Traditions and customs of the New Year

The traditions and customs of celebrating the New Year have their roots far into the past. A lot of interesting things can be learned from the history of how and where they first began to celebrate the New Year, who was involved in the establishment of this holiday. 

Each holiday has its own symbols. The main symbols of the New Year holidays in Our Country are a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, fairy-tale characters Ded Moroz and Snegurochka, chimes, champagne, confetti, firecrackers, tangerines, Olivier and, of course, mass festivities accompanied by fireworks and noisy fun.  

Traditions and customs of the New Year in Our Country

We will tell you how it is customary to celebrate the New Year in our country.

For every , this holiday is of particular value. But the main thing that unites everyone is the opportunity to gather in a warm family circle and remember all the best that happened in the past year, raise glasses of champagne to the chimes, wish your family and friends good health, prosperity and success in all endeavors in next year. 

For the New Year, the inhabitants of Our Country are preparing long before its onset. Festive euphoria covers people in early December. All stores offer a range of Christmas tree decorations, delicacies for the festive table, tangerines and oranges, champagne. Christmas markets and fairs are organized in the open air. Everyone is preoccupied with the choice of gifts, products for the long weekend.  

People are in a hurry to finish what they started in the old year so that unfinished business does not accumulate in the future, as this is considered a bad sign.

On December 31, they try to have time to clean the house, apartment, decorate the Christmas tree. In the morning, festive dishes are prepared in the kitchen: herring under a fur coat, jelly, cabbage rolls … A special honor, of course, is given to everyone’s favorite Olivier salad. The New Year’s table should be full of food so that abundance does not leave in the coming year. 

On December 31, some perform a “rite of purification” – they go to a bath. With pure thoughts in a pure body, the holiday becomes much brighter, and the mood becomes better.

By tradition, on the last day of the outgoing year, everyone’s favorite cult films are shown on TV: “Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!”, “Carnival Night”, “Girls”, “Gentlemen of Fortune”, “Morozko”, “New Year’s Adventures of Masha and Viti ”,“ Wizards ”and others.

Five minutes before the new year, at 23:55, everyone gathers at the TV and listens to the congratulatory speech of the head of state (this tradition was introduced by Leonid Brezhnev in 1976). Exactly at midnight, the chimes are heard and everyone lights sparklers, opens champagne and, to the clink of glasses, congratulate each other on the New Year. Some people go outside to set off fireworks after the New Year. Someone prefers to celebrate the holiday at the main Christmas tree of the city on the square and then have fun in a noisy crowd of people, singing songs, dancing to loud music. Some stay at home and watch the traditional Blue Lights on television.

It is necessary to enter the New Year only with a good mood, because there is a belief: “As you meet the New Year, so you will spend it!” 

From the history of Christmas trees in Our Country

It is unlikely that we can imagine a meeting of the New Year without a Christmas tree. Both children and adults like to decorate trees, anticipating the approach of the holiday. The Christmas tree brings a sense of joy and magic to every home, creates a good mood. 

The tradition to establish a green beauty as a symbol of the New Year appeared during the reign of Peter the Great..  This custom was transferred by him to Our Country from Europe, and more precisely from Germany. In his younger years, Peter visited his friends in Germany and was pleasantly surprised to see a Christmas decoration in the form of a spruce, but only with apples and sweets instead of cones. Later  he signed a decree (December 30, 1699), which commanded to decorate the streets of the city and the houses of noble people with coniferous trees and branches, the rest of the inhabitants of the capital had to put “a tree or a branch over the gate or over their mansion.”

After the reign of Peter, this tradition was forgotten for a while and remembered only in the 1852th century. The first public Christmas tree was installed in St. Petersburg on Christmas Eve in XNUMX in the building of the Ekaterininsky railway station, and later in other public places. 

Spruces were installed and decorated for Christmas (December 25), and they stood until the New Year or Epiphany (January 19). Spruce trees were decorated with Christian-themed toys: a “Star of Bethlehem” was hung on the crown, and figurines of angels, candles, as well as fruits, sweets and nuts were hung on the branches.

In 1929, for political reasons, it was forbidden in the USSR to celebrate Christmas and install a Christmas tree, since this celebration was considered a religious prejudice. Coniferous decorations were returned only in 1936, and the New Year tree became a symbol of a happy childhood in our country. Since then, the tree accompanied the New Year holidays until the end of the 80s of the XX century. Since 1991, Christmas has been declared a public holiday. Since then, the New Year holidays in our country have been extended, and the green beauty is installed for the New Year, and she continues to decorate the houses of s for Christmas and Christmas time.

