January description of the month for children. Folk signs for January

Each year is divided into 4 seasons, and each season into 3 months. As a result, every year we live 12 months and each of them is unique in its own way and is associated for us with different events. Naturally, each month has its own unique name. Do you know where these names came from? In this article we will tell you about the origin of the names of the months.

1. January. The first month of the new year received its name in honor of the god Janus - the god of time, doors and gates. Symbolically, this can be deciphered as “Door to the New Year.”

2. February. February has always been considered the coldest month of the year. It is not for nothing that in the times of the Slavs it was called lute (“severe frost”). But the month of February itself is named after the Etruscan god Februus, the god of the underworld.

3. March. First spring month was named after ancient roman god wars of Mars, father of Romulus. But what does spring and the god of war have to do with it? and despite the fact that Mars was not only the god of war, but also the god of cultivators and rural workers. The ancient Slavs called this month “thawed area” because the snow began to melt and the first thawed patches appeared.

4. April. This month was again named after the ancient god, or rather the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite. In this month everything blooms and appears spring mood, that’s why the Slavs called this month pollen and berezol.

5. May. The warmest month of spring was again named after the goddess, or rather the ancient Roman goddess Maia, who personified the fertile earth and blossoming nature. The Slavs called this month “Traven”.

6. June. The first summer month was named after the famous Roman goddess Juno, who was the wife of Jupiter, the goddess of fertility, the mistress of rain and the guardian of marriage. The Slavs called this month izok (“grasshopper”) or cherven.

7. July. The hottest summer month was named, surprisingly, not in honor of a god or goddess, but in honor of the well-known Roman emperor. Before this, July was called “Quintilius,” which meant “Fifth,” and it was fifth because previously the year began not in January, but in March.

8. August. The name of this month also comes from the famous Roman Emperor Octavian Augustus. Before this, the month was called “Sextile,” which meant (I think everyone understood) “Sixth.” As mentioned earlier, the year in the Roman calendar used to begin in March, which is why August was the sixth month. The Slavs called this month “Serpen”, i.e. time to mow the grass.

9. September. The name simply came from the word “Seven” (Septem - September). I think there is no need to comment here. Everything has been said above. Our ancestors called this month “Gloomy” due to the fact that during this month the sky began to frown.

10. October. Everything is similar here. The fantasy is over. The number “Eight” in Latin was pronounced “Octo”, hence October (October), i.e. eighth month. The Slavs also called kneading simply - Listopad.

11. November. No comments. Novem was translated as “Nine”, i.e. ninth month (November).

12. December. First winter month and the last month of the passing year! But it was also named after its serial number “Tenth” (Decem - December).

And what do we see? The first 6 months were named after ancient gods and Goddesses, two summer months- in honor of the ancient Roman emperors, and the last four did not have names, so they are called serial numbers. But nevertheless it is very interesting topic and you now know the origin of the names of all the months.

January is the most cold month year. In the east and northeast of the region, temperatures can drop to −50 °C, −53 °C, in the rest of the region to −40 °C, −45 °C. Especially cold outside recent years were January 1985, 1987, 1999. Thus, in January 1999, frosts below −30 °C were observed everywhere in the last ten days of the month.

The average monthly air temperature varies across the region from −10 °C to −17 °C. In January there are thaws, during which the temperature can rise to +7 °C.

There is less precipitation in January than in December, and its amount ranges from 20 to 50 mm. On average, there are about 20 days with precipitation per month. In some years, up to 20 mm of precipitation can fall per day. Precipitation prevails in the form of snow, and during thaws - in the form of rain and sleet. Relative humidity high - more than 80%.

The average monthly wind speed ranges from 2 to 7 m/s.

Snowstorms are frequent in January, in some years up to 20 days a month. Ice and frost phenomena are typical. Frost occurs 9–16 days a month, and ice forms less frequently, mainly during thaws.

