On Russian soil, the custom of decorating a Christmas tree in the folk environment did not take root, it seems, until the revolution - this is due not so much to the fact that the Christmas tree as a symbol of the New Year was originally part of the noble culture, but to others. circumstance: spruce in folk Slavic culture is inextricably linked with the world of the dead (remember and from modern funeral wreaths), and "reassigning" a symbol is much more difficult than approving a new one.
From the article by A.L. Barkova. From here:
As we found out, the mythological core of the New Year's ritual is
reproduction of the act of creation of the world, with the only difference that at the beginning
of times the world was created by the gods, and from year to year man has to do it. Of all the many elements of the creation myth, let us focus on the central (figuratively and literally) - the image of the World Axis.
World Axis - essential element mythological picture of the world: it, supporting the firmament, embodies the forces of Order, Good, Life.
Most often, she appears in the image of the World Tree, which unites the earth, heaven and hell into one. It is not hard to guess that we are talking about a New Year tree. The custom of decorating a Christmas tree for the New Year came to Russia from Europe under Peter I, it is of German origin. However, the veneration of spruce as a sacred tree was not originally Germanic, but Celtic. In the culture of the Gauls, the spruce was the embodiment of the Tree of Life (that is, the World Tree) thanks to its evergreen branches.
So, today's Santa Claus.
His name contains two important characteristics - he is old and associated with the element of cold. Before us is one of the hypostases of the ruler of the Lower World, the world of death. But what is the world of death for archaic thinking man? This is not the hell outlined in Christian literature, nor is it an infernal nightmare propagated by American cinema. The world of death is the abode of departed relatives with whom the archaic
the person was in regular and regulated contacts: he
"fed" the ancestors, bringing them pancakes, scrambled eggs and other memorial food,
they magically ensured his well-being, harvest,
abundant offspring of livestock, etc. Described many times in mythological texts, such a world of death appears as a semblance of peace living or a world of abundance. His sovereign rules over untold riches (which he can release into the world of the living), has power over time, has power over wisdom. In the image of Santa Claus, these features have been preserved quite well: he brings gifts, he is the materialized time of the coming of the new year. As for the connection with wisdom, it is indirectly traced in the interaction of Santa Claus with children: read the poem and Grandfather will give a toy. Regarding Santa Claus, we note one more detail: children understand that his image under the tree is not himself; so the figure under a tree, necessary for the arrival of a foreign ruler, is nothing more than an analogue of a pagan idol.
On the "Christmas trees", along with Santa Claus, there is a boy, dressed exactly like him. This boy - New Year - according to the plot of the holiday is the young twin of Santa Claus. Their pair brings to mind the symbolism of the Roman god Janus (in whose honor, by the way, the first month of the year is called), the lord of every beginning and end - Janus seemed to be two-faced, and one of his face was young and the other old. 
So, Santa Claus is coming to us
... But what does he come with?
IN last years (influenced by Western culture) he changed the Russian troika to a line of deer. Why did the deer so easily entered our culture as a riding animal for Santa Claus? This is by no means explained by the fashion for foreign things, but by the re-actualization of the mythological archetype: the deer is a guide between the worlds, especially connected with the path from the Lower World to the Middle and vice versa (for example, let us indicate the golden deer in the Indian Ramayana).
Gifts, like Santa Claus himself, come from another world. Children know for sure that there will be enough gifts for everyone in Santa Claus's bag (here they are - innumerable riches). Where did the custom of presenting each other for the New Year come from? This is an element of productive magic: gifts on a festive night magically provide an abundance of life's benefits that we hope to find in the new year.
Everything is ready for the holiday. And we turn on the TV and attentively (albeit for the tenth time!) Watch some classic New Year's film - "Carnival Night", "Irony of Fate", "Sorcerers". Why is it so important for us to watch this movie over and over again? Celebrating the New Year in these films is a ritual duplication of an ongoing event; again we are faced with the fact that the ritual seeks to absorb a natural phenomenonserving as the basis of the holiday.
