Signs for the old new year. How to celebrate the Old New Year - rituals and fortune-telling What to do for the Old New Year
What you can and cannot do for the Old New Year. Signs and fortune telling for the Old New Year.On the night of January 13-14, 2017, we celebrate the Old New Year or, as it is also called, Generous Evening. This holiday is loved by both children and adults for its special traditions.
January 13 is also called Vasilyev's evening, so the main dishes on old New Year Pork dishes are considered, because Saint Basil the Great is considered the patron saint of pig farmers. On this evening, it is customary to warmly welcome and treat guests. The more generously the table is set and the more guests come, the better the year will be.
What you can’t do for the Old New Year and what you definitely need
. For 2017 to be successful and profitable, you need to prepare generous kutya on January 13, and the more varied and interesting the filling, the greater financial well-being you should expect.. On January 14, it is usually customary to sow and give generously (you can also give to girls), and go to visit neighbors and relatives.
. It was a good sign if a young man from a respected large family was the first to enter the house.
. On the morning of December 14, young people went to the crossroads to burn "Didukha" - sheaves of straw. Young people jumped over the fire, which symbolized cleansing from evil spirits.
. In the Old New Year you cannot lend.
. Also, don't take out the trash.
. It is considered a bad omen to count small money or resolve important financial issues.
. On this day you should not say the word “thirteen”.
Signs for the Old New Year
. Gardeners shake off snow from apple trees at midnight - for the harvest.. If at night the wind blows from the south, the year will be hot and prosperous, from the west - to an abundance of milk and fish, from the east - expect a fruit harvest.
. Vasily's night is starry - for the harvest of berries.
. A lot of fluffy frost on the trees foreshadowed a good honey harvest.
. If the night after the New Year is quiet and clear, there will be a happy year not only for people, but also for livestock.
. If the sun rises high, the whole year will be happy, and the garden harvest will be especially good.
. If frost covers the trees abundantly, there will be a grain harvest and good honey production.
. If soft snow falls, it means a harvest, and when it’s warm, the summer will be rainy.
. Whatever the first day of the New Year, such will be the year: if there is a thaw in Melania, expect a warm summer.
. From which side the sky is covered with clouds on the Old New Year, happiness will come from there.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year
The night from January 13 to 14 is considered the best for predicting the future, and everything predicted will definitely come true.Fortune telling for the Old New Year on a ring, bread and hook: the listed three things are placed in a vessel along with pieces of bread, coals, pebbles and other small objects. The dishes are covered with a towel, after which each girl, without looking, drags the first thing she comes across (the pulled out item is then returned to the dish). If he pulls out bread, the husband will be rich, if the ring is handsome, if the hook is disabled or poor.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year using bulbs: all the girls take an onion and place them with their roots in the water, after which they observe - whose onion will sprout green sprouts first, which girl will be married sooner.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year by dogs: the girl is left alone in the room, after which a dog is let in. If a dog immediately runs up to a girl, then family life will be happy; if it starts sniffing the floor first, then the husband will be angry, and family life will be unhappy; if the dog begins to caress, then the husband will be affectionate.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year using the names of passersby: you need to leave the house and call out to the first male person you meet, asking what his name is. Whatever name he gives, that’s what his future husband will be called.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year using a comb: before going to bed, the girl puts a comb under her pillow with the words “Betrothed, mummer, come and comb my hair.” If in a dream she sees a man combing her hair, then this year she will be married to the person in the dream.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year using conversations: They went to eavesdrop under the windows of their neighbors and, based on what they heard, they judged their future marriage. If they scolded in the hut, then the husband will be angry, if they laughed, he will be a merry fellow, if they drank, he will be a drunkard, etc.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year from a book: for this, take a book and each girl in turn asks a question, and then names the page number and line (bottom or top) where the answer is contained. The answer is read in the book. Classic works are great for fortune telling. It is better to formulate the question in such a way that it implies a detailed answer.
On the night of January 13-14, Russians celebrate the New Year according to the old style, or as people say, the Old New Year. This amazing holiday has a lot of traditions and signs. Let's understand the history of the Old New Year, how it was celebrated at different times in Russia, and also find out what to cook for the Old New Year, what traditions should be observed, what signs to believe in.
