What is New Year's story for children? Children about the New Year holiday. New Year traditions in Rus'

Interesting and useful information about the New Year holiday.

From the history of the New Year holiday

Our Slavic ancestors counted the years by season. The year began on the first day of spring - March 1, when nature came to life and it was necessary to think about the future harvest. In the 10th century, Ancient Rus' adopted Christianity, the Byzantine chronology and the Julian calendar. The year was divided into 12 months and they were given names associated with natural phenomena. March 1 was considered the beginning of the new chronology.

In 1348, a Council was held in Moscow, at which they adopted the position of starting the year in September, and not in March. And since 1700, by decree of Peter I, the New Year in Russia is celebrated, as in other European countries, on January 1 (according to the Julian calendar). But only starting in 1919, the New Year holiday in Russia began to be celebrated in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. From 1930 to 1947, January 1 was a regular working day in the USSR. And since 1947, January 1 has become a holiday and a day off. Since 2005, in Russia, New Year holidays have been established from January 1 to January 5 (previously - only the 1st and 2nd) and these days are declared non-working days, and taking into account weekends and Christmas - an official holiday - the weekend lasts 10 days.

If you are asked what is your favorite holiday after your birthday, you will probably answer: New Year. This is a holiday when you are not forced to go to bed early, but are seated at the table with adults. This is a holiday when you eagerly wait for the chimes to end so you can throw yourself under the tree and see what surprise Santa Claus has prepared for you. New Year is a vacation with mom and dad, it's sweets and tangerines, it's winter fun. New Year is the most favorite holiday in our country. Both adults and children love him. New Year is a holiday with fluffy white snow outside the window, the smell of fir branches, the sparkle of multi-colored toys and tinsel, obligatory fireworks, gifts, as well as an elegant Santa Claus and the beautiful Snow Maiden. We have been waiting for it for a long time, and when the chimes strike at midnight on December 31, we rejoice in the coming year, hoping for better times, and are sad, saying goodbye to the outgoing year.

The first day of the year is one of the main holidays among many peoples. In European countries, the new year begins on January 1. In countries where a lunar or lunisolar calendar is adopted, the New Year falls on different dates of the solar year.

New Year traditions from different countries

Now let's see how this fun holiday is celebrated in other countries.

England. In addition to the Christmas tree, the house is decorated with mistletoe branches. The English name for Father Frost is Santa Claus.

Italy. On New Year's Eve it is customary to get rid of old things, old furniture and other rubbish. New Year is a symbol of renewal.

France. The French Santa Claus - Père Noel - leaves gifts not under the tree, like ours, but in shoes hanging and standing by the fireplace. On New Year's Eve, beans are baked into a pie. And the one who gets it receives the title of “bean king”, and on the festive night everyone obeys his orders.

Sweden. On New Year's Eve, children choose the Queen of Light, Lucia. She is dressed in a white dress and a crown with lit candles. Lucia brings gifts to children and treats to pets.

Bulgaria. When people gather around the festive table, the lights in all houses are turned off for three minutes. These minutes are called “minutes of New Year’s kisses,” the secret of which is preserved by darkness.

Cuba. Before the onset of the New Year, residents of the country fill all the jugs, buckets, basins and bowls that are in the house with water. At midnight, water is poured out of the windows. So they wish the outgoing year a path as bright as water. While the clock strikes 12 times, you need to eat 12 grapes, and then goodness, harmony, prosperity and peace will accompany a person all year.

Japan. Here on New Year's Eve the bells are rung 8 times. Each strike of the bell corresponds to one of the vices. According to the Japanese, there are six of them: greed, stupidity, anger, frivolity, indecision and envy, but each vice has 18 different shades. This adds up to 108 bell strikes.

New Year traditions in Russia

There are quite a lot of traditions for celebrating the New Year in Russia. From the times of Slavic paganism we inherited mummers, buffoons and jesters. The era of Peter the Great and subsequent centuries brought into the traditions of the holiday a New Year tree with toys, fireworks and a New Year's table with Olivier salad, vinaigrette, stuffed goose or duck, Father Frost and the Snow Maiden, the obligatory champagne with tangerines on the table and the chiming clock on the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower.

