Novy God Explained

Novy God is a New Year celebration observed in Russia and other post-Soviet states.

The holiday was promoted by the Soviet Union as a secular holiday that would supplant Christmas, which (along with other religious holidays) had been abolished due to the Communist Party's unofficial policy of state atheism. It incorporates traditions derived from Christmas, including gift-giving, decorated trees, and a Santa Claus-like figure—Ded Moroz (Russian: Дед Мороз|lit=Father Frost)—who is said to deliver gifts to children on New Year's Eve.

Novy God's customs have remained a popular observance among Russians and diaspora since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, as well as in parts of Central Asia.

History

From AD 1492, the new year was originally celebrated on 1 September as per the Byzantine calendar.[1] In 1699, Peter the Great issued a proclamation adopting the Christian era beginning in 1700 and also changing the celebration of the new year to 1 January.[2] He called for streets to be decorated with the branches of fir, juniper, and pine trees for the holiday. The tradition later evolved into the practice of decorated New Year trees, although their use in homes was hindered by the Slavic superstition of fir trees being associated with funeral rites.[3]

After the October Revolution, Russia adopted the Soviet calendar, which was derived from the Gregorian calendar, in 1918. In 1929, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union abolished all religious holidays, including Christmas, as part of a wider campaign against religion. Soviet officials argued that Christmas was a pagan ritual of sun worship and that the Christmas tree was a bourgeois symbol originating from Germany — one of Russia's World War I enemies.

In December 1935, via a letter published by the party's official newspaper Pravda, politician Pavel Postyshev proposed that the New Year be celebrated as a secular holiday benefiting Soviet youth. The celebration would adopt Christmas traditions in a secular form, including New Year trees (stated to symbolise happiness and prosperity among youth) replacing Christmas trees, and the figure of Ded Moroz.[4]

A tradition of writing and sending greeting postcards to each other for the holidays began (about three million postcards were produced per year). The New Years tree was decorated with a "rain" made of metal foil and "snow" made of cotton wool. New Year's matinees were held in kindergartens. On New Year's Eve, visits to relatives and friends were popular, as well as festivities on streets and ice slides.[5] On television, the Soviet variety show Little Blue Light (Goluboy ogonyok) traditionally ran an episode on New Year's Eve from 1962 to 1985.

The history of the USSR could be traced by the history of New Year tree toys. During The Great Patriotic War, airplanes, soldiers, and ambulance dogs appeared. After 1947, the production of fairy-tale characters, glass fruits and vegetables were established. During Khrushchev period, golden glass corn gained popularity. After the success of the film "Carnival Night", toys "Clocks" appeared — with hands set five minutes before midnight. After the first human flight into space, glass rockets with the inscription "СССР" (USSR) and figurines of cosmonauts began to be released. In the 70s and 80s, glass cones and houses settled on New Year trees, as well as cardboard lanterns (which were good because they did not break).[5]

Even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the reinstatement of religious holidays, Novy God has remained a popular celebration in modern Russia,[6] [7] [8] and among Soviet expats living in other countries.[9] The Little Blue Light New Year's Eve special was revived in 1997 (as a reaction to success of Channel One's project).[10] Since 1999, a residence in the town of Veliky Ustyug is promoted as Ded Moroz's "home", children are encouraged to write letters to him, and GLONASS has promoted a Ded Moroz "tracker" on New Year's Eve similar to the NORAD Tracks Santa campaign.[11] By contrast in Ukraine, Novy God was largely displaced by Christmas after dissolution, and its last vestiges were increasingly dropped and/or criticized amid conflicts between the nation and Russia.[12] [13] [14] [15]

Traditions

Since the era of the Soviet Union, Novy God has usually been considered a gift-giving holiday with similarities to Christmas (albeit in a secular form), with New Year trees (Russian: yolka meaning "spruce") decorated and displayed in homes and public spaces,[16] [17] [18] and Ded Moroz (Russian: Дед Мороз|lit=Old Man Frost) depicted as delivering presents to children on New Year's Eve (similar to the Western figure of Santa Claus),[19] [17] [18] with assistance from his granddaughter Snegurochka (Russian: Снегурочка|lit=the Snow Maiden).[20]

The President's New Year's address is traditionally televised shortly before midnight in each time zone, reflecting on the previous year and the state of the country.[21] [22] At Moscow's Red Square, revellers gather under the Kremlin Clock—whose chimes at midnight are traditionally followed by the playing of the Russian national anthem, and a fireworks display.[23]

Russia-1 televises the annual special Little Blue Light (Russian: Голубой огонёк), which features music and variety acts,[24] [25] [26] while Soviet films Carnival Night and The Irony of Fate is also traditionally aired on New Year's Eve.[27] [25] [28] Russians often take the week between New Year and Orthodox Christmas (celebrated on 7 January, the Christmas Day according to the Julian Calendar) off (Новогодние каникулы "New Year's holidays"). Unlike Christmas, the Russian New Year uses the Gregorian calendar.

