New Year's gifts in the Russian version. How to choose gifts for the new year

Christmas magic is impossible to imagine without gifts under the Christmas tree. As a child, we all waited for this moment, when the treasured boxes and bags appeared under the elegant green beauty. Time has passed and we are already “managing” such New Year's magic. Carefully laying out gifts for your loved ones. But, who first came up with giving gifts for the New Year and Christmas?

At the moment, there is no consensus on who first came up with the idea of ​​giving gifts. Such an interesting tradition was found in the culture of all ancient peoples. It is known for certain that in ancient Egypt it was customary to exchange gifts on the day of the winter solstice.

In Babylon, in honor of the god Tammuz, his admirers stacked gifts under the largest tree. And the ancient Romans exchanged gifts with each other during the celebration of the most important days of the year - Saturnalia. This holiday was dedicated to the end of the harvest and was celebrated in December. On these holidays, the rich gave expensive gifts to the poor, and the poor made gifts with their own hands and gave them to the rich.

The tradition changed under the reign of Julius Caesar. At this time, a coin with the image of Janus began to be considered the main gift.

One of the first "legalized" gifts - a coin with two-faced god Janus

The Bible also talks about giving gifts. Everyone, even people who are far from Christianity, know that the Magi, as a sign of the great birthday of Jesus Christ, brought him gold, myrrh and incense as a gift.

The history of the gift and the emergence of the tradition of giving gifts

Gifts originated in prehistoric times. When a man brought prey from the hunt, he gave the best piece to the keeper of the hearth. Nothing has changed since hundreds of thousands of years. And today we give the best gifts to our loved ones.

When civilizations based on family ties appeared, gifts appeared that had a special function - socially significant. Gifts were given to the leader, king, king and any other leaders of the clan, community and state.

At the same time, most often it was not the gift itself that was important, but the ritual of its presentation. A person who received such a gift received a certain status in society as a “bonus”. Today, this tradition can also be found in our lives. For example, when giving gifts for a wedding.

At the dawn of the formation of religions, adherents of a particular faith gave gifts to their gods in the form of sacrifices. In our civilized time, this tradition has become more humane. Most often, in order to appease their God, people make donations to their religious community.

It is interesting that in one of the turns in the development of civilization, gifts had a certain meaning. At each gifting ritual, only a certain gift could be chosen, suitable for this ceremony. Today, a person has a richer choice of gifts for each ceremony.

Moreover, these days, with the help of gifts, you can express your attitude towards the person to whom they are given. Today, you do not need to choose a gift to protect yourself and your children from the wrath of God or your boss. Although, in some cases, this relic of an ancient tradition can be seen even in the most developed society.

A special place in our time has acquired unique and exclusive gifts. Handmade or limited edition items have acquired a special price. Even a cup or T-shirt with your design can be a welcome and interesting gift for any occasion.

An interesting tradition regarding gift giving came to us from Japan. Back in the time of the samurai, in this very interesting Asian country, it was customary to give gifts at the end of December, in accordance with a strict hierarchy in feudal society. In tribute to this tradition, modern Japanese give their friends and loved ones specially created sets of oseibo. They include useful little things. For example, fragrant soap or candles.

By the way, candles are a very popular gift in Sweden. In this Scandinavian country, in which daylight hours are very short, it is customary to give hand-made candles only to the closest people. Other representatives of the harsh cold climate - the Greenlandic Eskimos give each other animal figures carved from ice for the New Year. And due to the fact that in this country the temperature is below zero almost all year round, such figures can survive until the next annual holiday.

Another interesting tradition of giving gifts has developed in Ireland. The inhabitants of this country give money to those who have rendered them services during the year. For example, a postman or a milkman.

And in another unique country - China, close people give each other paired gifts. They symbolize harmony and unity. It can be candlesticks, mugs or wine glasses. By the way, Aliexpress has a whole catalog of such double gifts.

