Happy Old New Year! 2026

January 13–14, 2026

The Old New Year, also known as the Orthodox New Year, is an informal traditional holiday celebrated according to the Julian calendar. In the 20th and 21st centuries, it falls on January 14 in the Gregorian calendar.

Unfortunately, this year in Russia the working days started again on January 12. Fortunately, people had enjoyed a very long Christmas vacation up until then.

During those holidays, my youngest son and his wife — my lovely daughter-in-law — went to visit her relatives in the city of Kemerovo. The trip usually takes about three hours in normal weather, but on their way back a blizzard began. Thankfully, they made it home safely. They sent me some photos and videos, which I put together in a short video here.

As for me, I’m no longer very attached to Russian holidays. Life here is different, with different customs. I’ve become so busy that, while I still remember many holidays, I no longer celebrate them with large feasts.

For example, it is very cold in Tomsk right now — which is completely normal for Siberia. Why? Because these are the Epiphany frosts (крещенские морозы). Of course, no one is happy about the cold. People simply dress warmly. And all I can do is hope that my children are dressing properly too. As for people, some will take part in Epiphany bathing, some girls will continue the tradition of fortune-telling, and others will collect holy water.

I will attach links to my posts from last year, where I wrote more about these traditions.

Anyway,

Happy Old New Year!

https://liankacreations.blogspot.com/2024/01/holy-water-vs-water-in-your-pipes.html

https://liankacreations.blogspot.com/2025/01/epiphany-2025.html

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