On the night of January 13-14, many countries celebrate everyone's favorite holiday - the Old New Year. From year to year, many generations arrange feasts on this day. The most interesting thing is that few people think about the history of the holiday. Believers who fast on the Old New Year can celebrate the holiday with all their heart, enjoy delicious dishes.
The Old New Year appeared after the change of chronology - this tradition is based on the divergence of two calendars: the Gregorian and the Julian.
Previously, in Rus', the New Year was celebrated on the day spring equinox ie March 22. After Christianity was adopted, the Byzantine calendar began to replace the old one, after which the New Year was celebrated on September 1.
It is worth saying that until the 15th century a single date for the holiday was not established. Some celebrated it in the fall, while others celebrated it in the spring. In 1492, the date of the New Year was set in Rus' - September 1.
In December 1699, Peter the Great moved the holiday to January 1, after which the next year 1700 began four months later.
The Orthodox Church celebrates the New Year, Christmas and other holidays according to the Julian calendar. As a result of this discrepancy, the inhabitants of Russia celebrate the New Year twice - in the old and new style.
Many customs and traditions are associated with this holiday. On this day, the Orthodox Church remembers the day of St. Basil the Great. The people also call the holiday as St. Basil's Day, for the year this day was very decisive.
On this day, children scattered wheat, rye and oats around the house, and also sentenced:
"Ugly, O God, every living thing according to the bin, that according to the bin and great, and it would become living for the whole baptized world."
After that, the mistress of the house collected all the grains from the floor and stored them until sowing.
Another peculiar rite is the boiling of porridge. On the night of the New Year, a woman brought cereals into the house, and a man brought water from a well. Until the stove is heated, it was not allowed to touch the cereal and water. Then the older woman stirred the porridge in the pot.
When stirring the porridge, she spoke special words. Then the hostess put the porridge in the oven with a bow. If the porridge turned out to be rich, and the pot was full, then they ate it and waited for a happy year and a big harvest.
In the event that the pot cracked or the porridge went beyond its limits, it was thrown away.
The girls performed various fortune-telling for the Old New Year. These fortune-tellings were considered the most truthful, because you could see your betrothed.
To do this, the girls combed their hair before going to bed, put the comb under their pillow and uttered the magic words: “betrothed-mummer, come comb my head.”
No less interesting was the rite of going from house to house, people treated the guests to pork dishes. According to tradition, guests had to be fed pies and other dishes with pork.
Saint Basil was the patron saint of pig breeders, as well as any pork products. Everyone believed that the abundance of pork dishes that night would be the key to abundance and profit.
There is also a tradition - to sculpt dumplings with a surprise. Everyone is interested in who and what kind of surprise will get.
It is not customary to lend on a holiday, because then there will be no prosperity. At the same time, getting money on this day was considered a good omen - this is for profit.
On Vasilyev evening everyone put on new clothes so that they could dress well all year later. The year will be happy if it is spent cheerfully.
If the sky is starry and clear on Vasily's Day, then we can expect a rich harvest of berries and nuts. Fluffy snow also testified to a bountiful harvest.
After the usual New Year has died down, and the streets are filled with people again, do not rush to say goodbye to the festive mood, another important winter holiday is ahead - the Old New Year. This date is celebrated on the night of January 13-14. And, like any holiday that has taken root among the Slavs, the Old New Year keeps a lot of traditions.
In Belarus and Ukraine, this holiday is known as "Generous Evening", and in Russia - "Ovsen". According to the old chronology, this day fell on January 1 and was called Vasilyev's day, since it was the day of memory of Vasily the Great, and the eve of the memorial day, respectively, December 31 - Vasilyev's evening.
Why the Old New Year is called There is no special meaning in the name of this holiday. This day is called so only because, according to the Julian calendar, the New Year fell from January 13 to 14. Today we use the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced in 1918, which is why the holiday is called the "Old" New Year.
In addition, according to the calendar tradition, Christmas must precede the New Year.
Where the Old New Year is celebrated Previously, the Old New Year was celebrated in all countries of the Soviet Union. Today this holiday exists in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
This tradition has been preserved in Switzerland, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia. In the latter, for example, this holiday is called the Serbian New Year. On the night of January 13-14, fireworks are traditionally fired on the square in Belgrade.
In Japan, the Old New Year is called "risshun" - the beginning of spring, it is celebrated not in the middle of winter, but on February 4th.
