Christmas tree toy currently. History of Christmas tree decorations. Christmas decorations and progress

Diana Pospelova
Project on the topic “The History of New Year’s Toys”

Project activities

"The Story of a New Year's Toy"

Project implementation period: December

Project participants: older children preschool age(5-6 years old, parents

pupils, group teachers.

The project was compiled by Diana Valerievna Pospelova, teacher.

Project type: educational-practical, medium-term.

Problem:

Everyone knows that one of the most favorite holidays for preschoolers is New Year! The pre-New Year bustle, letters to Santa Claus, decorating the Christmas tree with toys, long-awaited gifts under the tree, magical transformations - all this cannot be compared even with a birthday. But in the course of working with parents, it turned out that many do not know about New Year’s traditions, signs, features, the majority are in no hurry to make New Year’s toys and have never done so, but prefer to buy them in the store.

Target:

To increase interest in the history of Christmas tree decorations, the New Year, to strengthen connections between generations, to introduce folk culture. To intensify the search activity of preschoolers, develop cognitive skills, practical skills, as well as ways to apply them in practice.

Tasks:

for children:

Accept the problem “What is a New Year’s toy? What should it be like? and find ways to solve it.

Learn how to make a New Year's toy in different ways from different materials.

Get acquainted with the history of the origin of the New Year's toy, including the history of decorating the Christmas tree in Rus';

for teachers:

1. Create conditions for:

Fostering interest in folk art, love for manual labor;

Development of children's communication skills;

Development cognitive activity preschoolers;

2. Introduce the history of the New Year’s toy;

3. Assist children in identifying a problem, finding a solution, implementing ideas, designing works, organizing an exhibition;

4. Involve parents to participate in the project, establish constructive interaction with the families of pupils;

for parents:

Help children achieve positive results;

Involve parents in searching educational material with their children, participating in group master classes, and organizing an exhibition New Year's toys.

Create a positive communication experience and joint activities children and parents

Relevance of the project:

New Year is the most beloved, wonderful, family holiday. A holiday with wonderful transformations and gifts from Santa Claus. Decorating a Christmas tree is a pre-holiday creative process in which, as a rule, almost all family members - parents, children, grandparents - participate. And, as a rule, each family member has favorite Christmas tree toys and of course interesting story associated with the appearance of these toys. During this project, we will introduce preschoolers to the emergence of the tradition of celebrating the New Year, with the history of the appearance of the first Christmas tree decoration. “Where does the New Year's toy come from? Why have people always loved making toys with their own hands? What can you make a Christmas tree toy from with your own hands? What will be special about it? It is very important to teach children to reflect their conceived ideas in practical activities and to cultivate in children the desire to do something nice for loved ones (making toys with their own hands and giving them to family members). The work carried out during the implementation of the project “The History of New Year's Toys” will help you understand this.

Planning:

Preparatory stage:

1. Selection of educational and illustrative material about the history of New Year's toys.

2. Questioning of parents “Waiting for the New Year.” Identifying the problem, selecting information on topics of interest (1st week of December).

3. Consultation for parents “The History of a New Year’s Toy.” Raise the information level and awareness of parents in this issue(December).

4. Master class “DIY New Year’s toys.” Increase the information level and awareness of parents on this issue (2nd week of December).

4. Parents' living room "The history of the appearance of the New Year's ball." Increase interest in culture and traditions different countries. Preparing for the exhibition of New Year's toys (3rd week of December).

5. Collection of information and exhibits for the exhibition. Prepare for the exhibition. Organization of an exhibition of New Year's toys different years release (2nd half of December)

Main stage:

1. Joint cognitive activity “Getting to know the Christmas tree toy.” Introduce children to the history of the origin of the Christmas tree toy and the materials from which it is made. (first week of December)

2. Didactic game “Let’s decorate the Christmas tree” (first week of December)

3. Independent activity for children “Gifts for the Christmas tree” (drawing, appliqué) (first week of December)

4. Joint educational activity “Be careful, Christmas tree!” Introduce children to the rules fire safety and behavior on New Year's holidays. Children's drawings on the topic of the lesson. (second week of December)

5. Joint activities with children on design and manual labor “New Year's Fantasy”. Introduce children to the methods of making Christmas tree decorations with their own hands, and safety precautions during their manufacture. (second week of December)

6. Write a descriptive story about your favorite Christmas tree toy. (second week of December)

7. Drawing on the topic: “My favorite New Year’s toy.” (second week of December)

8. Presentation “Making Christmas tree decorations at the factory” - will introduce the process and stages of manufacturing Christmas tree decorations in modern conditions.

9. Organization and design of the mini-museum “Miracles of New Year’s toys” (antique, interesting and unusual Christmas tree toys). (third week of December)

10. Excursions for children of other groups to the mini-museum (the excursion is led by the children themselves). (third week of December)

11. Photo exhibition “Me and my Christmas tree.” Conduct a visual demonstration of the traditions of decorating the New Year tree (last week of December).

12. Competition “New Year's toy with your own hands” (children-parents) Increase the creative activity of parents, involve them in the work of the preschool educational institution. (4th week of December).

13. Group decoration for the holiday. (third week of December).

Generalization stage:

1. Holding a New Year's party - creating a festive atmosphere, strengthening traditions.

2. Exhibition - decorate the Christmas tree on the site with homemade Christmas tree decorations.

Summing up the results of the Christmas tree decoration competition

Conducting a mini-excursion for children senior group for parents, children of middle groups.

