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, which is believed to have arisen in the pre-Christian era.
V In ancient Egypt, for example, where the New Year was celebrated during the flood of the Nile (around the end of September), the Egyptians put 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.
V 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 inauguration of the newly elected consuls, which took place on January 1. Politicians and citizens of Rome, in order to accommodate the consuls, presented them with gifts. And if at first these were fruits covered with gilding, dates and wine berries, then the value of the gifts increased. And over time, the emperors also began to demand gifts for the New Year. Caligula, on the first day of the new year, accepted gifts from his subjects, writing down who gave what, how much and what, right on the square in front of the palace. And he even publicly ridiculed gifts that seemed to him inappropriate to his status.
V About the time of the spread of the Christian faith, the church tried to prohibit the giving of gifts, considering this custom as pagan. However, later, this custom, which took root in spite of everything, began to be interpreted as a tradition that arose from the presentation of the gifts of the Magi to the baby Jesus.
V Nowadays, a New Year's gift is not only evidence of love, affection or respect for the person to whom the gift is presented, but also the joy of the most cheerful and joyful holiday. This is probably why they start choosing New Year's gifts since November ... And not only children, but also adults are waiting for New Year's gifts.
A about the gift itself, different countries have their own traditions and customs: somewhere they prefer to give things necessary in everyday life, somewhere - inexpensive trinkets, somewhere - sweets, candles, books, handicrafts, wine and even whole New Year trees, and for some, a gift is synonymous with sophistication and delicate taste.
E different countries have their own traditions and customs of New Year's gifts.
V In Austria, they prefer to give the necessary things in everyday life, and many families coincide with the New Year's purchase of beautiful clothes or accessories.
L Anniversary gifts from the British are inexpensive trinkets. The British consider grand gestures in gifts unacceptable. They will never choose any expensive exclusive souvenir or original designer decoration as a gift for the New Year's holiday. 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 other hand, are dominated by their fondness for expensive presentations. On average, an American spends $ 50 to $ 800 on gifts. Americans give each other cigars, wines, perfumes, hats, and scarves, sweaters, knick-knacks. It is customary to give gifts with a check. The check is needed so that, on occasion, you can return the gift back to the store. In the first days of January, there are long queues in the stores of those who hand over the goods.
B The 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 what the gifted person really needs, what will be useful to him. Preferred donations: books, stationery, works of art.
B Olgars for the New Year give cornel sticks, which personify all the best in the coming year. And young people, going around the neighboring houses, lash the owners with dogwood twigs. Note that this custom reflects the legend of the miraculous power of this tree. Bulgarians, having 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 kept by the darkness.
V Young people love to give each other books, warm socks, sledges. Children give their elders their crafts.
G Oland children receive as a New Year's gift bags with pies and sweets, which, according to legend, are put in their shoes by the Magi.
NS Skimos of Greenland give each other figurines of walruses and polar bears carved out of ice for the New Year. Since it is cold in Greenland even in summer, like we have for the New Year, ice gifts are stored for a very, very long time.
G rivers give each other nothing but a stone, while saying the following: "Let the owner's money be as heavy as this stone." And if the stone is small, then they want: "Let the eyesore of the owner be as small as this stone." Of course, it does not do without standard gifts such as a basket of champagne and wine. Recently, as a New Year's gift, the inhabitants of Greece often give each other a new deck of cards.
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 climb the whole house or apartment. When visiting, Danes love to bring candles of different sizes and shapes with them. According to statistics, this nation is the most active consumer of candles in the world.
Have Irish people on "gift" traditions are greatly influenced by their religiosity and reverence for the institution of the family. In this country, it is customary to give children little angels and wooden figures of Jesus and Mary. But it is not customary to pamper adults with any material values.
E If people go to visit each other on the New Year's holiday, they most often bring some delicious dish of their own design, bachelors - a bottle or two of wine. In addition, on Christmas Day in Ireland, it is customary to donate money to those who have been helping the family during the year, such as the postman who delivered letters, or the milkman who supplied the area with fresh milk every day.
D For Italians, a gift is synonymous with sophistication and delicate taste. Any Italian will be no less delighted 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 The Itians give paired items for the New Year, symbolizing unity, 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 replaces the New Year tree for many.
