How New Year's gifts appeared. New Year in Russia: history and traditions
A gift is something you give of your own free will, for free, with the aim of bringing pleasure or benefit. Japanese wisdom says that if you liked the gift, it means you gave away part of your soul. We all love to give and receive gifts. No one remembers exactly how the tradition of giving gifts arose. It most likely arose in different places. But let’s try to figure out why it arose.
History of the tradition Giving gifts, regardless of country and culture, has a special meaning since ancient times. Gifts were presented both in Ancient China and Ancient Greece. Even among the barbarian tribes on the territory of modern Europe there was a tradition of giving gifts. As now, gifts were given on the occasion of the birth of children or marriages, upon victories in wars or upon occupying high government positions.
Nowadays there are many more holidays and memorable dates, they have accumulated, so to speak, so we give gifts more often. Although the main reasons remain the same - the birth of a child, a wedding, victory in something and a holiday that has become established over the years, for example, New Year.
History of gifts in Rus'
In Rus', gifts have always been loved; they were able to find secret meaning and happy news in them. Since ancient times, it was believed that a thing given from a pure heart brings good luck, and if there is hostility behind it, harm. It is no coincidence that in fairy tales the hero does not find most wonderful objects, but receives them as a gift: be it a ball that shows the way or a ring that grants wishes.
In Rus', the word “gift” had a twin brother - “ gift", derived from the word "guest". Previously, according to custom, a person always entered a house with a gift, and they were ready to give it to him in this house. The Yuletide custom of caroling also had a “gift” meaning - there was a belief that a prosperous life was associated not only with abundance on the table and in the cellars, but also with obligatory generosity, a willingness to share and give gifts to others. At Maslenitsa they gave patterned gingerbread cookies with the inscriptions: “I give to whom I love”, “A gift from a loved one is more valuable than gold.” The custom of exchanging colored eggs at Easter is also still alive.
In Rus', due to the shortage of gold, the best gift was silver, this also applied to a silver spoon for a child’s first tooth, and silver sets for weddings. In general, the traditions of giving in Russia have a truly enormous scope; it is not for nothing that in the Russian language a synonym for the word “gift” is the word “gift” - that is, a thing that was prepared for guests, for a visit.
Gifts were offered for literally any occasion. At the same time, the ironic expression that “the best gift is a gift made with your own hands” actually has historical roots. In the peasant environment, it was customary to give pies, Easter cakes, gingerbread cookies, homemade tablecloths or clothes to neighbors or relatives, and to children - beregin dolls sewn from fabric.
The tradition of giving gifts among the peoples of the world
At the dawn of human existence, people knew this quite definitely: any gift is a Message. The choice of gifts (gifts) was given great importance. Often, war or peace between tribes (states) depended on the right or wrong choice.
At the court of the Sumerian king, Roman Caesars and European monarchs there were always people who knew well what the tradition of giving gifts was. They interpreted the “language of gifts” and determined which gift expresses loyal sentiments, which expresses a relationship of equals, and which carries a threat or disdain.
The “language of gifts” was also used by the American Indian tribes and the natives of Oceania. It was the bringing of gifts in all centuries that served as the first positive step in contact between two different tribes, states, nations, races, and individuals.
So the gift, the gift is the message. Therefore, when choosing a gift for a specific person, you yourself should, at a minimum, know what exactly will be encrypted in this message.
First of all, you need to formulate what properties a certain object (or action) must have in order to be called a gift.
Probably the main thing is that the word “most” can be applied to this subject.
It should be something:
- the newest
- the most perfect
- the most powerful
- the most prestigious
- the most expensive
- essentials
- the most fashionable
- the most original
- most beautiful
- the most pleasant
- the funniest thing
- most suitable for a specific situation
An example of an unusual gift
One witty slave of Caesar once on New Year's Eve wished his master to live longer next year than the previous one. Caesar, appreciating his sense of humor, did not remain in debt and gave the scoundrel freedom.
Giving gifts to loved ones for the New Year seems to us an absolutely natural activity. Moreover, we get great pleasure when we see joy on dear faces, and we ourselves have a weakness for pleasant surprises. It would be interesting to know, thanks to whom this wonderful and good tradition arose and took root?
The history of the holiday and the tradition of giving New Year's gifts id="5f5e17d5">
id="5f5e17d5">The history of New Year celebrations goes back to ancient times, when people worshiped pagan gods and brought them generous and sometimes terrifying gifts. Moreover, the date of the celebration fell at a different time of the year.