3. Awarding certificates to active parents for participation in the organization and implementation of the project (last week of December,

Expected results of the project:

Increasing the interest of preschoolers in the history of New Year traditions;

Increasing the level of awareness of parents about forms of joint cognitive activity with children;

Active participation of parents in life kindergarten and groups;

Development creativity children;

Increasing interest in collective and team work with children, colleagues and parents.

Implementation of the project in joint activities of children and adults.

Forms of work:

1. development in children of goal-setting skills, the ability to find solutions problematic issues, achieve the intended results.

2. holding creative exhibitions and competitions on the topic of the project;

3. creation of thematic collections, photo albums;

Stage I – preparatory

When the Snow Queen appears in her domain, we all look forward to the holiday - New Year. And we all face the question of how to decorate the Christmas tree, with what toys? Nowadays, we rarely think about how the toy appeared? This project is aimed at introducing children to the history of New Year's toys and developing practical productive skills in children.

Memo for the teacher:

The first Christmas trees in Russia appeared in the 19th century. They were installed on fences and roofs of drinking establishments. Christmas trees began to be decorated in the 1860s and 1870s. Toys were ordered from Europe. Immediately after their appearance, such products were quite expensive. Only wealthy people could buy a glass toy.

Only after the opening of the plant in Klin during the First World War did toys become more accessible. Russian masters were trained by captured Germans. It was they who taught specialists how to create not just balls, but also beads and other jewelry.

Toys were also made from cardboard. Christmas trees were decorated with beautiful dolls with paper faces, which were glued to the body made of lace, fabric, and beads. There were also toys made of cotton wool in Russia. The material was wound onto a wire frame. This is how figures of angels, children, sailors, and clowns were created. Fake fruits were also hung on Christmas trees. They were made from velvet and papier-mâché.

Stage II – basic (practical))

1. Joint cognitive activity “Getting to know the Christmas tree toy.”

Show interest in telling the story of the history of the Christmas tree decoration;

Guess riddles on the topic;

Enter into dialogue with the teacher and other children.

2. Introducing children to how New Year's toys are made.

Tasks:

Lead children to understand that New Year's toys are the result creative activity person.

To form children's ideas about the variety of New Year's toys.

3. Work in Santa Claus's workshop.

Productive activities – drawings, application “New Year’s toys”.

On the eve of the holiday, we want to decorate our site with New Year's toys.

For this purpose, for the first time in our group there will be a master class - Working in the workshop, “ Christmas decorations» - making toys for our Christmas tree.

4. Working with parents.

Competition “Our Family’s New Year’s Toy”

Participation in the defense of mini projects (baby books)

Benefits:

Teachers have made various didactic games for children, with the help of which it is easier for children to imagine the history of the toy:

1. Game "Team"

Option 1

The game involves 10 players and 1 presenter. Players are divided into 2 teams. At the leader’s signal, players select a figure corresponding to their team and fill it with colorful contents. Whoever is faster gets one token. When all team members have filled (decorated) each of their (figures), at the leader’s signal, the players take turns running up and attaching the toy to the Christmas tree. The team that decorates the Christmas tree the fastest wins. The third token is received by the team that correctly selected the toys for the Christmas tree.

Option 2

Changing the rules of the game. For fast and correct execution tasks, each player receives a chip. At the end of the game, each team member hands over chips, they are added up, and the majority of the team’s chips leads them to win.

2. “Show as much”

Goal: continue to learn how to correlate a number with a number and a card with circles.

Material: numbers, cards with different numbers of objects.

Progress of the game: The presenter shows the children cards with numbers, and the children find cards with the same number of objects, then explain their choice

3. “In the toy store”

Goal: consolidation of ordinal counting, development of attention and memory.

Material: various toys.

Progress of the game: invite children to the toy store. To buy a toy, you need to count them in order and name its serial number.

4. “Assemble the picture (up to 10 cut pieces).”

5. "The fourth wheel"

6. Children of older preschool age love to solve puzzles and crosswords. For this purpose, rebuses and various puzzles were developed.

7. “Find the fragment”

8. "Find the differences."

Stage III – final

1. Defense of the mini-project “The History of New Year’s Toys.”

Objectives: to attract parents to participate in the project, to acquaint children with how New Year's toys change over time, with where and how they are made.

2. Design of the album “New Year’s Toy” and its presentation for children of other groups. Design of the museum and conducting excursions.

Prepare children for a tour of the mini-museum “New Year's Toy”. Excursions for children of other groups around the exhibition, conversations about celebrating the New Year in the family.

3. Express gratitude to the most active parents for their participation in organizing the project at the parent meeting.

Safety regulations:

Decorations

All Christmas tree decorations must be made from non-flammable or fire-resistant materials. Choose tinsel and Christmas tree decorations made of plastic or metal.

Never decorate your Christmas tree with candles. Always use fire-resistant candle holders, and place candles in places where they will not be knocked over.

If there are small children in the house, avoid using sharp or breakable decorations. Decorative elements with small parts should be kept out of the reach of children to prevent them from accidentally swallowing or inhaling them. Don't use decorations that look like candy or other tempting foods - children may want to taste them.

Follow the instructions on the bottle of your fake snow spray to avoid lung damage.

After all the gifts are unpacked, remove all packaging, ribbons, bags, etc. from the floor. Because of them, suffocation and fires often occur.

The New Year's holiday is, first of all, a beautiful decorated New Year's tree - a Christmas tree, pine or fir, and the anticipation New Year's fairy tale, magic, and the fulfillment of one’s most cherished desires is associated with New Year’s Eve not only for children, but also for many adults who have been preparing for the most joyful holiday of the year since the beginning of December.