N The locals love to give books for the New Year's 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 a trip, the direction and duration of which depends on the family budget.
F The people of the Netherlands love any gifts that contribute to a pleasant pastime, since leisure here takes up quite an impressive part of both time and budget. They will be grateful if they are presented with music discs, art albums or miniature porcelain figurines as a New Year's gift.
NS When choosing New Year's gifts, Olyaks try to show their imagination and present each other with something elegant: they choose inexpensive jewelry for women, and cufflinks, scarves, pens or wallets for men.
NS The Portuguese attach particular importance to homemade gifts: lace tablecloths and napkins, clothes with hand-embroidered patterns, hand-made utensils, 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 breakage, and protects the one who uses it from dishonest people and ... pointless purchases.
D For Finns, a universal gift is sports equipment and a candle - a symbol of love and friendship.
F satchels are considered to be adherents of original gifts. Most often, their choice stops at unusual souvenirs or postcards. Despite the fact that France is a country of great perfumes, you cannot give perfume to a married French woman. Only her husband can give perfume to a woman in France.
NS The Vedas traditionally give each other homemade candles. This happened due to the fact that it gets dark early in the winter near the Arctic Circle, and the light symbolizes friendship, cordiality, fun.
I AM The Ponies give each other "oseibo" - traditional uncomplicated gift sets: jars of canned food, pieces of fragrant 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. To this day, Japanese children believe that their dream will come true if, on New Year's Eve, they put a picture of a "dream" under their pillow. But flowers for the New Year in Japan are not given. It is believed that only members of the imperial family have the right to give flowers.
V Russia, due to the breadth of nature, the special generosity inherent in the national character, like to give for the New Year a large number of inexpensive gifts instead of one, albeit an expensive one. The mountain of colorful boxes with gifts under the tree will delight us more, especially children.
WITH It is worth noting that national traditions are gradually eroding, and although we are not talking about the global practice of choosing New Year's gifts, but gradually, under the influence of trade, which earns most of the annual revenue from New Year's gifts, humanity is moving in this direction.
R Recommendations for the choice of New Year's gifts are a thankless task, since when choosing a gift, both the interests of the gifted and the possibilities of the giver are taken into account.
N New Year is a time of gifts, so give each other gifts as a sign of your feelings and expressions of love.
FURTHER THE SET OF NEW YEAR PRESENTS BECAME MORE DIVERSE. In ancient Rome, the emperor also received gifts for the New Year, and if at first the gifts were voluntary, then later the emperor himself began to demand them from his subjects. Caligula, for example, on the eve of New Year's holidays, went out to the palace square and not only accepted offerings, but also wrote down who gave what.
True, the emperors themselves sometimes condescended to gifts to mere mortals. For example, one of Julius Caesar's slaves wished the great emperor to live longer in the New Year than in the old one, for which he received freedom.
The tradition of New Year's gifts quickly spread throughout the world, but among different peoples it acquired its own specific features, depending on the mentality, national character, etc. What do representatives of different nations give each other for the New Year?
RUSSIAN CHILD will be happy to see a mountain of colorful gifts under the tree. Price doesn't matter - quantity matters ...
AUSTRIANS as claims evolution.com, prefer to give things that are necessary in everyday life, and since life in Austria is expensive, many timed to coincide with the New Year's purchase of beautiful clothes or accessories.
ENGLISH consider grand gestures in gifts unacceptable. They will not choose an expensive exclusive souvenir or original designer jewelry as a gift. They donate inexpensive trinkets: 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.
AMERICANS on the contrary, the palm belongs to the preference for expensive presentations, they spend on average from 50 to $ 800 on gifts. They give each other cigars, wines, perfumes, hats and scarves, clothes and trinkets. It is customary to give gifts with a check so that you can return the gift to the store. At the beginning of January, there are long queues in stores for those who hand over goods.
BELGIANS they approach the choice of a gift as a responsible event. The meaning of the gift is explained orally or on the attached card. The Belgians try to give what is really useful - books, stationery, works of art.
