Christmas in Russia then return home for the traditional Christmas Eve "Holy Supper", which consists of 12 dishes, one to honour each of the Twelve Apostles. Devout families will then return to church for the "всенощная" All Night Vigil. Then again, on Christmas Morning, for the "заутренняя" Divine Liturgy of the Nativity. Since 1992 Christmas has become a national holiday in Russia, as part of the ten-day holiday at the start of every new year. In Russia, the Christmas holiday has become the official celebration with the baptism of Rus' ordered by Prince Vladimir in the late 10th century. However, given the early
Christmas Eve (opera) Christmas Eve (opera) Christmas Eve (, "Noch' pered Rozhdestvom"), is an opera in four acts with music and libretto by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Composed between 1894 and 1895, Rimsky-Korsakov based his opera on a short story, "Christmas Eve", from Nikolai Gogol's "Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka". The story had been used as the basis for an opera at least three times previously, including for Tchaikovsky's "Vakula the Smith" (1874). Oliver Knussen writes that "Rimsky is only interested in recreating the atmosphere of the folk-tale, fleshing it out for his stage pageant in a comparable way to Humperdinck in "Hansel". Gerald