Celebration of the New Year in the USSR. New Year's feast. Soviet New Year

From 1918 to 1935 the New Year was not official public holiday in In the first decades of the Soviet Union, the holiday was considered more like a “family holiday”. For the first time, the holiday was officially celebrated only at the end of 1936. The state decided to celebrate the New Year, but January 1 remained a working day.

1941 Hall of Columns Union houses. Soviet New Year, new year in the USSR, how they prepared, holiday, USSR 1942,

A group of scouts of the Western Front is celebrating the New Year.

The famous photographer Emmanuil Evzerikhin captured his family at the Christmas tree, 1954.

It was only after the war that the traditions of celebrating the New Year in the USSR began to really take shape. began to appear Christmas decorations: at the beginning very “modest” - made of paper, cotton wool and other materials, later - beautiful, bright, made glass and similar to Christmas tree decorations of pre-revolutionary times.

Of course, the toys could not avoid Soviet symbols - Christmas trees were decorated with all kinds of scarlet stars, airships and images of pioneers and octobers.

New Year in the USSR was the most favorite holiday. Older people still remember him with nostalgia.

After all, it was not just a holiday - it was rare opportunity try unusual dishes, get some new thing as a gift and, finally, just chat with friends!

Even the Secretary General's New Year's televised address "on behalf of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Soviet government" was perceived only as a prelude to the chiming clock announcing the New Year.

New Year in the USSR was a very noisy and massive holiday. Everyone went in crowds to visit each other, congratulated, joked and had fun. At least that was the case in the 60s and 70s.

The role of the ritual New Year's comedy, which was shown on the evening of December 31 before the speech of the Secretary General, was played by the science fiction film "This Jolly Planet" or the musical comedy "Straw Hat", which was supplanted in the late 70s by "The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!".

By the way, millions of people in the USSR watched The Irony of Fate, but no one ever paid attention to a typo in the opening credits. At the very beginning of the movie there is short text: “A completely atypical story that could only happen EXCLUSIVELY in new year's eve... "How many editors, as well as millions of viewers, have already looked at it - it is not known. But the fact, as they say, is obvious.

After the "Irony" there was a short pause, the adults rushed to the table and began to pour champagne into their glasses and glasses - they saw off old year. Then the general secretary would appear on the TV screen and say something befitting the occasion. With the beginning of the chiming clock, everyone yelled “Hurrah”, clinked glasses, and then the fun began: some danced, others watched the Blue Light, in which the entire color of the Soviet stage was involved.

He walked until about three o'clock in the morning. In the 70s, such monsters of satire as Khazanov with his eternal student of the "culinary college", Avdotya Nikitichna and Veronika Mavrikievna and, of course, Arkady Raikin were especially appreciated in the 70s.

Of the singers, they loved Sofia Rotaru, Alla Pugacheva, Lev Leshchenko, Muslim Magomayev and Sergei Zakharov. The latter was imprisoned in 1975 for fighting and was replaced by Renat Ibragimov.

After the "Blue Light" with the traditional timpani, "Melodies and rhythms of foreign pop music" began. ABBA and Smokie performed there. They were also watched, but not by everyone, but only by those who were still able to.

New Year in the USSR was also celebrated at enterprises. During lunch breaks, snowflakes were cut out in the workshops, pasted on glass and rehearsed New Year's program. The leaders of the trade union agreed with the administration on the venue festive evening, and those responsible for the New Year's table bought food. Artists started painting New Year's wall newspaper and in parallel with it, posters to decorate the hall. The upbeat atmosphere created a festive mood.

Colleagues agreed in advance who was sitting with whom, and were ready to join the fight for an extra bottle of champagne in an amateur competition between tables.

At the factory evening, artists of the homegrown VIA, amateur singers, Ded Moroz and Snegurochka usually performed. The latter were also chosen from their team.

On December 31, Father Frost and Snegurochka usually went to all departments, congratulated colleagues, handed gifts to activists from the trade union. The matter was not easy. No wonder that by the end of such a promenade, Father Frost's tongue began to weave. But no one scolded him.

And yet, without any doubt, the New Year in the USSR was a holiday for children. For many who lived at that time, the most vivid childhood impressions are connected precisely with the New Year. For children, the New Year began on December 31st. With this in the USSR it was strict. December 31 was the first day of vacation in schools, and for adults it was a regular working day.

Children's Christmas trees in the USSR were as traditional as Olivier salad and tangerines.

In kindergarten, the New Year is a mandatory demonstration performance in the costumes of bears, bunnies, snowflakes and astronauts in front of parents.

For schoolchildren - theatrical performances. They were held from mid-December to mid-January in city recreation centers. The level of performances depended on which artists the organizers managed to find, but the main pleasure from visiting the Christmas tree was gifts - confectionery sets packed in elegant cardboard boxes.

The best and main Christmas tree was the one that was held in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. Tickets for it were practically not available for free sale, but were distributed among enterprises, reaching managers and leaders of production. The level of performance at this Christmas tree was the highest, and the gifts were the richest.

Many people remember this holiday with nostalgia for the good old Soviet times. After all, as you celebrate the New Year, so you will spend it, this tradition remains with us regardless of the country in which we live. Happy New Year's Eve to you!

Was the New Year always a holiday in our country in Soviet times?

