Representation of Russian Holiday Traditions in Cinema

The article examines the representation of festive traditions in Russian cinema, focusing primarily on New Year celebrations as an important element of cultural identity and the collective memory of Russian society. The aim of the study is to identify the ways in which New Year’s rituals are reflected and transformed in Russian films and to determine the cultural functions of these representations. The methodological framework incorporates cultural and semiotic approaches, as well as elements of visual analysis, allowing us to consider film as a system of signs and cultural messages. Particular attention is paid to how the visual and ritual components of the holiday are reproduced, interpreted, and transformed in screen culture, shaping media rituals, cultural codes, and enduring New Year’s myths. It is emphasized that cinema not only conveys established holiday practices but also participates in their reinterpretation, defining emotional models for experiencing the holiday and constructing a national image of the New Year in contemporary Russia.