TASS FACTBOX. On December 30, 2024, Russia began its New Year’s holidays, which will last until January 8, inclusive.
Origins of New Year’s celebrations
Russia began celebrating New Year's Day on January 1 in 1700, following a decree by Peter the Great (Tsar of Russia from 1682-1721 and Emperor from 1721-1725). The celebrations lasted seven days. After Peter the Great’s death, the tradition gradually faded. The New Year’s holiday was later revived during the reign of Catherine the Great (Empress of Russia from 1762-1796) but remained secular. The Russian Orthodox Church continued to celebrate the start of the year on September 1, according to the Julian calendar, also known as the Byzantine calendar.
Until 1897, the length of the working week was not regulated by law. Sunday was the only official day off, leaving factory and plant owners to decide whether to grant holidays. Generally, they provided an extra day off for religious holidays, including Christmas.
Impact of the October Revolution
In 1918, Soviet Russia adopted the Western European Gregorian calendar, resulting in a 13-day difference between the Old and New Styles. January 1 remained a non-working day, but Russian Orthodox Christmas, shifted to January 7 due to the calendar reform, was removed from the list of holidays. In 1929, amid an anti-religious campaign, Christmas was banned. January 1 was declared a working day and remained so until 1947.
Revival of New Year’s holidays in Russia
In 1992, amendments to the Labor Code of the RSFSR made January 2, in addition to January 1 and 7, a non-working day.
Since 2013, official New Year’s holidays have spanned January 1 through 8. Non-working days coinciding with these holidays (Saturday and Sunday) can be rescheduled by the Russian government, typically added to the May holidays.
In recent years, there have been discussions about officially making December 31 a day off. Legislative initiatives to this effect have been repeatedly introduced in the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament) but have yet to be enacted.
In 2024, according to a government decree, December 29-31 (Sunday through Tuesday) will be days off, while December 28 (Saturday) will be a working day.