Where to go for the New Year 2021 with a child –
In most European countries, winter is already beginning to come into its own, bringing back memories of the sprawling Christmas trees of childhood, bright tangerines and especially sweet candies that seem completely unusual during the holidays. And what a delight cause gifts in colorful wrappers, fireworks and New Year's installations, which are found everywhere. Constantly being in such an atmosphere, involuntarily you begin to think about where to go for the New Year with a child, because modernity provides a lot of options.
Veliky Ustyug – the birthplace of Santa Claus
As a child, Santa Claus, although he seemed more than a real character, the prospect of live communication with him was perceived as something impossible, but not today, when each Santa Claus has acquired his own residence. The Russian father of the New Year lives in Veliky Ustyug. This address has been official since the end of the twentieth century. Why this particular city? It is difficult to answer unambiguously. The local history began in the twelfth century, however, this is unlikely to impress the young guests of the ice residence. Snow and dense forest – it is in such scenery that Santa Claus must live.
Old Russian houses, beautiful churches, covered with a thin frosty crust, workshops, where today they continue to paint birch bark and engage in lace. But the main goal of such trips is a meeting with Santa Claus himself, whose patrimony, according to all the canons, is located in an impenetrable pine forest. The Russian Terem, the post office where letters from all children come and from where you can send a real letter with the seal of Santa Claus, the Throne Room and the Fairy Tale Trail, along which children walk with pleasure – for this it is worth visiting Veliky Ustyug.
Kostroma – the birthplace of the Snow Maiden
The residence of the Snow Maiden is more modest than the house of Del Frost. It is located in Kostroma, in which a real corner of the fairy tale about the Berendeev kingdom with its main attributes has been reconstructed. The two-story log tower is home not only to the Snow Maiden herself, but also to many fairy-tale characters, for example, the cat Bayun, Brownie, Baba Yaga and others. Many rooms of the tower are built in such a way as to conduct interactive tours of the house.
Entering the realm of eternal cold without outerwear is strongly discouraged, since some local halls are entirely made of ice – we are also talking about decor and furniture, so the temperature often drops to minus fifteen. Ice halls are made by local craftsmen from frozen lake water. Each guest of the Snow Maiden at parting receives a real Russian amulet and a scattering of ancient legends about the large population of Russian forests and swamps.
Sochi – conquering the snowy slopes
Sochi can hardly be called a city that is instantly associated with a winter extravaganza: the city of the eternal sun remains quite warm even in winter – there is no need to talk about blizzards, but even so it is definitely worth visiting for the New Year with children. Of course, the first place in the list of must-sees is occupied by Sochi Park, which is divided into six independent zones in which the Firebird, the heroes, the Serpent Gorynych and other characters live.
At the same time, the park also has numerous themed attractions, a museum of the so-called entertaining sciences, a dolphinarium, the local residence of the Snow Maiden and Father Frost. But you can celebrate the New Year in a different company – with Baba Yaga, Koshchei, Babai and other “villains” in the hut of the owner of the bone leg. Children may also like a visit to one of the water parks in Sochi or to an extreme park, where adult guests of Sochi also visit with pleasure.
Gold ring of Russia
A tour of the most ancient cities of Russia on New Year's Eve will be an excellent gift for any child, because the Golden Ring on the eve of the holidays is fairs, street performances, endless tea parties and an influx of fabulous evil spirits. There are several cities that are highly recommended to visit. First of all, this is Ivanovo, where the Serpent Gorynych throws a chic feast right on the eve of the holiday: kebabs, cabbage soup, fragrant tea from a samovar and cheesecakes in the company of fairy-tale heroes. From Ivanovo, the easiest way to get to Shuya Lukomorye, where real Christmas divination takes place.
Leshy also lives here, who is not at all against guests at the festive table. It is worth dropping into Kostroma for a visit to the Snow Maiden, who will cordially welcome guests in her tower. Of course, a New Year's tour cannot do without a visit to the residence of Father Frost in Veliky Ustyug. This city is included in the program of all Golden Ring tours.
