Weekly “Arguments and facts” n ° 52. What to prepare for the New Year's table? 12/29/2021
On the question of the start date of the year, there is a ready answer: it is said, on December 20, 1699, the Tsar Peter I issued a decree numbered 1736, which introduced the chronology of the Nativity of Christ. Also, according to this decree, the New Year was supposed to be celebrated on the night of December 31 to January 1.
The answer is correct in its own way, but incomplete. It gives the impression that before Peter, in such an important matter as the beginning and the end of the annual cycle, we had a kind of desert. It is rarely remembered that Peter did not introduce a new holiday, but only moved his date to January 1.
We will try to fill this gap. New Year's traditions in our country are rich and varied, and the holiday itself managed to visit not only winter, but also autumn and spring. & Nbsp;
Perhaps the most venerable holiday date should be considered Winter Solstice: December 21-22. This night is special, it was traditionally celebrated by many peoples. For example, the Slavs' closest neighbors, the Germans, also celebrated the transition from long nights to long days. We called it & # 39; Kolyado & # 39;, the Germans called it & # 39; mdash; Christmas. It is curious that the Russian name almost exactly describes the general Slavic-Germanic custom. On the night of the solstice, it was supposed to mimic the actions of the Sun: they put out all the lights, then ignite the burgeoning flame. And the old fashioned way, using friction, spin a wooden spindle with an onion drill in the bridge. According to one version, “ kolyado '' & mdash; and there is the same bridge, that is, a stump, a log. By the way, the “Yule Log” can still be found at any European fair. Our people and the Germans preferred to see pork on the table that day. But the Slavs also made korovai. This is exactly how & mdash; bread, stylized as a cow's head, with horns. A magical rite was associated with it, which, as it was believed, provided bread and a well-nourished life in general. The elder of the clan hid behind a freshly baked cow and asked, 'Can you see me?' This was followed by the response: “ We can't see, Grandpa, where are you? & # 39; & # 39; He straightened up and said, 'So you don't see me next year!' The holiday lasted until the adoption of Christianity in 988. However, some traditions were passed down at Christmas and Christmas.
With the adoption of Christianity, a new style of calendar was adopted, going back to the Roman Republican calendar, according to which the New Year came on March 1. It was a very successful innovation, because spring is traditionally very important for our people. For example, in the time of Alexander Nevsky to the question “ How old are you? '' only a boyar or an educated merchant could answer. The commoner just didn't understand what it was about. But to the question “ On which spring did you go? '' followed by a super-fast response. “ At the tenth & # 39; & # 39 ;, & mdash; ten year old, for example. Now of this holiday, which recalls the importance of spring in the old calendar, the word “Pair” remains. And yet another funny New Year's refrain, which is sure to confuse our contemporaries: “ I sow, I blow, I sow, Happy New Year, congratulations! '' What other sowing season for the New Year, in the middle of winter?
The trick is, this chorus came to us from those times when the New Year was celebrated in the spring, hoping for good weather and a new harvest. The holiday itself was called Avsen, and those who celebrated it were supposed to sing ritual-avsenki songs. Citing them is not worth it, as the aids were designed to glorify fertility and procreation & mdash; all in the correct terminology, which is now rightly considered indecent. Also, the Avsenki didn't sing, but shouted & mdash; with a scream and a flood.
This continued until 1492, when Prince Ivan III the Great married to the Byzantine Princess Sophia Palaiologos , made a reform of the calendar in the Byzantine manner. In the Eastern Roman Empire, it was customary to celebrate the New Year on September 1. In Russia, the holiday took root: later, after the establishment of the Patriarchate, the 'New Summer Action', or the 'Summer Rite of Passage & # 39; & # 39; was even created. The feast is magnificent and solemn, with the participation of the Tsar and the Patriarch, so that everyone can see the symphony of secular and spiritual power. Between Matins and Mass, the Tsar and Patriarch walked to Ivanovskaya Square in the Kremlin to the sound of bells, where a solemn prayer service was served. After the prayer service, congratulations were exchanged, first between the Tsar and the Patriarch, and then & mdash; between the Tsar and the Boyars, then the Tsar congratulated everyone, and the whole place congratulated the Tsar in response. The celebration ended with the distribution of gifts. Relatives had pies and food, and ordinary participants & mdash; alms money. The official part of the party ended there, and the festivities have begun. They were, however, of a very godly character. Since the New Year marked first and foremost the start of a new ecclesiastical year, it was considered correct not only to attend all divine services and to congratulate the elders of the family, but also of the elders of the family. help the orphan, the poor and the poor. So, on September 1, an incredible variety of gifts were distributed. It is a custom that is still very much alive.
Well September 1 was replaced by King Carpenter Order January 1. The holiday is decidedly secular, which, by the way, is confirmed by its origin. It also dates back to the time of ancient Rome. There, for a long time, the start of the new year was also timed to coincide with spring. More precisely & mdash; in the Ides of March. However, in 153 BC. e. the date has been moved to January 1 & mdash; on the day of entry into office of elected consuls. Julius Caesar finally approved the date of the New Year, after carrying out the corresponding reform: the calendar from 46 BC. e. called Julien. European countries didn't go there right away and not all: it only started with the onset of increased interest in ancient heritage. That is, from the High Renaissance era: the first quarter of the 16th century. The Republic of Venice became a pioneer in 1522. Little by little the Holy Roman Empire, Portugal, Sweden and Poland followed … But if anyone thinks that Russia is somewhere in the last places in this series, then he's wrong. . In England and Ireland, New Years celebrations on January 1 began more than half a century later than here: in 1752