How the clock strikes the new year. When exactly is the New Year?

December 31st, 2017

The sounds of chimes for Russians, like champagne and Olivier salad, have long been an integral attribute of the New Year's Eve.

Many people think that it is necessary to clink glasses of champagne after the Kremlin chimes strike 12 times. This misconception originated in Soviet era: When the time signals were broadcast on the radio, the last radio signal corresponded to the beginning of the new hour. But this does not apply to the chimes. There is another opinion: New Year allegedly comes with the first blow. This is not true either.

Now I'll tell you when you need to "clink glasses" ...

The exact Kremlin time is kept behind iron bolts. Access to the holy of holies, the Spassky Tower, only with an escort. regime object. No elevators. Almost 10 floors up on foot along the old spiral staircases.

Each hand is 3 meters, the dial itself is 6 meters. From the paving stones, the size is not so felt, but the main clock of the country takes up several floors. Wheels and gears larger than human height, a huge musical drum, a 32-kilogram pendulum - in total, the whole structure weighs more than 25 tons. In all other respects, the chimes are the most ordinary mechanical clocks.

Here, in the astronomical time service of the Sternberg Institute, everyone knows about them, they observe the stars, study the rotation of the Earth and continuously receive signals from satellites so that the chimes constantly receive reports of the most accurate Moscow time. Here they know the answer to the main question.

Evgeny Fedoseev, Head of the Time Service of the Astronomical Institute named after Sternberg: “The New Year comes at the first sound of the chimes. Ding-ding-ding. It’s already New Year’s Eve and we have to shout, congratulate and celebrate, and all these blows and signs – that’s all later.”

The wheels turned. Began. This is how the arrival of the new year to replace the old one in the heart of the main clock of the country looks like.

And if we take an even more pedantic approach to the problem, then here:

The moment of the onset of the new year is a conditional and relative concept. How to agree. If you live in a city, then at its different ends (west - east) the moment 24-00 LOCAL TIME (!) will be in different time. In middle latitudes, with a difference in distance of about 15 km, the difference will already be in a minute.

So:

The first beat of twelve sounds ten seconds after the start of a new day. And their change occurs when the chimes begin to chime. More precisely, of course, on the contrary: the beginning of the chiming of the chimes coincides with the moment of the change of day. At zero hours zero minutes zero seconds chime starts. Ten seconds later, the first blow of the bell sounds, striking the whole clock.

The first clock in Moscow appeared in 1404. Then Moscow was already big city, and the Kremlin - the residence of the Grand Dukes. The Kremlin clock was one of the first in Europe and was considered a miracle of its time. This clock was located in the courtyard of Grand Duke Vasily Dimitrievich on Cathedral Square, not far from the Cathedral of the Annunciation. The chronicler described their device in the following way: at every hour he strikes the bell with a hammer, measuring and counting the hours of the night and day; it’s not that a person is more striking, but human-like, self-resonant and self-moving, strangely stylized, somehow created by human cunning, exaggerated and outwitted.

About the clock master it is written in the annals: “The prince himself conceived the watchmaker, and the Serb monk named Lazar installed the clock.” They paid 150 rubles for the installation of the clock, a large sum for that time.

It is not known exactly when the Kremlin tower clock appeared. There is an assumption that they were placed on the Spasskaya Tower shortly after its construction (1491). However, documentary evidence of this refers to XVI century. By whom the clock was arranged and what they were, it has not yet been established exactly. In archival materials only under 1585 there is a mention of the watchmakers of the Frolovsky (Spassky), Trinity and Tainitsky gates. Documents have been preserved, which show that watchmakers received 4 rubles and 2 hryvnias per year for their work and 4 arshins of cloth for clothes.

At the beginning of the 17th century, this watch was sold in Yaros Lavl, and from the surviving bill of sale we know that it weighed 960 kilograms. But what kind of chime they had, the documents do not mention.

A second clock appeared on the Spasskaya Tower, which was built on in 1625. They were assembled under the guidance of the English master Christopher Golovey, who was invited by Tsar Mikhail Romanov to arrange the chimes. Thirty bells, cast by master Kirill Samoilov, beat every even hour. After numerous fires in the Kremlin, this mechanism was repeatedly repaired, but fire July 19, 1701 the chimes did not survive.

