Old New Year in Rus'. What date is the Old New Year celebrated: the history of the holiday. Old New Year: traditions and rituals

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Many of us, residents of Russia and countries in the post-Soviet space, dream of extending the charm of a winter weekend as long as possible. Therefore, in the vast majority of families, the Christmas tree is not removed until January 14, and on the eve of this date they set the table and arrange a celebration for themselves - quieter, calmer and very family-friendly. It has a strange name, and foreigners are ready to rack their brains trying to understand what kind of holiday the Old New Year is.

This day is not a public holiday, few people give gifts, the Christmas trees for children have already died down, but still among Russians and representatives of other nations of the former Soviet Union there is a belief that the real New Year begins on January 14th. Where did this holiday come from, what is it and why does it have such a strange name - we tried to collect answers to all these questions in this article.

History of the New Year holiday

The change of years has always been celebrated solemnly among all peoples. She was taken very seriously. The New Year was associated with mysterious natural forces, with successive cycles, with the normal and consistent functioning of people's lives. In the old days, every significant action had a sacred meaning: they got married, built a house, sowed and harvested grain at a certain time. Therefore, the New Year was tied to a certain period of existence.

During the times of paganism (polytheism) in Rus', the new year began with the spring solstice - March 22. This date has always been associated with the beginning of field work - plowing, after which grain was sown. Farmers considered it their duty to turn to the gods with a request for a harvest, a successful start to the season, and good weather.
With the advent of Christianity in Rus', the countdown of time gradually moved, according to the Byzantine calendar, to autumn. The celebration of the Indict - the so-called first day of the New Year - fell on September 14th. To this day, in Orthodox churches on this date, chants are sung glorifying the New Year. Here, on the contrary, fertility, the collection of gifts from the earth, and gratitude to God for them had an important symbolic meaning.
The first Russian Emperor Peter Alekseevich changed the entire way of life of the Russian people. He did not bypass the New Year celebration either. The sovereign moved the date to January 1st. Of course, at first such an innovation seemed wild to Russian people, but the command to have fun, congratulate each other, dance, decorate the tree and light the lights, and most importantly, not work and relax, gradually persuaded people to enjoy the holiday with pleasure. By the way, the tradition of decorating Christmas tree branches, adopted in Europe, was originally pagan. It has the same nature as dressing in carnival costumes - appeasing evil spirits or an attempt to deceive them and hide.

However, it must be said that the country, which until 1917 was almost completely Orthodox, could not celebrate the New Year during the Advent Fast. Amusement and entertainment on days of abstinence were not allowed, theaters practically did not work, there were no balls and parties, or public festivities. How were these facts related to each other?

The Old New Year itself and the history of this holiday are a unique phenomenon. This simply never happened in the world before and after the establishment of the celebration. And this event is connected with the opinion of the Russian Orthodox Church and the drastic restructuring of the country’s life along Soviet lines during the revolutionary years.

All disagreements in dates and calculation of days of the year are rooted in history and are caused by the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

Julian calendar

Named in honor of Emperor Julius Caesar, who decided to count days and years not according to the lunar calendar, which gave an error, but according to the solar one. According to him, it turned out that a year lasts 365 days.

This establishment of the Roman emperor was of great importance for the Christian Church. At the Ecumenical Councils - congresses of priests and bishops who adopted rules for believers, they talked about the importance of simultaneous chronology and strict adherence to the calendar in the celebration of church celebrations. Thus, at the First Ecumenical Council, the celebration of Easter was regulated, which falls on different days every year, is carefully calculated and depends on the spring lunar cycle.

Gregorian calendar

In the 16th century, Pope Gregory XIII ordered the calendar to be changed so that the spring equinox would be moved to March 21. Since the celebration of the Holy Resurrection of Christ is attached to it, sometimes the celebration was held before the Jewish Passover. For orthodox Eastern Christians, such freedom was a gross violation of the rules of the Ecumenical Councils. Therefore, half of the Christian world did not accept the Gregorian calendar and still does not accept it. But the entire Western world lives by it, celebrating, for example, Christmas not on January 7, like the Russian Orthodox Church, but on December 25, before the New Year.

The main difference between calendars is how they calculate leap years. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the Julian and Gregorian calendars differ by 13 days, but in less than a hundred years another day will be added. This is due to the fact that the Earth completes its annual revolution around the Sun in an imprecise number of days.

According to the Julian calendar, the calendar year goes ahead of the astronomical year. This leads to a gradual shift in important dates: for example, in more than a hundred years, Christmas will come on January 8.

Today, most experts note the accuracy of the Gregorian calendar. It doesn't need drastic edits or even changes. There are projects that require slight adjustments, but the principle of chronology itself has been decided to remain unchanged.

