Why is the old new year celebrated? What is Old New Year and why is it celebrated? When they stopped celebrating the new year on January 13

On the night of January 13-14, many countries celebrate everyone's favorite holiday - Old New Year. From year to year, many generations arrange feasts on this day. The most interesting thing is that few people think about the history of the holiday. Believers who observe fasting on the Old New Year can celebrate the holiday heartily, enjoy delicious dishes.

Old New Year appeared after the change of chronology - this tradition is based on the divergence of two calendars: the Gregorian and the Julian.

Earlier in Russia, the New Year was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, namely on March 22. After Christianity was adopted, the Byzantine calendar began to supplant the old one, after which the New Year was celebrated on September 1.

It is worth saying that until the 15th century a single date for the holiday was not established. Some celebrated it in the fall, while others in the spring. In 1492, the date of the New Year was set in Russia - September 1.

In December 1699, Peter the first moved the holiday to January 1, after which the next year 1700 began four months later.

The Orthodox Church celebrates the New Year, Christmas and other holidays according to the Julian calendar. As a result of this discrepancy, the inhabitants of Russia celebrate the New Year twice - in the old and new styles.

Many customs and traditions are associated with this holiday. On this day, the Orthodox Church remembers the day of St. Basil the Great. The people also call the holiday as Vasilyev's day, for the year this day was very decisive.

Children on this day scattered wheat, rye and oats around the house, and also said:

"God, ugliness, everyone lives in the bins, that in the bins and for the great, but it would have been baptized for the whole world."

After that, the hostess of the house collected all the grains from the floor and stored them until sowing.

Another peculiar ritual is cooking porridge. On New Year's Eve, a woman brought cereals into the house, and a man brought water from a well. Until the stove was heated, it was not allowed to touch the cereals and water. Then the older woman stirred the porridge in a pot.

When stirring porridge, she spoke special words. Then the hostess put the porridge in the oven with a bow. If the porridge turned out to be rich, and the pot was full, then they ate it and waited for a happy year and a big harvest.

In the event that the pot cracked or the porridge went beyond it, it was thrown away.

The girls conducted various fortune-telling for the Old New Year. These fortune-telling were considered the most truthful, because you could see your betrothed.

To do this, the girls combed their hair before going to bed, put the comb under their pillow and uttered the magic words: "betrothed-mummed, come comb my head."

No less interesting was the ritual of going home, people treated guests to pork dishes. Traditionally, guests had to be fed with pies and other pork dishes.

Saint Basil was the patron saint of pig breeders, as well as any pork products. Everyone believed that the abundance of pork dishes on this night would be the key to abundance and profit.

There is also a tradition to make dumplings with a surprise. Everyone is interested in who will get what and what surprise.

It is not customary to lend on a holiday, because then there will be no prosperity. At the same time, getting money on this day was considered a good omen - this is a profit.

On Vasilyev's evening, everyone put on new clothes, so that later they would dress well all year. The year will be happy if you have fun.

If the sky is starry and clear on Vasilyev's day, then a rich harvest of berries and nuts can be expected. The fluffy snow also indicated a bountiful harvest.

Old New Year is one of the unique holidays, celebrated on the night of January 13-14 in many countries, including the post-Soviet space
Many generations from year to year arrange a feast for the Old New Year and do not even think about the history of its origin.
For many believers, it symbolizes the end of fasting and is a good occasion to celebrate it from the heart.

