Russians celebrate the Old New Year on January, 14. It is an informal traditional holiday, celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian calendar. 1500 people came to visit Russian Santa Claus at Veliky Ustyug, a town in Vologda Oblast on Sunday to celebrate this date, Rossiiskaya Newspaper reports. Fairytale performance, games and amazing roundances took place at the residence of the winter magician.
Popular festivities took place all over the country. Russians keep the tradition to celebrate the New Year two times - on January, 1st and 14th. Before Peter the Great Russian New Year was celebrated twice, in March and then in September. Under the decree of Peter I from 1699 the New Year was moved to January, 1 by the Julian calendar. The Old New Year celebration tradition has appeared following the introduction of the Western Gregorian calendar in 1918 by the Council of People's Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. As a result of the new calendar, the original date, January, 1 by the Julian calendar matched January, 14 by the Gregorian calendar.
Russians love old and new traditions, so they continue celebrating New Year twice, and not only in Russia but also in Russian communities abroad.
Russkiy Mir