Ded Moroz and Snegurochka

Both adults and children fell in love with wonderful fairy-tale characters – Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden, who come on New Year’s Eve to children’s matinees and give gifts. 

The image of Santa Claus in folklore developed gradually and over many centuries. His prototype, according to historians, was the East Slavic spirit of cold Treskun, or Studenets. Everyone knows the fairy-tale character Morozko (Moroz Ivanovich, Moroz Elkich), a strict but fair spirit of winter. As a rule, in fairy tales and legends, he gave gifts to kind people and punished the evil and greedy. At the end of the XNUMXth century, in the public mind, there was an idea of ​​​​a certain New Year’s grandfather, who was called differently – Christmas tree grandfather, Christmas grandfather, Christmas old man. He walked on New Year’s Eve with a bag over his shoulders and took out gifts from it. The old man was dressed in a long red fur coat with fur, a hat, felt boots and fur mittens. 

In the Soviet era, Santa Claus came to New Year’s parties in kindergartens and schools, houses of culture. Everyone was looking forward to him, and according to the established ritual, they had to call loudly so that he would hear. It was real magic when Santa Claus appeared. He pounded his staff on the floor and performed miracles. This is how we still see the modern winter wizard.

By tradition, Santa Claus is always accompanied by his granddaughter Snegurochka, a beautiful and kind girl, on New Year’s holidays. As a rule, it is surrounded by funny little animals, birds. She is dressed in a long white robe lined with ermine, a small fur coat and either a cap or a kokoshnik, and beautiful morocco boots on her feet. She helps Grandfather distribute gifts to children, dances with them around the Christmas tree, sings songs and dances. 

Currently, Santa Claus can come to every home and fulfill the cherished desire of the owners. It has become a good tradition for children to write a letter before the New Year to Santa Claus and ask him to fulfill his cherished desire, to bring a New Year’s gift. These letters are sent to Veliky Ustyug (Ded Moroz’s residence since 1998), and none of them remains unanswered.

Parents try to bring joy to their children and order the visit of Santa Claus home in the New Year’s Eve services for organizing cultural events. Santa Clauses are just in great demand before the New Year.

Traditions and customs of the New Year in other countries

How is New Year celebrated in India?

But in India The New Year is celebrated several times a year. Traditionally, the New Year holidays in this country fall in the spring. But different states have their own date of celebration: March 26, April 13, etc. And the names of this holiday are different – Vaisakhi, Vishu, Ugadi. 

Northern India celebrates its own New Year, Lori, which coincides with our Old New Year (January 13-14).

In Goa, New Year’s Eve is somewhat reminiscent of European Christmas, but instead of spruce, they dress up a mango tree. There is a sense of celebration everywhere on the streets, everyone is having fun. In the squares you can meet competing archers or yogis walking on hot coals. The holiday is filled with light, colors and incense, characteristic of Indian culture.

Each meeting of the New Year in India can last from several days and weeks. It is customary to prepare traditional dishes for the holiday. One of these popular dishes is pilaf (biryani). Pilaf is cooked with lamb, vegetables, fruits and Indian spices known throughout the world. 

In India, there is also a tradition of exchanging gifts on New Year’s Eve. It is customary to give jewelry and a variety of sweets, fruits and nuts.  

How is New Year celebrated in China?

Chinese New Year is the most ancient, longest and most significant holiday both in China and in other countries of East Asia. In ancient times, the holiday lasted almost a month, at present – 15 days. The date of its annual celebration according to the lunisolar calendar is calculated. The Chinese New Year usually falls between January 21st and February 21st. 

Instead of a Christmas tree, the house is decorated with trays of oranges and tangerines. Moreover, it is important that the number of each of these fruits is eight, since this number symbolizes infinity. Pictures with paper patterns are hung on the walls in apartments and houses, paired inscriptions are pasted at the entrance to the house.

Particular importance is attached to the red color in the decoration of houses and the choice of festive clothes. The red color is a kind of amulet for the Chinese, as it drives away all sorrows and misfortunes from a person and his home. 

In China, on New Year’s Eve, it is customary to get rid of everything old and unnecessary. It is believed that along with the garbage, bad energy leaves the house and makes room for a new and living one. 