History
Old New Year is a holiday that is celebrated unofficially. This holiday arose as a result of a change in chronology. The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year is associated with the divergence of two calendars: the Julian - "old style" and the Gregorian - "new style".
Christmas decorations on the tree

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Almost all the states of Europe switched to the Gregorian chronology back in the 18th century, removing several extra days from the calendar. By the twentieth century, the Russian calendar was 13 days behind Europe, which had long since switched to the Gregorian calendar.
To close this gap, in 1918, by decree of the Council of People's Commissars, a transition was made to the Gregorian calendar - a new style. In fact, after January 31st, it was February 14th. As a result, January 14 - St. Basil's Day turned out to be the old New Year.
The Orthodox Church continues to celebrate all church holidays according to the Julian calendar. Modern New Year falls on the pre-Christmas fast - an Orthodox forty-day fast in honor of Christmas.
Santa Claus is photographed with children at the New Year tree in one of the parks of the Georgian capital

Focusing on the Julian calendar, one can trace the natural order of the holidays - the Nativity Fast preceded the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, after which, six days later, people celebrated the New Year.
The discrepancy between the old and new chronology in the XX-XXI centuries is 13 days, so the New Year according to the old style is celebrated on the night of January 13-14. The difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars is gradually increasing and from March 1, 2100 will be 14 days, so from 2101 Old New Year will be celebrated a day later.

Where they celebrate ...
For many years in the countries of the post-Soviet space, including Georgia, the custom of celebrating the Old New Year has been preserved, which, as it seemed to us, was incomprehensible to the rest of the world.
In fact, the Old Style New Year is known and loved in different parts of our planet and there are countries that also celebrate the arrival of the New Year twice a year.
This custom can be found among the inhabitants of the former Yugoslavia. The reasons are also similar - the ministers of the church keep counting all significant dates according to the Julian system of chronology.

Serbs call this holiday "Serbian New Year" or "Little Christmas". In Montenegro, it is customary to call this holiday "Prava Nova Godin", which means "Correct New Year".
The inhabitants of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have a similar custom. They live in their own way, the Berber calendar, similar to the Julian one. As a result of many deviations and errors, they celebrate the second New Year on January 12th.
January 14 is considered a fabulous night in Romania and some cantons of Sweden. In Greece, this night they gather at the festive table to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. This Greek holiday is called Saint Basil's Day, known for his kindness.

Old-style New Years Eve is celebrated in a small Welsh community in Wales in western Britain, where they celebrate "Hen Galan" on 13 January. "Hen Galan" - a holiday of good-neighborliness and "open doors" according to the traditions of ancestors, is greeted with songs, festivities and local home-made beer.
And then, two New Years is an excellent occasion to once again gather all family and friends at one table and have a good time.
Customs and traditions
On January 14, the Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea of \u200b\u200bCappodacia. In the national calendar, it is called Vasilyev's Day and was of decisive importance for the whole year.

Many traditions and customs are associated with the old New Year in Russia. On Vasilyev's Day, the holiday of agriculture was celebrated, which was associated with the future harvest, and a sowing ceremony was performed - hence the name of the holiday "oats" or "avsen".
On this day, the children scattered grains of wheat, oats, rye around the house, saying: "Goddamn, God, every living in the bins, which is great in the bins, and the baptized one would live for the whole world." The hostess of the house collected grain from the floor and stored it until sowing.

And there was also a kind of ritual - boiling porridge. On New Year's Eve, at about two o'clock, the eldest of the women brought cereals from the barn, and the eldest man brought water from a well or a river. It was impossible to touch the groats and water until the stove was overheated - 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 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 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 the next morning.

If the porridge came out of the pot, or the pot cracked, this did not promise the owners of the house anything good, and then trouble was expected, and the porridge was thrown away.
On the night of the Old New Year, the girls wondered about their betrothed - after all, the Christmastide period continued, the best time of the year for all kinds of fortune-telling and predictions. It was popularly believed that fortune-telling on the night of January 13-14 is the most truthful and it is at this time that you can see your future spouse in a dream.
Toys and decorations on the Christmas tree

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To do this, the girls combed their hair before going to bed, put a comb under their pillow and said magic words: "betrothed-mummer, come and comb my head."
The ritual of going from door to door to treat yourself to pork dishes is also interesting. On the night of Vasily, the guests certainly had to be fed pies with pork, boiled or baked pork legs and, in general, any dishes that include pork.
A pig's head was also placed on the table. The fact is that Vasily was considered a "pig shed" - 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, these animals would breed in abundance on the farm and bring good profits to the owners.

