The history of the Old New Year holiday. Rituals, signs and traditions for the Old New Year
Olya Pedyura
"Old New Year. History and traditions.»
Abstract: "old New Year. History and traditions. "
Performed: Pedyura O.V.
Target: Introduce children to history and traditions of our country.
Lesson progress
Let's go generous today
Call us to the table, mistress!
This New Year's Eve
Children are waiting for their gifts.
On the night of January 13-14, Russians celebrate Old New Year - holiday incomprehensible to many foreigners. No one can really say what Old New Year is different from the traditional, familiar to all the New Year? Guys, let's try to figure out what is old New Year.
In Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Montenegro and certain regions of Switzerland, old New Year. This unusual holiday appeared due to a change in the chronology.
History of the Old New Year
Different nations had several calendars. One of them was called Julian, and the other - Gregorian. And every nation believed that its calendar was the best. Therefore, for a long time New year in our countries did not coincide with new year in Western Europe. There was such confusion!
In 1918, the new government ordered to get rid of this confusion. The Gregorian calendar was introduced. All holidays now had to be celebrated two weeks earlier. But the Church refused this. And so it appeared Old New Year - New Year according to the old calendar.
Traditions for the Old New Year
This day in antiquity was called St. Basil's Day, and 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. Sowing grains was done by children. Early in the morning they scattered some grain on the floor of the hut, and the mistress of the house had to pick up grain with an ancient sentence. It was believed that the faster the hostess picks up the rye, the richer the harvest will be. The grain was stored until sowing and added to the rest of the seeds.
And there was also a kind of ritual - cooking porridge, and divination from this porridge, groats were usually buckwheat. If the porridge is rich and crumbly, then one could expect a happy year and a rich harvest - they ate such porridge in the morning. If the porridge crawled out of the saucepan, and it was not crumbly itself, this did not bode well for the owners of the house, and the porridge was thrown away.
Also, young girls guessed at their betrothed (groom, for their future.
And there was also a very interesting ritual, going from house to house to help yourself with dishes. This evening we went to visit. Bypassing the houses, they wished happiness and flourishing of the economy. They asked that the year be generous to the family, they were generous. Boys and girls went separately. Shchedrovki sang cheerfully. Adults also joked and gave sweets to the generous.
Shchedryk-Petryk,
Give me a dumpling!
a spoonful of porridge,
Top sausages.
It's not enough
Give me a piece of fat.
Take it out quickly
Don't freeze the kids!
I sow, I sow, I sow
FROM Happy New Year!
On the New Year, for a new happiness
Ugly wheat,
Peas, lentils!
On the field - mop,
On the table - pies!
FROM New Year,
FROM new happiness, master, hostess!
CO OLD NEW YEAR!
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On the night of January 13-14, Ukrainians will celebrate the Old New Year - a unique holiday that arose after the change in the chronology.
Despite the fact that the Old New Year is not an official holiday, many of us love and honor this day. On the eve of the holiday HB Style tells how the Old New Year is celebrated and what customs, rites and rituals it is accompanied by.
The celebration of the Old New Year began in 1918, when the Gregorian calendar was introduced instead of the Julian calendar, and the concept of "old" and "new" style entered our lives.
Thus, if on the night of January 31-1 you didn’t have enough fun and fun, you can celebrate the holiday again. By the way, for many believers, it is the Old New Year that is a brighter holiday than the usual New Year, since magnificent feasts are allowed only after the end of the Advent.
Old New Year: customs
In Ukraine, the Old New Year is celebrated by laying a rich table, on which kutya must be placed. The generous evening of January 13 is very similar to the Holy Evening before Christmas, but the dishes here are no longer Lenten: sausages, meat, lard, pies, dumplings, pancakes and much more are on the table.
Bhofack2/
The whole family should gather at the festive dinner, ask each other for forgiveness and wish happiness and prosperity in the new year.
From time immemorial, traditionally on the days of the Old New Year, Ukrainians also celebrated Malanka Day (January 13) and St. Basil's Day (January 14). These holidays were always accompanied by festivities, dressing up and divination.