In addition, an informal celebration of the "Old New Year" is observed on the January 13/14 night (in the 20th and 21st centuries), which is the New Year date by the Julian Calendar.

Music

Among the most popular works are:

In other regions

Israel

In Israel, Novy God (נובי גוד) is celebrated by many first– and second–generation Russian Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union, with celebrations being particularly prominent in cities with a large ex-Soviet population (such as Ashdod, Ashqelon, Beersheba, Netanya, and Haifa).[32] [33] Some customs have been adapted for Israeli environs, like the use of palm trees for the New Year tree and starting celebrations using the Moscow time zone.[34]

New Year's Eve celebrations that are associated with the Gregorian calendar or Christianity are referred to as Silvester to distinguish them from the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah (which takes place 2–3 months earlier). As Pope Sylvester I is considered to have been an anti-semite, New Year's Eve celebrations have not been as popular among the Israeli Jew population.[35] [36] [37] Those who celebrate Novy God are sometimes seen as out of line with the national Jewish identity despite the event's lack of religious affiliation, with some having confused it for Christmas or Silvester; amongst ultra-orthodox groups, anti-Novy God flyers and chain letters[38] are common, and in 2004 a bill that would ban the presentation of Christmas iconography in schools was presented to the Knesset.[39] In the late-2010s, campaigns were undertaken to promote public awareness of the holiday among Israelis and the 1.5 generation, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also began to acknowledge the holiday in his greetings.[40] [41] [42]

It is common to allow soldiers of Russian-speaking heritage serving in noncombat facilities to go on leave on the night of the 31st to allow them to celebrate the holiday; however, this is not enforced by official order.[43]

Central Asia

Novy God customs have also continued to be practiced in post-Soviet states in Central Asia—such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan—that have large Muslim populations. The continued prominence of the holiday in these regions has faced criticism from devout Muslims and other officials, who have considered it inconsistent with their culture and heritage (especially where Russians are an ethnic minority).

