How Peter I taught Russia to celebrate the New Year differently. New Year's story
In December 1699, by official imperial decree, the celebration was scheduled for January 1. In an effort to synchronize the Russian holiday calendar with the European one, at the end of December 1699, Emperor Peter I ordered by official decree to move the New Year celebration to January 1. And although his main goal The emperor failed to achieve this, it was thanks to this document that the foundations of the main New Year's customs were laid in Russia: from decorations made of coniferous trees to long New Year's holidays.
"First day of the year"
Apart from the transition from the old style to the new, to which the Russians owe the appearance of the old New Year in our holiday calendar, the date of the new year in Russia has changed three times. They began to celebrate it in Rus' long before the holiday attracted the attention of the emperor, who opened a window to Europe: the first mentions of this holiday are found in chronicles already at the end of the 14th century. Then it fell on March 1 - this date coincided successfully with both Orthodox calendar(the countdown of new years started from the day of the creation of the world), so it was with the lives of the majority of the population engaged in agriculture. On the day of the onset of spring, the celebration of the New Year, as it was called then, looked more than logical. In 1492, the New Year saw the first changes - the date of its celebration, in accordance with the definitions of the Council of Nicaea, was moved by the church to September 1. However, this had little correlation with the way of life of the peasants, for whom the year of active agricultural work at this moment was ending, on the contrary. And this holiday, which, according to the Parisian Dictionary of Muscovites that has survived to this day, was called “The First Day of the Year,” never received a national scale. The main celebrations then took place on Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin. The Patriarch, accompanied by the clergy, addressed the Tsar with a speech in which he inquired about his health. The king gave a response speech, ending with the words “God gave, he lives.” After which, representatives of the clergy approached the Tsar and the Patriarch with a bow, and after that they hit everyone present in the square with their foreheads.
Shifting the boundaries of time
Peter I, having taken the Russian throne, set out to not only bring New Year's tradition in Russia in accordance with the European calendar and the calendar of most Slavic countries, where the New Year by this time was celebrated on January 1, but also, in fact, to finally turn it into a large-scale national holiday. A good opportunity for such a truly epoch-making change presented itself just at the end of 1699, when the XVII century The brilliant 18th century was coming. Like most of Peter I’s undertakings, instilling holiday habits among Russians required a certain severity from the emperor. And at the end of 1699, the emperor issued a decree in which he ordered to change the date of the celebration. “From the 1st of January next year, the new year 1700 begins, together with a new century; and for this good and useful deed, he indicated that henceforth the summer should be counted in orders and in all matters and fortresses written from this January from the 1st of the Nativity of Christ 1700,” in particular, it was said in the first part of the document.“Make decorations from trees of pine branches”
Peter I did not limit himself to simply moving the date - in the decree, the sovereign also described in detail how exactly the inhabitants of the empire should celebrate the onset of the new year and century. The Russian New Year tradition was to be based on customs that the emperor himself became acquainted with in Germany. On the eve of the holiday, noble inhabitants of houses located on big streets, it was necessary to “make some decorations from trees and branches of pine, spruce and juniper” in front of the gate. The “meager” people were given relief - they could limit themselves to installing “at least a tree or branch” on the gate.
Those who wanted to do everything to the highest standard could check the samples exhibited specifically for these purposes in Gostiny Dvor in St. Petersburg. But in general, citizens were allowed to show their imagination and, when inventing decorations, proceed from what was “more convenient and decent for them.”
“On Red Square fire parties will be lit and there will be shooting” WITH Peter I, fireworks also came into the Russian New Year's tradition, which, according to the emperor's idea, were to match the occasion in scale. The time had come for them on January 1st. “Yes, on the 1st day of January, as a sign of joy; congratulating each other on the new year and the centennial century, do this: when on the big Red Square the fire fun is lit and there is shooting, then at the noble households, boyars and okolnichy, each in his own yard from small cannons, if anyone has them, and from several muskets or other small guns, commit it,” said the royal decree. At the same time, it was planned to light large bonfires on the streets of St. Petersburg, and especially at intersections.Tradition for all times and eras
But the main thing is through the efforts of Peter I in Russian Empire multi-day trips first appeared in 1700 New Year holidays, for, according to the decree, the festivities were to last until January 7th. And although he failed to achieve his main goal, to synchronize the Russian New Year with the European one - by this time most European countries had already switched from the Julian one, which was oriented towards in Russia, to Gregorian calendar and celebrated the onset of the new century 10 days earlier, the emperor managed to establish the tradition of the New Year holiday, which passed almost unchanged through the most different times, eras and stages of national history.
History of the New Year in Russia
The beginning of the year on January 1 was established by the Roman ruler Julius Caesar in 46 BC. e. The Romans dedicated this day to Janus - the god of entrances and exits, doors and all beginnings. In Rus', after the adoption of Christianity (10th century), the New Year was celebrated on March 1. The beginning of the chronology was the “day of the creation of Adam” (Friday, March 1, 1 year from the “Creation of the World”). New Year for residents Ancient Rus' was a holiday of spring, sun, warmth and anticipation of a new harvest.