Celebrations are accompanied by mass spectacles, concerts, theatrical performances, fireworks. The Chinese believe that the louder the holiday is, the happier and more successful the coming year will be. 

During the celebration of the New Year in China, special attention is paid to the family and relatives. On the first day of the holiday, a festive dinner is arranged in the family and bamboo sticks are burned. Also on this day they go to the cemetery to honor the memory of deceased relatives. On the eighth, ninth and tenth days of the holiday, in the evenings, they arrange small family dinners with prayers and go to the temple to light smoking candles.

From the twelfth to the fifteenth day, everyone is preparing for the main event – the Lantern Festival. On the last day of the holiday, all people walk with their families through the streets and squares with lit lanterns, the long ceremony of celebrating the New Year ends to the sound of music and volleys of fireworks.

How is New Year’s Eve celebrated in Australia?

Australians are the first in the world to celebrate the New Year. January is hot and sunny in Australia. It is the height of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. 

The holiday is noisy and fun. Exactly at midnight, according to tradition, all parties stop, and the Australians begin to “calling” the New Year, congratulating each other on the holiday. At the same time, they blow pipes, whistles and noisemakers, blow car horns, ring bells and simply shout out New Year’s greetings. 

The celebrations are usually held outdoors. In Sydney, in the popular Sydney Harbor, a grandiose fireworks display is held, one of the largest in the whole world. A lot of Australians and tourists from around the world come to see this unforgettable spectacle.

January 1 is a non-working day in Australia, so everyone goes to celebrate. On this day, picnics and beach parties are held, as well as rodeos and carnivals for surfers. The holidays last for six days. 

How is New Year’s Eve celebrated in Japan?

For the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun, the New Year (O-shogatsu) is one of the important holidays along with the Day of the Foundation of the State and the Emperor’s Birthday. Until 1873, the Japanese celebrated the New Year according to the Chinese lunar calendar, but with the beginning of the Meiji era, they began to celebrate according to the Gregorian calendar. The official holiday in Japan lasts from December 28 to January 4. 

Preparing for the New Year in Japan begins in early December. At the festive fairs organized in the cities, you can buy all kinds of souvenirs, amulets, talismans. Especially popular are hamaimi – blunt arrows with white plumage, which protect the house from evil forces, troubles and misfortunes. 

Boats with rice and other treasures (takarabune) are considered to be a New Year’s symbol of happiness, prosperity and good luck, on which seven gods, symbolizing prosperity, sit. It is customary to put these boats under the pillow on New Year’s Eve in order to have a prophetic dream.

Another talisman for good luck is kumade (bear paw), made of bamboo and resembling a rake. Masters decorate the bear’s paw with inscriptions and funny figurines. It is believed that such a rake is very convenient to “rake in” happiness.

At the entrance to the house, the Japanese traditionally put kadomatsu (“pine tree at the entrance”). It is collected from bamboo trunks, pine branches, ferns, tangerines and other decorations. In houses, instead of fir trees, they put willow or bamboo branches and decorate them with balls, flowers and fruits, and also strung colorful rice balls-koloboks. 

On New Year’s Eve, the Japanese always perform a bathing ritual and put on a new festive kimono.

Before the New Year in Japan, it is customary to sign greeting cards with the image of the symbol of the coming year (one of the 12 eastern signs of the zodiac). Congratulate relatives, acquaintances and friends. 

On December 31, the whole family gathers at the festive table. Each product on the table has a special meaning. Dishes from boiled fish, eggs and vegetables contribute to calmness, cheerfulness and determination, seaweed is put on the table for joy, and roasted chestnuts for success in business. The table is decorated, in addition to dishes, with flowers and utensils, which especially delivers aesthetic pleasure to all those present. The Japanese are even figuratively said to eat with their eyes, not their mouths. 

On New Year’s Eve, the Japanese go to temples to perform a ritual of cleansing from sins. There they pray and ring the bell. You need to hit the bell 108 times. Since a person is overcome by 108 pernicious passions in life, each blow is a deliverance from one or another misfortune. 

Japan has its own Santa Claus. His name is Segatsu-san (Lord New Year). He is dressed in a sky-blue kimono, goes home and office with congratulations before the holiday, but never gives gifts, so children mostly prefer to meet Oji-san (Santa Claus), who pleases them with gifts from across the sea. 

Popular questions and answers

We will answer frequent questions from KP readers about the celebration of the New Year.