History of New Year's toys in Russia. The history of the emergence of New Year's toys for children

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

New Year is a long-awaited holiday for many, invariably, year after year, delighting us with gifts, good mood and fresh perspectives. Both adults and children love this solemn event, filled with light notes of magic and fairy tales, and begin preparing for it long before it happens.

Bright New Year's toys, silvery tinsel and garlands appear on store shelves. And in every house and in many institutions, they are in a hurry to install an elegant Christmas tree.

All these holiday attributes have long become familiar to us. And few people think about what the history of the New Year's toy is and why the tradition of installing and decorating a festive tree appeared.

Back to the roots: the custom of decorating a Christmas tree

There are many legends about why the evergreen tree has become a mandatory attribute of everyone's favorite winter holiday.

Modernthe trend to decorate the Christmas tree with various items is directly associated with religious traditions.

However, the history of the New Year's toy and decoration of the evergreen tree has a long history, dating back long before the rise of Christianity. This tradition originated on the territory of modern Europe.

Germanic pagan tribes firmly believed in the existence of evil spirits. These entities gained special strength on cold winter evenings. And in order to appease the spirits, the Germans went to the forest to decorate spruces, on which evil forces supposedly lived. The fruits and various sweets that hung around the tree became the prototype of modern Christmas tree decorations. This is the history of the emergence of the New Year's toy.

Subsequently, the tradition was transferred to the Christian religion, but it had a completely different context.

Christmas tree tradition in Russia

The history of New Year's toys in Russia began in 1700, when the great reformer and pioneer Peter the Great brought the custom of decorating a Christmas tree to the country from Europe. Every house or yard had to have a coniferous tree in winter.

“On the big streets, near the deliberate houses, in front of the gates, put some decorations from trees and branches of pine, spruce and juniper,” read the decree signed by the hand of the first All-Russian emperor.

Gradually, the tradition took root, and the history of the New Year's toy in Russia has already received its own development.

Where did the glass toy come from?

If we talk aboutmodern Christmas toys, the history of their appearance begins in Germany.

Even before the early 1800s, nuts, fruits, candies, cookies were used as decorations. The history of Christmas tree decorations was in its infancy.

Glass Christmas toys began to be made in the small German town of Lauscha. There was an old glass-blowing factory here, where glasses, glasses, vases, beads and other household utensils were produced.

In 1848, the first glass ball was made - a prototype of a modern Christmas decoration. And later, in 1867, a modern gas plant for that time was opened in Lausche. With the help of gas, glassblowers could blow balls with fragile, thin walls.

Thus began the story of the creation of a New Year's glass toy - the most popular Christmas tree decoration today.

On the territory of our country, festive decorations began to be made on an industrial scale only during the First World War. The Klin factory "Herringbone" produced the first balloons, which later could be found in almost every home.

Pre-revolutionary toy

The fashion for Christmas decorations in Russia appeared in the 19th century under Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. It is with her name that the history of the emergence of a New Year's toy in our country is connected. She decorated the Christmas tree for the first time with colorful decorations made especially for this purpose, as was done in Europe.

Glass toys were available at the timeonly we althy citizens. Ordinary people decorated the Christmas tree with improvised means - nuts, wood crafts.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, New Year's toys made of thick paper were also popular - the so-called Dresden cartonage. They were three-dimensional products glued together from two halves of painted cardboard.

Wood toys were also used for decoration: figures of angels, children, sailors - with a metal frame inside.

Glass and porcelain balls were brought to Russia at that time mainly from Germany. They were unlike modern ones - they were made of thick glass and weighed much more than the decorations we are used to.

Soviet Christmas toy

In many houses, in boxes with New Year's decorations, you can find Soviet-made items. The most popular options of this period were colorful icicles, plastic and glass vegetables and fruits, corn cobs as a relic of the Khrushchev era.

The history of New Year's toys in the Soviet period is closely connected with the ideology of that time. Decorations of this period with portraits of thematic leaders are valued by antiquarians no less than balls that are over a hundred years old.

After the revolution and for a long period, it was forbidden to decorate the Christmas tree. It was considered a tribute to Western traditions, religiosity and was strictly forbidden.

The production of Christmas decorations on an industrial scale began after 1935, when, by decree of the Presidium, the New Year tree was officially returned to the homes of citizens of the Soviet Union inas a festive accessory.