Among the main rituals for the Old New Year, it is impossible not to mention the generosity and driving of the Malanka goat. From evening until nightfall, companies of generous people went from house to house, sang ritual songs, danced and joked. The company was accompanied by the goat Malanka, which was most often dressed up by young guys.
On the morning of January 14, it is customary in Ukraine to sow. According to this ritual, on the Old New Year, boys and young guys fill their mittens with grain and sow first in their own house, then in the houses of their godparents, relatives and neighbors. At the same time, the seeders wish happiness, prosperity and harvest in the new year.
In some regions of the country, on the morning of January 14, “didukhs” are fired - pre-prepared sheaves that stood in the house on the red corner (on the pokutі) on the Generous Evening.
This rite for the Old New Year did not end with just burning straw: in order to cleanse themselves of all the troubles and troubles accumulated over the past year, people jumped over the fire.
Among the ancient Ukrainian customs for the Old New Year, it is worth highlighting the matchmaking. Only on January 13, those young guys who had previously received a "garbuza" from their beloved girl could try again and send matchmakers to the girl's house again. You can marry Malanka for the first time, because it is believed that if you agree to marriage on a Generous Evening, then the life of a young couple will be generous and joyful.
The night from January 13 to 14 was considered magical, so fortune-telling for the Old New Year was also an integral part of the celebration.
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On the night of January 13-14, everyone can celebrate their favorite holiday (Photo: Rawpixel, Shutterstock)
The tradition of celebrating comes from the divergence (or otherwise the “old style” calendar) and the one that almost the whole world now lives on. The divergence of calendars in the 20th-21st centuries is 13 days.
The Old New Year is a rare historical phenomenon, an additional holiday, which turned out as a result of a change in the chronology. Due to this discrepancy in calendars, we celebrate two "New Years" - according to the old and new styles. Thus, on the night of 13 to everyone can afford to "complete" the most favorite holiday. Indeed, for many believers, the Old New Year is of particular importance, since they can celebrate it wholeheartedly only after the end.
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. Therefore, from 2100 this difference will be 14 days. And from 2101, the Old New Year will also be celebrated a day later.
Today, the popularity of the Old New Year is growing from year to year, and is no exception. More and more people treat it as an independent holiday that prolongs the charm or allows you to feel this charm for the first time ... After all, this holiday is calmer, it is not characterized by the fuss that is an inevitable companion of the New Year.
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On the night of January 13-14, many of us will again fill our glasses with champagne and make a toast that seems a little strange: “ ”. How and why do we continue to do this and why is this holiday interesting?
history of the holiday
This is not at all someone's whim or invention - but exactly the same New Year, only according to a different calendar. The Julian calendar was in use in the Roman Empire in the first century BC - it reached Russia only by the 15th century and was good for everyone, even taking into account the extra days running every 128 years: they didn’t really bother anyone and formally didn’t make any difference.
Another calendar, the Gregorian, just took this difference into account, by the 20th century it was already 14 days - and the revolutionary Vladimir Lenin transferred the whole country to new time rails in 1918, so this year the holiday celebrates its centenary.
Vasiliev Day, or Generous Evening
Before the translation of the conventional clock hands on this day, another holiday was always celebrated on January 14 - Vasiliev Day, or Generous Evening. It was customary to show generosity and treat guests with especially plentiful food. According to tradition, it was a solemn porridge - kutya, but it was not seasoned with vegetable oil, as on Christmas, when fasting was still ongoing, but with meat, lard, or sprinkled with plenty of sugar and fruit.
Pork was generally considered a particularly significant dish on the Generous Evening - a saint named Basil was especially favored by the swineherds, so he needed to be better gratified so that the cattle would not get sick during the year and regularly bring forth offspring. It was believed that luck would be exceptionally favorable to business in general, not only in pig breeding, if the table was set with pomp.
Signs of the Old New Year
It was customary to dress solemnly and smartly in new and beautiful clothes - luck, as you know, is a capricious lady - she also meets clothes. As you meet the New Year, so you will spend it, this fully applied to the meeting of the Old New Year.