The tradition of celebrating the New Year on January 1 appeared in Rus' three centuries ago. The tradition of celebrating the New Year was introduced in Russia by Peter I. Before that, the New Year in Rus' fell on September 1, and even earlier on March 1. And so on December 20, summer 7208 from the creation of the world, Peter I issued a decree stating that the New Year should be celebrated on January 1 and the next “new year” should be considered 1700 from the Nativity of Christ. The first New Year in Russia was noisily celebrated with a parade and fireworks on the night of December 31 to January 1, 1700. The capital then was Moscow, St. Petersburg had not yet been built, so all the celebrations took place on Red Square. However, from the new year 1704, the celebrations were moved to northern capital. The main thing at the New Year's holiday in those days was not the feast, but mass celebrations.
According to the royal instructions of Peter I, Muscovites for the first time decorated their houses for the New Year with branches of pine, juniper and spruce. In Peter’s decree it was written: “On large and thorough streets, noble people and at houses of spiritual and secular rank in front of the gates should make some decorations from pine and juniper trees, and for poor people, at least a tree or branch for each.” The decree did not talk specifically about the Christmas tree, but about trees in general. At first, trees were decorated with sweets, fruits, nuts and even vegetables. all these products served not just as decoration, but also as symbols: apples - a symbol of fertility, nuts - the incomprehensibility of divine providence, eggs - a symbol of developing life, harmony and complete well-being. They began decorating the Christmas tree a little later - in the middle of the 19th century. The decorated spruce first lit up with lights in 1852 in St. Petersburg.
The custom of decorating spruce was born among the inhabitants of Germany. The Germans believed that spruce was a sacred tree, in whose branches the good spirit of the forests, the defender of truth, lived. The spruce, green at any time of the year, personified immortality, eternal youth, courage, fidelity, longevity and dignity. Even its cones were a symbol of the fire of life and restoration of health. Until the 16th century, it was customary to decorate trees for Christmas, but not to cut them down. On the largest Christmas tree in the forest, every year, at the end of December (when the “sunny” year began), people “hung out various gifts” for the spirits to make them kinder and to get a rich harvest. It was believed that spruce branches decorated in this way warded off evil spirits and evil spirits It was from Germany that this custom spread to other countries. The first written source mentioning Christmas tree decoration dates back to 1561. In Alsace, the number of Christmas trees was limited, and it was stated that “each citizen may have at Christmas no more than one tree, which must not be more than eight feet in height,” and the decorations for it must be “ colored paper, apples, waffles, gilding and sugar."
During the 17th century, the custom spread to the mostly Protestant countries surrounding Germany and Scandinavia. The Christmas tree became widespread in Europe only in the 19th century. For example, it is certain that the first Christmas tree in England was erected by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Windsor Castle in 1844 as a surprise for the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) and the eldest princess. In France, Christmas trees spread after 1871 by the French who fled Alsace and Lorraine, which at that time became part of Germany. In America, Christmas trees began to spread in the mid-19th century. In Russia, this custom was introduced by Peter the Great, however, it was prescribed to install Christmas trees not for Christmas, but for the New Year. In the 20s of the 19th century, Christmas trees appeared in the homes of St. Petersburg Germans, and already in the 40s, Christmas trees became very popular in the urban environment, mainly in the capitals.
Over time, people got used to the new winter holiday. The evening before the New Year began to be called “generous.” Abundant festive table, popular belief, as if ensuring well-being for the entire coming year and was considered the key to the family's wealth. Therefore, they tried to decorate it with everything that they would like to have in abundance. In the center New Year's table they put pig meat (often a two- to three-week-old pig roasted on a spit), which, due to its fertility, was perceived as a symbol of beauty. It was customary in every home to stock up on pork products, which were consumed until Lent. Fish dishes were also popular. Dessert usually included berries, vegetables and nuts boiled in honey. Vodka, which at that time was called wine, varied in its strength: “boyar”, “simple”. There was a separate vodka for women - it was infused with molasses. Vodka was also infused with herbs: mint, mustard, juniper, and even lemon peels. Imported wines - Greek, French, Hungarian, Italian (“Fryazhsky”) appeared at that time only in the houses of the nobility, since they were expensive.
It was believed that the New Year's table should be equal in abundance to the Christmas table, but there should not be Domestic bird, feathered game or a hare, since there was a belief that in this case happiness would fly away or gallop away from the house. They also believed that the New Year should be celebrated in a new dress and new shoes, because then you’ll be wearing new clothes all next year. Usually, before the New Year, all debts were repaid, all insults were forgiven, and those who were in a quarrel were obliged to make peace. Before the New Year, they threw out all the broken dishes from the house, washed the windows and mirrors.
