TASS-DOSSIER. On the night of January 13-14, the old New Year is celebrated, or New Year according to the Julian calendar - a holiday that appeared in Russia as a result of the calendar reform of 1918.

The history of the holiday

In pre-Christian time in Russia, the date of the onset of the new year changed several times: the beginning of the new year fell on the day of the winter solstice (December 21 or 22), on the vernal equinox (March 22) or on the day of the first spring full moon. After the baptism of Rus in 988, the Byzantine system of chronology "from the creation of the world", or from 5508, and the Julian calendar were adopted. At the same time, the tradition of celebrating the onset of the new year in March was preserved and continued to operate until the 15th century.

In 1492 (or in 7000 from the creation of the world), by decree of Ivan III, the date of the new year was postponed to September 1 and began to coincide with the harvest holiday, as well as with the end of the period for the payment of dues and taxes. This chronology was also used by the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII undertook a reform to replace the Julian calendar with the Gregorian calendar in order to correct the increasing difference between the astronomical and calendar year. As a result, the calendar moved 10 days ahead. A number of Christian churches, including the Russian one, continued to use the Julian system.

On December 29 and 30, 1699, Peter I issued two personal decrees on the introduction of a new chronology and on the celebration of the New Year. The documents prescribed to count the years from the Nativity of Christ (the current year 7208 from the creation of the world thus became the year 1699) and to celebrate the New Year on January 1. At the same time, the king did not introduce the Gregorian calendar. Until the 20th century, Russia continued to live according to the Julian calendar, celebrating the New Year 11 days later than European states. The church date of the new year remained unchanged - September 1.

By the twentieth century, the Russian calendar was 13 days behind the European calendar. To close this gap, January 24, 1918. The Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR adopted a decree on the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in Russia. The document was signed by the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Vladimir Lenin on January 26, 1918. The chronology according to the new calendar began to be called the "new style", and according to the Julian - "old". According to the decree, the next day after January 31, 1918, it was prescribed to count not February 1, but February 14, thus the difference between the "old" and "new" style was 13 days. The Russian Orthodox Church did not recognize these innovations and kept the chronology according to the Julian calendar.

Since then, in Russia, as in most other countries, the New Year has been celebrated on January 1 in the Gregorian style. The previous date (January 1 in the Julian calendar) has moved to January 14. This is how a new unofficial holiday arose, called the "old New Year". The difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars is constantly increasing in the early 2100s. will reach 14 days. In 2101, the old New Year will be celebrated on the night of January 14-15.

Holiday traditions

New Year's Eve in the new style falls on the period of forty days of fasting preceding Christmas on January 7th. Old New Year is celebrated after Christmas, during Christmas time (12 days from Christmas to Epiphany). Therefore, believers who strictly adhere to church canons prefer to arrange a holiday on the occasion of the New Year on January 14.

On January 14, the Christian church also honors the memory of St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea of ​​Cappodacia. In the folk calendar, this day is called Vasiliev's Day, and the evening on December 13 is Vasilyev's evenings (also known as Shchedrets, Bogaty Vecher, Malanya, etc.). By tradition, as many festive treats as possible were supposed to be placed on the table, and the main dish was fried pig. According to legend, a hearty and plentiful meal on this day will provide prosperity on the farm for the whole year. The holiday was accompanied by festivities and carols (singing of ritual songs, carols). In the southern regions of Russia and in the Volga region, special New Year carols were performed (oat-tree, asen, or Ussen).

Where else they celebrate the holiday

The tradition of celebrating the old New Year has been preserved in the former Soviet republics, now the CIS and Baltic countries, as well as in Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Greece, Romania. In Serbia, the holiday is called "Serbian New Year" or "Little Christmas", in Montenegro - "Correct New Year", in Greece, St. Basil's Day is celebrated.

The holiday is also celebrated in a number of northeastern cantons of Switzerland, whose residents refused to follow the papal calendar reform of 1582 (for example, St. Sylvester's Day is celebrated in Appenzell), as well as in some Welsh communities in Great Britain.

New Years on January 12 and 13 are met by the Berbers of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and other countries of North Africa, who live according to their own calendar (it is a Julian calendar with some differences). The Berber holiday is called Yennayer, also known as the "Moroccan New Year", it is not official.

