How to organize a children's New Year’s tree according to the SOVIET GOST standard (PHOTOS)
You couldn’t just set up any tree as a New Year's tree in the Soviet Union [due to religion being banned, New Year’s Eve was the nearest to the holy holiday — Ed.]. To ensure the celebration was organized correctly, in the late 1930s, the Soviet Union published collections of recommendations.
Here's what they advised:
1. Create a festive atmosphere
A Russian New Year's tree should be, according to the authors, a celebration of a joyful and happy childhood.
"The tree is magical. It contains things that never exist: silver nuts, marzipan apples, a silver chest with green stripes and, in it, are not fur coats with ‘natfalin’, but chocolate cakes; cold snow is made of warm cotton wool; smoke from the golden chimney of a golden steamer is also made of cotton wool."
The celebration was supposed to be held indoors, but outdoor festivities were also allowed, for example, somewhere on the edge of a forest. In this case, the New Year's program could also be combined with sports activities.
2. Choose the right tree
The holiday regulations recommended choosing a tree no taller than 2.5-3 meters, cone-shaped, with dense needles. Lighting the tree was allowed only with electric garlands — candles were strictly prohibited. "Sparklers and various types of fireworks are not allowed on the tree," everyone was warned.
3. Decorate brightly & modernly
The recommendation was to combine traditional decorations with new ones, such as airships and airplanes. "The subway, the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station, traffic lights, windmills and oil gushers. A child will love seeing these fascinating objects hanging on the tree."
"Decorations can have various themes; they should be recognizable, but they have the right to sparkle and shine with their elegance and color. They can be animals, birds, boats, cars, parachutes, airplanes and thousands of other objects. The requirement for their design is the same: brighter, more beautiful."
4. Children should participate in the celebration
Children were not just spectators, but also participants in the performance. They prepared their own numbers and the program always included music, dancing and various games. The scenario went something like this: children would gather in a room with a festively decorated New Year’s tree, admire it and then the host invites them to dance in a circle and sing a song to music.
"Amateur performances alternate with refreshments, a puppet show, and a magic show…" "Exciting dances alternate with a calm story, children's amateur performances alternate with adult performances for children and free games alternate with organized ones. <…> The circle dance ends with the children dancing freely," one of the scenarios stated.
5. Use cheerful music
The repertoire proposed for New Year’s parties was quite extensive. It was suggested that circle dances be performed to excerpts from Mussorgsky's ‘Khovanshchina’ and Dunaevsky's ‘March of the Merry Fellows’. The program also included revolutionary, Pioneer and October-related songs, such as ‘Let's Take New Rifles’. They also recommended performing a song from the movie ‘Children of Captain Grant’ about a cheerful wind, along with music by Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Glinka, Schubert and Beethoven.
6. Don't overdo it with costumed characters
"When they've finished looking at the tree, having fun, dancing around it, singing and playing, you can bring in one or two costumed characters when the gifts are being handed out or to organize a game. <…> It's fun to receive toys from a teddy bear, a bunny, Ded Moroz and another costumed character."
Sometimes, however, there were comical situations. "A collective farm grandfather, we know him!" children would say, still unaware of the winter wizard.
7. Don't force fun
A holiday squeezed into institutionalized confines loses all its appeal, the authors of the recommendations warned. Therefore, the entire performance should be engaging and children themselves shouldn't stand at attention.
8. Don't forget the presents
Because what would New Year's be without wrapped presents? This makes the performance less joyful. "…At least hand out bags of candy. This is necessary and possible to please the children under any circumstances. Presents in the form of toys are also highly recommended."