The best holiday

We now have a lot of holidays - both religious, and secular, and personal. But the only common holiday for everyone is the New Year. Almost everyone is getting ready to celebrate the New Year. Men thoroughly "inspect" the Christmas tree markets, choosing the most fluffy Christmas tree and, with a look of triumph, bring the "forest beauty" home. Women buy so much food that would be enough for modest wedding, and children can be called to order only by saying that Santa Claus naughty children does not give gifts. And all this pre-holiday fuss is filled with a premonition of happiness, miracle, fun. The phone does not stop, the intoxicating aromas of some kind of “signature” dish, prepared only once a year, are heard from the kitchen, champagne is cooled on the balcony, peacefully adjacent to the “basin” of Olivier and tangerines in the bag. And also - new clothes, hairstyles, gifts hidden until the time, sweets, sparklers. And we must have time to cook everything before eleven in the evening in order to spend the old year.

And with the first battle of the Chimes, having listened to the congratulations of the First Person of the country, open the Soviet champagne and drink with the last blow, having managed to make the most secret wish. And you can no longer fuss, exchange gifts, proclaim ingenious toasts and be completely sure that everything unpleasant is left in the past, and the future is bright and joyful, that everything will be as we wished for ourselves. The Christmas tree sparkles with lights, the table is bursting with dishes, celebrities congratulate us from the blue screen, and this holiday will continue for more than one day. Everyone has long been accustomed to such a celebration of the New Year, this scenario is from our Soviet past.
The history of the celebration of the New Year in Russia begins, perhaps, with the reign of Peter Alekseevich, a great lover of reforms and an adherent of the Western European way of life. Tsar Peter I ordered by his decree to celebrate the new year 1700 and new Age January 1, decorating homes with branches and trees of pine, spruce and juniper. So, 7208 from the creation of the world was replaced by 1700 from the Nativity of Christ. IN tsarist Russia It was customary to decorate Christmas trees only in noble, landowner houses. The peasants did not celebrate the New Year, only Christmas and the Christmas holidays that followed before Epiphany.

Telling her daughter about her childhood, about how they celebrated the New Year, she was surprised. She does not know the meaning of many words: “deficit”, “throw away goods”, “grocery set”, “New Year’s order”, “communal apartment”, “apartment with shared accommodation”, “kitchen gatherings”, “breeches” ...

feast

In my childhood, the New Year began to prepare for a month and a half. Shop visits increased in the hope that throw away scarce goods. If it was manufactured goods, then it went to gifts, if foodstuffs, then to festive table. scarce Everything was considered imported. As for products, almost everything was in short supply, except for sprats in tomato and tomato juice. To snip off a can of squid or sardines was considered great luck. The queue was engaged, a call was immediately made to the grandmother, who, despite sciatica and gout, cheerfully ran to help. The goods were given out limitedly in one hand. Therefore, the more "hands", the richer the New Year's table.

What was obtained in the queues was put in the refrigerator on the farthest shelf with the words: “This is for the New Year!” It never occurred to anyone to open a can of sprat before the appointed time.

Once my mother snatched four kilograms of tangerines somewhere and put them in a bowl, sternly reminding: "For the New Year." When I was young, I disobeyed my mother and stole a few tangerines. I ate them on the sly, and my conscience painfully ate me. It was embarrassing. citrus smell, which filled the five-meter kitchenette, turned his head. Since then, the New Year has been associated not with a Christmas tree and the smell of pine needles, but with a citrus aroma.

Looking forward to work distribution New Year's orders. They might not be for everyone. It included canned fish, a jar of green peas, if you're lucky, then a jar of caviar, a box chocolates, a stick of smoked sausage and a bottle of champagne.

In the summer, we also did not forget about the upcoming New Year's feast. Several jars of canned fruits and vegetables in a special way were marked and stipulated: “For the New Year,” although these pickled cucumbers and pickled mushrooms were no different from the rest of the jars.

Since the food packages were almost standard, the menu of New Year's feasts did not differ in special delights. Classics of the genre: Olivier salad, herring under a fur coat, jellied fish with lemon and carrots, jelly ... From hot: meat with mayonnaise, chicken on a bottle ... From alcohol: Soviet Champagne, Stolichnaya vodka, Pinocchio sparkling water, compotes and fruit drinks home cooking. If there was not enough sweet drink, the jam was diluted with water.

As new year gift products could serve for relatives: a jar of pineapples, canned Bulgarian tomatoes, tea “with an elephant”, marmalade lemon slices ...

The New Year was necessarily celebrated in the presence of a TV with an annual wish from the head of state. Under the "Blue Light" was the long-awaited gluttony. Then a moment came when I wanted to exclaim: “Everyone in the garden! Everyone to the garden! The company was heading outside for a breath of fresh air.

A significant part of the population continued to live in communal apartments, where each family had 1-2 rooms, and the toilet and bathroom were common areas. Improved version - shared apartment- this is when one neighbor.

On New Year's Eve, having put the children to bed, the adults moved to friends - neighbors living in a separate apartment. There was a night migration of guests from apartment to apartment, it was necessary to have a drink with everyone and talk “for life”.

And the next day - to work.

Christmas tree

The population of the country was divided into more affluent and less affluent. My family belonged to the second group. Therefore, there was no carpet, crystal and plastic Christmas tree in the house. We dressed up the living.

