This is an absolutely amazing holiday, which is celebrated in only a few countries. Tradition celebrate old New Year  in Russia arose after 1918, when a new chronology was introduced. At first this holiday was called the New Year in the old style. But such a long name was inconvenient, and the phrase "old New Year" appeared. It is completely impossible for foreigners to understand it: how can one be old and new at the same time ?! But such we, Russians, are unpredictable ...

Old New Year is celebrated on the night of January 13-14, when everyone can afford to “celebrate” their favorite holiday. This holiday is of particular importance for believers. After all, the modern New Year falls on the Christmas post, when many products cannot be eaten, and excessive fun is inappropriate. The fact is that the Orthodox Church continues to celebrate all church holidays according to the previous Julian calendar (according to the "old style").

After the collapse of the USSR, besides Russia, they continue to celebrate the old New Year also in Moldova, in Armenia, in Belarus, in Ukraine. The tradition to celebrate the old New Year is preserved in Serbia and Montenegro, since the Serbian Orthodox Church, like the Russian Church, continues to live according to the Julian calendar. Serbs call this holiday the Serbian New Year. Old New Year is celebrated in Macedonia, as well as in some German-speaking parts of Switzerland.

From the history of the holiday old New Year

In Russia, this day once fell on January 1 and was called Vasiliev Day, and its eve - December 31, which became later than January 13 - Vasiliev in the evening. According to ancient tradition, on the New Year’s Eve, the "rich" Vasiliev evening was celebrated. On this day, it was customary to generously set the table. Basil the Great was considered the patron saint of pig farmers. There are folk signs associated with this night. If the sky is clear and starry, there will be a rich harvest of berries. On January 14, gardeners shook fruit trees, because St. Basil the Great, according to popular belief, also protected gardens from pests.

On Vasil evening, witches steal a month from heaven, but still they cannot stop a gradually growing day, shortening a long winter night.

On this day, early in the morning, it was customary to cook Vasiliev’s porridge and watch how it cooks. If porridge climbs out of the pan, there will be trouble. It was considered a bad omen if the pot or pan in which porridge is cooked cracked. If the porridge is successful, you need to eat it clean. And so that some of the bad omens did not come true, you should throw the porridge along with the cracked pot, preferably into the hole.

Today, on the old New Year, few people cook porridge. But the number of people wishing to celebrate this day is growing every year. And, despite the fact that this day, unfortunately, is not even a day off, the popularity of the old New Year is growing.

The most common tradition in Russia on the night of the old New Year  - sculpt and cook dumplings.

You can make dumplings with a surprise and agree on what this or that surprise means. For example, a button is for a new thing, a coin for a gift, a thread for travel, a peppercorn for unexpected joy, etc.

This holiday is cozy and calm. He is not characterized by the fuss that inevitably accompanies the usual New Year. After such a treat, it’s nice to play some calm tonight family game, for example, in

It continues a series of numerous holidays, but by no means closes the old New Year on January 14, for foreigners it sounds somewhat strange even in its name.

And they can be understood: how can the New Year be old and why should it be celebrated if the officially calendar year begins on January 1? The culprit was the confusion in the calendars, Julian and Gregorian, thanks to which Russia stands out among other countries not only by the tradition of celebrating the New Year twice, but also by Christmas, which is expected not only by Catholics, but also by two-thirds of Orthodox Christians around the world.

Why is the date chosen on January 14 the old New Year in which is celebrated despite the end of the weekend and vacation

Everything is very simple: the year according to the Julian calendar, which was actively used in Europe until the 16th century, fell exactly the night of January 14th. But due to the confusion in the calendar and astronomical years, church holidays gradually shifted, which caused a negative attitude not only of clergy, but also of believers. And then by the 17th century, almost all of Europe gradually switched to a calendar, named after the then acting Pope Gregory, who tried to streamline the current situation.

And while the whole world was waiting and rejoicing in the coming year on the night of the 31st to the 1st, Russia continued to stand out among other countries using the Julian calendar. Gregorian power came only after the revolution, but a misunderstanding crept in here: since the authorities did not recognize the church, the latter chose to ignore the authorities' instructions, continuing to celebrate Christmas on January 7th. Well, the tradition to celebrate the old New Year on January 14 remained with the population, although not everyone understands the essence of the holiday, and not everyone has a desire to celebrate it.

Church and January 14

From the point of view of religion, distinction by dates of celebration of this day does not exist, because on January 14 secular people celebrate the old New Year. The church continues to use the old Julian calendar, calling it also not perfectly accurate, like the Gregorian calendar. Orthodox in this number recall St. Basil the Great. Leading a pious life, he was canonized for good deeds and revered by Russian Orthodoxy along with Nikolai the Miracle Worker. Therefore, January 14th for the church is, first of all, the day of remembrance of this saint. However, from the point of view of the joy of the Nativity of Christ and the end of fasting for a believer, marking the next year on the night from 13 to 14 is, in principle, more convenient, since it allows you to do this without the restrictions imposed by the preceding Christmas fast.