The essence of the Old New Year holiday

During the revolutionary times, the authorities ordered a transition from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar so that the dates coincided with those accepted throughout the world. However, the Church categorically disagreed with this, since its priority is the orders of the Holy Fathers. Thus, it turned out that the secular holiday of New Year moved to a position before Christmas. If the Russian Orthodox world had agreed with the authorities, the New Year would have been celebrated a week after the end of Lent on December 24.

What is Old New Year? This is the New Year according to the Julian calendar, which follows the Nativity of Christ. Almost all over the world, the Julian calendar has already been forgotten, but in our country an unofficial celebration is considered the day on which the new year began before the 1917 revolution.

Holiday charm

Russians love the Old New Year, although many find it difficult to explain how it differs from the usual one. However, the tradition of celebration in itself is good, and there are reasons for this:

People tired of New Year's fun, however, feel a pity to close the series of these lovely days with a Christmas tree, treats and gifts. I would like to do this somehow solemnly and, at the same time, in a family way. Therefore, many people gather with friends or family, at home or in some institution, and celebrate the beginning of the New Year according to the old style.
Any tradition is good, it unites the family and unites the nation. The Old New Year came to us from the distant pre-revolutionary years, and it’s great to remember it, if you want to, of course.
January 14th is traditionally still Christmastide - the cheerful days after Christmas. They are conducive to fun, fun, festivities and feasts.
On the Old New Year, you can do what you couldn’t do on the night of the New Year - be alone with your loved one, try to cook something original, go dancing or take a walk in the fresh air. Such small joys always unite people and give them a feeling of happiness and fulfillment in life.

Holiday January 14 - Old New Year. The story of the Old New Year. Celebrations and traditions for the Old New Year 01/13/2018 14:33

On the night of January 13-14, Russians celebrate the Old New Year - a holiday incomprehensible to many foreigners. No one can really say - how does the Old New Year differ from the traditional, familiar New Year? Of course, from the outside it would seem that the issue is only a discrepancy in dates. However, we all treat the Old New Year as a completely independent holiday that can prolong the charm of the New Year. Or maybe this is the first time to feel it, because the situation can be different, but on this day the holiday is calmer, there is no fuss, so characteristic of the holiday on January 1st.

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

History of the Old New Year

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

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

This is how two New Year celebrations were formed - according to the new and old styles.

Church about the Old New Year

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

Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, said that the Russian Orthodox Church does not yet intend to make adjustments to its calendar.

“Indeed, the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars increases by one day every 100 years, when the number of hundreds in the year from the Nativity of Christ is not a multiple of four. And if the Lord allows this world to exist for another 100 years, then the Orthodox will celebrate Christmas on January 8, and Celebrate the Old New Year on the night of 14 to 15," Chaplin said.

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

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

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

Scientists' opinions about the Old New Year

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

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

Celebrating the Old New Year

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

Traditions for the Old New Year

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

And there was also a peculiar ritual - cooking porridge. On New Year's Eve, at 2 o'clock, the eldest of the women brought cereal from the barn, and the eldest man brought water from a well or river. It was impossible to touch the cereal and water until the stove burned out - they simply stood on the table. Then everyone sat down at the table, and the eldest of the women began to stir the porridge in the pot, while pronouncing certain ritual words - the cereal was usually buckwheat.

Then everyone got up from the table, and the hostess put the porridge in the oven - with a bow. The finished porridge was taken out of the oven and examined carefully. If the pot was simply full, and the porridge was rich and crumbly, then one could expect a happy year and a rich harvest - such porridge was eaten the next morning. If the porridge came out of the pot, or the pot cracked, this did not bode well for the owners of the house, and then trouble was expected, and the porridge was thrown away. This was the program - either for troubles or for prosperity, and it is not surprising that it was often implemented - after all, they believed in it seriously.

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

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

TASS DOSSIER. On the night of January 13-14, the Old New Year, or New Year according to the Julian calendar, is celebrated - a holiday that appeared in Russia as a result of the calendar reform of 1918.

The history of the holiday

In pre-Christian times in Rus', the date of the new year changed several times: the beginning of the new year fell on the day of the winter solstice (December 21 or 22), on the day of the vernal equinox (March 22) or on the day of the first spring full moon. After the baptism of Rus' in 988, the Byzantine chronology system “from the creation of the world,” or from 5508, and the Julian calendar were adopted. At the same time, the tradition of celebrating the onset of the New Year in March was preserved and continued to operate until the 15th century.

In 1492 (or 7000 from the creation of the world), by decree of Ivan III, the date of the New Year was moved to September 1 and began to coincide with the harvest holiday, as well as with the end of the payment of dues and taxes. This chronology was also used by the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced a reform to replace the Julian calendar with the Gregorian calendar to correct the increasing difference between the astronomical and calendar years. As a result, the calendar moved forward 10 days. A number of Christian churches, including the Russian one, continued to use the Julian system.

