From country to country, continent to continent, Le Monde's journalists and correspondents tell us how people celebrate the arrival of the new year, with what kind of alcohol and according to what tradition.
Russia: When the vodka glasses are empty, the local champagne flows freely
After vodka, champagne! Whatever the political context, war or no war, whatever the economic circumstances, crisis or no crisis, the Russians pop the champagne at midnight on December 31. Before opening the bottle, they wait for the 12 chimes of the huge Kremlin clock, invariably broadcast on television just after the speech and greetings of the president, Vladimir Putin.
On the festive table, around the many zakouskis, the vodka glasses are empty. This sacrosanct Russian drink has accompanied the New Year’s Eve meal throughout the evening and will continue to set the rhythm for the night’s unchanging toasts. But for New Year’s Eve, which is celebrated at home because it also serves as a Christmas party, the bubbles of champagne – Russian, not French – dominate, with family, in town or at the dacha and on television too, where pre-recorded programs show celebrities kissing each other, glasses in hand.
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