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, however, it is followed with pleasure in many regions of Russia. In some cities, they are sculpted in almost every home - with family and friends, and then they arrange a fun feast and eat these dumplings, looking forward to who and what surprise will come.
Signs
On New Year's Eve, they did not lend money so that there would be no shortage of them during the year. To receive money on this day was considered very successful - this foreshadowed profit in the new year.
In order to dress well all year round, on Vasiliev's evening, to celebrate the New Year, one should wear good new clothes.
One of the women's and men's clothing stores in a shopping center in the capital of Georgia

In the old days, there was a belief that if you spend the old year and meet the new one as happily as possible, then it will pass happily.
The clear, starry sky on Vasilyev's day foreshadowed a rich harvest of berries. A fierce snowstorm on January 13 in the evening indicated a bountiful harvest of nuts.
Also, fluffy snow in the morning on tree branches and thick fog on Vasilyev's day indicated a bountiful harvest in the new year.
According to popular belief, Saint Basil 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) belpushist snow, so will Saint Basil shake off every reptile worm in the spring!"

In the old days, it was believed that on January 14, a man should be the first to enter the house, then the year will be successful, if a woman enters, it will lead to trouble.

On the night of January 13-14, the Old New Year is celebrated in Russia, as well as in many neighboring countries. AiF.ru explains how and when this holiday appeared.

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

How the Old New Year appeared

The date of the creation of the world (according to the ancient translation of the Old Testament) was previously considered 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 Constantinople era, this date was recounted more accurately, and September 1, 5509 BC, was considered the day of the creation of the world. e. Therefore, the New Year henceforth began on the first day of autumn.

In pagan times in Russia, the New Year was celebrated on March 22 - the day of the vernal equinox. After the adoption of Christianity in Russia, 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, the New Year discord persisted in Russia - some continued to celebrate the New Year in spring, others in autumn. And only at the end of the 15th century - in 1492 - a single date for the beginning of the New Year in Russia was officially determined - September 1.

Only after 2 centuries, December 19, 1700, Peter I promulgated the decree of the summer to reckon from January 1 from the birth of Christ (that is, according to the "new" style - January 14). Thus, in the Russian state, 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 close this gap, in 1918, by decree of the Council of People's Commissars, the transition to the Gregorian calendar was carried out - a new style, and January 14 - the day of St. Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea of \u200b\u200bCappodacia - turned out to be the Old New Year.

What other countries celebrate the Old New Year?

Old New Year is celebrated not only in the CIS. On January 13, a festive table is also laid in the following countries:

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

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

Old New Year today

On the night of January 13-14, everyone can afford to "celebrate" 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 Nativity Fast.

Today the popularity of the Old New Year is growing from year to year, and Russia is no exception. More and more people treat it as a holiday in its own right, which prolongs the charm of the New Year or allows you to feel this charm for the first time. After all, this holiday is calmer, it is not characterized by vanity, which 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 Christmas 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 since 2101, Christmas and Old New Year will be celebrated a day later.

The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year is associated with the divergence of two calendars: the Julian - the "old style" calendar and the Gregorian - the "new style" calendar, according to which modern people live. This discrepancy in the XX-XXI centuries is 13 days, and the New Year according to the old style is celebrated on the night of January 13-14.

From March 1, 2100, the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars will be 14 days. From 2101 Old New Year will be celebrated a day later.

Almost all Protestant states in Europe switched to the Gregorian chronology as early as the 18th century, removing several extra days from the calendar. Russia switched to a new calendar only in 1918 by the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars dated January 26, 1918, after January 31, 1918, February 14 immediately came.

As a result of the transition to a new chronology, the start date of the New Year has changed. January 1 in the new style is December 19 in the Julian calendar, and January 14 in the new style is January 1 in the Julian calendar.

The Russian Orthodox Church continues to celebrate all church holidays according to the Julian calendar: both the Circumcision of the Lord (until 1918 coincided with the civil New Year) and the Nativity of Christ. Modern New Year falls on the pre-Christmas fast - an Orthodox forty-day fast in honor of Christmas. According to the old style, everything went on as usual - the Nativity Fast preceded the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, after which, six days later, people celebrated the New Year.