At the beginning of the 19th century, champagne became popular in Russia - a drink that today not a single New Year's feast can do without. Champagne gained wide popularity after the victory over Napoleon. In 1813, upon entering Reims, Russian troops, as victors, devastated the wine cellars of the famous house of Madame Clicquot. However, Madame Clicquot did not even try to stop the robbery, wisely deciding that “Russia will cover the losses.” The fame of the quality of its products spread throughout Russia. Within three years, the enterprising widow received more orders from the Russian Empire than in her homeland. In war-ravaged France, champagne was poorly purchased, but in rich Russia it was received with delight, and it instantly became almost a national drink. TO end of the 19th century century, Russia became the largest consumer of this sparkling wine. In 1825, for example, Veuve Clicquot sold 252,452 bottles of champagne in Russia. This accounted for almost 90% of the company's total production. Prosper Merimee wrote: “Veuve Clicquot made Russia drunk. Here they call her wine “Klikovskoe” and don’t drink anything else.”
If previously Russians decorated their houses only with coniferous branches, then in the middle of the 19th century they began to decorate only Christmas trees. The first dressed-up beauty lit up the room with lights in 1852. And by the end of the nineteenth century this beautiful custom has become common not only in Russian cities, but also in villages. The New Year's menu becomes more varied at this time. The New Year's menu of the second half of the 19th century already included salmon, caviar, smelt and vendace, cheeses - along with the same radishes and pickles. Game competed with suckling pig fried with buckwheat porridge. Apparently, by that time the sign about “flying away happiness” had already been forgotten. In the middle of the 19th century, the Christmas goose with apples “moved” to the New Year’s table. It's time for soft drinks, ice cream and cognacs.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, French, Spanish fortified, Italian and German wines were drunk. Of course, we drank vodka, liqueurs and liqueurs, Russian homemade and German beer. In the ceremonial feast of those times, the beauty of the table decoration was valued no less than the quality of the prepared food. Moreover, not only the setting and served dishes had to be beautiful. By the beginning of the twentieth century, anchovies, lobsters, and sardines began to appear on the New Year's table. It was impossible to do without the notorious pig and goose with apples, but hazel grouse and turkeys were already competing with them. Every year, the Petersburg Newspaper informed its readers about how many thousands of piglets, turkeys, geese, ducks and chickens were eaten in St. Petersburg on New Year's and Christmas days.
In St. Petersburg at the beginning of the twentieth century, the season of balls and festive festivities began with Christmas. Numerous Christmas trees with obligatory gifts were organized for children, ice palaces and mountains were built for public entertainment, and free performances were given. According to tradition, St. Petersburg residents celebrated Christmas and Christmas Eve at home, with their families. But on New Year's Eve they reserved tables in restaurants or entertainment venues.
Entertainment establishments in the capital of Russia at that time were very different. There were aristocratic restaurants: “Kyuba” on Bolshaya Morskaya Street, or “Bear” on Bolshaya Konyushennaya. Customs kvass, as champagne wine was called, was exterminated here in dozens of boxes. They served it not only to the servants, but also to the horses of the waiting guests. The revelry got to the point that one day a certain visitor ordered the deposits to be scattered in the mud and, stepping on them, he got into the carriage. The more democratic “Donon” gathered writers, artists, scientists, and graduates of the School of Law at its tables. The traditional drink here was zhzhenka. The capital's elite - people of art and literature - held their evenings in the fashionable "Kontan", on the Moika. The evening's program includes a lyrical divertissement with the participation of the best Russian and foreign artists, a virtuoso Romanian orchestra; Ladies were presented with free flowers. Literary youth preferred artistic cabarets to ordinary restaurants. The most colorful of them was “ homeless dog"on Mikhailovskaya Square. They settled here theatrical performances, lectures, poetry and musical evenings.
But, along with such restaurants for the intelligent public, there were establishments of a completely different kind. The winter cafe "Villa Rode" appeared in St. Petersburg in 1908. At Villa Rode there was a large summer theater and a summer veranda-restaurant with a stage where the best singers and dramatic artists performed. During lunches and dinners, a Hungarian concert orchestra played and a gypsy choir performed. The Villa Rode restaurant very quickly gained incredible popularity, especially among the St. Petersburg bohemian public. However, this restaurant also had a somewhat scandalous reputation. According to contemporaries, a brothel also settled here. Young ladies from respectable families were not recommended to visit this establishment. One of the signature “foods” of this restaurant, not included in the regular menu, was the festive dish “Venus”. A group of waiters, led by the manager, brought a huge tray into the hall, on which a naked girl reclined among flowers, dill, parsley and other garnishes. “Venus” aroused frantic delight among visitors: in her honor they drank champagne, pouring it over the girl and generously sprinkling her banknotes. We had a snack, of course, with the side dish served. This bacchanalia cost visitors huge amounts of money at that time. In addition, they were listed in holiday menu“mermaids bathing in champagne”, “odalisques dancing on tables among dishes”, “living Roman swings” (a naked girl swinging in her arms).