Bulgarians on New Year's Day, they give cornel sticks, which represent the best in the coming year. And young people, going around the neighboring houses, beat the owners with these twigs. This custom is associated with the legend of the miraculous power of the dogwood tree. Bulgarians, having gathered for the New Year's celebration, turn off the lights for a few minutes. These are the minutes of New Year's kisses, the secret of which is kept by the darkness.
HUNGARIAN they love to give each other books, warm socks, sledges, and children give their elders their handicrafts.
ESCIMOS GREENLAND give each other figurines of walruses and polar bears carved out of ice. Since it is cold in Greenland even in summer, ice gifts can be stored for a long time.
The Greeks give each other a stone, saying at the same time: "Let the owner's money be as heavy as this stone." And if the stone is small, then they want: "Let the eyesore of the owner be as small as this stone." Not complete without standard gifts such as a basket of champagne and wine. Recently, Greeks often give each other a deck of cards as a New Year's gift.
FOR SENSORS the main thing is the solemnity of the event, so they do not take gifts too seriously and give something simple. Children under the tree do not find anything, and in order to find a gift, they will have to climb the whole house. When visiting, Danes love to give candles of different sizes and shapes and are the most active consumer of candles in the world.
IN IRELAND the "gift" traditions are greatly influenced by religiosity and reverence for the institution of the family. It is customary there to give children angels and wooden figurines of Jesus and Mary. But it is not customary to pamper adults with material values. When visiting each other, the Irish often bring a delicious dish of their own, while bachelors bring a bottle or two of wine. In addition, on Christmas Day in Ireland, it is customary to present money to those who provided assistance during the year - the postman, milkman, etc.
FOR ITALIANS a gift is synonymous with sophistication and delicate taste. Any Italian will be no less delighted 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.
CHINESE give paired items for the New Year, symbolizing unity, family harmony: two cups, a pair of glasses or candlesticks. An unacceptable gift for a Chinese person is a watch, since timekeeping in their minds is associated with death.
MEXICAN They easily solve the issue of New Year's gifts by purchasing a flower popular in the country, which replaces the New Year tree for many.
GERMANS love to give books, it is no coincidence that this nation is considered the most reading. But the most pleasant surprise is the trip, the direction and duration of which is determined by the family budget.
FOR THE RESIDENTS OF THE NETHERLANDS like any gifts that contribute to a pleasant pastime. Leisure takes a lot of time there. The Dutchman will be delighted with music discs, art albums or miniature porcelain figurines.
POLES when choosing New Year's gifts, they show imagination, women are presented with elegant jewelry, men - cufflinks, scarves, wallets, pens.
PORTUGUESE They value homemade gifts very much: lace tablecloths and napkins, clothes with hand-embroidered patterns, handmade wooden dishes, carved candlesticks, boxes, photo frames. It is believed that a piece of one's own warmth, invested in a gift, will keep it from breakage, protect the owner from dishonest people.
FOR FINNS a universal gift is sports equipment and a candle - a symbol of love and friendship.
FRENCH PEOPLE are considered to be adherents of original gifts. They prefer unusual souvenirs or postcards. Although France is a country of magnificent perfumes, you cannot give perfume to a married French woman, this right belongs only to her husband.
SWEDEN traditionally they give each other homemade candles. In winter, it gets dark early at the Arctic Circle, and the light symbolizes friendship, hospitality and fun.
JAPANESE give each other "oseibo" - traditional uncomplicated gift sets - jars of canned food, fragrant soap and other necessary things. This tradition originated in the Middle Ages, when samurai at the end of December necessarily exchanged gifts that corresponded to their position in society. Japanese children believe that their dream will come true if, on New Year's Eve, they put a picture of a "dream" under their pillow. You can offend the Japanese if you give him flowers for the New Year. It is believed that only members of the imperial family have the right to give flowers. From a mere mortal, the Japanese will not accept flowers.
New Year is a special holiday for most of us. A magical time when you want miracles, pleasant surprises and gifts. Children especially love this holiday. A Christmas tree in the middle of the room sparkles with balls and lights, and under it is a bag with cherished gifts. This is a real New Year's magic, with its help it is so easy to feel like a little girl or boy, with delight waiting for the moment when you can already open gifts.
But who first thought of giving gifts? Where did this wonderful tradition come from?