When did the tradition of leaving gifts under the Christmas tree appear in Russia?

In our country, gifts began to be placed under the Christmas tree during the time of Peter the Great. This Emperor adopted the European tradition of celebrating Christmas with a decorated Christmas tree. Many Christmas ceremonies introduced into festive use have been preserved in our country to this day.

Celebrating Christmas in Tsarist Russia

In 1917, after the October Revolution, the communists decided to remove all religious holidays from the calendar. They did not spare Christmas either. True, we decided to leave the winter holiday so beloved by the people. But now it has become known as the New Year and it began to be celebrated on January 1st. Yes, this holiday was also celebrated in Tsarist Russia. But not as big as Christmas.

Let's return to Peter I. The emperor not only ordered to celebrate Christmas on a large scale, but also ordered to give gifts to all loved ones on this holiday. He didn't just do it. It's just that he began to receive expensive gifts from the church every Christmas. Of course, the enterprising king spent them not on himself, but on the needs of the state. But, thanks to this, we still give and receive gifts for the New Year and Christmas.

Video. History of New Year's gifts

IN THE FUTURE, THE SET OF NEW YEAR'S PRESENTS BECAME MORE VARIOUS. In ancient Rome, the emperor also received gifts for the New Year, and if at first the offerings were voluntary, then later the emperor himself began to demand them from his subjects. Caligula, for example, on the eve of the New Year holidays, went out to the palace square and not only accepted offerings, but also wrote down who gave what.

True, the emperors themselves sometimes condescended to gifts to mere mortals. For example, one of the slaves of Julius Caesar wished the great emperor to live longer in the New Year than in the old one, for which he received freedom.

The tradition of New Year's gifts quickly spread throughout the world, but it acquired its own specific features among different peoples, depending on the mentality, national character, etc. What do representatives of different nations give each other for the New Year?

RUSSIAN BABY will be happy to see a mountain of colorful gifts under the tree. Price doesn't matter, quantity matters...

AUSTRIANS, according to evolution.com, prefer to give things necessary in everyday life, and since life in Austria is expensive, many people time the New Year to buy beautiful clothes or accessories.

ENGLISH consider unacceptable grand gestures in gifts. They will not choose an expensive exclusive souvenir or original designer jewelry as a gift. They donate inexpensive trinkets: key rings, beer and wine sets, scented candles, cute souvenir dolls and intricate tea spoons. These little things are a sign of their sincerity and affection for you.

AMERICANS, on the contrary, the palm belongs to the predilection for expensive presents, they spend on average from 50 to $800 on gifts. They give each other cigars, wines, perfumes, hats and scarves, clothes and trinkets. It is customary to give gifts with a check so that you can return the gift to the store. In early January, there are long queues of people selling goods in stores.

BELGIANS approach the choice of a gift as a responsible event. The meaning of the gift is explained orally or on the attached card. The Belgians try to give something that is really useful - books, stationery, works of art.

BULGARIANS on New Year's Eve they give dogwood sticks, personifying the best in the coming year. And young people, bypassing the surrounding houses, lash their owners with these branches. This custom is associated with the legend of the miraculous power of the dogwood tree. The Bulgarians, having gathered for the New Year's celebration, turn off the lights for a few minutes. These are the minutes of New Year's kisses, the secret of which is kept by darkness.

HUNGARY they love to give each other books, warm socks, sleds, and children give their elders their crafts.

ESKIMOS OF GREENLAND give each other figurines of walruses and polar bears carved from ice. Since it is cold in Greenland even in summer, ice gifts are stored for a long time.

GREEKS give each other a stone, saying at the same time: "Let the owner's money be as heavy as this stone." And if the stone is small, then they wish: "Let the thorn in the owner's eye be as small as this stone." Not without standard gifts, such as a basket of champagne and wine. Recently, as a New Year's gift, the Greeks often give each other a deck of cards.