After the revolution of 1917, a battle was declared against bourgeois prejudices. Christmas - away! Well, where there is Christmas, there is, naturally, a Christmas tree. There was an active anti-Christmas tree campaign in the press. On January 24, 1918, the Council of People's Commissars adopted the “Decree on the introduction of the Western European calendar in the Russian Republic.” As a result, “Russian” Christmas shifted from December 25 to January 7, and New Year from January 1 to January 14. In 1918, by Lenin’s decree, Russia switched to the Gregorian calendar, which by the 20th century overtook the Julian by 13 days. February 1, 1918 was immediately declared the 14th. But Orthodox Church did not accept this transition and announced that she would celebrate Christmas according to the old Julian calendar. Since then, Orthodox Christmas in Russia has been celebrated on January 7 (December 25, old style). It was hard times and for all of Russia. Food was distributed on ration cards, and unground oats were given instead of bread. Despite the famine, Christmas trees were organized for children in Petrograd. However, these trees turned out to be the last ones on long years. In 1919, the new authorities canceled both Christmas and New Year. Former holidays turned into ordinary working days, and the Christmas tree was recognized as a “priestly” custom.
In 1935 the "highest directive" changed. It turned out that the New Year is a wonderful holiday, which can also once again testify to the achievements of the country of the Soviets. True, the star at its top, from Bethlehem, turned into a “symbol of the new world” - a red five-pointed star. In October 1935, the card system was finally abolished. A time of relative prosperity has arrived in the country. The New Year began to be celebrated magnificently and deliciously. However, the Soviet New Year's table did not become elegant - even sausage cut into circles could decorate it. However, Eliseev’s former stores still sold hazel grouse and caviar. Every child's dream was to go to main tree countries - first in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions, and since 1954 - on the Kremlin Christmas tree.
Since 1947, January 1 has again become a “red day of the calendar,” that is, a non-working day. In the hungry forties, the New Year was celebrated with vodka, boiled potatoes and herring, decorated with onion rings. Life became more fun in the fifties. Celebrating the New Year was no longer considered reprehensible. And it became possible to gather not only in a narrow circle, but also big company. On the tables appeared: jelly, herring under a fur coat, Baltic sprats. The “second coming of Olivier salad” has arrived. Lucien Olivier kept the method of preparing the salad a secret and with his death the secret of the recipe was considered lost. However, the main ingredients were known, and in 1904, the salad recipe was reproduced. Here is its composition; 2 hazel grouse, veal tongue, quarter pound pressed caviar, half pound fresh salad, 25 pieces of boiled crayfish, half a can of pickles, half a can of Kabul soybeans, two fresh cucumber, a quarter pound of capers, 5 hard-boiled eggs. For the sauce: Provencal mayonnaise should be prepared with French vinegar from 2 eggs and 1 pound of Provencal (olive) oil. According to the original pre-revolutionary recipe, the salad was supposed to contain hazel grouse, tongues, anchovies, pressed caviar, crayfish and other delicacies that unspoiled Soviet citizens had never heard of. From the previous salad, only the name was preserved: hazel grouse were replaced by doctor's sausage and other products available to everyone. The Olivier salad was prepared in a “large basin” and generously seasoned with mayonnaise.
The New Year's table was the same for most Soviet people, this was explained by the presence of a small variety of products in stores. “Khrushchev’s loaves” appeared in Leningrad, the color of which was close to blue. Due to the lack of flour, the “signature” dish of the New Year’s table of 63-64 became “Khrushchev pie” - the pulp was taken out of the loaf, the filling was put inside, and the whole thing was baked in the oven. Roasted pig, goose or duck on the New Year's table were also desirable, but not required. The main event on New Year’s Day was the opening of a bottle of “Soviet champagne” to the sound of the Kremlin chimes. Dancing and masquerades were almost completely excluded from the New Year's program, since in cramped apartments one had to choose: either a table or dancing. And with the advent of Soviet families The television table finally won. For the New Year, television has always prepared an extensive entertainment program: The annual “Blue Lights” were especially popular.
The real era of scarcity began in the mid-70s. In 1972 there was a severe drought. At the end of summer, food began to disappear in stores and queues appeared for potatoes.
In the stores there were jars of juice, pickled cucumbers, tomatoes, jam, marmalade, and marmalade. Tangerines and oranges appeared on the shelves only before the New Year. In the 70s, the shortage of food in stores contrasted pleasantly with the abundant tables that were set in homes during the holidays. Despite the fact that the store shelves were empty, there was plenty on the holiday tables. Thrifty housewives saved scarce goods for the holiday: cans of canned fish, stewed meat, canned Bulgarian vegetables, wine, champagne. For the holiday, enterprises usually “threw away” food packages: sausage, cheese, mayonnaise. Sprats, sardines, and cod liver were prepared in advance. Chocolate sweets were brought in advance from Moscow and saved until the New Year. And just before the New Year, we specially went to Moscow for food, where the provision was better than in other cities, and brought food and unprecedented delicacies from there: for example, pineapple or chocolate candies"Bear in the north".
