European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 23, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A amps Kon Corgo Snow blankets the Trinity monastery in Zagorsky outside Moscow. At right two women attend Christmas mass at Kazan Cathedral in Moscow. By Jeff Berliner United press International when ded Moroz the bearded Grandfather Frost of russian lore visits the vast russian landscape this Holiday season russians will be looking for something to celebrate. Quot kind one Good one give us a dumpling a Heap of Kasha and a ring of sausage Quot goes an old slavic Christmas song. It May take the mythical and saintly ded Moroz to bestow such past Holiday kindness on a battered people still reeling from changes launched last Holiday season. Those changes have yet to make much material improvement in the lives of most russians. A probably fewer people will be Able to afford to buy a polka Quot teacher Olga Smirnova said of the traditional Holiday tree so Many russians Purchase and haul Home every new year. Quot life is hard at the moment Quot said geographer Natasha Zakin who nevertheless is certain that Holiday tables will be Laden and Quot there will definitely be Champagne Quot in a land where Christmas has had Little or no meaning for most of a Century ded Moroz has discreetly paid his visits on new years which served As a kind of ersatz Christmas under soviet Rule. He has played Santa Claus or father Christmas in a gift giving ritual entered around the polka known As the new year s tree not a Christmas tree russians never scrimp when it comes to holidays. Champagne lows freely. Cakes Are baked. Special foods appear out of nowhere covering dining tables As if store shelves were full instead of nearly empty. Casting following fasting is ritual. Vodka is uncorked 1 Ohio Are innumerable toasts to the future and a people with a hard life find a Way to cast cares to the North wind and celebrate. I his Christmas a Only Russia s second official state  Christmas since the bolshevik involution a approached with All the Uneit maties of last year Tew of the Kremlin s promises fulfilled and frightfully few stores stocked with much of anything Worth Huy Aig Christmas officially resume cited Only alter soviet Power cum Heldis celebrated Jan 7, according to tie Olvi Julian Calendar which the run my orthodox Church follows for religious holidays rut Russia s two Day new Vai Holiday Comers Fust both in importance and chronologically ded Moroz the gift giving feasting and other festivities associated with new year s Are unlikely to be eclipsed by tie restored Christmas Holiday. Christmas which is neither the Eom micral nor the spiritual event it is in the West has tie feel of a Distant the Rigours of the russian Holiday season Christmas officially a non event for 70 years follows new years celebrations a largely forgotten fairy tale even Russia s yearning for spirituality and something to believe in after the death of soviet idols seems unlikely to make Christmas the affair it is elsewhere. Easter is the a russian orthodox Church s big Holiday. For most russians All but the deeply religious russian orthodox a this will be Only their second Christmas. Quot i done to know what i la do on Christmas Quot Engineer Alexander Diachenko said noting that it never had meaning for his family of atheist communist party members and red army officers. He confessed a bit of religious curiosity but said the Holiday will be nothing More than a Day off. Ironically Christmas now May be viewed by the masses much like the recent bolshevik revolution Holiday celebrated every nov. 7 for seven decades a stiff a state Holiday in Post soviet Russia but one stripped of meaning to All but a few even though everyone gets the Day off from work there seems to be Little popular movement to remake the Holiday into the Christmas of times past. Still More russian orthodox believers will make their Way to the City s icon filled onion domed churches than in recent years. A practice Long associated with russian Christmas tradition is the seemingly Pagan ritual of Fortune telling said Smirnova recalling Tatyana from Pushkin a classic Eugene of neigh who uses dripping Wax to divine what the future holds. Girls and Young women find mysterious ways to peer into the future on russian Christmas. Russians and their leaders however practice this Ritua Iii Iii is amps Ken George a visitor offers a donation to a Monk outside the Trinity monastery in Zagorsky. In a much More Down to Earth Way predicting life will get better or worse depending on their political Faith. But perhaps the strongest Holiday tradition which has intensified with the collapse of communism and the birth of Radical reforms is the search for merchandise suitable for presents and food and drink appropriate for feasting and celebrating empty stores last Holiday season were blamed on a consumer buying spree As russians stocked up for the holidays and hoarded goods before the Advent of unrestrained prices. It was widely believed that producers whose output already was Down withheld goods from the Market until prices went up. Stores no longer Are empty but the selection is severely limited and Holiday buying raids could strip stores