Holiday Rules
For this holiday, they also bought good beautiful clothes. The evening of January 13 was called "generous", and therefore the table was set accordingly. People believed that what the table would be like the year would be. In the morning, women had to cook porridge made from whole grains of wheat. Porridge was seasoned with bacon or meat. Or served with jam or honey. The housewives also baked pies, pancakes or dumplings.
Since St. Basil was considered the patron saint of pig breeders, pork dishes were the main dish on the festive table.
In the evening, the people went to the neighbors to celebrate the Old New Year in the world. It was considered especially important that the “necessary” person come first to the house, and this was a young man from a large respected family with a large household. In the morning, young people jumped over the burning sheaves of hay to drive away evil spirits.
In some villages carolers went to the festival. The performers of carol songs were traditionally presented with treats.
Ancient Belarusian folk rite "Carol Tsars"
Traditional signs for the Old New Year The signs of this holiday were associated with both the weather and the New Year's table. For example, if the cooked festive porridge turned out to be lush, beautiful and tasty, then you have to wait good year. If the pot cracked in the oven or the porridge came out tasteless, you have to wait for a bad year.
It was also believed that if the wind blows from the south at night, then the next year will be prosperous and warm, if from the west - you need to wait for an abundance of milk, as well as fish, but if from the east, then there will be a good harvest of fruits in the year.
The people said about the night: "Vasil's night is starry - to the harvest of berries." So that in general the harvest was definitely a success, in the morning they shook it off fruit trees. If the weather is frosty, but dry in the morning, then you should not expect much mushrooms next year.
Signs for the Old New Year - 2018
Those born on January 14, 2018 should wear a jasper stone for good luck and wealth. Also, before the evening of January 13, it is necessary to remove the holiday tree from the house and distribute all debts so as not to be indebted for the whole of 2018. And, of course, it is necessary to make peace with everyone with whom they were in a quarrel, and to forgive everyone who was offended.
What should be on the table for the Old New Year According to ancient traditions, on the table in Vasiliev evening there should have been a generous kutya or juicy. Halva, nuts, honey and raisins were not spared: the more generous the dish, the richer and richer New Year.
In addition, there was always a pig, a rooster or a hare on the table. All three meats carried a different meaning: pork promised wealth, rooster dishes - freedom, and hare - success in all matters.
It was also important what was included in the filling of holiday pies and, most importantly, dumplings for the Old New Year. For example, stuffed mushrooms - for a long and happy life, meat - for well-being, rice - for well-being, cabbage - for money, and dill - for good health.
What not to do on St. Basil's Day
A week before the Old New Year, it was impossible to dress up in new clothes, this can only be done on the holiday itself. On this day, you can’t say congratulations with the negative particle “not” - this can frighten away desire and good luck. Also, you can’t celebrate this holiday exclusively in a female company - this way you can bring on an unlucky year.
On the festive table there should not be crayfish and other creatures that move back, as it is possible to transfer past problems to the New Year. It is also strictly forbidden to clean this day, because you can take good luck and happiness out of the house.
Fortune-telling for the Old New Year Girls on the night of January 13-14, fortune-telling on various subjects. Vasiliev evening was considered the most successful for predictions. People believed that everything that was foretold and thought at that time would come true. However, the Orthodox Church does not approve of fortune-telling.
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 put into circulation new calendar. 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 arose new year holidays- 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 for 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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Old New Year is one of the unique holidays celebrated on the night of January 13-14 in many countries, including the post-Soviet space
Many generations from year to year arrange a feast for the Old New Year and do not even think about the history of its origin.
For many believers, it symbolizes the end of the fast and is a good reason to celebrate it wholeheartedly.
Story
Old New Year is a holiday that is celebrated unofficially. This holiday arose as a result of a change in the chronology. The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year is associated with the divergence of two calendars: the Julian - "old style" and the Gregorian - "new style".
Christmas tree decorations
New Year 2017: how to meet and what to expect....
Almost all European states switched to the Gregorian chronology back in the 18th century, removing a few extra days from the calendar. By the 20th century, the Russian calendar was 13 days behind Europe, which had long since switched to the Gregorian calendar.
To narrow this gap in 1918, by decree of the Council of People's Commissars, a transition was made to the Gregorian calendar - a new style. In fact, after January 31, February 14 immediately came. As a result, January 14 - St. Basil's Day turned out to be the old New Year.
The Orthodox Church continues to celebrate all church holidays according to the Julian calendar. The modern New Year falls on the pre-Christmas fast - an Orthodox forty-day fast in honor of Christmas.
