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New Year and Christmas around the world. Cuisine, traditions, customs. Interesting facts about the new year in different countries

The Eskimos are the northernmost people of the world and the most eastern people of our country. They are the first in Russia to celebrate the morning of a new day and, accordingly, the New Year.

Eskimo and his prey. 1924

Russian Eskimos make up an insignificant part of a rather numerous polar people living both in Russia - at the very tip of Chukotka, and beyond its borders - on the coast of Alaska, in the polar regions of Canada and Greenland. The total number of Eskimos is 97 thousand people, and only 1,700 of them live in Russia.

The Eskimos are the direct heirs of an ancient culture spread from the end of the first millennium BC. along the shores of the Bering Sea. From their distant ancestors, the Eskimos inherited Mongoloid features of appearance.

The ethnonym "Eskimos" was first introduced to Europeans by the French pastor Biar: in his report on a trip to America in 1611, the word " eskimance”, which in the language of the Wobinak Indians meant “eaters of raw meat” - as they called the Eskimos, who ate raw whale skin and similar dishes.

The self-name of the Eskimos - yugypt, or yugyt which means "real people".

Indeed, the Eskimo treated the newcomers, most often helpless in the face of the Arctic, as inferior beings. The Greenlandic Eskimos call such "dog son" with a touch of irony and condescension.

The highest praise on the lips of an Eskimo is the words that an English admiral heard from an old Eskimo hunter after many years of wintering and wandering together: "You are almost like us."

Until the middle of the 19th century, the Eskimos had little contact with the Russians. The rapprochement occurred when Russian fishermen joined the main occupation of the Eskimos - hunting for sea animals, mainly whales, walruses and seals. However, the transfer of hunting to industrial rails threatened the traditional way of life of the natives.

Greenland Eskimos

To date, no more than 20% of Russian Eskimos are fluent in their native language, and these people are mostly of the older generation. The rest can only understand Eskimo.

At present, there are no purely Eskimo settlements left in Chukotka. Everywhere they live with Russians, Chukchi and other peoples. They are the predominant part of the population only in 2 villages - New Chaplino and Sireniki.

The village of Novoye Chaplino. Photo: Shchemlyaev Alexander

The Eskimos moved to the Arctic at the dawn of human history. And now they are better adapted to life in cold climates than any other people. Their nostrils are narrower than those of other races, which reduces the loss of moisture and heat during breathing. They even developed protective pads of fat on their cheekbones and eyelids, always exposed to the wind and frost.

Eskimo dwelling. 1915

However, the Eskimos would not have been able to survive in the Arctic if not for their clothing. They make mittens and boots from sealskin, trousers from bearskins, and for shirts they use caribou skins and bird skins with full plumage. The seams are sewn so skillfully that they do not let water through. One person puts on two shirts and two pairs of trousers at the same time - the lower ones with fur to the skin, the upper ones with fur out.

Wandering through the permafrost, the Eskimos built their dwellings from snow, chopping it with bars. The bars were stacked on top of each other in a converging upward spiral. These igloos, as the Eskimos called their buildings, were sometimes provided with a semblance of windows: a piece of transparent ice was inserted between the snow bars. But even in this case, bowls with fat gave light. The heat of burning fat, together with the warmth of human bodies, raised the temperature in this artificial snow cave to 15 degrees, so that its inhabitants threw off their heavy clothes and lay half-naked comfortably on fur blankets.

The life of the Eskimos was made up of a series of unthinkable hardships. And yet, "the Eskimos give the impression of being the happiest people," the researchers unanimously confirm. Eskimo sees the world in bright colors. Isn't there enough reason to rejoice? He did not die during the hunt, he safely returned to the hearth, provided the family with food ...
And what an intoxicating feeling it is - during a sudden blizzard on the way, hastily build a needle for yourself, fence yourself off from the whistle of a snowstorm. Laying the last block of snow behind him and closing the entrance, the Eskimo laughs. This is the laughter of a winner. He did not surrender to evil spirits, he outwitted them, he is smart, brave, a real person, he will always cope with difficulties. How not to rejoice in this?

“Laughter is in the air,” says an old Eskimo proverb.
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My book is out

In ancient Egypt, the New Year was celebrated at the beginning of summer, during the flood of the Nile.

In Ancient Greece the celebration fell on the longest day of the year, 22 June. The ancient Greeks traced the chronology from the first Olympic Games, which were held in honor of the legendary Hercules.

