The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year is associated with the divergence of two calendars: the Julian - the "old style" calendar and the Gregorian - the "new style" calendar, according to which modern people live. This discrepancy in the XX-XXI centuries is 13 days, and the New Year according to the old style is celebrated on the night of January 13-14.
From March 1, 2100, the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars will be 14 days. From 2101 Old New Year will be celebrated a day later.
Almost all the Protestant states of Europe switched to the Gregorian chronology back in the 18th century, removing a few extra days from the calendar. Russia has switched to new calendar only in 1918, by the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of January 26, 1918, after January 31, 1918, February 14 immediately came.
As a result of the transition to a new chronology, the date of the beginning of the New Year has changed. New Style January 1 falls on December 19 according to the Julian calendar, and January 14 according to the new style is January 1 according to the Julian calendar.
The Russian Orthodox Church continues to celebrate all church holidays according to the Julian calendar: both the Circumcision of the Lord (until 1918 coinciding with the civil New Year) and the Nativity of Christ. The modern New Year falls on the pre-Christmas fast - an Orthodox forty-day fast in honor of Christmas. According to the old style, everything went on as usual - the Advent fast preceded the feast of the Nativity of Christ, after which people celebrated the New Year six days later.
Therefore, the Old Style New Year is important for Orthodox believers living in countries where the church continues to use the Julian calendar.
In Russia, until 1918, the arrival of the New Year fell on the period of Christmas time, so all folk new year signs more applicable specifically to the Old New Year. People believed that if a woman came to the house first on the morning of the New Year, then this would inevitably bring misfortune, if a man - happiness. If there is money in the house on New Year's Day, you will not need it all year, but only on condition that you do not lend to anyone. In addition, the following signs were also known: "If the first day of the year is cheerful (happy), then the year will be like that"; "The snow or fog that fell on the New Year portends a harvest"; "A full hole of water and fog for the New Year portend a big flood"; "If there is wind in the New Year - to the harvest of nuts"; "New Year - turn towards spring"; "New Year - sled on the move"; "New Year's first hour of the day is gaining."
In addition, January 14 (January 1, old style) in the old days was called St. Basil's Day - the celebration of the memory of St. Basil the Great of Caesarea - and was of decisive importance for the whole year.
On this day, it was customary to conduct all kinds of divination and ancient rituals. The evening before (now January 13) was called Vasiliev's evening. He was especially expected unmarried girls who at that time willingly guessed. They believed: what you guess on Vasily's day will surely come true.
St. Basil was considered a "pigsty" - the patron saint of pig breeders and pork products, and they believed that if there was a lot of pork on the table on the night before Vasily's Day, then these animals would breed in abundance and bring good profits to the owners.
Therefore, the main festive dish on Vasily's Day was a pig, which was roasted whole, and a hare and a rooster were also prepared. According to legend, pig roast provides well-being for the coming year; they ate hare meat to be agile like a hare, and rooster meat to be light like a bird.
The rite of going from house to house to be treated to pork dishes was interesting. On the night of Vasily, the guests certainly had to be fed with pork pies, boiled or baked pork legs, and in general any dishes that include pork. A pig's head was also placed on the table.
There was also a custom on Vasily's Day with special rituals to cook porridge. On New Year's Eve, at 2 o'clock, the eldest of the women brought cereals from the barn (usually buckwheat), and the eldest man brought water from a well or river. It was impossible to touch cereals and water until the stove was heated - 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 uttering certain ritual words.
Then everyone got up from the table, and the hostess put the porridge in the oven - with a bow. Ready porridge was taken out of the oven and carefully examined. If the pot was just full, and the porridge was rich and crumbly, then one could expect a happy year and a rich harvest - they ate such porridge in the morning. If the porridge got out of the pot, or it was small and white, and the pot cracked, this did not bode well for the owners of the house, and then trouble was expected, and the porridge was thrown away.
In the old days, on Vasilyev Day, peasants went from house to house with congratulations and wishes for well-being. At the same time, an ancient rite was performed, known under various names: avsen, ovsen, autumn, etc. Its essence was that the children of the peasants, having gathered together before mass, went from house to house to sow grains of oats, buckwheat, rye and other loaves and at the same time they sang a sowing song.
The owners of the house gave the sprinkler something as a gift, and the grains scattered by him were carefully collected, stored until spring, and mixed with other seeds when sowing spring crops.
