Holidays December 25
Catholic Nativity
In all Christian countries, Christmas is considered a great holiday; it is the memory of the birth of Jesus Christ in glorious Bethlehem. This holiday is one of the most important for Christians, as well as Christmas is considered a public holiday more than in many countries of the world. According to the ancient tradition, Christmas is celebrated on December 25, according to the Gregorian calendar, this tradition is associated with the pagan holiday, which was celebrated on December twenty-fifth in the Roman Empire, in the name of the pagan god Saturn. This holiday was an analogue of Christmas and New Year. Years passed, and paganism became irrelevant, the church decided to replace the festival of Saturn, the birth of Jesus Christ. On the eve of the evening of this great holiday it is necessary to observe strict fasting, it is called Christmas Eve, according to tradition, this day they eat honey, these are grains of barley or wheat, cooked with honey. When the first evening star appears in the sky, the Christmas Eve post ends. Before the evening of the holiday, people recall the Old Testament prophecies and events that relate to the birth of the Savior. At twelve o’clock in the morning, at dawn and in the afternoon, Christmas services are held, which identifies the Nativity of Christ in the bosom of God the Father, in the womb of the Mother of God and in the soul of every Christian who believes. At Christmas there is a custom of caroling. Young people go home singing and wish all the best to the inhabitants of the house. Carols are given different gifts, usually sweets and various edible dishes. If the owner of the house they came to look at is stingy with gifts, then he is ridiculed and threatened with troubles. Carol action takes place under noisy fun, people put on masks and dress themselves in animal skins. However, this custom was often condemned by the church authorities, they said that it was pagan, because of this they began to sing carols only to very close friends, relatives and neighbors. There is another custom of the day: people put a decorated Christmas tree in their homes. This tradition is pagan, we adopted it from the German people, their spruce was considered a symbol of life and fertility. When Christianity spread to Central and Northern Europe, they began to decorate the spruce with colorful balls, it became a symbol of a tree of paradise with abundant fruits.
Nardugan
The Tatars of the Middle Volga and Ural regions on December 25 celebrate the winter solstice - Nardugan or shaitan tue, translated literally as the devil’s wedding. Long before the month of December, the baptized Tatars, when they were completing the financial year and preparing for the winter, tried to take the necessary measures in order to ensure the harvest of the coming year. They also wanted to guess the future, followed signs, performed various dance movements, they thus wanted to get a guarantee that next year there would be a rich harvest, and prosperity in all matters. On the day of Nadrugan, when it became dark on the street, the youth put on costumes and masks and went around the surrounding courtyards of Christians. A welcoming dance was performed in front of each house - a kyrinda biya bold, children in costumed attire were involved in it. The dance of the mummers was accompanied by a violin. To perform this dance, men dressed as women, and women as men, smeared their face with soot. In the old days a horse’s skull was worn over the head. Costumed mummers walked from house to house, danced and acted out scenes, holding a skull or a stuffed horse in their hands. They performed a number of specific movements, people thought that the execution of these movements would bring them a rich harvest. When the first group of dancers went around all the houses, she stopped her actions, and the second group appeared. Round dances around the bonfire were still held on this day, it was an integral part of this holiday. These round dances were lyrical in nature, youth walked around the fire. In ancient times, such walking in a circle symbolized the movement of the sun in a circle, and a burning bonfire - a solar halo. With the help of the celebration of Nardugan, farmers wanted to influence the growth of winter crops, they wanted to protect pets from diseases and create conditions for the well-being of people.
Carols
Nowadays, Kolyada is perceived as mummers, and once it was believed that Kolyada is a very influential deity. In honor of Kolyada, games were organized, she was called, New Year's days were dedicated to her. Slavs recognized kolyada as a deity of fun, therefore it was called in the New Year's festivities by cheerful company of young people. In Slavic mythology Kolyada, this is the personification of the New Year's cycle. This holiday was celebrated in winter Christmas time from today until the sixth of January. The Slavs celebrate Kolyada when the day arrives, and the winter sun flares up. Before the start of the festival, the sorcerer howled like a wolf, he drove away evil spirits. After that, a cup with a hoppy drink was brought in and a person reading slander exclaimed the phrases corresponding to this day in order to appease and invoke Kolyada. On this holiday, children sang carols under the windows of wealthy peasants, in songs they elevated the master, repeated the name of Kolyada and demanded money. People stage theatrical performances and enchant on this day, this custom has come to us from antiquity and it is not only preserved, but also becomes popular today. Carols are dressed in appropriate clothes, depicting devils and animals, walking along the streets with bowls for refreshments, and singing carols. Kolyada is a fun and welcome deity. People eat biscuits in the form of a lamb head (bagels) that day. Be sure to drink the uzvar and eat kutia. The holiday ends with games. According to custom, you need to drive a burning wheel uphill and say: "Go uphill, go back in the spring."