The calendar, in which the New Year began on January 1, was introduced by the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. It went down in history as the famous "Julian calendar". During the French Revolution, the New Year was celebrated in France on September 22 - the day the Republic was founded.

New Year's Eve in Russia falls on September 1st. And only since 1700, by decree of Peter the Great, the New Year began to be celebrated on January 1st. The celebration of the New Year in 1700 began with a parade on Red Square, and in the evening the sky was lit up with bright lights of festive fireworks. The tradition of celebrating the New Year with fireworks, fireworks and the launch of multi-colored rockets is alive to this day.

But the custom of making gifts came from Ancient Rome, where the first gifts were laurel branches, which symbolized happiness and good luck in the coming year. The ancient Romans wrote on gifts "I wish you a prosperous New Year!" and accompanied the wishes with comic verses, because the New Year is a fun holiday.

The custom of exchanging greeting cards wishing happiness and good luck came from England.

The custom of decorating the New Year tree came from our distant ancestors, who treated trees as living beings. It was believed that the fluffy evergreen beauty is a refuge for good spirits, and decorating these trees, people cajoled them and asked for help in fulfilling their cherished desires. Today we cannot imagine the New Year without a Christmas tree.

A plentiful festive table, according to ancient belief, provided well-being in the coming year and the wealth of the family.

Christmas in Germany is considered the main and favorite holiday. It is Germany that the world owes the tradition of decorating Christmas trees. Glass Christmas decorations and artificial Christmas trees also came from there. The Christmas table in Germany is always covered with a snow-white tablecloth, decorated with fir branches, scented candles and all sorts of cute souvenirs. A mandatory delicacy on the Christmas table should be sweet butter or puff pastry and marzipan sweets.

But the New Year in Germany is a minor holiday. The traditional New Year's Eve dinner starts at 8 pm and ends... at midnight, when the festive fun is still in full swing everywhere. Raising New Year's glasses is a signal for the end of the festive meal.

In Austria, on New Year's Eve, it is customary to guess. Everyone buys pewter figurines, which are melted on a candle and poured into a special dish. By what has poured out, they determine what fate awaits in the coming year. Thrifty Austrians eat little, but they consume an unlimited amount of hot mulled wine. All day on January 1, everyone sleeps off and only in the evening they go outside to refresh themselves in snack bars with sausages and cabbage.

In the Czech Republic, Christmas is equally actively celebrated, and New Year. The Czech New Year's table is peculiar. Meat is a symbol of well-being and wealth, so on the table you will find all kinds of sausages and balyks, but you will not see any salads, vegetables, greens. Carp baked in sour cream is served as a hot dish. This is a centuries old tradition. And for dessert - chocolate cake (the famous cake "Prague") with champagne.

Young girls in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are particularly looking forward to the Christmas and New Year holidays, as they can find out at this time whether they will get married during the coming year. You just need to throw a house slipper over your head. If she falls with her toe towards the exit, the girl will soon get married. Well, if the toe is in the direction of the room, you will have to wait another year.

Happy New Year in Bulgaria. When everyone gathers at the festive table, the lights are turned off in all houses for three minutes. These are “minutes of New Year's kisses”, the secret of which is kept by darkness.

And in Romania on New Year's Eve, it is customary to bake various “souvenirs” in pies: small coins, rings, hot peppers, etc. If you come across a ring or a coin, then the coming year promises happiness, and if pepper, then ... do not blame me.

Christmas and New Year holidays in France- a real riot of culinary delights and fantasies. On the festive table, the famous French champagne is the basis of all fun; vegetables, fruits, green salad, smoked salmon, grained caviar and, of course, "foie gras" (the famous goose liver pate). As a hot dish, a baked turkey with lingonberries is served, and then oysters - the national pride of the French. Dessert is an amazing Christmas log (cake with candied fruits and raisins) and chocolate. All this is washed down with cold Chablis.

Christmas cuisine in Switzerland not as whimsical as in France, but diverse, because it has absorbed the festive traditions of neighboring countries - Germany, France, Italy. On New Year's Eve in Switzerland, it is customary to present each other with pear gingerbread, which then serves as a dessert on the festive table.

The main dish of the Christmas table in Holland, as well as in many other European countries, is a turkey baked with apples. The Dutch cannot imagine a Christmas dinner without their favorite treats: crispy sweet cookies, marzipans and, of course, the famous Dutch bread (cake with nuts and raisins).