And now New Year's Eve comes. The whole family gathers around the set table. The custom to bet on new Year's table If a plentiful treat is now interpreted, it is within the framework of the "magic of the first day" - as you meet the new year, you will spend it. This subtext cannot be denied, but there is another behind it: this is not just a festive abundance of food, it is food of all kinds, and it symbolizes the whole world, everything that the earth will give birth to - and thus this food embodies the unity of the universe, and being distributed between the participants in the ritual (that is, eaten by the whole family), it becomes the magical embodiment of the unity of the family, its "total share", common destiny. Let's emphasize this point again: the purpose of the New Year's feast is
not so much providing abundance, how much renewal and strengthening of bonds between team members. Perhaps, we, who live in an era of tragic separation of people, have a lot to learn from "ignorant", "superstitious" ancestors.
The last event of the outgoing year is the President's address to the people. Why should it be at these moments? Why should the head of state contact us?
Before us is one of the last echoes of the ancient cult of leaders. The leader (no matter what specific title he carries) in the mythological consciousness is an intermediary between the world of people and the higher spheres, therefore he is responsible for performing all the rituals that ensure the correct contact between these two worlds. Through the leader, people turn to the gods, and the gods to people. What do we want to hear from higher powers? - what the president will tell us: this year was difficult, but the next one will be good. Purely ritual speech!
And then the chimes beat, a bottle of champagne slams loudly, frothy glasses clink, and a hymn is heard from the TV. Sounds, sounds, sounds - they accompany the transition from one year to another. Before us is the manifestation of the mythologeme "music as a means of opening the gates between worlds." In both myth and ritual, a song and a melody are a magical bridge connecting another world and the world of people. Let me remind you just a few examples.
Orpheus sang in front of the throne of Hades, praying to return Eurydice to the world of the living - and Hades agreed (not God's fault that Orpheus turned around and thereby violated the prohibition to meet a representative of the world of the dead). When Hermes, having kidnapped Apollo's cows, nevertheless agreed to return them to the god of light, he began to play the lyre, while Apollo drove the cows out of the cave (that is, from the underworld).
The magical role of Hermes' play is clearly seen in comparison with the Indian myth of the abduction of cows: the demons of the underworld imprisoned them inside the rock, and the seven sages of Angiras came to free them together with the thunderer Indra, and the sages chanted sacred hymns - and they broke through the rock by singing, freeing the cows. In European fairy tales of Celtic origin, the appearance of elves is accompanied by melodious chimes of bells or gentle music, while Altai shamans, on the contrary, summon the spirits by ringing bells themselves. Not only contacts between the transcendental worlds are carried out through the sounding word or music, but the very creation of the world itself often appears as the first sound.
So, the Indian Shiva creates the world with a divine dance, but before the dance, the voice of a small drum is heard, which God holds in one of his right hands. The hero of the Karelian-Finnish epic "Kalevala" Väinemeinen creates prototypes of various things by singing, which are then used by all people. Overseas, in the epic of the Quiche (Maya) Indians "Popol Vuh" it says: "In the beginning everything was in silence," and then the Word descends from the god Huracan to the earth. This cannot but recall the beginning of the Gospel of John, whose philosophical predecessor was the ancient Egyptian monument "
Memphis theological treatise ", which says:" Nothing has being, without first receiving its name, pronounced loudly. "
Against this background, all ritual songs, ritual music, especially loud and rhythmic, are perceived with special significance - for many peoples, any loud sounds serve as a magical means of dispersing evil spirits. By the way, one of these peoples is the Chinese, from whom we have borrowed the custom of launching fireworks in the last decade - not suspecting that the deafening noise of Chinese pyrotechnics is, from a ritual point of view, hardly any more meaningful than lights.
From antiquity to the present day, music is a ritual entrance to any new state, and therefore everything sounds on holidays. The chimes and the clinking of glasses symbolically open the door to the coming year. "
The coming year will be under the auspices of the Yellow Earth Pig. This symbol is known for its kind and generous nature. The animal will bring good luck to those who are not afraid to change their lives for the better.