In Arkhangelsk average temperature January is −13 °C. On some days, the temperature may rise to +5 °C, as was the case in 1971, or drop to −44 °C, as was recorded in 1958. Frosts below −30 °C do not occur every January. Thus, in January 1994, 1995, 1996, 2001, such frosts were not observed, but in 2003 they lasted for 8 days in a row.

January of the outgoing year is interesting. Christmas 2006 was the warmest on record in the North. The temperature rose to +2.4 °C. The thaw lasted 7 days, and from January 15 it became sharply colder, and the temperature remained below −30 °C for 8 days.

More than 30 mm of precipitation falls in January. In some years, monthly precipitation differs significantly from the long-term average. Thus, in 1906, about 80 mm of precipitation fell, and in 1897 it did not reach 10 mm.

Folk signs They say: if it’s warm on Christmas (January 7), then spring will be cold, and if on Epiphany (January 19) it’s clear and cold weather, then the summer will be dry. On Tatyana's Day (January 25) they noted what spring and summer would be like: if the weather is clear and sunny on this day, then an early friendly spring should be expected, and if it's snowing, then the summer will be rainy.

Additional information

January was named so by the ancient Romans in honor of the god Janus ( januaris). And the ancient Slavic name of this month is "prosinets"(from the word “prosin” - clearing after a long period of cloudy days).

People said:

• January is the beginning of the year, the middle of winter.

In January, the days become longer and brighter, but this is the coldest month of winter. January usually sees ice, fog, snowstorms and heavy snowfalls. Therefore, they said: if in January there are frequent snowfalls and blizzards, then in July there are frequent rains.

People said about the increase in days in January:

• January - more days for the chicken step.
• New Year- turn towards spring.
• New Year - the sled is on the move.

The New Year in Rus' began to be celebrated on January 1 in 1699 according to a special decree of Peter I, announced on December 15, 1988. The ancient Slavs celebrated the New Year around March 1 - with the onset of warmth and field work. This custom lasted until the reign of Semyon the Proud - the sons of Ivan Kalita. Since 1343, the New Year began to be celebrated on September 1. Peter I, by his decree, ordered to celebrate January 1 as the beginning of the year, and introduce chronology not “from the creation of the world”, but according to the Western model - “from the birth of Christ”. And to make it easier to introduce the introduced custom, it was ordered to celebrate it with a festival: decorate the gates of houses with pine, spruce and juniper branches, and “light fire fun” on Red Square, accompanied by the ringing of bells.

In the old days they loved a snowy winter: Rich snow cover was always considered a harbinger of the harvest:

• The snow is deep - the bread is good.
• Snow on the fields - grain in the bins.

• If there is frost on the trees at Christmas, it means a harvest.

The remarkable Russian agronomist K.F. Agrinsky, at the end of the last century, verified many folk signs using actual observational materials, which he checked for 10 years in his estate in the village of Ivanovka, Atkarsky district, Saratov province. In particular, he noted that the sign “Forty martyrs (22.03) - forty more matinees” is correct. Modern researchers A. N. Dmitriev and V. N. Yagodinsky, having analyzed meteorological observations in the Moscow region over a 31-year observation period, they also consider this sign to be justified and note that the average number of morning frosts for the period from March 22 to the last frost in June is 38.

January 18- Epiphany evening, the eve of Epiphany, Hungry Kutya, the second Christmas Eve. The main day of Christmas fortune-telling. If in Epiphany night the stars are very shining, the bread will be good.

• If there is a snowstorm during a hungry Kutya season, the bees will work well.

Winter is in full swing, and the peasant is already thinking about spring, hastening its onset:

• Cracks, frost, cracks, and the water cracks passed.
• Tomorrow the winter will bring the news of spring: in the cold it will seem like the desired time.

• If there is frost on the stacks of Gregory of Nyssa, it means a wet year.

January 24— Fedot is a freckler. Fear the January spring, although the winter is cold, warm days January does not respond kindly.