13.01.2012 04.01.2016 by Mnogoto4ka

On the night of January 13-14, Russians celebrate the Old New Year- a holiday incomprehensible to many foreigners. No one can really say - what Old New Year different from the traditional New Year familiar to everyone? Of course, from the outside, it would seem that the matter is only in the discrepancy of the dates. However, we all treat the Old New Year as a completely independent holiday that can extend the charm of the New Year for us. And, perhaps, for the first time to feel it, because the situation is different, but on this day the holiday is calmer, there is no fuss, so characteristic of the holiday on January 1.

There are two reasons for the appearance of a unique New Year - the change in the date of the beginning of the New Year in Russia and the stubbornness of the Russian Orthodox Church, which did not want to switch to the New Style.

Old New Year Story

In pagan times, the New Year was celebrated in Russia on March 22 - the day of the vernal equinox, and this was due to the agricultural cycle. With the adoption of Christianity in Russia, the Byzantine calendar began to gradually replace the old one, and now the New Year began on September 1. For a long time, the inconsistency still remained, and in some places the New Year continued to be celebrated in the spring. Only at the end of the 15th century in Russia was the beginning of the New Year officially determined - September 1.

By the decree of Peter I in 1699, the New Year was postponed to January 1 according to the old style, that is, to January 14 according to the new style. After the revolution in 1918, the Bolsheviks "abolished" another 13 days a year, which were the difference between our chronology and the European one.
Thus, two New Year celebrations were formed - in the new and the old style.

Church about the Old New Year

Custom to meet Old New Year on the night of January 13-14 in Russia due to the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church continues to celebrate both the New Year and the Nativity of Christ according to the Julian calendar, which so far differs from the generally accepted Gregorian calendar by 13 days. But already from March 1, 2100, this difference will be 14 days. Since 2101, Christmas and Old New Year in Russia will be celebrated a day later.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, said that the Russian Orthodox Church does not intend to make adjustments to its calendar yet. “Indeed, the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars increases by one day every 100 years, when the number of hundreds in the year from the birth of Christ is not a multiple of four. And if the Lord allows this world to exist for another 100 years, then the Orthodox will celebrate Christmas on January 8, and the Old New Year will be celebrated on the night of 14-15, "Chaplin said.

According to him, one should not attach much importance to calendar differences. “The Gregorian calendar is also not entirely accurate, so the Russian Orthodox Church continues to use the Julian calendar,” Chaplin explained.

“If agreement can be found in calendar disputes, then only after the development of a new, absolutely accurate calendar,” concluded the representative of the Moscow Patriarchate.

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

Scientists' opinions about the Old New Year

Old New Year is an unscientific date, according to astronomers. However, the current calendar is not ideal either, according to experts of the Astronomical and Geodetic Society of Russia. According to them, the strict mechanics of planetary motion forces people to make changes in chronology. 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. Additional seconds to this time, gradually running up, add up to days. By the beginning of the twentieth century, they turned into 13 days, which made the difference between the old Julian and new Gregorian systems. The new style more closely matches the laws of astronomy.

According to Edward Kononovich, associate professor of the Department of Astrophysics at Moscow State University, the main thing is that the calendar accurately reflects the position of the Earth in relation to the Sun. Today there are many enthusiasts who offer their own version of timing. Their proposals are mainly related to changing the traditional week: some suggest making a week of five days, or even dispensing with weeks, and introducing ten days. However, from the point of view of science, there are, perhaps, no ideal proposals - this is the conclusion reached by experts from different countries, studying applications for a change in chronology that even come to the UN. Scientists consider it inappropriate to carry out any calendar reforms now.

Old New Years Celebration

And yet, not paying attention to the fact that this day, unfortunately, is not even a day off, the popularity of the Old New Year is growing. According to the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion, the number of those wishing to celebrate the Old New Year has already exceeded 60%. Among those who are going to celebrate the "old" New Year are the majority of schoolchildren and students, workers, entrepreneurs, housewives and, in general, people under 40, with secondary specialized and secondary education, with relatively high incomes.

