Celebrating New Year Abroad: Russian Emigrants Find Comfort in Familiar Traditions

As the New Year’s Eve approaches, the most significant holiday in Russia, Sergei, a 30-year-old IT professional now living in Romania, has decided to watch the entire 1975 romantic comedy “The Irony of Fate,” a film that has become synonymous with the New Year in Russia.

“It’s a peculiar tradition that originated in the U.S.S.R., but it has a comforting quality to it,” Sergei remarked.

Sergei is among the approximately 650,000 Russians who left their homeland after the comprehensive invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A considerable number have not returned, fearing persecution for their anti-war stance, broken family connections, or a profound disassociation with a country that continues its military actions in Ukraine.

For these individuals, the cherished New Year’s customs of Russia serve as a means to maintain a connection to their homeland and share aspects of their culture with their new communities.

The Moscow Times interviewed seven Russian expatriates who relocated abroad following the invasion and gathered insights on how they ring in the New Year from various parts of the world.

The discussions reveal a diaspora community that celebrates the New Year while feeling a mix of nostalgia for their lives before the war and a commitment to embrace their new environments, all the while finding solace in familiar traditions — with plenty of Olivier salad to enjoy.

Some names and identifying information have been omitted for safety reasons. The interviews have been summarized and edited for clarity.

Manya Koneva, 28, Dubai

“This year marks the first time I celebrated Christmas on December 25. I’ve made new friends from Europe in Dubai, and they invited me to their Christmas dinner. Honestly, it didn’t feel very different from our New Year’s celebrations, aside from the different date; there was no countdown on screen or speech from Putin.

Most of my friends, who are primarily French, had never tasted Olivier salad, so I took it upon myself to prepare a large batch. I faced some challenges finding doctor’s sausage here due to its pork content, needing to check out a few shops with non-halal sections to source it. My friends loved the salad; we enjoyed the leftovers for breakfast. It brought back memories of home, where my family always has Olivier salad for breakfast on January 1. I think it actually tastes better then.

Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Dubai can feel surreal—sunny weather and sand instead of snow. But it gives me a reason to gather with my Russian friends, toast with champagne, and momentarily feel at home. On January 1, I plan to watch the Soviet New Year’s film ‘Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession,’ this time with French subtitles.”

Sergei, 30, IT specialist, Bucharest, Romania

“Olivier salad is an essential dish for New Year’s. The combination of Olivier, mandarins, and salmon roe embodies the holiday spirit for me. Even though I currently reside in Bucharest, this year, I’ll be celebrating New Year’s in Serbia with my partner. I hope to recreate a ‘traditional’ New Year’s Eve experience by cooking salads and finally watching ‘The Irony of Fate’ — I’ve never seen the complete film. It’s a strange tradition from the U.S.S.R., yet there’s something heartwarming about it. Will I manage? I can’t say for sure…

I must confess that since leaving Russia, I have begun to appreciate New Year’s more. It feels like a vital connection to my culture and traditions while abroad. However, part of me thinks, ‘We wouldn’t perish if we skip it and just go to bed,’ which I often contemplated even when I was in Russia.”

Anfisa, 29, animator, Paris

«This is my first Christmas and New Year’s in France. For New Year’s Eve, we plan to gather with a large group of friends and prepare Olivier salad. My mother used to make New Year’s sandwiches: baguette, pesto, and melted Camembert. I plan to recreate those. Even though these are very French ingredients, they evoke memories of family gatherings. There’s a Russian store near my home, and I hope to buy some red caviar there to share with my friends.

I’ll probably watch ‘Home Alone.’ It reminds me more of my childhood and home than Soviet films do. I was never a fan of ‘The Irony of Fate.’ At midnight, we’ll turn on the chimes, but without Putin’s message. Instead, we’ll tune in to Yekaterina Schulmann’s New Year’s address.”