Many people begin to feel the approach of the New Year when New Year's toys appear on store shelves - multi-colored balls, fluffy garlands and other Christmas tree tinsel. When looking at the brilliant, sparkling, like a mirror, delicate and fragile New Year's ball A child awakens in every adult, memories from childhood awaken in the soul and the desire to touch the magic again.

New Year's tree decorations, which are an integral attribute of the holiday, have gone through a long path of development, and their history is very interesting. New Year's decoration of houses by residents of European countries has been known since the Middle Ages; branches of coniferous trees and aroma were used for this purpose. essential oils which scattered throughout the room. The authorities forbade doing this, since such actions were rooted in old, pagan traditions that catholic church it was never completely eradicated. The custom of bringing home not branches, but a whole Christmas tree or pine tree, and decorating it appeared in Europe only in the 16th century; then they began to call the Christmas tree "Christmas tree"(christmas tree) - residents of Catholic countries still associate it not with the New Year, but with Christmas.

The classic rules for decorating a green beauty have still not changed much, although modern toys are very different from the Christmas tree decorations of those times. The top of the tree is crowned with " Star of Bethlehem", which in Soviet times was replaced by a red star, now many people decorate the top with other stylized devices. Previously, ripe and juicy apples adorned the branches of the Christmas tree, personifying the “forbidden fruit” mentioned in the Bible, which over time were replaced with bright multi-colored balls. A necessary attribute for decorating a Christmas tree were burning candles, lit at the most solemn moment; for a long time, instead of real candles, electric garlands sparkling with all the colors of the rainbow were used.

In the good old days, all Christmas tree decorations were symbolic, each of which carried deep meaning with religious background. So, it would seem that sweet waffles are just a tasty treat, but they, hanging on the branches of a green Christmas tree, were a reminder of the unleavened bread that the church has always used for communion. Until the middle of the 18th century, the Christmas tree was decorated only edible “decorations”- apples, waffles, nuts in gold pieces, other fruits and sweets, marshmallows and honey gingerbread. And only, starting from the second half of the 18th century, the first “inedible” Christmas tree decorations appeared. At this stage, they were still primitive; in each family they were made with their own hands from paper, eggshells and spruce cones, coated with spray. Soon the first toys made by masters appeared; these were intricate figures made of brass and chasing, depicting mainly fairy fairies and innocent angels.

By the end of the 18th century, shiny silver stars, various paper flowers and all kinds of tinsel began to be used to decorate the Christmas tree. The first Christmas balls, so familiar to us today, appeared only in 1848, and their homeland was the town of Lausch, located in Thuringia. These balls were not as light and fragile as they are today; they were made of heavy glass, transparent or colored, and to give a mirror shine with inside covered with a thin layer of lead. Such balls were covered on the outside with multi-colored sparkles, but it is worth noting that such an innovation was not cheap, and it was impossible to afford the purchase Christmas balls Not everyone could.

The technology for making balls changed after 1867, when a gas plant was opened in the city. The use of gas burners in glassblowing production made it possible to heat the glass mass to fairly high temperatures, making it possible to possible production Christmas tree balls made of thin glass, they were much lighter than the previous ones, and weighed down the branches of the Christmas tree much less with their weight. The lead coating, which could be harmful to health, was no longer applied to the balls, and a mirror shine was imparted using silver nitrate. Plastic glass began to be used not only for producing shiny balls, it was possible to blow Christmas tree decorations of any shape and size from it - bunches of grapes, animals and birds, figurines of Santa Claus and little angels, fish, which in Christianity are identified with Jesus Christ, as well as small amphoras and various jugs.

Silver and gold dust were used to paint Christmas tree decorations; each decoration was made by hand, and the intricate paintings were different from each other. For a long time, all glass Christmas tree decorations were produced only in the city of Lausch, and then exported to other European countries, including Russia. And only at the beginning of the twentieth century, Christmas tree decorations began to be produced in manufactories and factories in other countries - in Bohemia, Japan, the USA and Poland, and then the production of shiny colorful balls began in many Christian countries, where there was a custom of decorating a Christmas tree.

After October revolution In 1917, the production of Christmas tree decorations ceased, and the decoration of the Christmas tree itself was declared a relic of the past, a custom of the bourgeoisie, from 1927 to 1935 celebration of New Year and Christmas was strictly prohibited, they were seen as an ideological threat to Soviet power. And only on December 28, 1935, a call appeared in Soviet newspapers to celebrate the New Year and decorate a Christmas tree for children, and in 1937 a huge decorated Christmas tree was even installed in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions. Since then, the tree has again become a custom, only it was no longer associated with Christmas, but with the New Year. The production of New Year's decorations also improved - red stars on the top of the tree, balls, and in 1937 a series of balls with images of Politburo figures were released.

The appearance of Christmas tree decorations and their semantic load changed in accordance with historical realities - many of them had communist symbols, paratroopers in Soviet uniforms appeared on sale, as well as paper airships, each of which had a bright inscription “USSR”. The production of Christmas tree decorations did not stop even during the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War, and the New Year celebration was supposed to remind residents who were in territories unoccupied by the Nazis and in evacuation, as well as front-line soldiers and soldiers being treated in hospitals of a calm, peaceful life. At this moment, toys were produced in the form of soldiers, tanks, and other military equipment and soldier-medics, were printed and New Year cards, depicting Santa Claus with a machine gun, beating the Nazis on the spot.