Therefore, the New Year in the old style is important for Orthodox believers living in countries where the church continues to use the Julian calendar.

In Russia, until 1918, the arrival of the New Year fell on the Christmastide period, therefore, all folk New Year signs are more applicable to the Old New Year. People believed that if a woman came to the house first in the morning on New Year's Day, it would inevitably bring misfortune, if a man - happiness. If on New Year's Day there is money in the house, you will not need it all year, but only on condition that you do not lend to anyone. In addition, the following signs were known: "If the first day of the year is cheerful (happy), then the year will be like that"; "Snow or fog that has fallen on the New Year heralds a harvest"; "A full hole in water and fog on the New Year heralds a big flood"; "If there is wind on the New Year - to the harvest of nuts"; "New Year - turn towards spring"; "New Year - sledging"; "New Year is picking up the first hour of the day."

In addition, January 14 (January 1, old style) in the old days was called Vasilyev's Day - the celebration of the memory of St. Basil the Great of Caesarea - and was of decisive importance for the whole year.

On this day, it was customary to conduct all kinds of fortune-telling and ancient rituals. The evening before (now January 13) was called Vasiliev's evening. Especially unmarried girls were waiting for him, who at this time willingly wondered. They believed: that you will guess on Vasilyev's day, it will definitely come true.

Saint Basil was considered a "pig shed" - the patron saint of pig farmers and pork products, and they believed that if there was a lot of pork on the table on the night before Vasilyev's day, then these animals would reproduce in abundance and bring good profits to the owners.

Therefore, the main festive dish on Vasilyev's Day was a pig, which was roasted whole, and a hare and a rooster were also prepared. According to legend, roast piglet provides well-being for the coming year; they ate the meat of a hare in order to be as agile as a hare, and a rooster to be light as a bird.

The ritual of going from door to door was interesting to treat yourself to pork dishes. On the night of Vasily, the guests certainly had to be fed pies with pork, boiled or baked pork legs, and in general any dishes that include pork. A pig's head was also placed on the table.

There was also a custom to cook porridge with special ceremonies on Vasilyev's Day. On New Year's Eve, at 2 o'clock, the eldest of the women brought cereals from the barn (usually buckwheat), and the older man brought water from a well or river. It was impossible to touch the groats and water until the stove was overheated - 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.

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 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 the next morning. If the porridge came out of the pot, or it was small and white, and the pot cracked, this did not promise the owners of the house anything good, and then trouble was expected, and the porridge was thrown away.

In the old days, on Vasilyev's Day, peasants went home with congratulations and wishes for well-being. At the same time, an ancient rite was performed, known under different names: avsen, oats, ussen, etc. Its essence consisted in the fact that the children of the peasants, having gathered together before mass, went from house to house to sow oats, buckwheat, rye and other loaves and at the same time sang a sowing song.

The owners of the house gave the sprinkler something as a gift, and the grains scattered by him were carefully collected, stored until spring and mixed with other seeds when sowing spring crops.

There is also a tradition in Russia on the night of the Old New Year to sculpt and cook dumplings, some of which with surprises. In every locality (even in every family), the value of surprises may differ.

According to signs, if the night before Vasilyev's day the sky is clear and starry, then there will be a rich harvest of berries. According to popular beliefs, St. Basil the Great 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) belpushist snow, so will Saint Basil shake off every reptile worm in the spring!"

Some regions of Russia have their own traditions of celebrating the Old New Year. For example, in Yalga, a suburban village of Saransk (Mordovia), residents gather around the New Year's bonfire, dance in circles and, along with old things, burn all the troubles that have accumulated over the year. They also have a tradition of comic fortune telling with an old boot or felt boot. Yalga residents stand in a circle and pass each other a "magic shoe", in which there are notes with good wishes. They believe that a note pulled out of a boot will surely bring good luck.