For example, in India and Mesopotamia, it was customary to celebrate the New Year on March 21, the day of the vernal equinox, and, of course, for good reason. This was the time when field work began, and people sought to earn the favor of higher powers in order to grow a rich harvest.
Residents of Ancient Greece believed that the New Year came on the summer solstice - June 22, and celebrated it by holding a real masquerade. Dressed in satyr costumes, the Greeks had fun, participating in the general procession, and sang the god Dionysus, the patron saint of winemakers.
And the Egyptians tied the onset of the New Year to the appearance of the star Sirius in the sky. The clergy performed special ceremonial ceremonies in September, expressing respect to the deity in order to evoke his mercy and receive protection.
The powerful Roman emperor Julius Caesar carried out a reform in chronology. By his decree, the year became equal to the number of days we are accustomed to, and weeks and weeks appeared. The tradition has taken root in the most civilized states and has survived to this day.
In addition to the rich gifts brought to pagan deities, people exchanged gifts with each other, and, as a rule, the choice of gift depended on the person’s status in society, his belonging to one caste or another.
New year in Russia id="29889845">
id="29889845">Pagan Rus' professed the religion of sun worship and celebrated the New Year on March 21. With the advent of Christianity, the date was moved first to the first day of spring, and then to the very beginning of autumn, so that it began to coincide with the time of harvest. We had fun on a grand scale, rejoicing at the full bins and anticipating a well-fed winter. Feasts, fairs and folk festivities associated with the rich fruits of labor have made the New Year one of the favorite holidays, symbolizing a well-deserved rest after months of hard work.
Much later, when the reformer Emperor Peter the Great came to the Russian throne, the New Year celebration was again postponed, and this time to January 1. In his decree, the ruler not only determined a new date, but also prescribed special conditions necessary for the proper organization of the winter celebration. Now the nobility had to decorate the Christmas tree with shiny toys, stock up on firecrackers and take part in masquerade balls. The chronology from the Nativity of Christ has also become relevant.
Attention: The first Christmas gifts are described in the Bible and are known as the gifts of the Magi - gold, frankincense and myrrh, brought in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ. In the West, Christmas comes before the New Year and is considered the main winter holiday.
In our country, the New Year began to be celebrated as a holiday in 1935, with decorated Christmas trees, sweets and other gifts for the children of the Bolsheviks. The Soviet people were so imbued with the spirit of the winter fairy tale that the New Year became one of the favorite holidays in the country.
Residents of which country came up with the idea of giving gifts for the New Year? id="d0af730b">
id="d0af730b">It is believed that the founder of the tradition of giving gifts for the New Year was Julius Caesar and, accordingly, the Romans. And the very first gifts were branches of a noble laurel and coins with the image of the two-faced god Janus. Initially, in Rome, the New Year began in October, then in March, and finally in January. We can consider Italy exactly the state in which our beloved holiday traditions originated. By the way, today in Italy the lion's share of gifts comes at Christmas, while New Year's gifts are more of a symbolic nature.
The tradition of leaving gifts under the tree id="ad4d2132">
id="ad4d2132">The population of ancient Babylon happily celebrated the winter solstice as the name day of the patron god of vegetation, Tammuz. People believed that the god Izdubar also brought his gifts to Tammuz, hiding them under a beautiful evergreen tree. You can begin to draw parallels with modern customs precisely from those time immemorial. It is quite obvious that all the holidays that exist in the world today have their origins in the service of pagan religious cults, as do the traditions of their implementation.
This is interesting: Our ancestors believed that they lived not only in the visible world, but also in the world of spirits. And today many adhere to this opinion, perhaps with good reason. In ancient times, it was believed that powerful spirits, both evil and good, found their homes in the crowns and under the branches of trees. To appease them, people left gifts in the spreading branches. Do you find any similarities?
As already mentioned, the custom of laying out New Year's gifts under the Christmas tree came to us from the West and appealed to the Russian people. Children especially rejoice at the opportunity to look for wonderful gifts under the fragrant spruce paws. Magical childhood memories associated with the festive bustle of home and the cheerful atmosphere on the streets of cities remain with us for the rest of our lives.
Tradition of leaving gifts in boots id="84079457">
id="84079457">In European countries, there has long been a custom of putting out a boot or shoe, polished to a shine, outside the threshold or storing it under the Christmas tree, so that on the first day of the New Year you can find the desired gifts in it. Also, European residents hang a bright sock with sweets and souvenirs on the fireplace or near the crib.