A live Christmas tree had to be "caught" at the Christmas tree market. I had to freeze in queues from the very early morning.

The Christmas tree was placed in a bucket of wet sand, decorated with cotton wool. A bucket of sand was stored all year on the balcony.

Nearby they put a paper-cotton figure of Santa Claus with an open bag (I wonder what is there) and the Snow Maiden.

The Christmas tree was decorated not only glass balls and garlands, but also, tangerines and sweets. Only caramels survived until the New Year, chocolate ones were eaten before the celebration.

My favorite Christmas decorations were fruit and vegetable figurines: a bright glossy banana, a pimply cucumber, a plump tomato, a saber-shaped red pepper…

The gifts that the children found under the Christmas tree were the usual trivial things: a set of colored pencils, a sweater, a designer ... The gift that I was truly delighted with and which I still remember in detail is a colorful folder with nine books about the pioneers - heroes.

Holidays

From New Year's entertainment"Christmas trees" (theatrical performances with obligatory) and outdoor walks were available.

At work, parents were given free tickets for children's New Year's performances passing in DC. At large enterprises, Christmas trees were held free of charge for the children of employees - with Santa Claus, the Snow Maiden, a round dance, holiday concert and a sweet gift in a cardboard box.

Once in class, I came out the winner: during the winter holidays I visited as many as four Christmas trees!

Most of the time was spent outdoors. In each yard there is a playground or a flooded skating rink. All city slopes are rolled to ice by a gang of children. It was considered special chic to ride on a cardboard box or stand on your feet.

They came home wet to their shorts. The standard clothing was: a rabbit hat with earflaps, a batting coat with a zigey collar, tights and breeches (woolen leggings). The preschool children were dressed in overcoats knitted hat with a cotton scarf, fleece pants and felt boots.

They played Cossack robbers and hide and seek. Fearlessly ran around what is now called the "industrial zone". They climbed onto roofs, descended into cellars, built headquarters, searched for treasures, dug snow holes...

Our parents did not know exactly where we were spending our time, and it never occurred to us that something might happen to us and that something should be feared. Nearby was a military unit, residential barracks, workers' hostels.

At school for a period winter holidays camp was set up. There they fed deliciously and released on Fresh air. We dispersed around the area adjacent to the school.

Available school entertainment included a TV in the history room, a noisy gymnasium with a volleyball net, and frighteningly empty hide-and-seek recreation areas.

TV

TV was rarely watched because there was nothing to watch. Two channels. Cartoons for twenty-five minutes at the weekend and thirty minutes during the winter holidays.

Weather

Even the weather in the USSR was different. My grandfather had a birthday on November 14, and we went to visit him. There was always a lot of snow that day and it was very cold. For all - wadded coats and hats, boots with fur. Otherwise, you will freeze.

Not so much time has passed by universal standards, but how the world has changed!

The celebration of the New Year and Christmas was canceled after the revolution of 1917, it was forbidden to put up Christmas trees. In the mid-1930s, the authorities again allowed to put up a Christmas tree, but not for Christmas, but for the New Year, and instead of the eight-pointed Star of Bethlehem, it was crowned with a five-pointed Kremlin one. And January 1 became an official day off after the war, in 1948 (note by the editors of Maternity).

In the past, as usual, the grass was greener, and the ice cream was tastier, and the country was united, great and powerful ... The past does not return, but you can briefly plunge into the special atmosphere of the past during a party organized in the style of the USSR.

The times of the Soviet Union are alive in the memory of not yet elderly people, and the young will gladly plunge into the romance of the past decades.

Old times, as a rule, are remembered only by good ones, and these memories should be revived. The attributes and special spirit of the Soviet Union, recreated for the duration of the celebration, is not just a theme party, but, one might say, a kind of “reconstruction”. Let nostalgia for the “good old days” blossom on it, the connection between generations is strengthened and a good and bright mood simply reigns!

What and where can be noted in the style of the USSR?

USSR-style will be appropriate for any celebration:

• name day of a person born in the Soviet Union;
• company party on the occasion of February 23, May 1, March 8;
• new year party;
• corporate celebration, for example, the anniversary of the company;
• alumni meeting;
• professional holiday (Day of the builder, metallurgist or accountant);
• and, of course, on anniversaries, starting from the new five-year plan in the life of the family and ending with memorable dates in the life of any person for whom the abbreviation "USSR" has a special meaning.

For the celebration, you can adapt almost any room. It is quite acceptable to organize a party in an apartment, it is not so difficult and does not require large expenses, we will show you how to do it as simply and efficiently as possible. An office space is also suitable for this.

If you are planning a cafe or a restaurant, you will find yourself closer to the revived era if you choose those located in the buildings of the 70-80s, but you can easily give originality to any interior yourself. Great option- a summer playground or a celebration in the bosom of nature: you can recreate the atmosphere of a pioneer camp or a subbotnik!

We invite guests

The very first thing that needs to be done when preparing any holiday is to make and hand out invitations. After all, a dress code is required at a themed party, and guests will need time to prepare a costume. Therefore, it is better if they are aware of the time, place and theme of the holiday in 1-2 weeks.

