According to what calendar is the old new year celebrated. Why do we celebrate not only the New Year, but also the Old New Year? Where did this holiday come from?

IA "news» . On the night of January 13-14, many Russians traditionally celebrate the Old New Year- a holiday characteristic only for our country and absolutely incomprehensible to foreigners. The fact is that there are two reasons for the appearance of this celebration in our area at once - a change in the date of the beginning of the New Year in Rus' and an enviable stubbornness shown by the Russian Orthodox Church, which did not want to switch to a new style.

History of the Old New Year

In pagan times, the New Year in Rus' was celebrated on March 22 - on the day of the vernal equinox, which was directly related to the agricultural cycle. However, with the adoption of Christianity, the Byzantine calendar began to gradually replace the old one, and now the New Year began already on September 1. Such inconsistency persisted for a long time, until, finally, at the end of the 15th century in Rus', the beginning of the new year was officially determined - on the first day of autumn.

However, two centuries later, or rather in 1699, by decree of the first Russian emperor Peter I, the holiday was again postponed. This time - on January 1, according to the old style, that is, on January 14, according to the new style. After the revolution, in 1918, the Bolsheviks abolished the "extra" 13 days a year, which made up the very difference between our chronology and the European one.

In fact, it was then that two New Years were formed - according to the new and the old style.

Old New Year: the attitude of the Church

It so happened that 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 Christmas according to the Julian calendar, and it differs from the generally accepted Gregorian by the same 13 days. But already from March 1, 2100, this difference will be 14 days. Thus, starting from 2101, Christmas and the Old New Year will be celebrated in Russia a day later.

The Russian Orthodox Church has repeatedly noted that they do not intend to make adjustments to their calendar yet, 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 the 14th to the 15th” .

For many believers, the Old New Year is of particular importance, since they can fully celebrate it only after the end of the Advent, during Christmas festivities.

Old New Year: the opinion of scientists

Astronomers unequivocally consider the Old New Year to be an unscientific date, however, the calendar now universally accepted, in their opinion, is not ideal. 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. Seconds additional 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 the new Gregorian systems, scientists explain. At the same time, the new style more accurately meets the laws of astronomy.

It is interesting that today in general there are many enthusiasts who offer their own version of the countdown. Their proposals are mainly related to a change in the traditional week: some propose to make it from five days or do without weeks altogether, and introduce ten days. However, from the point of view of science, there are still no ideal proposals - at least, specialists from different countries, studying applications for changing the chronology, even coming to the UN. Scientists consider it inappropriate to carry out any calendar reforms now.

Celebration of the Old New Year

Even despite the fact that the Old New Year is not a day off, its popularity in Russia is growing year by year. According to VTsIOM, the number of those wishing to celebrate the Old New Year (or those already celebrating) has exceeded 60% of the total number of Russians. At the same time, among those who are going to celebrate the Old New Year as a real holiday - the majority of students and students, workers, entrepreneurs, housewives and, in general, people under 40 years old, with secondary specialized and secondary education, and relatively high incomes.

Old New Year: traditions and rituals

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

There was another peculiar ritual - cooking porridge. IN new year's eve, at 2 o'clock, the eldest of the women brought cereals 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 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. After that, everyone got up from the table, and the hostess put the porridge into 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 she got out of the pot, or the pot cracked, this did not bode well for the owners of the house and, according to legend, troubles awaited them. In this case, the porridge itself was simply thrown away.

Historians and ethnographers are also interested in the ritual of going from house to house, when everyone was treated to pork dishes. 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 this type of meat. 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 people 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 to the owners good profit. This sign is much more positive than the ceremony with porridge, especially for diligent and hardworking owners. As well as the resounding saying: "A pig and a pig for Vasilyev's evening", which also contributed to the mood of the owners for economic prosperity and abundance.

The tradition of making dumplings with surprises for the Old New Year appeared, oddly enough, 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 dumplings, looking forward to who and what kind of surprise will come across. This comic fortune-telling is especially liked by children. Some people bring dumplings with them even to work - to cheer up colleagues and colleagues. At some food enterprises, such dumplings are even specially produced - just for the Old New Year.