• The sun will shine on Tatiana - for the early arrival of birds.
• Snow on Tatyana - rainy summer.

Athanasius the Clematis ends January.

• Afanasy and Kirilo are taken to the snout.
• In the cold the old man is skipping.
• Frost grabs the lazy one by the nose, and takes off his hat in front of the agile one.

• Peter and Paul added winter.
• If there is wind, then the year is damp.

Description. IN proverbs about January The second winter month is characterized as “the beginning of the year, the middle of winter, the turning point of winter.” In January, daylight hours increase by 2 hours, so they say:

January will add two hours of daylight.
January is on the doorstep, the day has arrived for the sparrow's leap.

In January, frosts crackle, rivers freeze even deeper, snow falls thickly - these are the signs they say proverbs:

January is a month of bright stars, white paths, blue ice.
In January the frosts are harsher, and the burbot are more lively.

The popular names for January also reflect its main characteristics: January-clematis, crackling, and fierce. The second winter month is called Prosinets because it “turns the ice blue” and the sky clears up - the skies turn blue. And January cuts, dividing winter in half.

Signs of January are associated with the behavior of animals and birds, with weather events. And the folk calendar tells about the signs that fall on major church holidays.

Proverbs

January - fierce, cracker, snowman, cut, clematis, prosinets.

January clematis - take care of your nose.
January - frosts, February - snowstorms.
January is the beginning of the year, winter is the middle.
Father January - frosts, February - snowstorms.
January will add two hours of daylight.
January is just around the corner - the day has arrived chicken step.
January, Father, begins the year, and marks winter.
January is the grandfather of spring.
January is a dark time in the forest.
January - I sang all year long.
January is the middle of winter, but spring is grandfather.
January is the start of the year, winter is the peak.
January is on the doorstep, the day has arrived for the sparrow's leap.
January is the turning point of winter, the dark dawn of the year.
January underwater is a dark month.
January puts wood in the stove.
January is a prosinets (clearing comes - the skies turn blue).
January is a cut: it cuts winter in half.
January is cracking - the ice on the river turns blue.
January is a month of bright stars, white paths, blue ice.
January puts on a sheepskin coat to the toes, paints intricate patterns on the windows, amuses the eye with snow and tears the ear with frost.
The month of January is winter, sir.

In January, the pot in the oven freezes.
In January, the day arrived for the chicken step.
In January the frosts are harsher, and the burbot are more lively.
As the day grows in January, so does the cold.
In January, the cold hung over the earth.
From January the sun turns towards summer.
In December the day was completely dead, but in January it was resurrected

Frost is not scary when your nose is warmly covered
If you accumulate snow in the fields, there will be more grain in the bins.
Winter is not summer - dressed in a fur coat.
A lot of snow - a lot of bread, a lot of water - a lot of grass.
With a dear husband there is no cold in winter.
Sun for summer - winter for frost.
Take care of your nose in the deep frost.
The frost is not great, but it does not require you to stand.
Frost is not scary when your nose is covered warmly.
There will be no snow, there will be no trace.
Don’t be brave on the stove, and don’t be cowardly in the field.
Snow is like a warm cover for the earth-nurse.

Signs

If January is cold, then July will be dry and hot; don’t expect mushrooms until late autumn.
Fear the January spring, tenacious frail spring: winter warmth and summer cold.
There are no cold Januarys in a row.
In January there are many frequent icicles hanging, very long ones - the harvest will be good.

