The town of 40,000 is still in shock from the school hostage-taking drama Sept. 1-3 that claimed the lives of many children and their parents.

"No one is in the mood for celebrations. We even have weddings without music these days," said Yury Dzhigkayev, who is on the Beslan commission overseeing the distribution of financial and humanitarian aid to families affected by the attack. "This tragedy is way too big for a small town like Beslan."

Survivors were flooded with invitations to go away for the holidays, the newspaper said. A group of 80 children traveled to Moscow to attend the Kremlin Palace's famed New Year's party, and some 200 former hostages and their parents have been invited to attend a New Year's party in the North Ossetian capital, Vladikavkaz.

Six people lost their immediate families after their spouses and all their children died in the tragedy. A total of 18 children lost both parents and more than 100 children lost one parent.