International holidays - Old New Year (Orthodox New Year) congratulate →

On the night of January 13-14, the Old New Year comes to us This is a unique holiday, resulting from the change of calendars, Gregorian and Julian, a rare historical phenomenon The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year in Russia appeared in 1918, during the Bolsheviks’ attempts to abolish the 13 days of the old style However, the Russian Orthodox Church opposed this and refused to switch to the new calendar of revolutionaries who deny the faith At first it was a holiday of Christian believers, but now it has become the favorite holiday of most Russians Statistics say that this night is already celebrated by more than 60% of compatriots The Old New Year carries a special harmony and peace, in contrast to the noisy and bright, splashing with fun, the usual New Year's Eve The holiday traditions are quieter and more family-based Most people prefer to stay at home this night and pay attention to their household, especially since the special customs of this evening are gradually returning to our lives So earlier this day was Vasilyev's day and was celebrated on January 1, and then it shifted And on Vasily’s day they always prepared a rich meal of pork, since Vasily was the patron saint of the owners of pig farms It was believed that on this day it was necessary to treat as many people as possible to a pig dish, then life would be full for the next year One of the recently returned traditions is the preparation of morning porridge, most often buckwheat To do this, the husband went to fetch water in the morning, and the wife began sorting and preparing the cereal for porridge Then the water and cereal were left untouched until the oven (in our time - the oven) was hot, and only then the hostess sent the dish behind the damper During the cooking process, it was forbidden to touch the dish Then the whole family gathered at the table and looked at the prepared porridge If the dish became fragrant and the grain crumbly, it was a good sign that promised well-being for the whole year Then the porridge was put on plates and eaten immediately But when the cereal burned or crawled out of the pot, or the dishes themselves burst in the oven, then they threw the porridge away and prepared for big troubles On the Old New Year, in some regions of Russia they caroled, chanting each family member individually in their verses In some places, fortune telling was especially believed for this night The Church has never encouraged fortune-telling, but the Old New Year falls on Christmastide (holy nights from Christmas), and traditional Yuletide fortune-telling has come down to us from time immemorial On the night of January 13-14, many gardeners pay especially close attention to the weather Frost - for a good honey harvest, stars - for a harvest of berries, the east wind promised an abundance of fruits The Old New Year is not a day off, but most Russians are waiting for this holiday and preparing for it