But the New Year in Holland is usually celebrated with donuts. Usually the Dutch do not eat them, this is exclusively a New Year's delicacy. Seeing off the Old and meeting the New Year, the inhabitants of this fabulous country drink champagne, and at midnight they go out into the street, where the mass drinking of mulled wine begins. Mulled wine is brewed in all houses, in all drinking establishments and sold on the streets, and on the stalls - the famous Dutch donuts.

The custom of serving a Christmas turkey came from England. Here it is served with rice pudding and vegetables (and in the US, where turkey is also a traditional dish, it is served with french fries).

In England and the United States of America, Christmas is a favorite family holiday, but they celebrate the New Year in different ways.

Another custom came from England: in addition to the Christmas tree, decorate the house with bouquets of mistletoe. Bouquets of mistletoe are everywhere - on lamps, chandeliers and on the table. You can "for good luck" kiss the person standing in the middle of the room under the mistletoe.

For the British, New Year's sales, which begin on December 27, are of particular value. The goods are sold with discounts of 95%, and there is no time for feasts - you need to have time to buy everything you need. And for Americans, the New Year is another reason to have fun and fool around. Carnivals, noisy parties and festivities around the festive city - if only it was fun.

Ireland on New Year's Eve everyone opens the doors of their houses. Anyone who wishes can enter and be a welcome guest. He will be treated and presented with a glass of wine with the words: “For peace in this house and throughout the world!” The next day is celebrated at home. An interesting old Irish tradition is to give a piece of coal for good luck.

New Year's Eve in Italy old unnecessary things fly from the windows, and the more junk thrown away, the better. Italians are celebrating the New Year holiday in an updated interior and in new clothes. There is an old funny custom to give red linen to relatives and friends, because it is the red color that symbolizes newness. And the little Italians are waiting for gifts from the woman "Father Frost", this is not exactly our Snow Maiden, her name is La Befana. Usually it is an old woman, but she distributes gifts on January 7th.

In Spain, where every occasion is used for a fun fiesta, the main holiday is Christmas. The whole family meets him at a richly laid table, and even in poor families there are all sorts of goodies on the table. Both old and young prefer sweets, so cakes, rolls, muffins and pastries are on the festive table. And on December 31 - St. Nicholas Day - a holiday that the Spaniards celebrate with friends and relatives, having fun from the heart. As for gifts, they are received mainly by children who hang out their stockings for gifts the day before. And give them gifts on January 6th.

New Year for the Jews comes in the fall. Believing Jews have already met the New Year in October, having spent the two-day holiday Rok-Ashana (“head of the year”). By tradition, stuffed fish is served on the table - a symbol of fertility; ram or fish head - a wish to be the first in everything, "do not trail behind"; stewed carrots, cut into circles - a symbol of wealth (carrots resemble gold coins in color and shape); and so that the year is plentiful and without ailments - a round sweet hall with raisins. Fresh fruits and vegetables on the table symbolize hopes for a rich harvest, and at the beginning of the meal, apples are eaten in honey so that the year is sweet and happy.

In Australia, New Year's Eve is January 1st.. At this time, it is so hot here that Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden have to deliver gifts in bathing suits. True, the obligatory attribute of Santa Claus is preserved - a red cap with a pom-pom and a white beard. Australians prefer to spend New Year's Eve in a campaign of friends, walking around a smart city in the open, illuminated by fireworks. Appetizing smells of festive dishes of European-Asian-American cuisine are heard from restaurants and cafes. But Australians always get up very early - at 5-6 o'clock in the morning - and go to bed no later than ten in the evening. New Year's Eve is an exception: they celebrate the New Year, but at 00.10 everyone goes to bed.

Indonesian New Year comes in October. Smartly dressed Indonesians apologize for the trouble they caused each other last year.

As many as eight dates in India celebrated as the New Year. For example, on the day of Gudi Padva, you need to taste the leaves of the neem-nim tree. Oh, how bitter and nasty these leaves are! But according to an old belief, they protect a person from illness and trouble and provide a sweet life.

The rituals of the New Year in this country are very beautiful. Hindus adorn themselves with pink, white and red flowers. There are also special rituals for offering gifts. For example, gifts for children are placed on a special tray, and in the morning, blindfolded children choose gifts for themselves.