Bare again this year. President Boris Yeltsin in the Kremlin a annual new year s eve speech to the nation in 1991, told russians we shall celebrate this Holiday on a More modest scale than in previous years but a new year will be a new year for each and every  acknowledging the pain involved in shifting to a Market Economy Yeltsin said Quot we Are facing a period of hardship but this period wont be Long a six or eight  almost a year has passed since the president said those words. Now he maintains the worst is Over but russians May not be so sure As they conduct daily and Holiday foraging trips to stores still largely controlled by the state perhaps the chief difference in the russian consumer Market since last Christmas is the proliferation of Well stocked Western style stores that accept Only dollars or German Marks thus effectively placing them off limits to All but a tiny fraction of russians. Kiosks also have sprung up everywhere but they hardly offer russians the kind of consumer Market they covet rising russian prices have outstripped wages but russians will scrape together their rubles buy toy ded Moroz dolls by the thousands drag Home  Yolk As find goods Worth gift wrapping depend on hoi Day miracles to fill their tables listen to another new year s eve presidential prediction for tie future and so mere.-, they will celebrate the fail of the soviet government has allowed the faithful to once again gather at red Square for Christmas. A Page 14 the stars and stripes on duty in the Outback Alice Springs is a Long Way from Kansas Dorothy by Paul Alexander the associated press in Alice Springs. Australia. The lakers slap High fives All around after winning by 38 Points then Best margin of tie season. But instead of James worthy. Byron Scott and Sam Perkins these lakers Are Guys named Dan Rusk John Garnet and Eric Stoker. It s a Long Way to the los Angeles f Orum or anywhere else in lie United states. A link to Home is important to the 3.000 or so american servicemen and dependents in isolated Alice Springs particularly in the Holiday season most of the soldiers Are stationed at nearby Pine Gap a top secret  communications base said to have provided critical data to Allied forces in the Gulf War. Done to bother asking How work is going. As the townsfolk have Learned and accept the americans will just smile and change the subject. The rest of the time they re Happy to shoot the Breeze or a basketball. In fact most seem pretty Happy Overall despite living in the desert Outback about 750 Miles from the nearest cities a Adelaide to the South and Darwin to the North. Quot it s just like living in a Small town in America Quot said Garnett who is from Pineville ky., and has spent nearly eight years in Alice Springs. Quot it s just a Long Way to the big  a Kmart department store Well stocked supermarket and weekly Supply flight provide some trappings of Home. There a no Mcdonald a but Burger King a known Here As hungry Jack a offers whoppers and Fries. The new pizza hut set a National record for the fast food Chain in its opening week in september. Stoker of Anderson ind., said one of the restaurants served an american thanksgiving dinner with Turkey and Cranberry sauce. The yanks Are unanimous about what they miss most Cable television particularly the esp sports network Quot i miss Licking he Remote control Quot said Rusk a a fool 1 1-Meh Center who played division ii Eeli Eue basketball at Nebraska Omaha othe Wiso tie Loots Light at Homo in Alice sprigs. Population 33.000 Quot it s kind of Nice being Back m a Small town Quot said Rusk who is from Spencer Iowa Quot with All tie confusion and traffic of a big City sometimes its Good to give up All the  Tony Quinn who grew up in Seattle agreed Quot with All that s going on Back Home with All tie turmoil it s Good to sit on tie sidelines for a while Quot City officials have nothing but Praise for the americans and tit or efforts to join and help the Community. It works both ways the americans feel they belong Quot i Livo on a Street with a lot of americans but there s no american ghetto Quot Rusk said. Quot there arc no feelings of ugly americans Here. It s like no big  sports provide common ground with the locals. The desert heat rules out hockey but there Are basketball Lor men and women a baseball program involving More than 300 children and adults volleyball Bowling even a Little football which the australians Call Gridiron. The americans Are absorbing local culture and forming an indoor Cricket team in All sports players double As timekeepers referees and coaches. The Only rewards Are exercise Competition camaraderie and passing on a Little Yankee ingenuity. Quot it s really fun teaching a kid who s hit nothing but a Cricket Ball All his life to hit a baseball Quot Stoker said. Coaching Quot gives me a Chance to work with Young kids Quot said Quinn who is Black and has taken several aboriginal youths under his Wing. The basketball team he put together has won the last two championships and. Like the Chicago bulls Back Home is going for a  Quot ii we do that i m going to retire from playing Quot Quinn said with a Grin a Sas wednesday december 23, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 15