Of course, the style of the celebration should be reflected in the invitation. Let's suggest a few interesting options its design:

1. Soviet postcard. Many houses still have elements of children's collections. Write the text of the invitation with an ink pen or imitate a typewriter font.
2. Telegram blank. A sample can also be found on the web. Another option is to print the letters on yellowish wrapping paper, cut them out in the form of ribbons and stick them inside the postcards (this is how congratulatory telegrams came to the USSR).
3. Membership card. One of the most respected documents of that era. Presenting such a document at the entrance - what could be more prestigious! Except that mandate of the deputy of the Supreme Council.
4. Diploma. It will be fun and unusual to give such an invitation to the "Honored Guest" or "Excellent Party Fun Party".
5. Poster. Soviet posters are a very recognizable attribute of the era, so you should find a suitable sample on the Internet and reduce it to the size of a postcard. And if in Photoshop you insert a photo of your guest in place of the hero depicted on the poster, then he will leave your invitation as a keepsake as a souvenir and will proudly show it to his friends!
6. Soviet invitation card. It was possible to get to the most interesting events in the USSR only by nominal invitations. So make such a ticket: use red, the coat of arms of the USSR, images in a recognizable style (all the same postcards will serve as samples), a sweeping painting and a government seal.

Formulating the text, remember the expressions of the past era: “Dear comrade (name)! We invite you to take part in the solemn meeting on the occasion of (specify the occasion). The dress code is dress code. Please come without delay. Committee of organizers of the solemn holiday.

70 years, so different...

The era of the USSR lasted 70 years, which included several different times that differed in their originality: for example, the New Economic Policy, the time of dudes, the post-war industrial boom, the 80s with their famous Olympics, etc. Of course, you can choose to celebrate a specific era with all its features and subtleties. This will be especially appropriate when celebrating an anniversary, in order to remind the birthday man of the times of his youth or childhood.

And you can not delve into the subtleties historical reconstruction and create a cheerful festive "mix", which will be called simply "USSR style", in this case, it will be easier for the owner to choose attributes, and for guests - costumes.

What might be needed to organize such a holiday? Go through the attic of your grandmother's house, the mezzanine of the old closet, visit the former school: all of a sudden, somewhere in the pantry there are decommissioned pioneer personal belongings and outdated maps of the country that has changed its borders.

You may find it useful:

• old Soviet newspapers and magazines;
• toys of that time - dolls, cars, bears, bunnies;
• glass bottles from kefir, Soviet champagne;
• labels, wrappers, pictures, etc.;
• Soviet money or their imitation;
• any pioneer attributes - a tie, bandage, bugle, drum, pennant;
• retro things: a lamp with a lampshade, a decanter with faceted glasses, a gramophone or record receiver, a cassette or reel-to-reel tape recorder, an abacus.

Welcome! Wipe your feet

In order to transform the room and give it a resemblance to the chosen era, first decide what exactly it will depict: a hall for party meetings, a Soviet apartment, or maybe a working canteen for Komsomol explorers of virgin lands? This is not mandatory, it is quite possible to simply adhere to the general style directions and decorate the room in a festive way, but in accordance with the theme.

At the entrance put a rug with a caring inscription “Wipe your feet”, and hang a sign “Wardrobe” on a hanger (and the numbers that you give out to guests can serve as a prank for forfeits).

Table. The main color of the holiday will, of course, be red, but be careful not to overdo it, because in in large numbers this color is stressful. You can set a large table with a red tablecloth, fringed tablecloths are also suitable. Place a vase of wildflowers and a water carafe with glasses on each table.

Walls they must be decorated with posters: after all, at that time not a single room could do without them. Choose bright ones that are suitable in meaning: for example, “Man to man is a friend, comrade and brother”, “I have friends everywhere”, etc.

You can play with Photoshop and change them a little. You can also hang printed portraits of party and government members or famous singers and film actors on the walls. A banner made of red fabric with white letters with some slogan suitable for the occasion of the holiday will look beautiful, “Peace to the world” will be universal. The map of the USSR with the coats of arms of all the union republics will immediately give a "thematic" effect.

"Hall of Fame" will gather guests around for a long time, because it will have their photographs (preferably black and white) with flattering individualized signatures, for example, “Forefront of production”, “Excellent worker-activist”, “Mentor and teacher”, “Pocheiny link”, “Noble grain grower ", "Hero of Labor".

Other accessories.Everything that you can find to add color to the room should take the appropriate place. Fold a stack of newspapers on coffee table: surely one of the guests will want to take a break from the general fuss and look through the Literary Newspaper or the Collective Farm Woman. You can also put a lotto set and a chessboard there.

Put a lamp with a lampshade on a bedside table or hang it above the table. Place Soviet dolls and bears on the back of the sofa. Hang a grocery bag with a can of sprat in tomato on each chair, green peas and a bottle of lemonade or Zhigulevsky - they can be presented to guests as souvenirs. Don't forget about the red banner - hoist it on a stand in the center of the room or in the "red corner".

Watch this video, where the hostess of the celebration shows how she decorated the room for a party in the USSR style.

If you are making out new year celebration, look for glass toys for the Christmas tree or make decorations yourself, and a red star is simply needed for the top.

Festive set or why there was everything on the table that was not in stores

You can approach the issue from two sides: serve popular dishes of the Soviet era or stylize and decorate any modern treats. Both ways are good in their own way, both will create the necessary atmosphere at the table.