New Year in Burma comes April 1st. It is at this time that there is a sultry heat. For a whole week, people are happy to pour water on each other, there is a New Year's holiday of water "tinjan".

New Year in Iran meet March 21st. People there plant grains of wheat in pots in advance, the green shoots of which symbolize the arrival of spring and the New Year.

New Year in Vietnam- This is a holiday of friendship. The Vietnamese meet him at night, and at dusk they make fires in parks, gardens and on the streets. Whole families gather around the fires and cook special delicacies from rice on the coals. On New Year's Eve, all insults are forgiven and all quarrels are forgotten. On January 1, the Vietnamese spend with their families. They believe that the first person who enters the house on this day can bring happiness or, conversely, failure in the new year. It all depends on who came.

New Year's Eve in China does not do without explosions of firecrackers and rockets. In ancient times, bamboo trunks served as firecrackers, which burst when burned and made a loud crack. In China, there is another wonderful tradition - it is forbidden to quarrel and scold on New Year's days.

Very beautiful on New Year's Eve in China. It seems that the whole country is like a huge luminous ball. And this happens because during the New Year's procession, the Chinese light a lot of lanterns to light their way into the new year. They believe that the new year is surrounded by evil spirits and unclean forces and scare them away with crackers and fireworks.

In Japan before the new year It is customary to give cards with images of animals symbolizing the coming year. They also give toys and souvenirs. One of the most striking New Year's decorations of the Japanese house is Kadomatsu ("pine tree at the entrance"). Kadomatsu is a symbol of worship to the deity of the New Year holiday. It is made from bamboo, pine and woven rice straws. Decorate with fern and mandarin branches.

On the morning of February 1, all residents of cities and villages go outside to meet the sunrise. With the first rays of the rising sun, they congratulate each other on the New Year and exchange gifts.
It is customary to spend the evening with the family, and in order not to let evil spirits into the house, the Japanese hang bundles of straw on the door. It is believed that it brings happiness and good luck.

The Japanese also have a wonderful custom - to laugh at the time of the New Year. It is known that laughter prolongs life, so laugh to your health! The Japanese attach great importance to the animal that symbolizes the coming year. They are sure that people born under a certain zodiac sign are endowed with the features of this animal. For example, this year the focus of the Japanese will be the Rooster.

Mongolian New Year coincides with the holiday of cattle breeding, so it is accompanied by various sports competitions, a kind of test of dexterity and courage. Even Santa Claus comes to the Mongols dressed as a cattle breeder.

Eskimos celebrate the New Year in an interesting way who do not have an exact date for this holiday. The first snow fell, which means that the New Year has come - meet it!

  • The first documentary evidence of the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree dates back to the beginning of the 17th century. According to historians, the first trees decorated in honor of Christmas appeared in Alsace (then it was part of Germany, now it is France). Festive decorations were roses made of colored paper, apples, cookies, sugar cubes and tinsel.
  • Industrial mass production of Christmas decorations began in the middle of the 19th century in Saxony. Glassblowers blew toys out of glass, and their assistants cut out bells, hearts, figures of birds and animals, balls, cones, nuts from cardboard, which they then painted with bright colors.
  • The world's first electric garland was hung in the US at the White House in 1895.
  • The tradition of celebrating the New Year on January 1 appeared in Russia by decree of Peter I in 1700. Prior to this, the church New Year was celebrated on March 1, and the secular New Year was celebrated on September 1.
  • From 1918 to 1935, the Christmas tree, as a symbol of Christmas, was banned in Russia: the Soviet authorities called the Nativity of Christ and all the rituals associated with it bourgeois prejudices and obscurantism. Since 1935, by Stalin's decree, Christmas has turned into a New Year, and the Star of Bethlehem into a red five-pointed star.
  • In France, until 755, December 25 was considered the beginning of the year, then it was moved to March 1. In the XII century, the beginning of the year was timed to coincide with Easter, and since 1564, by decree of King Charles IX, the beginning of the year was scheduled for January 1.
  • In England, the New Year was celebrated for a long time on March 25, on the Day of the Annunciation, and only in 1752 was January 1 recognized as the first day of the New Year. By that time in Scotland, the New Year began on January 1 for more than 150 years.
  • The Eskimos celebrate the New Year with the arrival of the first snow.
  • In Cuba, on New Year's Eve, all the dishes in the house are filled with water, which is then thrown out into the street on New Year's Eve to wash away all sins.
  • In Greece, the head of the family breaks a pomegranate fruit on the street on New Year's Eve against the wall of the house. Good luck is promised by grains scattered in different directions.
  • In Italy, there is an unusual tradition: to throw old things out of the windows on New Year's Eve. It can be both clothes and utensils, and furniture. It is believed that the more old things thrown away on New Year's Eve, the more wealth and good luck the New Year will bring.
  • In Thailand, January 1 is the unofficial New Year's Day. The "official" celebration of the New Year - Songkran - takes place in April and is accompanied by water battles.
  • In Ethiopia, the New Year is celebrated on September 11th. In addition, the old Julian calendar is still adopted in this country.
  • On New Year's Eve in Tibet, everyone bakes pies and distributes them to passers-by. It is believed that wealth in the new year directly depends on the number of pies distributed.
  • In 1843, the first New Year's card was printed in London - this is how the tradition of exchanging greeting cards for the New Year began.
  • In Vietnam, they believed that the New Year sailed on the back of a carp, so today there is a tradition there to buy a live carp for the New Year and release it into a pond or river. And the main symbol of the holiday there are the branches of a blossoming peach, which they put in the house and give to each other.
  • In Ecuador, they believe: if you have time to put on yellow underwear for the New Year's chimes, then the money will fall like snow on your head, if it is red, then there will be happiness in your personal life, and if you run around the house with a big bag or suitcase at that time, then all travel for a year.