Gifts for the New Year under the tree
The tradition of putting gifts for the New Year under the Christmas tree came to Russia during the time of Peter the Great. The tsar-reformer adopted this tradition from the Europeans and even issued a decree that obliged the nobles to install firs in the house, decorate them and give gifts to children. Gradually, this tradition took root and went to the people.
After the October Revolution of 1917, the traditions of celebrating the New Year changed. The Bolsheviks tried to remove everything related to religion. If earlier Christmas was celebrated, then during the Soviet era the emphasis shifted to the New Year. Santa Claus and Snegurochka were invented for children.
Gifts under the tree are accepted in many countries, but the gifts themselves can vary significantly.
For example, in Austria for New Year and Christmas it is customary to give useful things, household appliances and clothes, in England, various trinkets. Americans celebrate New Years on a grand scale and spend a lot of money on gifts. But gifts, as a rule, are given with a check so that you can return the thing you don't like. In the Netherlands, apart from toys, children are given a bag of sweets and pies "from the Magi"; in Ireland, children are often presented with figurines of Jesus and angels; it is not customary to give gifts to adults. In Sweden, there is a tradition of giving candles made with your own hands for Christmas. They symbolize warmth, good mood and friendship. But, nevertheless, in most European countries, Christmas and New Year is a reason to please their loved ones with good gifts, so children receive expensive toys, women - jewelry, clothes, men - perfumes, hobby goods. The choice of gifts is limited only by imagination and financial possibilities.
Up to how old to give New Year gifts
But, of course, most of all the New Year's holidays, the Christmas tree, Santa Claus are waiting for the children. For most, this is the most favorite holiday associated with gifts, fun and entertainment. And the question - until how many years old New Year's gifts to give to children arises extremely rarely. If the kid is happy with the toy, then the older child will be happy with the designer, and the teenager with a fashionable backpack or gadgets. And at any age, children are happy with sweets. We recommend buying New Year's gifts for kids, textiles, they will definitely be happy, because this is a double gift - a soft toy or a backpack and a lot of delicious sweets.
You should not think about New Year's gifts until how old to buy - please your child while he needs it and is interested!
One of the questions that invariably worries us is what was previously presented for New Year and Christmas. The answer can be absolutely short: "That's it!" There were no special norms in this regard, except that individual families could have their own traditions, passed down from generation to generation. Let's try to trace how the attitude towards gifts has changed historically, as well as how the gifts themselves have changed.
How it was in the world
It turns out that the New Year's holiday is the most ancient of all existing, already in the pre-Christian era gifts were in honor, then they were presented, first of all, to the gods. In ancient Egypt, the New Year was celebrated during the flood of the Nile River (around the end of September). On New Years, the Egyptians put statues of the god Amun, his wife and son in the boat. The boat sailed along the Nile for a month, which was accompanied by singing, dancing and fun, as well as the presentation of gifts. In the Egyptian pyramids of the New Kingdom period, archaeologists have found vases with the inscription "The beginning of the new year", bronze figurines of monkeys and stone figurines with New Year's inscriptions.
For a long time, the Romans celebrated the New Year in early March, until Julius Caesar introduced a new calendar. He decided to coincide the beginning of the year with a state event - the inauguration of the newly elected consuls. Thus, the first day of January became the date for the New Year. The month of January was named after the Roman god Janus (two-faced). One face of Janus was supposedly turned back to the last year, the other - forward to the new. The celebration of the New Year was called "kalends". Those politicians and citizens of Rome, who sought to win over the new consuls, were in a hurry to wish them a Happy New Year and assuming office, so they did not skimp on gifts. At first, they were presented with fruits covered with gilding, dates and wine berries, then with copper coins and even valuable gifts (although the latter was practiced only among rich people). All this happened voluntarily, but over time, the emperors began to demand gifts for the New Year. For example, the Roman emperor Caligula on the first day of the New Year went out to the square in front of the palace and accepted gifts from his subjects, recording who gave what, how much and what, and the English queen Elizabeth 1 did the same.
How it was in Russia
In ancient times, the New Year was most often associated with spring - the beginning of the revival of nature and the expectation of a new harvest. Therefore, in Russia, the New Year was celebrated on March 1 or from the day of Holy Easter.