Traditions for the Old New Year

This day in the old days was called Vasilyev's Day, and was of decisive importance for the whole year. On Vasilyev's day, they celebrated the holiday of agriculture, which was associated with the future harvest, and performed the sowing ceremony - hence the name of the holiday "oats" or "avsen". This rite was different in different regions of the country: 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 kept it until sowing time. Ukrainian rituals were distinguished by fun, dances and songs.

And there was also a kind of ritual - boiling porridge. On 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 a river. It was impossible to touch the cereal 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 - such porridge was eaten 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. That was such a program - either for troubles or for prosperity, and it is not surprising that it was often realized - after all, they believed in it seriously.

An interesting ritual of going home 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. 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 reproduce in abundance on the farm and bring good profits to the owners. This omen is much more positive than the cereal with porridge, especially for zealous and hardworking owners. An amazingly sonorous and folding proverb: "A pig and a boar for Vasilyev's evening" also contributed to the mood of the owners for economic prosperity and abundance.

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 molded in almost every home - with family and friends, and then they arrange a merry feast and eat these dumplings, looking forward to who and what surprise will fall. This comic fortune-telling is especially popular with children. They even bring dumplings to work to amuse friends and colleagues; and local food enterprises often produce such dumplings - just for the Old New Year.

Old New Year is a unique holiday which allows you to slightly prolong the feeling of winter magic and once again gather at the table with a cheerful company.

Many foreigners are trying to understand what is the essence of this date for Russians, to which our people simply laugh, continuing to celebrate the Old New Year every year.

1. Old New Year - the story of appearance

Earlier, the New Year in Russia was celebrated in the spring - March 22, on the day of the so-called vernal equinox. It was this date that the peasants engaged in agriculture considered the most suitable for meeting the new calendar year.

Peter I moved this date to January 1, which, according to another calendar, fell on January 14. After the revolution, the chronology changed - the Bolsheviks abolished the difference of 13 days between ours and the European chronology, but the holiday remained. So two New Years were formed at once, and since in Russia on the night of January 13-14, Vasilyev's Day was celebrated, almost all the traditions of this holiday passed to the Old New Year.

2. The popularity of the holiday is associated with the church

It is believed that the Old New Year has become entrenched in our country mainly for the reason that the Orthodox Church still celebrates some holidays (including the New Year) according to the old and familiar Julian calendar. The priests believe that the Gregorian calendar is just as inaccurate as the Julian calendar, but the latter is more familiar to them.

3. Celebrating the Old New Year

Despite the fact that January 14 is not a day off, most Russian people still celebrate this holiday. In general, the celebration is not much different from the ordinary New Year: everyone is sitting at a large table on which there is Olivier, and everyone's favorite New Year programs are on TV.

By the way, the Old New Year has gained significant popularity in recent years. And it is celebrated not only by aged people, but also by young guys. Especially girls do not miss the opportunity to get together once again in order to tell fortunes on the betrothed.

4. Remove the tree? Only after the 14th!

It is this holiday that is considered the date when you can start cleaning the tree. Of course, for some people it can stand until May, but usually the tree is not harvested before this particular holiday. Old New Year is considered the official closing of the festive season.

5. Surprises on the Old New ...

On the Old New Year there is a funny tradition: the hostess serves a large dish with dumplings on the table, and the guests themselves serve as much as they want.

The bottom line is that some dumplings contain surprises - additional ingredients, thanks to which you can guess what awaits a person next year. For example, buckwheat means good news, a coin means financial well-being, and cottage cheese notifies of the possible appearance of new friends. Children like this game very much, although adults are also looking forward to the appearance of dumplings on the table.

6. Time to get married

In Russia, on the night of January 13-14, young guys came to woo the parents of their beloved girls. It was on this evening that it was allowed to ask for the hand of his beloved several times, even if the guy had already been refused. It was believed that if they get married on this night, then the couple will have a happy life in marriage.

7. Sowing

A tradition that has existed for a long time, but continues to enjoy popularity in our time. So, on January 14, before sunrise, a man or boy should go into the house, and, scattering grain everywhere, should wish the owners of the house happiness and prosperity. It was believed that if a woman entered the house first that day, it would be in trouble.

8. Old New Year in other countries

In some countries, such as, for example, Wales and Switzerland, there are analogues of this holiday. Its essence, however, is about the same: the New Year is celebrated according to the good old Julian calendar. On this day, small children go from door to door and receive various gifts from adults.

