1-13-2015 Old Russian New Year

Ingrid and Yuri invited us over to their boat to celebrate the Old Russian New Year.

Yuri said this was the New Year according to the calendar Russia used prior to 1915.

We enjoyed another fantastic dinner cooked by Ingrid.  This huge meal was preceded by a delicious salad and cheddar
broccoli soup.  (Cara got the best rice and beans instead of the prime rib.)

After dinner Yuri performed the old Russian tradition of predicting what the new year held for us.

We took turns wadding up a sheet of newspaper and placing it on the tray.  Yuri would light it on fire, then shine the flashlight
at the burning newspaper and see what the shadow looked like against the hanging sheet.

Eric had a snail, and Yuri said that meant he would progress slowly but steadily this year, but in a straight line.

Mine (Cara's) was a dog, meaning that I would get a dog this year.  (I think Mark and Sabrina put him up to that because they really want us to move down here and get a Belizean dog.)

Sabrina's was a rabbit, meaning she would get a rabbit this year, or she would be running around like a rabbit.

Mark had a gibnut (a kind of local rat that is eaten here), so he might find some near his house.  Mark is cool with that because he likes gibnut and says it tastes like pulled pork.

Ingrid's was a house and dog, meaning she would get a house and a dog.  Makes sense, since they are in the process of building a house.  They have one dog, but who knows if they'll get another.

Yuri had a dragon, and that brought many jokes about him breathing fire.  I can't remember what he said it really meant.