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Every nation, every country has its own history, its own important events that started it all. Or natural phenomena, after which you can draw a line, draw conclusions, rejoice and count down the new year.

site He will tell you about several countries where the traditions of celebrating the New Year are so different.

China celebrates New Year in February

Chinese New Year - Spring Festival. Its onset is determined by the phases of the moon. And each year is dedicated to one of the 12 animals.

There must be an abundance of red in clothes, in the decorations of houses and streets, and it must be very noisy. Explosions of firecrackers, loud crackers, fireworks - all this scares away evil spirits and attracts good luck. They tidy up the houses, make room for happiness. And for a hearty dinner, even those who work or study in other cities are sure to return home.

New Year's Eve in Japan is celebrated for almost a month

But in Japan, the New Year is celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar. The holiday begins on December 25 and lasts almost a month. The Japanese decorate their homes with compositions of bamboo, plum and spruce branches - this symbolizes prosperity, prosperity and love.

On New Year's Eve, the Japanese must visit temples and ask the gods for happiness and health. And on New Year's Eve they treat each other with white and pink rice cakes - these colors bring good luck.

Thailand celebrates New Year on April 13

The Thai New Year Songkran marks the change of year according to the ancient Indian astrological calendar and the onset of the rainy season.

Thais treat Buddhist monks with festive dishes. Buddha statues are bathed in water with rose petals and jasmine. These days it is difficult to stay dry - people use water pistols, basins and hoses to pour water on passers-by and those passing by. Smear with white clay and talc. This symbolizes purification, renewal and getting rid of the negativity accumulated over the year.

The Burmese also celebrate the New Year in April, on dates set by the government.

From about April 12 to April 17, the New Year comes in Burma (Myanmar). The holiday is called Tinjan. The more noise and fun - the better, because this way you can attract the attention of the gods of rain. A real flood is arranged on the streets, plentifully watering passers-by with hoses and buckets.

Young people pay respect to the older generation, washing old people
head with bark and bean shampoo. It is also customary to save a fish from a drying
reservoir and release it into a large lake, saying: “I release 1 time,
to let me go 10 times.”

In India, New Year is celebrated several times a year.

In India, they celebrate the New Year more often than in any other country in the world. The traditional Indian year, Gudi Padwa, is celebrated in March. In many states they celebrate the New Year according to the traditional calendars of the peoples living there.

One of the most colorful holidays is the Bengali New Year, Holi. The festival
colors passes in early spring. On the first evening they burn an effigy of the goddess Holika, drive the cattle through the fire and walk on the coals. And then fun festivities begin, showering each other with bright colors and pouring colored water.

Ethiopia celebrates New Year on September 11

On September 11, when the rainy season ends, the New Year is celebrated in Ethiopia
- Enkutatash. The Ethiopians build tall bonfires of eucalyptus and fir trees. In the main square of Addis Ababa, the assembled townspeople watch which way the charred top of the main fire will fall. On that side in the coming year there will be the most abundant harvest.

