Novy God

Novogodnyaya yolka in Volokolamsk (Moscow Oblast) in 2010.

Novy God (Russian: Новый Год) is the Russian for "New Year", and the Russian New Years' Day celebration.

The Christmas tree was banned in the Soviet Union, but reinstated as the Новогодняя ёлка (Novogodnyaya yolka, "New-year fir-tree" in 1935, and remains part of the Russian New Year traditions. Grandfather Frost is said to deposit presents under the tree. Snegurochka helps her grandfather Ded Moroz in his journey to bring all the gifts.

The holiday was first positively made aware after Pavel Pustishev sent a letter to a public newspaper in 1936 and later accepted in 1947 as a holiday, from 1930 till 1947 it was just a regular work day, but later it become a no-work day, till the early 1990s it was considered as the only acceptable public non communist celebration.

Novy God is a major holiday also in other countries of the Former Soviet Union, marked by a massively produced Novogodni Ogonek (New Year's Party): 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 is also popular in many countries that were formerly part of the now defunct Soviet Union. The coming of the new year is marked by the Kremlin Clock striking twelve. Immigrants and non Russian citizens often start to celebrate using the Russian time zone

As this holiday is defined as a Non religious celebration, many non Christian people are still celebrating the holiday, As an example in the Jewish parts of Israel with high amount of ex USSR immigrates a person might find lots of Novi God merchandise. In Israel there is a a major conflict for thous who celebrate the Novy-God (non Christian): it is so common that a person could find newspapers explaining that immigrants are not celebrating the Christian new year, to find Anti Novy God flayers, and almost every year a person would find Anti - Novy God chain letters, a bill that bans Santa and tree for showing in public places.

The week between New Year and Christmas (celebrated on 7 January, corresponding to Christmas day according to the Julian Calendar) are usually taken off (Новогодние каникулы "New Year's holiday").

Novy God in Israel

Called with the russian pronunciation "Novy God" (נובי גוד) and is diffrent from the "new year eve" (consider as a different holiday)

As previously noted many immigrants brought the Novy-God celebrations to Israel, in city with large ex Russian population (Ashdod, Nazareth illit, Be'er Sheva, Netanya Haifa) festivals and celebration are created each year

few interesting behaviors are witnessed like using of palm trees as yolka trees, starting the celebration using the Russian time zone.

It is common to allow Russian soldiers serving in non combat facilities to get out on the 31th night for home to allow them to celebrate the holiday, but until 2011 there is no order that will force it, this is sometimes is seen as an example of discrimination against Russian heritage (as on Sigd Ethiopian soldiers are entitled to have a vacation)