New Year in the USSR was one of the most popular and beloved holidays.
In the USSR, the New Year began on the evening of December 31, when congratulations and musical numbers were broadcast on radio and television. On this day, all children and adults were waiting for Father Frost and Snow Maiden, who came to visit, brought gifts and organized various competitions and games.
Everyone gathered at the festive table. It was always considered a family holiday and families gathered, but it was not forbidden to go visiting. The main dishes on the table were Olivier salad, Herring under a fur coat salad, fried potatoes, various meat and fish dishes, as well as tangerines and candies.
The new year began with a welcoming speech by the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. This was followed by performances by artists, fairy tales, and concerts.
New Year in the USSR was associated with traditions in which thoughts and feelings of the past were combined with the future. This holiday was a kind of metaphor for the transition from one year to another, and this explains its enduring popularity in the minds of people.
New Year tree
The New Year tree is a traditional symbol of the New Year holidays, which is used in many countries of the world, including the USSR. As a rule, New Year trees are decorated with bright garlands, toys, snowflakes, stars and other New Year attributes.
In the USSR, the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree appeared at the beginning of the 19th century and was brought from Germany. Since then, the New Year tree has become an integral part of the New Year and Christmas festive atmosphere in Russia.
Christmas trees were decorated in every family, in organizations. And on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s gifts appeared under the tree. Supposedly from Santa Claus.
In addition, in the USSR there was a tradition of installing a New Year tree on Red Square in Moscow. Every year to this day, a huge tree (the main tree of the country) is installed in the center of the capital to celebrate the New Year, which becomes one of the main attractions of the city during this period.