Original Celebration of Christmas and New Year: Anthropology of Festive Practices Introduction: Ritual as a Creative Act Originality in celebrating Christmas and New Year does not mean a rejection of tradition, but often a deep reprocessing or the creation of new rituals in response to changes in the socio-cultural context. From a scientific point of view, these practices can be considered as a form of cultural innovation, where archaic symbols, modern technology, and individual creative impulse intertwine. Originality manifests itself in the choice of location, format, participants, and semantics of the celebration. Extreme and eco-oriented location Shifting the celebration from the domestic space to unusual environments is becoming increasingly popular. Arctic and Antarctic Christmas: For staff at polar stations, the holiday is a key event fighting isolation and polar night. Rituals here are exaggerated: not only the Christmas tree is decorated, but also the equipment, a special dinner is prepared from supplies, and a "journey" to the conditional "North Pole" is organized. In 1902, Robert Scott's expedition celebrated Christmas in Antarctica, using penguins as a festive dish. High-altitude and cave celebrations: Celebrating New Year on the peak of a mountain (Elbrus, Kilimanjaro) or in a cave becomes a test symbolizing overcoming and the beginning of a new cycle with a "clean slate". Such practices date back to archaic mountain cults as places of power. Underwater Christmas: Diving in aquariums and diving clubs involves diving with a decorated artificial Christmas tree. This is an example of fully transferring the holiday to another element, where familiar actions acquire a new, surreal dimension. Technological transformation of the ritual The digital era has given rise to forms of celebration that were impossible before. Virtual Christmas in metaverses: Creating digital avatars, "visiting" virtual cathedrals (e.g., in VRChat), exchanging NFT gifts. This ... Read more