New chimes, by order of Peter the Great, were delivered from Amsterdam to Moscow on 30 wagons. They chimed the hours and quarters and chimed on 33 bells. It is known for certain that Muscovites heard it for the first time on December 9, 1706 at 9 am.

Alas, this watch met the same sad fate as the previous movements. They were repaired several times, but after the fire of 1737 the chimes rose completely.

In 1763, a “large chiming clock” of English production was removed from the premises under the Faceted Chamber. It took master Ivan Polyansky three years to install them on the Spasskaya Tower. The mechanism served faithfully for several decades, during which its parts wore out and the clock stopped. Their repair was carried out at the factories of the Butenop brothers for two years. In the same place, a musical mechanism was re-created, which performed the march of the Preobrazhensky Regiment of Peter the Great and the melody of D.S. Bortnyansky "How glorious is our Lord in Zion". So that the belfry could perform these melodies, it was supplemented with 24 bells. 16 of them were taken from the Trinity Tower and 8 from Borovitskaya. After that, the number of bells in the belfry reached 58, and 13 of them were cast for the Golovey chimes.

In 1860, the chimes surprised Muscovites with a new melody. It was the German mechanic Fatz, who was invited to service the clock, retuned the copper musical shaft to the unpretentious melody "Ah, my dear Augustine." However, Nicholas the First considered this song unworthy of the main clock of the state. By the way, earlier Nikolai did not allow the shaft to be tuned to “God Save the Tsar”, believing that the chimes should not play the national anthem.

In the revolutionary year of 1917, a shell hit the chiming dial, and in 1919 the clock was repaired by master N.V. Bern. Now the melodies of the "Internationale" and the funeral march "You fell a victim" were typed into the musical shaft. These two melodies alternately (at noon and midnight) and sounded until 1932, when it was decided to leave one "Internationale". In 1938, the performance of this melody also ceased. Now the chimes only beat quarters and whole hours.

In 1974 the chimes were stopped for a hundred days. During this time, the watch mechanism was completely disassembled, all worn parts were replaced. A device for automatic lubrication of parts was designed. But the musical mechanism was never repaired.

On the eve of decay Soviet Union The Plenum of the Central Committee decided that the chimes should play the national anthem, written by Alexandrov. However, experts who examined the musical mechanism came to the conclusion that the available bells this song is impossible to play.

Everyone, probably, knows the principle of operation of an ordinary music box. It was invented several centuries ago, but was especially widespread in the 18th and 19th centuries, when even pocket watches, cigarette cases and snuff boxes played various melodies. The musical mechanism had a so-called program cylinder, seated with small short pins. When the cylinder rotated, they sounded thin metal plates.

The Kremlin chimes also have a program cylinder, but its diameter is about 2 meters, and its width is more than 2 meters. The mechanism is driven by a heavy weight weighing more than 200 kilograms.

After the clock strikes, the stopper of the chiming mechanism is turned off. A huge cylinder slowly rotates, bristling with a thousand steel pins. The pins are occupied

30 tracks for one play and 30 for another. Each track is for one bell. The sizes of the bells of the chimes are different, therefore they make different sounds: from a thick bass to a sonorous treble. The weight of the bells depends on their size - from tens to hundreds of kilograms. The weight of the largest bell is 500 kilograms.

When the program cylinder is rotated, the pins touch the special device like a pedal. The pedal is connected by a steel cable to percussion mechanism(it is located above, on the 10th floor, where the bells hang). The cable pulls a specially shaped hammer from the edge of the bell, the pin breaks off the pedal, and the hammer strikes the edge of the bell, extracting sound from it.

While for many decades the Kremlin chimes underwent all sorts of alterations, the clock mechanism worked properly all the time and hardly stopped.