Paris – the whole family to Disneyland
Holiday decorations appear at Disneyland on November 9th, and themed events continue until January 7th, so it's not necessary to come to Paris on the very eve of the holiday, when the city will be packed with locals and numerous tourists. The local Santa Claus or Per Noel moves his residence right to Disneyland on Christmas Eve. His “office” is set up right in the very center of the park. Of course, Per Noel does not do without assistants – the elves work tirelessly to prepare gifts.
The Father of Christmas travels on a sleigh in the company of various fairy-tale characters who are happy to take fellow travelers. All rides are operating as normal, except that indoor rides are becoming more popular. Trays with hot pastries and drinks appear on the streets – winter in France, despite the peculiarities of climatic conditions, is far from always mild. In the evenings, Disneyland hosts a traditional Christmas parade that moves through the entire park from the princess's castle illuminated by bright lasers. This spectacle is worth staying at Disneyland until dark.
Fairytale Prague
Festive Prague is an endless fair. It is this city that is best visited with children, because Prague itself is a real fairy tale city, and powdered with snow, smelling of pastries, brightly illuminated with illumination, it becomes completely magical. In the Czech Republic, it is customary to pamper children,
but this also applies to foreign visitors to the country. You can go to any of the fairgrounds to meet the local Santa Claus, who carries with him a box with the Book of Sins, in which, of course, tomboys are recorded, however, everyone receives gifts.
A portly grandfather in red clothes usually walks in the company of an Angel and the Devil, who help him distribute gifts, while the Devil traditionally tries to give coals to children. Do not be surprised if, at the end of the trip to the cafe, the child finds a small gift – Hedgehog visited him – the fourth spirit of the holiday, which no one has seen, but which regularly performs its duties.
To Mikulas in Hungary
New Year's Budapest begins the main celebrations on the sixth of December on the day of Mikulas, who visits every house in the company of angels and draws, filling small boots, carefully left by children, to the eyeballs. However, it is not at all necessary to come to Hungary on the very eve of the holiday – even if you exclude a meeting with Mikulas himself, in the same Budapest there is guaranteed to be something to entertain little travelers. The Chocolate Museum sounds delicious.
A small factory that seems to have come out of a fairy tale about Charlie and the golden ticket and dozens of types of chocolate made according to old recipes. The House of Wonders is an interactive museum that will be interesting for both adults and children – the guide will show the basic physical and chemical laws with examples, and then invite visitors to conduct their own experiments. Keeping in mind that such trips are designed for children, you should expect bright smoke and safe fireworks. The planetarium and the circus are huge pavilions where you can see the universe – the world of space and the world of a costume show with applause and a parade of masks.
To Santa Claus in Lapland
Lapland, centered in Rovaniemi, is the dream of thousands of children around the world. This town, located almost at the Arctic Circle, is the home of Santa Claus, who lives in his own village. Here you can not only meet the hospitable owner himself, but also visit the post office, with which you can send a letter with a collectible Santa Claus stamp to any part of the world, ride various attractions that are located in the theme park outside the village, and even go to a real school for the elves in the brightness of her paraphernalia.
As a souvenir, you can pick up something from the products of local Lapland craftsmen, who carefully preserve the traditions of their centuries-old crafts. A peculiar touch that complements the overall Christmas and New Year picture is the giant northern lights, which forever froze over the village of Santa Claus, even if not in the sky, but on a huge screen that replaces this sky.
At sea in Thailand
A trip to Thailand for New Year's Eve involves variability – any child will appreciate the prospect of celebrating this day three times – in accordance with different cultural traditions. A special contrast with the tropical, Thai atmosphere is the celebration of winter days in a typical European flavor – with Christmas trees, tinsel and illumination, although this option of celebration became available relatively recently – only in the middle of the twentieth century. It is best to go to the Andaman coast, although there are no special criteria for choosing a vacation spot – almost every hotel offers its own entertainment program and celebration traditions, so you can just trust your intuition and choose the part of the coast that you like best.