Eastern horoscope for 2019
People have always tried to open the veil and look into the future: what will happen in the new year, what to expect, and what to watch out for. Pig (Boar) is the 12th sign of the Eastern horoscope, it is she who completes the cycle, which means that it gives everyone the opportunity to correct their mistakes. It is important to remember that by eastern calendar The benevolent Pig comes into its own only from February 5, 2019.
Symbol of the year 2019
A few months before the New Year, one of the most pressing and popular questions becomes: who will be the patron saint of the coming year, its totem and protector. Entrepreneurs begin to fill store shelves with appropriate goods, while ordinary people happily buy outfits of the right color and cute souvenirs. In 2019, the Pig (Boar) will climb the throne - the sign of the eastern horoscope, which completes the full cycle.
Eastern horoscope for 2018 according to year of birth
The hostess of the New Year is the Yellow Dog, which means that the time has come for friendship and closer contact between people, a time for cooperation and greater tolerance for each other. The eastern horoscope for 2018 promises an opportunity to avoid many problems. A dog is a creature that cares for others. So it should come as no surprise that in her year everyone will start paying more attention to the needs of those around her.
Horoscope for 2018 according to the signs of the zodiac
The symbol of 2018 - the Yellow Earth Dog, is, above all, a loyal friend for people with noble hearts. Don't stop this year even for a moment. You have a great chance to do unusual things.
Symbol of 2018
The coming 2018 will be at the mercy of the elements - the Earth, its main color palette become - all shades of yellow. The dog is kind, sensitive, endowed with a sense of justice! The dog is faithful, sensitive, fair, caring, sensitive, although sometimes it “shows its fangs”. It all depends on how attentive and willing you are to trust her!
About the symbol of the year
Symbols are like Ariadne's threads, which allow a person not to get lost in the labyrinth of their own life. They exist in many manifestations of the reality around us, but each of them is interpreted differently, since every person has his own key to the definition of a particular symbol!
Zodiac calendar
Throughout the existence of mankind, the starry sky attracted people with its mysterious beauty and mysterious unknown. Ancient people were completely sure that everything that happens on Earth was sent from heaven. Since in those distant times there were no clocks and calendars yet, our ancestors orientated themselves in space, studying the correct "reading" of the starry sky.
New Year, perhaps the most family-friendly of all the existing holidays. It is filled with magic and anticipation of something new. It is celebrated all over the world. And, despite the fact that in most countries the culmination of the holiday falls on different times, traditions and symbols are very often similar. Below is a list of the ten most famous symbols of the New Year.
Not a single New Year has yet been complete without the smell of tangerines, and without them. The delicate scent of these citrus fruits, combined with the fresh scent of pine needles, is perhaps the main association of the New Year.
Imagine New Year's Eve without champagne and clinking glasses, as difficult as without tangerines. And most importantly, the presence of sparkling wine is more often just a symbol than a reason to drink.
This evergreen shy girl, obligatory for decorating every home, is turned into a beauty, brilliant with tints of bright garlands, around which round dances often circle.
Santa Claus and Snow Maiden, the main characters of the beloved holiday. With their appearance, gifts and the start of entertainment are expected. Both adults and children expect them to come, they bring joy, smiles and fun. Children very often write letters with requests to Grandfather Frost in Veliky Ustyug and receive gifts from him.
Sparkling garlands are always beautiful, but the soul always wants a swing! And as soon as the last sparkler burns out with the 12 chimes, everyone goes out into the street, where hundreds of the brightest fireworks are blown up.
Address of the President of the Russian Federation
Before the Kremlin chimes strike 12 times, we all watch the address of the head of our state with bated breath and a sense of patriotism. Having listened to the results of the outgoing year, we accept with joy and hope best wishes... At this moment, I want to believe that all the best is ahead of us.
Of course, according to tradition, you need to write your desire on a piece of paper, burn it, and drink the ashes with a glass of champagne. But many simply confine themselves to solemn silence and internal dialogue.
We all love to wish each other a Happy New Year and give gifts. And everyone knows that the most sincere wish is always in the presence of a person. Therefore, to visit, to hug dear friends, what could be better.
New Year gifts
7
3
For one night, millions of people turn to the fairy tale beloved by adults and children.
