By Sergei V. Bulgakov (1900)
JANUARY 1, "I.E." NEW Year
At the cook time we band January 1 (1) as the beginning of the new day. Forty five sparkle in the future the Nativity of Christ the Romans horrible the New Year on January 1 to be more precise of Reveal 1, as they had in the future, and used up this day in filthy harsh games in disguises, in mad delight and adverse collapse (2); from this time Christians for a craving time did not assign this day as the New Year, and their days of the New Year looking at the peculiar countries and epoch were: Reveal 1, Reveal 25, September 1, September 23 and December 25. In 1594 French Sovereign Charles IX frozen that the day begins on January 1; at last other western countries highly praised this orderliness. At prematurely Russia began the day on Reveal 1, and as a result far ahead on September 1. At the end of 1699 Emperor Peter 1 issued a proceed to begin the well-mannered day on January 1, and 1700 was the prematurely day, which began with this month.
NOTES:
(1) The name January is susceptible this month in the role of it was strapping to Janus by ancient Romans, represented by two faces - in hint (jade) and next (old) - meaning that he stands with two times: his one show looks regular, and the other looks back at the day entitlement expired. "Prosinets" refers to the blistering light, which strengthens from that go along with by the light of the sun, which begins to viewing the gloomy sky. This month is called "Sichen" from the crackling of skin-tight ice or from the gulf, according to the belief of the citizens, of winter appearing in two halves.
(2) According to the belief of the Roman pagans, the prematurely go along with of the New Year had a not curable lean on the well-known annual report message of time: whoever readily meets and greets the prematurely day of the New Year motivation go into readily owing to the well-known year; from this time anyone made an devotion to contact and to make somebody's acquaintance the prematurely day of the New Year as readily and distractedly as achievable. On New Year's Eve men and women gathered in outside homes and in inns so that as a community they would contact the New Year. To be intoxicated on this day was regarded as must even by fill who did not be after to drink wine. Argue, shouts, songs, dancing, give enthusiastic approval to resounded on the streets and in the buildings all night. The men respectable themselves as women, and in turn the women did not lag next the men in the art of masquerading. According to the show up of the Spiritual Augustine, some respectable up as flora and fauna, put on rams skins, coupled to themselves heads of cows, deer, hounds and other animals; others respectable up even as demons or put on themselves images of the pagan gods and goddesses. The masqueraders went direct the capital, from abode to abode, with look, proclaim and bop. Speckled kinds of magicians, soothsayers and augurs, and destiny tellers of all undertake about the furthest never had as several business as on this night, the eve of the New Year. Plus opinion of genesis all hastened to each other with good job, well wishing and gifts for the New Year. The eve of the day was used up in feasts and amusements.
THE NEW Year MOLIEBEN
We bow to the New Year as anyone knows, very in the massive cities, with harsh accomplice, amid all achievable kinds of abuse amusements and diversions (2). In view of this it is rather cute to take note of the formula, which has appeared in the past few minutes in late lamented epoch, to perform, with the confirmation of shut down diocesan ascendancy, A MOLIEBEN IN THE TEMPLES AT MIDNIGHT FOR THE NEW Year (3) (see for 1894 "Diocesan Statistics" (Eparkhial'nyiia vedomosti), for section Astrakhan No. 5, Kholm -Warsaw No. 2, Penza No. 1). It is true that the Molieben is performed everywhere on January 1 after the liturgy, and anywhere the New Year evenly reposes, as for section in the villages (4), offer is no cook implore to perform the Molieben at midnight. But offer, anywhere at midnight of the New Year dissipation reigns, it is rather beneficial at this hard to please time to jingle for a prayer for fill update in the abuse observation of the New Year. One be supposed to reckoning with the survey of some,that in the stage the Molieben at midnight for the New Year pastoral practice has found a intimate and record clatter route for counteracting the abuse update of the New Year. Innumerable are roundabout in the dissipation of the New Year not paid to their weakness and lightness and it is very must to go a dispense hand to them. Challenging with the smudge and harsh outbursts of terrestrial blunder for the New Year, genuine appeals of church carillon, really their forceful sounds motivation successfully reverberate in several hearts, motivation conclusion, maintain and viewing very much of the cook way as the way one duty contact the New Year (5).
NOTES:
(1) Up to 1700, so the New Year was horrible on September 1, "the action of the New Year" was made special. Emperor Peter 1 invalid this "action" in 1700, and as a result the molieben by Gabriel Buzhinsky was on paper and hand-me-down homestead today.
(2) The accusations and information of St. John Chrysostom are mindlessly remembered in his oration for the New Year:
"The diabolical faction, he says, long-term today in the all night, cheer, median discover, nightly dancing and uncontrolled floor show has taken our capital in confinement...The games perceptive me record of all, occurring in the inns today, filling leftover and awesome impiety; -- an badness that occupies them on these days observing, guessing and thinking that if on the prematurely day of this month they purpose in seventh heaven and gladness, as a result the rest of the day motivation be used up that way also; - but the leftover that at dawn women and men having gorged their specs and plates with wine, drink imperfect any self-discipline...If you willpower to boon from the prematurely day of this month, act in such a way: that so you see the end of day, it motivation acclaim the Master that He entered appearing in you such a scurry of sparkle, a oppressed heart, numbering the sparkle of your life, evocative yourself: the days classes and given away, the sparkle put an end to...,and what good enjoy we done?...Remember this philosophy at the beginning of months owing to the scurry of sparkle... To recover on these days - not in the past few minutes the work of Christian philosophy, but furthermore the errors of paganism..."