Since 1947, January 1 again became a holiday, and only peaceful toys were used to decorate the New Year tree. For the New Year of 1949, a series of New Year's toys depicting heroes from Pushkin's fairy tales, it was dedicated to the anniversary of the birth of the great poet. In the 50s, when in the territory Soviet Union a serious food problem arose, it was decided to release a series of Christmas decorations in the form of vegetables and fruits, they were supposed to symbolize abundance in the country.

During these years, Christmas tree decorations appeared in the form of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden, squirrels and bunnies, bear cubs, and Christmas trees began to be decorated with glass beads. And after the residents of the Soviet Union saw the film “Carnival Night”, filmed by director Eldar Ryazanov, they began to produce glass watches, the hands of which show five minutes before the onset of the New Year. And in the 60s, when N.S. Khrushchev promoted the cultivation of corn in many regions of the country, and Christmas tree decorations in the form of the cob of the “queen of the fields” began to be produced. Human flight into space stimulated the production of “modern” New Year’s toys at that time - space satellites and astronauts in spacesuits, rockets, the first electric garlands began to be produced, sparkling at children's matinees and in citizens' apartments.

Since the 70s, Christmas tree decorations produced in the USSR have lost their variety, mass production was established, and in factories they were no longer issued, but stamped. A wide assortment of similar colored balls, gilded glass cones, monotonous icicles and bells appeared in stores. Sometimes, however, completely shocking items appeared on sale - New Year's toys in the form of snowflakes, decorated with a hammer and sickle, toys with clothespins that were convenient to hang on the branches of a Christmas tree were also produced, and the familiar rain also appeared on sale.

Toys from the 80s bring each of us back to childhood; they are still preserved in many apartments. Quite often, when you come to your friends and acquaintances for the New Year, on the decorated Christmas tree you can see exactly the same balls, green cones coated with snow, glass Santa Clauses, as they hang on your Christmas tree at home. But, despite mass production and monotony, such toys on a New Year tree or pine tree look quite good, the balls are bright and colorful, multi-colored and shiny, and the cones emphasize the smell of fresh pine needles. Despite the long-changed Soviet ideology, which modern youth will already remember, many still use a red star, reminiscent of the well-known symbol of the Kremlin, to decorate the top of the Christmas tree. It is noteworthy that no one is going to exchange it for the golden or silver “Bethlehem” star, which has been customary to decorate the Christmas tree since the Middle Ages.

In the 90s of the last century, after the advent of fashion for horoscopes and active implementation in everyday life eastern calendar, New Year's Eve has become widespread toys in the form of an animal symbol of the coming year, residents purchase such decorations to greet the “owner” of the year.

Currently, the release of New Year's toys is different great variety, many different styles of Christmas tree decoration have appeared. Toys reminiscent of old models made a hundred years ago are also becoming fashionable; balloons depicting Russian landscapes and snowy winters are also being produced. And toys with state symbols are still produced in Russia, as evidenced by the Christmas tree balls with the image of the Moscow Kremlin and the Chimes released last year. In recent years, Christmas tree decorations have become dominated by European style using balls of the same size in two colors, symmetrically located on a green beauty, and no garlands and everyone has had time to get tired of the rain. Such Christmas trees can be seen in store windows and in shopping centers and supermarkets, and in almost all offices. Artificial Christmas trees of unnatural colors also appeared - blue, white, silver and gold. But at home, many residents prefer to decorate the Christmas tree in the old way, using numerous garlands and rain in such quantities that the toys themselves become invisible.

WITH beginning of the XXI came into fashion for centuries homemade Christmas tree toys, the so-called “handmade”, such toys evoke a lot of positive emotions in each of us and emit positive energy. Such toys are made from various available materials - straw and twigs, pieces of fabric, fur and ivy, threads and balls; Christmas tree toys can be sewn or crocheted. If you do not have enough energy and time to make such an unusual toy yourself, something similar can be found in the store, but not among mass-market goods, but rather in stores specializing in the sale of interior items or at special exhibitions and fairs of handicraft masters.

Today, “vintage” is one of the most popular trends in decorating the New Year tree, and retro-style toys are used. Perhaps, in your attic or closet, a box of old New Year's toys that your grandfathers, or mothers and fathers, also bought, has been gathering dust for a long time. If you take out and carefully sort through such toys and decorate the Christmas tree with them, your New Year tree will turn out to be “the most fashionable”; perhaps you will be lucky, and among the old toys you will find antiques - genuine rarities that testify to the history of the development of New Year toys.

You can go back two or three centuries and decorate the tree only with edible decorations, hanging apples, waffles and nuts in gold wrappers on it. The stores sell a lot of sweets packed in foil, to which a convenient rope is already attached for placing such a “surprise” on the New Year tree. Many mothers and their children make their own toys - snow-covered cones and icicles, which quite often are dipped into a saline solution for a while to achieve this look. In the last five years, many Christmas tree decorations made from straw and coarse fabric have appeared on sale - stars and snowflakes, voluminous toys, fairy-tale gnomes. Nowadays, unusual modern toys made of acrylic have become all the rage; they have many advantages over glass, although they are less transparent. Such toys are made in a greater variety and are somewhat reminiscent of expensive items made of Venetian glass, the manufacturing technology of which for many centuries was “a secret behind seven seals.” territory of Russia.

For many, Christmas tree decorations symbolize the fun and joy that invariably accompany the New Year holiday. But few people know that you can study history by looking at Christmas tree decorations. Any of the luminous balls will tell about the era, time, country where it was born. Let's try to go on such an entertaining journey.

Where did Christmas decorations come from?