If January is dry, the peasant will be rich.
If January is cold, July will be dry, hot – don’t expect mushrooms until autumn.
If frost hits in the last week of January, expect a cold summer.
The snow is deep - the bread is good.
If it blows snow, the bread will arrive.
Whiter winter - greener summer.
The titmouse starts squeaking in the morning - expect frost.
There will be sparrows swimming in the snow - a thaw.
The swan flies towards the snow, and the goose flies towards the rain.
A chicken standing on one leg means it’s cold.
If it's March in January, wait for January in March.
If there are a lot of long and frequent icicles hanging in January, there will be a good harvest.
There will be frequent snowfalls and blizzards in January - expect frequent rains in July.
If there are a lot of stars in the sky before Christmas, there will be a lot of mushrooms and berries.
Large frost, mounds of snow, deeply frozen ground - for grain production.
A circle around the sun or the month foreshadows prolonged snowstorms with frost.
If crows and jackdaws hover in the air - wait for snowfall; if they sit on the snow - it means an imminent thaw, and if they sit on the tops of trees - it means frost.
In January, the trees are covered in frost - the sky will soon be blue.
If it is cloudless during severe frost, the frosty weather will last for a long time.
If January is damp, the bread is in trouble.
If spring is in January, then it’s as if winter didn’t come in April.
January is dry, frosty and the water in the rivers is very low - expect a dry and hot summer.
Dry January - the peasant is rich.
The January cold fills the bins.
January is dry and frosty - it could be a hot summer.
If it is very cold in January, the mushrooms will appear later.
A damp January means trouble for the bread.
If it's March in January, be afraid of January in March.
In January there is slush - in July it rains.
If the echo goes far in January, the frosts get stronger.
If bees start moving in January, spring will be rainy and wet.
Frosty January is a fruitful year. Fogs in January are a sign of a wet spring.
If January is dry, frosty and the water in the rivers decreases greatly, then the summer will be dry and hot.
If a woodpecker knocks in January, it means early spring; if a woodpecker knocks in March, it means late spring.
Few stars in January mean bad weather.
Clear days in January mean a good harvest.
Cold Januarys almost never happen in a row.
If January is cold, July will be dry and hot.
The warm days of January are unkind.

For more January signs, see the Folk Calendar.

Folk calendar (months)

Vasiliev's Day, Ausen, Tausen. New Year.
Fortune telling; cook porridge, generously, sprinkle with grain, etc.
God, freak out every living thing, for the whole baptized world.
Patron of pigs. Pig holiday.
On Basil the Great, a pig's head on the table (Vologda).
On Vasiliev the evening of the day arrives at a chicken step (for an hour).
The New Year is picking up the first hour of the day. If the first day of the year is cheerful (happy), then the year will be so (and vice versa).

January 2, old style, January 15, new style.
The chicken coop is being fumigated on Sylvester. They talk to a feverish woman.

January 3, old style, January 16, new style.
On the prophet Malachi, hungry witches milk cows to death (southern).
The kazhenik (corrupted) is reprimanded against Malachi.

January 4, old style, January 17, new style.
Latest Christmas fortune telling. They're chasing the devil out of the village.

January 5, old style, January 18, new style.
Epiphany evening. Epiphany Christmas Eve; second Christmas Eve.
Bright Epiphany stars will give birth to white stars. Epiphany under full month to a large spill (Perm).
Epiphany snow is collected for whitening canvases; also from various ailments.
See baptism of the Lord(at midnight the bowl of water itself will sway).
On Epiphany Christmas Eve they put up chalk crosses.

January 6, old style, January 19, new style.
On the night of Epiphany, before Matins, the sky opens.
About what open sky If you pray, it will come true.
Those who dress up for Christmas are swimming in Jordan.
On Epiphany the day is warm, the bread will be dark (i.e. thick).
At Epiphany there is a blizzard - for a holy blizzard.
If they go to the water and there will be fog, there will be plenty of bread.
On Epiphany, snow flakes - for the harvest; a clear day - to a crop failure.
When the hole (Jordan) is full of water, the spill will be large.
At baptism at noon, blue clouds - for the harvest (Vyatka).
The starry night of Epiphany is a harvest for peas and berries.
If dogs bark a lot during baptism, there will be a lot of animals and game (Permian).
To. three days, before the first salvation, and after baptism, there is no linen.
No cracks, no cracks, the water baptisms have passed.
Blow, don’t blow, it’s not for Christmas, it’s for the Great Day.

