Who invented the New Year - the history of the holiday
The exact moment when the idea of marking the beginning of the Earth's orbit around the Sun appeared is unknown. According to historians, this happened 3 thousand years BC. And the ancient ritual has survived to this day.
The first such traditions appeared in Mesopotamia. They combined the Vernal Equinox with the celebration of the supreme god Marduk. The festivities began in March and lasted two weeks. Carnivals, costumed processions, and food and alcoholic drinks were organized for residents. It was forbidden to work. This holiday successfully “coincided” with the period of the flood of the Tigris and Euphrates.
Through assimilation, the tradition of celebrating the spring equinox passed to the Egyptians. They had organized celebrations of the Nile flood before. Which looks like a sacrifice in honor of the fertility gods. Because the mud that remained in the fields ensured the harvest. The people of Egypt filled bottles with water from the river because they thought it was magical. Celebrations took place in the evening and lasted until the morning.
The tradition passed on to a young civilization - the Greeks. Their new year began on June 22, the day of the summer solstice. The holiday was dedicated to the god of winemaking, Dionysus. Time in the ancient world was counted from the moment of the first Olympic Games.
The Jews celebrated Rosh Hashanah. Its date is floating and covers the last two weeks of September, calculated according to the lunar cycle. It is believed that on this day a person’s fate for the entire next year is determined. Therefore, ten days after Judaism they are engaged in spiritual self-development, repentance and prayers.
Can a holiday be considered religious? Yes. For many peoples, a new revolution of the planet around the Sun coincides with the honoring of God or the beginning of Lent.
Why January 1st - features of chronology
In Persia, the celebration of Navruz was celebrated, which marked the arrival of the warm season and spring field work. Its name translates as “new day”. It was used to measure the beginning of the agricultural year.
The date of celebration was calculated by the movement of the Sun, and not by the phases of the Moon. Therefore, there are discrepancies between the Muslim and Persian dates.
But why is the New Year on January 1 now? Let’s ask the ancient Romans about this.
Julian calendar
The famous Emperor Julius Caesar in 46 BC. introduced a calendar that began in January. Before this, following the example of our older comrades, the New Year was celebrated at the beginning of March, combined with the spring equinox.
Julian calendar
The first month was named after the two-faced god Janus. Some look to the past, while others try to discern the future. All nations that were part of the Roman Empire began to count days from the new date. January 1, 45 coincided with the new moon - the lunar and solar cycles were synchronized for a while.
Ancestors loved to light up on New Year's Eve
Article on the topic
Moscow traditions. How the New Year was celebrated 100 years ago. The main symbolism was the fire of the fire, depicting and calling on the light of the sun, which, after the longest night of the year, was supposed to rise higher and higher. Perhaps it is from this fire that our love for “lighting up” for the New Year stems.
The ritual New Year's pie - loaf - was also shaped like the sun. Many New Year's rituals were performed by children who depicted the new year. Children walked around the courtyards and sang so-called “carols” - magic spells for well-being in homes, for which they were generously given gifts.
However, not all representatives of historical science agree with this. Some believe that the Slavs preferred to celebrate the New Year, based on the spring revival of nature, and it fell on March 22 in Rus'.
One way or another, with the adoption of Christianity in Rus' in 988, the date of New Year’s celebrations also changed. Now chronology began to date from the creation of the world, and the New Year was celebrated on March 1, as provided for by the Julian calendar.
The Julian calendar itself is based on pagan motifs, and the holiday of March 1 was also associated with the spring revival of nature.
Photo: www.russianlook.com
Where does the year begin?
Taking into account the conventional division of the planet into time zones, the holiday is first celebrated on the islands in the Pacific Ocean, in the Republic of Kiribati. And the last to close the circle are the residents of American Samoa. But not everywhere New Year is celebrated on January 1:
- Between the 21st and the end of February, the opening of the calendar cycle is celebrated in China.
- Iran continues the traditions of its ancestors and focuses on the lunar calendar, so the celebration falls on March 21-22.
- In Bangladesh, the year starts on April 14th.
- The mentioned Rosh Hashan is 163 days after Passover (the holiday in honor of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt). That is, the New Year is celebrated in September.
Despite the fact that we now live according to the Gregorian calendar, in some countries they continue to re-celebrate the beginning of the Earth's revolution around the Sun 14 days after the official New Year. This is done in the states that were part of the USSR, as well as in Serbia and Switzerland.
From the history of the holiday
History of the New Year
New Year's holidays began to be celebrated in Russia by order of Tsar Peter I, who ordered to decorate a coniferous tree in every house, have fun, organize feasts, but “not to commit any outrages.” In the 19th century, thanks to the future wife of Nicholas I, who was German by birth, it became a fashionable tradition to install and decorate a spruce tree. In Germany, the forest beauty personified a kind spirit that brings warmth, comfort and prosperity to the house; moreover, the evergreen plant was associated with immortality, therefore providing mental and physical health to all family members. The Russians learned how to properly decorate a tree from the French, who hung paper garlands, candies and apples on the branches. On New Year's and Christmas holidays it was customary to get married - since then, one of the main traditions has been the giving of gifts.
The history of the holiday
Do you know which product should never be served on the New Year's table?
There should be no crayfish on the New Year's table, otherwise you will be constantly “backing away” for the next 365 days.
