Traditions of Moscow
The capital of Russia, with its Orthodox Easter, Maslenitsa pancake week and the festive dacha table.
Moscow has been the seat of power for six centuries, and its domes and walls frame Red Square. Russian traditions of the home are strong: the samovar tea, the pie, the winter dacha, the New Year tree and the banya, the steam bath, shared with friends on weekends.
Maslenitsa and New Year
Maslenitsa, the pancake week before Lent, celebrates the end of winter with blini, sledding and the burning of a straw effigy. The New Year, Novy God, is the main family holiday, with a decorated fir, a visit from Ded Moroz, Grandfather Frost, and his granddaughter, and a champagne toast at midnight. At Orthodox Easter, kulich cakes are blessed.
At the table
Borshch, pelmeni, dumplings, pirozhki, blini with caviar, and salad Olivier are served for the holidays. Kvass is a bread drink. Tea is made in a samovar and poured with jam. Vodka is poured with a toast, and zakuski, cold starters, accompany it.
Signature traditions of Moscow
Also part of it, and being written: Ded Moroz (The Russian Father Christmas.), Banya (The steam bath.).
A trail idea for Moscow
- Izmailovo Market Buy crafts.
- Sandunovsky baths Take a banya.
- Red Square See St Basil's.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Maslenitsa: Лобачев Владимир, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Novy God: Евгений Самарин, CC BY 4.0, source
- Palm Sunday: Pietro Lorenzetti, Public domain, source
- Christmas in Russia: Gzen92, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Samovar: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Zakuski: Timothy Post, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dormition of the Mother of God: El Greco, Public domain, source
- Intercession of the Theotokos: SNCH, CC BY-SA 4.0, source