TASS, FACTBOX. A century-old fir selected for the Moscow Kremlin was felled in the Ruzsky Municipal District of the Moscow Region on December 8, 2025. Two days were needed for its packing and readiness for shipment. After that, the tree was placed onto a dedicated transport convoy and brought to the Kremlin on December 10.
On December 23, Russia’s main New Year tree was set up in the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square, fully decorated and ready for the holidays. For the first time, snowflakes measuring 80 and 115 centimeters were used for the decorations.
On January 1, 2026, the new year will begin. TASS has prepared this factbox with background information on the history of Russia’s traditional New Year’s celebration.
The first Christmas trees in Russia appeared during a period that historians often refer to as the Time of Troubles (1598-1613), which followed the Polish invasion. This tradition failed to take root then. During the reign of Peter the Great (1672-1725), conifer trees began to be set up on New Year’s Eve on Moscow’s Cathedral Square and in Merchant Yard (the then equivalent of today’s indoor shopping malls). The custom was borrowed from the Europeans that resided in Moscow’s German Quarter.