There should be no crayfish on the table
History of the holiday in Russia
The first mention of the celebration is found in the “Parisian Muscovite Dictionary,” dating back to the sixteenth century. The year began on the first of March and ended on February 28 (29). But since 1492, which became a turning point in many industries, the date of the holiday has been moved to September 1.
Before 1700
New Year traditions were observed by both the common people and the authorities. A richly decorated platform for icons was installed on the cathedral square, candles were lit and silver bowls were placed for holy water. They also prepared places for the king and the patriarch.
People dressed in gilded robes, and the solemn procession was accompanied by the ringing of bells. The monarch always kissed the Bible and holy images and made a speech. After which there was a church service.
Everyone who was in the square wished each other a Happy New Year and bowed to the king. At the end of the official part, the sovereign went to mass, and Cathedral Square gradually became empty.
After the appearance of Peter Alekseevich on the throne, the New Year celebration was moved to January 1. But this date was determined according to the Julian calendar. The country lagged behind the rest of civilized Europe by 10 days. By 1918, the gap had increased to 14, and with the advent of Soviet power, the Gregorian calendar was established.
USSR times
The government decree gave rise to two holidays - New Year and Old New Year. At that time, January 1 was a secular holiday that had lost its religious meaning. But Christmas remained, which revived the tradition of decorating houses with fir branches or decorating entire trees.
This continued until 1929. Then celebrating Christmas was banned, and New Year ceased to be a public holiday and became a regular working day. But there were requests for the return of the celebration.
And the government of the USSR gave in; at the end of December 1947, a decree was issued assigning January 1 the status of a day off. And since 1992, the 2nd has become a holiday.
Historical reference
In Russia, the holiday was introduced by Peter the Great, who signed a corresponding decree in 1699. It said that every year on the night of January 1 according to the Julian calendar, the people are obliged to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. The celebration lasted for 7 whole days and the public festivities did not stop during these days. Rich houses decorated their gates with fir branches and burned barrels of resin on pillars, illuminating the streets and giving the atmosphere more fun and joy. In front of the Kremlin, cannons fired and wealthy citizens set off small fireworks.
A prototype of a modern New Year tree was placed in houses and even then they decorated it with candies,
Until 1699, New Year in Russia was celebrated in September, during the harvest.
gingerbread, nuts and various interesting things. Peter the Great borrowed the surroundings of the holiday from his Western neighbors, believing that Europeans celebrated it on a much larger scale and more fun. Before the reforms, the New Year began in September during the harvest and payment of taxes.
But the holiday did not last so long and already in 1918 it was abolished by the revolutionaries as relics of the tsarist past. The tradition was revived only in 1937, when they realized that people needed a little rest, and in 1947, New Year was declared a holiday at the state level, and January 1 was made a day off. Having evolved over time, the day off turned into a vacation lasting up to 10 days.
The modern New Year, as we know it now, originated in the USSR and turned into a cheerful family holiday with a Christmas tree, Herring under a fur coat salad, Olivier and tangerines. Now it’s hard to imagine New Year’s Eve without the Russian Father Frost, the striking of the Kremlin chimes, the president’s address and, of course, a glass of champagne.
In 1947, New Year was declared a holiday at the state level, and January 1 was made a day off.
New Year customs in Russia
In 1700, by royal decree, all homeowners were required to decorate their facades and gates, light fires in the evenings, and set off fireworks for seven days. This tradition was introduced with an eye on European festivities and lasted until the arrival of the Bolsheviks.
The customs of celebrating the occasion in the USSR have undergone changes. Santa Claus has a granddaughter, and the New Year tree has lost its religious status and turned into one of the elements of interior decoration.
Other attributes of the holiday have appeared:
- tangerines, Olivier, champagne;
- make a wish during the chiming clock;
- listening to the President's address.
The balls were replaced by feasts, which were accompanied by watching comedies or television concerts.
Fortune telling for the New Year
New Year's fortune-telling
Even our ancestors considered New Year's Eve ideal for various kinds of fortune-telling. The girls wanted to bewitch their groom, and the boys tried to find out how this or that female person treated them. The most famous are the following fortune-telling:
- under other people's doors they eavesdrop on random conversations - phrases spoken and predict what awaits a person next year;
- melted wax from a candle is poured into water and see what shape is obtained - this will be a symbol of your life in the New Year.
Fortune telling for the New Year
Conclusion: For Russian people, the New Year is one of the most revered holidays, which dates back to the reign of Peter I. On New Year's Eve, it is customary to set tables, give gifts to each other, congratulate your loved ones, make wishes and tell fortunes.
Signs, customs and fortune telling for the New Year
New Year's signs
Most of the rituals flowed from Christmas, which was not celebrated during the Soviet period.
- Celebrate the holiday in new things.
- You cannot repay debts on the eve of the celebration, otherwise you will have to do this all year. The same applies to loans.
- They will definitely ask for forgiveness and settle disputes.
- Do not sleep on the holiday night, otherwise the year will pass lazily and sluggishly.
- Fill the table with delicious dishes. Life will be rich.
- On the eve of the holiday, housewives threw out damaged dishes and did general cleaning.
According to modern traditions, New Year and January 1 are celebrated in such a way as to be remembered for the next 365 days.
