The Presidential Library’s collections reveal traditions of New Year’s celebrations

On the eve of the 2019 New Year the Presidential Library’s portal provides access to rare publications and rich illustrative material revealing the history of the New Year’s holidays - they are collected in the bright and diverse New Year and Christmas in Russia collection.

The custom of colorful magnificent celebrations on the first day of January with an indispensable attribute - the New Year tree - was introduced into the Russian lifestyle by Peter the Great, an innovator in all areas.

In 1699, the Tsar ordered a special decree: “In Russia, the New Year is considered different in this way, and from now everyone stops fooling people and considers the New Year everywhere from January 1”, - we quote Sergey Knyazkov’s book “Paintings on Russian History”. Celebrations continued seven days. Below, the author notes how consistently and tirelessly Peter I taught the northern capital to lush balls and assemblies that were adopted in Europe: “Everywhere it is felt that here, on the banks of the Neva, the pulse of life-giving activity that turns the old tsardom of Moscow in the All-Russian Empire.

The emperor himself set the tone: Alexander Kornilovich's book “New Year in 1724” illustrates interesting details about this: “At 6 o'clock in the morning Peter and the whole Imperial family went to the covered sleigh from the Winter Palace to the St. Petersburg side to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, to the hearing mass. The sovereign sang that day on the choir with the singers, and he himself read Apostle ... The sovereign was in Preobrazhensky uniform, green with a red folded collar, and a red jacket, both covered with golden braids, striped stockings, white with blue, and northern leather boots the deer is fur-faced ... The dinner was prepared in the Senate, where the Sovereign was waiting for the Diplomatic Corps”.

Under Catherine II, solemn masquerade balls were held. Under Nicholas I, thanks to his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, a Prussian princess by birth, the festive fir tree, which began to be decorated according to the German pattern, finally came into use. During this period there was a democratization of New Year and other festivities. Alexei Grech writes about this in the “All Petersburg in his Pocket” reference book published in 1851: “Balls are the most brilliant in the Noble Assembly during the winter and usually after midnight they turn into masquerades to which all classes have an entrance”.

In the second half of XIX - early XX century, the image of the protagonist of the New Year – Father Frost, giving gifts to children - is gradually being formed. At the same time, another custom came to Russia from Europe - a greeting card. The open letter “Happy New Year!” from the Presidential Library’s collections depicts two small children sleeping in a four-poster bed, and in the background is a man in a carnival costume with a beard holding toys in his hands. This is not the final "edition" of Father Frost, as his image has been forming gradually.

After establishing the Soviet regime and changing to a new calendar, the holidays also changed. In 1929, the New Year was canceled and became an ordinary working day. At the same time, special teams were created that identified individuals who decided to put up the holiday trees. Already in 1935 it was decided to organize New Year trees for children - the young builders of communism. Since then, matinees at the New Year tree began to grow into a large number of guidelines: how to hold a holiday, how to make New Year tree decorations, and so on. So, say, the “New Year tree” collection ends with a directive (dated November 15, 1937) of the Deputy People’s Commissar of the Enlightenment: “The organization of the New Year tree should be given great attention and put this matter wider and more colorful than last year. The Christmas tree should be a holiday of joyful and happy childhood, created in our country by tremendous cares about the children of the party, the government and personally Comrade Stalin”.

In addition to old books, such as the encyclopedia of the winter holidays of Ivan Bozheryanov “How Russian people celebrated and celebrate Christmas, New Year, Christianization and Carnival” or “Legends of the Russian people collected by I. P. Sakharov”, the Presidential Library’s collections present a rich collection of illustrative materials of the Soviet period, dedicated to the New Year: postcards, drawings, photographs. Postcard - congratulations by Julian Semenov on the New Year 1986 from Charles Buxton, English translator of the novel “TASS Authorized to State” (1985) begins with the words: “I am writing to inform you that our company with “TASS” succeeds ...”.

Everyone around the world wishes new successes and new happiness to relatives, friends and acquaintances on this popularly favorite holiday.