The Olivier salad became an indispensable attribute of the Soviet New Year's table. The “main” Soviet salad with minor variations included boiled sausage, green peas, boiled potatoes, pickle, egg, onion and mayonnaise were more or less available products in those days. The festive tables also included the indispensable “herring under a fur coat”, vinaigrettes, jellied meat and, as the pinnacle of the culinary delights of Soviet housewives, stuffed fish. In the late 70s, women in the multimillion-dollar Soviet country looked up to the then icon of style and fashion, Barbara Brylska, who showed a rather inappropriate image of Soviet thinking in the film “The Irony of Fate or Enjoy Your Bath.”
In the 80s, most people made New Year's gifts for their relatives on their own, since there was very little choice. You could buy a book, a bottle of perfume, an electric razor, etc. They bought firecrackers and sparklers - at that time this was the only “pyrotechnics” with the help of which they kept the fun going. Only rocket launchers, which not everyone had, could add variety to such fun. In every New Year's home, children were looking forward to gifts, and adults were hoping for changes for the better.
The situation with products during the Gorbachev era practically did not change. Residents of all nearby cities went to Moscow to buy food. At this time, a new scourge fell on the heads of Soviet citizens: the anti-alcohol campaign. All over the country, all alcohol disappeared from store shelves, restaurants and cafes. Dejected Soviet citizens had to give up traditional Soviet champagne, since it was impossible to get it by any means. People switched to moonshine, cologne, medical alcohol and other homemade drinks.
On New Year's Eve, everyone traditionally gathered around a festively laid table and said goodbye. old year and met the New one. We watched TV, listened to music, went to discos. In the mid-80s, gr. “Earthlings”, “Aquarium”, “Sunday”, “Time Machine”. Alla Pugacheva tried to stand out from the crowd with her airy, vast robes, and Valery Leontyev scared elderly grandmothers with his terribly tight trousers. At discos they play: “Mirage”, “KarMan”, “Tender May”, “Na-Na” and a performer parodying Western musical performers Sergei Minaev. Hits of famous foreign musical groups and performers are increasingly heard: “Modern Talking”, Madonna, Michael Jackson, “Scorpions” and others.
In 1991, with the beginning of the Yeltsin era, after an almost 75-year break, Russia began to celebrate the Nativity of Christ again. January 7 was declared a non-working day: Christmas services were shown on TV and Russians were explained how to celebrate the holy holiday. However, the traditions of celebrating Christmas in Russia have already been lost. Several generations of Soviet people, brought up in the spirit of atheism, did not understand either the essence or form of this holiday. However, the extra day off was accepted with pleasure.
IN modern Russia Little has changed since then. For example, almost every family installs a live or artificial New Year tree at home. People still strive to set a rich table. And everyone is looking forward to the guests. They prepare gifts, trying to please family and friends. Traditional New Year's dishes are placed on the festive table - Olivier salad, herring under a fur coat, jellied meat, jellied fish, champagne. A few minutes before the onset of the New Year, a television address from the President of Russia is broadcast, and then, in every house, the clink of glasses is heard along with the striking of the Kremlin chimes!
Today, no one imagines the New Year without an elegant fluffy Christmas tree, which pleases everyone not only with its beauty, but also with the gifts that Santa Claus traditionally puts under it. And the New Year has held the position of the favorite family holiday of Russians for many years.
Mikhailov Andrey 12/23/2014 at 18:30
On December 20, 1699, Russian Tsar Peter I signed a decree on Russia’s transition to a new calendar and the postponement of the beginning of the year celebrations from September 1 to January 1. Since then we have been celebrating main holiday year on this very day. In general, the history of the New Year in Rus' is quite interesting. At different times, in addition to the above dates, we celebrated it on March 1, March 22, and September 14.
But first, let's return to the young Russian Tsar. By his decree, Peter ordered on January 1, 1700 to decorate houses with pine, spruce and juniper branches according to the samples exhibited in Gostiny Dvor, as a sign of fun, be sure to congratulate each other on the New Year and, naturally, on the new century.
As historical chronicles say, fireworks, cannon and rifle salutes were set off on Red Square, and Muscovites were ordered to fire muskets and launch rockets near their houses. In short, the order was to have fun with all the might of the Russian soul, albeit in a European manner! The boyars and service people were ordered to dress in foreign costumes - Hungarian caftans. And the women also had to be dressed in foreign dress.