In 2012, Uzbekistan briefly banned Novy God characters such as Ded Moroz, although this was lifted in 2014 after the issuance of a fatwa considering New Year celebrations to be "permissible from the point of view of common sense and Sharia law", and was bolstered further by a 2019 sermon by Abdulaziz Mansur.[44] [45] Scholar Bakhtiyar Babadjanov explained that "it is simply that some zealous Islamic leaders need to exploit all this to convert their coreligionists and sow division among the public. That way it is easier to influence them and lead them. The end justifies any means."[46]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Черепнин . Л. В. . 1944 . Русская хронология . https://web.archive.org/web/20131224111708/http://rusarch.ru/cherepnin1.htm . 24 December 2013 . 31 December 2022 . ru . 26.
  2. Web site: Russia in the Age of Peter the Great . 5 September 2022 . archive.nytimes.com . 5 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220905200603/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/h/hughes-peter.html . live .
  3. Web site: Tamkin . Emily . How Soviets Came to Celebrate New Year's Like Christmas (and Why Russians Still Do) . 5 September 2022 . Foreign Policy . 30 December 2016 . en-US . 19 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210419114944/https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/12/30/how-soviets-came-to-celebrate-new-years-like-christmas-and-why-russians-still-do/ . live .
  4. Karen Petrone, Life Has Become More Joyous, Comrades: Celebrations in the Time of Stalin, Indiana University Press, 200,, Google Print, p.85
  5. https://www.kp.ru/russia/idei-dlya-otpuska/sovetskij-novyj-god/?ysclid=lrg87kff8v373454629 Как отмечали Новый год в СССР: пять правил праздника по-советски
  6. Book: Dice, Elizabeth A. . Christmas and Hanukkah . Infobase Publishing . 2009 . 9781438119717 . 44 . The Christmas tree, or Yolka, is another tradition that was banned during the Soviet era. To keep the custom alive, people decorated New Year's trees instead..
  7. Web site: 26 December 2000 . Russia's answer to Father Christmas . 31 December 2018 . CNN.com . 1 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190101002903/http://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/12/25/Ded.Moroz/index.html . live .
  8. News: 31 December 1996 . Father Frost and the Snow Maiden deliver Russia's winter warmer, by Helen Womack, 31 December 1996 . The Independent . London . live . subscription . 12 December 2010 . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/father-frost-and-the-snow-maiden-deliver-russias-winter-warmer-1316564.html . 18 June 2022.
  9. Web site: Neiman . Rachel . 30 December 2019 . Celebrating Silvester, AKA the secular New Year, in Israel . 5 September 2022 . ISRAEL21c . en-US . 11 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220611032105/https://www.israel21c.org/celebrating-silvester-aka-the-secular-new-year-in-israel/ . live .
  10. https://www.pravilamag.ru/entertainment/313233-istoriya-golubogo-ogonka-kogda-zazhegsya-kak-siyal-i-pochemu-potuh/ История «Голубого огонька»: когда зажегся, как сиял и почему потух?
  11. News: What on earth is happening with "Russia's GPS"?, Dec 1, 2009 by Julia Ioffe . Fortune . dead . 20 November 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100913044551/http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2009/12/01/what-on-earth-is-happening-with-russias-gps/ . 13 September 2010.
  12. Web site: 19 December 2016 . Святой Николай или Дед Мороз? Чем они отличаются и кто должен приносить подарки украинцам . 2022-09-05 . gordonua.com.
  13. Web site: 19 January 2021 . How the Soviets Stole Ukrainian Christmas . 2022-09-04 . Euromaidan Press.
  14. News: 26 December 2016 . No Ukrainian should have a Soviet-style New Year's tree . 12 June 2017 . Euromaidan Press.
  15. Web site: Україна . 2015-12-29 . "Іронію долі..." в новорічну ніч не покажуть, хоч і заборони немає . 2022-09-05 . Ukr.Media . uk.
  16. News: 31 December 1996 . Father Frost and the Snow Maiden deliver Russia's winter warmer, by Helen Womack, 31 December 1996 . The Independent . London . live . subscription . 12 December 2010 . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/father-frost-and-the-snow-maiden-deliver-russias-winter-warmer-1316564.html . 18 June 2022.
  17. Web site: Weber . Hannah . 25 December 2020 . Yolka: the story of Russia's 'New Year tree', from pagan origins to Soviet celebrations . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180113181107/http://www.calvertjournal.com/articles/show/9424/yolka-russia-new-year-tree-pagan-soviet-christmas . 13 January 2018 . 12 June 2021 . The Calvert Journal.
  18. Book: Echo of Islam . MIG . 1993 . In the former Soviet Union, fir trees were usually put up to mark New Year's day, following a tradition established by the officially atheist state..
  19. News: 31 December 1996 . Father Frost and the Snow Maiden deliver Russia's winter warmer, by Helen Womack, 31 December 1996 . The Independent . London . live . subscription . 12 December 2010 . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/father-frost-and-the-snow-maiden-deliver-russias-winter-warmer-1316564.html . 18 June 2022.
  20. News: Душечкина Е. В. . 2003 . Дед Мороз и Снегурочка . Отечественные записки . 1 . 5 September 2022 . 27 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190627025544/http://magazines.russ.ru/oz/2003/1/2003_01_31.html . live .
  21. Web site: Zubtsov . Vitaly . 29 December 2016 . Survival guide: How to survive New Year, Russian-style . 31 December 2018 . Russia Beyond . en-US . 1 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190101051320/https://www.rbth.com/arts/2016/12/20/survival-guide-how-to-survive-new-year-russian-style_663723 . live .
  22. Web site: 29 December 2014 . The 10 Best Places to Spend New Year's Eve in Moscow . 31 December 2018 . The Moscow Times . en . 1 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190101145318/https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/the-10-best-places-to-spend-new-years-eve-in-moscow-42618 . live .
