Today is the "Old" New year!

Or as we call it: The New Year according to the old style. How did it all begin?

The tradition of celebrating another New Year Eve on the 13 of January was born when the world was still using the Julian calendar and not the Gregorian. The discrepancy between the calendars in the XX-XXIcenturies is 13 days.

The Old New Year is a very interesting historical phenomenon, it prolongs the feeling of festivity and celebration that brings miracle to us.

So the Russians are always celebrating the two New Years. One, more hectic, with friends, fireworks,champagne, and the other more peaceful and quiet, usually only celebrated with family at home, watching television. Sometimes it can be on the contrary, but this subject is already something personal.

The second New Year also helps religious people (Russian Orthodox) who are fasting 40 days before Christmas, which is celebrated on January the 7th. Normally, they cannot enjoy the traditional dishes from the table on 31st of December, but already on the 13th of January can eat freely and without any sin.

The tradition to celebrate the Old New Year began in 1918. Even with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukrainians, Armenians, Moldovans, Belarusian, Lithuanian, Georgian, Kazakh, as well as other Slavic citizens of former Soviet republics, have maintained the custom.

The Old New Year is also celebrated in Serbia and Montenegro, because the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as Russian Federation continues to live according to the Julian calendar. This celebration is also a part of the tradition in Macedonia and in some German-speaking cantons in Switzerland.