And the music of the Moscow chimes did not sound until 1996. Then the inauguration of B.N. Yeltsin, to which the musical unit was again repaired. This time he was "taught" to perform "Patriotic Song" and "Glory" by Glinka. To do this, the sound of each bell was recorded and both melodies were analyzed using a computer. Smart electronics suggested how many and what tone of bells were missing. Three missing bells were cast in Holland, delivered to Moscow and installed on the belfry.

And today you can hear Glinka's melodies performed by Moscow chimes. Of course, if you find yourself on Red Square at noon or midnight.

I congratulate all readers of my blog on the upcoming 2017, I wish you all the best in personal life and labor activity. Take care of yourself and your loved ones!

December 31st, 2016

The sounds of chimes for Russians, like champagne and Olivier salad, have long been an integral attribute of the New Year's Eve.

Many people think that it is necessary to clink glasses of champagne after the Kremlin chimes strike 12 times. This misconception arose back in the Soviet era: when accurate time signals were transmitted by radio, the last radio signal corresponded to the beginning of a new hour. But this does not apply to the chimes. There is another opinion: the new year allegedly comes with the first blow. This is not true either.

Now I'll tell you when you need to "clink glasses" ...

The wheels turned. Began. This is how the arrival of the new year to replace the old one in the heart of the main clock of the country looks like.

And if we take an even more pedantic approach to the problem, then here:

The moment of the onset of the new year is a conditional and relative concept. How to agree. If you live in a city, then at its different ends (west - east) the moment 24-00 LOCAL TIME (!) will be at different times. In middle latitudes, with a difference in distance of about 15 km, the difference will already be in a minute.

So:

The first clock in Moscow appeared in 1404. Then Moscow was already a big city, and the Kremlin was the residence of the Grand Dukes. The Kremlin clock was one of the first in Europe and was considered a miracle of its time. This clock was located in the courtyard of Grand Duke Vasily Dimitrievich on Cathedral Square, not far from the Cathedral of the Annunciation. The chronicler described their device in the following way: at every hour he strikes the bell with a hammer, measuring and counting the hours of the night and day; it’s not that a person is more striking, but human-like, self-resonant and self-moving, strangely stylized, somehow created by human cunning, exaggerated and outwitted.

It is not known exactly when the Kremlin tower clock appeared. There is an assumption that they were placed on the Spasskaya Tower shortly after its construction (1491). However, documentary evidence of this dates back to the 16th century. By whom the clock was arranged and what they were, it has not yet been established exactly. In archival materials only under 1585 there is a mention of the watchmakers of the Frolovsky (Spassky), Trinity and Tainitsky gates. Documents have been preserved, which show that watchmakers received 4 rubles and 2 hryvnias per year for their work and 4 arshins of cloth for clothes.

Alas, this watch met the same sad fate as the previous movements. They were repaired several times, but after the fire of 1737 the chimes rose completely.

On the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Plenum of the Central Committee decided that the chimes should play the national anthem, written by Aleksandrov. However, experts who examined the musical mechanism came to the conclusion that the available bells this song is impossible to play.

The Kremlin chimes also have a program cylinder, but its diameter is about 2 meters, and its width is more than 2 meters. The mechanism is driven by a heavy weight weighing more than 200 kilograms.

After the clock strikes, the stopper of the chiming mechanism is turned off. A huge cylinder slowly rotates, bristling with a thousand steel pins. The pins are occupied

When the program cylinder rotates, the pins touch a special device like a pedal. The pedal is connected by a steel cable to the percussion mechanism (it is located above, on the 10th floor, where the bells hang). The cable pulls a specially shaped hammer from the edge of the bell, the pin breaks off the pedal, and the hammer strikes the edge of the bell, extracting sound from it.

While for many decades the Kremlin chimes underwent all sorts of alterations, the clock mechanism worked properly all the time and hardly stopped.

And today you can hear Glinka's melodies performed by Moscow chimes. Of course, if you find yourself on Red Square at noon or midnight.

I congratulate all readers of my blog on the upcoming 2017, I wish you all the best in your personal life and work. Take care of yourself and your loved ones!