In Romania, the Old New Year is celebrated more often in the narrow circle of the family, less often with friends. Old New Year is also celebrated in the north-east of Switzerland in some German-speaking cantons. In the 16th century, the inhabitants of the canton of Appenzell did not accept the reform of Pope Gregory XIII and still celebrate the holiday on the night of January 13-14. January 13 they celebrate old day Saint Sylvester, who, according to legend, caught a terrible monster in 314. It was believed that in the year 1000 the monster would break free and destroy the world, but this did not happen. Since then, on the eve of New Year's Day, the inhabitants of Switzerland dress up in masquerade costumes, put on their heads bizarre structures resembling doll houses or botanical gardens and call themselves Sylvester Claus.

In addition, the Old Style New Year is celebrated in a small Welsh community in Wales in the west of the UK. On January 13 they celebrate "Khen Galan".

In the United Kingdom, the Gregorian calendar has been in force since 1752, but there is a small community of Welsh farmers centered in a village called Gwain Valley.

The reason why Gwayne Valley and its surrounding farms have fallen behind the times is now unknown. Some say that it was the will of a local feudal lord who was opposed to the Catholic Church. Others believe that it was the will of the entire community, which decided to defend its traditional way of life.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

A feast on the Old New Year is arranged from year to year by many generations, and at the same time they don’t even think about the history of the origin of the holiday.

For many believers who observe the Advent fast, the Old New Year is a good occasion to celebrate the New Year from the bottom of their hearts.

Sputnik Georgia asked how and when this holiday appeared and why the Old New Year is celebrated in Russia and in many other countries.

History and essence

The Old New Year, which is celebrated unofficially, arose as a result of a change in the chronology - this tradition is associated with the divergence of two calendars: the Gregorian - "new style" and the Julian - "old style". But let's not get ahead of ourselves and tell everything in order.

New Year in Rus' in pagan times was celebrated on the day of the spring equinox, that is, March 22. After the adoption of Christianity in Rus', the Byzantine calendar began to gradually replace the old one, and the New Year began to be celebrated in the fall - on September 1.

Although until the 15th century there was no single date for celebrating the New Year in Rus' - some celebrated in the fall, and some, out of habit, in the spring. Officially, the beginning of the New Year in Rus' was determined on September 1 only in 1492.

On January 1 (according to the old style), the New Year was postponed by decree of Peter I in December 1699, as a result, the next year 1700 came four months later.

In the 18th century, almost all the states of Europe switched to the Gregorian chronology, removing a few extra days from the calendar. And Russia, which by the twentieth century continued to live according to the Julian calendar, lagged behind Europe by as much as 13 days.

The Bolsheviks decided to "catch up" with the Old World and abolished the calendar discrepancy in 1918 by decree. As a result, January 14 - St. Basil's Day turned out to be the Old New Year.

The Russian Orthodox Church continues to celebrate the New Year, Christmas and all others church holidays according to the Julian calendar. Because of this discrepancy in calendars, Russians celebrate two "New Years" - in the old and new style.

In the XX - XXI centuries, the discrepancy between the old and new chronology is 13 days, so the New Year according to the old style is celebrated on the night of January 13-14.

But 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 a day later.

By the way, the modern New Year falls on the Nativity Fast, which ends on January 7, so it is natural that the Old New Year is of particular importance for many Orthodox fasting people, since they can celebrate it wholeheartedly only after the end of the fast.

And yet, despite the fact that this day, unfortunately, is not even a day off, the popularity of the Old New Year is growing every year.

By the way, the natural order of the holidays can be traced, focusing on the Julian calendar - the Advent fast preceded the feast of the Nativity of Christ, after which people celebrated the New Year six days later.

Where else do they celebrate?

The custom of celebrating the Old New is preserved in the countries of the post-Soviet space, including Georgia. New Year according to the old style is loved in different parts of our planet, and there are countries that also celebrate the arrival of the New Year twice a year.

Residents of the former Yugoslavia celebrate the New Year twice a year, as church ministers there count all significant dates according to the Julian calendar.

"Serbian New Year" or "Little Christmas" is the name given to this holiday by Serbs. And in Montenegro it is customary to call this holiday "Rights of Nova Godina", which means "Proper New Year".

The inhabitants of Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria have a similar custom. They live in their own way, the Berber calendar, similar to the Julian. But as a result of many deviations and mistakes, they celebrate the second New Year on January 12th.

In some cantons of Sweden and Romania, the night of January 14 is considered fabulous. On this night, they also gather at the festive table in Greece to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. This Greek holiday is called Saint Basil's Day, known for his kindness.

