From Ecuador to the Philippines: New Year’s Traditions through the Eyes of HSE University–St Petersburg International Students
HSE University–St Petersburg's big international family is preparing for the New Year. What traditions unite students from Pakistan and the Philippines? Why were Christmas trees the main discovery of the holiday for some international students? And what must one do on January 1 to have a great year? Read on to find out.
HSE University–St Petersburg is home to more than 600 international students. Each has their own New Year's traditions, special dishes for the festive table, and family rituals. But all of them are united in the anticipation of a miracle, the warm atmosphere of the campus, and hope for the future.
For Ali Raza, a student of the Master's programme 'Data Analytics for Business and Economics' from Pakistan, it is not the first New Year celebration in Russia—he already knows the taste of Russian salad and festive traditions.
Ali Raza
Student from Pakistan
'Last year, my friends and I rang in the New Year at Palace Square—it was a wonderful experience. People of different nationalities gathered near the Winter Palace and waited for the chime of bells. Together, we listened to the president's speech, and in the people's eyes, we saw that he was saying something inspiring.
For me, it was a big surprise that in Russia, the New Year is much more popular than Christmas. I also tried Russian salad and even cooked it myself.
Russia and Pakistan turned out to have a lot of common traditions for the New Year's celebration, though there are some differences. I am from a Muslim country, and we use the Hijri calendar. The year starts with the month of Muharram, which is of special historical importance for all religious people. The beginning of the year depends on the lunar calendar and does not always coincide with January 1. But we also celebrate the classical New Year in style.
Usually, families gather together and cook traditional dishes such as biryani, an analogue of pilaf. Large cities always organise firework shows. At night, many people go to the city centres or the coast of Karachi to see beautiful views and enjoy concerts.’
Lin Meiran, student of Guangzhou University in China, spent one semester at HSE University–St Petersburg under the mobility programme. She studies economics and management. She plans to celebrate the New Year in Moscow.
Lin Meiran
Student from China
'The night from December 31 to January 1 in China is the holiday of the first sunrise. It's just getting popular. On this day, the custom is to clean up the house. In the north of the country, people set off fireworks, cook dumplings, and in the south, they make tangyuan (sweet balls of sticky rice). You can feel the festive atmosphere, but it is nothing compared to the celebration of the Spring Festival held in February.
In Russia, it is often called the Chinese New Year. The holiday is based on ancient traditions—it is one of the family celebrations. On this day, we gather together, watch festive shows, and decorate houses—there must be something red. One can participate in spectacular public festivities. As a tradition, for dinner, people cook dumplings, spring rolls, fish, and rice flatbread.
I was surprised that in Russia, many people celebrate the New Year with friends, while in China, you must celebrate the Spring Festival with the family. In St Petersburg, all the New Year decorations are carefully thought through: the whole city is decorated with holiday lights and Christmas trees. It creates an inspiring atmosphere.'
Pj One Carlos Manzano, 2nd-year student from the Philippines, studies at HSE University–St Petersburg in the Bachelor's programme 'Political Science and World Politics.' In his motherland, the celebration goes without Christmas trees and snow; people start preparing for it as early as September.
Pj One Carlos Manzano
Student from the Philippines
'In the Philippines, any city is divided into barangays (analogues of districts or quarters). For the New Year celebration, the administration of barangays organises street parties, invites DJs, or holds music festivals. In the parks, there are fireworks shows.
We start decorating houses and streets in September. The preparation for the holiday takes four months. Some people decorate the whole house front with lights. The Philippines has a different climate, so I have never seen Christmas trees in real life. But in Russia, they are the main New Year symbol.
In my motherland, there is a legend that January 1 defines the next 12 months. My grandmother always advised me to behave myself and be kind and sympathetic on this day. In my opinion, it is quite similar to Russian superstitions. This year, I want to try the Russian traditions of making wishes.
Traditionally, in the Philippines, we exchange food on the holiday: visit our neighbours and offer dishes for the festive table (rice, grapes, apples, and pineapples). This is perhaps the main contrast to the Russian New Year celebration, which usually takes place in small groups. Also, in our country, there is no obligatory president's speech; during the street festivities, as a rule, people start counting down on their own.
The biggest surprise for me was the length of the holidays. In the Philippines, we have days off from December 20 to January 2. Last year, I celebrated the New Year in Kirishi, and this time, I'm celebrating with my friends in St Petersburg.'
Madina Khandullo kyzy came to HSE University–St Petersburg under the academic mobility programme from the Kyrgyz National University named after J. Balasagyn. According to her, in Kyrgyzstan, the New Year celebration is a mix of European and national traditions.
Madina Khandullo kyzy
Student from Kyrgyzstan
'The New Year celebrations in Kyrgyzstan and Russia are similar in many ways, as the traditions were formed during the Soviet times. However, for us, the holiday is more domestic and calm: the city festivities, as a rule, are smaller. Moreover, in my motherland, we also attach great significance to national holidays, for example, Nowruz, which symbolises the end of winter.
On the night from December 31 to January 1, in Kyrgyzstan, people usually organise a family dinner and watch festive TV shows. An obligatory part of the celebration is the president's speech and a chime of bells, to which we make wishes. On New Year's Eve, we decorate houses with Christmas trees.
Perhaps a surprising thing may be a mix of European and national traditions of celebrating the New Year. On the festive table, Russian salad and Dressed Herring sit side by side with pilaf, beshbarmak, and mantis. As a dessert, it is common to serve boortsog—Turkic doughnuts.
After midnight, many people go out, congratulate neighbours, and exchange gifts. In recent years, celebrations outside the city or at restaurants become more popular. In large cities, for instance, Bishkek or Osh, people organise concerts, public festivities, and firework shows in the squares. The celebration lasts all night through.'
Alex Reyes, 1st-year student of the International Programme in Business and Economics, hasn't noticed any pre-New Year fuss. His motherland, Ecuador, has a lot of extraordinary traditions and beliefs related to the holiday.
Alex Reyes
Student from Ecuador
'Ecuador has a lot of celebrating traditions. I will tell you about the main one: people take monigotes out in the streets—these are big straw men or figures of real or fictional characters. When there are just a couple of minutes left before the New Year, we burn or hit them and set off fireworks. Everyone has fun and starts the countdown to January 1.
Some people believe that on New Year's Day, one must make wishes; some even hide under the table to make the next 12 months successful. Others wear clothes of a certain colour, depending on the goal. For example, yellow symbolises wealth in the upcoming year.
In Ecuador, the tradition says to leave all the conflicts in the passing year; some people even give up communicating with those who bring up negative emotions. Lots of people go to a church and make a confession or simply apologise to their relatives and friends. We believe that the preparation for the holiday defines your future life. I think there is something similar in Russia.
This is my first New Year's celebration in St Petersburg. It seems like people take the holiday more easily than we do in my motherland. I still haven't decided how to spend the night from December 31 to January 1. Perhaps my friends and I will go to the Palace Square. I know for sure that I want to try the tradition of burning a paper with wishes written on it and raise a glass to the chime of bells.’