Decorating the New Year's tree has been known since ancient times. This is, first of all, a pagan tradition. It all started with the fact that once upon a time, ancient peoples, who really needed to scare away evil spirits, decorated their homes with Christmas tree branches at the onset of the holidays. Some tribes had a winter custom, when the day was already increasing, to choose a large spruce tree in the forest and decorate it with gifts, trying to appease the same evil spirits.

As Christianity spread, the old pagan custom acquired a slightly different meaning and changed. The green, fluffy, fragrant Christmas tree has become a symbol and main attribute of Christmas. Jewelry with a touch of color is gaining popularity Christian symbolism. The star on the top of the fir tree became a symbol of the biblical Star of Bethlehem, which announced with its light to the entire area that Jesus Christ was born. The Christmas tree is nothing more than a prototype of a tree with fruits. Mainly nuts and fruits were used as decorations. The most popular were apples, which symbolize the “forbidden fruit.” The festive tree was also decorated with unleavened waffles, which resembled communion bread. The candles on the fir branches symbolized those that burned in the manger of the newborn Christ.

The harsh Middle Ages gradually sank into oblivion, so Christmas tree decorations, having lost their asceticism, became more elegant and cheerful. The nuts turned gold and silver. The first Christmas toys made of paper, brass, foil and cotton wool appeared.

The most common New Year's decoration is glass Christmas balls. different colors with sparkles - first appeared in the 19th century in Thuringia (Germany). It happened by accident. After all, before that, the main decoration of the New Year's tree was apples. And then there was a crop failure. Glass blowers came to the rescue, creating a good imitation of juicy and ripe fruits. The novelty has caught on, because the fashion for New Year's glass balls continues to this day! However, the matter was not limited to balls. Following them, Christmas tree toys were invented. complex shapes: fruits, birds, figures of people and animals. Some craftsmen can even make such balls from hot glass at home, but I suggest you buy ready-made transparent ones and paint them, following your imagination, and you can get ideas from the article -.

Publications in the Traditions section

In the 21st century, it has become fashionable to decorate the Christmas tree with toys. self made. Today, balls are sewn from felt and scraps, knitted from threads, folded from paper or even from Legos. But still, with special trepidation and love, we take out old balls that have been preserved from our grandmothers and great-grandmothers.

“A tree, illuminated by lanterns or candles, hung with candies, fruits, toys, books, is a delight for children, who had previously been told that for good behavior and diligence on the holiday, a sudden reward would appear...”

"Northern Bee", 1841

The first Christmas tree decoration in Rus' was intended to demonstrate abundance, so New Year's trees were decorated with burning candles, apples and dough products. And in order for the tree to become bright and sparkling, decorations that shimmered in the light were added: tinsel, gimp (thin metal threads), sparkles. In combination with burning candles, the effect of the play of light made green beauty even more radiant and solemn.

Since the middle of the 19th century, special artels began to work, which were engaged in the production of garlands, Christmas tree decorations, as well as those made from thin foil chains, tinsel and rain.

“The Christmas tree was bent with a multitude of toys and sweets, glowed with a cheerful happy fire, firecrackers crackled, sparklers suddenly flared up and scattered with stars.”

Sergey Potresov. "A Christmas Story"

Glass toys

New Year's Eve. 1950s Photo: ITAR-TASS

An old Soviet Christmas tree toy-plane in the Museum of Christmas tree toys “Klinskoye Compound”, Klin. Photo: P. Prosvetov / photobank “Lori”

First glass toys: balls, beads, spherical mirror objects in the form of spotlights and icicles - appeared on Russian Christmas trees in the middle of the 19th century. They were heavier than modern ones because they were made of thick mirror glass. Initially most glass jewelry was of foreign production, but very soon they began to be manufactured in Russia.

“Buy a glass toy for a resident of Russia late XIX century was the same as for a modern Russian to buy a car.”

Sergei Romanov, toy historian and collector of New Year's decorations.

It was in Rus' that they came up with the idea of ​​decorating a spruce tree with women’s jewelry - glass beads. The whole family was involved in making them: small balls were blown by master glassblowers, women painted the beads, and children strung them on a thread. This craft became most widespread in the Klin district, where the Elochka factory was later founded, which now produces New Year's garlands.

Products of the Klin association “Yolochka”, 1982. Photo: A. Semekhina / TASS Photo Chronicle

Old Christmas tree toy - clown. Photo: Yu. Zobkov / photobank “Lori”

Old Christmas tree toy - corn. Photo: Yu. Zobkov / photobank “Lori”

In the late 1930s, heroes of children's literature appeared on Christmas trees - Ivan Tsarevich, Ruslan and Lyudmila, Brother Rabbit and Brother Fox, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Crocodile with Totosha and Kokosha, Doctor Aibolit. After the premiere of the film “Circus,” circus-themed figurines became popular. In honor of the exploration of the North, Christmas trees were decorated with figures of polar explorers. At the same time, filigree and hand-painted decorations on an oriental theme appeared: Aladdin, old man Hottabych, and the sorcerer Chernomor.

During the war years, figures of planes, tanks, and Stalin's armored cars were hung on Christmas trees. They also made figurines from military shoulder straps and improvised materials, such as medical bandages.

New Year's composition. Photo: S. Gavrilichev / photobank “Lori”

An old Christmas tree decoration in the shape of a Soviet airship. Photo: Yu. Zaporozhchenko / photobank “Lori”

Only after 1947 did the production of toys on a “peaceful” theme begin: New Year’s trees were decorated fairy-tale heroes, forest animals, fruits and vegetables.