FOR DANES the main thing is the solemnity of the event, so they don’t take gifts too seriously and give something simple. Children under the Christmas tree do not find anything and in order to find a gift, they will have to climb the whole house. When visiting, the Danes love to give candles of different sizes and shapes and are the most active consumer of candles in the world.

IN IRELAND"gift" traditions are greatly influenced by religiosity and reverence for the institution of the family. It is customary to give children angels and wooden figurines of Jesus and Mary. But it is not customary for adults to indulge in material values. Going to visit each other, the Irish often bring a delicious dish of their own performance, bachelors - a bottle or two of wine. In addition, on Christmas Eve in Ireland, it is customary to present money to those who have provided assistance during the year - the postman, the milkman, etc.

FOR ITALIANS a gift is synonymous with sophistication and fine taste. Any Italian will be as happy with a bottle of good fine wine as, say, with a cashmere scarf or a stylish tie. True, they do not forget to emphasize the uniqueness of their choice. Men and women give each other beautiful underwear - a symbol of novelty.

CHINESE they give paired items for the New Year, symbolizing unity, family harmony: two cups, a pair of glasses or candlesticks. An unacceptable gift for the Chinese is a watch, since timekeeping in their minds is associated with death.

MEXICANS they easily solve the issue of New Year's gifts by acquiring a popular flower in the country, which replaces the New Year tree for many.

GERMANS love to give books, it is no coincidence that this nation is considered the most reading. But the most pleasant surprise is the journey, the direction and duration of which is determined by the family budget.

FOR RESIDENTS OF THE NETHERLANDS like any gift that contributes to a pleasant pastime. Leisure takes a lot of time there. The Dutch will be pleased with music CDs, art albums or miniature porcelain figurines.

POLES when choosing New Year's gifts, they show imagination, they give women elegant jewelry, men - cufflinks, neckerchiefs, wallets, pens.

PORTUGUESE homemade gifts are highly valued: lace tablecloths and napkins, hand-embroidered clothes, hand-made wooden utensils, carved candlesticks, jewelry boxes, photo frames. It is believed that a piece of one's own warmth, invested in a gift, will keep it from breaking, protect the owner from dishonest people.

FOR THE FINNS a universal gift is sports equipment and a candle - a symbol of love and friendship.

FRENCH PEOPLE are considered adherents of original gifts. They prefer unusual souvenirs or postcards. Although France is a country of great perfumes, it is impossible to give perfume to a married French woman, this right belongs only to her husband.

SWEDEN traditionally give each other homemade candles. In winter, it gets dark early near the Arctic Circle, and the light symbolizes friendship, cordiality and fun.

JAPANESE give each other "oseibo" - traditional uncomplicated gift sets - jars of canned food, fragrant soap and other necessary things. This tradition originated in the Middle Ages, when samurai at the end of December necessarily exchanged offerings that corresponded to their position in society. Japanese children believe that their dream will come true if they put a picture of a "dream" under their pillow on New Year's Eve. You can offend a Japanese if you give him flowers for the New Year. It is believed that only members of the imperial family have the right to give flowers. A Japanese will not accept flowers from a mere mortal.

Since childhood, we are all used to receiving and giving gifts for the New Year. However, few people think about where this tradition came from. How long ago and why do people give each other gifts for the New Year. Let's dive into history a bit.

The tradition of giving gifts is very ancient. In the old days, when paganism was widespread in Rus', people, with the help of various souvenirs and amulets, protected themselves from harmful imaginary spiritual creatures - mermaids, goblin, and, on the contrary, attracted good ones - brownies.

When Christianity came to Rus', many traditions remained. So, many people know that modern Christian holidays have pagan roots, but with other names. The same goes for gifts. Initially, European traditions involved the exchange of gifts at Christmas. They symbolized the gifts that the Magi brought to the newly born Jesus. After all, according to their beliefs, he was the king of the Jews, and you cannot go to the king empty-handed.