During the celebration, they wear traditional clothes, go to church and visit.
Children in colorful outfits distribute wreaths of flowers, go to neighbors and, for a monetary reward, girls sing, and boys draw pictures.

In Saudi Arabia, there is no fixed date for the New Year at all.

In Islamic countries, where the countdown of years comes from the Hijra (the time when the Prophet Muhammad led the Muslims from Mecca to Medina), the year begins on the first day of the month of Muharram. The start date is floating - every year it shifts by 11 days. Therefore, there is no specific date for the New Year.

But this does not bother anyone - in most Muslim countries, the New Year
are not noted at all.

In Israel, the New Year comes in the fall

The Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah occurs in September or October. On this holiday, it is customary to greet each other with the wish to be inscribed in the “Book of
life." During the celebration period, it is supposed to eat apples with honey so that the coming year will be sweet.

During the service, the horn - the shofar - must be blown. This symbolizes the challenge to the Divine judgment and calls for repentance. It is believed that it was on Rosh Hashanah that the first man Adam was created and the expulsion from paradise took place.

In Italy, the New Year is celebrated on the street with kisses.

On New Year's Eve, Italians throw out unnecessary trash and old things from the windows. It is believed that the more junk you throw away, the happier you will be in the new year. Italy celebrates the beginning of the New Year on the night of January 1st. People come out onto the streets decorated with garlands, traffic is blocked, and performances and fireworks are arranged in the squares.

In Rome, there is a tradition on a festive night to jump from a bridge into the Tiber River for good luck. And in Venice there is a custom to kiss on New Year's Eve. St. Mark's Square is full of hundreds of kissing couples to the sound of the clock and the roar of fireworks.

Greece celebrates Saint Basil's Day

January 1 in Greece is not only the New Year, but also Saint Basil's Day,
patron of the poor. The main dish of the festive table is vasilopita, a pie
with patterns of dough, berries and nuts. A coin for happiness is baked inside -
whoever gets a piece of cake with a coin will be the happiest in the new
year. According to legend, this is how Saint Basil distributed his property to the poor.

The Old New Year is celebrated in Russia, in all the former republics of the Soviet Union, in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. In Macedonia, it is customary to celebrate the old New Year on the street - the neighbors take out and set the tables and together celebrate the onset of the New Year in the old style. In Switzerland, the old New Year is called "Old Saint Sylvester's Day". And in Serbia it is called the Serbian New Year. In Japan, the old New Year is Risshun, the celebration of the beginning of spring.

Very soon we will see off the year of the Rabbit and meet the Dragon. This time it will be a black water dragon. The dragon is a mythical, noble, strong creature. Astrologers advise this New Year to meet in motion, brightly, neezzhezhdenno. On this night, you must definitely shine and no matter what - with humor, precious jewelry or bright outfits and makeup. The main thing is that the meeting is memorable, and you can spend all our traditional New Year holidays in a good mood, which have been going on since almost December 25 (Catholic Christmas for the European part of the former USSR is mostly a dress rehearsal before the main events) and only slightly reduce their intensity after January 13th. But then the series of festivities does not stop - Baptism, Chinese New Year (which will start on January 23), Tatyana's Day, Valentine's Day, February 23, March 8, May 1 and 9 ... .. And we will give some interesting facts about the New Year that will allow you to shine even brighter in the New Year's company .

1. The time for celebrating the New Year is very different for different peoples. So in ancient Babylon, the holiday fell in the spring. And during the holidays, the city was left by the king with all his retinue, and the townspeople had the opportunity to freely walk and have fun.
2. In Micronesia, the New Year is traditionally celebrated on January 1st. But on this day, all the inhabitants of the islands receive new names and whisper them to their closest ones. And trusted relatives at the same time beat the drums with terrible force so that their evil spirits do not overhear.
3. In Italy, it is customary on New Year's Eve to get rid of old things that are thrown right out of the windows. Moreover, the more things are thrown away, the more wealth and good luck the new year will bring.