If you choose the first path, then put on the table:

• salad "Olivier";
• herring under a fur coat;
• jellied fish;
• boiled potatoes with dill;
• dishes with sliced ​​​​cervelata;
• pickled cucumbers;
• canned fish salad;
• sprats, sprats in tomato;
• processed cheese "Druzhba";
• sandwiches with zucchini caviar (if the table is set "in a rich way", then it is possible with red and black, just do not spread it over a slice, but put it in a small slide);
• the Kiev's cutlets.

For dessert, cakes "Bird's Milk", "Log", "Fairy Tale", cakes "Baskets", "Eclairs" or "Tubules with protein cream", chocolate "Alenka" are suitable.

As a drink - lemonade in glass bottles(look for the Pinocchio or Duchess brands), homemade compote or juice in three-liter jars, from alcohol - Soviet Champagne, Russian or Stolichnaya vodka, five-star cognac, you can put a bottle of fruit and berry wine for lovers. If you do not find rarities, print and re-glue the labels.

Any familiar dishes will acquire style if they are served in an original way, for example, cut decorative red stars from tomatoes to decorate sandwiches or put a scarlet bell pepper banner on a toothpick on a salad. Or you can download flags, cut and fasten on toothpicks or skewers ..

If you prefer the format of a buffet table, decorate it in the style of a Soviet buffet, it is desirable that there is also a barmaid in a white headdress behind the counter.

Who to be? Choose an image

Of course, for such a holiday you need to reincarnate yourself. We have already agreed that it is not necessary to strictly adhere to one exact time for choosing a suit. In the Soviet era, there were many recognizable images and colorful characters that can be embodied as a model.

Home owner or host. This role is the main one, so the image of a party leader (you can choose a specific person!) or a host of some important event (such as Comrade Ogurtsov from Carnival Night) would be appropriate. For women fit the image of a counselor, a teacher, an athlete-Komsomol member.

Guest pictures. Show your imagination or just ask older relatives and ask them to lend you the things that were popular at that time.

Depending on the chosen image, you can become:

• dude: trousers-pipes or bell-bottoms and bright jackets for men, puffy dresses polka dots for girls.
• schoolboy or schoolgirl. The famous brown dress with an apron for girls (white bows and knee socks are required!), White shirt with blue or black trousers for boys.
• pioneer (pioneer). The pioneer uniform, unlike the school uniform, provided for a blue bottom and a white top, and, of course, a pioneer tie; you can complement the costume with a cap and an armband;
• worker and collective farmer. The proletarians came to the holidays dressed up, in light shirts (you can roll up the sleeves), sometimes in jackets with leather patches on the elbows. Pants can be quite short. Work overalls are colorful, of course, but it's up to you to decide whether they are appropriate for the holiday. The girl needs a blouse with a flower or polka dots, a plain six-piece skirt and a bright scarf tied under the pigtails.
• Komsomol / Komsomol member. A leather jacket for both sexes, for a woman a red skirt and a scarf. A Komsomol badge is required.
• fashionable student / student of the late 80s- girls master colored leggings (“dolchiki”), and young men conjure in the kitchen, making self-made “dumplings”, because where do poor students get money for “branded jeans”?
• sportsman. Suit for men: in those days, most were fond of sports, so they could often be found in tracksuit(on the way to training or back), many wore blue Adidas sweatpants at home.
• Soviet citizens. Here the scope for imagination is simply immense. For inspiration, revisit Soviet films where the characters are celebrating something: the same “Carnival Night”, “Magicians”, “Enjoy Your Bath”, “This Merry Planet” and others. And you will get pleasure, and you will draw ideas!

For girls, in addition to the costume, hairstyle and makeup are of great importance.

For images of young pioneers and schoolgirls, ponytails or pigtails with bows are suitable. The peak of fashion was the "palm tree" - high tail, decorated with several rubber bands at once. The matured Soviet girls did a perm-perm, and they also had very popular bouffants. For the holiday, bright makeup is appropriate with clear black arrows on the eyelids, well-blackened eyelashes and a blush on the cheekbones.

Meeting with guests

It's better for guests to get into festive atmosphere right from the doorstep. Let the owner or hostess meet them already in character. You can organize the "registration" of guests: a signature in a special "registration book", which by the end of the evening will turn into a "book of wishes".

If the guest failed to comply with the dress code, a stern Komsomol member can suggest to him: “Comrade, you are out of shape!” and offer to choose for yourself one of the pre-prepared accessories for negligent guests (a scarlet armband with the inscription "Druzhinnik" or "On duty", a pioneer tie, cap, badge, etc.).

The holiday can begin with a solemn speech by the host. Compose it according to the model of Soviet speeches, but just do not drag it out. It is worth looking on the Web for samples of speeches by state leaders and stocking up on “delicious” quotes like “The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Council of Ministers of the USSR inform the party and the entire Soviet people with a feeling of deep joy ...” In general, “You are on the right path , comrades!

Here again we recall the principle that we decided to adhere to at the beginning: we mix both the original amusements of that era, and modern competitions, adapted and stylized to the chosen theme.

How did the Soviet people have fun when they got together for the holidays?

• sang to the guitar;
• they played charades, burime or "typography" - games related to words, because it was not for nothing that the inhabitants of the USSR were considered the most reading nation;
• danced to a tape recorder;
• participated in various competitions invented by mass-entertainers (that was the name of the animators).

You can modernize these entertainments a bit, as well as add other games and contests to them, colored with the appropriate surroundings.