There is also a tradition in Russia on the night of the Old New Year to sculpt and cook dumplings, some of which are with surprises. In each locality (even in each family), the meanings of surprises may differ.
According to signs, if the sky is clear and starry at night before Vasiliev's day, then there will be a rich harvest of berries. By folk beliefs St. Basil the Great guards gardens from worms and pests. On the morning of the Old New Year, you need to walk through the garden with the words of an ancient conspiracy: "As I shake off (name) the white-furred snow, so St. Basil will shake off the worm-reptile of every spring!"
Some regions of Russia have their own traditions of celebrating the Old New Year. For example, in Yalga, a suburban village of Saransk (Mordovia), residents gather near the New Year's fire, dance and, together with old things, burn all the troubles that have accumulated over the year. They also have a tradition of comic fortune-telling with an old boot or felt boots. Yalga residents stand in a circle and pass each other a "magic slipper" in which there are notes with good wishes. They believe that a note pulled out of a boot will surely bring good luck.
The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year has been preserved not only in Russia, but also in the former Soviet republics. In Belarus and Ukraine, the evening on the eve of January 14 is called "generous", since it is customary to cook "generous kutya" - a rich table after the Christmas Lent. Both Georgia and Abkhazia celebrate the Old New Year.
In Abkhazia, January 13 is officially listed as Azhyrnykhua or Hechkhuama - Creation Day, update. It is festive and non-working. The holiday of renewal or the creation of the world takes its origin in the pagan past of the country and is associated with the veneration of the deity Shashva, the patron saint of blacksmiths. Traditionally, roosters and goats are slaughtered on this day as a sacrifice to Shashva. The holiday gathers under the roof of the family sanctuary - the "forge" - all relatives on the paternal side. Representatives of other people's families - wives and daughters-in-law stay at home.
The Old New Year is also celebrated in some other countries.
In the former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia), they also celebrate the Old New Year on the night of January 13-14, since the Serbian Orthodox Church, like the Russian one, continues to live according to the Julian calendar.
Serbs call this holiday "Serbian New Year" or Little Christmas. Sometimes the Serbs bring "badnyak" into the house on this day - one of the two logs that they prepared on Christmas Eve for Christmas and Little Christmas.
In Montenegro, it is customary to call this holiday "Rights of Nova Godina", which means "correct New Year".
Vasilitsy are prepared for the Old New Year: round pies made from corn dough with kaymak - cream curdled like cheese. Sometimes another dish is prepared from corn dough - parennitsa.
On the night of January 14, they gather for festive table to mark the arrival of the New Year and in Greece. This Greek holiday is called Saint Basil's Day, known for his kindness. In anticipation of this saint, Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplaces so that St. Basil puts gifts in them.
In Romania, the Old New Year is celebrated more often in the narrow circle of the family, less often with friends. For the festive table, they make New Year's pies with surprises: coins, porcelain figurines, rings, hot peppers. The ring found in the pie promises great luck.
Old New Year is also celebrated in the north-east of Switzerland in some German-speaking cantons. In the 16th century, the inhabitants of the canton of Appenzell did not accept the reform of Pope Gregory and still celebrate the holiday on the night of January 13-14. On January 13, they celebrate the old day of St. Sylvester, who, according to legend, in 314 caught a terrible monster.
It was believed that in the year 1000 the monster would break free and destroy the world, but this did not happen. Since then, on New Year's Eve, the inhabitants of Switzerland dress up in masquerade costumes, put on bizarre structures resembling dollhouses or botanical gardens on their heads and call themselves Sylvester Clauses. Walking along the streets, the locals make noise and shout, thereby expelling evil spirits and inviting good spirits.
In addition, the Old Style New Year is celebrated in a small Welsh community in Wales in the west of the UK. On January 13 they celebrate "Khen Galan". There are no fireworks or champagne on this day. "Khen Galan" is greeted according to the traditions of the ancestors with songs, carols and local home-made beer.
Since 1752 in the United Kingdom The Gregorian calendar is in effect, with New Year's Day on January 1st. But a small community of Welsh farmers, centered in a village called Gwayne Valley, celebrates the onset of the New Year according to the Julian calendar, and unlike the rest of the country, it is on January 13 that they have an official holiday.
The reason why Gwayne Valley and its surrounding farms have fallen behind the times is now unknown. Some say that it was the will of a local feudal lord opposed to the Catholic Church. Others believe that it was the will of the entire community, which decided to defend its traditional way of life.
