What does the beginning of the year mean for the Mari, Evenks and Vepsians? How does the Yakut Ysyakh differ from the Kalmyk Zul, and the Buryat Sagaalgan from the Chuvash Surkhuri? Why do the Nganasans put on mortal clothes and what offerings do the water spirits expect from the Nanais? The New Year is one of the most beloved and long-awaited holidays. Each region celebrates it in its own way. They tell fortunes, prepare treats, wish for well-being, decorate houses, turn to ancestors and higher powers. At this time, ancient rituals and traditions come to life as if by magic. 29 chapters will reveal the origins of the holiday, surviving signs, superstitions, recipes, prohibitions and regulations. Who is this book for? For those who look forward to New Year and Christmas every year and want to celebrate them in an unusual way. For those who are interested in the traditions and rituals of different nations. For those who is looking for a gift for the New Year. From the authors In this book we talk about the traditions of the twenty-seven peoples of Russia. In total, according to various population censuses, there are more than one hundred and eighty of them. When deciding which ones to choose, we were guided by several ideas. The first is that in Russia they celebrate the New Year eleven times: they start in Chukotka and end in Kaliningrad. But in fact, New Year can be celebrated many more times and not only on December 31st. And also, the names of the rituals at the beginning of the New Year’s cycle are varied; not all have the combination “new year,” but at the same time they are also New Year’s! The second idea is to share the materials that we ourselves recorded while participating in folklore and ethnographic expeditions. The third is to show that there is no single Russian or any other tradition. Despite the similar patterns that we are talking about here, each region or even locality has its own characteristics of celebration. So if you are reading about your people, but you want to be outraged and tell us: “Everything is different here,” that’s okay, because folklore traditions are very variable. The fourth idea is to use available data: to write this book, we read a lot scientific articles and monographs (those interested can find them in the list of references at the end of the text). However, there are still traditions that have not been sufficiently studied. Probably, in the future we will be able to go on an expedition to such regions to ask the residents when and how they celebrated the New Year, and write another book.