For winning the competition, give the winners incentive prizes-souvenirs (magnets with the symbols of the USSR, pencils, notepads, etc.) goods of the USSR will serve: a can of sprat in a tomato, a roll of scarce toilet paper, magazine "Worker", etc.

We offer you several options that will help push your imagination and quickly and easily solve the issue of the holiday program.

Karaoke - a win-win entertainment, which is usually to the taste of most guests. Pick up a repertoire of your parents' favorite movies: "The Adventures of Electronics", "Merry Fellows", " Love affair at work", etc. If you want to really have fun, use the musical motives of popular Soviet cartoons: " The Bremen Town Musicians”, “On the road with clouds”, “The Adventures of Leopold the Cat”. And you can pay tribute to the pioneer past and perform “Fly up the bonfires, blue nights” or “Our locomotive, fly forward”.

For example:

I am a part of the banner
Scarlet three ends
Once put on - carry me,
Don't lose face! (Pioneer tie).

hole bag,
In general, decent
Very comfortable and environmentally friendly! (String bag).

You will find this blue wardrobe everywhere.
If you need fresh water
Threw a penny - and drink your water,
Well, for three he will pour cream soda! (Soda water machine).

Quiz

For an intelligent audience, you can set interesting questions about the USSR:

• How many republics were in the USSR? (15). And in 1924? (6)
• Whose name did the pioneer organization bear before it became Lenin's? (Spartacus).
• What was the name of the Soviet morning Sunday program for children? ("Alarm").
• What about the daily radio program for schoolchildren? (Pioneer Dawn).
• What could be bought in the USSR for 1 kopeck? (A box of matches, a glass of soda, 2 envelopes without stamps, a simple pencil, a sheet of paper, a metal pen for writing, 1 cigarette, a sewing needle, a piece of chalk, the simplest notebook, a paper bookmark for books ...)

The quiz can be supplemented with a competition for knowledge of Soviet advertisements. Questions and answers can be viewed.

Competitions

“Competition is the creativity of the masses,” as the great leader said. Various competitions, especially socialist ones, were very popular with the Soviet people.

So arrange a competition on any topic you like:

• who will quickly tie a pioneer tie (you can do it for yourself, but you can do it for a friend!);
• who remembers more catchphrases from Soviet films (think for a long time - you drop out, there is only one winner!);
• who will quickly fold the Rubik's Cube or the "Snake" (if you find enough props);
• who is better at making a cap for a construction team from a sheet of Pravda;
• relay race "collect a string bag", etc.!

Who said that?

• “You can, of course, teach a hare to smoke! But, in principle, nothing is impossible. For a person. With Intelligence! - Secretary Verochka from Office Romance.
• “At 40, life is just beginning. Now I know for sure!” - the main character of the film "Moscow does not believe in tears."
• “I demand the continuation of the banquet! - Ivan Bunsha ("Ivan Vasilyevich is changing his profession").
• “What a disgusting thing - this is your aspic fish!” - Hippolyte ("Enjoy Your Bath").
• "Sorry for the bird!" - Shurik, "Prisoner of the Caucasus".
• Can go on for a long time...

Price nostalgia or who remembers how much a sausage cost at 2.20?

The host shows the product, and the participants try to guess how much it cost in Soviet times. Whose version turned out to be closer to the truth, he gets the goods!

• Pie with cabbage, potatoes, onion-egg - 4 kopecks.
• Cake "Potato" - 22 kopecks.
• Baby soap - 14 kopecks.
• Balloon - 3 kopecks.
• Cologne "Russian Forest" - 1 p. 20 kop.

If you find other items, Soviet prices for them can always be checked on the Internet.

New life for old abbreviations

Give participants cards with Soviet abbreviations written on them. Offer to come up with a new transcript related to the hero of the occasion, for example, CPSU - Handsome Guy Seryoga Super, VDNKh - Friends We Met Good.

Ready set of abbreviations: KPSS, VLKSM, VDNKh, TASS, DOSAAF, TRP, CMEA, VChK, RSDLP, VTsSPS, MTS, RKKA.

Outdoor games

They are best held for a younger audience, especially if the format of the meeting is “ open air". So, Soviet girls adored jump ropes and "rubber bands": it is worth remembering and trying "both with a run, and in place, and with two legs together!"

Movable relay races will add fun, for example, “waste paper collection” - while the music is playing, you need to pick up as many newspapers as possible (previously scattered); the music has died down - tie them in a bundle and run to the "reception point"! Whose pack is heavier? Who is first?

Disco or "dancing"?

In the USSR, both options were used, and this, of course, is an integral part of the party. Let the guests dance to the melodies of VIA "Earthlings", "Verasy", "Pesnyary", to the early songs of Pugacheva and Rotaru. The compositions of "Tender May", "Combinations", "Secret", "Bravo" and other disco will add sweet retro nostalgia to the evening.

Nice end to the party

To make the finale worthy of the whole holiday, think it over in advance. After the dance, when the guests are tired enough from all the entertainment, you need something calm, soothing, summing up the evening. Maybe each guest will make an entry in the “Complaints and Suggestions” book (remember, at the beginning of the evening it was the “Registration Book”?) The final solemn speech party leader or host. It will be interesting to present gifts at the end of the evening, for example, pre-prepared pennants with comic inscriptions “Drummer of dance labor”, “Excellent student of competitions”, “For the most original hairstyle- forward to new achievements! etc.