Old New Year - the history of the holiday
New Year in Russia, by decree of Peter I, began to be celebrated on January 1 in 1700, and they began to celebrate the Old New Year in 1918, when Soviet Russia switched from the former Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar adopted in Europe. The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year appeared thanks to believers. Due to the difference between the calendars in Russia, until 1919, Christmas and New Year were celebrated 13 days later than in Europe. But the Russian Orthodox Church did not obey the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR of 1918 and did not accept the Gregorian calendar. With the official introduction of the new calendar, Christmas, as before celebrated on December 25 according to the old style, “moved” to January 7. And the Orthodox continued to celebrate the New Year as before - six days after Christmas, that is, on the night of January 13-14.Interesting:
in 1918, when, during the transition to a new chronology, an amendment of 13 days was introduced, immediately after January 31, 1918, February 14 came in Russia.
The discrepancy between the dates of the Julian and Gregorian calendars increases every century. In the 20th-21st centuries this difference is 13, and from March 2100 it will be 14 days.
January 13 - Vasiliev evening
On the night of January 13-14, the Old New Year is celebrated(among Belarusians and Ukrainians it is known as a generous evening, in the central and some southern regions of Russia as autumn). This tradition arose after 1918, when a new chronology was introduced in Russia. Once upon a time this day fell on January 1 and was called Vasily's day(memory day of St. Basil the Great, and its eve is December 31 (which became January 13) - Vasilyev’s evening.
The evening on the eve of the Old New Year was popularly called generous. On the morning of January 13 (the day of Melania (Melanka)) it was necessary prepare porridge made from whole wheat grains. It could be seasoned with meat or lard, or topped with honey, sugar or jam. In addition, the hostesses baked pancakes, prepared pies and dumplings with cottage cheese to thank the guests. The most important dish for the Old New Year was considered pork dishes, by the way, a saint Basil the Great was considered the patron saint of pig farmers. “A pig and a boletus for Vasily’s evening”, “a pig is not a clean animal, but God has nothing unclean - Vasily will sanctify winter!”, say the proverbs about this day. This animal symbolized fertility and well-being. On this day, it was customary to generously set the table: a generous table on this day means prosperity throughout the year.
In the evening, people visited their neighbors to celebrate the New Year in peace and harmony.. According to popular beliefs, it was considered important who will be the first guest in the house in the New Year. It was a good sign if the first was a young man from a respected large family with a good household. And on the morning of December 14, young people walked to the crossroads burn “Grandfather” or “Didukha” - sheaves of straw. Young people jumped over the fire, which symbolized cleansing from wickedness.
Signs and traditions for the Old New Year on January 14
We prepared for Vasilyev's evening in advance. They sewed or bought beautiful clothes for him. The housewives put all the best things in the house on the table: pies, kutya, meat, wine, beer, vodka. Traditionally, a pig was prepared for this evening. It was a symbol of the fertility of the earth and the fertility of livestock in the coming year. Our ancestors, just like modern Russians, believed “how you celebrate the New Year is how you will spend it”: it was believed that an abundance of food on the first day of the year would bring prosperity for the whole year.Another custom associated with cooking is cooking porridge. The ceremony was performed before dawn; When the porridge was ripe, the housewife took the pot out of the oven, and the whole family began to look at it. If the pot was cracked or the porridge turned out unsuccessful, this foreshadowed bad things. If the porridge turned out fluffy and tasty, happiness was expected for the whole house.
In some parts of Russia they caroled on this day. For example, in the Tver, Yaroslavl, Moscow, Tula, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Orenburg regions, the roundabout ritual of bunting was popular. The tradition got its name from the song that was sung while going home - “Osen”. People walked from house to house and sang songs. Participants in the walk-through approached from house to house and asked the owners for permission: “Can I call the oats?”, and they answered: “Click!” Then the ritual participants sang autumn songs to each family member individually. The most important “ovsen”, designed to ensure the well-being of the home and family, were addressed to the owner and his eldest sons. At the end, the generous owners of the house presented gifts to the performers.
- Gardeners shake snow off apple trees at midnight for harvest.
- If at night the wind blows from the south, the year will be hot and prosperous, from the west - to an abundance of milk and fish, from the east - expect a fruit harvest.
- Vasily's night is starry - for the harvest of berries.
- A lot of fluffy frost on the trees foreshadowed a good honey harvest.
What to cook for Old New Year
It is customary to spend the evening and night from January 13 to 14 with family at the festive table. Our ancestors always cooked for the New Year's table pig in its own juice, and made a dish of hare and rooster. All this was very symbolic:- the pig promised wealth and prosperity in the house next year;
- hare - speed and success in business;
- rooster - flying lightness and freedom.
- the grain symbolizes new life;
- honey - well-being and health;
- poppy - wealth in the house.
