For us last week was a continuous series of celebrations as various communities in the city marked the beginning of a brand New Year — from Makar Sankranti to Lohri and Bihu festivities to the more global ones like Russian orthodox Christmas — we had a gala time observing various cultural activities across the town.
So when we got invite to attend the grand masquerade ball and orthodox Christmas and New Year celebrations by the Russian Embassy in Delhi, we got a chance to experience some interesting rituals and warm hospitality by the diplomatic circle of this Embassy.
Traditionally, the birth of Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated in Russian orthodox church according to the Julian calendar (so Christmas falls on January 7th). The celebrations include singing and dancing along with a lavish feast that has a variety of pork (roasted pig), stuffed pig’s head, roasted meat chunks, jelly, and aspic. So we had a mix of Indian and Russian food at this merry ball where the festive table had dishes made of chicken, fish and paneer (cottage cheese). A section of chocolate rolls, creamy puffs and Chinese tea were also interesting add ons.
We leave you with a few pictures of the beautiful ball that marked a merry new year for us in 2016.
☆