After the release of the film “Carnival Night” in 1956, the famous “Clock” toys appeared - with hands set at five minutes before midnight. In the 70s and 80s, the most popular were cones, bells and houses.

In addition, in the USSR, the Christmas tree was decorated with toys that reflected the ideals and aspirations of the communist state. So, on one tree coexisted vegetables and fruits, spaceships and submarines, figures of men in national costumes different nations, factories and factories, domestic and wild animals, athletes.

Papier mache

Museum of Christmas tree decorations “Klinskoye Compound”, Klin. Photo: S. Lavrentyev / photobank “Lori”

Museum of Christmas tree decorations “Klinskoye Compound”, Klin. Photo: S. Lavrentyev / photobank “Lori”

Jewelry made from papier-mâché (a dense substance consisting of paper pulp mixed with glue, plaster or chalk) became widespread in the Soviet Union. In the USSR, the production of papier-mâché toys was manual and consisted of a number of lengthy operations: modeling, putty, priming, sanding, painting, painting with intermediate drying at temperatures from 20 to 60°. The assortment consisted mainly of realistic figures of people and animals. The coating of burt salt made the surface of the toys more dense and gave them a dull shine. New Year masks and figures were created using vacuum casting large sizes for the Christmas tree (Santa Claus and Snow Maiden). Such toys were light in weight, but not inferior in strength to pressed ones.

XVIII DISTRICT INTERSCHOOL CONFERENCE

"FIRST STEPS INTO SCIENCE"

Section "Culturology"

Topic: “The history of the appearance of a New Year’s toy”

Completed:

1B class students

MBOU Secondary School No. 128

Kirovsky district

Scientific adviser:

Lebedeva Nadezhda Yurievna

Primary school teacher

Samara 2017

1. Introduction

2. The history of the New Year tradition

3. First toys

4. The history of the appearance of the New Year's ball

5. New Year in Russia

6. Variety of New Year's toys

7. Making your own toy

8. Conclusion

9. List of references used

Introduction

ü Since the New Year is coming soon and our school is being transformed, we wanted to find out where the Christmas tree decorations came from. To do this, we will find out what the first toys were in Russia. Let's study how New Year's toys were made. Let's determine when the tradition of decorating the New Year tree began. We turned to literature for help, asked grandmothers, looked various material in the Internet.

ü Project goal

ü Find out the history of the appearance of New Year's toys in different historical periods

Find out what the first toys were in Russia.

Learn how New Year's toys were made.

Determine when the tradition of decorating the New Year tree began.

The history of the New Year tradition

In ancient times, the Celtic peoples had a custom of worshiping natural forces. It was believed that Live nature inhabited by various supernatural beings, and in order to receive their help, one had to make sacrifices, thus proving one’s respect. They believed that spirits lived in the branches of trees, the location of which determined the harvest and fertility.

Sometimes apples were covered with paint and glitter, and nuts were covered with sugar. The sweets were packed in colored paper or foil. In addition, citrus slices, cinnamon sticks and candied fruits were attached to the branches of the tree. All these goodies were eaten on New Year's Eve, and the wrapper remained hanging. In the old days, a Christmas tree decorated in this way was attributed magical ability drive away evil spirits. And coniferous branches decorated with apples were strengthened above the threshold and at the windows in order to protect the family from witchcraft and attract happiness. Apples occupied the most honorable place among the variety of early decorations. In the fall, the most beautiful apples, smooth, large and strong, were selected. They were carefully stored until winter. It’s easy to imagine how solemn the red and yellow apples looked against the background of dark green branches. And it was apples that became the prototype of glass balls...

The popularity of the holiday led to the restoration of the production of Christmas tree decorations, first as a by-product in the various enterprises, then as independent productions. Also, after the war, the city of Lauscha ended up on the territory of the GDR and continued producing traditional Christmas tree products. Therefore, from the mid-1970s, the USSR began to purchase sets of Christmas tree decorations from the GDR, which were supplied in special export packaging with inscriptions in Russian. The set of glass decorations included: a pommel (“spade”), 16 colored balls and 5 decorations of other shapes. Variations of these five decorations, as well as the coloring of the balls, varied from year to year. These Christmas tree sets were in short supply in the USSR and one of the most desirable purchases at New Year's bazaars, despite the rather high price by USSR standards (in 1983 the price of one set was 9 rubles). The quality of execution, packaging, fastening (wire hooks included instead of threads) and the overall “Western” appearance made them stand out among other New Year's assortments.

It is interesting to note that on the export boxes it was written in Russian “Happy New Year!”, While in the Lauscha factories since the 19th century these products were traditionally called “Decorations for the Tree of Christ from Thuringia” (German. Thüringer Christbaumschmuck). This name was given in transliteration under the picture on the box as an indication of the manufacturer: “Manufactured in the German Democratic Republic by the people's enterprise Thuringer Christbaumschmuck.”

Currently, the range of Christmas tree decorations is generally the same as in Europe. A significant part of this assortment is produced at Chinese enterprises.

In different countries

So, the first Christmas tree decorations were exclusively edible. These included apples, potatoes, eggs, nuts, waffles, gingerbread, figured sugar and candy. This is no coincidence. All the edible decorations meant something.