Lutheran Christmas
The Nativity of Jesus Christ is one of the main Christian holidays. The holiday is based on the biblical story of how the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ. In different countries and in different faiths there are peculiarities of the celebration of Christmas. Lutheranism has its own Christmas traditions, let's see what kind of traditions it is. Candles Burning candles are a symbol of light, a symbol of stars shining in heaven, while Christ was born, candles can be varied in shape. There is also a custom to weave a Christmas wreath; it is woven from pine or spruce branches; any weaving methods are acceptable. According to custom, a wreath is decorated with ribbons, candles and small wooden figures. Then it is hung over the door, on the wall or placed on a Christmas table. Very often, four candles are inserted into this wreath, according to the number of Christmas fast. Then, every Sunday, in the service of the church, they light one of these candles. One of the traditions is the Christmas tree, this tradition is associated with Lutheranism and German-speaking countries, because it first appeared there. By tradition, a Christmas star is hung on a Christmas tree. People of the Lutheran faith at Christmas set up a nursery and play the scene of the Lord's birth. People believe that in this way Bethlehem enters houses and churches, and becomes much closer and more understandable.
Christmas according to the New Julian calendar
The great Christian holiday is one of the three greatest Christian holidays, along with the Resurrection of Christ and the Trinity. Christmas is celebrated on December 25th and is celebrated primarily in Catholic countries. However, some Orthodox peoples and countries also recognize and celebrate Christmas on December 25th. Nevertheless, the main Orthodox world celebrates Christmas according to the Julian calendar - January 7. According to the studies of scholars of theologians and historians, there is no fundamental difference in the celebration of Christmas on a specific date. After all, it is not known exactly when the mystery of the Nativity of Christ took place. It is believed that the tradition of celebrating Christmas on January 7th is rooted in a pagan past. The great feast of the Nativity of Christ, one of the most beautiful and original holidays of the Christian world, in every country this celebration is surrounded by local features and traditions, which gives it a special background and color.
December 25 on the folk calendar
Spiridon Saltwater
On this day, people celebrate the memory of St. Spyridon of Trimyphus. He was benevolent to all people and responsive, from childhood he led a pious life. The Lord noted his good deeds, and awarded Spiridon with a gift, he began to heal people and cast out demons. Spiridon later became bishop of the Cyprus city of Trimifunta. There is a legend that during a severe drought, Spiridon caused rain with his prayer. The bishop became famous as a merciful and just person, he always tried to keep church traditions and keep the texts of the Holy Scripture unchanged. From ancient times, people said that the sun turns plaque, and winter - in the cold, from that day on. They believed that Spiridon himself turns the sun and makes sure that it does not hide from human eyes. The peasants were forbidden to work on this day, according to custom, they had to figure out what the harvest would be for the next year. Old people noticed from which side the wind was blowing on this day, from the same side it would blow the flesh to the vernal equinox.
Historical events December 25
1991 year first President of the USSR M. Gorbachev resigned
On December 25, at 7 p.m., the central television of the USSR broadcasted the telecast, the first and last, of the President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev’s speech was broadcast live and became a real blow for millions of Soviet citizens. However, the whole scale of the tragedy was recognized by the Soviet people several years after the collapse of the USSR. In his farewell, Mikhail Sergeyevich noted that he could no longer perform the duties of the President of the Soviet Union, for ideological and fundamental reasons. Gorbachev was deeply convinced that the collapse of the USSR was caused by behind-the-scenes “games” of the leaders of the three former union republics: Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Decisions taken in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Boris Yeltsin, Leonid Kravchuk and Stanislav Shushkevich, finished off the collapsing Union, and the formation of the CIS put a “bullet in this epic”. In the Kremlin residence, the red state flag of the USSR was lowered and the flag of the Russian Federation was hoisted.
1759 year Academician Adam Brown received mercury as a result of experiments
On December 25, 1759 in St. Petersburg, Joseph Adam Brown, a member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, conducted his research. As you know, the scientist worked on obtaining the so-called liquid metal - mercury. Using cooled mixtures, the researcher was able to lower the temperature to -56 ° C and thereby obtain solid mercury, which could be worked mechanically: chopping, sawing and forging. The successful experience of a scientist with freezing mercury shocked the world scientific community. After all, before that it was believed that mercury could not freeze. After many years, other scientists have determined the minimum freezing point of mercury -39 ° C. Brown’s experiments made it possible to develop and regulate the creation and operation of metric equipment and instruments. In particular, the use of thermometers was limited in severe frosts.