The children start the holiday. From early morning they carol all over the valley, collecting gifts and money. For adults, the fun comes in the late afternoon. The whole village and nearby farms gather at the local pub. Outside visitors are not allowed. In an ancient pub, one of the few in the UK where beer is brewed and immediately poured into jugs, nothing but beer is served. Locals bring their own food. In the pub, people sing songs in Welsh to the accompaniment of an accordion, which were performed by their grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
For local residents, Khen Galan is a holiday of good neighborliness and "open doors" - but open to their own. According to legend, in ancient times, the inhabitants of the valley went from house to house to visit in a round dance with songs.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
http://rian.ru/spravka/20110113/320985003.htm
When the New Year and Christmas are over, fireworks and crackers have died down, plentiful cheerful feasts have ended, and the “long” holidays have finally come to an end, there is one more strange holiday ahead, for a “snack” - the Old New Year. Many Russians, not even knowing what its essence is, do not forget to celebrate it - in order to prolong their holidays. The correspondent studied the history and traditions of the Old New Year.
History with calendars
Julius Caesar, who seized power in ancient Rome, in 45 BC. e. for ease of management of his power, he introduced a new calendar into circulation. An ambitious man and a military genius, relying on the most advanced administrative and military system of his time, he could not even imagine that a few centuries would pass - and the "eternal" Roman Empire would sink into history, and its chronology system, developed by scientists - Alexandrian astronomers at the head with the sage Sosigen, every 128 years will accumulate an extra day and eventually become obsolete.
The fall of the Julian calendar is largely due to the triumph of Christianity. By the sixteenth century, pious Catholic astronomers were convinced that the feast of the Nativity of Christ, which originally coincided with the day of the winter solstice, began to shift more and more towards spring. As a result, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII, who became famous not only for his cruel persecution of Protestants, but also for his scholarship, ordered the introduction of a more accurate calendar, which received the name Gregorian after his name.
The spiritual flock of the Roman Catholic Church quickly accepted the innovation. Protestant Europe resisted for a long time, but mainly from the spirit of contradiction to the papal throne - the convenience of the new chronology was recognized even there. Longest of all, until 1752, the conservative British and Swedes held out, but in the end they also surrendered.
The Russian Empire was not without reason proud of the title of the Third Rome - it was faithful to the Roman Julian calendar to the end. However, after the October Revolution, the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of January 26, 1918 unified the chronology system in Russia with the whole world. Only the Russian Orthodox Church, not submitting to the godless Bolsheviks who excommunicated it from the state, remained faithful to the Julian calendar. This is how the Russian phenomenon of the New Year holidays arose - Christmas after the New Year and the tradition of celebrating the Old New Year from January 13 to 14, that is, according to the "old style", as an integral part of our New Year's epic.
Vasiliev day
The Old New Year holiday owes its appearance both to the ineradicable habit of Soviet citizens to find a reason to celebrate something with a cheerful feast, and to folk ritual and religious traditions associated, in particular, with a church holiday - Basil the Great Day, which fell on January 14 old style. It is no secret that in Russian folk customs, especially peasant customs, Christian rites are inextricably and organically intertwined with the pre-Christian heritage.
The Christian saint of the late Roman era, religious philosopher and writer, Archbishop Basil of Caesarea, was called by the Russian peasant Vasily Solnovorot, which is associated with the day of the winter solstice, and Vasily the pigsty is the patron saint of pig breeding. Basil's Day falls at the end of the strict Advent (November 28 - January 6), during which believers refrain from New Year's festivities.
The day of veneration of St. Basil fits into Christmas time - 12 merry days between Christmas and the Epiphany of the Lord, when it is not forbidden to rejoice and have fun, as well as break the fast at the festive table. Therefore, on this day, as a tribute to Vasily the pigsty, the traditional decoration of the meal was a baked pig's head, a roasted pig or other pork dishes, and in poorer houses - cookies in the form of pigs or other livestock.
But an interesting folk ritual among the Slavs - sowing or sowing, performed in Orthodox countries on January 13-14, has clearly pre-Christian roots and is timed to coincide with the winter solstice, when the luminary “turns to spring” and means coaxing the future sowing and harvest. Hence the other, common name for Vasily's Day in Russian peasant usage - Ovsen, as well as Busen and Tausen in Ukraine and Belarus.