The history of the appearance of the New Year's toy

There have long been canonical rules for decorating the “Christmas tree”. The top is crowned with the "Star of Bethlehem". The balls (formerly apples) represent the forbidden fruit that the ancestors Adam and Eve ate. Burning candles are the essence of Christ's sacrifice. All kinds of curly gingerbreads and cookies, which replaced the waffles obligatory in the Middle Ages, are reminiscent of the unleavened bread used during the communion ceremony. Thus, at first, Christmas tree decorations were only edible: eggs and waffles swayed on the branches next to fruits, sweets and nuts.

Starting from the 17th century, more ornate jewelry began to be made: fir cones were gilded, empty egg shells were covered with the thinnest layer of hammered brass. There were paper flowers and skillful crafts made from cotton wool. From sheets of brass arose

Christmas fairies. Tin wires could be rolled, spiraled, folded or flattened to produce silver tinsel. Silver foil was used for elegant stars, butterflies and flowers.

In 1848, the first Christmas tree balls were made in the town of Lauscha in Thuringia. They were made of transparent or colored glass, coated on the inside with a layer of lead, and the outside was decorated with sparkles. Fashion was changing, new products had to be invented, and Christmas decorations promised to become a profitable business. When the gas works opened in Lauscha in 1867, craftsmen, using easy-to-set gas burners with flames, high temperature, were able to blow large thin-walled balls. Soon, the harmful lead coating was replaced by a layer of silver nitrate - and thus the familiar Christmas ball was born.

The imagination of glassblowers knew no bounds: they made birds, Santa Clauses and bunches of grapes in ceramic forms, as well as all sorts of things - anyone could think of anything: jugs, fragile amphorae and pipes that could even be blown. Women and children painted the craftsmen's products with gold and silver dust.

For decades, Lauscha has maintained its position as the world's leading manufacturer of Christmas tree decorations. In the 20s of the twentieth century, the Bohemian town of Jablonec and the Japanese joined this fishery, then Poland and the USA.

Christmas tree decorations changed depending on fashion. The bright, decorated Christmas tree, so popular before 1900, began to be considered a sign of bad taste at the turn of the century, and was replaced by a strict, stylish tree in silver and white. Later, the tendency to decorate the Christmas tree simply returned: with straw stars and figures made of paper and

At first, such figures were carved out at home and hand-painted on Christmas tree decorations, and later industrial production. Factories in Dresden and Leipzig specialized in shallow embossing of gilt and silver cardboard for figures that appeared to be made of metal sheets. New Year's toys from Dresden, hand-painted by homeworkers, were especially famous for their variety. All kinds of musical instruments were made here, technical subjects- spinning wheels, horse-drawn carriages, paddle steamers, airships - and, of course, animals. Frogs, storks, pheasants, bears and elephants all found a place on the branches of Christmas trees. Wooden Christmas tree decorations date mainly from the twentieth century: for example, colorful angels and delicate carved toys.

Conclusion: According to legend, there was once a lean year, and there were few apples. Then glassblowers from the town of Lauscha in Thuringia in 1848 proposed a temporary replacement for this fruit. There the first glass balls were made from transparent and colored glass. They immediately won hearts, so that very soon their production became a massive and profitable business. A decree was issued on the use of silver balls from Lausha as Christmas decorations.

New year in Russia

Since 1700, by decree of Peter I, the New Year in Russia has been celebrated, as in other European countries, on January 1, and still according to the Julian calendar.

On the 20th day of December 7208, the great sovereign king and Grand Duke Pyotr Alekseevich, All Great and Lesser and White Russia, indicated to say:

He became known to the great sovereign, not only in many European Christian countries, but also among the Slovenian peoples, who with the Eastern our Orthodox the Church agrees in everything, as the Volokhs, Moldavians, Serbs, Dolmatians, Bulgarians, and his great sovereign’s subjects, the Cherkasy, and all the Greeks, from whom our Orthodox faith was received, all those peoples, according to their years, count their years from the Nativity of Christ on the eighth day later, that is, January from the 1st day, and not from the creation of the world, for much discord and counting in those years, and now from the Nativity of Christ it reaches 1699, and next January from the 1st day the new year 1700 begins, together with a new hundred-year century; and for this good and useful deed, he indicated that from now on the summers should be counted in orders, and in all matters and fortresses to be written from this January from the 1st of the Nativity of Christ 1700.

And as a sign of that good beginning and the new hundred-year century, in the reigning city of Moscow, after due thanksgiving to God and prayer singing in the church, and whoever happens in his home, along large and well-traveled noble streets, to noble people, and at houses of deliberate spiritual and secular rank, in front of the gate to make some decorations from trees and branches of pine, spruce and juniper, against the samples that were made in the Gostiny Dvor and at the lower pharmacy, or for whomever is more convenient and decent, depending on the place and the gate, it is possible to make, but for poor people Each one should at least place a tree or a branch on the gate, or over his mansion, and so that the future genvar will ripen now by the 1st day of this year, and that decoration of the genvar should stand until the 7th day of the same 1700 year.

Yes, on the 1st day of January, as a sign of joy; Congratulating each other on the new year and the centennial century, do this: when on the Great Red Square the fiery fun is lit and there is shooting, then at noble households, boyars, and okolnichy, and duma and neighbors, and noble people, of the ranks of the warriors, military and merchants, famous people, each in his own yard, from small cannons, if anyone has one, and from several muskets, or other small guns, shoot three times and fire several rockets, as many as anyone has, and along large streets, where there is space, generals with 1st to 7th, at night, light fires from wood, or twigs, or straw, and where there are small courtyards, five or six courtyards gathered, put such a fire, or, whoever wants, put one, two, or three on posts tar and thin barrels, and filled with straw or brushwood, lit, in front of the mayor's town hall, shooting and such lights and decorations, according to their consideration.