If the celebration takes place in nature, a pioneer bonfire will be a great finale.

Parties in the style of the USSR are gaining popularity, because any past is fraught with inexplicable attraction and romance. Please yourself and your guests, because to prepare for such a party, thanks to our detailed recommendations, it will be very easy!

If you haven't decided which idea to go with yet, the video below will convince you that a USSR themed party is a great idea!

Today it is very fashionable to arrange theme parties. We invite you to plunge into the past and spend new year in the style of the USSR. We will tell a story, show a photo, offer a script and a menu, select clothes and fun contests.

Before arranging new year in the style of the USSR, you need to remember the history, how it was, how it all began.

New Year in the style of the USSR: history

The New Year in the USSR was somewhat different than today, more general. If you had the opportunity on New Year's Eve to visit several hundred apartments scattered throughout the Union, you would be amazed at how the holiday is celebrated in the same way everywhere. Everyone who remembers how the New Year was celebrated in the USSR knows this atmosphere of a general holiday, the smell of tangerines on the balcony, optimistic TV programs, Olivier salad and chocolates on Christmas trees.

Officially, the tradition of celebrating the New Year was returned to Soviet citizens only in 1935, and became widespread only 20 years later. After all, January 1 became a day off only in 1947, and only then did the inhabitants of the USSR have the opportunity to properly celebrate on New Year's Eve. And since an indispensable attribute of any holiday in Soviet times there was a rich table, most of the citizens of the Soviet Union began to really celebrate only when the card system was finally abolished, and a sufficient amount of food appeared in stores and - New Year's food packages!

Besides, new year in the USSR, in fact, a city holiday. It is understandable: for a village dweller that December 31, that January 1 is nothing from others winter days they do not differ. From the performance of compulsory daily rural work, if it was possible to refuse, then in no way for the sake of annual holiday- but only on a much rarer occasion, for example, for the sake of a wedding or the birth of a child.

So talk about Soviet tradition New Year celebrations have been possible only since the early 1960s, when the share of the urban population in the country exceeded that of the rural population. In addition, it was in the 60s, with the beginning of the Khrushchev “thaw”, that the right to private life and private holidays began not only to be recognized, but also included in the official ideology. And the flow of young professionals, who poured into the country's formerly purely rural areas to build new cities and factories, brought with them the urban tradition of celebrating the New Year.

New Year in the style of the USSR: traditions

The first main tradition - "Blue Light". Since 1964, it has become an annual New Year's show, and for twenty years, it was the songs and jokes from this TV show that accompanied the Soviet New Year's holiday.

The second tradition is the film "The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath". Eldar Ryazanov's comedy was not only strongly associated with the New Year's Eve (it was shown annually, only the start time of the show changed), but it itself served as the source of some traditions of decorating the house for the New Year.

New Year in the style of the USSR: menu

The third tradition was a grocery set for New Year's table- the so-called "order". Since the heyday of the nationwide celebration of the New Year fell in the mid-70s with their beginning shortages, the main source of products were “orders” that were issued at the place of work (by the way, such sets were issued almost exclusively in cities, which also worked to consolidate the image of the New year as a purely city holiday).

Traditionally, the “order” included one or two jars of sprats, a box of chocolates, a bottle of “Soviet champagne”, a loaf of boiled-smoked or raw smoked sausage, a pack of Indian tea “with an elephant”, “Lemon slices” and sometimes a jar of red caviar. At the same time, tangerines began to be perceived as a purely New Year's delicacy: the USSR received most of these fruits in the form of export deliveries from Morocco, where the main crop ripens in November-December.

New Year in the style of the USSR: photo

However, it is worth getting better: perhaps the earliest new year tradition- not new, but revived - it became a custom to put a live spruce in the house for the New Year. After the anti-religious campaign of the late 1920s and early 1930s, only in 1935 did the Soviet authorities again begin to promote this custom. Since Christmas trees were specially grown for sale, they were also in relative short supply, and therefore were bought at the first opportunity, and not in convenient time. A common picture, for example, in Moscow was people who, one and a half to two weeks before the New Year, were carrying Christmas trees tied with twine, bought on the occasion, to the metro.

And of course, the famous phrase can be attributed to the New Year traditions of the times of the USSR “Here is a gift (food, souvenirs, etc.), but this is for the New Year!” All the same total deficit taught Soviet citizens that they should not buy what they need on the eve of the holiday, but when the opportunity comes up, it’s better to let them lie down. Products were stored in the refrigerator or on the balcony, things - in cabinets or storage rooms, Christmas trees - hung outside the window or on the same balcony. Almost all family members knew what would be given to whom for the holiday, but this did not diminish their joy: the very opportunity to receive new thing!

New Year in the style of the USSR: how it was

… The final credits of “The Irony of Fate” are floating on the TV screen, champagne is sent to cool out of the window or in the refrigerator, vases with the indispensable Olivier salad are placed on the table (quickly, satisfying and almost without the use of scarce products!), “custom” sprats and sausage. A few minutes later the doorbell rings: the first guests have arrived. They must have brought with them a jar or two of salad for the New Year's table or homemade pies: a pooled table was also a Soviet New Year's tradition. As, in fact, the custom is to celebrate the New Year with a friendly company: few could boast of their own large apartment in those years, as well as the opportunity to set a rich table alone, so the holiday was celebrated in a wide friendly circle - it was both more convenient and easier.

