New Year's Day in Russia

A public holiday in a longer break

Russia’s Labour Code designates January 1–6 and January 8 as New Year holidays, and January 7 as Christmas. Together, these non-working public holidays span January 1–8. When a regular day off coincides with a non-working public holiday, the Code provides for a transfer; the government can also move two days off from the New Year holiday period to other dates under the statutory procedure. The exact work and rest schedule can therefore vary by year.[1]

The law also sets rules for people who work on a non-working public holiday: such work is paid at no less than double rates, with a different day of rest available at the worker’s choice. That rule helps explain why a public holiday does not mean every service stops operating.[3]

How January became the New Year

The Russian Ethnographic Museum traces the January New Year to a decree issued by Peter I in December 1699. Before the change, the year had been reckoned from the creation of the world and began on September 1; the decree set January 1, 1700 as the new year’s start. The museum says that the custom of welcoming the year on the first January night began in Russia at that point.[2]

Russia’s calendar later changed again: the museum dates the country’s adoption of the Gregorian calendar to 1918, during Soviet rule. The holiday’s present date thus reflects both Peter I’s earlier calendar reform and the later calendar transition.[2]

Home, guests and Ded Moroz

The museum describes New Year as a moment of renewal and good wishes, including wishes for health. Customs it records include decorating the home, wearing festive clothes, setting out plenty of food, inviting guests and exchanging gifts. These are presented as widespread customs, not requirements followed by every household.[2]

Ded Moroz, or Grandfather Frost, is part of the gift-giving tradition described by the museum. It says that the Russian figure’s images began appearing beside decorated New Year trees in the late nineteenth century, and that some Christmas customs gradually became associated with New Year. The museum also notes the decorated evergreen tree as a symbol of the celebration.[2]

Planning around the holiday

Because January 1–8 are designated non-working public holidays, government and workplace schedules may differ from ordinary days. The Labour Code does not give opening hours for individual banks, shops or transport services, so travelers should check the provider’s own holiday timetable before making plans. Services that operate on a public holiday may schedule staff to work under the applicable holiday-pay rules.[1][3]