Traditional kutia recipe
Ingredients for traditional kutia:Wheat - 2 tbsp., poppy seeds - 200 g, walnuts - 200 g, raisins - 150 g, honey - 3 tbsp.
How to prepare traditional kutya:
Soak the peeled and washed wheat grains overnight in cold water. In the morning, drain the water, rinse the wheat, add hot water and cook over low heat until tender. Add a little water as needed. The porridge should turn out soft and crumbly. Cool the finished porridge and mix with a tablespoon of honey. Pour boiling water over poppy seeds and raisins for 30 minutes, each separately. Then strain the poppy seeds, add 1 tablespoon of honey and grind in a blender to obtain poppy milk. It’s better, of course, to do it in makitra for authenticity. Roast the nuts until crispy. Strain the raisins. Mix all ingredients, add honey. If the kutia is thick, then it should be diluted not with water, but with uzvar, the recipe for which we have given at the end of the article.
Generous rice kutia recipe
Ingredients for generous rice kutya:
1 cup rice, 100 g honey, 100 g nuts, 100 g raisins, 150 g poppy seeds, butter to taste, salt to taste
How to cook sochivo (kutya):
Prepare fluffy rice as usual. Roast nuts, if necessary, peel and chop. You can use any according to your taste. Wash the raisins and steam with boiling water. Also steam the poppy seed with boiling water and let it stand until it swells. Drain the water and grind in a mortar or coffee grinder. You will get milk of poppy seeds. Melt the butter and season the porridge with it. Send nuts, raisins, milk of poppy seeds and liquid honey there. If the honey is thick, you can dilute it slightly with water or cream. Mix everything and let the kutya stand. The taste of this sweet porridge can be varied with homemade jam, vanilla, candied fruits and so on.
Recipe for generous wheat kutia
Ingredients for generous wheat kutia:
200 grams of wheat, half a glass of poppy seeds, 100 grams of walnuts, sugar to taste, sweets (raisins, candied fruits, marmalade) to taste
How to cook kutya:
Wheat must be washed well, pour warm water over the grains, allow them to swell a little and cook in a large amount of water into a crumbly porridge. Add water (or uzvar), sugar (honey), crushed nuts, raisins to the steamed and ground poppy seeds and combine all this with wheat. The finished kutya can be put on low heat again and warmed up (5-7 minutes).
Dumplings with a surprise for the Old New Year
The Old New Year is a quiet, family holiday with its own traditions. One of them is to make dumplings with surprises. This is a long-standing tradition that originated from the custom of telling fortunes during Christmastide week. The filling in the dumplings symbolizes good wishes for the next year. Or rather, the filling is made as usual - cottage cheese or potato, and when molded, “surprises” are added. You can avoid putting your guests’ teeth in danger and fill the dumplings with oranges or cabbage - such fillings also have a special meaning.Important! Be sure to warn your guests if you put hard objects in the dumplings!
Recipe for dumplings with a surprise
If you are short on time, you can use store-bought unleavened frozen dough and make dumplings from it.Ingredients for dumpling dough:
1 egg, 4 cups flour, 1 cup water, 4 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, 2 tsp. sugar, salt
How to cook dumplings with a surprise:
Mix flour with sugar and salt and make a mound.
Make a depression on the top and break the egg into it, pour in the water and oil.
Knead the stiff dough, knead until it becomes smooth and homogeneous.
Place in the refrigerator for two hours, covering with film to prevent drying. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
Sprinkle the table with flour, roll out the dough into a thin layer, and cut it into circles with a glass.
Place the filling in the middle of the circle, fold the dough in half, and pinch the edges.
Cook by throwing into boiling water.
