provinces of Georgia. In most songs these words are used: "" () – 'on December 25 Christ was born in Bethlehem'. A local variant of the Christmas tree, called chichilaki, is made of soft wooden material with curled branches. Sometimes it is made of hazelnut branches carved into a Tree of Life-like shape and decorated with fruits and sweets. The Western custom of a Christmas tree () is also popular and has been imported through Russia. The Georgian equivalent of Santa Claus is known as (or in western Georgian dialects), literally meaning 'Grandfather Snow', and is traditionally portrayed with long white beard, dressed in chokha, the national costume, and wearing a fur cloak, . Russia As in some other Eastern Orthodox countries, and due to the 13-day difference between the newer Gregorian calendar and the older Julian calendars, Christmas is celebrated on January 7. Unlike its Western counterparts, Christmas is mainly a religious event in Russia. On Christmas Eve (January 6), there are several long services, including the Royal Hours and Vespers combined with the Divine Liturgy. The family will then return home for the traditional Christmas Eve "Holy Supper", which consists of 12 dishes, one to honor each of the Twelve Apostles. Devout families will then return to church for the or All Night Vigil, or watch the national liturgy on television, which airs from Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. On Christmas morning the – Divine Liturgy of the Nativity – is held, and families return to their local churches to attend. Since 1992 Christmas has become a national holiday in Russia, as part of the ten-day holiday at the start of every new year. During the Soviet period, religious celebrations were discouraged by the officially atheist state. Christmas trees and related celebrations were gradually eradicated after the October Revolution. In 1935, in a surprising turn of state politics, the Christmas tradition was adopted as part of the secular New Year celebration. These include the decoration of a tree, or (spruce), festive decorations and family gatherings, the visit by gift-giving Ded Moroz ( 'Grandfather Frost') and his granddaughter, Snegurochka (, 'the Snow Maiden'). Many of these were brought to Russia by Peter the Great after his Western travels in the late 17th century. Christmas is known as Quviasukvik in the federal subject of Chukotka, and is marked by the Chukchi, the Yupik and the Aleut as their New