In Peter’s decree it was written: “...On large and well-traveled streets, noble people and at houses of special spiritual and secular rank in front of the gates should make some decorations from trees and branches of pine and juniper... and for poor people, each at least a tree or branch for the gate or over their temple put..." In fact, the decree was not talking specifically about the Christmas tree, but about trees in general. At first they were decorated with nuts, sweets, fruits and even various vegetables, and they began to decorate a specific beautiful Christmas tree much later, from the middle of the last century.
On January 6th the mighty festivities ended procession to Jordan. Contrary to the ancient custom, the tsar did not follow the clergy in rich vestments, but stood on the banks of the Moscow River in uniform, surrounded by the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments, dressed in green caftans and camisoles with gold buttons and braid.
In general, the celebration of the New Year in Rus' has the same complex fate as its history itself. Old folk tradition even after the officially introduced changes in the calendar, it retained ancient customs for a long time. Here's what Pravda.Ru told about the New Year's story doctor historical sciences, Professor Nikolai Kaprizov:
"In Rus' in the past, even pagan times, there existed for a long time the summer months, that is, the first three months, and the summer month began in March. In honor of him, they celebrated Avsen, Ovsen or Tusen, which later moved to the new year. Summer itself in ancient times consisted of the current three spring and three summer months - the last six months consisted winter time. The transition from autumn to winter was blurred like the transition from summer to autumn. Presumably, originally in Rus' the New Year was celebrated on the day spring equinox, that is, March 22. Maslenitsa and New Year were celebrated on the same day. Winter has been driven away, which means a new year has arrived.
Well, along with Christianity, that is, after the Baptism of Rus' in Rus' (988), naturally, a new chronology appeared - from the Creation of the world. A new European calendar, the Julian, also appeared, with a fixed name for the months. March 1 began to be considered the beginning of the new year. According to one version, at the end of the 15th century, and according to another in 1348, the Orthodox Church moved the beginning of the year to September 1, which corresponded to the definitions of the Council of Nicaea.
In general, the reform of the calendar system was carried out in Rus' without taking into account working life people, without establishing any special connection with agricultural work. The September New Year was approved by the church, which followed the word scripture. In the Old Testament church, the month of September was celebrated annually, as if to commemorate peace from all worldly worries.
Thus, the New Year began on the first of September. This day became the feast of Simeon, the first pillar, which is still celebrated by our church. This holiday was known among the common people under the name Seeds of the Summer Conductor, because on this day summer ended and the new year began. It was both a solemn day of celebration and the subject of analysis of urgent conditions, collection of quitrents, taxes and personal courts.
Well, in 1699, Peter I issued a decree according to which January 1 was considered the beginning of the year. This was done following the example of all Christian peoples who lived not according to the Julian, but according to the Gregorian calendar. Peter I, in general, could not immediately transfer Rus' to the new Gregorian calendar, despite all his determination - after all, the church lived according to the Julian calendar.
The history of the New Year holiday, celebrated in Russia on the night from December 31 to January 1, refers to 1699, reign time Peter the Great. After the Tsar’s return from the Great Embassy, as Peter’s trip to Europe is called in historiography, which lasted 15 months, 27 year old king issued order No. 1736. The document talks about the transition to Julian calendar and about the New Year holiday on January 1. The year 7208 from the creation of the world became 1700 from the Nativity of Christ. Due to the difference in calendars, it was decided to count the beginning of the year from January, and not from September, as before. Peter tried to change the way of life of the country at one moment. The order was carried out by the subjects - it was a holiday, after all.
Christmas market
However, for a long time, documents indicated two dates, according to the old and new calendar. January 1 was a day free from fasting, which means nothing interfered with the wild celebrations. In the very first year, the young Tsar Peter the Great decided to continue the continuous fun evenly seven days in a row. On New Year's Eve a magnificent celebration was held on Red Square parade and fireworks. The 1700th New Year, as well as the next four years, the main celebrations were held in Moscow, then in the new capital of St. Petersburg.
New Year's celebration in early XVIII century was of a mass popular character. The squares were held masquerades, cannons fired, fireworks, “fire fun and shooting”. Peter's decree prescribed decorate houses and porches with spruce, pine and juniper branches. “...On large and well-traveled streets, for noble people and at houses of deliberate spiritual and worldly rank, make some decorations in front of the gates from trees and branches of pine and juniper... and for poor people, each place at least a tree or branch on the gate or above their temple...”
Each New Year's decoration had its own meaning. Apples were a symbol of fertility, nuts - the incomprehensibility of divine existence. After the death of the tireless emperor, decorate for some time spruce branches stopped. Only in the taverns were these elements of New Year’s decoration left, and they were there throughout the whole year - that’s how the name came about "tree sticks".
Konstantin Somov. Fireworks. 1907
It is worth noting that the subjects of Peter the Great were ready for the new winter holiday, since earlier Christmastide was celebrated on these days. Celebrations, bonfires, sleigh rides, round dances, fortune telling, all this was intertwined with the innovations introduced by Peter. The evening before New Year's Eve, got the name "generous". It was customary to cover as rich and beautiful table. The owners treated the organization of the table with great attention, since it personified the prosperity awaiting the family in next year. The main dish in rich families was often young pig roasted on a spit.