The rites of grain growers are associated with the cult of grain as a guarantee of the well-being and survival of the peasant community. Nowadays, they are preserved primarily by reenactors of folklore traditions, but even a hundred years ago they were honored in every large patriarchal peasant family from the Bug and the Carpathians to Siberia. The holiday was opened by children, a symbol of spring and procreation, who went from house to house and “sowed” grains from a sleeve or from a bag with a saying: “For happiness, for health, for the new summer, give birth, God, live, wheat and all arable land.” The hostess of the house - "big woman" - then collected this grain in an apron, and it was with them that the spring sowing was opened.
From the evening of January 13, according to the new style, festive porridge was put in the house, usually buckwheat, which was not only a treat for the festive table, but also a means of divination for the future harvest and the well-being of the house. After changing into clean smart shirts and praying, the eldest man and woman in the family set to work. He brought water, she took out grain or cereals from the barn, melted the stove and brewed porridge with appropriate sentences and tunes. The younger members of the family watched the ritual in reverent silence, so as not to scare away from the house of Zhitsen - the pagan ancient Slavic spirit of the zhit, the patron saint of grain growers.
When the "magical" brew reproved, it was set on the table and carefully examined. If the porridge "ran away" - expect trouble "over the edge." A cracked pot also did not bode well. If the grains are harsh, the farm is at the very least, but it will last. In case of a negative forecast, the porridge was thrown into the river. And if the porridge was a success, the harvest will be good, the family will prosper, and treats can be served at home.
Caroling and generosity
carols
In the evening on Vasily's Day, young people went caroling around the village. Since the original meaning of this holiday was the spell of a generous harvest, it was also called - to be generous. For Ukrainians and Belarusians, this evening was given the name of Generous.
Some folklore scholars find the refrains of "Vasily's generosity" even more diverse than those of Christmas carols, and see in this echoes of pagan ritual chants. However, the Christian patron of this day, St. Basil, is not forgotten in them: “Give a pig and a hog for Vasilyev’s evening.”
The owner had to give the loud midnight singers as much as possible with treats and small money, not only so that they quickly left to scream to their neighbors, but also luck in field work and harvesting did not turn away from him. Present in the generosity on St. Basil's Day and the procession with mummers, which in many regions has specifics. Common Slavic mummers - "goat", "wolf", "tour", "bear" - are accompanied, for example, in some regions of Belarus by a beautiful elegant girl - Generous, and in Ukraine - by Vasil and Malanka.
On the night before the Old New Year, it is also customary for girls to tell fortunes about their betrothed - on nutshells, on scallops, on coals, on pies, etc., although this custom applies to the entire period of Christmas time.
The tradition of "generosity" and the harvest spell on New Year's Eve exists among all Slavic and most European peoples in various forms. At the same time, for Catholics and Protestants, as well as for some foreign Orthodox, it is tied to the Gregorian calendar.
Old New Year in other countries
Winter Belgrade
In addition to the Russian Orthodox Church, a number of local churches remain faithful to the Julian system of chronology - the Jerusalem, Georgian and Serbian Orthodox churches, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic, several ancient Eastern churches, including the Ethiopian, etc. Related to this are the traditions of celebrating the Old New Year and St. Basil on January 13-14, which have been preserved in a number of countries.
Serbs even call the Old New Year Serbian (Srpska Nova Godina). By the way, despite the historical popularity of pig farming in Serbia, Vasilyev Day among Serbian peasants is considered a “professional” holiday not for swineherds, but for cheese makers. The holiday is also accompanied by a procession of mummers - young guys depicting a comic wedding procession. In some regions of the country, there is a custom to bring “badnyak” into the house on Basil the Great - an intricately decorated bouquet of oak branches or just an oak log, which is prepared for Christmas and burned on Christmas Eve in the hearth or at the stake.
Of course, among such lovers of delicious food, like the Serbs, Vasiliev's day is not complete without a culinary "specialty". The table is served with "vasilitsi" - mouth-watering corn pies with kaimak - thick curdled cream, as well as "poparu" - a dish of corn bread filled with hot milk with the addition of cheese, butter and olives.
The Old New Year is also celebrated in Macedonia and occasionally in Bulgaria, but there it is rather a custom adopted from the Russians in the era of socialism. In addition, in Western Europe on the night of January 13-14, not only people from the former USSR sit down to celebrate. The inhabitants of the Swiss half-canton of Appenzell-Inneroden, stern Protestant highlanders, also did not accept the calendar reform of Pope Gregory in the 16th century and defended their right to celebrate the New Year according to the Julian calendar.