The tradition originates in the story of how St. Nicholas, taking pity on the poor sisters, threw a handful of coins or several gold bars down the chimney of their home. The money went straight into the stockings hanging on the fireplace. In memory of this miracle, Europeans began to happily fill their stockings and shoes with New Year's gifts.
Today, special, elegant boots and socks are in holiday use, and as a rule, caring and loving parents of children fill them with treats, but who knows, maybe not only them? We tend to believe that there is still a place for miracles in our lives!
By the way, St. Nicholas played a significant role in shaping the traditions of the winter holiday, and we will tell you about this separately!
When did they start believing that Santa Claus or Father Frost brings gifts? id="309c3aee">
id="309c3aee">In the third century, a wonderful man named Nicholas was born on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. He became famous for his righteous life and desire to do good towards the people around him. Nicholas grew up in a wealthy family and chose the path of a minister of the Christian faith, eventually becoming a bishop. Having received a huge inheritance from his parents, he did not skimp on helping the poor, extending special care to his children. After his death, the bishop was canonized, and today we know him as Nicholas the Wonderworker, the patron saint of travelers and children. This saint, beloved by Orthodox Christians, is famous for answering the sincere prayers of believers, fulfilling their deepest desires. Isn't this a miracle?
In accordance with Christian ideas about virtue, St. Nikolai always strived to do good deeds while remaining unrecognized, and remained true to himself even after death. On the festive night, the Wonderworker descends from heaven, accompanied by angels, and leaves gifts not only for obedient, but even mischievous children. So he became the prototype of Santa Claus and Father Frost.
Actually, Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas are consonant and almost identical names, so we can conclude that people began to believe in a good wizard who brings gifts for the New Year just after the death of Bishop Nicholas.
By the way, you can watch a wonderful film with your kids about the orphan boy Nicholas from Lapland, who became Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus).
The tradition of writing a letter to Santa or Father Frost id="da737d7a">
id="da737d7a">The wonderful custom of writing and sending messages to the Fairytale Grandfather with requests for gifts originated in the West, and only then came to our country. Europeans and residents of the United States of America have been bombarding Santa with letters for more than a century.
The fact is that in the second half of the nineteenth century it was officially accepted that Santa Claus settled in a home at the North Pole. Since then, children raised in the Catholic faith began to write messages to their kind grandfather, sharing their joys and experiences, and also asking him to send gifts for the New Year and make their dreams come true. The envelopes were signed like this: North Pole, Santa Claus.
Despite the fact that the kids acted in secret from their parents, the adults, of course, learned about the wonderful correspondence and immediately, with their characteristic entrepreneurial spirit, made a very profitable business from it.
Today, European society, cultivating consumption, notes changes in the epistolary creativity of the younger generation. Less and less often, children turn to Santa Claus as a kind wizard and a fairy-tale friend with whom they want to communicate on various topics. The letters are becoming shorter and shorter and often contain only lists of gifts.
During the times of the Soviet Union, Russian children already knew well who Grandfather Frost was, and they really loved this kind wizard, who drew patterns on glass and came to visit on New Year’s Eve, with a bag of toys and sweets, accompanied by the cute Snow Maiden. To receive a gift from the treasured bag, it was enough to simply read a poem or sing a song, which the kids did with great pleasure. It is clear that the gifts were bought by parents, and someone’s fathers usually acted as grandfathers, but the magic did not disappear because of this!
In 1995, the first Father Frost estate in our country was officially opened on the territory of the Lapland Nature Reserve (Kola Peninsula), and Russian children also got the opportunity to send letters to the fairy tale. As time passed, the wizard changed his place of residence, moving from the Chunozersk estate to Veliky Ustyug, and New Year's messages flew to the new address.
Today, to send a letter with wishes, you don’t even have to indicate the address and stick a postage stamp, you just need to sign the envelope “to Grandfather Frost,” but we’ll tell you how to write it correctly!
The wonderful grandfather does not like to answer letters that look like an order form, and even gets offended when people contact him only to receive gifts. You need to take a blank sheet of paper and start the message, of course, with New Year's greetings. Maybe you can write a short poem? Do this with your child, and then draw a holiday picture. If your son or daughter already knows how to write letters on their own, let them write a few sentences about what they have achieved over the past year. Help the kids with a hint:
- learned to read, write, count;
- learned poems and songs;
- help mom and dad;
- found new friends and so on.
This activity is very useful for the child, because in the process he learns to analyze his actions, gains self-confidence and learns to set new goals, which he can also write to his grandfather in a letter, along with promises to be good next year.