For those curious, I present an image of a historical document and an interesting text in which we hear direct speech from the end of the 17th century, namely order of Peter the Great number 1736 :
Order number 1736
“December 7208 on the 20th day, the great sovereign king and Grand Duke Pyotr Alekseevich, of all Great and Lesser and White Russia, indicated to say:
He became known to the great sovereign, not only in many European Christian countries, but also in the Slovenian peoples, who with the Eastern our Orthodox the Church agrees in everything, as the Volokhs, Moldavians, Serbs, Dolmatians, Bulgarians, and his great sovereign’s subjects, the Cherkasy, and all the Greeks, from whom our Orthodox faith was received, all those peoples, according to their years, count their years from the Nativity of Christ on the eighth day later, that is, January from the 1st day, and not from the creation of the world, for a lot of discord and counting in those years, and now from the Nativity of Christ the year 1699 comes, and the next January from the 1st day the new year 1700 begins, together with a new hundred-year century; and for this good and useful deed, he indicated that from now on the summers should be counted in orders, and in all matters and fortresses to be written from this January from the 1st of the Nativity of Christ 1700.
And as a sign of that good beginning and the new hundred-year century, in the reigning city of Moscow, after due thanksgiving to God and prayer singing in the church, and whoever happens in his home, along large and well-traveled noble streets, to noble people, and at houses of deliberate spiritual and secular rank, in front of the gate to make some decorations from trees and branches of pine, spruce and juniper, against the samples that were made in the Gostiny Dvor and at the lower pharmacy, or for whomever is more convenient and decent, depending on the place and the gate, it is possible to make, but for poor people Each one should at least place a tree or a branch on the gate, or over his mansion, and so that the future genvar will ripen now by the 1st day of this year, and that decoration of the genvar should stand until the 7th day of the same 1700 year.
Yes, on the 1st day of January, as a sign of joy; congratulating each other on the new year and a century of centuries, to do this: when on the Great Red Square fire fun will be lit and there will be shooting, then to noble courts, boyars, and okolnichy, and Duma and neighbors, and noble people, plate, military and merchant ranks famous people, each in his own yard, from small cannons, if anyone has one, and from several muskets, or other small guns, shoot three times and fire several rockets, as many as anyone has, and along large streets, where there is space, on January 1 on the 7th, at night, light fires from wood, or brushwood, or straw, and where there are small courtyards, five or six courtyards gathered, put such a fire, or, whoever wants, put one, two, or three tar and thin barrels each, and fill them with straw or brushwood, light them, in front of the mayor’s town hall, there will be shooting and such lights and decorations, according to their consideration.”
The New Year's countdown day in Russia has been postponed twice. Until the 15th century, it was celebrated in March, then in September, and in 1699, Peter I “set” the celebration on January 1. We will tell you how this happened and how the Russians greeted the change...Russian New Year is a holiday that incorporates the customs of paganism, Christianity and European enlightenment. On December 20, 1699, Emperor Peter I issued a decree “On the Celebration of the New Year,” which instantly moved the entire country three months ahead—Russians, accustomed to celebrating the New Year in September, had to celebrate the year 1700 on January 1.
Pagan echo
Until the end of the 15th century, spring was considered the end of the annual cycle in Rus' (the same ideas still exist in some countries Central Asia). Before the adoption of Orthodoxy, this holiday was associated exclusively with pagan beliefs. Slavic paganism, as you know, was closely intertwined with the cult of fertility, so the New Year was celebrated when the earth awakens from winter sleep- in March, with the first spring equinox.
During the winter solstice, it was preceded by 12-day “Carols”, from which the tradition of “mummers” going from house to house and singing songs, scattering grain at the doorstep, has survived to this day. And today, in many remote corners of Russia and the CIS, it is customary to give pancakes and kutya to “mummers,” but in ancient times these dishes were displayed on windows to appease the spirits. 
Caroling has come to us from pagan times.
With the adoption of Orthodoxy, the ritual side of welcoming the New Year, of course, changed. For a long time the Orthodox Church did not give it of great importance, but in 1495 she reached this holiday - it was officially scheduled for September 1. On this day, the Kremlin held ceremonies “On the beginning of a new summer”, “To celebrate the summer” or “Action of long-term health”.
The celebration was opened by the patriarch and the tsar on the cathedral square of the Moscow Kremlin, their procession was accompanied by the ringing of bells. From the end of the 17th century, the tsar and his retinue came out to the people in the most elegant clothes, and the boyars were ordered to do the same. The choice fell on September, since it was believed that it was in September that God created the world. Except for the solemn church service The New Year was celebrated like any other holiday - with guests, songs, dances and food. It was called then differently - “The first day of the year.”