In the west of Great Britain, the Old Style New Year is celebrated in a small Welsh community in Wales and is called "Hen Galan" - a holiday of good neighborliness and " open doors". According to the traditions of the ancestors, the holiday is celebrated with songs, folk festivals and local home-made beer.

Two New Years is a great occasion once again gather the whole family and friends at one table and have a good time.

Customs and traditions

In Rus', many traditions and customs are associated with the Old New Year - the Orthodox Church commemorates on this day St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea of Cappadocia.

In the folk calendar, January 14 is called Vasily's Day, which was of decisive importance for the whole year. 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 that 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.” Then the mistress of the house collected grains from the floor and stored them until sowing.

Cooking porridge is another peculiar ritual. On New Year's Eve, the eldest of the women, at about two o'clock, brought cereals, usually buckwheat, 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 was heated - they just stood on the table.

After the stove was heated, all the rest of the household sat down at the table, and the eldest of the women began to stir the porridge in the pot.

Stirring, she uttered certain ritual words. Then everyone got up from the table, and the hostess put the porridge with a bow into the oven. Then all together they took out the finished porridge from the oven and carefully examined it.

If the porridge turned out to be rich and crumbly, and the pot was just full, they ate the porridge in the morning and expected a happy year and a rich harvest.

Porridge was thrown away if it got out of the pot or the pot cracked - this was a harbinger of an unsuccessful year.

The girls on the night of the Old New Year were guessing at the betrothed - the period of Christmas time, best time year for all kinds of divination and predictions. Fortune-telling on the night of January 13-14 was considered by the people to be the most truthful, and it is at this time that you can see your future spouse in a dream.

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."

The rite of going from house to house is also interesting - at this time people were treated to pork dishes. By ancient tradition, on the night of Vasily, the guests had to be fed with pork pies and, in general, with any dishes that included pork.

Be sure to serve a pig's head on the table. Saint Basil was considered a "pig sty", that is, the patron saint of pig breeders and pork products, and they believed that the abundance of pork dishes on the table that night would be a guarantee of abundance and profit.

Another tradition - to make dumplings with surprises for the Old New Year - appeared not so long ago. This tradition is observed with pleasure in many regions of Russia, although it is not known exactly where and when it originated.

Dumplings are made in almost every home - with family and friends, they arrange a fun feast, eating dumplings and looking forward to who and what kind of surprise will come across.

Signs

They did not lend money on New Year's Eve, so that there would be no shortage of them during the year. It was considered a good omen to receive money on this day - this foreshadowed profit in the new year.

On Vasiliev's evening, one had to put on good new clothes in order to dress well all year round.

In the old days, they believed that the year would pass happily, if you say goodbye to the old one and meet the new one as cheerfully as possible.

A rich harvest of berries was foreshadowed by a clear, starry sky on Vasily's Day, and a fierce snowstorm on January 13 indicated a plentiful harvest of nuts. A plentiful harvest in the new year was also indicated by fluffy snow in the morning on the branches of trees and thick fog on St. Basil's Day.

Saint Basil, according to popular belief, 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) white-fluffy snow, Saint Basil will shake off every worm-reptile in the spring!"

Icon "Saint Basil of Caesarea" (XVII century)

In the old days, they believed that the year would turn out to be prosperous if a man entered the house first on January 14, but if a woman entered, there would be trouble.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources

What is the old New Year and why is it celebrated?

On the night of January 13-14, the Old New Year is celebrated in Russia, as well as in many neighboring countries.

The Old New Year is a rare historical phenomenon, an additional holiday that resulted from a change in the chronology. Due to this discrepancy in calendars, we celebrate two "New Years" - according to the old and new styles.

How did the Old New Year

The date of the creation of the world (according to the ancient translation of the Old Testament) used to be March 1, 5508 BC. e. Therefore, the New Year began on the first day of spring (according to the new style, March 14).

However, in the Constantinopolitan era, this date was recalculated more accurately, and September 1, 5509 BC was considered the day of the creation of the world. e. Therefore, the New Year from now on began on the first day of autumn.

In pagan times in Rus', the New Year was celebrated on March 22 - on the day of the vernal equinox. After the adoption of Christianity in Rus', the Byzantine calendar began to gradually replace the old one, and the New Year now began on September 1. Even today, some teachings interpret this date as the true birthday of Christ. D For a long time in Rus', New Year's inconsistency persisted - some continued to celebrate the New Year in the spring, others in the fall. And only at the end of the 15th century - in 1492 - they officially determined a single date for the beginning of the New Year in Rus' - September 1.

