New Year in Russia: the history of the appearance of the holiday

New Year is a holiday celebrated in all countries of the world. In ancient times, each people used his own dating, timed to an important event in history or mythology. The custom of celebrating the new year existed already in the third millennium BC. The counting of new years from January 1 was officially established in 46 BC. Julius Caesar. This date was dedicated to the deity of all beginnings, entrances and exits - Janus.

Do you know that the history of the celebration of the new year in our country has more than three hundred years? Let's turn to history and compare how the New Year in Russia is celebrated today with the way its celebration took place hundreds of years ago.

Loved by all the children of the world, the holiday was brought to Russia from Europe by Peter the Great. In Russia, the celebration of the new year has been timed to coincide with the first autumn day. Since 1700 in Moscow, it began to celebrate on January 1, gradually the tradition spread throughout the country. Festivals, as a rule, began on the night of December 26 (Christmas on the Julian calendar).

The New Year in Russia has always been celebrated vigorously, noisily and cheerfully. The central streets of cities and houses were decorated with branches of juniper, pine and spruce. Celebratory divine services were held in chapels and churches of the country. Traditional New Year's set - Santa Claus, Snow Maiden, Olivier salad and champagne, appeared a little later. But fireworks and festive firecrackers - favorite pastimes of Peter the Great, became a familiar phenomenon for Muscovites as early as the beginning of the 18th century. Magnificent spectacles with a huge number of multi-colored stars exploding in the sky were held on the main and largest areas, special role in the design of these areas was given special decorations in the form of arbors, statues, pools and obelisks. On the approach of the new year, they reported multiple cannon volleys.

New Year in Russia Peter's times became more secular than a church holiday. As we know, Peter liked to have fun on a wide scale, which terrified and despised many clergymen of those times. It was the young Emperor who looked the European life that initiated the holding of entertainment events in Russia with dances and a lot of alcohol. New Year balls masquerades and assemblies have become a traditional way of pastime. They were first given freedom to women in clothing and behavior. Now the noble lady could appear in public in a completely "shameful dress" and not be ashamed of it. Every new year in Russia under Peter the Great acquired a special meaning, and its celebration was always devoted to military victories, or to the signing of peace treaties.

For two centuries, the celebration of the new year has remained unchanged. The revolution of 1917 brought many suffering and grief to people, this was the period when nobody wanted fun. Only in 1935, having recovered from the upheavals, the people of our country once again started talking about the new year as a holiday, and not about the day of the change of the calendar. The new year in Russia in Soviet times could not do without the glassy toys and tinsel fir-dressed and without the red star rising above it, symbolizing the Kremlin. With the revolution of 1917 , the Western Gregorian calendar came to us , but all the Orthodox continued to follow the traditions of their predecessors. Therefore, today we celebrate the new year already two times: according to the "old" and "new" style.

How to celebrate the New Year in Russia today, everyone knows. In one city, a holiday can not do without the establishment of a central Christmas tree for the children's joy and the construction of an ice town, the battle of the clock at midnight and the congratulations of the president. Perhaps a modern person celebrating the new year in the era of Peter will seem boring, but it was also a special charm in that time!