The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year is connected with the divergence of two calendars: Julian - the calendar of the "old style" and Gregorian - the calendar of the "new style", according to which modern people live. This discrepancy in the XX-XXI centuries is 13 days, and the New Year in 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. Since 2101, the Old New Year will be celebrated a day later.

Almost all of the Protestant states of Europe switched to Gregorian reckoning in the XVIII century, removing the extra few days from the calendar. Russia switched to new calendar  only in 1918 by a decree of the Council of People's Commissars of January 26, 1918, after January 31, 1918, it immediately began on February 14.

As a result of the transition to a new reckoning, the date of the beginning of the New Year has changed. January 1 according to the new style falls on December 19 according to the Julian calendar, and January 14 according to the new style is January 1 according to 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, coinciding with the civil New Year), and Christmas. The modern New Year falls on the Christmas post - the Orthodox forty-day post in honor of Christmas. According to the old style, everything went on as usual - the Christmas Lent preceded the feast of the Nativity of Christ, after which, after six days, 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 coming of the New Year fell on the period of Christmas time, so all the New Year’s folk signs are more applicable to the Old New Year. People believed that if on the morning of New Year's Day the first woman to enter the house, then this will inevitably bring misfortune, if a man is happiness. If there is money in the house on New Year's Day, 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 such”; "Snow or fog falling on New Year portends a harvest"; "The full ice hole and fog on New Year portend a great spill"; "If there is a wind on New Year, to the harvest of nuts"; "New Year - a turn to spring"; "New Year - sledding on the move"; "New Year is picking up the first hour of the day."

In addition, on January 14 (January 1 according to the old style) in the old days it bore the name of Vasilyev Day - a celebration in memory of St. Basil the Great of Caesarea - and was crucial for the whole year.

On this day, it was customary to conduct all kinds of fortune-telling and ancient rites. The evening before (now January 13) was called Vasilyev evening. Especially unmarried girls were waiting for him, who at that time readily guessed. They believed that what you guess on Vasiliev’s day would certainly come true.

St. Basil was considered a “pig house” - the patron saint of pig farmers and pork products, and they believed that if there was a lot of pork on the table the night before Vasiliev’s day, these animals would breed in abundance and bring good profit to the owners.

Therefore, the main holiday dish on Vasiliev’s day was a piglet, which was roasted whole, and a hare and a rooster were also cooked. According to legend, roast piglet provides well-being for the coming year; the hare’s meat was eaten to be agile like a hare, and the rooster to be light as a bird.

The house-going rite was interesting in order to enjoy pork dishes. On the night of Vasily, guests should definitely be fed pies with pork, boiled or baked pork legs and generally any dishes that include pork. A pork head was also placed on the table.

There was still a custom on Vasily’s day with special ceremonies to cook porridge. On New Year's Eve, at 2 o’clock, the eldest of the women brought cereal 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 hot, 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, pronouncing certain ritual words.

Then everyone got up from the table, and the mistress put the porridge in the oven - with a bow. Ready porridge was taken out of the oven and carefully examined. If the pot was just full, and the porridge rich and crumbly, then you could expect a happy year and a rich harvest - the next morning they ate such porridge. If the porridge got out of the pot, or it was small and white, and the pot cracked, this did not bode well for the owners of the house, and then disasters were expected, and the porridge was thrown out.

In the old days, on Vasiliev Day, peasants went home with congratulations and wishes for well-being. At the same time, an ancient rite was performed, known by different names: avsen, oats, autumn, etc. Its essence was that the children of the peasants, gathered together before the mass, went home to sow oats, buckwheat, rye and other loaves and at the same time sang a sowing song.

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

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

According to signs, if the night before Vasiliev’s day the sky is clear and starry, then there will be a rich harvest of berries. According to popular beliefs Basil the Great protects gardens from worms and pests. In the morning of the Old New Year, you need to go through the garden with the words of an ancient conspiracy: "As I (name) belpushist shake the snow, so does St. Basil!"

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 a New Year’s bonfire, dance, and with old things burn all the troubles that have accumulated over the year. They also entered into the tradition of comic fortune-telling with an old boot or felt boots. Yalgins stand in a circle and pass each other a "magic shoe", in which there are notes with good wishes. They believe that a note drawn from a boot will surely bring good luck.

The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year has been preserved 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 cook “generous kuti” - a rich table after the Christmas fast. Celebrate the Old New Year and Georgia, and Abkhazia.