January 8, old style, January 21, new style.
If there is a blow on Omelyan from Kyiv (south) - summer is threatening.

January 10, old style, January 23, new style.
On Gregory of Nikiy, frost on the haystacks - for a wet year.

January 16, old style, January 29, new style.
Petra - half food: half of the winter food came out.
If there is a broom and a fire, there will be bread until Peter; and blue and bell will bring the end of bread (names of various weeds).

January 18, old style, January 31, new style.
Athanasius clematis. Afanasia, take care of your nose. Afanasievsky frosts.
On Athanasius, healers drive out witches.

January 20, old style, February 2, new style.
There is a blizzard on Efimiya - a blizzard all over Maslenya.
Pomelo (sweeps) with a broom at Shrovetide - Madam Blizzard will come.
On Efimiya at noon the sun - early spring.

January 22, old style, February 4, new style.
Timofey half-winter. Timofeevsky frosts. Half the winter has passed.

January 24, old style, February 6, new style.
Aksinya half-bread baskets, half-winter baskets. The turning point of winter.
Winter grain lay in the ground half the time before germination.
Half of the old bread has been eaten.
Half the time left until new bread is made.
A blizzard in the winter season will sweep away the food.
On the half-winter road, he sweeps the road and sweeps up the food.
If half a loaf of bread is enough for Aksinya, then half a loaf of bread will be enough for new bread, and a third will be enough for food.
If the price of bread for a half-bread basket is low, then it will not rise to the level of new bread (and vice versa).
In the half-winter season, a bucket - red spring (north).
Like Aksinya, like spring.

January 28, old style, February 10, new style.
On Ephraim the Sirin they feed the brownie, leaving him porridge on the bench.

January-Prosinets. The New Year has come, the yard is full of snow and frosty. Winter is in full swing, and at the most clear days, frost, especially, crackles and stings the ear and nose. The month got its name from the bright sun-filled days - Prosinets.

January: frosty sun

Description of the nature of January (I - II week)
Here it is, the real Russian winter - January. Epiphany frosts are crackling. The sky is clear and clean, the snow blinds the eyes from the bright sunlight. How the sun is brighter, the colder the day. January is the winterest month, which brings about the complete calm and serenity of nature, which rests and gains strength for the upcoming fertile year under a thick layer of snow that has fallen since last month. The temperature is even without sudden changes -10 - 14° C.

The days are getting longer, even nature is already feeling the increase in light. Take at least a sprig of poplar, put it in a vase with water, and warm walls small leaves will appear at home, which means the sun is turning towards spring, and nature has prepared itself in agonizing anticipation.

January in the folk calendar

"New Year - turn to spring"

January in the folk calendar is a bright month full of festive events. From January 7 to January 19, according to the new style, these January days were called Christmastide. The days were divided into pre-New Year's and New Year's days. Before Christmastide there was Christmas Eve. Russian Orthodox Church January 7 marks the great holiday - the Nativity of Christ, followed by the Nativity Fast.

Christmas is a bright holiday, the great joy of which is glorified by the church by singing at Great Compline, from which the All-Night Vigil begins and continues almost all night. The entire day of the great holiday of the Nativity of Christ in Rus' is accompanied by the ringing of bells and joyful congratulations of the laity.

Christmas fortune telling was especially popular in Rus' on the night of January 13-14. Peasants, men and women wondered about the harvest in the new year, how long the winter would last, and what kind of grace the summer would send. Young girls wondered about their betrothed. The girls dressed in the most colorful clothes, sat on a long bench in front of the table, and the guys sat on the other side of the table. Next, the matchmaker and the guests started songs, accompanying them with long rituals, and told fortunes about the bride and groom. The methods of fortune telling were the most sophisticated and varied. They told fortunes using candle wax, milk, eggs, barking dogs, and even a log. In the last rite, the girl went into the barn and, without looking, took the first log she came across, bringing it into the light, the matchmakers looked - which log would be the same as her future husband.

