The Tsikhanouskis have their first family New Year in 5 years. How do they put up the Christmas tree and who will cut the salads?

— When do you put up the Christmas tree? Tell us what kind you choose. Are there any family rituals, favorite toys for the children?

— In Belarus, we had a real one at the dacha. In the apartment, we put up an artificial one. There is a favorite set of toys, but it remained in our apartment in Belarus. Here, the toys are mostly gifts from Belarusians or friends. Handmade angels, straw spiders, and other wonderful things made with their own hands.

The most important thing for us on New Year's is to be together, the whole family. Siarhei always came back from any business trips. We prepared for the holiday, awaited guests, sometimes we went to the dacha just as a family, and if we stayed in the city, we went to the city Christmas tree. This tradition was interrupted for the first time on January 1, 2020: Siarhei was detained for participating in rallies against integration with Russia in defense of Belarus's sovereignty, which Mikalai Statkevich held in December 2019. And for the next five years, you yourselves know how it was.

And now we are together again. It's time to revive family traditions, or even establish new ones. We'll see how it goes.

— Now you are not just husband and wife, parents, but political leaders. What does your New Year's table look like and what can't you do without? Will you cook yourselves or order delivery?

— It's the first time we'll be celebrating together in this capacity! We will cook, of course. Previously, we always gathered with a large company, with friends, relatives, so there was always a huge variety of dishes on the New Year's table. This year it will only be our family, the four of us. So we don't need a lot of food, so it doesn't spoil, but also enough so there's something to finish eating on January 1st!

I think the New Year's table will be like everyone else's: "peas" (Olivier salad), "corn" (with crab sticks), and herring under a fur coat. And, of course, how can we do without Tsikhanouski-style cutlets!

— Who in the family cuts the salads and who will be responsible for them this year: Siarhei or Sviatlana?

— Whoever is free, cuts them. I hope this time both of them will have time. So we'll work together. And the children will join in: they are grown up now, they will help. But the grill and meat are always Siarhei's responsibility.

“I no longer believe in miracles”

— When do you usually sit down at the table? And is there that familiar phrase for many, "it's still far from 12, but we've already eaten"?

— Habits change over time. It depends on whose company you're celebrating with; usually, we sat down an hour or two before.

You know, usually mothers say: "Don't touch it, that's for New Year's!" But I don't see anything wrong with having a quiet dinner this year, and on New Year's, just drinking champagne, making a wish, and not sitting at the table until "victory." I think we'll sit down at the table together with Belarusians according to Belarusian time, to see off the old year and welcome the New!

— Do you watch your New Year's address with your children? This year, Siarhei will be able to watch it for the first time. Did your family watch Lukashenka's address before, and do you pay attention to it now?

— We watched what was shown; there wasn't really a choice. But primarily, we watched the clock, so as not to miss New Year's. Now there is a choice, and, of course, we watch our address. Firstly, I also see it in its final version for the first time. Well, and I'm not alone – there are many Belarusians. By the way, we definitely watch Zelensky's address too. And after midnight — New Year's shows made by Belarusians: on "Belsat," "Malanka," and other media.

— At 00:00, do you make a wish?

— We definitely make one! And this time, it partially came true! Siarhei was released, and almost 200 more political prisoners were released. That's very cool. But honestly, I no longer believe in miracles. Everything is achieved through work and effort. Therefore, wishes are like a goal that we must strive for.

— Do you give each other gifts? Do you open them immediately after the New Year begins?

— Absolutely. We try to put them under the Christmas tree for the children. For ourselves – it varies. We don't have a mandatory tradition that we go to open gifts on the morning of January 1st. Sometimes we can't resist and give them earlier, sometimes what's ordered arrives later, sometimes the children are impatient and run to open them immediately after New Year's begins. So, it happens differently.

“It hurts a lot that I can't call everyone like before”

— During holidays, do security rules affect you as a family of political leaders in any way?

— We'll see. It's the first time we'll be celebrating as a "family of political leaders." But in any case, it's a family holiday, a home one. So security rules can't really affect anything. My home is my castle.

— In the first hours of January 1st, Belarusians love to "go to the Christmas tree," meet acquaintances, and continue celebrating together. Did you do that in Belarus, and do you go out now?

— After celebrating New Year's, it was always necessary to go somewhere. If there was a Christmas tree nearby, we went to the Christmas tree. If we celebrated at the dacha, we went outside, launched fireworks, and crackers. Now, of course, we don't do that: we need to protect nature. When we were younger, we also visited friends. But going out of the house was always a must!

— Also, for many, a cycle of calls to relatives and friends with greetings begins. Before politics changed your life, did you have the same habit? Do you call anyone now, and has the list of numbers gotten shorter?

— It hurts a lot that I can't call everyone like before, so as not to harm them. And I know that this situation is familiar to many Belarusians. It's terrible that people are persecuted for calling "the wrong ones" or "liking the wrong things." It's terrible that this has become normal. And our task is to remind each other that this is not normal. It shouldn't be this way!

But many new numbers have also appeared on the list — all over the world. And our Belarusians are everywhere now, and allies-partners-friends from other countries. I write to some myself, I reply to others. Right now, I'm recording a special greeting in English for foreign leaders. Though, not for New Year's, but for Christmas: they celebrate it more here.

— Imagine your first New Year in Belarus. Where, with whom, and how would you like to spend it?

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