In Abkhazia, January 13 is officially listed as Azhyrnykhua or Hatchhuama - the Day of Creation, renewal. He is festive and non-working. The festival 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, roosters and goats are sacrificed to Shashva on this day. The holiday gathers under the shelter of the family sanctuary - the "forge" - all paternal relatives. Representatives of other families - wives and daughter-in-law remain at home.

Celebrate the Old New Year in some other countries.

In the former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia), the Old New Year is also celebrated on the night of January 13-14, as the Serbian Orthodox Church, like the Russian Church, 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 "bad man" into the house - one of two logs that they prepared on Christmas Eve for Christmas and Little Christmas.

In Montenegro, it is customary to call this holiday "The Rights of Nova Godina", which means "the right New Year."

Basilits are prepared for the Old New Year: round pies from corn dough with kaymak - cream, curdled like cheese. Sometimes they cook another dish from corn dough - a pair of steaks.

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 St. Basil's Day, known for its kindness. In anticipation of this saint, Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplaces so that St. Basil puts gifts in them.

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

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

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 Day, residents of Switzerland dress up in fancy dresses, put on fancy constructions resembling doll houses or botanical gardens and call themselves Sylvester Claus. Walking through the streets, local residents make noise and scream, thereby expelling evil spirits and inviting good spirits.

In addition, New Year's Eve is celebrated in the small Welsh community in Wales in western Britain. January 13th, they celebrate Hyun Galan. There are no fireworks or champagne on this day. "Hyun Galan" is met according to the traditions of the ancestors by songs, carols and local home-made beer.

Since 1752 in the United Kingdom  acts gregorian calendarwhere New Year comes on January 1st. But a small community of Welsh farmers with a center in a village called Guain Valley celebrates the New Year on the Julian calendar, and unlike the whole country, it is January 13th that is their official day off.

The reason why the Guine Valley and its surrounding farms has lagged behind is now unknown. Some say that it was the will of a local feudal lord opposed the Catholic Church. Others believe that this was the will of the whole community, which decided to defend its traditional way.

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

For locals, "Hyun Galan" is a celebration of good neighborliness and "open doors" - but open to their own. According to legend, in ancient times, the inhabitants of the valley went on a round dance with songs from house to house.

Not many people know that the celebration of the Old New Year is a full event. And if you didn’t have time to do something on New Year’s night, January 14 is a great opportunity to carry out your plan.

Historically, we celebrate the New Year twice. This is due to the long-standing transition to Gregorian chronology. However, if you focus on the Julian calendar, New Year falls on January 14th.

Many underestimate this holiday and do not consider it necessary to celebrate it at all. Of course, this is an individual decision of anyone, but not everyone is ready to miss the opportunity to celebrate the New Year again.

Features of the celebration of the Old New Year

New Year's Eve from January 13 to 14 is no different from the usual New Year. But the Old New Year is good in that you can fix all the mistakes of the first New Year's Eve and do what you did not have time.

If you decide to celebrate this holiday, you should consider the features of the year of the Fire Monkey. Therefore, choose the right wardrobe and decorate the table with appropriate dishes, for example, a bowl of fruit.

The peculiarity of this celebration is that it is suitable for meeting in a close circle of relatives or friends. The old New Year does not like noisy companies and large rooms.

This night you can also make wishes and charge talismans for good luck. One of the most effective ways to find out what will come true of the new year is to write your dreams on twelve pieces of paper and put them under your pillow. One piece of paper is for one purpose. In the morning, without getting out of bed, you need to pull out only three leaves at random. What will be written on them will come true this year.

Those who adhere to church traditions can enjoy plenty of New Year's dishes. Since the celebration of the official New Year, which falls on January 1, is accompanied by strict fasting, and those who observe it limit themselves to eating. On the New Year’s Eve, fasting is already over, and you can freely enjoy delicious dishes.

During this period, try to release all grievances and complete unfinished business. New Year's Eve will help to start all over again and leave all the failures in the past.

Do not miss the opportunity not only to re-celebrate the New Year, but also to make wishes, as well as adjust goals. Think positively and believe only in the best, because it is these qualities that will help you achieve abundance. Dream do more good and of course do not forget to click on the buttons and

12.01.2016 00:40

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Hello dear readers!

The tradition to celebrate the old New Year is found, perhaps, only in the Orthodox countries of the post-Soviet space. For Western Europe, this holiday is completely incomprehensible.

At the same time, this tradition is quite old and can be explained quite logically. Let's find out together what is the essence of the old new year.

To understand the essence of this holiday, it is worth delving into the history of calendars. Until 1582, it operated in Europe julian calendarintroduced by Julius Caesar. In the 16th century, Pope Gregory of Thirteenth proposed another calendar, which has since been called Gregorian.

He kept a more accurate record of leap years; the difference between the old calendar and the new one was 13 days. According to this calendar, the whole of Europe now lives. Hence the name - old and new style.

