New Year makes Russians go childish

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Alina Lobzina – December 26, 2012)

Russian lavish New Year’s celebrations provide the chance to “fall into childhood” which Russians happily enjoy, a psychology professor told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

The superstition about wearing something new, stacking up on figures of animal symbols of the year and rhyming wishes might seem unnecessary to many, but not those who sincerely hope to see their wishes made on New Year’s night come true in the future.

Yekatarina Mikhailova, department head at the Moscow State University for Psychology and Pedagogics, said magical and mystical things just “stick to” the time of interannual transition.

“[That] means that people believe that reality depends on the power of their own wishes and the accuracy of rituals which is characteristic for the way children and ancient people used to think,” she told the news agency.

The most recent poll from the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) also states that most Russian optimists cannot explain the grounds for their optimism.

Most of the 26 percent of Russians who believe 2013 to be a better year for them say their expectations are based on their faith in the best, the pollster wrote on its website on Tuesday.

Pessimists, who numbered just 8 percent, were more precise saying their skepticism was due to the discouraging economic outlook, according to the survey for which 1,500 people were polled in 43 Russian regions earlier in December.

The overall trend for both, wishful thinkers and their bound-to-the-ground compatriots, saw their ranks slightly dwindling in comparison with the poll taken last year.

The group of undecided about their future grew by 5 percent and now stands at 28 percent, while the number of those who do not expect any changes remain at last year’s mark of 37 percent.