9. All the best for the New Year's table

On this day, it was customary to serve all the most delicious, rich and hearty dishes to the table: meat (necessarily pork), kutya, alcohol, pies and so on. They did not spare anything for the guests. Now, of course, the Old New Year's table is inferior to the New Year's one, but it is also full of various dishes.

10. Split holiday - split personality?

Many people note that on the eve of the Old New Year, they discover in themselves and in their acquaintances some new character traits and unexpected sides of personality. Eyewitnesses say it looks like a split personality. However, it is not surprising, because the Old New Year is a kind of bifurcation of the holiday, so anything can happen!

11. Will the Old New Year move?

Interestingly, every 100 years the difference between the Gregorian and Julian calendars increases slightly, so starting in 2100 people will celebrate this holiday one day later. If, of course, our descendants will still celebrate this date.

12. Time to guess

It has long been believed that the most truthful and accurate fortune-telling falls precisely on the night of January 13-14. Young girls in Russia that night wondered about their betrothed, and older people - about the next harvest. Now girlfriends on the Old New Year also often gather for a bachelorette party in order to have fun and tell fortunes.

13. In the morning– porridge

In Russia, on the Old New Year, in the morning, they necessarily cooked porridge, because it should be seen from it what the next year will be: the porridge should be rich, thick, it is necessary to add oil to it - then in the coming year harmony and prosperity will reign in the house. Those who believe in omens can also try to cook their own New Year's porridge.

This is how he is - multifaceted, mysterious and interesting Old New Year!

The charm of the winter weekend, many of us, residents of Russia and countries in the post-Soviet space, dream of prolonging it as long as possible. Therefore, in the overwhelming majority of families, the Christmas tree is not cleaned until January 14, and on the eve of this date they set the table and arrange a celebration for themselves - a quieter, more calm and very family one. It is called strange, and foreigners are ready to break their heads, trying to understand what kind of holiday - the Old New Year.

This day is not a public holiday, rarely does anyone give gifts, Christmas trees for kids have already died down, but still, among Russians and representatives of other peoples of the former Soviet Union, there is a belief that the real New Year is on January 14. Where did this holiday come from, what it is and why it has such a strange name - we tried to collect answers to all these questions in this article.

History of the holiday "New Year"

The change of years has always been celebrated solemnly among all peoples. She was taken very seriously. The New Year was associated with mysterious natural forces, with successive cycles, with the normal and consistent functioning of human life. In the old days, every significant action had a sacred meaning: they got married, built a house, sowed and harvested bread at a certain time. Therefore, the New Year was tied to a certain period of existence.

  • During the days of paganism (polytheism) in Russia, the new year began from the day of the spring solstice - March 22. This date has always been associated with the beginning of field work - plowing, after which bread was sown. The farmers considered it their duty to turn to the gods with a request for a harvest, a successful start of the season, and good weather.
  • With the advent of Christianity to Russia, the countdown gradually shifted, according to the Byzantine calendar, to autumn. The celebration of the indict - that was the name of the first day of the New Year - fell on September 14. Until now, in Orthodox churches on this date, hymns glorifying the New Year are sung. Here, on the contrary, fertility, the collection of gifts from the earth, and gratitude for them to God were of great symbolic significance.
  • The first Russian emperor Pyotr Alekseevich changed the whole way of life of a Russian person. He did not pass by the celebration of the New Year. The sovereign moved the date to January 1. Of course, at first such an innovation seemed wild to a Russian person, but the command to have fun, congratulate each other, dance, decorate the Christmas tree and light the lights, and most importantly, not work and rest, gradually persuaded people to enjoy the holiday with pleasure. By the way, the tradition of decorating Christmas tree branches, adopted in Europe, is originally pagan. It has the same nature as dressing in carnival costumes - appeasing evil spirits or trying to deceive them and hide.

However, it must be said that the country, which until 1917 was almost completely Orthodox, could not celebrate the New Year on Nativity Lent. Entertainment and entertainment were not allowed on the days of abstinence, theaters practically did not work, there were no balls and parties, no festivities. How did these facts relate to each other?

