Moscow Begins its 'Journey to Christmas'
Street fairs, ice skating, curling, and lots and lots of Christmas trees.
Despite concerns about coronavirus, the Moscow city government decided to celebrate Christmas and the New Year with its annual festival.
Called "The Journey to Christmas," the festival began this past weekend and will go until Jan. 9. Russia celebrates Christmas according to the old calendar on Jan. 7.
This year most of the activities are outdoors. There will be fairs in 27 venues around the city, 18 free ice skating rinks - out of a total of almost 1,500 rinks in the city - and a forest of decorated trees with an average height of eight meters.
In the city center, festivities are concentrated from Pushkin Square, along Tverskaya Ulitsa to Manege Square, Ploshchad Revolyutsii and the square before the Bolshoi Theater, with Kuznetsky Most the place where decorators and their trees show off their beauty.
Called "The Journey to Christmas," the festival began this past weekend and will go until Jan. 9. Russia celebrates Christmas according to the old calendar on Jan. 7.
This year most of the activities are outdoors. There will be fairs in 27 venues around the city, 18 free ice skating rinks - out of a total of almost 1,500 rinks in the city - and a forest of decorated trees with an average height of eight meters.
In the city center, festivities are concentrated from Pushkin Square, along Tverskaya Ulitsa to Manege Square, Ploshchad Revolyutsii and the square before the Bolshoi Theater, with Kuznetsky Most the place where decorators and their trees show off their beauty.
The theme on Tverskaya is "New Year's masquerade ball."
The traditional winter festival "Journey to Christmas" in Moscow.
Denis Grishkin / Moskva News Agency
Stands ands festivities will be open until 10 p.m. and until 11 p.m. on Red Square.
Evening decoration of Moscow for the New Year.
Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
The carousel on Tverskaya Ulitsa.
The sites of the traditional winter festival "Journey to Christmas" in Moscow.
Denis Grishkin / Moskva News Agency
Let souvenir shopping begin!
The sites of the traditional winter festival "Journey to Christmas" in Moscow.
Denis Grishkin / Moskva News Agency
The GUM fair on Red Square has more than 60 stands and four carousels.
Traditional New Year's GUM Fair on Red Square.
Andrei Nikerichev / Moskva News Agency
On Red Square you can buy everything from Belgium waffles to amber.
Traditional GUM New Year's Fair on Red Square.
Andrei Nikerichev / Moskva News Agency
Prime selfie venues.
Evening decoration of Moscow for the New Year.
Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