In the XIV century, John Vasilyevich III approved the decree of the Moscow church council to consider the beginning of the New Year on September 1 according to the Greek calendar. On this day, tribute, duties, various quitrent duties were collected. To give the greatest solemnity to this day, the Tsar himself came to the Kremlin the day before, where everyone, a commoner or a noble boyar, was allowed to come up to him as a gift and seek directly from him for truth and mercy.
Celts, the inhabitants of Gaul (the territory of modern France and parts of England) celebrated the new year at the end of October. The festival was called Samhain from "summer" s end. On New Years, the Celts decorated their dwellings with mistletoe to drive out ghosts. They believed that it was on New Years that the spirits of the dead were alive. The Celts inherited many Roman traditions, including the requirement New Years gifts from subjects. Usually jewelry and gold. On New Years, husbands gave money to wives for pins and other trinkets. This tradition was forgotten by 1800, but the term "pin money" (money for pins) is still used today and means money for small expenses.
Towards the end of the 19th century, a tradition of gift cards emerged. In 1843, the Englishman Horsley painted the first Christmas card, a thousand copies, of which it was sold that year in London.
During the spread of the Christian faith, the church tried to prohibit the giving of gifts, interpreting this custom as pagan. However, this custom was so deeply rooted that people continued to give gifts on the quiet, without advertising it. Later, the churchmen realized that they were powerless to do anything, and allowed people to please each other, interpreting this tradition as the Bible's presentation of the gifts of the Magi to the baby Jesus: upon learning about the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, all the angels, people and even trees wanted to make the baby what - anything pleasant. The Magi arrived there and gave the newborn Jesus: gold, like a king, incense, like God, and myrrh, like a mortal man.
The traditions familiar to all in reality have their own history of origin. This applies to the full extent of New Year's gifts. True, it is difficult to say here about a specific date or a narrow time period when people began to give gifts to each other 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, created about three thousand years ago, indicating the corresponding wishes. Around the same period, similar traditions reigned in Persia, where on New Years people gave eggs, symbolizing the continuation of the family.
On the European continent, the tradition of presenting gifts for the New Year appeared and took root in Ancient Rome. According to historical documents and legends, the first gifts were laurel branches, symbolizing good luck and happiness in the coming year. Interestingly, 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 verses, that is, this day was already filled with joy and fun.
During early Christianity, there was a tradition of giving New Year gifts to children. This is connected with the day of St. Nicholas, who appeared to be a good-natured white-bearded old man with a sack, from where he took gifts for good children and lowered them into 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 gifts for the New Year in different countries
Different regions of the world have developed their own traditions regarding gifts for this bright holiday. Along with this, there are a number of common features. So, a universal option would be lanterns, garlands, paper flowers that symbolize joy, life and sunlight. If you decide to decorate the table or present gilded apples, nuts or cones as a gift, then this will become a symbol of the renewal of human life and rebirth.
On the basis of the traditions of the peoples, a certain list of "unfavorable" gifts for the New Year has been formed. For example, for a Chinese it will be unacceptable to receive a watch as a gift because of the consonance of the word with “funeral”. In the United States, the desire to donate sharp objects, symbolizing the termination of relations, will be negatively perceived. In France, giving perfume is considered too intimate.
What to buy a gift for the New Year?
When choosing a specific presentation, it is imperative to take into account traditions (this is especially important when presenting a gift to foreigners), and also try to approach the issue individually. In general, you should focus on the following points:
- gender and age of the person being gifted;
- occupation, hobbies;
- possible personal preferences and wishes that were casually expressed.
After that, you can already go to the gift store (the Internet or its real one in the nearest shopping center). It is advisable to do this in advance so that in the pre-holiday crush you do not buy the first thing that comes to hand.
The material was prepared with the participation of consultants from the Business Gifts online store. For more than 5 years, the online store has been successfully helping its customers to select gifts for a wide variety of occasions: professional holidays, birthdays, weddings, New Year, February 23, March 8, etc. Positive feedback from satisfied customers confirms the correct priorities of the online store:
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- discounts for regular customers - accumulative discount cards are valid;
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We invite you to visit the website of the Business Gifts online store to pick up gifts for the New Year.