The Old New Year itself and the history of this holiday is a unique phenomenon. This simply did not happen in the world before and after the establishment of the celebration. And this event is connected with the opinion of the Russian Orthodox Church and the abrupt restructuring of the country's life on the Soviet track in the revolutionary years.

All disagreements in the dates and the calculation of the days of the year are rooted in history and are caused by the difference in the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

Julian calendar

Named after Emperor Julius Caesar, who decided to keep counting days and years not according to the lunar calendar, which gave an error, but according to the solar one. According to him, it turned out that the year lasts 365 days.

This ruling of the Roman emperor was of great importance for the Christian Church as well. At Ecumenical Councils - congresses of priests and bishops, who adopted rules for believers, they spoke about the importance of a one-time reckoning and accurate adherence to the calendar in celebrating church celebrations. Thus, at the First Ecumenical Council, the celebration of Easter was ordered, which falls on different days every year, is carefully calculated and depends on the spring lunar cycle.

Gregorian calendar

In the 16th century, Pope Gregory XIII ordered to change the chronology so that the vernal equinox was postponed to March 21. Since the celebration of the Bright Resurrection of Christ is tied to it, sometimes the celebration was held before the Jewish Passover. For orthodox Eastern Christians, such liberty was a gross violation of the rules of the Ecumenical Councils. Therefore, half of the Christian world did not accept the Gregorian calendar and still does not accept it. But the whole Western world lives on it, celebrating, for example, Christmas not on January 7, like the Russian Orthodox Church, but on December 25, before the New Year.

The main difference between calendars is how they calculate leap years. In the XX and XXI centuries, the Julian and Gregorian chronology differ by 13 days, but in less than a hundred years, one more day will be added. This is due to the fact that the Earth makes its annual revolution around the Sun in an inaccurate number of days.

According to the Julian calendar, the calendar year is ahead of the astronomical one. This leads to a gradual shift in important dates: for example, in more than a hundred years, Christmas will come on January 8th.

Today, most experts note the accuracy of the Gregorian calendar. It does not need major edits or even changes. There are projects that require minor adjustments, but the very principle of chronology was decided to remain unchanged.

The essence of the holiday Old New Year

In the revolutionary hard times, the authorities were ordered to switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar so that the dates coincide with those that are accepted throughout the world. However, the Church categorically disagreed with this, since the orders of the Holy Fathers are a priority for her. Thus, it turned out that the secular holiday New Year has moved to a position before Christmas. If the Russian Orthodox world agreed with the authorities, the New Year would be celebrated a week after the end of the fast on December 24.

What is the Old New Year? This is the New Year according to the Julian calendar, which follows the Nativity of Christ. Almost all over the world, the Julian calendar has already been forgotten, but our unofficial celebration is the day on which the new year began before the 1917 revolution.

Holiday charm

Russians love the Old New Year, although it is already difficult for many to explain how it differs from the usual one. However, the tradition of celebration is good in itself, and for good reason:

  • Tired of New Year's fun, people, however, feel sorry to close the series of these lovely days with a Christmas tree, treats and gifts. I would like to do it somehow solemnly and, at the same time, in a family way. Therefore, many get together with friends or family, at home or in any institution and celebrate the beginning of the New Year in the old style.
  • Any tradition is good, it unites the family and unites the nation. The Old New Year came to us from the distant pre-revolutionary years, and remembering it, if you, of course, want, is great.
  • January 14 is traditionally still Christmastide - happy post-Christmas days. They dispose to fun, fun, walks and feasts.
  • In the Old New Year, you can perform what did not work out on the night of the new year - to be with your loved one together, try to cook something original, go dancing or take a walk in the fresh air. Such small joys always unite people and give them a feeling of happiness and fulfillment of life.

New Year is a favorite holiday of many people, but in Russia there is an opportunity to repeat it exactly 14 days later. The traditions of celebrating the Old New Year began to take shape at the beginning of the last century when the calendar changed. Not all of them, alas, have survived to this day, although they can significantly diversify the usual holidays.

In this article, you will learn:

Holiday history or how it all began

If Russia in 1918 had not made the decision to switch to the Gregorian calendar of time reckoning, the Old New Year would not have appeared. While it falls on the night of January 14. But over time, the date will be postponed.

Church celebrations took place on the same days as before. As a result, a lot got mixed up, it was necessary to constantly remind which customs should be performed on a specific date.