Mikhail Kozhemyakin
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The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year is associated with the divergence of two calendars: the Julian - the "old style" calendar and the Gregorian - the "new style" calendar, according to which modern people live. This discrepancy in the XX-XXI centuries is 13 days, and the New Year according to the old style is celebrated on the night of January 13-14.
From March 1, 2100, the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars will be 14 days. From 2101 Old New Year will be celebrated a day later.
Almost all the Protestant states of Europe switched to the Gregorian chronology back in the 18th century, removing a few extra days from the calendar. Russia, however, switched to a new calendar only in 1918. By a decree of the Council of People's Commissars of January 26, 1918, after January 31, 1918, February 14 immediately came.
As a result of the transition to a new chronology, the date of the beginning of the New Year has changed. New Style January 1 falls on December 19 according to the Julian calendar, and January 14 according to the new style is January 1 according to the Julian calendar.
The Russian Orthodox Church continues to celebrate all church holidays according to the Julian calendar: both the Circumcision of the Lord (until 1918 coinciding with the civil New Year) and the Nativity of Christ. The modern New Year falls on the pre-Christmas fast - an Orthodox forty-day fast in honor of Christmas. According to the old style, everything went on as usual - the Advent fast preceded the feast of the Nativity of Christ, after which people celebrated the New Year six days later.
Therefore, the Old Style New Year is important for Orthodox believers living in countries where the church continues to use the Julian calendar.
In Russia, until 1918, the arrival of the New Year fell on the period of Christmas time, so all folk New Year's signs are more applicable specifically to the Old New Year. People believed that if a woman came to the house first on the morning of the New Year, then this would inevitably bring misfortune, if a man - happiness. If there is money in the house on New Year's Day, you will not need it all year, but only on condition that you do not lend to anyone. In addition, the following signs were also known: "If the first day of the year is cheerful (happy), then the year will be like that"; "The snow or fog that fell on the New Year portends a harvest"; "A full hole of water and fog for the New Year portend a big flood"; "If there is wind in the New Year - to the harvest of nuts"; "New Year - turn towards spring"; "New Year - sled on the move"; "New Year's first hour of the day is gaining."
In addition, January 14 (January 1, old style) in the old days was called St. Basil's Day - the celebration of the memory of St. Basil the Great of Caesarea - and was of decisive importance for the whole year.
On this day, it was customary to conduct all kinds of divination and ancient rituals. The evening before (now January 13) was called Vasiliev's evening. Unmarried girls were especially waiting for him, who at that time willingly guessed. They believed: what you guess on Vasily's day will surely come true.
St. Basil was considered a "pigsty" - the patron saint of pig breeders and pork products, and they believed that if there was a lot of pork on the table on the night before Vasily's Day, then these animals would breed in abundance and bring good profits to the owners.
Therefore, the main festive dish on Vasily's Day was a pig, which was roasted whole, and a hare and a rooster were also prepared. According to legend, pig roast provides well-being for the coming year; they ate hare meat to be agile like a hare, and rooster meat to be light like a bird.
The rite of going from house to house to be treated to pork dishes was interesting. On the night of Vasily, the guests certainly had to be fed with pork pies, boiled or baked pork legs, and in general any dishes that include pork. A pig's head was also placed on the table.
There was also a custom on Vasily's Day with special rituals to cook porridge. On New Year's Eve, at 2 o'clock, the eldest of the women brought cereals from the barn (usually buckwheat), and the eldest man brought water from a well or river. It was impossible to touch cereals and water until the stove was heated - 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 uttering certain ritual words.
Then everyone got up from the table, and the hostess put the porridge in the oven - with a bow. Ready porridge was taken out of the oven and carefully examined. If the pot was just full, and the porridge was rich and crumbly, then one could expect a happy year and a rich harvest - they ate such porridge in the morning. If the porridge got out of the pot, or it was small and white, and the pot cracked, this did not bode well for the owners of the house, and then trouble was expected, and the porridge was thrown away.
In the old days, on Vasilyev Day, peasants went from house to house with congratulations and wishes for well-being. At the same time, an ancient rite was performed, known under various names: avsen, ovsen, autumn, etc. Its essence was that the children of the peasants, having gathered together before mass, went from house to house to sow grains of oats, buckwheat, rye and other loaves and at the same time they sang a sowing song.