I found some more details from the history of the Kremlin chimes:

The clock on the Spasskaya Tower was given Special attention because they were the main ones. But despite this, frequent fires damaged the details of the tower clock, and the clock mechanism often failed. After one of the fires in 1624, the clock was so badly damaged that it was sold as scrap, by weight, to the Spassky Monastery in Yaroslavl for 48 rubles. In place of the defective watches sold in 1625, under the guidance of the English mechanic and watchmaker Christopher Galovey, Russian blacksmith-watchmakers of the Zhdan family made new, larger watches.

For this watch, 13 bells were cast by the Russian caster Kirill Samoilov. To install a new clock, the tower was built on four tiers. On the ancient quadrangle of the Spasskaya Tower, under the direction of Bazhen Ogurtsov, an arched brick belt with white stone carved details and decorations was built on. And on the inner quadrangle a high tent top with arched chimes was erected, on which hour bells were hung. At 7,8,9 tiers, a new main clock of the state was installed. On the 10th tier there were 30 bells for the chime, which was heard for more than 10 miles.

The clock had an old Russian account of time, and the mechanism consisted of oak ties, collapsible, fastened with iron hoops. Thanks to a special mechanism, the clock from time to time chimed a certain melody, and they became the first Russian chimes. The dial diameter of the new watch was about 5 meters, weighed 400 kg and was assembled from heavy oak boards. The dial of this watch rotated, and the fixed hand was made in the form of a ray of the sun. The arrow was placed above the dial, indicating both night and day time. The inner circle of the dial was covered with blue azure and depicted the vault of heaven, on which golden and silver stars, images of the sun and moon were scattered. The numbers were denoted by Slavic letters, and the dial was called the “indicative word circle” (recognizable circle). The letters were made of copper and covered with gold. Dials deployed in different sides, were divided into 17 divisions and placed in the central keel of a prominent arch of the reinforcing belt above the ancient quadrangle. At the top of the wall, in a circle, the words of a prayer were written and the signs of the zodiac carved from iron were located, the remains of which have survived to this day under the existing clock faces.

The clock of Christopher Galoway was less than modern by about a meter. The accuracy of the movement directly depended on the watchmaker serving them. After installation, the clock burned in fires more than once, after which it was restored again. However, the Galoway clock on the Spasskaya Tower stood and served people for a long time.

By decree of Peter I in 1705, the whole country switched to a single daily countdown. Returning from foreign travels, he ordered to replace the English mechanism of the Spasskaya Tower clock with a clock bought in Holland with a 12-hour dial. The new Kremlin chimes chimed the hours and quarters, and besides, they called back the melody. The installation of the purchased clock on the tower and the alteration of the dial were led by the Russian watchmaker Ekim Garnov. Full installation chimes was completed in 1709. A whole staff of watchmakers was kept to service Dutch watches, most of which were foreigners, however, despite all the efforts, the clock often broke down and did not please the Muscovites for a long time with their chime. At that time, the clock caused "assembly dances". Bells were also arranged there, knocking out the "fire alarm".

Dutch watches had 4 winding shafts: 1st for the clock mechanism; 2nd for the fight of the clock; 3rd for a quarter hour fight; 4th for playing melodies. The shafts were driven by weights. After a grandiose fire in 1737, the Petrovsky clock was badly damaged. Then everything burned down wooden details Spasskaya Tower, and the shaft for the chimes was damaged. As a result, the bell music no longer sounded. Interest in the chimes disappeared after the transfer of the capital by Peter I to St. Petersburg. The chimes were broken and restored many times, and the maintenance of the clock was carried out negligently.

Having ascended the throne and visited Moscow, Empress Catherine II became interested in the Spassky chimes, but by that time the clock had already fallen into complete disrepair. Attempts to restore them were unsuccessful, and on the orders of Catherine II, the “large English chimes” found in the Faceted Chamber began to be installed on the Spasskaya Tower.

The German master Fatz was invited for installation, and together with the Russian watchmaker Ivan Polyansky, within 3 years, the installation was completed. In 1770, the chimes began to call the Austrian melody "Ah, my dear Augustine" because the watchmaker, a German by origin, who serviced the clock, liked it very much. And for almost a year this melody sounded over Red Square, and the authorities did not pay any attention to it. This was the only case in all history when the chimes rang out a foreign melody.