Meanings of surprise fillings
Orange - for pleasure
Peanuts - for a love affair
Cherry - good luck
Peas - home peace
Walnut - health
Buckwheat - favorable and profitable news
Mushrooms - to a long and happy life
Big money - big win
Grain - to wealth
Raisins - to great temptation
Cabbage - for money
Caramel - for love
Potatoes - for a promotion at work
Cranberry - to unexpected changes in life
Ring - for the wedding
Red pepper - to chagrin
Dried apricots - to joy
Bay leaf - to fame (career growth)
Honey - health
Coin - a prosperous year in material terms
Carrots - for new acquaintances
Torment - to suffer
Meat - for well-being
White thread - long journey (long and long journey)
Green thread - the road abroad
Thread with knots - for a difficult year
Black thread - a short and not very long trip
Cucumber - for a strong man, good sex
Nut - immediately to two fans (admirers)
Pepper - thrill
Ground allspice - to “spicy”, i.e. an eventful life, major changes
Button - for a new thing
Millet - futile efforts
Rice - prosperity in the home
Sugar - sweet life (easy, favorable year)
Seeds - to new fruitful plans
Salt - to quarrels and failures (tears)
Capsicum - for sexual pleasures
Cheese - to win
Cottage cheese - to new friends
Dough, beans, or fish scales - to add to the family
Dill - to good health
Hazelnuts - for successful acquisitions
Bread - the year will be full and good
Chain - strengthening family ties
Black peppercorns - to friends (to new friendly relations)
Garlic - for a marriage of convenience
Apple - to a well-deserved reward
Fortune telling for the Old New Year
Vasilyev's evening was recognized as the most successful time for predicting the future. They said that everything predicted at this time would certainly come true. However, the Orthodox Church does not approve of fortune telling.Fortune telling for the Old New Year on a ring, bread and hook: the listed three things are placed in a vessel along with pieces of bread, coals, pebbles and other small objects. The vessel is covered with a towel, after which each young lady, without looking, drags the first thing she comes across (the pulled out item is then returned to the vessel). If he pulls out bread, the husband will be rich, if the ring is handsome, if the hook is disabled or poor.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year using bulbs It is carried out like this: all the girls take an onion and place them with their roots in the water, after which they observe - whose onion will give green sprouts first, which girl will be married sooner.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year by dogs. The girl is left alone in the room, after which the dog is allowed in. If a dog immediately runs up to a girl, then family life will be happy; if it starts sniffing the floor first, then the husband will be angry, and family life will be unhappy; if the dog begins to caress, then the husband will be affectionate.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year using the names of passersby. You need to leave the house and call out to the first male person you meet, asking what his name is. Whatever name he gives, that’s what his future husband will be called.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year using a comb. Before going to bed, the girl puts a comb under her pillow with the words “Betrothed, mummer, come and comb my hair.” If in a dream she sees a man combing her hair, then this year she will be married to the person in the dream.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year using conversations. They went to eavesdrop under the windows of their neighbors and, based on what they heard, judged their future marriage. If they scolded in the hut, then the husband will be angry, if they laughed, he will be a merry fellow, if they drank, he will be a drunkard, etc.
Fortune telling for the Old New Year from a book. To do this, take a book and each girl in turn asks a question, and then names the page number and line (bottom or top) where the answer is contained. The answer is read in the book. The works of classics of Russian literature are great for fortune telling (just be careful with Dostoevsky! But Tolstoy or Pushkin are simply ideal). It is better to formulate the question so that it requires a detailed answer, rather than “yes-no”.
The Old New Year is an unofficial, but unusually warm, joyful and magical holiday, which is celebrated on the night of January 13-14. This additional New Year was the result of a change in the order of chronology, so it can be considered a cultural and historical phenomenon.
Where did this holiday come from?
Confusion with the celebration of the Old New Year began in 1918, when the Gregorian calendar was introduced instead of the Julian calendar, and the concept of “old” and “new” styles entered our lives. At the same time, that day, which for centuries was considered the first of January, “moved” in the calendar to January 14. For those who did not want to change their habits, it remained a holiday.
In addition, celebrating the New Year from January 13 to 14 turned out to be more logical for Orthodox believers, who are accustomed to celebrating it 6 days after Orthodox Christmas. But they tried not to celebrate the holiday from December 31 to January 1, since it fell during the Nativity Fast, when you can’t set a festive table, you can’t drink wine and you can’t have fun to your heart’s content. And in general, in the public consciousness, since the 19th century, the New Year was considered a cheerful and riotous holiday.
“The New Year is the same as the mummers’ march in the village,” he writes in his essay historian Lev Lurie. – This is the time when people can behave indecently. After the New Year, it’s time for girls’ fortune telling. They told fortunes, of course, about the suitors - they let the rooster peck oats, melted wax, put pieces of paper with the names of potential suitors into a basin, and used a mirror.” The traditions of fortune telling are pagan; they were not only not welcomed by the Orthodox Church, but were also prohibited. Of course, it was clearly inappropriate to do all this during Lent.
Why do we still celebrate it?
By the way, there is no scientifically based date for the start of the new year. This is the subject of a social contract. It is simply more convenient for people to unify the calendar and consider that in all countries the calendar new year begins on the night of December 31 to January 1.