It was considered a good sign to see a young man from a strong and friendly large family right after midnight on the threshold - this meant that he would bring prosperity and wealth to the house. For this reason, they did not try to let women out of the house at all on Vasily's Day, but the young men walked with pleasure among the guests, singing cheerful songs of congratulations and, of course, not refusing plentiful and satisfying treats.
Prohibitions of the Old New Year
A company of only women on this day was considered unlucky - therefore, if the gender balance was disturbed in the family, some of the girls simply went to visit them to do divination and fortune-telling, there are also many interesting details. Or, specially for the celebration, special “custom guests” were invited - men who spent two or three hours with the owners, wishing the house prosperity and blessings.
It was impossible to do cleaning and generally take anything out of the house that day - it was believed that you could inadvertently sweep away the luck that had just settled in the room.
Borrowing and lending was also considered completely inappropriate, financial issues were tried to be resolved either before the holiday itself, or no longer stuttering about money for another day or two.
It was highly discouraged to put dishes from aquatic animals or fish, birds on the festive table - so that luck could not swim away or fly away. Animals that walk sideways or backwards - obviously, we are talking about crayfish and crabs - were also considered undesirable so that past problems and difficulties did not take it into their heads to return back.
When pronouncing a toast, it was in no case possible to pronounce the particle “not” - so that all the same luck would not leave the hospitable house, but stay longer. Perhaps, even if such beliefs can cause an involuntary smile, it is worth taking these ancient methods into service - thinking before making a toast is not harmful to anyone, but who will sort it out, this luck? Will it suddenly work?
Where else is it customary to celebrate the Old New Year?
For some reason, it is commonly believed that this date is exclusively for “strange Russians who have little reason to have fun”, but this is not at all the case, the Old New Year is usually celebrated in many countries, and these are not only the countries of the former Soviet Union, which would be understandable .
In Serbia, for example, thousands and thousands of people on this day conduct rituals very similar to ours, after visiting the church - the Serbian Orthodox Church, like the Russian one, continues to live according to the Julian calendar, and in Macedonia they take out the tables on the street and celebrate with the whole world.
Montenegrins call this day “Rights of Nova Godina”, which translates as “Proper New Year”, and on this day they cook vasilitsa - insanely delicious round pies made from corn dough with kaimak - cream curdled into soft tart cheese. In Macedonia, they celebrate almost identically.
In Morocco, Japan and some German-speaking cantons of Switzerland, this day is also considered a holiday - although this cannot be strictly called the celebration of the Old New Year, but the fact remains - people also sit at a rich table. The Swiss celebrate the day of St. Sylvester, who, according to legend, rid the world of a terrible monster back in the 4th century, the Japanese have a spring holiday called “rissun”, and the Moroccans, like some Muslims, rejoice at the new year according to their own Berber calendar.
In Greece, this is St. Basil's Day - children leave their shoes by the fireplaces or hearths for gifts and often find them filled with sweets or toys.
Divination for the Old New Year
It is believed that the results of divination on this day will be especially accurate, since the day is permeated with the special energies of the holiday and miracle. It was often customary to sculpt dumplings into which certain small symbolic objects were folded, the same could be done with a pie.
A button - for a new thing, a coin - for a gift or a win, a fruit bone - for a rich harvest, a key - for a new house or moving, a ring - for a quick marriage, a small pink or blue button - for the birth of a daughter or son. Actually, as you can see, they tried to reduce all the signs to the positive - and no one bothers us to carry out this cute ceremony, which promises everyone something pleasant and bright in the new year.
On this day, the girls planted bulbs in an open saucer, marking them - whose arrows shoot faster, she will be the happiest. Sprouted onions were then taken home and stored until the onset of real spring - it was believed that any disease would go away, one had only to chew on some juicy greens. Well, against the background of the traditional pre-spring beriberi, a fairly common custom.
Putting twisted pieces of paper with male names under the pillow is also a very common way to find out the name of the betrothed-mummer in the morning immediately after waking up.