In Russia, the Gregorian calendar began to act rather late - only since 1918. In this regard, the meaning of the old new year in the Orthodox countries has acquired special significance.

According to church tradition, Christmas should precede the New Year. The Catholic Church celebrates Christ's birthday on December 25th. This date has been established since the 4th century AD.

January 1 is the new year introduced by Julius Caesar, because on this day the Romans sacrificed to the god Janus, considering this day favorable for new beginnings. In Russia, the New Year began to be celebrated on January 1 only in 1700, when it was introduced by Peter the Great.

Today, after many years, it is not entirely clear to us why it is celebrated, this old new year. After all, we have long passed on to the calendar by which all of Europe lives, and we safely celebrate together with the Europeans on January 1, as Peter the Great commanded.

But the faithful people of Russia in the 20th century at one time did not obey the decree of the government of the USSR and moved Christmas to January 7, and New Year to January 13. Despite the persecution of the church in the USSR, this custom has been preserved. Thus, we got 3 holidays: Peter's New Year on January 1, Christmas in a new style - January 7, and Old New Year - January 13.

Customs and traditions

Now, knowing why and when the Old New Year is coming, you can take care of what to wear for the party and what to give to loved ones. At the same time, do not forget that this holiday has absorbed many pagan traditions that perfectly coexist with Christian ones.

The evening of January 13 is popularly called generous, or oats. Previously, it was called Vasiliev evening and was celebrated on December 31, the day of St. Basil the Great.

What to cook?

On Old New Year it was customary to cook porridge from wheat grains - kutia, add meat, lard, sugar, honey or jam to it. Pies, pancakes were prepared for this day, and piglets were baked.

Pork was considered the main dish, since Vasily the Prelate was the patron saint of pig farmers. The table on the eve of the holiday should have been set generously: following this tradition guaranteed prosperity in the New Year.

A piglet could be cooked with a hare and a rooster. Each animal had its own symbolic meaning:

• piglet - well-being;
• hare - speed in business;
• rooster - freedom and speed of thought.

There was a fortune-telling connected with porridge. Before dawn in the new year, the hostess put porridge in the oven. When the pot was taken out of the oven, the whole family came running. If the dishes did not break, the dish turned out delicious, the new year promised to be successful. If the dishes cracked, porridge burned or was tasteless, this portended the worst.

Of course, today you can not follow these customs and be based solely on your own preferences. But the baked pig or bird remains the obligatory dishes for the new year: apparently, the memory of the ancestors is affected.

clothing

Strict canons, how to dress for the New Year, dear readers, do not exist. We are all based on our capabilities. But our ancestors tried to put on the very best that day to enter the new period of their life in festive clothes, then there will definitely be prosperity in the house.

In recent decades, we are increasingly looking back at Chinese traditions. According to the Eastern calendar, 2017 is the year of the Fire Rooster. So if you want to make a pleasant oriental master, you should dress in yellow, red, orange shades. Suitable blue, green, silver. But by no means anything dark and gloomy.

The more extravagant the style, the better. The rooster is very fond of gold jewelry, ruffles, frills, trains of transparent fabrics. So do not be afraid to look strange: on the contrary, this time any carnival costume will be welcome.

Gifts

The gift problem confronts us every year. However, if you want to make someone happy on January 13-14, you should consider that this person has already received the bulk of the gifts on January 1. So if it is ethical, ask directly what this person would like to have.

If asking about a gift is uncomfortable, get creative. Do not present grandiose things, you can limit yourself to souvenirs or trinkets:

• a can of tea or coffee of an expensive brand;
• name mug;
• plaid;
• thermos, mixer or other compact kitchen appliances;
• set for wine;
• a bouquet of sweets;
• frame;
• candy box and more.

If you have not been given a hint of a personal order, this kind of gifts will come in handy.

Fortunetelling

And of course, you can not do without fortune-telling. Our ancestors believed that in the Old New Year, or at Christmas time, you can find out the future. And we continue this tradition, although we understand the naivety of many ways:

• On the dumplings. The hostess cooks dumplings with different fillings. When guests start eating, they determine what they expect next year by the filling.

• On the mirrors. This method is suitable for divination at Epiphany, on the Old New Year, before Christmas. The girl needs to take two mirrors and put them opposite each other, in front of the mirrors you need to put on a lit candle. A corridor should form in the mirrors. It is assumed that the girl, peering into this corridor, will see her betrothed. True, fortune-telling is considered very dangerous, and you can see not only narrowed ...
• On the grains. Asked a question. Grains are added to the dishes. Then you need to get a handful of cereals and count the number of grains. Even - a positive answer, odd - a negative.

This is only a small part of the fortune-telling invented by our ancestors. After all, the Old New Year is a magical time when all dreams come true.