So, why not stop at this wonderful date? After all, now even Orthodox believers do not refuse to celebrate the New Year with everyone else. However, annual Levada Center polls show that the tradition of celebrating the Old New Year in our society not only does not die out, but only grows stronger from year to year. The number of people who celebrate this holiday is growing and in recent years has already ranged from 43 to 47% of respondents.
Scientists believe there are several reasons for this. The first is that in our culture, everything that confirms the idea of the mystery of the Russian soul is traditionally welcomed. “Our people generally like the idea that Russia has its own unique third way,” says expert at the Center for Political Technologies, social psychologist Alexey Roshchin. – That’s why we have our own specific holiday – the Old New Year. This allows us to feel that we stand out against the backdrop of general globalization.” However, in fairness it should be said that the Old New Year is celebrated not only in Russia, but also in most CIS countries, as well as in the former republics of Yugoslavia.
The second reason, according to psychologists, lies in the fact that our long, cold winter and lack of light provokes us into seasonal blues. And holidays are the best way to combat it. Festive garlands, colorful lanterns, cheerful chaos, feasting, the desire to pamper yourself with food and alcohol. So we grab every opportunity not to fall into winter depression. How else can you defeat her?
The third source of why we so want to extend the New Year holidays follows from the previous one. “The fact is that the New Year holidays are best suited to feel like children and pamper our “inner child”, which is hidden in the soul of each of us, says psychologist Oksana Poleshchuk. – Christmas tree, tangerines, snow, skating rink, cafe, cinema, the opportunity to just have fun, be reckless, push aside the burden of daily responsibility, relax, sit in front of the TV, eat whatever you want without counting calories, and finally, just do nothing. Many of us, in fact, lack this, and after the holidays this lack is felt most acutely.”
There are even wonderful poems about this by Yunna Moritz, which Sergei Nikitin set to music, and the result was an unusually lyrical, wonderful song:
He's old, old, he's not new at all,
And still we are children, we are at the Christmas tree,
And we are flying for this ghostly supplement,
For the irrevocable and unique,
Add us at least the Old New Year.
Make your dreams come true
Finally, an important reason for the growing popularity of the Old New Year is that in our divided world, people experience an increasingly noticeable lack of human understanding with each passing decade. And therefore we increasingly need warm, unhurried communication. The best thing is at the festive table, in the circle of the closest and most understanding people. Perhaps that is why the holiday from December 31 to January 1 remains wild and cheerful, with shooting and dancing until the morning. But the Old New Year is now assigned, rather, the role of a quiet, sincere, warm and magical holiday.
So if you feel that you celebrated the New Year not the way you would like, but “like people”: with frantic running around the shops and bowls of salads, then you still have a chance to realize your secret desires and celebrate the Old New Year like this , as you yourself want. Or just dream, let your dreams go into extraordinary distances, believe in miracles and return at least for a while to such a wonderful world - the world of childhood!
Tatiana Rubleva
The Old New Year is not at all an independent holiday, as is commonly believed, but the same New Year, only according to the Julian calendar.
The Julian calendar was developed by the Roman Empire in the first century BC, and replaced the outdated Roman calendar. In Rus', the Julian calendar was adopted in the 15th century and was used everywhere until it was supplanted by the Gregorian calendar. The problem was that in the Julian calendar the length of the solar year is eleven minutes longer, and therefore unaccounted days accumulate every 128 years. In Gregorian, this problem was eliminated, and in 1918, by order of Vladimir Lenin, Russia switched to the Gregorian calendar. As a result, the date of the New Year has changed - January 14 according to the new style is January 1 according to the Julian calendar. Then, in 1918, the Old New Year holiday arose in Russia. On this day, Orthodox Christians celebrated the Circumcision of the Lord and the day of St. Basil the Great.
© Sputnik / Stringer
Old New Year in Rus'
Until 1918, the Old New Year holiday did not exist, and Vasily's Day was celebrated instead. In Ukraine and Belarus, Vasilyev's day was also known as a generous evening. On this day, people showed generosity and breadth of soul in everything, and especially in food. According to tradition, on Vasily’s Day it was necessary to prepare porridge from wheat, seasoned with meat or lard, or sprinkled with sugar. Housewives baked pancakes, prepared pies and dumplings with cottage cheese. Pork dishes were especially valued, since Basil the Great was considered the patron saint of pig farmers. In the evening, people visited their neighbors and invited them to dinner together. It was believed that whoever set the most sumptuous table for a guest would have good luck all year long.
Signs for the Old New Year
It is customary to celebrate the Old New Year in all its splendor: in beautiful clothes, with good thoughts and an abundance of delicious food. Russians firmly believed in the old saying: “how you celebrate the New Year is how you will spend it.”