In 1812, Muscovites saved the Spasskaya Tower from being destroyed by French troops, but the clock stopped. Three years later, they were repaired by a group of craftsmen headed by watchmaker Yakov Lebedev, for which he was awarded the honorary title of Master of the Spassky Clock. The clock installed under Catherine II worked successfully for eighty years without overhaul. However, after a survey in 1851 by the brothers Johann and Nikolai Butenopov (Danish subjects) and the architect Konstantin Ton, it was established: “The Spassky tower clock is in a critical condition close to complete breakdown (the iron gears and wheels have worn out, the dials have dilapidated, wooden floors settled down, the oak foundation under the clock has rotted, the staircase needs to be reworked)”.

In 1851, the Butenop Brothers company, known for installing tower clocks in the dome of the Grand Kremlin Palace, took up the repair of the Spassky chimes and entrusted the manufacture of new clocks to skilled Russian craftsmen. According to the drawings of an experienced architect Ton were converted interior decorations Spasskaya tower. The new watches used parts from old watches and all the achievements of watchmaking of that time.

A massive amount of work has been done. A new cast-iron frame was cast under the clock, on which the mechanism was located, the wheels and gears were replaced, and special alloys were selected for their manufacture, which could withstand high humidity and significant fluctuations temperatures. The chimes received a Gragham move and a pendulum with a thermal compensation system designed by Garrison.

Special attention was paid to the appearance of the Kremlin clock. New black iron dials with gilded rims on 4 sides were made, for which figures were cast from copper, as well as minute and five-minute divisions. The iron arrows are wrapped in copper and covered with gilding. Total weight hours was 25 tons. The diameter of each of the four dials is over 6 meters; the height of the digits is 72 centimeters, the length of the hour hand is about 3 meters, the minute hand is another quarter meter longer. Digitization on the dial was made at that time Arabic numerals, and not in Roman numerals, as it is now.

Also, the Butenop Brothers company completely redesigned the musical unit. To the old clock bells were added bells taken from other towers of the Kremlin, the hours of which were not working by that time (16 from Troitskaya and 8 from Borovitskaya), bringing total bells up to 48 for the purpose of more melodic chime and accurate performance of melodies. The fight of the clock was achieved by hitting special hammers on the surface of the lower base of the bell. The musical mechanism itself consisted of a drum with a diameter of one and a half meters, in the middle of which a gear wheel was fixed. Parallel to the axis of the musical drum, there is an axis for 30 levers of the hammer cocking mechanism, which ensures the sound of bells located in the uppermost tier of the Spasskaya Tower. On the playing shaft of the clock, by the nominal order of the sovereign Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich, the melodies of the hymn “Kol our Lord is glorious in Zion” (music by Dmitry Bortnyansky) and the march of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment of Petrovsky times were dialed. New chimes were called over Red Square every three hours, and the melodies had an important ideological significance and sounded until 1917. At 12 and 6 o'clock the march of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, and at 3 and 9 o'clock the anthem "How glorious is our Lord in Zion."

In 1913, a full-scale restoration was carried out. appearance chimes dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. The Butenop Brothers Company continued to service the clock mechanism.

In 1917, during the storming of the Kremlin, the clock on the Spasskaya Tower was seriously damaged. One of the shells, hitting the clock, interrupted the arrow, damaging the mechanism for rotating the hands. The clock stopped, and for almost a year it was faulty.

In 1918, by decree of V.I. Lenin, it was decided to restore the Kremlin chimes. First of all, the Bolsheviks turned to the firm of Pavel Bure and Sergei Roginsky, but after the announced sum for the repair, they turned to Nikolai Berens, a locksmith working in the Kremlin. Behrens knew the device of the chimes since his father worked in a company that served the chimes earlier. Together with his sons, Behrens was able to start the clock by July 1918 by repairing the mechanism for rotating the hands, repairing a hole in the dial and making a new pendulum about one and a half meters long and weighing 32 kilograms. Since Berens could not set up the musical device of the Spassky Clock, at the direction of the new authorities, the artist and musician Mikhail Cheremnykh figured out the order of the bells, the score of the chimes and scored revolutionary melodies on the playing shaft. In accordance with Lenin's wish, at 12 o'clock the bells rang "International", and at 24 o'clock - "You fell a victim ..." (in honor of those buried in Red Square). In 1918, the commission of the Moscow City Council accepted the work, having listened to each tune three times on Red Square. The first at 6 in the morning sounded "Internationale", and at 9 o'clock and 15 o'clock - the funeral march "You fell a victim." After some time, the chimes were reconfigured. At 12 o'clock the bells rang "International", and at 24 o'clock "You fell a victim."