Now we can talk about gifts! And if the child wants to ask his grandfather for gifts for his loving mom and dad, congratulate yourself, because you have something to be proud of!
The official address of the winter wizard's residence is especially for those who love accuracy in everything: Russia, Vologda region, Veliky Ustyug, the house of Father Frost. Zip code 162340. And if you go to this address, you can meet your grandfather and deliver the letter to him personally.
N New Year is a holiday that all children and adults love. One of the attributes of the New Year is New Year's gifts, which are a good old tradition that, it is believed, arose in the pre-Christian era.
IN In ancient Egypt, for example, where the New Year was celebrated during the Nile flood (around the end of September), the Egyptians placed statues of the god Amun, his wife and son in a boat, and the sailing of this boat was accompanied by fun with singing and dancing, as well as the presentation of gifts.
IN In ancient Rome, the New Year was celebrated in early March, but after the introduction of a new calendar by Julius Caesar, the New Year was timed to coincide with the assumption of office of the newly elected consuls, which took place on January 1. Politicians and citizens of Rome, in order to win over the consuls, gave them gifts. And if at first these were fruits covered with gold, dates and wine berries, then the value of the gifts increased. And over time, emperors also began to demand gifts for the New Year. On the first day of the new year, Caligula accepted gifts from his subjects, writing down who gave, how much and what, right on the square in front of the palace. And he even publicly ridiculed gifts that seemed inappropriate to his status.
IN During the spread of the Christian faith, the church tried to prohibit giving gifts, considering this custom as pagan. However, later this custom, which took root no matter what, began to be interpreted as a tradition that arose from the presentation of gifts by the Magi to the baby Jesus.
IN Nowadays, a New Year's gift is not only a testimony of love, affection or respect for the person to whom the gift is presented, but also joy on the occasion of the most cheerful and joyful holiday. This is probably why they start choosing New Year's gifts in November... And not only children, but also adults are waiting for New Year's gifts.
A Regarding the gift itself, different countries have their own traditions and customs: in some places they prefer to give things necessary in everyday life, in others they prefer to give inexpensive trinkets, in others they prefer to give sweets, candles, books, crafts, wine and even whole New Year’s trees, and for some, a gift is synonymous with sophistication and subtle taste.
E Different countries have their own traditions and customs of New Year's gifts.
IN Austrians prefer to give gifts of things needed in everyday life, and many families celebrate the New Year with the purchase of beautiful clothes or accessories.
L The favorite gifts of the British are inexpensive trinkets. The British consider grand gestures in gifts unacceptable. They will never choose some expensive exclusive souvenir or original designer decoration as a New Year's gift. Their favorite gifts are key rings, beer and wine sets, scented candles, cute souvenir dolls and intricate tea spoons. These little things are a sign of their sincerity and affection for you and your home.
A Americans, on the contrary, hold the palm in their passion for expensive gifts. On average, an American spends from $50 to $800 on gifts. Americans give each other cigars, wines, perfumes, hats, scarves, sweaters, and trinkets. Gifts are usually given with a receipt. A receipt is needed so that, if necessary, you can return the gift back to the store. In the first days of January, there are large queues of people handing over goods in stores.
B Belgians approach the choice of a gift not just as a pleasant pastime, but as a responsible event. The giver explains the meaning of the gift orally or on a card attached to it, and the choice is never random. They always try to give something that the recipient really needs, something that will be useful to him. Preferable donations: books, stationery, works of art.
B On New Year's Day, the Olgars give dogwood sticks, which represent all the best in the coming year. And young people, going around the surrounding houses, hit their owners with dogwood branches. Let us note that this custom reflects the legend about the miraculous power of this tree. Bulgarians, gathered for the New Year's celebration, turn off the lights for a few minutes. These minutes are called the minutes of New Year's kisses, the secret of which is preserved by darkness.
IN Yengras love to give each other books, warm socks, and sleds. Children give their crafts to their elders.
G Dutch children receive bags of pies and sweets as a New Year's gift, which, according to legend, are put in their shoes by the wise men.
E Skimos of Greenland give each other figurines of walruses and polar bears carved from ice for the New Year. Since Greenland is cold even in summer, like it is here on New Year’s, ice gifts last a very, very long time.
G the rivers give each other nothing more than a stone, saying the following: “Let the owner’s money be as heavy as this stone.” And if the stone is small, then they wish: “Let the thorn in the owner’s eye be as small as this stone.” Of course, it’s not complete without standard gifts, such as a basket of champagne and wine. Recently, Greek residents often give each other a new deck of cards as a New Year's gift.