Winter in Russian poetry

For the poet, the Russian winter is a fairy tale in reality. It is not surprising that in the magical forest you can meet unusual fairy tale characters. In Nikolai Nekrasov’s poem this is the frost-voevoda:

"It is not the wind that rages over the forest,
Streams did not run from the mountains,
Moroz the voivode on patrol
He goes around his possessions."

These same poets also have a completely different view of winter: everyday, mischievous and cheerful. This look looks at winter ordinary people to whom winter brings and more work, and more entertainment. Pushkin has the lines:

"Winter!.. The peasant, triumphant,
On the firewood he renews the path;
His horse smells the snow,
Trotting along somehow..."

And Nekrasov, talking about a meeting in the forest in winter with a peasant boy, wrote:

"Once upon a time, in the cold winter time,
I came out of the forest; it was bitterly cold.
I see it's slowly going uphill
A horse carrying a cart of brushwood."

January: mid-Russian winter

Description winter nature January (III - IV week)
January sunshine strong sun throughout the entire winter, although the season of blizzards and blizzards is still ahead, now the weather outside is smooth and frosty. IN winter forest the sound of a woodpecker is heard, and a titmouse jumps every now and then on a branch of a sleeping poplar. Among the naked, translucent tree branches, you can see a cunning squirrel briskly running up the tree trunk to the very crown. The ice on the river gets stronger day by day, covered with a layer of snow, forming snow-white fields. Where the river winds, the current frees the water from ice, and near the shores, growths of ice bridges with mountains of snow accumulate larger and larger.

There are no particularly noticeable natural changes during this month. The days are gradually, yet imperceptibly, gaining weight, the sun is slightly higher than in December, above the horizon. During periods of severe frost, the sun shines especially brightly, but does not share any heat at all. The sun's light is even. dazzling and cold. At the end of January there are Epiphany frosts, the weather often becomes cloudless, the wind is not strong, and the frosts are dry and piercing. The snow crunches underfoot and sparkles with thousands of ice crystals in the blinding rays of the winter sun.

The second half of January in the folk calendar

"Athanasius the clematis - the frost crackles, the nose freezes"

They're in full swing folk festivals. Christmas time. It's time to celebrate noisy weddings. January in Rus' was known as the wedding month. During the day they started sledding, everyone had as much fun as they could, and in the evenings they hid in their homes, protecting the house and household from evil spirits. They whispered about the evenings after New Year's Eve as terrible evenings, the yard after sunset could be full of evil spirits.

Frosts are set for Epiphany - January 19th. The brighter the sun, the stronger the frost. The icy air is so pure that at night the sky sparkles with a scattering of stars. By January they were already beginning to judge by summer. So, on the 21st the wind will blow from the south - it will be a stormy summer, and if on Gregory, January 23rd, frost is noticed on the stacks, the summer will be wet and cool. January 25 is Tatiana's day. There are special signs on this day. The day is clear with sunshine - early spring will come, and if it is covered with snow, rainy summer. January was pampered with frosty sun, a clear day, and with Afanasy-Lomonos he gives his powers to the next month, February. You won't see the sun very often anymore. There are cold, blizzards and severe blizzards ahead.

Winter in Russian painting

Some artists saw only sadness and despondency in this time of year, others - hope for a quick spring.

(Painting by I. Levitan “Winter in the Forest”)

Isaac Levitan conveyed his mood in the best possible way through his description of the cold Russian winter. It should immediately be noted that this artist was sincerely imbued with love for nature from the very beginning. early years, although his childhood was very difficult: he lost his parents early and lived in poverty. His work “In the Forest in Winter” clearly shows sadness and despondency, and snow is not able to add even a little joy. Every element of the picture looks bleak: the dark sky, lonely and bare trees, the freezing wolf. By the way, his friend Alexey Stepanov advised Levitan to add a wolf to the picture in order to enhance the feeling of melancholy, despondency and loneliness.

