Detachable Subdivision
"Rivne Professional College of
National University of Life
and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine"
The celebration of the New Year in Ukraine has a complex history that combines pagan traditions, Christian religious life, and influences from European and Soviet culture.
Nowadays, in most countries, the New Year comes on January 1. However, not everyone knows why this date became the beginning of the countdown. In 46 BC, the famous Roman emperor Julius Caesar ordered the creation of a calendar in which the year began on January 1. The date was not chosen by chance: it was in this year that the astronomical new moon occurred on January 1 - the first since the winter solstice.
In pre-Christian times in Ukraine, as in many other Slavic peoples, the year began with natural cycles. They celebrated the change of seasons, in particular the winter solstice (around December 21–22). This was the time when the night became the shortest and the day began to lengthen - a symbol of the rebirth of life.
After the annexation of Ukrainian lands to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and other European states, local culture was influenced by European customs. For example, Christmas traditions and decorating homes at the end of the year also became part of the holiday customs.
At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, the celebration of the New Year in the territory of what was then Kyivan Rus, and now Ukraine, was also introduced on January 1. The date and the custom of decorating coniferous trees instead of “grandfathers” were borrowed from Western European countries.
After Ukraine gained independence (1991), Christmas began to be actively celebrated again, but New Year remains one of the most beloved holidays. Traditional rituals (carol singing, giving, sowing) remain an important part of the winter holidays.
Today, New Year in Ukraine is celebrated on the night of December 31 to January 1. It is believed that “how you celebrate the New Year, so you will spend it,” so every Ukrainian celebrates it with holy faith in Victory over the enemy and hope for a peaceful life on our Ukrainian land.
Iryna BONDARCHUK,
teacher of economic disciplines