The owners of the house gave the sprinkler something as a gift, and the grains scattered by him were carefully collected, stored until spring, and mixed with other seeds when sowing spring crops.
There is also a tradition in Russia on the night of the Old New Year to sculpt and cook dumplings, some of which are with surprises. In each locality (even in each family), the meanings of surprises may differ.
According to signs, if the sky is clear and starry at night before Vasiliev's day, then there will be a rich harvest of berries. According to popular belief, St. Basil the Great guards gardens from worms and pests. On the morning of the Old New Year, you need to walk through the garden with the words of an ancient conspiracy: "As I shake off (name) the white-furred snow, so St. Basil will shake off the worm-reptile of every spring!"
Some regions of Russia have their own traditions of celebrating the Old New Year. For example, in Yalga, a suburban village of Saransk (Mordovia), residents gather near the New Year's fire, dance and, together with old things, burn all the troubles that have accumulated over the year. They also have a tradition of comic fortune-telling with an old boot or felt boots. Yalga residents stand in a circle and pass each other a "magic slipper" in which there are notes with good wishes. They believe that a note pulled out of a boot will surely bring good luck.
The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year has been preserved not only in Russia, but also in the former Soviet republics. In Belarus and Ukraine, the evening on the eve of January 14 is called "generous", since it is customary to cook "generous kutya" - a rich table after the Christmas Lent. Both Georgia and Abkhazia celebrate the Old New Year.
In Abkhazia, January 13 is officially listed as Azhyrnykhua or Hechkhuama - Creation Day, update. It is festive and non-working. The holiday of renewal or the creation of the world takes its origin in the pagan past of the country and is associated with the veneration of the deity Shashva, the patron saint of blacksmiths. Traditionally, roosters and goats are slaughtered on this day as a sacrifice to Shashva. The holiday gathers under the roof of the family sanctuary - the "forge" - all relatives on the paternal side. Representatives of other people's families - wives and daughters-in-law stay at home.
The Old New Year is also celebrated in some other countries.
In the former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia), they also celebrate the Old New Year on the night of January 13-14, since the Serbian Orthodox Church, like the Russian one, continues to live according to the Julian calendar.
Serbs call this holiday "Serbian New Year" or Little Christmas. Sometimes the Serbs bring "badnyak" into the house on this day - one of the two logs that they prepared on Christmas Eve for Christmas and Little Christmas.
In Montenegro, it is customary to call this holiday "Rights of Nova Godina", which means "correct New Year".
Vasilitsy are prepared for the Old New Year: round pies made from corn dough with kaymak - cream curdled like cheese. Sometimes another dish is prepared from corn dough - parennitsa.
On the night of January 14, they gather at the festive table to celebrate the arrival of the New Year in Greece. This Greek holiday is called Saint Basil's Day, known for his kindness. In anticipation of this saint, Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplaces so that St. Basil puts gifts in them.
In Romania, the Old New Year is celebrated more often in the narrow circle of the family, less often with friends. For the festive table, they make New Year's pies with surprises: coins, porcelain figurines, rings, hot peppers. The ring found in the pie promises great luck.
Old New Year is also celebrated in the north-east of Switzerland in some German-speaking cantons. In the 16th century, the inhabitants of the canton of Appenzell did not accept the reform of Pope Gregory and still celebrate the holiday on the night of January 13-14. On January 13, they celebrate the old day of St. Sylvester, who, according to legend, in 314 caught a terrible monster.
It was believed that in the year 1000 the monster would break free and destroy the world, but this did not happen. Since then, on New Year's Eve, the inhabitants of Switzerland dress up in masquerade costumes, put on bizarre structures resembling dollhouses or botanical gardens on their heads and call themselves Sylvester Clauses. Walking along the streets, the locals make noise and shout, thereby expelling evil spirits and inviting good spirits.
In addition, the Old Style New Year is celebrated in a small Welsh community in Wales in the west of the UK. On January 13 they celebrate "Khen Galan". There are no fireworks or champagne on this day. "Khen Galan" is greeted according to the traditions of the ancestors with songs, carols and local home-made beer.
Since 1752 in the United Kingdom The Gregorian calendar is in effect, with New Year's Day on January 1st. But a small community of Welsh farmers, centered in a village called Gwayne Valley, celebrates the onset of the New Year according to the Julian calendar, and unlike the rest of the country, it is on January 13 that they have an official holiday.
