13.01.2022

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov on the Old New Year

Our reporter asked Kirsan Ilyumzhinov what he thought about the Old New Year. And how he is going to celebrate it.

- Since childhood, I couldn’t understand this expression: the Old New Year. What's wrong with it? Already at school, I learned that the date of the "Old New Year" corresponds to the New Year according to the Julian calendar.
The Old New Year is unlikely to ever become an official calendar holiday, but it is traditionally celebrated in many countries on the night of January 13-14. We have two New Years due to the transition from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian, the difference between which is exactly 13 days. The reason why the New Year's holiday continues to be celebrated according to the old style is due to refusal of the Orthodox Church to adopt the new chronology. It continued to live according to the Julian calendar - we celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 7th.

 

In general, everything is correct: Christmas, according to the calendar tradition, should precede the New Year, as well as the fact that in the Orthodox Church the Gregorian New Year falls on the Advent fast.
Well, to be honest, for us the Old New Year is an additional opportunity to celebrate our favourite holiday, get together with friends and believe in miracles. Special magical properties are attributed to this date, so at exactly midnight it is worth once again making your deepest wish. And let it come true!
As for me, I am in favour of having a lot of holidays. Although, most often, you must work on holidays. I love the film "Old New Year" very much, and when I have the opportunity, I will definitely watch it on Old New Year's Eve.