1917 year Proclamation of the formation of the Ukrainian SSR
In the post-revolutionary period, Ukraine resembled an era of feudal fragmentation, because several pseudo-state entities formed simultaneously on its territory: the UPR, the Ukrainian Power, ZUNR, the Donetsk-Kryvyi Rih Republic, the Kuban Territory, etc. Such feudal fragmentation almost naturally led to internecine armed conflicts. A civil war broke out in the country, which literally ravaged the once richest land in two years. In conditions of complete devastation and anarchy of power, the only force able to take control of the situation was the Communist Party of Ukraine. The leadership, which in 1917 announced the creation of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. In this difficult moment for the country, the Communists took responsibility for the future of the Ukrainian nation, mobilized the population to fight armed groups of temporary state formations, as well as gangs and anarchists. During the civil war, the communists were able to establish their power in a larger territory of Ukraine. In 1922, the Ukrainian SSR became part of the USSR.
1926 year Hirohito proclaimed Emperor of Japan
On December 25, 1926, the eldest son of the late Emperor Taisho, Prince Hirohito, was proclaimed the new Emperor of Japan. The official coronation of the new Emperor took place in Kyoto in 1928. When Hirohito came to power, the military elite of the country, using loopholes in the laws and traditions of the state, managed to take complete control of the imperial family. As a result, the Emperor’s power turned out to be more nominal, and all spheres of the state’s life were controlled by the military, led by the generals, which pushed Japan into a criminal military adventure. During the period of Japan’s participation in the Second World War, Emperor Hirohito was practically isolated in his residence, and his influence on the social and political processes in the state was equal to zero. Only after the defeat of Japan in the war, the role of the Emperor increased many times, the Emperor became a symbol of the unity of the people and hope for the rehabilitation of the Japanese in the eyes of the world community. In 1947, on the initiative of Hirohito, a new "peaceful" Constitution of Japan was adopted, which defined the Japanese state as a constitutional monarchy, where the power of the Emperor was significantly limited, and its representative functions were expanded. Executive power was transferred to the Cabinet of Ministers, which was accountable to the Parliament of Japan. The emperor also secured the dissolution of Parliament.
1941 year Kerch-Feodosia landing operation
The landing operation of the Soviet troops in the initial period of the war. The operation began on December 25, 1941. The purpose of the operation was the capture of the Kerch peninsula by the Soviet landing with the development of an offensive on the entire Crimean peninsula with the liberation of Sevastopol. Formally, the operation began on December 25, but the landing of troops was carried out on December 26. The number of troops was 40 thousand soldiers. The start of the operation was quite successful and swift. Soviet troops managed to break the resistance of the German units in the area of Kerch and Feodosia and gain a foothold on the Kerch Isthmus. However, the Soviet command was not able to finally navigate in the current situation and lost valuable time for the development of the offensive on the entire Crimean peninsula. The Germans took advantage of the delay, the Wehrmacht troops made a roundabout maneuver and surrounded the Soviet armies. As a result, the military operation that began successfully for the Soviet troops ended in the complete failure and death of tens of thousands of soldiers. The fall of Sevastopol was only a matter of time.
December 25 were born:
Morkovnikov Vladimir Vasilievich (1837-1904), Russian chemist, founder of a scientific school
On December 25, the outstanding Russian chemist VV Morkovnikov was born After graduating from the Nizhny Novgorod Gymnasium in 1856, he successfully enters Kazan University, which he graduates in 1860. After graduation, he was left at the educational institution as a laboratory assistant and recommended for the assignment of a professorship. In 1865 he defended the title of master, in his dissertation, the scientist proved the existence of isomers of fatty acids. In 1867 he began teaching.In 1869 he defended his doctoral dissertation and became a professor in the department of chemistry. In 1871 he was elected professor at the Novorossiysk University. In 1872 he was approved as a professor at Moscow University. In 1877, Morkovnikov was at the front, where he dealt with issues of hygiene and disinfection of the territory. After the front, he continued to engage in practical chemistry and teaching.
Galkin Vladislav Borisovich (1971-2010), Russian actor
Born in the family of a popular actor and director. The guy grew up with his sister, when she grew up, she chose a profession very far from acting. She graduated from medical school, then decided to become a cook, and then went into business.