D For the Danes, the main thing is the solemnity of the event, so they do not take gifts too seriously, they usually give something simple. At the same time, children will not find anything under the tree; in search of gifts, they will have to crawl around the entire house or apartment. When visiting, the Danes love to bring candles of different sizes and shapes. According to statistics, these people are the most active consumers of candles in the world.
U Irish “gift” traditions are greatly influenced by their religiosity and reverence for the institution of family. In this country, it is customary to give children little angels and wooden figurines of Jesus and Mary. But it is not customary to pamper adults with any material values.
E If people go to visit each other for a New Year's holiday, they most often bring some tasty dish of their own design, and bachelors bring a bottle or two of wine. In addition, at Christmas in Ireland it is customary to give money to those who helped the family during the year, for example, the postman who delivered letters, or the milkman who supplied the entire area with fresh milk every day.
D For Italians, a gift is synonymous with sophistication and subtle taste. Any Italian will be no less happy with a bottle of good fine wine than, say, with a cashmere muffler or a stylish tie. True, they do not forget to emphasize the uniqueness of their choice. Men and women give each other beautiful underwear - a symbol of novelty.
TO For the New Year, the Chinese give paired items that symbolize unity and family harmony: two cups, a pair of glasses, a pair of wine glasses, paired candlesticks, etc. An unacceptable gift for the Chinese is a watch, because timekeeping in their minds is associated with death.
M Mexicans easily solve problems with New Year's gifts by purchasing a popular “flower” in the country, which for many replaces a New Year’s tree.
N Yemen people love to give books as gifts for the New Year holiday; it is no coincidence that this nation is considered the most reading nation in the world. But the most pleasant surprise here is considered to be a trip, the direction and duration of which depends on the family budget.
AND Residents of the Netherlands like any gifts that contribute to a pleasant pastime, since leisure here takes up a fairly impressive part of both time and budget. They will be grateful if they are given music CDs, art albums or miniature porcelain figurines as a New Year's gift.
P When choosing New Year's gifts, Poles try to show their imagination and present each other something elegant: for women they choose inexpensive jewelry, and for men - cufflinks, scarves, pens or wallets.
P The Portuguese attach special importance to homemade gifts: lace tablecloths and napkins, clothes with hand-embroidered designs, homemade wooden dishes, carved candlesticks, boxes and photo frames. It is generally accepted that a piece of one’s own warmth invested in this kind of gift protects it from damage, and protects the one who uses it from dishonest people and... pointless purchases.
D For the Finns, a universal gift is sports equipment and a candle - a symbol of love and friendship.
F French people are considered fans of original gifts. Most often, their choice stops at unusual souvenirs or postcards. Despite the fact that France is a country of magnificent perfumes, you cannot give perfume to a married French woman. Only her husband can give perfume to a woman in France.
Sh Vedas traditionally give each other homemade candles. This happened because in winter it gets dark early near the Arctic Circle, and the light symbolizes friendship, cordiality, and fun.
I The Japanese give each other “oseibo” - traditional, simple gift sets: jars of canned food, pieces of aromatic toilet soap and, of course, other things necessary in everyday life. Historians believe that this tradition originated in the Middle Ages, when samurai at the end of December necessarily exchanged offerings that strictly corresponded to their position in the feudal hierarchy. Japanese children to this day believe that their dreams will come true if they put a drawing of a “dream” under their pillow on New Year’s Eve. But they don’t give flowers for the New Year in Japan. It is believed that only members of the imperial family have the right to give flowers.
IN Russia, due to its generous nature and special generosity inherent in its national character, likes to give a large number of inexpensive gifts for the New Year instead of one, albeit expensive one. A mountain of multi-colored boxes with gifts under the Christmas tree will please us more, especially children.
WITH It is worth noting that national traditions are gradually being eroded, and although we are not yet talking about the global practice of choosing New Year's gifts, humanity is gradually moving in this direction under the influence of trade, which earns most of the annual revenue from New Year's gifts.
R Recommendations for choosing New Year's gifts are a thankless task, since when choosing a gift, both the interests of the recipient and the capabilities of the giver are taken into account.
N The New Year is a time of gifts, so give each other gifts as a sign of your feelings and a manifestation of love.
New Year's gifts are several hundred years old. Surprisingly, the tradition of giving gifts for the New Year existed back in Ancient Egypt. Not quite in the form we are used to now, but still...
