Novy God is the Russian phrase for "New Year", and also designates the Russian New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebration. Similar customs are observed in all post-Soviet states, and though the observance of the holiday is criticized by conservative Muslim groups in Central Asia, and nationalists in Ukraine, it remains popular across the region.
Russia used 1 September as the start of each new year from 1492 until a December 1699 decree of Tsar Peter I mandated the adoption of the Christian Era in 1700. The day first gained some official Soviet sanction after Pravda published a letter from the Kiev functionary Pavel Postyshev on 28 December 1935. Later it became accepted as a holiday; from 1930 till 1947 it remained just a regular working day, but later it became a non-working day; in the early 1990s it was considered as the only acceptable public non-communist celebration. Grandfather Frost allegedly brings presents for children to put under the tree or to distribute them directly to the children on New Year's morning performances with the help of his granddaughter Snegurochka.
In other countries
Novy God is also a major holiday in other countries of the former Soviet Union, marked by a massively produced Novogodni Ogonek : a televised celebration that includes performances from favorite pop singers and professional dance troupes, not unlike the Oscars or the MTV VMAs, with famous personalities and celebrities as presenters. It remains popular in many countries that formerly formed part of the now-defunct Soviet Union and in Soviet/Russian emigrant communities worldwide.
Israel
In Israel, the holiday is referred to by the Russian name "Novy God" and differs from New Year's Eve, which is considered a Christian celebration. Since the celebration is nonreligious, it is celebrated by many Israeli Jews who are first- or second-generation Russian immigrants. Novy God celebrations and merchandise are common wherever there are large populations of USSR emigrants. New Year's Eve celebrations that are associated with Christianity are referred to as Sylvester, after Pope Sylvester I, who died on December 31. Since January 1st is considered the Christian New Year, those who celebrate Novy God are sometimes seen as out of line with the national Jewish identity despite the event's lack of religious affiliation: amongst ultra-orthodox groups, anti-Novy God flyers and chain letters are common, and in 2004 a bill that would ban the presentation of Christmas iconography in schools has been presented to the Knesset, where it was rejected. Some customs have been adapted for Israeli environs, like the use of palm trees for the New Year tree and starting celebrations using the Moscow time zone. It is common to allow soldiers of Russian-speaking heritage serving in noncombat facilities to go on leave on the night of the 31st to allow them to celebrate the holiday; however, this is not enforced by official order, as it is sometimes seen as an example of discrimination.
