Blog - Chasing the adventure

Presidents’ day – День Президента

18 февраля 2019 года Соединенные Штаты отмечали «День Президентов» ( Presidents’ Day),официальное название «День рождения Джорджа Вашингтона» (Washington’s Birthday ) — федеральный праздник, который празднуется каждый третий понедельник февраля. Посвящён должности Президента США. Традиционно праздник приурочен ко дню рождения Джорджа Вашингтона (первого Президента Соединенных Штатов 1789-1797).

Обелиcк в честь первого Американского Президента Джорджа Вашингтона

История Дня Президента.

День Президента был учрежден в 1799 году после смерти Президента Джорджа Вашингтона, вперые отмечался 22 февраля 1800 года. Помимо этого, во многих штатах отмечалось 12 февраля – день рождения Авраама Линкольна, который был Президентом во время гражданской войны 1861- 1865. Изначально День рождения Вашингтона отмечался неофициально. Но в конце 1870-х годов он стал федеральным праздником.

Tatiana’s day

Tatiana Day is a Russian religious holiday observed on 25 January according to the Gregorian calendar ( January 12 according to the Julian). It is named after Saint Tatiana. The Martyress Tatiana lived in Rome at the turn of the II-III centuries, during the reign of Emperor Alexander the Severus. According to legend, for refusing to sacrifice to Apollo, Tatiana was tortured. But the next day her wounds always healed, and statues of pagan gods were destroyed three times through her prayer. Tatiana and her father were executed on 12 January 226. Later, Tatiana of Rome was proclaimed a Saint, and the day of her death became Tatiana’s day.

My traditional New Year’s salad

I think that in every country and every family there is a traditional New Year’s menu.

In Russia, Olivier salad is not losing its leading position. People even formed an association: if Olivier is on the table, then we celebrate the New Year. There are many recipes for this salad. In every family it is delicious and unique.

The original version of the salad was invented in the 1860s by French cook Lucien Olivier, the chef of the Hermitage, one of Moscow’s restaurants. Olivier’s salad quickly became popular with Hermitage regulars, and became the restaurant’s signature dish. It is known that the salad contained grouse, veal tongue, caviar, lettuce, crayfish tails, capers, and smoked duck, although it is possible that the recipe was varied seasonally. The original Olivier dressing was a type of mayonnaise, made with French wine vinegar, mustard, and Provençal olive oil; its exact recipe, however, remains unknown.

Old New Year

The old new year is the strangest and most confusing Russian holidays.

The night from the 13th to the 14th of January is called Old New Year. Russia began to celebrate New Year on January 1 in 1700 by decree of Peter I, and to celebrate the Old New year began in 1918. The Old New Year or the Orthodox New Year is an informal traditional holiday, celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian Calendar.

The Gregorian calendar was established by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Russia was one of the few countries that refused to change to the Gregorian calendar, and continued to celebrate all its holidays as before, according to Julian calendar, which was 13 days ahead of the Gregorian (European). Russia’s “Old” New Year is celebrated on January 14^th according to the Julian, or Orthodox, calendar.

12 Facts about me

A few facts about me:

I am Russian living in the US
I grew up in Siberia but love the ocean

3. I love Boston, USA and Saint Petersburg, Russia

4. Lately I read only in English but watch movies in Russian

5. I am a city girl but grow tomatoes, cucumbers and etc

6. I am a good cook but don’t do it often

7. I like to eat and always on a diet

8. I work a lot, but call myself lazy

9. I like walking in the rain and making snowmen

10. I like to knit, crochet, sew, ski and dance

11. I have a weird dog

12. I am very practical but believe in miracle

If you know me feel free to add more facts ….

New Year’s Eve

All people spend New Year’s Eve in different ways. Someone with friends goes to the sauna, someone makes salads. But my husband and I cleaned the chimney.

In fact, we try to do everything in advance. Therefore, chimney sweeps came to us in the summer. Apparently, they didn’t do their job very well. In autumn my husband and I noticed the frequent smell of smoke while using the fireplace. Then it became worse. Smoke detector began to turn on regularly and loudly. Imagine the situation: my husband drowns the fireplace, and suddenly-a loud smoke detector signal, the dog howls (he does not like sharp sounds), I wave the towel, trying to ward off the smoke from the sensor….really a madhouse. A couple of times, we even opened the window.

31 декабря

Все люди проводят сочельник Нового года по – разному. Кто-то с друзьями ходит в баню, кто-то режет салатики. А вот мы с мужем 31 декабря (2018 г) чистили каминную трубу.

На самом деле мы стараемся все делать заранее. Поэтому трубочисты приезжали к нам летом. Судя по всему, они не очень хорошо выполнили свою работу. Осенью мы с мужем обратили внимание на частый запах дыма во время пользования камином. Дальше стало хуже. Детектор дыма стал включаться регулярно и громко. Представьте ситуацию: муж топит камин, и вдруг – громкий сигнал дымового детектора, пес воет (он не любит резких звуков), я машу полотенцем, пытаясь отогнать дым от датчика….дурдом да и только. Пару раз даже открывали окно.

Мои Американские Работы

Сегодня хочу рассказать о моих американских работах. И хотя я живу в Америке только в течении пяти лет, готовьтесь к длинному рассказу. Напишу в хронологическом порядке, а потом – пояснения.