Customs and traditions of celebrating the old new year. Old New Year - history and traditions of the holiday According to what calendar is the Old New Year celebrated

01/13/2012 01/04/2016 by Mnogoto4ka

On the night of January 13-14, Russians celebrate the Old New Year- a holiday incomprehensible to many foreigners. Nobody can really say what Old New Year Is it different from the traditional New Year that everyone is used to? Of course, from the outside it would seem that the issue is only a discrepancy in dates. However, we all treat the Old New Year as a completely independent holiday that can prolong the charm of the New Year. Or maybe this is the first time to feel it, because the situation can be different, but on this day the holiday is calmer, there is no fuss, so characteristic of the holiday on January 1st.

There are two reasons for the appearance of a unique New Year - a change in the date of the beginning of the New Year in Rus' and the stubbornness of the Russian Orthodox Church, which did not want to switch to the New Style.

History of the Old New Year

In pagan times, the New Year was celebrated in Rus' on March 22, the day of the vernal equinox, and this was associated with the agricultural cycle. With the adoption of Christianity in Rus', the Byzantine calendar began to gradually replace the old one, and now the New Year began on September 1. For a long time, discord persisted, and in some places the New Year continued to be celebrated in the spring. Only at the end of the 15th century in Rus' the beginning of the New Year was officially determined - September 1.

By decree of Peter I in 1699, the New Year was moved to January 1 according to the old style, that is, to January 14 according to the new style. After the revolution in 1918, the Bolsheviks “abolished” another 13 days a year, which made up the difference between our calendar and the European one.
This is how two New Year celebrations were formed - according to the new and old styles.

Church about the Old New Year

The custom of meeting Old New Year on the night of January 13-14 in Russia is due to the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church continues to celebrate both the New Year and the Nativity of Christ according to the Julian calendar, which still differs from the generally accepted Gregorian calendar by 13 days. But starting from March 1, 2100, this difference will be 14 days. From 2101, Christmas and Old New Year in Russia will be celebrated a day later.

Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, said that the Russian Orthodox Church does not yet intend to make adjustments to its calendar. “Indeed, the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars increases by one day every 100 years when the number of hundreds in the year after Christ is not a multiple of four. And if the Lord allows this world to exist for another 100 years, then the Orthodox will celebrate Christmas on January 8, and celebrate the Old New Year on the night of 14 to 15,” Chaplin said.

According to him, one should not attach much importance to calendar differences. “The Gregorian calendar is also not entirely accurate, so the Russian Orthodox Church continues to use the Julian calendar,” Chaplin explained.

“If agreement can be found in calendar disputes, then only after the development of a new, absolutely accurate calendar,” concluded the representative of the Moscow Patriarchate.

For many believers, the Old New Year has a special meaning, since they can celebrate it from the heart only after the end of the Nativity Fast, during the Yuletide festivities.

Scientists' opinions about the Old New Year

Old New Year is an unscientific date, astronomers say. However, the current calendar is not ideal, according to specialists from the Astronomical and Geodetic Society of Russia. According to them, the strict mechanics of planetary movement forces people to make changes to the calendar. The Julian calendar, which was in force in our country until 1918, is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar, according to which Europe lives. The fact is that the Earth does not rotate around its axis in exactly 24 hours. Additional seconds to this time, gradually accumulating, add up to days. By the beginning of the twentieth century, they turned into 13 days, which made up the difference between the old Julian and new Gregorian systems. The new style more accurately corresponds to the laws of astronomy.

According to Edward Kononovich, associate professor of the Department of Astrophysics at Moscow State University, the main thing is that the calendar accurately reflects the position of the Earth in relation to the Sun. Today there are many enthusiasts offering their own version of timekeeping. Their proposals are mainly related to changing the traditional week: some propose making a week of five days or doing without weeks at all, and introducing ten days. However, from a scientific point of view, there are probably no ideal proposals - this is the conclusion reached by experts from different countries, studying applications for changing the chronology received even by the UN. Scientists consider it inappropriate to carry out any calendar reforms now.