After the feast, many companies went out into the street, going for a walk or just into the yard - to take a break from the feast between hot and sweet. Quite often, companies began to roam on different floors of the house: often high-rise buildings were departmental or owned by enterprises, and most residents knew each other well by name. joint work. Children usually went to bed by this time: although January was the time of the New Year's school holidays, the children were still not allowed to stay up late.

New Year in the style of the USSR: children's Christmas trees

Oh, yes, about schoolchildren!.. As traditional as Olivier and tangerines, there were New Year's "trees" - theatrical performances for schoolchildren, held from mid-December to mid-January in city recreation centers. The level of performances depended on which artists the organizers managed to find, but the main pleasure from visiting the Christmas tree was gifts - confectionery sets packed in elegant cardboard boxes. The best and main "Christmas tree" was considered the one that was held in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. Tickets for it were practically not available for free sale, but were distributed among enterprises, reaching managers and leaders of production. The level of the performance at this "Christmas tree" was the highest, and the gifts were the richest: every year new unique ones were made for them. plastic packaging, often representing approximate copies of the Kremlin towers.

But other "Christmas trees" pleased the children no less - primarily because of the gifts. By the way, often the children got only a part of the treats from the set, and the most best candies parents saved until New Year's Eve.

Probably, precisely because the New Year was the most common holiday in the USSR (except perhaps Victory Day, but it began to be celebrated only in 1965), people of the older generation still remember it with nostalgia. Those who were schoolchildren during the late stagnation remember well the joyful foreboding that filled New Year's Eve.

After all, it was not just a holiday - it was also an opportunity to try dishes that are rare on other days, get some new thing as a gift, and finally, just chat with friends without any political overtones - not like May 1 or November 7! Even the New Year's televised address by Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev or "on behalf of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Soviet government" was perceived only as a preface to the chiming clock, announcing the onset of midnight - and the New Year, the most desired and free holiday ...

New Year in the style of the USSR: instructions for execution

1. Invitations to the New Year's party in the style of the USSR

Pick up pictures with Soviet symbols and make a collage. IN in a small size, it is suitable as an invitation, but if you make it bigger, then it will already be a decoration of the room.

2. Meeting guests at a New Year's party in the style of the USSR

A solemn meeting can be organized, for example, in the costume of the leader of all times and peoples, in the form of a pioneer leader. This will immediately fill the space with positive energy.

Especially if the role is played with talent, with an imitation of the voice of the chosen hero, with appropriate stamped slogans to bravura music.

Feature of the evening - a book for registering guests. IN At the end of the event, you can leave your positive feedback here.

3. New Year in the style of the USSR: room decoration

Decorating a room for a theme party is not so difficult, because there are still plenty of items from the times of the USSR gathering dust in the far corners of mezzanines and pantries.
So, we cover the preferably round table with a red tablecloth, put a decanter with faceted glasses. Place under glasses or goblets soviet postcards. We decorate the walls with posters with slogans typical of that time, portraits of members of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Politburo, and red banners.

You can hang a fringed lampshade over the table. The presence of a gramophone, radiogram, reel-to-reel tape recorder is welcome.

4. New Year in the style of the USSR: clothes

Classic Komsomol set:

• white top, dark bottom,
• shorts and light shirt with a red cap, a pioneer tie,
• polka dot dresses combined with patent leather shoes on low speed,
• jackets with patches on the sleeves, denim jeans,
• "Shot" pants, banana pants,
• A brown school dress with an apron is the kind of thing that will complete the look of a themed party.

See more:

5. New Year in the style of the USSR: menu

According to the scenario at a party in the style of the USSR, of course, there should be treats that were put on the table in Soviet times at the most solemn moments. Boiled hot potatoes, herring Ivasi with onion and sunflower oil, Kiev meatballs, Olivier salad with boiled sausage, sprats, Bear in the North sweets.

5. New Year in the style of the USSR: music and cinema

Music of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s of the last century is one of the main components of a Soviet-style party that accompanies almost the entire event. It can "light up" the dancers at the disco or just be a backdrop for guests to communicate.

It would be nice to watch your favorite Soviet film comedy on the big screen, for example, “Prisoner of the Caucasus” or “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession”, quoting famous phrases in unison. And

6. New Year in the style of the USSR: script

Not a single entertainment event in Soviet times could do without contests, so they should be at this party as well.

For example:

1. - Pronounce a toast on behalf of the rulers, accompanied by long, prolonged applause.
2. - Continue a quote from a movie, a famous slogan, a statement by the country's leader, etc.
3. - Fold the Rubik's cube for speed.
4. - Recall TV shows of Soviet times.
5. - List the names of newspapers and magazines of the USSR.
6. - Decipher the abbreviations: Komsomol, GTO, BAM, NKVD, etc. (Maybe own interpretation)
7. - Come up with a burime with rhymes like: OBKhSS - CPSU, constitution - revolution, etc.
8. - Demonstrate your ability to jump rope or play rubber band.

Contest winners are rewarded with small symbolic gifts.

Fine organized event will bring you a lot of joy and pleasant memories. And most importantly, it will allow close people of different generations to get closer.