The winter is coming
The tradition was preserved for almost 200 years, after which a whirlwind of changes named Pyotr Alekseevich Romanov burst into the life of the Russian people. As you know, the young emperor almost immediately after ascending the throne began strict reforms aimed at eradicating old traditions. Having traveled around Europe, he was inspired by the Dutch way of celebrating the New Year. In addition, he did not at all want to walk around the cathedral square in embroidered gold vestments - he wanted the fun that he had seen abroad.
On December 20, 1699 (according to the old calendar it was 7208), on the threshold of the new century, the emperor issued a decree that read: “...Volokhi, Moldavians, Serbs, Dolmatians, Bulgarians, and his great sovereign’s subjects Cherkasy and all the Greeks, from whom our Orthodox faith has been accepted, all those peoples, according to their years, count their years from the Nativity of Christ on the eighth day later, that is, January from the 1st day, and not from the creation of the world, for many discords and counting in those years, and now from the Nativity of Christ it comes to 1699 year, and from the 1st of January the new year 1700 begins, together with a new century; and for this good and useful deed, he indicated that henceforth the summers should be counted in orders, and in all matters and fortresses to be written from the current genvar from the 1st of the Nativity of Christ 1700.” 
Fragment of the decree of Peter I of 1699.
The decree was long and very detailed. It stipulated that everyone should decorate their houses with spruce, pine and juniper branches these days and not remove decorations until January 7th. Noble and simply wealthy citizens were ordered to fire cannons in their yards at midnight, shoot rifles and muskets into the air, and a grandiose fireworks display was arranged on Red Square.
On the streets, the emperor ordered the burning of fires from wood, brushwood and resin and maintaining the fire throughout the holiday week. By 1700 almost everyone European countries have already switched to the Gregorian calendar, so Russia began to celebrate the New Year 11 days later than Europe.
Frightening change
September 1 left church holiday, but after Peter’s reform it somehow faded into the background. IN last time The rite of summerkeeping was performed on September 1, 1699 in the presence of Peter, who sat on the Kremlin Cathedral Square on a throne in royal clothes, received a blessing from the patriarch and congratulated the people on the New Year, as his grandfather did. After this, the splendid autumn celebration was over - by the will of Peter, the traditions of enlightened Europe merged with pagan nature, from which rituals of wild fun remained.
For the common people, this was all as incomprehensible as at one time for the boyars - the need to shave their beards and dress in a Western manner. The commotion that happened at first was described in the historical novel “Peter I” by Alexey Tolstoy:
“We haven’t heard such a ringing in Moscow for a long time. They said: Patriarch Adrian, not daring to contradict the Tsar in anything, released a thousand rubles and fifty barrels of strong patriarchal beer to the sextons for ringing. The bells on the belfries and bell towers rang out. Moscow was shrouded in smoke, steam from horses and people...
Through bell ringing Shots crackled all over Moscow, guns roared loudly. Dozens of sleighs, full of drunks and mummers, smeared with soot, in torn fur coats, rushed by at a gallop. They raised their legs, waving damasks, shouted, raged, and fell out in a heap at the feet of the common people, stupefied by the sound and smoke.
The Tsar with his neighbors, with the prince-paw, the old dissolute Nikita Zotov, with the most humorous archbishops - in the archdeacon's robe with cat tails - toured noble houses. Drunk and fed up - they still swarmed like locusts - they didn’t so much eat as they threw themselves around, shouted spiritual songs, urinated under the tables. They got the owners drunk to the point of amazement and - move on. 
So as not to leave tomorrow different places, spent the night side by side right there, in someone’s yard. They walked around Moscow with joy from end to end, congratulating them on the advent of the new year and the centennial century. The townspeople, quiet and God-fearing, lived these days in melancholy, afraid to even stick their heads out of the yard. It was not clear - why such fury? The devil, or something, whispered to the king to trouble the people, to break the old custom - the backbone of how they lived...
Even though they lived closely, but honestly, they saved a penny, they knew that this was so, but it was not so. Everything turned out bad, everything was not to his liking. Those who did not recognize kryzh and shchepoti gathered underground for all-night vigils. Again they whispered that they would only live until Pancake Day: from Saturday to Sunday the trumpet of the Last Judgment would sound...”
January 6 first in Russian history The “pro-Western” celebrations ended in Moscow with a religious procession to the Jordan. Contrary to the ancient custom, the tsar did not follow the clergy in rich vestments, but stood on the banks of the Moscow River in uniform, surrounded by the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments, dressed in green caftans and camisoles with gold buttons and braid.
The boyars and servants also did not escape the imperial attention - they were obliged to dress in Hungarian caftans and dress their wives in foreign dresses. For everyone it was a real torment - the established way of life for centuries was collapsing, and the new rules looked inconvenient and frightening.
This way of celebrating the New Year was repeated every winter, and gradually New Year trees, midnight cannon fire, and masquerades took root.