- January(prosinets). “The beginning of the New Year, the middle of winter,” people have long said about this month. And they conventionally portray him as two-faced: his old face is turned to the past, his young face is turned to the future.
A crow cries at noon, towards the south - towards warmth, towards the north - towards cold.
Bullfinches sing when the weather changes - before snowfall.
Sparrows sit quietly in the trees - it will snow without wind.
The dog stretches out on the floor and sleeps with its paws outstretched - for warm weather.
In January there are many frequent and long icicles hanging - the harvest will be good.
As the day grows in January, so does the cold.
In January there will be snow and bread will arrive.
If January is dry, frosty and the water in the rivers decreases greatly, then the summer will be dry and hot.
From January the sun turns towards summer.
January is on the doorstep, the day has arrived for the sparrow's leap.
January puts wood in the stove.
January puts on a sheepskin coat to the toes, paints intricate patterns on the windows, amuses the eye with snow and tears the ear with frost.
Father January - frosts, February - snowstorms.

January - the first winter month - was called “prosinets” in Rus', because for the first time after the low, gloomy sky of December, “thawed patches” appeared - islands of blue sky. But January was also famous for snowstorms and frosts. That is why the Russians called it “section”, the Czechs and Slovaks called it “ice”, the Serbs called it “zimc” and “prozimc”. In addition, in Rus', January was called Vasil the month in honor of St. Basil the Great, whose day fell on January 1 - the turning point of winter. In Russian proverbs, January is famous as “the beginning of the year, the middle of winter.” They said that in January the day increases by two hours (after the day winter solstice, December 24, the turn to summer begins).
Once upon a time in Rus' the year began in March, so January was the eleventh month; later the New Year was celebrated in September, on Semyon Day, and January became the fifth month of the year; and after the introduction of a new calendar by Peter I in 1700, it became the first of twelve months.




In some houses, an equally interesting custom was observed: on the night of New Year, the girl put the first piece of the festive dinner under her pillow and before going to bed, invited her betrothed to come and taste her dish. Then he appeared to her in a dream - he came for a treat.

January- Latin name for the first month of the year (Januarius). It is so named because it was dedicated by the ancient Romans to Janus, the god of peace. In our old days, it was called Prosinets, as it is believed, from the blueness of the sky beginning to appear at this time, the radiance, from the intensification, with the addition of day, of sunlight. This name is constantly found in our ancient calendars and calendars.
The name of January Sochen indicates either the turning point of winter, which, according to popular belief, occurs precisely in January, when winter is cut into two halves, or during bitter, severe frosts. In Rus', the month of January was originally the eleventh month, for March was considered the first, but when the year began to be counted from September, January became the fifth; finally, since 1700, since the change made in our chronology by Peter the Great, this month became the first. Peter the Great, wishing to harmonize with the Western European calendar the beginning of the new Russian year, abolished the ancient chronology from the creation of the world and ordered the introduction of time reckoning from the Nativity of Christ. For this purpose, the transformer of Russia issued two decrees in 1699: in the first decree on December 19, he ordered to write henceforth from January 1 in all papers the summer from the Nativity of Christ, and not from the creation of the world, - “and if anyone does not want to,” it said in this decree, then write both from the creation of the world and from the Nativity of Christ.” In the second decree, which followed the day after the first, the very reason for the change in chronology was revealed and indicated how the beginning of a new one should be celebrated. century century in Moscow. Thus, from Peter the Great to the present day, the month of January is considered the initial month of the new civil year, although the church still celebrates its own church year as before - from September 1.
IN Ancient Rome When the calendar was formed, the months of January and February were named after the gods Janus and Februs. Janus was in charge of doors, entrances and exits, and in general every beginning, including the beginning human life, and was also the patron of treaties and alliances. Janus Day was celebrated on January 9th. Janus was depicted as having two faces: one face was turned to the past, the other to the future. But Januaris and Februaris were added to the already existing ten months of the year and for some time were considered in recent months. Then they were brought to the beginning of the year, and Januarius turned out to be the first month and began to truly correspond to its “two-facedness” - January cut off the past year and began a new one.
January is like other months folk calendar, several titles. Among them is a cut, that is, cutting the winter in half. Another name is prosinets. V. I. Dal in “ Explanatory dictionary“suggested: “prosinets” - isn’t it because in severe January frosts the ice appears blue?” However, Academician B. A. Rybakov believed that “Prosinets” was considered by the ancient pagan Slavs to be a month of requests and spells for the whole year.

