Presidential Library tells how they celebrated New Year in St. Petersburg 300 years ago

New Year's celebrations in Russia are linked to centuries-old customs. New Year's holidays are coming, and so are centuries-old Russian traditions. The celebration of New Year and Christmas has a long history in Ancient Rus, starting with celebrations in March and then in September in the Moscow State. However, changes regarding the celebration of the holiday occurred during the reign of Peter the Great. In 1699, he issued a decree to postpone New Year celebrations and in 1700, the holiday was first celebrated on January 1st.

The article by historian and writer Alexander Kornilov, New Year in 1724, published on the Presidential Library's portal, captures the atmosphere of the winter celebrations in St. Petersburg three hundred years ago.

At that time, New Year's celebrations were held in a very solemn manner. At midnight, heralds and night watchmen would announce to the residents of St. Petersburg on the Neva River with the sound of trumpets and loud songs about the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one.

On January 1st, 1724, at 6 o'clock in the morning, Emperor Peter the Great and his family left the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in a covered sleigh and headed towards the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. They were going to attend mass. That day, the emperor joined the choir and sang along with the choristers.

During the service, a thunderous cannon salute from the Peter and Paul Fortress announced the start of the holiday for the residents of St. Petersburg, and a yellow flag with the double-headed eagle and four seas (the White, Black, Caspian, and Baltic Seas) was flown on one of the bastions of the fortress.

His entourage was in the church with the tsar. All the others were waiting for Peter I to come out on the platform in front of the cathedral. The emperor was wearing a Preobrazhensky uniform with a green and red collar and red doublet, both covered with gold braid. He was also wearing striped stockings and shoes made of reindeer skin with fur on top. The emperor greeted those who came to congratulate him by kissing them on the head. The Empress and the grand duchesses Anna and Elizabeth Petrovna allowed a glass of vodka in their hands.

At the end of the ceremony, Peter the Great treated the guards by bringing each soldier a ladleful of vodka from the barrels, which were carried by orderlies. The congratulations and treats for the troops continued until four o'clock, after which the emperor went to dinner at the Senate, where the diplomatic corps were waiting for him.

The Senate house at that time consisted of six two-story wooden huts, each with four windows. Festive tables had been set up in all the rooms, with the ladies occupying one half and the men the other. There was a separate sideboard for each table, containing crates of wine, mainly Hungarian, which Peter the Great's favorite. He "regaled" his guests with his own wine every minute.

After a short lunch, the tablecloths were removed from the tables and tobacco was poured onto them. Smoking pipes were brought and "thick clouds of smoke filled the room". Peter's guests spent their time chatting with each other, interrupted only by occasional toasts, without getting up from their seats.

And in the amphitheater, in front of the Senate, there were bulls roasting on high platforms for people. At seven o'clock in the evening, the amphitheater was filled with townspeople who had come for a festive feast. No one dared to start eating - everyone was waiting for the emperor to arrive. Peter I offered the first slice to the Empress and Grand Duchesses, then he "tasted" it himself, and then everyone else was served. The first day of the new year, 1724, ended with fireworks.

More information about the history of this holiday can be found on the Presidential Library's portal in the collection titled New Year and Christmas in Russia. Here, readers can find the main official documents, research on the celebration of New Year and Christmas, descriptions of them in historical sources, awards lists, congratulatory letters, historical and current calendars, and pre-revolutionary and Soviet-era postcards.