Everyone loves this bright and magical holiday! And everyone is waiting when it will be possible to finally get the balls-lanterns, colorful rain and tinsel, start cutting snowflakes and put up a Christmas tree. Everyone knows that New Year is the happiest holiday, the most awaited and extraordinary. Everyone knows everything about this holiday, but did anyone ask the question: where did the beloved New Year come from?
Every Russian person from the first years of his life knows about the New Year's holiday. Everyone knows how to celebrate it, what they cook on this day, how they decorate the Christmas tree and decorate the apartment (house). But don't you really want to know how long this holiday has existed and how to celebrate it? But the story of the New Year is very interesting and amazing!
It turns out that the New Year was born in ancient Egypt! Imagine, this holiday was celebrated not only in Russia, but all over the world. Archaeologists once found a vessel in an Egyptian excavation on which was written "The beginning of the new year." But the New Year was celebrated not only in Egypt: this holiday was celebrated in different countries of the world, only the dates were different for everyone. And although the date of the New Year was different for each nation, the principle of celebration was the same: dress up, decorate the house, congratulate each other.
Specifically in Russia, the New Year appeared in the spring, when Christianity was introduced. You guessed right: it was just at Easter. Later, Prince John III decided to establish the New Year's day in September, when duties and dues were paid. The logic was that people paid off their debts and began to live in peace. The Grand Duke himself congratulated the common people on the New Year and gave everyone apples.
After John III, Peter I made a great contribution to our traditional New Year. It was he who introduced the tradition with decorations from fir and pine branches, tinsel and Christmas tree decorations. And it was he who told people to have fun and fool around from January 1 to January 7! The tradition has stopped at this to this day.
Since then, for several centuries, the holiday has been subject to repeated changes, but in the end we are celebrating our beloved New Year from December 31 for a whole week! And this date was established with the advent of the Gregorian calendar.
John III invented the New Year in Russia, but nevertheless Peter I deserves special gratitude, who introduced wonderful traditions that we follow to this day. By the way, if you shorten this story as much as possible, but leave the main idea, you will get a great New Year's toast!