Christmas tree
A Christmas tree or pine is the most famous attribute of the holiday not only in, but also in the West. The very idea of \u200b\u200bdecorating a tree is associated with the ancient traditions of the Germanic peoples: for harvesting, the coming of the New Year and other celebrations, Europeans decorated trees or gave their branches. In our country, an elegant Christmas tree appeared at the holiday only since the 19th century, and at first the decorated tree stood on the street.
New Year gifts
And this tradition has its roots. In the middle of the 19th century, when a fashion appeared in the homes of wealthy Russian nobles to put a Christmas tree on New Year's, after the holiday the tree was given to servants. Everything that was on the branches of the tree and on the table under it were gifts. Often the gift had a specific donor. The custom of attributing the appearance of gifts to fabulous creatures (such as Santa Claus or elves) appeared only at the beginning of the 20th century.
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a fairy-tale character, a symbol of the New Year in Russia. In other countries, he is also known as Santa Claus, or as Youllupukki, and the list of his names is not limited to this. The good-natured old man, who is helped by the diligent granddaughter of the Snow Maiden (or cheerful elves, if we are still talking about Santa Claus), became a favorite child's character in the 20th century.
It is believed that the prototype of Santa Claus is St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, although in Slavic legends there was already a mystical hero, symbolizing winter and cold.
Masks and carnival costumes
And this is another tradition "from the depths of the centuries." Folk festivities, mummers, buffoons, jesters and fortune-telling were inherited from Slavic paganism. Artists wore bright costumes and masks to amuse the people. In the Russian Empire, on New Year's Eve, masquerade balls were held, the so-called "carnival nights", where each participant of the holiday hid his face under a mask. Today, the fashion for New Year's carnivals is returning.
Fireworks
Launching fireworks on New Year's Eve began in even BC. Then it was believed that noise and bright light from explosions ward off evil spirits. Indeed, who wants to celebrate the New Year with evil spirits? When fireworks, like other equally interesting Chinese inventions, came to Europe, the tradition became international.
Bengal lights
The history of Bengal fire is rooted in ancient times. It was in Bengal, as historians testify, in the 5th-6th centuries A.D. during religious ceremonies, fires of unusual brightness flared up and quickly burned on the altars. Depending on the wishes of the clergy, the church either "smelled of evil" (the composition contained sulfur powder, which, when burned, releases gas from unpleasant odor), or a “good breath” was poured out (in this case, rosin was used instead of sulfur).
Chinese zodiac animal
The coming 2014 will be the year of the blue wooden horse. Where did this horse come from and why is it blue? Since the late 1980s, in Russia and other European countries, there has been a trend to associate the arrival of the New Year with one of the animals of the Chinese horoscope, despite the fact that the Chinese New Year comes later. If you do not seriously go into the subtleties of fortune-telling, then for us it is just a beautiful and non-binding tradition.
For the inhabitants of China, reverence for the calendar plays a special role, since the most important decisions in life have long been made taking into account the interpretation of the horoscope.
New Year's cards
The custom of exchanging postcards for the New Year originated in. First sent new year greetings by mail to Englishman Henry Cole in 1843, after which he asked his friend John Gersle to draw new year card... 1000 copies of the postcard were printed from this sketch in London.
Champagne
It is believed that the fashion for champagne appeared in Russia thanks to the noble class, who considered it the only noble drink. Very quickly, sparkling wine became indispensable at social events and banquets, gaining festive status. The fashion to clink glasses with crystal glasses was invented and introduced by Emperor Alexander II.
The tradition of drinking champagne for the New Year appeared in the USSR only in the early 1960s. In our country, it is drunk mainly on the New Year - during the holiday 45% of the total annual turnover of this drink is drunk.
President's New Year's address to the people
In our country, this became a tradition after L.I. Brezhnev to the people on the eve of 1976. But, as is the case with other symbols of the New Year, the President's address to the people during the holiday is found in many other countries. For example, in England, King Henry V made an appeal in 1923, and since 1970 the Chancellor has been congratulating the country on Christmas.
Photo: thinkstockphotos.com, flickr.com
