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SOME FACTS FROM THE HISTORY OF RUSSIAN NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
The Russian tradition of celebrating the New Year is not that old: it first emerged in the 1930s.
The Soviet government saw it as a holiday primarily aimed at children so that they could receive
gifts.
Furthermore, the USSR borrowed the main attribute of Christmas – a decorated Christmas tree.
Gradually, the holiday also developed into a celebration for adults, who got used to having a festive
season in the middle of winter.
Before the 1917 Revolution, Christmas in the Russian Orthodox Church was celebrated on December
25, the same as in the Roman Catholic Church. In 1918, the Bolsheviks switched to the Gregorian
calendar, and so the holiday moved to 13 days later. Thus, Orthodox Christmas is still celebrated on
January 7.
Christmas was always more than just an overnight celebration. It was an eagerly anticipated holiday.
Christmas Eve marked the start of a two-week period known as Christmastide (Rus: svyatki), a time of
revels and masquerades. This tradition had ancient Slavic roots.
This is how Leo Tolstoy describes this merry time in his novel War and Peace: “The mummers (some
of the house serfs) dressed up as bears, Turks and ladies - frightening and funny."
❓What old Russian traditions of celebrating New Year do you know?
Ask your grandparents and write.
You can even send a photo of old New year tree decorations
