Russia celebrates Christmas with grand celebrations despite the entire country being covered in snow. Similar to other Eastern Orthodox countries, Russia also celebrates Christmas on January 7. Russia was ruled by communists for a very long period of time, so Christmas, just like other religious holidays, could not gain much popularity among the people. Christmas was even replaced by the “Winter Festival”. Most people in Russia were atheists and that's why they didn't celebrate Christmas for a long period of time. Since 1992, the celebration of Christmas has been revived in Russia and is now gaining popularity year after year. Russian Christmas traditions are very different from those of the rest of the world, although the spirit and theme of the celebration remain the same. On Christmas Eve, members of the Orthodox Church attend religious services. And nowadays even the president of Russia has started attending these characteristic religious services in Moscow. In Russia, many people observe fasting during the Christmas season. The number of fasting days varies from person to person. Generally people fast for 30 days. Some people fast for up to 40 days. With the appearance of the first evening star the fast ends. In Russia, January 6 is celebrated as a public holiday. During this time so many long prayer sessions and religious services are held in many churches. People decorate their homes and yards with Christmas lights, flowers and decorations. In Russia, Christmas trees are called "Yelka". They decorate these Christmas trees with glitter, ornaments, beautiful flowers, lights and gifts. With so many delicacies, the Russian Christmas celebration is truly special and unique. The party consists of a 12-course dinner that includes beetroot soup, stuffed cabbage, dried fruit and many other delicacies. All the family members gather around the table and worship with great devotion. Every object used in these celebrations symbolizes something, a traditional white tablecloth is used which symbolizes the poverty of the place where baby Jesus was born. A large candle is placed in the center of the table to symbolize that Christ is the only light of the entire universe. The special lantern bread called "pagach" represents that Jesus is the bread of life. The most significant dish of the Christmas holiday is "Kutya", a special porridge made from wheat berries. The Eastern Orthodox Christian Christmas feast (Lenten meal) is quite different in that it avoids all meat and dairy products.