There were many signs associated with the Old New Year in Rus'. Thus, people believed that if on the night of the old New Year the wind blew from the south, the year would be hot and prosperous. If the wind blew from the west, it means there will be a lot of milk and fish. In addition, it was believed that if there was a starry sky on Vasily’s Day, there would be a lot of berries. And if in the morning a lot of fluffy frost has accumulated on the trees, this means a good honey harvest.
© Sputnik / Alexander Kondratyuk
It was a good sign if a young man from a large family was the first to enter the house, which meant that the family would live well-fed and healthy.
The first day of the new year was marked by a roundabout sowing ceremony in the early morning, horse racing was held in the afternoon, and the streets were bustling with activity. When visiting, the peasants congratulated their neighbors. Entering the hut, the guest prayed to the icons and addressed first the owner, and then the hostess and other household members: “Happy New Year to you, with new happiness!” The owner congratulated the guests in return with the same words. In the evening there were games, fortune-telling, and mummery.
What not to do in the old New Year
According to popular belief, you should not celebrate the old New Year in the company of women, as this promises misfortune. In addition, it was forbidden to clean or do anything around the house, so as not to inadvertently “take” good luck out of the house. In the old New Year, it was condemned to borrow money, as well as to lend it.
Restrictions were also imposed on the festive table. For example, it was forbidden to prepare dishes for the old New Year from underwater animals that walk sideways or backwards - this promises a repetition of past problems. When making toasts, people avoided negative words and, in particular, the particle “not”, so as not to scare away good luck.
Where else is Old New Year celebrated?
The Old New Year is celebrated not only in Russia, but also in most CIS countries and abroad: in Georgia, Armenia, Serbia, Morocco and Japan. In Serbia, for example, on the old New Year, thousands of people gather at the Belgrade Church of St. Sava, and in Macedonia it is celebrated by “districts”: residents of neighboring houses take tables out into the street and wait together for the holiday.
The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year has been preserved not only in Russia, but also in the countries of the former USSR and some European countries.
The Old New Year is celebrated in Serbia and Montenegro, since the Serbian Orthodox Church, like the Russian Church, continues to live according to the Julian calendar.
The Serbs call it differently - “Serbian New Year” or Little Christmas. In Montenegro, it is customary to call this holiday “Prava Nova Godina”, which means “correct New Year”. Basilica is prepared for the Old New Year: round pies made of corn dough with kaymak - cream curdled like cheese. Sometimes they prepare another dish from corn dough - parenitsa. The Old New Year is also celebrated in Macedonia.
© Sputnik / Konstantin Chalabov
In Greece this holiday is called St. Basil's Day. While waiting for this saint, Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplaces for St. Basil to put gifts in them. In Romania, the Old New Year is most often celebrated in a narrow family circle. For the festive table, they make New Year's pies with surprises: coins, porcelain figurines, rings, hot peppers. A ring found in a pie promises great luck.
Old New Year is also celebrated in northeastern Switzerland in some German-speaking cantons. Residents of the canton of Appenzell in the 16th century did not accept the reform of Pope Gregory and still celebrate the holiday on the night of January 13-14. On January 13, they celebrate the old day of St. Sylvester, who, according to legend, captured a terrible monster in 314.
Old Style New Year is celebrated in a small Welsh community in Wales in the west of Great Britain.
The material is compiled from open sources.
New Year in Russia, by decree of Peter I, began to be celebrated on January 1 in 1700, and they began to celebrate the Old New Year in 1918, when Soviet Russia switched from the former Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar adopted in Europe. The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year appeared thanks to believers. Due to the difference between the calendars in Russia, until 1919, Christmas and New Year were celebrated 13 days later than in Europe. But the Russian Orthodox Church did not obey the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR of 1918 and did not accept the Gregorian calendar. With the official introduction of the new calendar, Christmas, as before celebrated on December 25 according to the old style, “moved” to January 7. And the Orthodox continued to celebrate the New Year as before - six days after Christmas, that is, on the night of January 13-14.
Interesting:
in 1918, when, during the transition to a new chronology, an amendment of 13 days was introduced, immediately after January 31, 1918, February 14 came in Russia.
The discrepancy between the dates of the Julian and Gregorian calendars increases every century. In the 20th-21st centuries this difference is 13, and from March 2100 it will be 14 days.