Celebrating the Old New Year

And yet, despite the fact that this day, unfortunately, is not even a day off, the popularity of the Old New Year is growing. According to the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion, the number of people wishing to celebrate the Old New Year has already exceeded 60%. Among those who are going to celebrate the “old” New Year are the majority of pupils and students, workers, entrepreneurs, housewives and, in general, people under 40 years old, with secondary specialized and secondary education, with relatively high incomes.

Traditions for the Old New Year

In the old days, this day was called Vasilyev's Day, and was of decisive importance for the whole year. On Vasilyev's Day, they celebrated the holiday of agriculture, which was associated with the future harvest, and performed the ritual of sowing - hence the name of the holiday "Osen" or "Avsen". This ritual differed in different regions of the country: for example, in Tula, children scattered spring wheat around the house, while saying a prayer for a rich harvest, and the housewife then collected it and stored it until sowing time. Ukrainian rituals were distinguished by fun, dancing and songs.

And there was also a peculiar ritual - cooking porridge. On New Year's Eve, at 2 o'clock, the eldest of the women brought cereal from the barn, and the eldest man brought water from a well or river. It was impossible to touch the cereal and water until the stove burned out - they simply stood on the table. Then everyone sat down at the table, and the eldest of the women began to stir the porridge in the pot, while pronouncing certain ritual words - the cereal was usually buckwheat. Then everyone got up from the table, and the hostess put the porridge in the oven - with a bow. The finished porridge was taken out of the oven and examined carefully. If the pot was simply full, and the porridge was rich and crumbly, then one could expect a happy year and a rich harvest - such porridge was eaten the next morning. If the porridge came out of the pot, or the pot cracked, this did not bode well for the owners of the house, and then disaster was expected, and the porridge was thrown away. This was the program - either for troubles or for prosperity, and it is not surprising that it was often implemented - after all, they believed in it seriously.

An interesting ritual is going from house to house to treat yourself to pork dishes. On the night of Vasily, guests certainly had to be fed pies with pork, boiled or baked pork legs, and in general any dishes that included pork. A pig's head was also required to be placed on the table. The fact is that Vasily was considered a “pig farmer” - the patron saint of pig farmers and pork products, and they believed that if there was a lot of pork on the table that night, then these animals would breed in abundance on the farm and bring good profits to the owners. This sign is much more positive than the ritual with porridge, especially for zealous and hardworking owners. The surprisingly sonorous and coherent saying: “A pig and a boletus for Vasiliev’s evening” also contributed to the mood of the owners for economic prosperity and abundance.

But the tradition of making dumplings with surprises for the Old New Year appeared not so long ago - no one remembers exactly where and when, but it is happily observed in many regions of Russia. In some cities, they are made in almost every home - with family and friends, and then they arrange a cheerful feast and eat these dumplings, eagerly waiting to see who will get what kind of surprise. This comic fortune telling is especially popular with children. They even bring dumplings with them to work to cheer up their friends and colleagues; and local food factories often produce such dumplings - just for the Old New Year.

There are many beautiful winter holidays in our country. We celebrate New Year twice. We fill the glasses with champagne again on the night of January 14, sit down at the festive table and take our time to clean up.

Historical phenomenon

New Year in Russia is one of the most interesting holidays from a historical point of view. Until the 15th century (1495), the new year began in March and was associated with the awakening of the earth from hibernation. In 1495, everything changed: the date of the new year moved to September 1.

Later, Peter the Great, who decided to keep up with Europe, ordered to celebrate the New Year on January 1. In December 1699 he issued an Edict requiring the meeting of 1700 to take place on 1 January rather than in September. The text of the Decree contained strict instructions: decorate houses with spruce, juniper or pine branches, fire rifles and muskets into the air at midnight, light bonfires in the streets throughout the holiday week and arrange fireworks on Red Square.