Refurbished in 1932 appearance and made a new dial, which was an exact copy of the old one. 28 kg of gold was used to gild the rim, numbers and hands, and "Internationale" was left as the melody. At the direction of I.V. Stalin, the execution of the funeral march was canceled. The Special Commission recognized the sound music device chimes unsatisfactory. Frost and wear and tear of the mechanism greatly distorted the sound, as a result of which in 1938 it was decided to stop the musical drum and the chimes fell silent, starting to strike the hours and quarters.

In 1941, an electromechanical drive was mounted specifically for the performance of the Internationale, which was subsequently dismantled.

In 1944, a new anthem of the USSR was adopted to the music of A.V. Alexandrov and poems by S.V. Mikhalkov, and G.G. El Registan. In this regard, by the decree of I.V. Stalin, they tried to adjust the chimes for the ringing of a new anthem, but for a reason unknown to us, this did not happen.

In 1974, a major restoration of the Spasskaya Tower and chimes was carried out, the clock was stopped for 100 days. During this time, the clock mechanism was completely disassembled and restored by specialists of the Research Institute of the Watch Industry, and the old parts were replaced. An automatic lubrication system for parts, which was previously carried out manually, was also installed, an electronic clock control was added.

In 1996, during the inauguration of B.N. Yeltsin, the chimes, silent for 58 years, after the traditional chime and striking the clock, began to play again. At noon and midnight, the bells began to sing "Patriotic Song" by M.I. Glinka, and every 3 and 9 o'clock in the morning and evening the melody of the choir "Glory" from the opera "Life for the Tsar" (Ivan Susanin) M.I. Glinka. The choice of the song was not accidental, "Patriotic Song" from 1993 to 2000 was the official anthem of Russia. The implementation of this project required research work carried out by specialists from NIIchasoprom. As a result of the work, recordings of the chime of the bells on the Spasskaya Tower, which have survived to this day, were listened to. At different times, there were up to 48 bells, the tone of each of the 9 surviving bells was revealed. After that, it became clear that they would not be enough for the normal sound of the selected melodies, 3 more bells were needed. According to a special spectral recording of the sound of each missing bell, new ones were made.

Last major restoration work was held in 1999. Work was carried out for half a year. The arrows and numbers were again gilded and the historical appearance of the upper tiers was restored. Important improvements were made in the work and control over the work of the Kremlin Chimes: a special ultra-sensitive microphone was installed for more accurate timely control of the movement of the clockwork. The microphone picks up the accuracy of the stroke, based on which software helps to establish the presence of problems and quickly identify in which node of the watch mechanism the rhythm is disturbed. Also, during the restoration, the chimes were reconfigured, after which, instead of the "Patriotic Song", the chimes began to play the approved national anthem Russian Federation.

The Kremlin chimes in our time are located in the tent completion of the Spasskaya Tower and occupy 8, 9, 10 tiers. The main mechanism is located on the 9th floor and is located in a dedicated room. It consists of 4 winding shafts, each of which is assigned certain functions. One is for keeping the hands, the other is for striking the clock, the third is for calling the quarters and another is for playing the chimes. Each mechanism is driven by three weights weighing from 160 to 220 kg, pulling the cables. The accuracy of the watch is achieved thanks to the pendulum, weighing 32 kg. The clock mechanism is connected to the musical node, which is located under the tent of the tower in the open 10th tier of chimes, and consists of 9 quarter bells and 1 bell that strikes the full hour. The weight of quarter bells is about 320 kg, hour bells - 2160 kg.