From January 13 to January 14, they began to celebrate the New Year's holiday, motivated by the transfer of dates. But at the same time, two important church dates were superimposed: the day of memory of Melania and the veneration of St. Basil the Great. In Orthodox families, this night was also called the meeting of Melanka with Vasily.

Do other countries celebrate the old New Year?

In addition to countries that were previously part of the USSR, the Old New Year is celebrated by residents:

  • Algeria;
  • Tunisia;
  • Greece;
  • Romania;
  • Serbia;
  • Montenegro;
  • Switzerland;
  • Morocco.

There are peculiarities about how the celebration should take place.

In Greece, on the Old New Year, it is forbidden to raise your voice and quarrel. It's bad if the dishes break, so everyone tries to handle it carefully. If you are invited to a celebration, you need to take a stone with you. It symbolizes the wealth that the owners wish to acquire next year.

In Romania, there must be pies on the table. But with an interesting filling in the form of coins, hot pepper, garlic or rings.

In Switzerland, this holiday is dedicated to the veneration of St. Sylvester. Residents dress in funny fancy dress, reminiscent of botanical gardens or houses, calling themselves Sylvester Claus.

In Montenegro, a couple is always prepared - a national dish made from corn dough.

Russian customs largely overlap with Ukrainian or Belarusian, and therefore are considered common.

Traditions and customs of celebration in Russia

Despite the fact that on January 1 the table was saturated, the Old New Year for the stomach became even more test. The indispensable attributes of this holiday in Russia were:

  1. baking a 2-3 week old pig;
  2. generous kutia, emphasizing the end of the fast;
  3. dumplings with surprises;
  4. pancakes and pies with which they also thanked those who came to carol.

It was customary for the whole family to make dumplings. As in Romania, they hid various surprises. This symbolized fortune-telling about what awaited next year.

They were a very bright decoration of the holiday. And they went caroling only until midnight, until the evil forces roamed around. On January 13, young girls and boys hid under masks, and one of the guys was dressed up in women's clothes as a symbol of Melanka.

What other traditions were characteristic of this time? Kutya for the New Year's feast began to be cooked in the morning. If there were unpleasant omens, she had to be thrown right into the hole with the pot.

An interesting tradition on this night was the burning of Didukha (grandfather). For this:

  1. a sheaf of straw was prepared in advance;
  2. on the Old New Year, after the end of Christmas carols, they went to the crossroads;
  3. set fire to a sheaf;
  4. when the main flame diminished, they began to jump over the fire, saying goodbye to evil spirits.

All this was accompanied by songs, dances, and other merrymaking.

There is another beautiful tradition associated with the life of the peasants. In the morning with wishes of happiness, health and wealth, we went to the homes of relatives and friends to "sow" grain. It is not known where the custom came from, but it has its own rules:

  • sow only males, since it was believed that girls could not bring happiness;
  • the first to visit the houses of the godparents;
  • the grains were carefully collected and stored until spring in order to mix them with the spring ones.

A special porridge was also cooked. The oldest woman in the family poured groats for her. The oldest man at home had to bring water from the well. Groats from the barn were received at two in the morning. It was impossible to touch it, so as not to change your future. Until the oven was heated, the ingredients were ignored. Then, when they cooked the porridge, all the family members would sit around. The woman stirred it, pronouncing special words. Then they put the porridge in the oven and waited for the result:

  • if the porridge came out of the pot, this promised trouble to the whole house, so no one ate it;
  • when the pot was burst, they acted in the same way, since it was a disease;
  • a lot of foam from above foreshadowed empty chores;
  • rich tasty porridge meant harvest and happiness to all household members.

The whole family sat down at the table late in the evening, and this dinner was not to be missed.

At this time, Christmastide continued, therefore, and were used. It was customary to guess at the betrothed, on threads for a quick wedding, the fulfillment of a wish, the appearance of a child, etc. Traditions could differ depending on the place of residence, as well as on the veneration of the saints. Some villages had their own saints, who were given additional attention during the New Year.

Modern Old New Year

Now it is customary to celebrate in the same way as on New Year's Eve. It is believed that on the Old New Year, you need to do something that you did not manage to do on January 1. For example.