Alexei Tolstoy in the historical novel " Peter I"described the state of the common people and boyars, whose usual way of life was collapsing. It seemed to many that the trumpet of the Last Judgment would soon sound. Gradually everyone got used to the decorated fir trees and the hectic holiday, which began to be celebrated annually on January 1 according to the Julian calendar, i.e. according to the "old style". This calendar was introduced by the Emperor of Ancient Rome, Julius Caesar, using the solar year as a basis, rather than the astronomical one. In Russia Julian calendar came from Byzantium.

This was the case until the October Revolution of 1917. Most other countries have long lived according to Gregorian calendar . It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII on October 4, 1582 (XVI century) so that there were no discrepancies with astronomical data. The difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars today is thirteen days.

In 1918, the Bolshevik government decided to switch to a single calendar throughout the world. V.I. Lenin issued a corresponding Decree on the transition to the Gregorian calendar. This eliminated confusion and difficulties in international relations: diplomacy, mail, train schedules, etc. The Russian Orthodox Church preserved the traditional calendar and continued to live according to the old calendar. She dated the holidays according to the old style, emphasizing her uniqueness.

Today, in some reference publications, the dates of birth and death of people, various events of pre-revolutionary Russia are given according to two calendars, i.e. according to the new and old style. This happened with the New Year, which begins on January 1 (14). On the Old New Year, Orthodox people do not have to deny themselves food and fun. According to the Julian calendar, it occurs after (January 7), i.e. after graduation from strict. According to the Gregorian calendar, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th.

Local Orthodox churches in some foreign countries (Jerusalem, Russian, Serbian, Georgian) also use the Julian calendar in our time. Some monasteries and parishes live according to the Julian calendar in those countries where the Gregorian calendar is adopted for church services (for example, Mount Athos in Greece). In addition, the Julian calendar is adopted in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and in the Russian Greek Catholic Church.

Vasiliev evening

On the night of January 13-14 it is celebrated Vasiliev evening , and January 14 - Vasiliev's day (Kolyada). You can read about this fun holiday, generous with food and drink, in the article.

Everyone likes the holiday: girls tell fortunes about their betrothed, and gardeners shake apple trees in their orchards for a good harvest.

This year we will again congratulate our family and friends not only on the New Year, but also on the Old New Year! Wish them happiness, love, health and joy! Giving gifts, sitting at the festive table late in the evening and raising a glass of champagne at midnight. It’s so good that there is a reason for this!

P.S.

With each century, the Gregorian and Julian calendars diverge more and more in time. The difference is accumulating, and by 2100 it will be not 13, but a full 14 days.

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IA "News» . On the night from January 13th to 14th, many Russians traditionally celebrate the Old New Year - a holiday characteristic only of our country and absolutely incomprehensible to foreigners. The fact is that there are two reasons for the appearance of this celebration in our area: a change in the date of the beginning of the New Year in Rus' and the enviable stubbornness shown by the Russian Orthodox Church, which did not want to switch to a new style.

History of the Old New Year

In pagan times, the New Year in Rus' was celebrated on March 22 - the day of the vernal equinox, which was directly related to the agricultural cycle. However, with the adoption of Christianity, the Byzantine calendar began to gradually supplant the old one, and now the New Year began on September 1. This discrepancy persisted for a long time, until, finally, at the end of the 15th century in Rus', the beginning of the new year was officially determined - on the first day of autumn.

However, two centuries later, or rather in 1699, by decree of the first Russian Emperor Peter I, the holiday was postponed again. This time - on January 1 according to the old style, that is, on January 14 according to the new style. After the revolution, in 1918, the Bolsheviks abolished the “extra” 13 days a year, which made up the very difference between our calendar and the European one.

In fact, it was then that two New Years were formed - according to the new and old styles.