In Ancient Egypt, the New Year was celebrated in September, and this holiday was timed to coincide with the flood of the Nile. The celebrations were held on a large scale, and small gifts were presented to relatives and friends, for example, vases with water from the “holy Nile” with dedicatory inscriptions “Discoveries of a good year.”
The ancient Romans also did not shy away from gifts and gave them on March 1 - the New Year was celebrated on the first day of spring. But the Romans gave New Year's gifts purely symbolically and only to higher-ranking officials, presenting as a present a coin with a two-faced Janus, dates, berries and olive branches. The Gallic Celts historically turned out to be the most generous givers - for the New Year, which was celebrated in Gaul in the fall, they gave gold and various jewelry.
New Year's gifts in the Russian version
After Peter the Great officially introduced the New Year celebration into the calendar of Russian celebrations, gifts for the holiday did not immediately begin to be given to each other, but by the middle of the 18th century, sweets were considered the best gift for the New Year. They were given mainly in tin boxes or bombonnieres. In addition to sweets, children also received toys. Sweets also served as the best decoration for New Year trees.
In the first decades of the Soviet period, the New Year was ostracized by the country's authorities and was even abolished for some time as a “bourgeois relic.” But in 1935, thanks to the Soviet media, the joyful winter holiday returned to the people.
Gifts in those days were again sweets, often homemade, fruits, nuts and various useful things for everyday life. Decorated tangerines, walnuts, and candies were hung on New Year trees. There was no talk then about colorful New Year's packaging of the gifts themselves - they would have bought the gifts themselves. But the families did their best to decorate children's gifts with bows, ribbons, and appliqués.
Through the “Iron Curtain” that opened at the end of the century, new holidays and customs poured into Russia, but the New Year, loved and valued by Russians, remained virtually unchanged. The problem with gifts is now a little different - it’s difficult not to buy them, but to choose them. In the huge variety of gifts and colorful New Year's packaging, it is often difficult to navigate in order to choose the right option for children, colleagues or loved ones. But be that as it may, New Year's gifts were given, are given and will be given, because there is nothing more pleasant than giving and receiving gifts from others!
Traditional traditions that are familiar to everyone in reality have their own history of origin. This fully applies to New Year's gifts. True, it is difficult to say about a specific date or a narrow time period when people began to give each other gifts on such a day.
Historians currently believe that a similar tradition already existed during Ancient Egypt. In any case, archaeologists discovered vases in the pyramids that were created about three thousand years ago, indicating the corresponding wishes. Around the same period, similar traditions reigned in Persia, where on New Year's Day people gave eggs, symbolizing continuation of the family.
On the European continent, the tradition of giving gifts for the New Year appeared and took hold in Ancient Rome. According to historical documents and legends, the first gifts were laurel branches, symbolizing good luck and happiness in the coming year. It is interesting that on the very first day of the new year, the inhabitants of Ancient Rome presented each other with honey and fruits, and congratulations were often accompanied by comic poems, that is, this day was already filled with joy and fun.
During early Christianity, the tradition of giving New Year's gifts to children arose. This is associated with the day of St. Nicholas, who was represented as a good-natured white-bearded old man with a bag from which he took gifts for good children and lowered them down the chimney. Gradually, this tradition was timed to coincide with the New Year’s celebrations, although it did not coincide with the calendar.
Features of New Year gifts in different countries
Different regions of the world have developed their own traditions regarding gifts for this bright holiday. At the same time, there are a number of common features. So, a universal option would be lanterns, garlands, and paper flowers that symbolize joy, life and sunlight. If you decide to decorate the table or give gilded apples, nuts or cones as a gift, this will become a symbol of renewal of human life and rebirth.
Based on the traditions of peoples, a certain list of “unfavorable” gifts for the New Year has been formed. For example, for a Chinese person, receiving a watch as a gift will be unacceptable because the word sounds like “funeral.” In the United States, the desire to give sharp objects symbolizing the interruption of a relationship will be perceived negatively. In France, the presentation of perfume is considered too intimate.
What gift should I buy for the New Year?
When choosing a specific gift, it is necessary to take into account traditions (this is especially important when giving a gift to foreigners), and also try to approach the issue individually. In general, you should focus on the following points:
- gender of the recipient and his age;
- occupation, hobbies;
- possible personal preferences and wishes that were casually expressed.
After this, you can already go to the gift store (online or real in the nearest shopping center). It is advisable to do this in advance, so that in the pre-holiday crowd you do not buy the first thing that comes to hand.
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