Only 2 centuries later, on December 19, 1700, Peter I promulgated a decree of summer to be calculated from January 1 from the Nativity of Christ (that is, according to the "new" style - January 14). Thus, in the Russian state, the year 1699 lasted only 4 months, from September to December.

By the twentieth century, the calendar of Russia, which continued to use the Julian 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, and January 14 - the day of St. Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea Cappodacia - turned out to be the Old New Year.

In what other countries celebrate the Old New Year?

The Old New Year is celebrated not only in the CIS. January 13 is also covered festive table in the following countries:

Greece;
Macedonia;
Romania;
Serbia;
Montenegro;
Switzerland.

Also celebrate the Old New Year in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. True, it is celebrated according to the Berber calendar, which is a Julian calendar with minor differences. As a result of accumulated errors, the eve of the holiday falls on January 11th.

Old New Year today

On the night of January 13-14, everyone can afford to "complete" their favorite holiday. Indeed, for many believers, the Old New Year is of particular importance, since they can heartily celebrate the beginning of the new year only after the end of the Advent.

Today, the popularity of the Old New Year is growing from year to year, and Russia is no exception. All more people treat it as an independent holiday that prolongs the charm of the New Year or allows you to feel this charm for the first time. After all, this holiday is more peaceful, it is not characterized by the fuss that is an inevitable companion of the New Year.

When will the New Year be celebrated in 90 years?

Interestingly, the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars increases every century when the number of hundreds in the year from the birth of Christ is not a multiple of four by one day. Now the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendar is 13 days. And from March 1, 2100, this difference will be 14 days. And from 2101, Christmas and the Old New Year will be celebrated a day later.

January is rich in holidays: having celebrated the New Year, we prepare for Christmas, remember Christmas time, and there it is not far to the Old New Year. Make a wish and take your time to shoot new Year decoration.

Where did the second New Year come from

The reason for the appearance of the Old New Year in a series of holidays was the discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Thanks to the difference in chronology, we can celebrate the New Year twice - and this tradition is only gaining momentum. The Old New Year is celebrated on the night of January 13-14.

You can often come across the opinion that the “additional” New Year is celebrated only in Russia. However, it is not. The Old New Year is celebrated in many CIS countries, tables are set in Greece and Switzerland, in Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro. So you can also congratulate your friends abroad: if the Old New Year holiday is not familiar to them at all, perhaps it is you who will find yourself at the origins of the spread of this tradition.

How to celebrate Old New Year

The celebration of the Old New Year differs little from the traditions associated with the usual New Year: in the evening you can congratulate your loved ones, open champagne at midnight, remember your most secret dreams so that they will certainly come true, and then make a list of plans for the year. Fortune telling on the Old New Year will also be true, so if holiday chores prevented you from lifting the veil of secrecy over the future December 31, you can do it later; especially for this, we have selected 5 of the most original New Year's divination.

Don't rush to put away your Christmas decorations: from January 1 until the Chinese New Year, they bring good luck to your home. The exception is perhaps crumbling spruce branches: their energy becomes unfavorable, so it is better to replace them or get by with New Year's garlands.

Folk traditions of the Old New Year

In the old days, January 14th was Vasilyev's Day. The name is associated with St. Basil; he was considered an assistant to swineherds, so they tried to put pork dishes on the festive table without fail. And today they will be a great addition to the holiday. Well, if for some reason you or your family do not eat pork, you can replace it - for example, bake homemade cookies in the form of funny piglets.

On Vasily's Day they caroled, treated everyone who looked into the house: generosity on the Old New Year brings prosperity. Dreams from January 13 to 14 were considered prophetic, so be sure to pay attention to what you dreamed about. Another sign says: the one who is the first to wash himself on January 14 will become strong in health, and all year long he will succeed in any business. True, it was customary to take water from a natural source, so it would not work to get it from the tap: you still have to be puzzled by a trip to a spring or a reservoir with clean water.

Another Belarusian tradition will help many on the Old New Year: it was believed that on January 14, some important business should be started for good luck. Then during the year your undertaking will bring joy, its outcome will be successful, and nothing will prevent the plan from being fulfilled. Well, since in the New Year, even if it is Old, any miracles are possible, do not deny yourself a flight of fancy.

We wish you a successful Old New Year. On this day, you can do everything that you did not have time in the old year.