in your house. Happy New Year!
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