At the same time, the inhabitants of Ancient Rome and Egypt also gave gifts to each other. However, this was mainly done by noble people, but over time, the tradition “went to the people”, so everyone began to give gifts for the New Year to each other. The Romans gave gifts during the winter solstice, which they revered as a holiday.

So, in medieval Europe, many countries had their own traditions of presenting gifts. Often this was done anonymously. For example, in Denmark, gifts were wrapped in several layers of packaging and signed with the names of those to whom they were intended. This tradition has largely survived to this day, spreading to other countries.

In 1841, the tradition of using a New Year tree for the celebration first appeared. Its founders were Queen Victoria of England and her husband Albert. They ordered the said tree to be beautifully dressed up and gifts for children to be hung on it. If the gifts are large, they were placed under the Christmas tree. The star with which the top of the tree was decorated and is still decorated symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem, which was lit at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Gradually, this tradition passed to Tsarist Russia. However, there were traditions here. The king could refuse gifts, leaving for himself only the one he liked. However, he paid the gift to the person who presented it several times more expensive than its value. In addition, the emperor and his family themselves often made gifts to their subjects, up to the servants.

In aristocratic Russian families, gifts were given in the morning, upon the arrival of the family from the church. Children traditionally received toys and sweets. Adults were given more expensive gifts - jewelry, souvenirs, furs. Handicrafts, especially those made by hand, were highly valued.

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Today giving gifts is an unshakable rule. We don't think about how it could be otherwise. And if you make a short digression into history, it turns out that it has never been otherwise.

Present since the appearance of the first primitive tribes were an expression of love, respect and sympathy, but at the same time they also had some iconic functions. Men threw prey at the feet of the lady they liked as a sign of their location. The same gesture was the personification of his strength and courage, he was supposed to report that a man is able to take care of a woman and protect her.

Ritual sacrifices can also be regarded as gifts, but, in this case, not to people, but to deities. They were made to appease the spirits. It was believed that with the help of such presentations, the request would be heard, and in response, the desired would be sent down. Later, such offerings were made not to the ephemeral beings themselves, but to the priests or shamans who communicated with them.

Since faith in the divine forces of nature was very strong in those days, people gave each other protective amulets or totems- figurines of animals that should protect them from all sorts of troubles and hardships. Such presents were made independently from branches, stones, feathers and other improvised materials.

In Rus', such a tradition existed until the adoption of Christianity, but even after that it did not completely disappear. Even in our time, we give each other talismans and charms and do not realize that the roots of our actions go far back into the depths of centuries.

With the spread of the Christian religion, it became customary to give gifts at Christmas. As a rule, these are sweets and other small, but pleasant surprises. In many countries, it is customary to make Christmas gifts with your own hands, then they will bring more warmth and joy.

The tradition of celebrating the New Year, according to legend, was introduced by Julius Caesar. But decorating the Christmas tree and leaving gifts under it began much later. It is believed that the first to decorate a Christmas tree for their children were Queen Victoria of England and her husband. It happened in the 19th century. Since then, decorating the house, decorating the Christmas tree and hiding gifts under it has become a very popular activity everywhere to this day.

In the modern world, you can choose absolutely any gift - today it can be anything, the main thing is to guess the desires of the person to whom it is intended. Some time ago there was no such diversity. Traditionally, children received sweets and gingerbread houses, the fair sex - furs and jewelry. In merchant families, it was also a good form to give money - the denomination of banknotes was proportional to the degree of kinship.

The tradition of greeting each other with postcards originated in Germany. In Sweden, it is customary to give candles made by yourself as a symbol of love and friendship. In England, any trinket is good as a gift, but the French love to receive something unusual for the holiday.

Whatever we give to our relatives and friends today, the main thing is to approach the choice individually and do it from the heart, then the gift will bring pleasure not only to the recipient, but also to the giver, who in this case is provided with a sea of ​​delight and gratitude.

