Happy New Year!

カリーナ講師

ロシアでのお正月の過ごし方や幼少期の思い出について語ってくれています。

また、お気に入りのホットワインのレシピも載せています。

カリーナ講師にとってお正月は特別な休日のようですね。

みなさんはどのようにお正月休みを過ごしていますか。

Hello Everybody! This is Karina. It’s getting really cold outside and that means that my favorite holiday is coming! It's a New Year. I find it very interesting, that unlike many other countries, where Christmas is much more important than New Year as a holiday, both Russia and Japan put New Year on the first place.

Russians have a great tradition of celebrating it - they all get together and make lots of food, than they drink sparkling wine and watch New Year's TV programs the whole night. On 31st of December everybody is waiting for the midnight - to have a big dinner, play in the snow and watch the fireworks.

  

Beautiful Russian winter
美しいロシアの冬

For me, New Year always brings back the best memories from the childhood. It is a white snow on the ground and a blue ice on the lakes, it's a smell of oranges and homemade gingerbread, it's colorful lights everywhere on the streets, it's a cozy warm blanket and hot chocolate, it's all my favorite Christmas Movies ("Home Alone" never gets old!:) , it's fireworks and presents under the Christmas tree.

Our Christmas tree last year.
昨年のクリスマスツリー

New Year’s Eve is a very special time. That's why I want to ask all of you to stop for a minute and look around you - the whole world is about to step into the New Life. Make your own step too, and let it be a confident one, made with a happy smile on your face:)

In addition, I want to share one of my favorite recipes with you. It’s called “Mulled wine”, which is a hot wine with spices and fruits. It’s popular all over the world now,  but the origins of this drink come from Germany, where it’s called “Gluhwein”.

“Come the festive season, there's nothing better than a spiced, warming glass of mulled wine” J. Oliver
（ジェイミー・オリバーの言葉）

Ingredients:

1 bottle of red wine (you can choose any wine you like)

2 small oranges or 1 big orange

1 apple

5 tablespoons of brown sugar or honey

1 cinnamon stick

2 stars of anise

1/4 of a teaspoon of nutmeg

Directions:

Pill the orange and cut it into 4 pieces.  Cut the apple into small cubes.

Combine wine, sugar, spices, orange pills and apple cubes into the pot, than squeeze the orange into that mix.

Turn the heat on and keep heating for about 10 minutes, making sure it doesn't come to a boil and stirring occasionally to make sure the honey dissolves.

When the wine is steaming and the ingredients have been well blended it is ready to serve.

Mulled wine can be left on the stove to heat for many hours.  It can also be stored in the fridge and reheated the next day.

I hope you enjoy your holidays as much as you can! I wish you all the best and… I see you next year!