Old New Year: the attitude of the Church

It so happened that the custom of celebrating the Old New Year on the night of January 13-14 in Russia is due to the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church continues to celebrate both the New Year and the Nativity of Christ according to the Julian calendar, which differs from the generally accepted Gregorian calendar by the same 13 days . But starting from March 1, 2100, this difference will be 14 days. Thus, starting from 2101, Christmas and Old New Year will be celebrated a day later in Russia.

The Russian Orthodox Church has repeatedly noted that they do not yet intend to make adjustments to their calendar and “if the Lord allows this world to exist for another 100 years, then the Orthodox will celebrate Christmas on January 8, and celebrate the Old New Year on the night of the 14th to the 15th.” .

For many believers, the Old New Year has a special meaning, since they can fully celebrate it only after the end of the Nativity Fast, during the Yuletide festivities.

Old New Year: the opinion of scientists

Astronomers clearly consider the Old New Year to be an unscientific date, however, the now universally accepted calendar, in their opinion, is not ideal. The Julian calendar, which was in force in our country until 1918, is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar, according to which Europe lives. The fact is that the Earth does not rotate around its axis in exactly 24 hours. Additional seconds to this time, gradually accumulating, add up to days. By the beginning of the twentieth century, they turned into 13 days, which made up the difference between the old Julian and new Gregorian systems, scientists explain. At the same time, the new style more accurately corresponds to the laws of astronomy.

It’s interesting that today there are quite a few enthusiasts who offer their own version of timekeeping. Their proposals are mainly related to changing the traditional week: some propose making it five days or doing away with weeks altogether and introducing ten days. However, from the point of view of science, there are still no ideal proposals - at least, this is the conclusion that experts from different countries came to when studying applications for changing the chronology that were submitted even to the UN. Scientists consider it inappropriate to carry out any calendar reforms now.

Celebration of the Old New Year

Even though the Old New Year is not a day off, its popularity in Russia is growing year by year. According to VTsIOM, the number of people wishing to celebrate the Old New Year (or already celebrating) has exceeded 60% of the total number of Russians. Moreover, among those who are going to celebrate the Old New Year as a real holiday, the majority of pupils and students, workers, entrepreneurs, housewives and, in general, people under 40 years of age, with secondary specialized and secondary education, and relatively high incomes.

Old New Year: traditions and rituals

In the old days, this day was called Vasilyev's Day and was of decisive importance for the whole year. On Vasilyev's Day, they celebrated the holiday of agriculture, which was associated with the future harvest, and performed the ritual of sowing - this is where the name of the holiday “Osen” or “Avsen” comes from. This ritual differed in different regions of the country: for example, in Tula, children scattered spring wheat around the house, while saying a prayer for a rich harvest, and the housewife then collected it and stored it until sowing time. Ukrainian rituals were distinguished by fun, dancing and songs.

There was another unique ritual - boiling porridge. On New Year's Eve, at 2 o'clock, the eldest of the women brought cereal from the barn, and the eldest man brought water from a well or river. It was impossible to touch the cereal and water until the stove burned out - they just stood on the table. Then everyone sat down at the table, and the eldest of the women began to stir the porridge in the pot, while pronouncing certain ritual words - the cereal was usually buckwheat. After that, everyone got up from the table, and the hostess put the porridge into the oven with a bow. The finished porridge was taken out of the oven and examined carefully. If the pot was simply full, and the porridge was rich and crumbly, then one could expect a happy year and a rich harvest - such porridge was eaten the next morning. If she crawled out of the pot, or the pot cracked, this did not bode well for the owners of the house and, according to legend, trouble awaited them. In this case, the porridge itself was simply thrown away.

Historians and ethnographers are also interested in the ritual of going from house to house, when everyone was treated to pork dishes. On the night of Vasily, guests certainly had to be fed pork pies, boiled or baked pork legs, and in general any dishes that included this type of meat. A pig's head was also required to be placed on the table. The fact is that Vasily was considered a “pig farmer” - the patron saint of pig farmers and pork products, and people believed that if there was a lot of pork on the table that night, then these animals would breed in abundance on the farm and bring good profits to the owners. This sign is much more positive than the ritual with porridge, especially for zealous and hardworking owners. As well as the sonorous saying: “A pig and a boletus for Vasily’s evening,” which also contributed to the owners’ mood for economic prosperity and abundance.

