'Yolka': New Year's tree that unites nations beyond religion From Tsarist Russia through Soviet abolishment back into our living rooms

The festive fir tree, mostly recognized in Western civilization as the Christmas tree, takes on a unique identity in post-Soviet countries as the New Year ‘Yolka’. Its history intertwines with pagan rituals, Russian imperial influence, and Soviet ideology, reflecting the region's cultural and political evolution.

The yolka’s origins trace back to pre-Christian pagan traditions, where evergreens symbolized life during winter, similar to the historic roots of the Christmas tree that is decorated in most of the Christian world. An article by the New East Digital Archive publication looked up the origins of the holiday tradition, pointing out, that early customs also involved decorating these trees with ribbons and candles like in Europe.

The tradition became formalized under Peter the Great, the first Emperor of Russia under whose orders much of European culture was implemented into that of peasant Russian society. After adopting the Julian calendar, he signed a decree that New Year celebrations on January 1 should include fir, pine, and juniper decorations. Over time, ornamented trees appeared in front of village parishes, embodying both local and European influences.

In the 19th century, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, of Prussian descent, brought a pine tree into the Russian royal household during Orthodox Christmas, which is celebrated on January 7th, popularizing the practice of giving gifts to both royal and impoverished children. By the late 1800s, elaborately adorned yolki had become central to holiday festivities, cementing gift-giving as a cherished tradition. During this period, Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) emerged as a pivotal figure in Russian folklore, delivering gifts with his granddaughter, Snegurochka (Snowmaiden), in a sleigh pulled by three horses. Ded Moroz, rooted in Slavic mythology and not Christianity, embodied religious ambiguity and unlike Santa Claus in a town that actually exists: Veliky Ustyug in the northwestern Vologda region of Russia.

The 20th century saw dramatic shifts in this tradition as the Bolsheviks suppressed religious holidays, including Christmas. The yolka and Ded Moroz were branded as symbols of tsarist and bourgeois excess and religiosity, aligning them with Germany, Russia's enemy in World War I. State-sanctioned atheism dismantled religious traditions, dismissing Christmas as pagan in origin and inconsistent with scientific enlightenment. Religious symbols, Christian, Muslim and others alike, disappeared from public life, and New Year’s Eve emerged as the primary secular celebration across the whole Soviet Union.

The yolka made a surprising comeback in 1935 when Soviet officials convinced Joseph Stalin to reframe the tree as a secular icon of children’s joy and Soviet prosperity. It became a centerpiece of New Year’s celebrations, adorned with a red star symbolizing Soviet ideology. This secular rebranding allowed the yolka to thrive, becoming a public and accessible tradition that resonated with the populace, transcending religious divides.

Today, the yolka remains a powerful symbol of Russian culture and New Year’s celebrations. For many people that lived in the ethnically diverse Soviet Union, the tree coexists together next to other local traditions, reflecting its detachment from religious roots. Russian Jews, for example, whose main holiday, Chanukah, is also celebrated at the end of December often have a decorated yolka during the New Year’s season next to a burning menorah. The 1990s marked a resurgence of religious holidays, yet the yolka's secular identity endured. Veliky Ustyug, capitalizing on Ded Moroz’s Slavic roots, reinvented itself as his official residence. In 1998, the town’s mayor formalized this connection, even establishing a postal address for children’s New Year’s letters and bolstering Ded Moroz's status as a cultural icon distinct from the Western Santa Claus.

At the heart of New Year festivities, the yolka symbolizes renewal and hope. Its history—from pagan roots to imperial embrace, suppression, and reinvention—reflects the resilience of tradition amidst change. As people across most post-Soviet republics gather around the tree, the yolka remains a timeless emblem of joy and unites nations with otherwise widely differing cultures, free of any religious context.

By Nazrin Sadigova