The strike of the clock is achieved by striking a hammer connected to the mechanism of each of the bells. At the beginning of the hour, the chimes are called 4 times, and then the big bell strikes the clock. Every 15, 30, 45 minutes of the hour the chime plays 1, 2 and 3 times. The musical mechanism of the chimes itself consists of a software copper cylinder with a diameter of about two meters, dotted with holes and pins in accordance with the typed melodies. It is rotated by a kettlebell weighing more than 200 kg. The drum, when rotated, causes the pins to press the keys, from which the cables are connected to the bells on the belfry. At noon and midnight, the anthem of the Russian Federation is played, and at 3, 9, 15, 21 hours - the melody of the choir "Glory" from Glinka's opera "Life for the Tsar". The melodies differ greatly from each other in the rhythm of performance, therefore, in the first case, one first line from the anthem is performed, and in the second, two lines from the “Glory” choir are performed.

Today we see on the Spasskaya Tower of Red Square those chimes that the Butenop brothers restored in 1852. Since its appearance on the Spasskaya Tower, the clock has been constantly reconstructed in connection with the development of progress in a particular area of mechanics, materials science and other sciences. Until 1937, the watch was wound manually twice a day, and then this process was mechanized, thanks to 3 electric motors, the lifting of weights for the factory was carried out without much effort. For each shaft from cast iron ingots, weights weighing up to 200 kg are collected, and in winter period this weight is increased. A preventive inspection of the mechanism is carried out every day, and once a month - a detailed one. The course of the clock is controlled by the watchmaker on duty and a special device. The mechanism is lubricated 2 times a week, while summer or winter lubrication is used. The watch mechanism has been working properly for over 150 years. This is a symbol not only of the Kremlin, but of the whole of Russia, which, as in the old days, measures the course of the country's history.

You may be surprised, but statistics show that more than half of the population of our country make wishes for the new year. There are no statistics on how many percent of the conceived are fulfilled. But Magic night for this, it is needed to make a secret desire and believe that it will definitely come true.

Even experts are sure that the New Year's Eve has its own special, very strong energy. Many people begin to believe in miracles and magic. Therefore, often people are interested in how to correctly make a wish for the new year under the chiming clock.

There is different variants how can you do it:

Eat 12 grapes. It is necessary to prepare 12 large grapes in advance and, with the beginning of the chiming clock, try to eat them all, while constantly repeating your cherished desire to yourself. Grapes are what the Spaniards traditionally eat on New Year's Eve to the sound of the clock. It seems that the Spaniards are happy and successful people, means, grapes works. Therefore, put all your faith into what has been envisioned and hope that 2015 will definitely bring you the miracle that you are waiting for;

A glass of champagne and ashes. It is considered one of the most powerful New Year's rituals to be performed when the chimes strike. You need to take a piece of paper and write your cherished desire on it. When the clock starts to beat and announce the coming of the new year, you need to set fire to the paper over your glass so that the ashes fall into the drink. Then stir the ashes in champagne and drink it. The whole ritual must be done before the end of the battle.

It is interesting! Due to the fact that most of the rituals put people in a clear framework, it becomes interesting how many times the chimes strike for the New Year and how many seconds the New Year's chimes strike. 12 chimes is theoretically equal to twelve seconds. But if you take complete chronology, then the melody before the start of the battle lasts 20 seconds, and 12 beats account for 40 seconds. That is, a little less than four seconds per hit.

Candles. Another ritual, how to correctly make a wish for the new year under the chiming clock. It is necessary to take a candle and hold it in your hands before midnight, tell her about your cherished desire. Then, with the beginning of the chiming clock, light a candle and once again tell the flame about your desire. Now leave the candle on holiday table and let it burn to the end.

During the chiming clock, you need to jump 12 times, while repeating your desire to yourself each time.

In order for what you want to come true, it is important not only when to make a wish for the new year, but also how to do it. It is precisely those desires that are correctly formulated that are embodied.

