Former Soviet Union
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8 Soviet New Year Celebration Traditions I Love
As I have already described here, growing up in the Soviet Union was far from the ordinary. With religion being forbidden and no Christmas celebrations allowed until the 1990s, New Year has become the biggest and most exciting holiday of the year with large-scale celebrations that last for days. Even though the times of the Soviet Union are long gone, many countries that once made USSR still hold on to some of its New Year celebration traditions which I am sharing in this post. 1.New Year Tree The New Year (not Christmas!) tree is the center of New Year’s celebrations at every home. Lovingly decorated with glass baubles, tinsels and…
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Growing Up in the USSR: 15 Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Soviet Upbringing
Did you ever wonder what it was like growing up in the Soviet Union behind the Iron Curtain? With the Cold War still on, I was growing up in Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic, one of 15 republics that made up a Soviet Union. It was a different reality that taught me and my peers a certain way of thinking and behaving. Today, I am going to take you on a virtual historic tour to my Soviet upbringing and share top 15 features of what it was like to grow up and live in the Soviet Union. So, imagine: 1. From a very young age, you are used to the fact…
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Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Return of the Prodigal Daughter
Every time I land in Bishkek, I am filled with mixed feelings – excitement and worry. On one hand I look forward seeing my family and friends, on another – I always wonder: will I connect with the city? Will it recognize and welcome me, the prodigal daughter who has left it in the end of the 1990s? I have visited Bishkek in the last couple years several times. I hardly go to new trendy places and popping everywhere Western-style cafes. Instead, I look for clues to put together in my mind the image of the city I used to know. I have grown up and moved on, so did…
