Take a Break: Russian New Year’s/Select an Animal Totem for the New Year

With this being New Year’s Eve, there are two activities for you to consider. 

The first is a carry over of December’s Russian Christmas. New Years is the big event and Salad “Olivier” will grace most Russian New Year’s tables. In fact, my Ukrainian/Russian friend recently made this for me and said that it’s traditional to serve this salad at any festive occasion. In general, recipes call for potatoes, carrots, eggs, boiled meat, green peas, pickles and mayonnaise.

The original salad was invented in the 1860s by a French trained chef-Lucien Olivier- who was at the Hermitage Restaurant, one of Moscow’s most famous restaurants that closed in 1917. The original dressing was made with French wine, vinegar, mustard and olive oil.

Try one of the following recipes:

• Salad Olivier 

• Russian Potato Salad 

• Russian Salad “Olivie” 

Start your New Year by selecting an animal totem as your theme. While we think of animal totems as connected with Native Americans, animal signs are common through out the world and in many diverse cultures.

Ways to pick your animal totem for the year: 

• Take a walk in the woods, your neighborhood or just look out your window. The first animal can be your totem for 2015.  You can “Google” the animal and meaning, or start with List of Animals Totems A-Z

• If you don’t live in an area where there are many naturally occurring animals, learn your animal totem by taking the on-line quiz, What is Your Spirit Animal.

• Learn the various Zodiac signs connected with your birthday:

- Native American Zodiac Sign Meaning 

- Chinese Zodiac: Based on the date and year of your birth.