How to correctly formulate a desire:

1. More specifics. It is necessary not only to think in the New Year that you want to meet a man. Otherwise, your subconscious will understand this desire in a literal sense, and perhaps the person you first meet in the new 2015 will be a man. But, if you want to meet a loved one or fall in love, then you need to formulate your desire there. That is, the wording must be complete and complete. Therefore, think that you want to meet a smart and wealthy man whom you will love and who will love you in order to live life happily with this man;

2. Don't limit yourself on how you can get what you want. The subconscious mind has its own energy, and it is able to find the shortest path to your goal, if you do not interfere with it. When you think that you want to earn money and buy a car, then you limit yourself. After all, you can get what you want (a car), but not necessarily with hard work. Remember this and think exactly what you want, and not specific paths to it;

3. Focus on one desire. If you have a specific dream for the next year, then you need to concentrate only on it, forgetting about everything else, less important. Free up energy specifically to achieve a specific dream, other goals can even be left to chance. Highlight what's important. Think of it in the New Year!

4. Be sure to think carefully about your desire and decide whether it is true and comes from the heart. Sometimes desires are caused by envy, fear, resentment - and these are the wrong goals that will not bring you anything good in the new year. If it is difficult to understand how sincere the desire is, then it is necessary to imagine that it has already come true. Now tell me, what feelings overcome you, are you happy with what happened?
Feeling happy or uncomfortable? Remember that even if untrue wishes come true, they will not bring happiness.

A conspiracy, when the chimes strike for the new year and even before the onset of the New Year, is a great opportunity to ensure happiness for yourself next year. For example, a ritual that will save you from problems and troubles next year is to clean the house. It is necessary to collect and throw away all unnecessary items and trash a few hours before the new year.

Another ritual that will bring financial well-being is decorating the Christmas tree with coins and banknotes. If you need love in 2015, then decorate the space with hearts. Good conspiracy- this is half an hour before the chiming clock to write a letter to yourself and describe all the plans for the coming year, be sure to also indicate the most cherished dreams.

To make your wish come true, be sure to remember what you asked fate for at New Year's midnight. Often people simply forget their wishes, and then they say that what they made for the New Year did not come true. We wish you bright moments and incredibly pleasant surprises in the new 2015!

just for lulz...

These sounds for Russians, like champagne and Olivier salad, have long been an integral attribute of the New Year's Eve. Only here in the main question, when exactly it comes, there is still no complete clarity - with the chime of bells, with the first or last blow of the chimes.

The wheels turned. Began. This is how the arrival of the new year to replace the old one in the heart of the main clock of the country looks like.

And if we take an even more pedantic approach to the problem, then here:

The moment of the onset of the new year is a conditional and relative concept. How to agree. If you live in a city, then at its different ends (west - east) the moment 24-00 LOCAL TIME (!) will be at different times. In middle latitudes, with a difference in distance of about 15 km, the difference will already be in a minute.

So:

It is not known exactly when the Kremlin tower clock appeared. There is an assumption that they were placed on the Spasskaya Tower shortly after its construction (1491). However, documentary evidence of this dates back to the 16th century. By whom the clock was arranged and what they were, it has not yet been established exactly. In archival materials only under 1585 there is a mention of the watchmakers of the Frolovsky (Spassky), Trinity and Tainitsky gates. Documents have been preserved, which show that watchmakers received 4 rubles and 2 hryvnias per year for their work and 4 arshins of cloth for clothes.

Alas, this watch met the same sad fate as the previous movements. They were repaired several times, but after the fire of 1737 the chimes rose completely.

The Kremlin chimes also have a program cylinder, but its diameter is about 2 meters, and its width is more than 2 meters. The mechanism is driven by a heavy weight weighing more than 200 kilograms.

After the clock strikes, the stopper of the chiming mechanism is turned off. A huge cylinder slowly rotates, bristling with a thousand steel pins. The pins are occupied

While for many decades the Kremlin chimes underwent all sorts of alterations, the clock mechanism worked properly all the time and hardly stopped.

And today you can hear Glinka's melodies performed by Moscow chimes. Of course, if you find yourself on Red Square at noon or midnight.

(c)

How the clock strikes the new year. When exactly is the New Year?

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