Lena, 34, Tbilisi, Georgia

«A live Christmas tree is a significant tradition for me. It’s what we always did in my parents’ home when I was growing up. I thought I might forgo this custom when I moved from my small town to Moscow, as it’s challenging to navigate various Christmas tree markets in a large city without a car. But I couldn’t abandon it. The hunt for the perfect tree, the joy of finally finding one, and hauling it home on public transport became part of the tradition.

They don’t sell my favorite tree type in Tbilisi. The trees here lack the pine scent familiar in Russia. I had to smell every single tree at different markets to find that aroma, and I paid a premium for it. Yet, as soon as I bring this fragrant tree into my apartment, I feel instantly at home. I decorate it with lights and immerse myself in childhood memories, reminiscing about carefree times; it makes me feel safe.”

Dasha, 30, Canada

«This will be my third New Year’s Eve in Canada, where I live with my Lebanese husband. For him and many Canadians, New Year’s Eve is not the primary holiday; Christmas takes precedence.

I try to recreate my New Year’s traditions: making Olivier salad, buying kilos of mandarins, and seeking out red caviar in Russian stores. This helps me evoke the feeling of a familiar celebration.

This year, my friends and I saw the Soviet cartoon ‘The Snow Queen.’ Surprisingly, it was screened in Russian with English subtitles at a small independent cinema. For an immigrant, this opportunity to share a piece of my culture is incredibly valuable.

Conversely, it also helps you realize how absurd some things may seem from an outsider’s perspective. I tried to explain the plot of ‘The Irony of Fate’ to my husband: a group of men get intoxicated in a banya, mistakenly put someone else on a flight, and he ends up in a stranger’s apartment, where she surprisingly doesn’t object and eventually falls in love with him. And this is a movie that the entire country watches every New Year’s.”

Yekaterina, 29, Valencia, Spain

«I don’t sense the New Year atmosphere in southern Spain. For me, having a palm tree next to a Christmas tree creates a strong dissonance. This is my second New Year’s celebration here. Salads, sparkling wine, and watching musicals from the 2000s have become essential components of the celebration.

This year, we’re having a small gathering with Russian speakers and have invited friends from other nationalities. Salads like herring in a fur coat and Olivier are central to our tradition — it’s the one time I can indulge in so much mayonnaise. I haven’t embraced Spanish customs yet, especially since they lack many New Year’s traditions.

I can’t say I deeply miss my previous New Year celebrations, but I do long for the days when I spent them with my parents. Everyone was healthy and energetic; I received many gifts and had no worries. My favorite year, 2005, was just around the corner, and on January 1, we would visit the Christmas tree, and I would ride a pony. I’d watch cartoons like ‘Shrek,’ ‘Ice Age,’ and all the New Year’s musicals until January 7. Everything was different then. Perhaps it was because I didn’t have responsibilities then, or maybe life truly was better. Who knows?”

Kirill, Berlin

“My girlfriend and I left Russia about a month after the war commenced, right after I spent 15 days in a detention center near St. Petersburg for participating in an anti-war protest.

My feelings about celebrating New Year’s abroad are mixed. On one hand, there’s an undeniable sense of adventure since every year is unique. On the other hand, it’s hard to come to terms with the fact that I’m no longer celebrating the midnight arrival alongside my family and friends.

The easiest path is to retain my Russian identity and celebrate in a traditional manner. We usually buy the same products we would in Russia, although it takes longer to organize. Regardless of whether we watch Russian television, we certainly enjoy classic Soviet films, as that’s also a tradition. We’ll likely watch a speech, maybe even Zelensky’s message instead of Putin’s.

Overall, if we meet these conditions, it’s possible to recreate the atmosphere of a Russian New Year and mitigate feelings of isolation. Yet, there are minor details — like time zones, political differences, varying tastes in food, and being away from friends — that serve as reminders of being away from home.

At the same time, I’m willing to endure the challenges of celebrating New Year’s abroad if it means I don’t have to return to Russia. There, it’s common for television broadcasts to discuss how our soldiers are on the front lines, urging us to feel unity with them. I want no part of that unity. I can’t view them as compatriots, and I am completely disinterested in how they celebrate New Year’s. On the contrary, I aim to create as much distance from them as possible.”