However, by 1700, most European countries had already switched to the Gregorian calendar, so Russia celebrated the advent of 1700 10 days later than in European countries, the advent of 1701-1800 - 11 days later, 1801-1900 - 12 days, and 1901-1918 - 13 days later. On February 14, 1918, the Gregorian calendar was introduced in Soviet Russia, and the celebration of the advent of 1919 took place in a new style.

Museum of Christmas tree decorations

On September 18, 2008, the unique, only Russian Museum of Christmas tree decorations - “Klin Compound” - opened!

"Klin Compound" is a museum of Christmas tree decorations in the town of Klin near Moscow. This museum is young and so far the only one in Russia. The museum is located in a nice modern mansion.

The Christmas tree decoration museum consists of 12 halls that will tell you about the origin and development of glass making on the Klin land. You will find yourself in a new world with a rich history of Christmas tree decorations and watch the difficult work of glassblowers and talented artists.

In the first hall of our museum you will be greeted by a Christmas tree decorated with sugar roses and apples. The tradition of decorating the Christmas tree goes back centuries. In the 19th century, the festive tree was decorated with all kinds of sweets, nuts, apples, and funny figures made of paper, cardboard, fabric and foil. But glass Christmas tree decorations are gradually becoming popular.

Some of the first domestic workshops for the production of glass Christmas tree decorations were located in the Krugovskaya volost of Klinsky district. Rich deposits of quartz sand in the region contributed to the early development of the glass industry here. In 1848, Prince A.S. Menshikov, great-grandson of A.D. Menshikov, an associate of Peter I, receives permission to build a small glass factory on his estate Aleksandrovo near Klin. From this moment on, the Klin glassblowing industry was born.

This factory produced lamps, bottles, glass products for pharmacies. Glass and crystal dishes from the Menshikov factory became famous throughout Russia for the purity of glass production, high quality cutting and polishing crystal.

The peasants of the surrounding villages who worked at this plant, having mastered the skills of the craft, together with their wives, over time began to create independent workshops for the production of so-called stone products - “blown” beads, earrings, buttons and other small things.

In the second hall you find yourself in peasant hut the end of the 19th century. You will see workplace master glassblowers, leather bellows that kept the burner burning, metal molds for making beads.

The next room tells about the period of industrialization in our country. Typical toys of that time were assembly, cotton and cardboard toys.

Once you enter the glass blowing shop, you will be able to observe the process of the “birth” of a glass toy. Craftswoman rotating with two hands glass tube- dart, heats it in the flame of a gas burner until the glass becomes soft, and begins to blow through the hole in the tube - the tendril. A wonderful transformation of the glass blank into a ball, bell, or heart takes place!

Looking into the painting workshop, you will see how artists paint kind smiles on Santa Clauses, “lay” snow on the roofs of fairy-tale houses, and sprinkle them with “gold” and “silver.”

There is also a music hall in our museum - the Nutcracker Hall. It is decorated with an elegant Christmas tree from the fairy tale “The Nutcracker and Mouse King" The world-famous composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky lived in our city for some time, and he wrote his most famous works on Klin land. And it was here that he completed work on the music for the ballet “The Nutcracker”.

Christmas tree decorations from the 40s–60s are presented in the next room. It was a difficult time for our country - the war and the post-war years. New Year decoration of that time are made in the form of orders, stars, airplanes and airships with the symbols of the USSR.

Of course, the museum also displays modern glass toys from the Yolochka folk arts and crafts factory. The showcase with these elegant and fragile jewelry shimmers with bright colors, it is impossible to take your eyes off this brilliant beauty!

For some, a visit to a fairy-tale museum awakens nostalgia for a bygone childhood, while for others it plunges them into romantic dreams. Miracle trees, fantasy trees greet you as the most dear guests and dazzle you with their splendor!

All visitors are happy to make a cherished wish near the 10-meter Christmas tree - the queen of the Klin Palace

Making your own toy

To make it, we took colored paper, a simple pencil, a ruler, and scissors. We took a rectangular sheet of colored paper and cut a strip about 1 cm wide along one of its narrow sides. We put this strip aside; we will need it later.

Fold the remaining paper in half lengthwise so that the front side is on the inside.

We measured 2 cm from the edge of the resulting rectangle, along the long side opposite the fold line. Draw a line parallel to the edge with a pencil.

We cut the fringe along the other edge of the rectangle, along the fold line, without going beyond the pencil line.

We unfolded the rectangle and folded it in half again along the fold line, only in the opposite direction (turned it right side out).

We rolled the sheet into a tube and secured the top and bottom with tape. We glued a “handle” from a strip of paper cut from the sheet at the beginning of the work to the top rim.

Conclusion

Bibliography

Andreeva E.L. Christmas decorations. [ Electronic resource] Museum of Christmas decorations “Klinskoye Compound”. Date of visit: 01/10/2013. Time: 14.41. Access mode: http://www.klinvk.ru/history.html.

Zhdanova L.I. Christmas tree decorations. Do it yourself. – M.: Khatber-press, 2007 – 265 p.

Elizarova E.M. [Electronic resource] Educational magazine School of Life. RU. Date of visit: 02/12/2013. Time: 10.35. Access mode: http://shkolazhizni.ru/archive/0/n-32853/.

Salnikova A.A. The history of Christmas tree toys. – M.: New Literary Review, 2011 – 384 p.

The history of the New Year's toy. [Electronic resource] KostromaMa. RU. Date of visit: 01/14/2013. Time: 11/12. Access mode: