С НОВЫМ ГОДОМ!

As you have probably surmised from the readings and exercises in this chapter, few holidays in Russia are celebrated as widely as New Year’s. Let’s look at some of the newest traditions for ushering in this day at

http://www.christmas.ru/

You will be given two options on the page that loads when you enter the URL: “с заставкой” and “без заставки.”

If you have Flash player installed on your browser, try clicking “с заставкой” (in this instance, ‘заставка’ means ‘introduction’); if not, click “без заставки,” and you will be taken directly to the site’s homepage.

1			For several decades during the Soviet era New Year’s served as a surrogate Christmas; now both holidays are celebrated separately, which means that many Russians who are used to dealing with just one holiday have had to learn to differentiate the two. Study the links at the top of the home page. What link would you choose if you were looking for information on comparing and contrasting the two holidays?
2			Follow the link from above. You should be able to see links to pages with brief histories of both holidays. In addition to a brief history of Christmas, what kind of information is provided about that holiday (further down on this page) that does not seem to be provided for New Year’s? How might you account for this difference?
3			Back on the home page, click on the second link from the left, “Как и где отметить.” Consider the links you are given. Given the words ‘как’ and ‘где’ in the title of the page, and the categories that are now offered to you, what might the verb ‘отметить,’ which appears in the heading at the top, mean in this context? If you wanted to leave town for either holiday, under what sub-heading would you able to find relevant information? Where does that link lead you?
4			Time to spread holiday (or post-holiday, or post-post-holiday) cheer (Virtual New Year’s never ends!). Following what link from the homepage might allow you to send a genuine Russian New Year’s virtual postcard to your friends? Click on that heading – what card would you choose? Why?
5			Whether New Year’s is still ahead for you or has long past, indulge in a few holiday diversions located under “Развлечения (Entertainment).” Don’t miss your chance to take on Дед Мороз himself in a one-of-a-kind computer game! When you’re done exploring this section of the site, don’t forget to write Дед Мороз a letter (or a thank-you note) - where on this site might you be able to do that?

А ЧТО ДАЛЬШЕ?

6			For more New Year and Christmas related trivia, traditions and activities visit http://sneg.by.ru/ http://lel.khv.ru/snegurka/ http://post.morozko.net/