The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year has survived not only in Russia, but also in the former Soviet republics. In Belarus and Ukraine, the evening before January 14 is called "generous", since it is customary to prepare "generous kutya" - a rich table after the Christmas fast. Both Georgia and Abkhazia celebrate the Old New Year.

In Abkhazia, January 13 is officially listed as Azhyrnykhua or Hechhuama - the Day of the Creation of the World, renewal. It is festive and non-working. The holiday of renewal or creation of the world takes its beginning in the pagan past of the country and is associated with the veneration of the deity Shashva - the patron saint of blacksmiths. Traditionally, on this day, roosters and goats are slaughtered as a sacrifice to Shashva. The holiday gathers all paternal relatives under the roof of the family sanctuary - the "smithy". Representatives of other people's families - wives and daughters-in-law stay at home.

The Old New Year is also celebrated in some other countries.

In the former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia), Old New Year is also celebrated on the night of January 13-14, since the Serbian Orthodox Church, like the Russian one, continues to live according to the Julian calendar.

Serbs call this holiday "Serbian New Year" or Little Christmas. Sometimes the Serbs on this day bring into the house "badnyak" - one of the two logs that they prepared on Christmas Eve for Christmas and Little Christmas.

In Montenegro, it is customary to call this holiday "Prava Nova Godin", which means "correct New Year".

Basilica is prepared for the Old New Year: round corn dough pies with kaymak - cream, curdled like cheese. Sometimes they prepare another dish of corn dough - a couple.

On the night of January 14, they gather at the festive table to celebrate the arrival of the New Year in Greece. This Greek holiday is called Saint Basil's Day, known for his kindness. While waiting for this saint, Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplaces for Saint Basil to put gifts in them.

In Romania, the Old New Year is celebrated more often in a narrow circle of family, less often with friends. For the festive table, New Year's pies are made with surprises: coins, porcelain figurines, rings, hot pepper. The ring found in the cake promises great luck.

Old New Year is also celebrated in northeastern Switzerland in some German-speaking cantons. The inhabitants of the canton of Appenzell in the 16th century did not accept the reform of Pope Gregory and still celebrate the holiday on the night of January 13-14. On January 13, they celebrate the old day of St. Sylvester, who, according to legend, caught a terrible monster in 314.

It was believed that in 1000 the monster would break free and destroy the world, but this did not happen. Since then, on New Year's Eve, the inhabitants of Switzerland dress up in masquerade costumes, put on bizarre structures on their heads that resemble doll houses or botanical gardens and call themselves Sylvester Claus. Walking along the streets, local residents make noise and shout, thereby, expelling evil spirits and inviting good spirits.

In addition, Old Style New Years are celebrated in a small Welsh community in Wales in the west of Britain. On January 13th they celebrate "Hyun Galan". There are no fireworks or champagne on this day. "Hen Galan" is greeted according to the traditions of the ancestors with songs, carols and local home-made beer.

Since 1752 in the United Kingdom the Gregorian calendar is in effect, where the New Year begins on January 1. But a small community of Welsh farmers centered in a village called the Gwaine Valley is celebrating the Julian New Year, and unlike the rest of the country, it is January 13 that they have an official day off.

The reason why Gwaine Valley and its surrounding farms are "behind" the times is now unknown. Some say that it was the will of a local feudal lord 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.

Children start the holiday. From early morning they carol throughout the valley, collecting gifts and money. For adults, the fun comes in the late afternoon. The entire village and nearby farms gather at a local pub. Unauthorized visitors are not allowed. In an ancient pub, one of the few in Great Britain, where beer is brewed and immediately poured into jugs, nothing is served except beer. Locals bring food with them. In the pub, to the accompaniment of an accordion, people sing songs in Welsh that were performed by their grandfathers and great-grandfathers.

For local residents, "Hen Galan" is a holiday of good neighborliness and "open doors" - but open for their own. According to legend, in ancient times, the inhabitants of the valley danced from house to house in a round dance with songs.