"Of course, it is special and reprehensible for the Christian to expect special utility from how he meets the New Year, forgetting that true pleasure and well-being depend not on the scurry of time, but on the motivation of God and from the hieroglyph of our activity; it is reprehensible to opinion New Year with harsh revels from end of the day to midnight, to do in the past few minutes geographically pagan data and for the really Christian embarrassment...Speech identical days, as on the New Year's, with discrete profligacies and disgraces not in the past few minutes testifies to want of dedication, but furthermore sustains hostility to Christianity and the House of worship..."
(3) The initiative of such a update of the New Year was made about two or three sparkle ago by some pastors in St. Petersburg. In 1894 in something like all the churches in St. Petersburg the molieben for the New Year fixed for after the liturgy was performed on the eve after the Vigil, which as a result set the tone for the virtuous moral fiber for the well-known night for all fill cook at the divine services ("Tserkovnyi Vestnik" (House of worship Messenger) 1894, 1). In the precise day in Armavir (Stavropol District) the Vigil for the New Year was largely performed far ahead, beginning at 10 p.m., and in the future the reading of the Gospel the Akathist to the Sweetest Lord Jesus was read in the stand for of the temple, and at the end of the Vigil completely charge was susceptible ("Tserkovniya Vedomosti" (House of worship Statistics) 1894, 3).
(4) Badly, even in our villages, as a bequest of old paganism, discrete superstitious ethos, omens and destiny evocative accomplice with the New Year then again lift up to transpire. In several seats in Second Russia the hostess prepares for the end of the day on the day in the future New Year as several pirogi and knishes as achievable and puts them in one public understand on the table. The start after a prayer sits on his redemption place, next a collection of pirogi; the children input, pray and ask the mother: "anywhere is our father?" - "He-he didn't you see me?" asks the get going. - "No we didn't see you, dad!" the children response. "Agree, O God, that even owing to this day they motivation not see!" says the get going, that is, so that even the bordering day offer motivation be the precise supply of loaves. The end of the day on the day in the future the New Year is household in Second Russia by the name "generous" and "multi-colored", with the trace that the opinion of the New Year represents the revival of the sun, despite the fact that the summer and the pick do not transpire by themselves. On New Year's, brought out appearing in the garden from the hut is the gibberish, which from the Nativity itself was not stumped out onto the ask for, but was swept to a different place appearing in the repair under "redemption". In the garden this gibberish is burned so that the clouds from it made it achievable "to fumigate" all the fruit plants. By put-on this the peasants possess the plants motivation be arrogant full. Inopportune in the genesis children expedition homes and sow seeds of oats, rice, and so forth, in concert so-called sowing time songs or pronouncing wishes for pleasure and vibrancy for the bordering day. At the showering of the girls the lone boys by throwing on them seeds foretell: if the emerge of grains motivation crop up even, it route the girl motivation tie together, and if not to the differing. The owners industriously guts the seeds which were circulate and restrain them for planting, and as a result with other seeds unnerve them on the ground; a part of them they furthermore run to the hens that laid arrogant seed. The act of showering with the seeds is called: "assenem", "ovsenem" (with oats), "hovsenem", "badtsenev" and so on. All these words come from the word oves (oats), hand-me-down owing to the sowing, which, I assume, are theremnants of some times of yore pagan village-owner feast. The precise feast furthermore prescribes the formula of preparing kasha on this day with special advantage and with prognostications on it for the bordering day. A peculiar reassuring destiny evocative then again continues its restrain on the simple citizens even in Strapping Russia. In Belorussia, as promptly as it gets dark, a terse boy, a girl and even jade ones are sent to the neighbors to perform "a robbery", that is, to take control of from each other what, that one can take control of in hand: clothes, utensils and so forth. The terse boy makes an devotion to tread softly what from the costume of a girl, and they in turn do the precise. All stolen items come back the bordering day. In unity with this anyone makes an devotion to maintain cleverly and profitably about the robbery of an item. Organize are, save for, situations anywhere the "robbery" as a joke turns out to be in statement an roomy.
(5) The Consecrated House of worship in its prayer books prescribes the in concert of the molieben on the New Year, in circles all display needs from the quick to the eternal in at all life, thanking the Draftsman and Accident for all the blessings luxuriously poured out upon us by Him owing to the similar to day and asking Him "to bless the crown of the coming day with Thy profusion". Together with these the Consecrated House of worship stands us in the future the show of God, as the Bring about of life and immortality and the Maker of all good, and calls us to petition for Him: "to discharge us and all Thy citizens all the sins due and certain, we enjoy committed owing to the similar to day", "to set to a different place from us all thing degrading passions and gap customs", "to redo a proper spirit in our hearts", "to end in in us zeal for good works and accord to all His commandments", "to existing us directive, determination, innocent love, cut back fashion and a polite way of life". So this very thing induces us, at the opinion of the New Year, to punctiliously glance at and review all our life and works owing to the similar to day, genuinely apologetic our sins and making a starvation arrange for the furthest, with full devotion, to starvation from all evil, and to learn that the well-being of our life depends on God and that our in the past few minutes excise is "zeal for good works", that is, life really Christian. Specific a true Christian may take pleasure in a first-rate, soothing sense of right and wrong - the record valued of all treasures; in the past few minutes he may, with a starvation fantasize in God, carriage all difficulties and temptations, which are so abundant in life and indubitable for everyone; in the past few minutes he can justly take control of sharpness for the good of the world for the territory of God, for the trade-in of his thing and for the happiness of his neighbor; in the past few minutes he can be gratify with any share the Lord sends him; and that in this satisfaction is the true pleasure on earth. It is this pleasure that we furthermore duty wish, at the opinion of the New Year, for our fellow citizen and ourselves and for this we duty keep afloat up piquant prayers to the Top figure Emaciated.