January 13 - Vasiliev evening
On the night of January 13-14, the Old New Year is celebrated (among Belarusians and Ukrainians it is known as a generous evening, in the central and some southern regions of Russia as autumn). This tradition arose after 1918, when a new chronology was introduced in Russia. Once upon a time, this day fell on January 1 and was called Vasilyev's Day (the day of remembrance of St. Basil the Great, and its eve was December 31st (which became January 13th) Vasilyev's evening.
The evening on the eve of the Old New Year was popularly called generous. On the morning of January 13 (the day of Melania (Melanka)) it was necessary to prepare porridge cooked from whole grains of wheat. It could be seasoned with meat or lard, or topped with honey, sugar or jam. In addition, housewives baked pancakes, prepared pies and dumplings with cottage cheese, to thank the guests. The most important dish for the Old New Year was considered to be pork dishes, by the way, Saint Basil the Great was considered the patron saint of pig farmers. “A pig and a boletus for Vasily’s evening”, “A pig is not a clean animal, but with God there is nothing unclean - Basil the Winter will sanctify!" - the proverbs say about this day. This animal symbolized fertility and prosperity. On this day it was customary to generously set the table: a generous table on this day means prosperity throughout the year.
In the evening, people visited their neighbors to celebrate the New Year in peace and harmony. According to popular beliefs, it was considered important who would be the first guest in the house in the New Year. It was a good sign if the first was a young man from a respected large family with a good household. And on the morning of January 14, young people went to the crossroads to burn “Ded” or “Didukha” - sheaves of straw. Young people jumped over the fire, which symbolized cleansing from evil spirits.
We prepared for Vasilyev's evening in advance. They sewed or bought beautiful clothes for him. The housewives put all the best things in the house on the table: pies, kutya, meat, wine, beer, vodka. Traditionally, a pig was prepared for this evening. It was a symbol of the fertility of the earth and the fertility of livestock in the coming year. Our ancestors, just like modern Russians, believed “how you celebrate the New Year is how you will spend it”: it was believed that an abundance of food on the first day of the year would bring prosperity for the whole year.
Another custom associated with cooking is boiling porridge. The ceremony was performed before dawn; When the porridge was ripe, the housewife took the pot out of the oven, and the whole family began to look at it. If the pot was cracked or the porridge turned out unsuccessful, this foreshadowed bad things. If the porridge turned out fluffy and tasty, happiness was expected for the whole house.
In some parts of Russia they caroled on this day. For example, in the Tver, Yaroslavl, Moscow, Tula, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Orenburg regions, the roundabout ritual of bunting was popular. The tradition got its name from the song that was sung while going home - “Osen”. People walked from house to house and sang songs. Participants in the walk-through approached from house to house and asked the owners for permission: “Can I call the oats?”, and they answered: “Click!” Then the ritual participants sang autumn songs to each family member individually. The most important “ovsen”, designed to ensure the well-being of the home and family, were addressed to the owner and his eldest sons. At the end, the generous owners of the house presented gifts to the performers.
Noticed :
- Gardeners shake snow off apple trees at midnight for harvest.
- If at night the wind blows from the south, the year will be hot and prosperous, from the west - to an abundance of milk and fish, from the east - expect a fruit harvest.
- Vasily's night is starry - for the harvest of berries.
- A lot of fluffy frost on the trees foreshadowed a good honey harvest.
What to cook for Old New Year
It is customary to spend the evening and night from January 13 to 14 with family at the festive table. On the New Year's table, our ancestors always cooked a pig in its own juice and made dishes from a hare and a rooster. All this was very symbolic:
- the pig promised wealth and prosperity in the house next year;
- hare - speed and success in business;
- rooster - flying lightness and freedom.
If you want to set your holiday table this evening according to ancient traditions, prepare a generous kutya or sochivo. It is believed that the more varied, tastier and more satisfying the kutia is, the greater the family's wealth will be next year. So try and make it really generous and rich: don’t skimp on nuts, raisins, halva, honey, etc. In previous years, kutya was cooked from buckwheat, wheat, and barley, but ordinary rice will also be quite suitable. When choosing wheat, try the grain on the tooth; it should fall apart easily; hard grain is not suitable for kutya.
All Sochiv products have a symbolic meaning:
- the grain symbolizes new life;
- honey - well-being and health;
- poppy - wealth in the house.
Traditional kutia recipe
Ingredients for traditional kutia:
Wheat - 2 tbsp., poppy seeds - 200 g, walnuts - 200 g, raisins - 150 g, honey - 3 tbsp.