In your home, most likely, your mother or grandmother will take care of the New Year's table. It will be nice if you take part in preparing the festive table as much as you can. And participating in decorating the New Year tree and room is a great pleasure. When decorating a Christmas tree, first of all, hang an electric garland with light bulbs on it (but not a homemade one - they don’t joke with fire!), then toys: first large, then small. You should not hang decorations of the same shape and color next to each other. Lastly, they put a spire on the top of the tree and scatter a shiny “rain”.

Christmas tree. Story

It is not known exactly when the first Christmas tree appeared in Rus'. But, most likely, the first Christmas trees appeared in the middle of the 19th century in the houses of St. Petersburg Germans. Living in a foreign land, they did not forget their traditions and habits, rites and rituals.

Following the Germans, in the Russian houses of the St. Petersburg nobility they also began to put up Christmas trees for children. They were decorated with wax candles and lanterns, flowers and ribbons, nuts, apples and sweets. Initially, on New Year’s Day, the tree stood for one day, then these periods were increasingly lengthened: two days, three, until Epiphany or until the end of Christmastide. There was a period in our history when the Christmas tree was even banned. But on December 31, 1935, she re-entered the homes of Russians and to this day is a symbol of “a joyful and happy childhood in our country.”

DIY Christmas tree toys

You will need: needle and thread, scissors, awl, glue (it’s better to take PVA - when it dries, it becomes transparent), glitter, colored paper, wrapping paper, paints and brushes, felt-tip pens, cotton balls, threads, paper clips, multi-colored woolen threads.

Garland “Falling Snow” can be made from cotton wool. To do this, short threads are tied to a long thin thread at small intervals. Cotton balls are threaded onto each short thread. At the bottom, to prevent the balls from slipping, the thread is smeared with glue. Such a garland can be hung directly on a window or in a doorway.

Wonderful toys are made from eggshells. In the washed raw egg, carefully make holes on both sides with a thick needle or awl. Blow the contents of the egg into a bowl. We wash the shells with running water and dry them. Now it can be used to make toys. The egg can be painted with paint or felt-tip pens, you can glue various parts cut out of paper to it: legs, ears, tails and hats, turning it into a funny little animal or person: a hare, chicken, fish, matryoshka, gnome, penguin. To make it more convenient to paint eggshells with paints, stick a piece of plasticine on a saucer and carefully place the eggshell on it. To prevent the paint from getting dirty, after finishing work, sprinkle the toy with glitter and spray it with hairspray.

If the Christmas tree is small, do not overload it with bulky toys.

The size of the decorations gradually decreases from the lower branches to the upper ones. You should not hang too many decorations on the tree - it looks tasteless.

In the old days, various edible decorations were hung on the Christmas tree. Why not revive this custom?

Try decorating the Christmas tree with edible toys - tangerines, apples, sweets in bright wrappers, walnuts wrapped in gold foil, chocolate medals and other chocolate figures.

Now let's try to decorate the tree branches and cones with snow. To do this, rub the foam on a grater, grease the branches of spruce, pine and cones on them with transparent glue and sprinkle with grains of foam.

We arrange branches in vases throughout the room.

This creates the atmosphere of a fabulous winter forest.

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 the main holiday of the year on this 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 6, the mighty festivities ended 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.

In general, the celebration of the New Year in Rus' has the same complex fate as its history itself. The old folk tradition, even after the officially introduced changes in the calendar, preserved ancient customs for a long time. Here's what Pravda.Ru told about the New Year's story Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Nikolai Kaprizov:

“In Russia, in the old, still pagan times, there was a long period of passing, that is, the first three months, and from March the summer month began. In honor of it, they celebrated Ausen, Ovsen or Tusen, which later moved on to the new year. Summer itself in ancient times consisted in the current three spring and three summer months - the last six months included winter time. The transition from autumn to winter was shaded like the transition from summer to autumn. Presumably, initially in Russia the New Year was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, that is, March 22. Maslenitsa and The New Year was celebrated on one day, and the winter was driven away, which means the New Year has come.

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 the working life of the people, without establishing any special connection with agricultural work. The September New Year was approved by the church, following the word of the Holy Scriptures. 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.

