Is Russian "New Year" really different from American "Christmas"? Both are about a certain old man giving gifts to children, both are about a certain kind of tree, etc. From what I gathered, it's not really a religious holiday in USA either - there's little about Jesus. The names are different, the dates and customs are different, but the essence is same.
Yes, it's mostly the same thing. The old man is called "дед мороз", literally "grandfather frost". As a child you'll find your gift from him under the tree in the morning of January 1st. I believe North Americans' Santa Claus puts gifts into socks on Christmas night instead?
By the way, all of this applies to other ex-USSR countries too, including at least Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
US also has gifts under a tree. (There is also candy in socks, but I feel like that’s more of a small children thing and really only in areas where lots of homes have fireplaces.)
