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Show Before Revolution Russians Welcomed New Year Heartily Pre - revolutionary Russia welcomed wel-comed the New Year with booming cannon a hundred shots fired at midnight. The observance of the New Year on January 1, according to the Gregorian calendar, was instituted by Peter the Great in 1700. The evening of December 31, known as St. Sylvester's Eve, was the time for great fun and enjoyment. In Petrograd (later St. Petersburg, Peters-burg, and now Leningrad) the streets were gayly decorated with Dags and lanterns, and thronged with merry-makers. After the booming cannon ushered in the New Year, the Czar formally received re-ceived the good wishes of his subjects. sub-jects. On New Year's Day the Winter Palace was opened to society. Festivity Fes-tivity reigned throughout the city, hospitality and charity were the watchwords from palace to cottage, cot-tage, at least, at New Year's time. The mythical Ovsen was supposed sup-posed to be around about this time. He was usually depicted astride a boar, symbolically associated with the pork served for New Year dinner and the symbolism of Aryan descent. Ovsen's name (so like the French words for oats) suggests his influence in-fluence over matters pertaining to the harvest. Since earliest times, Russian boys were accustomed to go from house to house, encouraging encourag-ing everyone 'across' the gulf between be-tween the Past and Future Year, while scattering oats and other grains in petition for a bountiful harvest. |