The reason why Gwayne Valley and its surrounding farms have fallen behind the times is now unknown. Some say that it was the will of a local feudal lord opposed to the Catholic Church. Others believe that it was the will of the entire community, which decided to defend its traditional way of life.
The children start the holiday. From early morning they carol all over the valley, collecting gifts and money. For adults, the fun comes in the late afternoon. The whole village and nearby farms gather at the local pub. Outside visitors are not allowed. In an ancient pub, one of the few in the UK where beer is brewed and immediately poured into jugs, nothing but beer is served. Locals bring their own food. In the pub, people sing songs in Welsh to the accompaniment of an accordion, which were performed by their grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
For local residents, Khen Galan is a holiday of good neighborliness and "open doors" - but open to their own. According to legend, in ancient times, the inhabitants of the valley went from house to house to visit in a round dance with songs.
Old New Year is an unofficial, but unusually warm, joyful and magical holiday, which is celebrated on the night of January 13-14. This additional New Year was the result of a change in the order of the chronology, so it can be considered a cultural-historical phenomenon.
Where did this holiday come from?
The confusion with the celebration of the Old New Year began in 1918, when the Gregorian calendar was introduced instead of the Julian calendar, and the concept of "old" and "new" style entered our lives. At the same time, the day that for centuries was considered the first of January, “moved” in the calendar to January 14th. For those who did not want to change their habits, he remained a holiday.
In addition, celebrating the New Year from January 13 to 14 turned out to be more logical for Orthodox believers, who are used to celebrating it 6 days after Orthodox Christmas. But they tried not to celebrate the holiday from December 31 to January 1, because it fell on the Advent, when you can’t set the festive table, you can’t drink wine and you won’t have fun. And in general, in the public mind since the 19th century, the New Year was considered a cheerful and violent holiday.
“The New Year is the same as the campaign of mummers in the village,” writes in his essay historian Lev Lurie. - This is the time when people can behave as if indecent. After the New Year, the time for girl fortune-telling comes at all. They guessed, of course, about the suitors - they let the rooster peck oats, drowned the wax, put papers with the names of potential suitors into the pelvis, used a mirror. Divination traditions are pagan, they were not only not welcomed by the Orthodox Church, but also prohibited. Of course, during the fast it was clearly inappropriate to do all this.
Why do we still celebrate it
By the way, there is no scientifically based date for the beginning of the new year. This is the subject of a social contract. It is simply more convenient for people to unify the calendar and assume that in all countries the calendar new year begins on the night of December 31 to January 1.
So, why not stop at this beautiful date? After all, now even Orthodox believers do not refuse to celebrate the New Year together with everyone. However, the annual Polls of the Levada Center show that the tradition of celebrating the Old New Year in our society not only does not die out, but only grows stronger from year to year. The number of people who celebrate this holiday is growing and in recent years it has been from 43 to 47% of the respondents.
Scientists believe there are several reasons for this. The first is that our culture traditionally welcomes everything that confirms the idea of the mystery of the Russian soul. “Our people generally like the idea that Russia has its own unique third way,” says expert of the Center for Political Technologies, social psychologist Alexei Roshchin. - Therefore, we have our own specific holiday - the Old New Year. This allows us to feel that we stand out against the backdrop of globalization.” However, in fairness it should be said that the Old New Year is celebrated not only in Russia, but also in most CIS countries, as well as in the former republics of Yugoslavia.
The second reason, according to psychologists, lies in the fact that our long cold winter and lack of light provokes us to seasonal blues. And the holidays the best remedy to fight her. Festive garlands, multi-colored lanterns, a cheerful mess, a feast, a desire to treat yourself to food and alcohol. So we grab every opportunity not to fall into winter depression. How else can you defeat her
The third source of why we are so eager to extend new year holidays, follows from the previous one. “The fact is that the New Year holidays are best suited to feel like children and pamper our “inner child”, which is hidden in the soul of each of us,” says psychologist Oksana Poleshchuk. - A Christmas tree, tangerines, snow, a skating rink, a cafe, a cinema, the opportunity to just have fun, be reckless, push the burden of daily responsibility, relax, sit in front of the TV, eat what you want, not counting calories, and finally, just do nothing. Many of us, in fact, do not have enough of this, and after the holidays such a lack is felt most acutely.