It is difficult to find a person who would be indifferent to the New Year holidays! The love for this magical night is ingrained in everyone from early childhood. Everyone associates New Year with gifts, sweets, fun and good mood! But few people know why the calendar year begins on January 1. Meanwhile, the history of this holiday is rich and interesting.

Why is New Year celebrated on the first of January?

New Year is one of the oldest holidays, but the world still does not have a single start date for the year. Different peoples record time from different periods, and in some countries there is no fixed date at all, and chronology is based on the lunar calendar.

In pre-Christian times, many peoples celebrated this important holiday on the winter solstice. In Rus', until the 10th century, the beginning of the new year was celebrated on days close to the spring equinox. Celebrating the birth of the year in the spring was natural - people rejoiced at the end of the long winter, the addition of days, and the new harvest.

With the advent of Christianity (988-989), Rus' switched to the Julian calendar. Since then, the beginning of the year began to be celebrated on the first day of spring, considered the day of the birth of the world. At the same time, the year was divided into 12 months and each of them was given its own name, corresponding to natural phenomena.

In 1492, the start date of the year was moved to September 1. The corresponding decree was signed by John the Third. To create a festive mood among the people, the sovereign organized a magnificent celebration in the Kremlin, to which everyone was invited. On this day, any ordinary person could approach the king and ask him for help, which the ruler almost never refused. The last time the New Year was celebrated in this format in Rus' was in 1698, then the sovereign gave each guest an apple and affectionately called him brother.

Russians owe the fact that the New Year holiday falls on January 1 to the great reformer Peter the Great - it was he who, by decree “On the Reform of the Calendar in Russia,” ordered the New Year celebration to be moved to the generally accepted day in Europe. By decree of the king, all residents of large and small cities were supposed to joyfully celebrate the holiday, congratulate each other and give gifts. The Emperor gave the order exactly at midnight to launch the first rocket, thus congratulating everyone gathered on Red Square on the New Year 1700.

Since 1897, January 1 has become an official non-working day in Russia. This was enshrined in a corresponding decree and applied to all workers in factories, factories and other industries.

After power in the country fell into the hands of the Bolsheviks, the beginning of the year began to be celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar. Thus, the holidays fell during the period of fasting, which made them uninteresting for Christians. The communists also did not really celebrate the New Year, Christmas trees were banned in the country, and public festivities were not approved. In the period from 1930 to 1947, this day was a typical working day and only in 1947 it was returned to the status of a weekend.

For a long time, only January 1 was considered a holiday in the Soviet Union, and a two-day weekend was established in 1992. Russians received even more holidays in 1995 - then a decree was issued on a five-day New Year holiday, which actually extended the January holiday to 8-10 days. In 2013, January 6 and 8 were included in the holidays.

Where did Santa Claus come from?

The image of Santa Claus appeared much earlier than the New Year celebration. In Russian folklore, the keeper of the cold was most often angry and unfriendly. After the beginning of the year was moved to winter time, the frost lord received a new role - he began to give gifts and bring a holiday to people of all ages.

Modern Father Frost has his own birthday - November 18 and his own home, which is located in Veliky Ustyug. Now he receives requests for gifts by email and transmits his coordinates via satellite navigation system.

History of the New Year tree

A Christmas tree decorated with toys and garlands is the main symbol of the New Year, without which it is difficult to imagine a fun and tasty holiday. Decorating spruce trees was customary in ancient times, when the beginning of the year was celebrated on the day of the spring solstice. Then the Slavs sang songs near the Christmas trees, performed round dances and danced.

In Russia, the coniferous beauty appeared in 1700; as you might guess, this elegant custom was introduced by Peter the Great. However, only by the middle of the 19th century the holiday tree spread throughout the country and became a people's favorite, representing not only the New Year, but also the Nativity of Christ. In 1920, the Bolsheviks banned decorating coniferous trees, classifying this custom as a religious relic. Only in 1936 did the spruce return legally, and its top began to be decorated with a symbolic five-pointed star.

How to tell children about the New Year holiday

An interesting story about the New Year for children, interesting stories and New Year's poems.

New Year is coming

January is coming to visit us.

The lights on the tree are bright,

And under the tree there are gifts!

New Year's travels

Having received gifts from St. Nicholas, Sasha and Alyonka began to wait for gifts from Santa Claus. After all, New Year is coming!