4. In Russia, the New Year was celebrated on March 1 - in the X-XV centuries, September 1 - since 1348 after the Cathedral in Moscow, and since 1699, by decree of Peter I, it was postponed to January 1. As a result, by now the New Year has become a dense mixture of ancient Slavic, Christian, Western European and Eastern traditions.
5. The tradition of the Christmas log was brought by the Vikings to England. They sawed down a big tree for Christmas, which was aged and dried all year. And the next Christmas, this tree was brought into the house and placed in the hearth. If the tree burned for a long time and burned out completely, then luck awaited the house, but if it faded without burning down to ashes, expect trouble.
6. Live Christmas trees are one of the Christian traditions of the Christmas and New Year festivities. But it turns out that they can carry not only joy and the spirit of the holiday. Scientists have found that fungi are present on spruce trees, which easily multiply in warm home conditions and release a huge amount of spores. The spores in turn cause coughing, shortness of breath, insomnia, lethargy, even bronchitis and pneumonia. To protect yourself, you need to either wash and dry the spruce before bringing it into the house, or use an artificial tree.
7. Before becoming famous, James Belushi moonlighted as Santa Claus. It was during the period of such work that he was left without rights, but the actor nevertheless decided to continue delivering gifts to children. In this "disenfranchised" form, the police detained him and began, and the officers began the arrest procedure, handcuffing and conducting a search. Children passing by were crying and screaming in horror that their beloved Santa Claus had been arrested.

8. Both children and adults turn to Santa Claus or Santa Claus. Children usually want a computer, and employees ask their boss to freeze it.
9. One of the most popular traditional spices for Christmas baking is ginger.
10. It is believed that if at the last hour of the old year you write your most cherished desire on a piece of paper, and then set fire to this piece of paper with the beginning of the clock, then you can determine whether the wish will come true. If the note burns out while the clock strikes, then everything will definitely come true.
11. The unforgettable "Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath" has been shown on television for more than 35 years on the last day of the year.

12. On New Year's Eve in Tibet, pies are baked and distributed to passers-by. Wealth in the new year directly depends on the number of pies distributed.
13. The source of the popularity of fireworks in the ancient belief in the power of noise and fire in the fight against evil spirits.
14. In Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), a 76-meter artificial Christmas tree, the largest in the world, was installed.
15. In Orthodoxy, Christmas time falls between Christmas and Epiphany. This time is filled not only with Christian traditions, but also with many pagan images, which include traditional divination. An example of it can be found in chapter 5, stanza 8 of A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin".

16. The main dish in Brazil is lentil soup, which symbolizes prosperity and wealth.
17. On the Christmas tree in front of the White House in the United States in 1895, the first electric garland was lit.
18. In Austria, among the New Year's characters there is also the Bird of Happiness, and therefore they do not have game on the festive table.
19. New Year in Japanese sounds like "Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu".

20. January 1 was a day off in the USSR only by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of December 23, 1947
21. In Germany, Santa Claus brings gifts to the windowsill, and in Sweden - to the stove.
22. You can find out the answer to a question on New Year's Eve by throwing a bunch of boiled rice. If there is even pure rice in it, then the answer is "yes", otherwise - "no".
23. It is almost always cold in Greenland, and there is no problem with the availability of ice. Therefore, the local Eskimos have a tradition of giving each other polar bears and walruses carved from ice, which do not melt for a long time.

24. In the southern countries, where there is neither frost nor snow, you have to use other characters, for example, in Cambodia, Father Zhar operates.
25. In Vietnam, for the New Year, a carp is released into the pond near the house, on the back of which, according to popular beliefs, a brownie rides. For a whole year, the carp lives in the pond, and the brownie looks after the family.
26. A festive table in France is served with turkey, cheese, foie gras and oysters.
27. On the border of Finland and Russia in 2001, they held a meeting of New Year's characters Yolupukki and Santa Claus.

28. It is believed that money cannot be given away before the New Year, otherwise the whole year will have to distribute debts later.
29. On the New Year's table in Scandinavia they put rice porridge with one almond. Whoever finds it will be happy all year.
30. With the beginning of the New Year's clock in England, I open the back door of the house for the outgoing year, and with the last strike of the clock, I meet the New Year at the front door
31. "A Christmas tree was born in the forest" was first published in 1903 in the children's magazine "Baby". After 2 years, the poems of Raisa Adamovna Kudasheva were set to music by the composer Leonid Karlovich Beckman.

32. In Australia, Santa Claus has to wear parade swimming trunks and saddle a jet ski in the New Year's heat.
33. In the old days, it was customary to give gifts to Santa Claus, and not to wait for gifts from him.
34. In Italy, the symbols of health, longevity and well-being on the festive table are lentils, nuts and grapes.
35. Interesting fact- Santa Claus has a wife who usually personifies winter.