Vladislav followed in his father's footsteps. He made his film debut when he was nine years old, starred in the movie "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn." In this film, the boy did not have to get used to the role, he played himself. The artist himself later recalled that the shooting of this film was funny and forever remained in the memory of the now adult actor. The next bright role of Vladislav was the main role in the popular children's film. Vladislav's father admitted when he saw his son in the title role of this film, he realized that the boy had grown up. Then the guy was only eleven years old. At eighteen, Galkin left the family and entered the theater school. Upon graduation, he entered the directing department of VGIK. In 1998, Vladislav married, this was his fourth marriage, but he himself considered him the only real one. In 2001, Galkin starred in the series "Truckers", it was this film that brought him immense popularity. Vladislav has always played images of strong and courageous men. After this series, roles were successfully played in other equally famous films: "Special Forces", "Beyond the Wolves", "Plot", "Saboteur", "Saboteur. End of War", Galkin's characters were alive, endowed with a solid character. Galkin was lucky to play in the ingenious series based on Bulgakov’s play “The Master and Margarita”, shot by the great director Bortko. In the last years of his life, Galkin starred in many films, and was very fond of our viewers. In 2010, Galkin starred in the main role in the series "Kotovsky", but the artist was not destined to see the release of the picture. In February, Vladislav was discharged from the hospital after treatment of the pancreas. And as if he disappeared, didn’t answer the phone, didn’t contact the relatives and friends in any way, the relatives turned to the Ministry of Emergencies, knocked out the door of his apartment and found Vladislav dead. Doctors say that the cause of death was acute heart failure, which was accompanied by acute pancreatitis.
Annie lennox (1954), outstanding Scottish singer
Annie Lennox is on the list of the greatest performers of all time. The singer reached the zenith of fame in the 90s, when she began a solo career. Her most famous album was the collection "Diva", whose popularity was incredibly high in the 90s and remains high now. The album was marked by a number of high awards and prizes. In 2003, Annie, co-authored by G. Shore, released the soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings, for which Lennox was awarded the Academy Award. The singer released a number of famous albums, and each of her collections became a hit. Many of her songs are dedicated to the problems of the modern world: HIV, cancer, hunger and poverty. Annit Lennox was married three times, has two daughters, at the moment the singer is free and is actively involved in charity work. To date, Annie Lennox continues to be the leading rock and pop singer in Europe and the world.
Humphrey Bogart (1899 - 1957) American actor
He was born almost at Christmas in a wealthy family in New York. Humphrey's father was a brilliant surgeon, and his mother an illustrator. Parents wanted their son to become a doctor, but their dreams were not destined to be fulfilled. In 1934, Humphrey made unsuccessful attempts to start a movie career, but he did not succeed, and he returned to his homeland, and again, as in his youth, began to play on stage. Having played the role of the killer in one of the productions of Robert Sherwood, Humphrey received tremendous success with the audience and critics. However, a brilliant career continuation did not follow. His professional difficulties went in step with family troubles. The artist broke the marriage. Humphrey's new love and future wife was an artist and abused alcohol. But during this period in life, Bogart in the cinema smiled on luck. One of the actors refused the role, and at that time Humphrey was the only free actor, and the studio gave this role to him. This film became stunningly popular, it allowed Bogart to star in the third version of The Maltese Falcon. The next year, Humphrey played a role in a war film. 1941 for the actor became revolutionary in his career. Director Michael Curtitz decided to put in the movie, at that time, the little-known play "Everyone Comes to Rick." This film was called "Casablanca", he collected eight nominations, took three Oscars, he was deservedly listed in the top ten films of our time. At the time of filming, the script of this film was not finished, the actors were given a script right before going on stage, but despite this, the film was a stunning success. It was not long after this film was released, Humphrey met a young actress, divorced his third wife and married a young charming woman. In the family of actors two children were born: a son and a daughter. In 1956, an actor was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his throat, he smoked a lot, and never wanted to quit, an operation was performed to remove the tumor, but, unfortunately, to no avail, the actor died in his house in Hollywood.
Louis Chevrolet (1878-1941), race car driver, auto designer, Chevrolet co-founder
From an early age, he was well versed in family watchmaking, since he was born in a family of watchmakers, was rather deeply interested in mechanics, and repaired bicycles. At eleven, leaving school, he got a job in a bicycle repair shop. Having moved to Paris at twenty-two years old, he got a job as a mechanic. After working there for one year, he moved to Canada, where he worked as a driver. In search of a better life, he went to New York, where he again engaged in mechanics. Soon he became interested in car racing, Louis became a successful race car driver and as a result gained great fame. For some time, Louis worked at William Durant's enterprise. In 1909, Durant gives Chevrolet an order to build a new engine. Appreciating the success of the young inventor, Durant acted as a sponsor. And soon three people became founders of the Chevrolet Motor Company. The first Chevrolet Classic Six released was very successful and well-selling, but quite expensive. In 1913, there were changes in the domestic policy of the auto company, Louis partners bet on reducing the cost of the lineup at the expense of speed. This move began to bring financial success, but Louis left the company. He again started racing, as a mechanic he takes part in the production of racing cars. Soon, Chevrolet quit racing, was fond of the development of aircraft engines, remade serial cars to participate in auto racing.
Name Day December 25th:
Alexander, Svirid, Daria, Stela.