Nothing could create such a festive, magical atmosphere as a fluffy Christmas tree, decorated with multi-colored iridescent toys. The first Soviet New Year celebration took place in 1937 at the House of Unions.

Often at that time, home-made toys made of paper, cardboard, papier-mâché were used as decorations.

However, already in the late 1930s and early 1940s, their industrial production began to develop and even during the difficult years of World War II did not stop. They made New Year's toys from various waste: wire, medical bandages, cotton wool.

With the coming to power of Khrushchev during the thaw period, there was much less propaganda in Christmas tree decorations. But now toys of agricultural and household subjects are beginning to be produced. On Christmas trees you can see carrots, cucumbers, corn cobs, samovars and felt boots. During this period, Christmas tree toys - icicles, which became popular, began to be made.

The history of New Year's toys for children in the Soviet period developed very actively. At this time, a lot of decorations were produced in the form of fairy tale characters: The Humpbacked Skates, Little Red Riding Hoods, unprecedented little animals and towers decorated the New Year tree in almost every Soviet house.

Post-Soviet Christmas toy

After the collapse of the USSR, the history of the New Year's toy received a new round of its development. Imported goods began to displace domestic products from the market. Now more and more often on Christmas trees one could seeforeign-made colored balls and cones.

Glass toys began to lose their relevance due to the high price. They were replaced by more practical and cheap products made of plastic and acrylic.

In the 1990s, thematic toys of domestic production became significantly less. There was a fashion for horoscopes, and often in stores one could find jewelry with animal stickers, symbols of the coming year.

In the early 2000s, the fashion for minimalism came, and more and more European ascetic trends were seen in Christmas tree decorations.

Today, as such, there is no fashion for New Year's accessories. When decorating a Christmas tree, in most cases, they are primarily guided by the general style of the interior, as well as their own taste preferences.

Interesting facts about Christmas toys

• During the First World War, it was forbidden to set up a Christmas tree: the tradition was associated with German culture; therefore, given the political situation in the country and in the world as a whole, the custom of setting up a Christmas tree has lost its relevance for a while.
• It is curious that with the advent of Soviet power, during the period of the general reformation in Russia, it was undesirable to set up a Christmas tree at home and decorate it with toys; this attribute was considered a "religious relic", which did not fit into the general concept of building a communist system in the country, free from Christian dogmas.
• The history of the emergence of New Year's toys for children is invariably associated with fairy tale characters: heroesPushkin's children's works were embodied in the images of New Year's toys already at the beginning of the 19th century.

Popular Christmas tree decorations

One of the most popular decorations for Christmas trees is decoration with toys in a combination of two colors: blue and silver, red and gold, white and blue. For such options, plain balls are used. Toys in the form of bows or candles are allowed.

However, monochromatic design options are gradually fading into the background, being replaced by bright multi-colored decorations. Eclecticism, a combination of different styles and textures, is in fashion.

Rain and tinsel, popular in Soviet and post-Soviet times, have lost their relevance today. A common option is to decorate the Christmas tree with beads and balls in the same style.

One of the hottest modern trends is DIY Christmas toys. In modern trends - decorating the New Year tree with various sweets: cookies in bright glaze, gingerbread.

Lovers of warm and cozy notes in designer interior solutions will appreciate toys made of felt.

What do Christmas toys say?

Modern toys are very diverse and often do not carry any semantic load. A huge selection of shapes and colors pleases the eye and makes it possible to create a bright composition.

However, initially each toycarried an image somehow connected with Christianity.

Christmas toys symbolize:

• candles - spiritual light, Christ's sacrifice;
• balls - Adam's apple;
• vegetables and fruits - fertility in the coming year;
• bell - a talisman that protects from dark forces and misfortunes;
• curly gingerbread and cookies - unleavened bread used during communion;
• star on the top of the Christmas tree - the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the Magi the way to the newborn Jesus.

Collectors

Today, Christmas tree decorations are not only accessories that serve to decorate the New Year tree. Some toys are exclusive and are made in a single copy.

These pieces of jewelry are worth a lot of money and are the envy and desire of many collectors.

Toys made of thin transparent glass, hand-painted are considered valuable. They look very sophisticated and elegant and are suitable not only for decorating a Christmas tree, but also as a festive interior decor.

The tradition of presenting expensive Christmas decorations as a New Year's gift is becoming increasingly popular. Such toys will decorate any Christmas tree and become the indisputable pride of their owner.