Russians are crazy about New Year’s Day. It is their favorite holiday, all businesses are closed, and no one goes to work on that special day.
It is typical for Russians to take time off on the week before Christmas, and the week after New Year’s and January 1st to 5th are national holidays. These days are often spent in celebration, eating, drinking, spending time with family, gift exchanges, or just relaxing.
Pepsi is the Popular Choice
When Vice President Richard Nixon visited Russia in 1959, he participated in a televised debate with Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev, which later became known as the Kitchen Debate. The two leaders talked about their countries and discussed possible options for future cooperation between them.
Not everything was serious politics. However, there was one moment that had everyone in the audience smiling; it happened when Nixon and Khrushchev shared a Pepsi. Soft drinks may have been completely unknown in Russia back then, but that is not the case today. Russia actually accounts for 8% of all Pepsi sales worldwide.
Is Beer Alcohol?
We’ve already seen how Russians feel about their booze, but it seems we may even disagree about what booze even is. For example, the law that stated that beer was an alcoholic beverage only came into effect in Russia in 2011.
This may seem hard to believe, but until about ten years ago, drinks with less than 10% of alcohol were not legally considered alcoholic beverages. The law may have changed, but that doesn’t mean that Russians are drinking less alcohol. Instead, the change in beer’s status has made it more expensive and has simply driven more Russians back to their traditional favorite – vodka.
Poverty in Russia
So far, we have only shown you the beautiful and glamorous sides of Russian life. However, there are many people in this country who will never get the chance to experience this beauty and luxury. Official data states that there are currently roughly 21 million Russians who are living under the poverty line.
When that figure is compared with the general population, it emerges that 14% of the population earns less than $220 dollars per month. That figure has been growing each year for the past several years. This can be seen all around. Moscow, for instance, is one of the prettiest cities in the world, but it also has an astounding number of street beggars.
Remember the Hares
On the side of the bridge, which takes you to the Peter and Paul Fortress, there is a statue of a small hare in the water. The adorable sculpture was built to help the Russians commemorate the many hares that once ran free on the island where the fortress still stands.
There aren’t many hares left, unfortunately. The floods which plagued St. Petersburg in the 18th and 19th centuries wiped most of them out. According to legend, one hare did survive by jumping onto the boot of Peter the Great as the water was rising.