Dear Jackie,Thanks for your last letter! On the topic of holidays in Russia, I can tell you that Christmas is not as popular in Russia as it is in Britain. Instead, we celebrate New Year's Eve more fervently here.Is it true that you celebrate Christmas on December 25th? Here we celebrate it on the January 7th. It is traditionally celebrated by religious believers, whereas I heard that in Britain people of all faiths and even atheists celebrate Christmas too. Am I right? My favourite holiday is New Year's Eve, as we put up a fir tree and have a big meal on this day and meet up with friends or relatives. Other holidays we celebrate include Women's Day, Men's Day and Victory Day. We also celebrate the start of Spring for one whole week and we call this time 'Maslenitsa'. What do you call the day when you celebrate the beginning of lent by making pancakes? Write back soon, Sasha (its more than 140 words, 140 words is such a small amountm, its ridiculous!)