The history of the holiday "New Year"

I welcome you, dear readers, and I want to tell you the story of the holiday "New Year".

New year-is not only the most famous, favorite and most common holiday, which is celebrated probably in every corner of the globe, but also one of the oldest among all the holidays that are only in our world.

Photo

The very first mention of it belong to Ancient Egypt. It was there that the New year began to be celebrated as a national holiday.

Photo

It was celebrated in the spring, when the agricultural season began and the Nile overflowed.

On this day, folk festivals were held, sacred rites were performed and gifts were presented to the pharaohs.

Photo

Further, the ancient Romans and Gauls began to celebrate the New year, only they celebrated it after the harvest.

It is from there that the celebration of Samhain or Halloween takes its roots, which to this day are celebrated on October 31.

Photo

During the reign of Julius Caesar, the New year began to be celebrated at the beginning of the month, named in honor of the two-faced God Janus, January.

Photo

Why his honor?

Because one of his faces is turned to the past, and the other - to the future, thus embodying the imperceptible edge of the transition from the past to the future.

But other Nations for a long time continued to celebrate this holiday in the old way:

in Russia-March 1, with the beginning of spring, which is now reflected in the celebration of Maslenitsa;

in other countries, either before or after agricultural work.

However, at the end of the XVI century, all countries in Europe began to consider the beginning of the year 1 January. Accordingly, on this day and began to celebrate the New year.

In our country, the New year began to celebrate January 1 by decree of Peter I to mark the beginning of a new, eighteenth century.

According to his command, this day it was ordered to decorate fir-trees, branches of fir-trees and juniper and henceforth to consider for the beginning of year on January 1.

However, magnificently and in a special way celebrated the New year only January 1, 1700.

The Christmas tree was dressed up, hid under her gifts at Christmas.
As a separate holiday new year began to celebrate only a hundred years later.

In the USSR, the first celebration of it was prohibited at the same time with all religious and ceremonial holidays, but in 1935, the first new year's children's parties were resumed, and then returned to us and the meeting of the New year.

Photo

And since Russia is a special country, we celebrate this holiday twice:

the first time together with the whole world, and the second, on January 14, is a purely national Old New year.

Photo

Well, what New year can be without the traditional Santa Claus and his Granddaughter - snow Maiden?

Photo

This holiday for children is filled with special magic. After all, only once a year for the New year a miracle can happen, the most cherished desire can be fulfilled.

And in the power of adults to make children believe in Santa Claus and Christmas miracles as long as possible.

My son was only nine when he lost faith in magic, thanks to my niece, who was a year younger than him, by the way.

That night they never went to bed to prove it to me (!), that no Santa Claus is not in sight, and gifts under the tree I hide.

Honestly, I had a feeling that I was deprived, it took away from me a sense of celebration, waiting for a miracle. Was as something it's a shame and for himself, and for them...

Now the New year is celebrated very prosaically. Artificial Christmas tree is dressed up (so as not to destroy the forest beauty), a festive table is laid.

Photo

The only miracles has long no one is waiting.

Thank you for your attention, see you soon!

With respect to you, @mrfantastis.