36. Mystical properties have long been attributed to mistletoe. In some countries, for example, there is a tradition that allows a man to kiss any girl who passes under the mistletoe at Christmas.
37. In Cuba, on New Year's Eve, all the dishes in the house are filled with water, which is then thrown out into the street on New Year's Eve to wash away all sins.
38. For Bulgarians, the best things in the new year are represented by dogwood sticks. They are given for the New Year.
39. Czech and Slovak children are pleased with gifts Mikulas with a beaming smile and a high hat.

40. They began to sculpt a snowman in the 19th century with indispensable attributes - a bucket on his head, a broom and a carrot nose.
41. There is a belief that a New Year's dream (from December 30 to December 31) predicts the next year.
42. In China, the Dragon is especially loved - it symbolizes prosperity. Therefore, it is customary to make its personification there - kites. In addition, many bright lanterns are lit on the streets.
43. In Ecuador, before the new year, it is customary to describe all the troubles on a piece of paper, and then burn them along with a straw effigy.

44. In 19th-century England, there were even charitable societies that distributed flour, sugar and raisins to the poor for making Christmas pudding.
45. In the Southern Hemisphere, eucalyptus trees are usually dressed up, since the New Year is the height of summer.
46. ​​For the New Year in Holland, donuts are a traditional dish, symbolizing the full cycle, completeness.
47. The Snow Maiden was invented in the mid-50s of the last century by children's writers Lev Kassil and Sergey Mikhalkov, introducing the granddaughter of Santa Claus into children's performances.

48. Per Noel (French Frost) rides a donkey and leaves gifts for children in shoes. And the children prepare their gifts for him - straw for the mount.
49. In Greece, the head of the family breaks a pomegranate fruit on the street on New Year's Eve against the wall of the house. Good luck is promised by grains scattered in different directions.
50. The first glass toys for the Christmas tree began to be produced in the middle of the 19th century in Scandinavia.
51. Mexicans find New Year's gifts in a shoe, while the Irish and the British find them in socks.

52. In ancient Egypt, the New Year began on the day of the flood of the Nile, at the beginning of summer.
53. It is customary to celebrate the New Year in new clothes in order to have new things all year later.
54. In Cuba, the New Year is called the Day of the Kings.
55. The largest number of Christmas trees in Europe are sold in Denmark.

56. Many surprises are hidden in Romanian New Year's pies. In frequency, a coin means happiness in the coming year.
57. The French usually give souvenirs and postcards for the new year.
58. Since ancient times, the Slavs decorate the Christmas tree with treats.
59. In Scotland, on the first day of the new year, they do not propose marriage and do not take out the trash.

60. Santa Claus began to be invited to the house in the USSR in the 1970s.
61. The record holder for Christmas gifts and New Year greeting cards is traditionally the United States.
62. In Japan, for the New Year, an interesting fact, they traditionally serve cabbage, roasted chestnuts, beans and caviar, which symbolize respectively joy, success, health and many children.
63. Grandfather Frost is considered to be the homeland of Veliky Ustyug, and the Snow Maiden is the village of Shchelykovo, not far from Kostroma, where the estate of A.N. Ostrovsky is located. it was he who wrote "The Snow Maiden" based on Russian folk tales

64. On New Year's Eve, at exactly midnight, the lights are turned off in Bulgaria. within three minutes everyone can kiss anyone, and only the night will know about it.
65. In Slavic myths, Santa Claus personified the winter cold, he held water.
66. The birthplace of Yolupukki is the city of Rovaniemi in Lapland, at the very Arctic Circle.
67. On New Year's Eve in Scotland, barrels of tar are set on fire and rolled through the streets, driving away the Old Year and inviting the New.

68. On the festive table in Poland they put "paczki" - donuts with jelly.
69. The first New Year's card was printed in London in 1843.
70. Grandfather Frost was awarded the title of "Veteran of Fairytale Labor" by the Pension Fund of Russia. Not without reason, of course. He has enough work. And to deliver gifts, and to amuse the kids with the Snow Maiden. The Snow Maiden and Santa Claus at home St. Petersburg is a completely affordable service for everyone and a joy for the kids. New Year with the participation of the living Santa Claus is an unforgettable holiday!

And meeting year of the dragon remember that the next one year of the snake will be no less interesting. After all, the Serpent symbolizes wisdom, and she advises