One of the questions that invariably worries us is what used to be given for the New Year and Christmas. The answer can be absolutely short: "That's it!", and just as lengthy if you start describing the endless possibilities in purchasing souvenirs. There were no special norms in this regard, except that individual families could have their own traditions, passed down from generation to generation. Let's try to trace how the attitude towards gifts has historically changed, as well as how the gifts themselves have changed.

How it was in the world

It turns out that the New Year's holiday is the oldest of all existing ones, already in the pre-Christian era, gifts were honored, then they were presented, first of all, to the gods. In ancient Egypt, the New Year was celebrated during the flood of the Nile River (around the end of September). On New Year's Eve, the Egyptians placed statues of the god Amun, his wife and son in a boat. The boat sailed on the Nile for a month, which was accompanied by singing, dancing and fun, as well as the presentation of gifts. In the Egyptian pyramids of the New Kingdom period, archaeologists have found vases with the inscription "Beginning of the New Year", bronze figurines of monkeys and stone figurines with New Year's inscriptions.

For a long time, the Romans celebrated the New Year in early March, until Julius Caesar introduced a new calendar. He decided to time the beginning of the year to a state event - the inauguration of newly elected consuls. Thus, the date of the meeting of the New Year was the first day of January. The month of January was named after the Roman god Janus (two-faced). One face of Janus was allegedly turned back to the previous year, the other forward to the new one. The celebration of the meeting of the new year was called "kalends". Those politicians and citizens of Rome who sought to win over the new consuls were in a hurry to congratulate them on the New Year and taking office, so they did not skimp on gifts. At first, they gave fruits covered with gilding, dates and wine berries, then copper coins and even valuable gifts (although the latter was practiced only among wealthy people). All this happened voluntarily, but over time, the emperors began to demand gifts for the New Year. For example, the Roman emperor Caligula on the first day of the New Year went to the square in front of the palace and accepted gifts from his subjects, writing down who, how much and what he gave, and the English Queen Elizabeth 1 did the same.

How it was in Russia

In ancient times, the New Year was most often associated with spring - the beginning of the revival of nature and the expectation of a new harvest. Therefore, in Rus', the New Year was celebrated on March 1 or from the day of Holy Easter.

In the XIV century, John Vasilyevich the Third approved the decision of the Moscow Church Council to consider September 1 as the beginning of the New Year according to the Greek calendar. On this day, tribute, duties, various dues were collected. To give the greatest solemnity to this day, the Tsar himself appeared in the Kremlin the day before, where everyone, a commoner or a noble boyar, was allowed to approach him as a gift and seek directly from him truth and mercy.

The Celts, the inhabitants of Gaul (the territory of modern France and part of England) celebrated the new year at the end of October. The holiday was called Samhain from "summer" s end "(end of summer). On New Year's Eve, the Celts decorated their homes with mistletoe to exorcise ghosts. They believed that it was on New Year's Eve that the spirits of the dead were alive. The Celts inherited many Roman traditions, including the requirement New Year's gifts from subjects Usually given jewelry and gold Husbands gave their wives money for pins and other trinkets on New Year's Eve This tradition had been forgotten by 1800 but the term "pin money" is still used to refer to money for petty expenses.

By the end of the 19th century, the tradition of gifting postcards emerged. In 1843, the Englishman Horsley drew the first Christmas card, a thousand copies of which were sold that year in London.

During the spread of the Christian faith, the church tried to prohibit giving gifts, interpreting this custom as pagan. However, this custom is so deeply rooted that people continued to give gifts quietly, without advertising it. Later, the clergy realized that they were powerless to do anything, and allowed people to please each other, interpreting this tradition as the presentation of the gifts of the Magi to baby Jesus described in the Bible: having learned about the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, all the angels, people and even trees wanted to do something to the baby anything pleasant. The magi also arrived there, who gave the newborn Jesus: gold, as a king, frankincense, as God, and myrrh, as a mortal man.