The popular description of January is simple and practical: “The beginning of the year is the middle of winter.”
January - the first winter month - was called “prosinets” in Rus', because for the first time after the low, gloomy sky of December, “thawed patches” appeared - islands of blue sky. But January was also famous for snowstorms and frosts. That is why the Russians called it “section”, the Czechs and Slovaks called it “ice”, the Serbs called it “zimc” and “prozimc”. In addition, in Rus', January was called Vasil the month in honor of St. Basil the Great, whose day fell on January 1 - the turning point of winter. In Russian proverbs, January is famous as “the beginning of the year, the middle of winter.” They said that in January the day increases by two hours (after the winter solstice, December 24, the turn towards summer begins).

Once upon a time in Rus' the year began in March, so January was the eleventh month; later the New Year was celebrated in September, on Semyon Day, and January became the fifth month of the year; and after the introduction of a new calendar by Peter I in 1700, it became the first of twelve months.
On February 20, 1918, a new chronology was introduced in Russia. Let us remind you that in order to convert a date from the old style to the new one, you need to add 11 days for the 18th century, 12 days for the 19th century to the date of the old style. and 13 days for the 20th century. Therefore, on the night of January 13-14, the Old New Year is celebrated.
And on the night from December 31 to January 1, according to tradition, they celebrate the New Year. It is no coincidence that on this day they congratulate each other “Happy New Year, happy new happiness.” At midnight, when the clock strikes 12 times, everyone makes their most cherished wishes, which must come true in the coming year. There is also a more complex ritual. Before the clock starts striking 12 times, prepare paper and pencil. With the onset of the New Year, you need to have time to write a wish on paper, burn the paper, stir it in a glass of champagne and drink it while the clock is still striking. Then the wish will certainly come true.
Other signs were also associated with the New Year celebration. On New Year's Eve, in severe frost, they froze water in a spoon. If the ice ended up in bubbles - to good health and longevity. If there was a hole in the center, this foreshadowed illness or even death, not necessarily of the person making the wish, but perhaps also of someone close to him.
There was also a peculiar variation card fortune telling: on New Year's night, girls put four card kings from a deck under their pillow. Whichever one is dreamed of or pulled out first in the morning - that will be the groom.
In some houses, an equally interesting custom was observed: on the night of New Year, the girl put the first piece of the festive dinner under her pillow and before going to bed, invited her betrothed to come and taste her dish. Then he appeared to her in a dream - he came for a treat. Sometimes on New Year’s Eve, when they went to bed, they “paved a bridge” from twigs, chips and splinters and covered it with a pillow. In the morning they remembered the dream they had and wondered about their fate in the coming year. A happy dream foreshadowing imminent marriage, children and prosperity in the house, was described in the proverb: “There is a cat on the stove, a goose on the floor, a winch on the benches, a dove on the windows, a clear falcon at the table.” Sleeping with a cat and a cat was considered especially happy. Remember Pushkin’s description of fortune telling in the novel “Eugene Onegin”: “Dearer is the skin of a virgin’s heart.” In his comments, Pushkin noted that he had in mind a folk song sung during fortune-telling: “The cat is calling the fur coat to sleep on the stove,” which foreshadowed an imminent marriage.