Today Russians traditionally celebrate the New Year in “old style”, that is, according to the old calendar, which was changed in 1918 by the Bolshevik government (Tsarist Russia lived according to the Julian calendar, and Europe lived according to the Gregorian calendar).
The difference between the two calculus systems was 13 days and created inconveniences for conducting international political and economic affairs, which led to different incidents in everyday life. For example, according to the dates on the postmarks, it turned out that the telegram was received in Europe a few days earlier than it was sent in Russia.
The transition to the Western European calendar took place on February 14, 1918. That is how an unusual holiday, the old New Year, appeared. People did not want to change their tradition to celebrate the New Year on the day they used to, so they called it New Year still but added the adjective “old” to mark that the holiday is not an official one. Nowadays it is celebrated not so great as the official date.
Contrary to popular opinion, the tradition of celebrating the old New Year exists not only in Russia but also in other countries of the former USSR, as well as in Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Algeria, Tunisia and many other countries. In all countries, the appearance of an unusual date is associated with transitions to different calendars, but each country has its own traditions.
In Russia, the old New Year is statistically celebrated by about half of the country’s population, gathering at the festive table. Also, a number of museums and cultural organizations dedicate thematic exhibitions to the holiday.
Ru-Main, 13.01.2022
Source: Culture.rf