On December 29 and 30, 1699, Peter I issued two personal decrees on the introduction of a new calendar and on the celebration of the New Year. The documents prescribed that the years should be counted from the Nativity of Christ (the current year 7208 from the creation of the world thus became 1699) and that the New Year should be celebrated on January 1. At the same time, the king did not introduce the Gregorian calendar. Until the 20th century, Russia continued to live according to the Julian calendar, celebrating the New Year 11 days later than European states. The church date of the New Year remained unchanged - September 1.

By the 20th century, the Russian calendar was 13 days behind the European calendar. To close this gap, January 24, 1918. The Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR adopted a decree introducing the Gregorian calendar in Russia. The document was signed by the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, Vladimir Lenin, on January 26, 1918. The chronology according to the new calendar began to be called the "new style", and according to the Julian calendar - the "old". According to the decree, the day following January 31, 1918 was prescribed to be counted not as February 1, but as February 14, thus the difference between the “old” and “new” style was 13 days. The Russian Orthodox Church did not recognize these innovations and retained chronology according to the Julian calendar.

Since then, in Russia, as in most other countries, the New Year is celebrated on January 1 according to the Gregorian style. The previous date (January 1 according to the Julian calendar) has moved to January 14. This is how a new unofficial holiday arose, called the “old New Year”. The difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars continues to increase into the early 2100s. will reach 14 days. In 2101, the old New Year will be celebrated on the night of January 14-15.

Holiday traditions

The New Year according to the new style falls during the period of forty days of fasting preceding Christmas on January 7th. The Old New Year is celebrated after Christmas, during Christmastide (12 days from Christmas to Epiphany). Therefore, believers who strictly adhere to church canons prefer to celebrate the New Year on January 14.

On January 14, the Christian Church also honors the memory of St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappodacia. In the folk calendar, this day is called Vasilyev's Day, and the evening of December 13 is Vasilyev's Evening (also known as Shchedrets, Rich Evening, Malanya, etc.). According to tradition, as many festive treats as possible were supposed to be placed on the table, and roast pig was considered the main dish. According to legend, a hearty and plentiful meal on this day will ensure prosperity in the household for the whole year. The holiday was accompanied by festivities, as well as caroling (singing ritual songs, carols). In the southern regions of Russia and the Volga region, special New Year's carols were sung (ausen, avsen or autumn).

Where else is the holiday celebrated?

The tradition of celebrating the old New Year has been preserved in the former Soviet republics, now the CIS and Baltic countries, as well as in Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Greece, Romania. In Serbia, the holiday is called "Serbian New Year" or "Little Christmas", in Montenegro - "Proper New Year", in Greece St. Basil's Day is celebrated.

The holiday is also celebrated in a number of northeastern cantons of Switzerland, whose residents refused to follow the papal calendar reform of 1582 (for example, in Appenzell they celebrate St. Sylvester's Day), as well as in some Welsh communities in Great Britain.

The New Year is celebrated on January 12 and 13 by the Berbers of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and other North African countries, who live according to their own calendar (which is the Julian calendar with some differences). The Berber holiday is called Yennayer, also known as the “Moroccan New Year”, it is not official.

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

From this article you will learn:

The history of the holiday or how it all began

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

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

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

Is the Old New Year celebrated in other countries?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Traditions and customs of celebration in Rus'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Modern Old New Year

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

New Year 2019 (Year of the Yellow Pig) has just recently arrived. And soon Ukrainians will celebrate the Old New Year 2019. When do they celebrate the Old New Year? Every year this holiday comes 14 days after the New Year. So this year everyone is celebrating the Old New Year 2019 - January 14, to be precise - from January 13 to January 14.

This means that the series of everyone’s favorite popular winter festivals and reasons to meet at a newly set table does not even think of interrupting. Together with tochka.net celebrate another holiday - Old New Year 2019!

Old New Year 2019: history of the holiday

Old New Year - on the night of January 13-14. In 2019, this holiday falls from Sunday to Monday.

Do you know why the Old New Year is called that and where this unusual tradition of celebrating the same holiday twice came from? As if once is not enough, the arrival of the New Year should be reliably secured just to be sure.

Such a stylistically cool concept and combination of words with the opposite meaning as “Old New Year” arose due to a 13-day discrepancy between the two calendars - Julian and Gregorian. It's a new year, but according to the old style - so it turned out to be an old new year.

Exactly one hundred years ago, in 1918 during Soviet times, after the introduction of a new chronology in the calendar, a whole piece of time suddenly disappeared, and after January 31, February 14 immediately came! The Old New Year as a holiday has been around for almost 100 years. And the pleasant tradition of celebrating the Old New Year according to the Julian calendar has not become outdated due to the fact that the Orthodox Church still celebrates it according to the old style, i.e. January 14.

But that’s not all the interesting facts about the Old New Year. It turns out that the difference between the outdated Julian and the current Gregorian calendars is gradually growing, and by the distant year 2100 it will already be 14 days. So, if the tradition of celebrating the Old New Year continues, our descendants will celebrate it on the night of January 14-15.