  23. News: 31 December 2000 . Russia Unveils New National Anthem Joining the Old Soviet Tune to the Older, Unsoviet God . en-US . The New York Times . Associated Press . 31 December 2018 . 0362-4331 . 28 December 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181228035124/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/31/world/russia-unveils-new-national-anthem-joining-old-soviet-tune-older-unsoviet-god.html . live .
  24. Web site: Inventorying the Past: Russia Refreshes Its Historical Memory . 3 September 2022 . Wilson Center . en . 3 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011600/https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/inventorying-the-past-russia-refreshes-its-historical-memory . live .
  25. Web site: 22 December 2017 . Holiday TV Traditions Around The World . 3 September 2022 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US . 3 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011559/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/holiday-tv-traditions-around-world-1069887/ . live .
  26. Web site: 26 December 2005 . Красно-бело-голубой огонек . 5 September 2022 . www.kommersant.ru . ru . 26 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171226073728/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2296344 . live .
  27. Book: Horton, Andrew . The Zero Hour: Glasnost and Soviet Cinema in Transition . Brashinsky, Michael . Princeton University Press . 1992 . 9780691019208. p. 171.
  28. https://rg.ru/2021/12/30/karnavalnoj-nochi-65-let-kak-snimali-muzykalnuiu-kinokomediiu.html?ysclid=lrg066f0g7850221985 "Карнавальной ночи" - 65 лет: как снимали музыкальную кинокомедию
  29. https://www.thevoicemag.ru/lifestyle/music/luchshie-novogodnie-pesni-25-kompozicii-na-vse-vremena/ Лучшие новогодние песни: 25 композиций на все времена
  30. https://www.kp.ru/afisha/msk/obzory/muzyka/pesnya-novogodnyaya-diskoteki-avarii/ Песня «Новогодняя» (1999) группы «Дискотека Авария»: почему забраковали новый клип на легендарный хит
  31. https://www.kp.ru/afisha/msk/obzory/muzyka/15-pesen-kotorye-poyut-na-novyj-god/ 20 лучших новогодних песен: от «В лесу родилась елочка» до «Расскажи, Снегурочка»
  32. News: A Happy Novy God (Without God) . en . Haaretz . 2 December 2022 . 2 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221202072411/https://www.haaretz.com/life/books/2002-09-15/ty-article/a-happy-novy-god-without-god/0000017f-f53f-d47e-a37f-fd3f8a540000 . live .
  33. Web site: דרישה בנתניה: העירייה צריכה לממן את חגיגות הסילבסטר . 2 December 2022 . NRG . he . 12 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230412132057/http://www.nrg.co.il/online/54/ART2/195/578.html . live .
  34. Web site: Igor Ebadusin – celebrations of Novy God within ex-USSR immigrants . 1 January 2012 . 24 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161224031411/http://www.peopleil.org/details.aspx?itemID=7409 . live .
  35. Web site: Celebrating an anti-Semitic pope on Sylvester . 10 September 2022 . The Jerusalem Post – Christian World . en-US . 31 December 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141231172036/http://www.jpost.com/Christian-News/Celebrating-an-Anti-Semitic-Pope-on-Sylvester-386256 . live .
  36. News: Kershner . Isabel . 30 December 2018 . New Year's Fete From Russia Irks Some in Israel: 'It's Not a Jewish Holiday' . en-US . The New York Times . 10 September 2022 . 0362-4331 . 10 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220910222936/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/30/world/middleeast/israel-novy-god-ashdod.html . live .
  37. News: קריסטל . מירב . 2 January 2010 . "הרוסים לא חוגגים את הסילבסטר" . he . Ynet . 2 December 2022 . 2 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221202072412/https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3828495,00.html . live .
  38. Web site: Anti-Novy God chain letter (Hebrew) . 1 January 2012 . 5 January 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120105132039/http://irrelevant.org.il/2003/12/31/214 . live .
  39. News: צור . רענן בן . 12 January 2004 . הכנסת קבעה: בלי עצי אשוח ובלי סנטה קלאוס . he . Ynet . 2 December 2022 . 2 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221202072411/https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-2858114,00.html . live .
  40. Web site: Barak . Naama . 27 December 2021 . Making a home for Novy God in the Israeli calendar . 10 September 2022 . ISRAEL21c . en-US . 10 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220910222936/https://www.israel21c.org/making-a-home-for-novy-god-in-the-israeli-calendar/ . live .
  41. Web site: What is Novy God? What you need to know about the Russian new year . 10 September 2022 . The Jerusalem Post JPost.com . en-US . 10 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220910222935/https://www.jpost.com/j-spot/article-690276 . live .
  42. News: Kershner . Isabel . 30 December 2018 . New Year's Fete From Russia Irks Some in Israel: 'It's Not a Jewish Holiday' . en-US . The New York Times . 10 September 2022 . 0362-4331 . 10 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220910222936/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/30/world/middleeast/israel-novy-god-ashdod.html . live .
  43. Web site: Archived copy . 2 December 2022 . www.idf.il . 29 May 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160529181646/http://www.idf.il/1133-14379-HE/Dover.aspx . live .
  44. News: Najibullah . Farangis . 2012-12-27 . Central Asians Stand By 'Un-Islamic' New Year's Traditions . 2024-05-02 . Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty . en.
  45. Web site: Casper . Jayson . 2022-12-20 . Muslims Love Russian Christmas. So Do Eurasia’s Evangelicals. . 2024-05-02 . News & Reporting . en.
  46. Web site: 2019-12-31 . Uzbekistan: To New Year or not to New Year? . 2024-05-02 . Eurasianet.

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