History of New Year celebrations in Russia

Now the New Year - the most favorite holiday of the year for many people in our country, we are all waiting for him, ready, looking forward to the fun, but it was not always, it is only in the XX century began to celebrate this holiday as we celebrate today. Let's see, what was the history of this holiday in our country.

As in other parts of the world, in Russia, it was decided to celebrate the end of the harvest season, and then, when it became much influence on Russia Byzantium, we began to celebrate the New Year on 1 September - but those celebrations do not resemble our modern. Then the feast was celebrated at the Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin, which conducted the ceremony "On Launched new summer", "On letoprovozhdenie" and other services. The main actors were the Patriarch and the king, who congratulated each other and the people gathered in the square: serving people and the boyars. When senior person ended up sharing ceremonies and congratulations king congratulated the entire area: people brow beaten into the ground, and the king answered them bow. In general, about any mass celebrations of speech and did not go in those days.

As for many other things for the new year in its current understanding we have to say thank you to the first Russian emperor - Peter the Great. In 1700, he decided that it would be time and in Russia celebrate the New Year as much fun as in European countries, and to meet him on January 1 on the Julian calendar.

The Julian calendar we call "old style". Due to the fact that soon after the decree of Peter the many European countries it left clicking on the modern Gregorian, Russia still celebrate this holiday and the coming New Year to 11 days later than the rest of Europe. But thanks to Peter the Great indispensable attributes of the holiday were firecrackers, fireworks and pyrotechnics rest, without which today we have the holiday itself is simply not present, and Christmas tree.

For the first time in accordance with the decree of Peter met the new 1700. Celebration lasted 7 days and all homeowners were ordered to decorate the place in the courts of coniferous trees, light barrels of tar, lobbing rockets, firing of guns and cannons.

And celebrated the New Year in Russia until 1919, when the Soviet government transferred the country to the Gregorian calendar (1918). But for a long time the holiday was not quite as we know it today - January 1 was a normal working day until 1947, and only from 1 January 1948. This day became an official holiday.

After the transition to the Gregorian calendar we had another tradition - to celebrate the Old New Year. That is to celebrate the coming of the New Year according to the Julian calendar, on the night of 13 to 14 of January.

It was during the Soviet years we have a Santa Claus, and to the essential attributes of the holiday added champagne, tangerines, sparklers and chiming clock. In times of scarcity were invented Olivier Dressed herring, paddy and many other dishes that have become now traditional for this holiday.

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At the same time introduced the tradition of solemn appeal to the citizens of the state leader - the first to congratulate the Russians LI Brezhnev before the onset of the New 1976. Well, to replace the balls, held in the Russian Empire, come Christmas lights - it was also the borrowing of foreign traditions.

Regular innovations in the celebration of the New Year waiting for the people of our country in the 1980s, when the holiday became associated with the arrival of the animals of the Chinese horoscope (tiger, rat, horse, etc.), Despite the fact that in China the New Year comes later. In the 1990s and became a day off on January 2nd. Since the mid-2000s appears the concept of "universal Christmas holidays", which lasted from 1 to 5 January, then the duration of their increased to 10 days, and with 2014. holidays have become 6 and 8 January.

That's the way - gradually, from the decrees and orders of Peter the Great Soviet power we came to what we have today. Very funny, solemn and truly universal celebration that everyone loves!