What dates our history does not contain! The Old New Year holiday is not in any calendar of the world, but for almost a century it has been celebrated in our country and in some states of near and far abroad. Almost two weeks after the first of January, the fun at the Christmas tree is back. The current dual tradition is very surprising to foreigners, and not all of our compatriots know why this is happening. Where did the custom of celebrating the Old New Year come from? What date is it marked? We will understand in our article all the mysteries of the appearance of this amazing holiday.
Change of chronology
Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the Julian calendar operated in Russia. Back in the sixteenth century, astronomers recognized it as erroneous, and the countries of Europe began to live according to the Gregorian, introduced by Gregory XIII. The thing is that the year has a different average duration, and therefore a difference in dates gradually arose.
By 1917 there was a discrepancy of as much as thirteen days in Russia and Europe. Having come to power, the Bolsheviks carried out numerous changes and reforms, including the issue of bringing time into one format with the European one. The decree on the transition of Russia to Russia issued by Vladimir Lenin in 1918 eliminated the confusion in numbers, and the whole world began to live according to one chronology.
Such is the history of the holiday. Old New Year, as we see, arose due to a change in the calendar. Instead of moving the event from one date to another, in the current historical situation, there is another reason for celebration. Now we have two opportunities to meet the coming year, you can do it in the old and new style.
Origins - in church traditions
The Julian calendar has been preserved in the Russian Orthodox Church, which to this day calculates everything only according to it. Keeping the traditional time, the so-called "old style", the Russian Church rejects the European chronology. Since the worldly new year falls on January 14, the Old New Year can be called the New Year in the old style. This day before the revolution was considered the first day of January. Historically, our ancestors, having switched to a new calendar, did not depart from the previous one. This is the secret of the two New Year holidays in our country and some neighboring states.
Is it possible to have a feast during Lent?
For Orthodox people, this January 1 falls on the time of the strict Christmas fast. During this period, believers refuse meat, fast food and entertainment. These prohibitions are ending only therefore, on January 14, the Old New Year becomes a truly special day when you can enjoy life and enjoy the holiday. In European countries, Catholic Christmas is celebrated on December 25, so the New Year's table can be safely covered with any dishes.
Second chance, or to be continued...
Surprisingly, since 1918, traditionally and annually, people celebrate the Old New Year. What date to celebrate this holiday, today even children know.
What is the secret of the popularity of the holiday, it is definitely difficult to answer. For some, this is the Orthodox New Year, for others it is an occasion to gather the whole family at the table, for others it is an opportunity to complete what they did not have time to do before January 1.
The pre-New Year fuss and hype has subsided, there is no more running around the shops in search of gifts and products, and a person has a unique chance to prolong the charm of the holiday. If you met the chiming clock on December 31 with your family, then this time you can have a party with friends, or vice versa. If, setting the table at the end of last year, you prepared a traditional Olivier salad and herring under a fur coat, then on this day you can experiment with new dishes.
What to do on the Old New Year?
It's no secret that television has become an integral part of our lives. TV programs, programs and films are watched by the whole country. Prepared especially for New Year's Eve, some shows may be of interest. If you missed a holiday movie or program last time because of a trip to the Christmas tree or a noisy feast, then you should not be upset: television people, perfectly understanding this moment, usually repeat their program on the evening of January 13. Each family can come up with their own traditions for celebrating the Old New Year.
Carol came - open the gate
Mid-January is Yuletide time. They begin on Christmas Eve and last for two weeks, until Epiphany. Being in the middle, the holiday divides Christmas time into two halves. The first week was called "Holy Evenings". This time is dedicated to the birth of Christ. But the second week was called "terrible evenings." Ancestors believed that evil spirits were walking these days. People turned to fortune-telling, remembered different rituals. On the Old New Year, on Christmas Eve and on the eve of Epiphany, it was customary to carol.
This folk action was something like a fun carnival. Youth and children dressed up in various costumes, masks and walked through the village. Stopping at each house, they sang special songs. Moreover, they were performed both on Christmas and on Epiphany, and not only on the Old New Year.
The history of the origin of the word "kolyada" is associated with the Latin term calendae, which translates as "the first day of the month." The semantic meaning has gradually changed, and now it means funny songs that mummers sing under the windows of houses, while collecting alms - treats.
The sheepskin coat - inside out, the bag - in the hands, and let's go around the yards!
