New Year's Traditions: the history of their origin and development in Russia

The smell of tangerines, the sound of chimes, the glitter of garlands — these attributes of the New Year seem eternal and inviolable to us. However, the holiday, which unites millions of people today, has gone through a difficult path of transformation, changing dates, meanings and traditions. From the agrarian rituals of ancient civilizations to the secular night in imperial Russia and the Soviet carnival, its history is full of unexpected turns and conscious decisions that shaped the familiar look of the winter celebration. For more information, see the Izvestia article.

The ancient origins of the New Year's Holiday

The idea of celebrating the beginning of the new year is not a modern invention. Its roots go back to ancient times, where the holiday was inextricably linked with the cycles of nature and agriculture. The starting point of the new cycle could be radically different for different peoples.

In ancient Rome, for example, for a long time the New Year fell on March 1st. This date symbolized the beginning of field work and military campaigns. However, in 46 BC, Julius Caesar carried out a drastic calendar reform. The introduced Julian calendar established the beginning of the year on January 1.

The choice of this date was not accidental: the first month of the year was named after the two-faced god Janus, who was believed to look both into the past and the future. This divine patron saint of all beginnings perfectly symbolized the transition from the old year to the new, setting the philosophical interpretation of the holiday for centuries to come.

The history of the New Year in Russia

In Russia, the Byzantine chronology system was in effect for a long time and the New Year was celebrated on September 1. This was due to the completion of the harvest season and the collection of taxes, which made the holiday more economic than personal.

Peter the Great made a cardinal turn in the festive tradition. In 1699, he issued a famous decree, which ordered to keep the chronology of the Birth of Christ, and celebrate the New Year on January 1. The tsar did not just change the date, he regulated in detail how to celebrate.

Peter's decree prescribed decorating houses with coniferous branches, setting off fireworks and congratulating each other. Thus, the monarch not only postponed the date, but imported the European model of celebration to Russia, making it a secular event.

The symbolism of the New Year tree

Traditions, without which it is difficult to imagine New Year's Eve today, have been formed over the centuries. The main symbol of the holiday, the decorated fir tree, has passed a particularly interesting path from a religious symbol to a secular attribute.

The custom of decorating evergreen trees existed among many peoples. The ancient Celts revered the fir tree as the embodiment of the god of fertility, and among the Germanic tribes it symbolized immortality. In Russia, the tradition of installing a Christmas tree took root in the 19th century, adopted from German culture.

After the 1917 revolution, the holiday was banned as a "bourgeois relic." The revival of the tradition took place on the eve of 1936, thanks to the initiative of the party leader Pavel Postyshev, who proposed to return the holiday to children in an updated, Soviet format.

The origin of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden

The formation of the image of the main New Year's magician was the result of a long cultural synthesis. The prototype of Santa Claus is considered to be an East Slavic folklore character — the spirit of the cold and the lord of the winter cold.

Initially, he was far from a kind old man: in fairy tales, he could destroy an unwary traveler. However, in the 19th century, his image began to soften and borrow features of the Western European Santa Claus. The canonical image was finally formed in Soviet times.

A unique addition to his entourage was the Snow Maiden. This character, which is absent from the Western tradition, came from a Russian folk tale and a play by A.N. Ostrovsky. In the late 1930s, she was added to Santa Claus as a granddaughter and constant assistant.

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New Year's Table traditions

The New Year's feast is a true chronicle of the epochs, where each historical period has left its mark. The menu changed with the country, reflecting both economic opportunities and cultural influences.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, the tables of the nobility and well-to-do townspeople were filled with complex dishes that required long cooking. Stuffed piglet, goose with apples, various jellies and complex pies formed the basis of the festive menu of that time.

During the Soviet period, a classic set of dishes was formed, which has largely survived to the present day. Olivier salad in a simplified version, herring under a fur coat, jelly and tangerines became symbols of the Soviet New Year's table, reflecting culinary traditions.

Modern New Year traditions

The way we celebrate the New Year has evolved significantly from family gatherings to mass television celebrations. In the USSR, the holiday acquired a carnival character with a certain set of rituals familiar to millions of citizens.

Television played a crucial role in unifying the celebration. Since the 1960s, the New Year's address by the head of state has become an integral part of the pre-holiday evening. Later, watching the movie "Irony of Fate, or With a light steam!" became an obligatory ritual.

The culmination of New Year's Eve for the whole country was the chiming of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. This tradition, which has become nationwide since 1974, has turned the holiday into a truly unifying event for millions of people, regardless of their place of residence and social status.

The meaning of the New Year today

The New Year continues to change today, absorbing new traditions and formats, but its core — the expectation of a miracle, hope for the best, and the joy of meeting loved ones — has remained unchanged for centuries. This holiday has proved its amazing ability to reincarnate.

In modern Russia, the New Year has retained the status of the main family holiday uniting generations. Despite the emergence of new attributes and ways of celebrating, the main traditions formed during the Soviet period continue to live and be passed on to the next generations.

The story of the New Year is the story of how our society has changed, its values and ideas about the holiday. From agrarian rituals through imperial balls and Soviet carnivals to modern corporate parties and family dinners, each stage has left its mark on this amazing celebration.

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