Did you know that St. Petersburg is home to the northernmost Tibetan Buddhist temple in Russia? โจ
The Datsan Gunzechoinei (Buryat: ะาฏะฝะทััะพะนะฝัะน, Tibetan: เฝเฝดเฝเผเฝเฝขเพฉเฝบเผเฝเฝผเฝฆเผเฝเฝเฝฆ) was founded in 1909 and became a spiritual and cultural center for Buddhists in Russia.
Until 2014, before the datsan in Yakutsk was built, it proudly held the title of the only northernmost Buddhist temple in the country.
๐ฉท Go to Google map
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The Datsan Gunzechoinei (Buryat: ะาฏะฝะทััะพะนะฝัะน, Tibetan: เฝเฝดเฝเผเฝเฝขเพฉเฝบเผเฝเฝผเฝฆเผเฝเฝเฝฆ) was founded in 1909 and became a spiritual and cultural center for Buddhists in Russia.
Until 2014, before the datsan in Yakutsk was built, it proudly held the title of the only northernmost Buddhist temple in the country.
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โธ๏ธ Ice skating is a traditional Russian pastime
People were skating on ice in special boots even back in the times of the Russian tsars.
Peter the Great, Catherine II, Alexander I, Nicholas I, and Nicholas II all enjoyed ice skating.
Vladimir Putin also plays ice hockey and has taken part in games with the Night Hockey League ๐๐ท๐บ
In Russia, you can find an ice rink in almost every neighborhood during winter!
And Iโd love to share my favorite public ice rinks in St. Petersburg โธ๏ธโจ
โฝ๏ธ The Ice Rink at Flagstaff (Flagshtok) is the largest artificial ice rink in the world. It is located in the cultural space Flagstaff, which belongs to Zenit Football Club (St. Petersburg). Nearby, youโll find Gazprom Arena Stadium, the Lakhta Center skyscraper, and even an outdoor swimming pool!
๐ฒ The Forest Ice Rink (Lesnoy katok) is located in the northern part of the city, inside the all-season resort Okhta Park. The ice trails run right between spruce trees in the forest!
โต๏ธ New Holland (Novaya Gollandiya) is an island in the city center where Peter the Great originally planned to store and prepare timber for building ships for the young Russian Imperial Navy. Today, itโs a public space. In summer, we watch open-air movies on this lawn, and in winter, it turns into an ice rink!
๐ท๐บ The ice rink in Yelagin Island Park is special because you can watch a free ice theater performance of The Nutcracker, with music from Tchaikovskyโs ballet
๐ The Ice Rink by the Sea (Katok u morya). When the oldest German cable factory, founded in 1879, gave up its loading area where products were shipped onto vessels, the public space Sevkabel Port was created. In summer, this is one of the best places to watch sunsets โ and in winter, thereโs an ice rink right by the Gulf of Finland
๐ท๐บ P.S. When the Ministry of Emergency Situations officially announces, โThe ice is strong. Going out on the ice is allowed,โ you can skate on the frozen Gulf of Finland near the center of St. Petersburg โธ๏ธโ๏ธ
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People were skating on ice in special boots even back in the times of the Russian tsars.
Peter the Great, Catherine II, Alexander I, Nicholas I, and Nicholas II all enjoyed ice skating.
Vladimir Putin also plays ice hockey and has taken part in games with the Night Hockey League ๐๐ท๐บ
In Russia, you can find an ice rink in almost every neighborhood during winter!
And Iโd love to share my favorite public ice rinks in St. Petersburg โธ๏ธโจ
โฝ๏ธ The Ice Rink at Flagstaff (Flagshtok) is the largest artificial ice rink in the world. It is located in the cultural space Flagstaff, which belongs to Zenit Football Club (St. Petersburg). Nearby, youโll find Gazprom Arena Stadium, the Lakhta Center skyscraper, and even an outdoor swimming pool!
๐ฒ The Forest Ice Rink (Lesnoy katok) is located in the northern part of the city, inside the all-season resort Okhta Park. The ice trails run right between spruce trees in the forest!
โต๏ธ New Holland (Novaya Gollandiya) is an island in the city center where Peter the Great originally planned to store and prepare timber for building ships for the young Russian Imperial Navy. Today, itโs a public space. In summer, we watch open-air movies on this lawn, and in winter, it turns into an ice rink!