The tradition of making dumplings with surprises for the Old New Year appeared, oddly enough, not so long ago - no one remembers exactly where and when, but it is happily observed in many regions of Russia. In some cities they are made in almost every home - with family and friends, and then they have a fun feast and eat dumplings, eagerly waiting to see who gets what surprise. This comic fortune telling is especially popular with children. Some people even bring dumplings with them to work - to cheer up colleagues and co-workers. Some food factories even specially produce such dumplings just for the Old New Year.

The Old New Year is a holiday that is incomprehensible to foreigners. And not every modern Russian is able to explain how this celebration actually differs from the traditional one, celebrated on the first day of January. Despite the fact that the difference between the holidays is only in the discrepancy in dates, we continue to celebrate the Old New Year, which gives many pleasant emotions. Now it is perceived as a continuation of the usual, when everyone can afford to continue celebrating their favorite holiday on the night of January 14th.

history of the holiday

Previously, the New Year in Rus' was celebrated on March 22, which had a direct connection with agriculture. When Christianity was adopted, the Byzantine calendar began to gradually replace the old one, and the holiday moved to the first day of September. Peter I decided to eliminate the confusion by moving the celebration to January 1 according to the old style. In this form it existed until the Bolsheviks came to power, who decided to change the chronology system. In 1918, the Soviet government decided to switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. The Old Style New Year moved to January 14, which led to the emergence of a new holiday.

One of the reasons why the celebration was not quickly forgotten is due to the stubbornness of the Russian Orthodox Church, which continues to celebrate all such events according to the Julian calendar. However, this insistence is in fact not very justified precisely because even clergy should keep up with the times.

Now the clergy say that they do not intend to change their traditions, and calendar differences should not be given much importance. They refer to statements by astronomers who claim that the current calendar is also not ideal, and people will repeatedly make changes to the chronology system.

New Year is the favorite holiday of many people, but in Russia it is possible to repeat it exactly 14 days later. The traditions of celebrating the Old New Year began to take shape at the beginning of the last century when the calendar changed. Not all of them, alas, have survived to this day, although they can significantly diversify the usual holidays.

From this article you will learn:

The history of the holiday or how it all began

If Russia had not decided to switch to the Gregorian calendar in 1918, the Old New Year would not have appeared. So far it falls on the night of January 14th. But over time the date will be postponed.

Church celebrations took place on the same days as before. As a result, a lot of things got mixed up, and we had to constantly remind ourselves which customs should be performed on a specific date.

They began to celebrate the New Year holiday from January 13 to 14, motivated by the postponement of dates. But at the same time, two important church dates overlapped: the day of memory of Melania and the veneration of St. Basil the Great. In Orthodox families, this night also began to be called the meeting of Melanka with Vasily.

Is the Old New Year celebrated in other countries?

In addition to countries that were previously part of the USSR, the Old New Year is celebrated by residents of:

Algeria;
Tunisia;
Greece;
Romania;
Serbia;
Montenegro;
Switzerland;
Morocco.

There are some peculiarities about how the celebration should take place.

In Greece, during the Old New Year, it is forbidden to raise your voice and quarrel. It’s bad if the dishes break, so everyone tries to handle them carefully. If you are invited to a celebration, you need to take a stone with you. It symbolizes the wealth that the owners wish to gain in the coming year.

In Romania, pies are a must on the table. But with an interesting filling in the form of coins, hot peppers, garlic or rings.

In Switzerland, this holiday is dedicated to the veneration of St. Sylvester. Residents dress in funny masquerade costumes reminiscent of botanical gardens or houses, calling themselves Sylvester Clauses.

In Montenegro, they definitely cook parenica, a national dish made from corn dough.