Who was the first to come up with the idea of celebrating the New Year? Nobody knows for sure! After all, this day has been celebrated by all nations since ancient times. True, the New Year comes to every nation at its own time. In addition, there are many different traditions and customs.

For a long time, the ancient Slavs celebrated the New Year on March 1. They gave us the tradition of lighting lights on New Year trees. Lighting the fire promised a good harvest. With the adoption of Christianity, the New Year began to be celebrated on September 1.

More than 300 years ago, in 1700, Tsar Peter I ordered to celebrate the New Year on January 1. At the same time, the tradition of decorating Christmas trees, arranging fireworks and New Year's costume carnivals arose.

Do you want to know more about how New Year is celebrated in other countries? When the clock begins to strike midnight, the British open the back doors of the house. The old year is quietly emerging from them. With the final blow, the front doors are opened and the New Year is celebrated.

In Hungary, in the first second of the new year, children's pipes, horns and whistles begin to whistle. In this way, evil spirits are driven away from the house and joy is evoked.

In Germany, as soon as the clock begins to strike midnight, people of all ages climb onto chairs, tables and armchairs. And with the last blow, they “jump” into the New Year with joyful greetings. Just imagine how noisy their holiday is!

In Italy, it is customary to throw away broken dishes, old clothes and even furniture from apartments at the last minute of the new year. Behind them fly firecrackers, confetti, and sparklers. They say: if you throw away the old, you will buy a new, even better one. And all the children are waiting for the sorceress Befana, who flies at night on a broom and enters the house through the chimney. The fairy fills children's shoes, specially hung from the fireplace, with gifts.

Spaniards eat grapes on New Year's Eve. But they don’t just eat, they also count. There should be exactly 12 berries - one for each of the twelve coming months.

In Scandinavia, in the first seconds of the New Year, it is customary to grunt under the table to ward off illness and failure from the family.

In modern China, New Year is a festival of lanterns. Only they celebrate it not on January 1, but change the date every time. On New Year's Eve, many small lanterns are lit on the streets and squares. The Chinese believe that sparks from them drive away evil spirits.

Japanese children celebrate the New Year in new clothes. They believe that this will bring good luck and health. On New Year's Eve, children put a drawing of their dream under their pillow. The wish must come true.

New Year in India can be celebrated eight times! On one of these days, Gudi Padwa, one must eat the foliage of the neem neem tree. It is very bitter and unpleasant to the taste. But Indians believe that this foliage protects a person from diseases and troubles.

In Bulgaria, it is traditional to celebrate the New Year at home. Before the start of the holiday, the youngest member of the family stands near the Christmas tree and sings carols to the guests. Grateful relatives give him gifts.

What is the name of Santa Claus?

In our country, the famous grandfather is Father Frost. He is dressed in a long red coat with white fur. Santa Claus has a long white beard and holds a staff in his hands. He comes to visit not only with gifts, but also with his assistant, his granddaughter Snegurochka.

In the USA, Canada, Great Britain and Western European countries, Father Frost is called Santa Claus. He is dressed in a red jacket, decorated with white fur, and red trousers. There is a red cap on the head.

There are two Santa Clauses in Sweden: the hook-nosed grandfather Yultomten and the dwarf Julnissaar. Both leave gifts on the windowsills on New Year's Eve.

In Finland, New Year's grandfather is called Joulupukki. He has a tall cone-shaped hat and a red outfit. He is surrounded by gnomes in pointed hats and capes with white fur.

And the Estonian Santa Claus is called Jiuluvana. He looks like his friend Joulupukki.

There are also two Santa Clauses in France. One is called Père-Noël, which means Father Christmas. He is kind and brings gifts to the children in a basket. The second one is called Shaland. This bearded man wears a fur hat and a warm traveling raincoat. His basket contains rods for naughty and lazy children.

In Italy, the old fairy Befana comes to the children. She flies into the house through the chimney. The fairy brings gifts to good children, but naughty children receive only ashes.

In Romania, the “snow grandfather” is called Mos Creciun. He is very similar to our Santa Claus. In Uzbekistan his name is Korbobo. He is dressed in a striped robe and a red skullcap. Corbobo rides a donkey loaded with bags of New Year's gifts.

Mikhailov Andrey 12/23/2014 at 18:30