Santa Claus is photographed with children near the New Year tree in one of the parks of the Georgian capital
Focusing on the Julian chronology, one can trace the natural order of the holidays - the Advent fast preceded the feast of the Nativity of Christ, after which people celebrated the New Year six days later.
The discrepancy between the old and new chronology in the XX-XXI centuries is 13 days, so the New Year according to the old style is celebrated on the night of January 13-14. The difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars is gradually increasing and from March 1, 2100 it will be 14 days, so from 2101 the Old New Year will be celebrated one day later.
Where are they celebrating...
For many years in the countries of the post-Soviet space, including Georgia, the custom of celebrating the Old New Year has been preserved, which, as it seemed to us, was incomprehensible to the rest of the world.
In fact, the Old Style New Year is known and loved in different parts of our planet, and there are countries that also celebrate the arrival of the New Year twice a year.
This custom can be found among the inhabitants of the former Yugoslavia. The reasons are also similar - church ministers count all significant dates according to the Julian system of chronology.
Serbs call this holiday "Serbian New Year" or "Little Christmas". In Montenegro, it is customary to call this holiday "Rights of Nova Godina", which means "Proper New Year".
A similar custom is also among the inhabitants of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. They live in their own way, the Berber calendar, similar to the Julian. As a result of many deviations and mistakes, they celebrate the second New Year on January 12th.
The fabulous night of January 14 is considered in Romania and some cantons of Sweden. In Greece, this night people gather at the festive table to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. This Greek holiday is called Saint Basil's Day, known for his kindness.
The Old Style New Year is celebrated in a small Welsh community in Wales in the west of the UK, where they celebrate "Hen Galan" on January 13th. "Khen Galan" - a holiday of good neighborliness and "open doors" according to the traditions of the ancestors, is greeted with songs, folk festivals and local home-made beer.
And then, two New Years is a great occasion to once again gather the whole family and friends at the same table and have a good time.
Customs and traditions
The Orthodox Church on January 14 commemorates St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea Cappodacia. In the folk calendar, it is called St. Basil's Day and was of decisive importance for the whole year.
Many traditions and customs are associated with the old New Year in Rus'. On Vasily's Day, they celebrated the holiday of agriculture, which was associated with the future harvest, and performed the rite of sowing - hence the name of the holiday "Autumn" or "Avsen".
On this day, the children scattered grains of wheat, oats, and rye around the house, saying: "God, freak out every living thing according to the bin, that according to the bin, and great, and there would be life for the whole baptized world." The mistress of the house collected grains from the floor and stored them until sowing.
And there was also a kind of ritual - cooking porridge. On New Year's Eve, at about two 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 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 - the groats were usually buckwheat. 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 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.
On the night of the Old New Year, the girls guessed at the betrothed - after all, the period of Christmas time continued, the best time of the year for all kinds of fortune-telling and predictions. It was believed among the people that fortune-telling on the night of January 13-14 is the most truthful and it is at this time that you can see your future spouse in a dream.
Toys and decorations on the Christmas treeChristmas tree
Celebrate the New Year and stay alive!
To do this, the girls combed their hair before going to bed, put a comb under their pillow and said the magic words: "betrothed-mummer, come comb my head."
The rite of going from house to house to treat yourself to pork dishes is also 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. 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.
But the tradition of sculpting dumplings with surprises for the Old New Year appeared not so long ago - no one remembers exactly where and when, but it is observed with pleasure in many regions of Russia. In some cities, they are made in almost every home - 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.
Signs
In the New Year, they did not lend money, so that during the year there would be no shortage of them. It was considered very successful to receive money on this day - it foreshadowed profit in the new year.
In order to dress well all year round, on Vasiliev's evening to celebrate the New Year, one should put on good new clothes.
One of the women's and menswear in a shopping center in the capital of Georgia
In the old days there was a belief that if old year and meet the new one as cheerfully as possible, then he will pass happily.
The clear, starry sky on Vasily's Day foreshadowed a rich harvest of berries. A fierce snowstorm on January 13 in the evening indicated a plentiful harvest of nuts.
Also, a plentiful harvest in the new year was indicated by fluffy snow in the morning on the branches of trees and thick fog on St. Basil's Day.
By folk beliefs Saint Basil protects 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!"
In the old days, they believed that on January 14 a man should enter the house first, then the year will turn out to be prosperous, if a woman enters - to trouble.