There are even wonderful poems by Yunna Moritz about this, which Sergey Nikitin set to music, and the result was an unusually lyrical, wonderful song:
He's old, he's old, he's not new at all,
And still we are children, we are on the Christmas tree,
And we fly for this ghostly additive,
For the irrevocable and unique,
Add us at least the Old New Year.
Make your dreams come true
Finally, an important reason for the growing popularity of the Old New Year is that in our fragmented world, people are increasingly experiencing a lack of human understanding every decade. And so we are increasingly in need of warm unhurried fellowship. Best of all - at the festive table, in the circle of the closest and most understanding people. Maybe that is why the holiday from December 31 to January 1 remains violent and cheerful, with shooting and dancing until the morning. But the Old New Year is now assigned, rather, the role of a quiet, sincere, warm and magical holiday.
So if you feel that you celebrated the New Year not the way you would like, but “like people do”: with reckless shopping and bowls of salads, then you still have a chance to realize your hidden desires and celebrate the Old New Year like this as you wish. Or just dream, release your dreams into extraordinary distances, believe in miracles and return at least for a while to such a wonderful world - the world of childhood!
Tatyana Rubleva
On the night of January 13-14, citizens, mainly of Ukraine and Russia, celebrate the Old New Year - a holiday that is incomprehensible to many foreigners
No one can really explain how the Old New Year differs from the traditional one, but there are several versions: a change in the start date of the New Year in Russia 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 Russia on March 22 - on the day spring equinox, and it was connected with the agricultural cycle. With the adoption of Christianity in Russia, the Byzantine calendar began to gradually replace the old one, and now the New Year began on September 1. For a long time there was still discord, and in some places the New Year continued to be celebrated in the spring. Only at the end of the 15th century in Russia officially determined the beginning of the New Year - 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 chronology and the European one. So two celebrations of the New Year were formed - according to the new and the old style.
Church about the Old New Year
The custom of celebrating the Old New Year on the night of January 13-14 is due to the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church continues to celebrate both the New Year and Christmas according to the Julian calendar, which so far differs from the generally accepted Gregorian calendar by 13 days. But already from March 1, 2100, this difference will be 14 days, since the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars increases by one day every 100 years, when the number of hundreds in the year from the Nativity of Christ is not a multiple of four. From 2101, Christmas and Old New Year will be celebrated a day later.
For many believers, the Old New Year is of particular importance, since they can celebrate it wholeheartedly only after the end of the Nativity Fast, during Christmas festivities.
Opinions of scientists about the Old New Year
Old New Year is an unscientific date, astronomers say. According to them, the strict mechanics of the movement of the planets forces people to make changes to the reckoning. 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. Seconds additional 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 the new Gregorian systems. The new style more closely complies with the laws of astronomy.
Celebration of the Old New Year
Despite the fact that this day is not a holiday for everyone and is not even a day off, the popularity of the Old New Year is growing. Every year the number of those wishing to celebrate the Old New Year increases and is already more than 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
This day in the old days was called Vasily's Day, and was of decisive importance for the whole year. Vasiliev day was celebrated farming holiday, which was associated with the future harvest, and performed the rite of sowing - hence the name of the holiday "Autumn" or "Avsen". This rite 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 hostess then collected it and kept it until sowing time. Ukrainian rituals were distinguished by fun, dances and songs.
And there was also a ritual cooking porridge. On New Year's Eve, at 2 o'clock, the eldest of the women brought cereals from the barn, and the eldest man brought water from a well or river. They cooked porridge in the oven, then they took it out and carefully examined it. If the pot was just full, and the porridge was rich and crumbly, then one could expect a happy year and a rich harvest - they ate such porridge in the morning. If the porridge got out of the pot, or the pot cracked, this did not bode well for the owners of the house, and then trouble was expected, and the porridge was thrown away.
interesting house-to-house ritual to eat pork. On the night of Vasily, the guests certainly had to be fed with pork pies, boiled or baked pork legs, and in general any dishes that include pork. A pig's head was also placed on the table. The fact is that Vasily was considered a “pigsty” - the patron saint of pig breeders 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.
And here is the tradition sculpt dumplings for the Old New Year with surprises appeared not so long ago - no one remembers exactly where and when, but many people observe it with pleasure. In some cities, they are made in almost every house - with family and friends, and then they arrange a fun feast and eat these dumplings, looking forward to who and what kind of surprise will come across. This comic fortune-telling is especially liked by children; sometimes such dumplings are often produced at local food enterprises - just before the Old New Year.