๐ The Ice Rink by the Sea (Katok u morya). When the oldest German cable factory, founded in 1879, gave up its loading area where products were shipped onto vessels, the public space Sevkabel Port was created. In summer, this is one of the best places to watch sunsets โ and in winter, thereโs an ice rink right by the Gulf of Finland
๐พ From Russia ๐ท๐บ With Meow ๐พ
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โจ๐๐ St. Petersburg is the city of white nights.
But few people know that we pay for this with very dark days.
St. Petersburg is close to the Arctic Circle, where there is a clear difference between polar day and polar night.
In June, we are happy because the night lasts only 5โ6 hours.
But we also know that in December the daylight lasts only 5โ6 hours.
This is very hard psychologically and very sad.
But this is not unique.
People live like this in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Canada.
Like all people in St. Petersburg, every winter I wait for December 22 โ the winter solstice, the longest night of the year โ with a happy thought:
โFrom now on, the days will get longer. Spring is coming.โ ๐ฑโจ
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But few people know that we pay for this with very dark days.
St. Petersburg is close to the Arctic Circle, where there is a clear difference between polar day and polar night.
In June, we are happy because the night lasts only 5โ6 hours.
But we also know that in December the daylight lasts only 5โ6 hours.
This is very hard psychologically and very sad.
But this is not unique.
People live like this in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Canada.
Like all people in St. Petersburg, every winter I wait for December 22 โ the winter solstice, the longest night of the year โ with a happy thought:
โFrom now on, the days will get longer. Spring is coming.โ ๐ฑโจ
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People work as usual, and children go to school.
In the evening, people go to the gym, help children with homework, or do shopping for the New Year holiday table.
I have to admit that many Russians who are not connected with international life do not even know that today is an important holiday in another part of the world.
We wait for the New Yearโs dinner on December 31 ๐โจ
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Russian Olivier salad, red caviar, Soviet champagne, Tchaikovskyโs The Nutcracker ballet, and a New Year tree ๐โจ
We are really looking forward to the evening of December 31 ๐โณ
โจ Happy New year!
โจ ะก ะะพะฒัะผ ะณะพะดะพะผ!
โจ S Novym godom!
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St. Petersburg is waiting for snow! โ๏ธ
We joke that without snow, there is no real New Year.
All December, the temperature was around zero: snow fell at night and melted in the morning, and there was a lot of rain.
Next week, we should finally get freezing temperatures and steady snowfall.
St. Petersburg is especially beautiful when it is dressed in white ๐คโจ
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We joke that without snow, there is no real New Year.
All December, the temperature was around zero: snow fell at night and melted in the morning, and there was a lot of rain.
Next week, we should finally get freezing temperatures and steady snowfall.
St. Petersburg is especially beautiful when it is dressed in white ๐คโจ
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My favorite beach under a white blanket ๐ค
Yesterday, I went for a walk to a small town about 35 km from the center of St. Petersburg, where I love watching summer sunsets.
This path leads straight to the Gulf of Finland, and around it there is sand covered with snow.
By the way, I took this photo at 7:10 PM.
I left the sound of winter waves from the Gulf of Finland in the comments ๐โ๏ธ
๐ Google Maps: Golden Beach in Zelenogorsk
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Yesterday, I went for a walk to a small town about 35 km from the center of St. Petersburg, where I love watching summer sunsets.
This path leads straight to the Gulf of Finland, and around it there is sand covered with snow.
By the way, I took this photo at 7:10 PM.
I left the sound of winter waves from the Gulf of Finland in the comments ๐โ๏ธ
๐ Google Maps: Golden Beach in Zelenogorsk
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๐ฒ The Forest Ice Rink (Lesnoy katok)
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In December, I received many Christmas greetings.
Each time, I politely explained that Christmas in Russia is celebrated in January.
โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ Today, my friend and I stopped by a church in our neighborhood, where the Christmas service began at midnight.
Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7, and the midnight service from the main cathedrals is broadcast on television โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ
Each time, I politely explained that Christmas in Russia is celebrated in January.
โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ Today, my friend and I stopped by a church in our neighborhood, where the Christmas service began at midnight.
Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7, and the midnight service from the main cathedrals is broadcast on television โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ
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๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ Televised broadcasts of the Christmas service, as well as other major Orthodox holidays, come from the main cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church โ the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow
๐ Live broadcast of the 2026 Christmas service from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
If you click through the broadcast timeline, you can see:
how beautiful the interior of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is
how the format of the service differs from Catholic or Protestant services
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If you click through the broadcast timeline, you can see:
how beautiful the interior of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is
how the format of the service differs from Catholic or Protestant services
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