Russian customs have many similarities with Ukrainian or Belarusian ones, and therefore are considered common.

Traditions and customs of celebration in Rus'

Despite the fact that on January 1 the table was full, the Old New Year became an even greater test for the stomach. The indispensable attributes of this holiday in Rus' were:

roasting a 2-3 week old pig;
generous kutya, emphasizing the end of Lent;
dumplings with surprises;
pancakes and pies, which were used to thank those who came to carol.

Making dumplings was a tradition for the whole family. As in Romania, various surprises were hidden in them. This symbolized fortune-telling about what awaits in the coming year.

They were a very bright decoration of the holiday. And they went caroling only until midnight, until the evil spirits cleared up. On January 13, young girls and boys hid under masks, and one of the boys was dressed in women's clothing as a symbol of Melanka.

What other traditions were characteristic of this time? Kutya for the New Year's feast began to be cooked in the morning. If unpleasant omens happened, she had to be thrown into the hole directly with the pot.

An interesting tradition of this night was the burning of “Didukha” (grandfather). For this:

a sheaf of straw was prepared in advance;
on Old New Year, after the end of the carols, they went out to the crossroads;
they set fire to the sheaf;
when the main flame diminished, they began to jump over the fire, saying goodbye to evil spirits.

All this was accompanied by songs, dances, and other games.

There is another beautiful tradition associated with the life of peasants. In the morning, with wishes of happiness, health and wealth, we went to the houses of relatives and friends to “sow” grain. It is unknown where the custom came from, but it has its own rules:

only males sow, because it was believed that girls could not bring happiness;
the houses of the godparents were visited first;
the grains were carefully collected and stored until spring to be mixed with spring grains.

A special porridge was also cooked. The oldest woman in the family poured the cereal for her. The oldest man in the house had to fetch water from the well. The grain was taken out of the barn at two o'clock in the morning. It was impossible to touch her, so as not to change your future. Until the oven burned out, the ingredients were ignored. Then, when the porridge was being prepared, all family members sat around. The woman stirred it, saying special words. Then they placed the porridge in the oven and waited for the result:

if the porridge came out of the pot, it promised trouble for the whole house, so no one ate it;
when the pot burst, they did the same, because this was a disease;
a lot of foam on top foreshadowed empty troubles;
rich, tasty porridge meant a harvest and happiness for all household members.

The whole family sat down to the table late in the evening, and this dinner was not to be missed.

At this time, Christmastide continued, so and were used. It was customary to tell fortunes about the betrothed, about a quick wedding, the fulfillment of a wish, the appearance of a child, etc. Traditions could differ depending on the place of residence, as well as on the veneration of saints. Some villages had their own saints, who received additional attention during the New Year.

Modern Old New Year

Nowadays it is customary to celebrate the same way as on New Year's Eve. It is believed that on the Old New Year you need to accomplish what you couldn’t do on January 1st. For example:

make a wish by first writing it on a napkin, which is burned and thrown into champagne;
watch concerts and letters that you haven’t had time to watch yet;
send Old New Year greetings to family and friends with repeated wishes for good and health;
put gifts that were previously forgotten under the New Year tree, after which it can be removed.

In the southern regions, the custom of cooking pig or pork dishes has been preserved to make the New Year rich in good news. In some villages, carols are celebrated, but their true meaning is often lost.

Signs for January 13 and 14

We paid close attention to the following, among which the following stood out:

The first girl to enter the house on January 14 means trouble;
Melanka was warm, then the summer will be good;
frost on the trees meant a fruitful year;
It was forbidden to count small money on Vasily, so as not to shed tears. They also did not give or borrow;
if there was a blizzard or blizzard at night, it was believed that the year would be restless;
Hearing an unusual ringing in the morning was news of a possible replenishment.

They made sure to appease livestock so that the New Year would be calm and fruitful for them.

If at least some elements and traditions of the celebration are returned to modern reality, you can improve the New Year's mood even more and make the celebration unforgettable.