How to prepare traditional kutya:
Soak the peeled and washed wheat grains overnight in cold water. In the morning, drain the water, rinse the wheat, add hot water and cook over low heat until tender. Add a little water as needed. The porridge should turn out soft and crumbly. Cool the finished porridge and mix with a tablespoon of honey. Pour boiling water over poppy seeds and raisins for 30 minutes, each separately. Then strain the poppy seeds, add 1 tablespoon of honey and grind in a blender to obtain poppy milk. It’s better, of course, to do it in makitra for authenticity. Roast the nuts until crispy. Strain the raisins. Mix all ingredients, add honey. If the kutia is thick, then it should be diluted not with water, but with uzvar, the recipe for which is given at the end of the article.
Generous rice kutia recipe
Ingredients for generous rice kutya:
1 glass of rice, 100 g of honey, 100 g of nuts, 100 g of raisins, 150 g of poppy seeds, butter to taste, salt to taste.
Prepare fluffy rice as usual. Roast nuts, if necessary, peel and chop. You can use any according to your taste. Wash the raisins and steam with boiling water. Also steam the poppy seed with boiling water and let it stand until it swells. Drain the water and grind in a mortar or coffee grinder. You will get milk of poppy seeds. Melt the butter and season the porridge with it. Send nuts, raisins, milk of poppy seeds and liquid honey there. If the honey is thick, you can dilute it slightly with water or cream. Mix everything and let the kutya stand. The taste of this sweet porridge can be varied with homemade jam, vanilla, candied fruits and so on.
Recipe for generous wheat kutia
Ingredients:
200 grams of wheat, half a glass of poppy seeds, 100 grams of walnuts, sugar to taste, sweets (raisins, candied fruits, marmalade) to taste
How to cook:
Wheat must be washed well, pour warm water over the grains, allow them to swell a little and cook in a large amount of water into a crumbly porridge. Add water (or uzvar), sugar (honey), crushed nuts, raisins to the steamed and ground poppy seeds and combine all this with wheat. The finished kutya can be put on low heat again and warmed up (5-7 minutes).
Dumplings with a surprise for the Old New Year
The Old New Year is a quiet, family holiday with its own traditions. One of them is to make dumplings with surprises. This is a long-standing tradition that originated from the custom of telling fortunes during Christmastide week. The filling in the dumplings symbolizes good wishes for the next year. Or rather, the filling is made as usual - cottage cheese or potato, and when molded, “surprises” are added.
Important! Be sure to warn your guests if you put hard objects in the dumplings!
Recipe for dumplings with a surprise
Ingredients for dumpling dough:
1 egg, 4 cups flour, 1 cup water, 4 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, 2 tsp. sugar, salt
How to cook:
Mix flour with sugar and salt and make a mound.
Make a depression on the top and break the egg into it, pour in the water and oil.
Knead the stiff dough, knead until it becomes smooth and homogeneous.
Place in the refrigerator for two hours, covering with film to prevent drying. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
Sprinkle the table with flour, roll out the dough into a thin layer, and cut it into circles with a glass.
Place the filling in the middle of the circle, fold the dough in half, and pinch the edges.
Cook by throwing into boiling water.
Meanings of surprise fillings
Orange - for pleasure
Peanuts - for a love affair
Cherry - good luck
Peas - home peace
Walnut - health
Buckwheat - favorable and profitable news
Mushrooms - to a long and happy life
Big money - big win
Grain - to wealth
Raisins - to great temptation
Cabbage - for money
Caramel - for love
Potatoes - for a promotion at work
Cranberry - to unexpected changes in life
Ring - for the wedding
Dried apricots - to joy
Bay leaf - to fame (career growth)
Honey - health
Coin - a prosperous year in material terms
Carrots - for new acquaintances
Meat - for well-being
White thread - long journey (long and long journey)
Green thread - the road abroad
Thread with knots - for a difficult year
Black thread - a short and not very long trip
Cucumber - for a strong man
Nut - immediately to two fans (admirers)
Pepper - thrill
Ground allspice - to “spicy”, i.e. an eventful life, major changes
Button - for a new thing
Millet - troubles
Rice - prosperity in the home
Sugar - sweet life (easy, favorable year)
Seeds - to new fruitful plans
Cheese - to win
Cottage cheese - to new friends
Dough, beans - to add to the family
Dill - to good health
Hazelnuts - for successful acquisitions
Bread - the year will be full and good
Chain - strengthening family ties
Black peppercorns - to friends (to new friendly relations)
Garlic - for a marriage of convenience
An apple is a well-deserved reward.
Enjoy your troubles, generous feast and happy holidays!