For this fun, young people usually gathered in a whole group. A “mekhonosha” was necessarily appointed, who was responsible for a large basket or bag, where the treats taken out by generous hosts were stored. Most often dressed up in animals, for example, a bear, a wolf or a goat. They also dressed up with all sorts of evil spirits, for example, the devil or Baba Yaga. At the same time, complex costumes were not required, the reincarnation took place literally due to improvised materials. The sheepskin coat was turned inside out and tied with a simple rope, the face was smeared with soot, coal or sprinkled with flour.
To treat the caroler - to live with dignity for a year: signs for the Old New Year
The carolers praised the hosts, their generosity, house, livestock and yard, congratulated them on the holiday, wished them health, wealth, a bountiful harvest, and for this the hosts presented them with pies, pancakes and other goodies. Such treats were prepared in advance and in large quantities. It was considered to ignore the carolers. Those owners who regretted the treats, the mummers not only sang ditties ridiculing greed, but could also do mischief by bringing down a pile of firewood, tying the doors with a resin rope, or in other ways. It happened that a merry procession forgot to go into a house, accidentally skipping it. Such an incident was considered a harbinger of something bad. In the dwellings, which during the year were visited by a disaster that claimed someone's life, the carolers did not enter at all.
Protection from dark forces
Naturally, such dressing up in all sorts of evil spirits was not welcomed by the Church and was considered a diabolical undertaking. Therefore, at the end of Christmas time, carolers washed themselves with holy water and hurried to pray for sin in the temple of God. Since ancient times, people have tried in every possible way to protect themselves and their home from various troubles, for this there were special conspiracies. On the Old New Year, for example, it was supposed to take 3 lit candles to protect against the evil eye, damage and misfortunes and read the following words near the entrance to the house: “Happiness is in the house, all troubles are out! Whoever thinks evil, he will return three times. Whoever wants to jinx it, trouble will find it. And the Lord will protect this house, Saint Basil will look after it. Amen". These conspiracies for the Old New Year were repeated not only at the doorstep, but also at every window in the house. In the old days, people adhered to such rituals very strictly.
Folk omens for the Old New Year
As you know, there is a calendar of folk signs and events, which contains unusual days and those associated with them. The history of the holiday is also noted in it. The Old New Year is celebrated on January 14 and is called according to the folk calendar - Vasiliev Day. People noticed that if the weather was frosty and with little snow, then this promised a bountiful harvest. The thaw on this day was perceived as a harbinger of a cold and lean summer. There were other signs as well. On the Old New Year, a blizzard broke out - nuts will be born.
"Avsen, avsen, you walked all over..."
Vasily's Day was a holiday of agriculture, in connection with this he met merrily: calendar songs were sung, round dances were performed, people started dancing. Traditional rituals were also used. On the Old New Year, sowing was carried out, wheat grain was scattered in the house. They also prayed that she would be born this summer.
The holy martyr Basil was considered the patron of not only agriculture, but also pig breeding, whose day was celebrated on the Old New Year. The story goes that the owners prepared meat dishes, pies, pork jelly. It was believed that this would bring health and happiness to all households. In addition, it was necessary to treat the guests with meat, so that night people went to each other - and congratulate, and taste goodies.
What kind of porridge you make, so you will spend a year
Another interesting tradition has been preserved by the history of the holiday. Old New Year was a day of predictions. At night, elderly members of the family, a man and a woman, prepared ritual porridge. First, they waited until the stove heated up, and then they filled the cereal with water and put the pot in the stove overnight. By the way the porridge turned out, they determined what the coming year would be like. A whole pot and fragrant and crumbly porridge foreshadowed a happy future and a good harvest. Such a dish was eaten in the morning. If the cereal was out of the pot, running over the edge, or the vessel itself cracked, poverty and a lean year awaited the owners. In this case, the ritual porridge was not eaten, but immediately thrown away.
Even in ancient times, people said: "As you meet the year, so you will spend it." This statement, which has come down to our days, calls us to lay a plentiful table with treats and dishes on a holiday and have fun, inviting wealth, prosperity and health to our home.
