Novy God (Russian: Новый Год, lit. 'New Year') is a New Year holiday observed primarily in Russia and other post-Soviet states.
The observance was first established by the Soviet Union in the 1930s as a secular alternative to Christmas, stemming from the Communist Party's unofficial policy of state atheism. It incorporates traditions derived from those of Christmas, including gift-giving, decorated trees, and a Santa Claus-like figure—Ded Moroz (Russian: Дед Мороз, lit. 'Grandfather Frost')—who is said to deliver gifts to children on New Year's Eve.
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Novy God has remained a popular observance among Russians and their global diaspora, as well as in post-Soviet territories within Central Asia. Novy God was also observed in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
From AD 1492, the new year was originally celebrated on 1 September as per the Byzantine calendar. 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. 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.
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 (Russian: Дед Мороз, lit. 'Old Man Frost') serving a similar role to Santa Claus.
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. On television, the Soviet variety show Little Blue Light (Goluboy ogonyok) traditionally ran a special episode on New Year's Eve, New Year's Little Blue Light (Novogodny Goluboy ogonyok), 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", toy "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).
Even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the reinstatement of religious holidays, Novy God has remained a popular celebration in modern Russia, and among Soviet expats living in other countries such as Israel and the United States. Following the success of Channel One's Old Songs about the Main Thing project, the Little Blue Light New Year's Eve special was revived in 1997.
In Ukraine, Novy God was displaced by Christmas after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and its last vestiges began to be increasingly phased out and demonized amid conflicts between the nation and Russia.
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, 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), with assistance from his granddaughter Snegurochka (Russian: Снегурочка, lit. 'the Snow Maiden'). A residence in the town of Veliky Ustyug has been promoted as Ded Moroz's "home", and children are encouraged to write letters to him. GLONASS promotes a Ded Moroz "tracker" on New Year's Eve, similar to the NORAD Tracks Santa campaign.
Russia-1 televises the annual special Little Blue Light (Russian: Голубой огонёк), which features music and variety acts. Several Soviet films set during the New Year holiday are traditionally aired by Russian broadcasters on and around New Year's Eve, including Carnival Night (1956) and The Irony of Fate (1976). 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. 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.
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.
Russian American journalist Leon Neyfakh called Novy God "the most important family holiday of the season for Russians all over the world." The Los Angeles Times reported that "the most essential element of Novy God is family, followed by food as a close second. The extended feast, measured by how much of the table cloth is covered in dishes, begins with appetizers like “shuba” salad... “olivier” salad and “pelmeni” meat dumplings".
Among the most popular works are:
"A Spruce Was Born in the Forest" (1905)
"The Little New Year Tree is Сold in Winter" (1935)