Christmas decorations

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The history of Christmas decorations in the USSR

1917–1929

Christmas prohibition period

Moreover, decorations were produced both by small family artels and by two larger companies – factories, created by the Moscow Cooperative Trade Union. Soon this organization banned the sale of Christmas decorations.

After the revolution, the celebration of Christmas began to be more and more persecuted, firstly indirectly, then officially, and finally on the eve of 1929 the holiday and the arrangement of the Christmas tree were directly banned. Nevertheless, Christmas decorations were produced until the ban.

Don't waste your money
On the New-Year tree.
What is closer to us?
The skate and ski!

Citizens did not stop decorating Christmas trees furtively, and decorations continued to be produced in an artisanal way. Exactly during the "prohibition period" the rarest and most expensive collectible Soviet Christmas-tree decorations were created.

1930–1936

The famous sentence in «Pravda»

Let's organize a good New Year's tree for the children! Let's organize a good New Year's tree for the children!

After that the production of domestic Christmas decorations was started After that the production of domestic Christmas decorations was started

After that the production of domestic Christmas decorations was started

After that the production of domestic Christmas decorations was started After that the production of domestic Christmas decorations was started

Certainly, the return of the New-Year tree was also facilitated by the First All-Union Conference of the Stakhanovists on the 17^th of November 17, 1935, where Stalin uttered his famous phrase:

On the 30^th of December the paper had published a photo of giant decorated New-Year tree in the shop “Detskiy Mir” with a whole article below about triumphant return of the tree on streets and flats throughout the country. «Yesterday there were a brisk trade of New-Year trees in almost every market in Moscow. Children's toy workshops began mass production of New-Year tree decorations...».

The next day, on the 29^th of December, 1935, an article appeared in “Pravda” paper stating that the New-Year tree will be arranged in Sokolniki park: «It will be decorated with various toys, gifts for children and different colored electric lanterns».

Old and new traditions were carefully cleansed of any religious connotation. So, it has resulted in the renewed production of decorations in the country.

Everything was changed on December 28^th, 1935, after P. P. Postyshev's famous proposal in “Pravda” paper to return the celebration to Soviet children. Of course, it was not about the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus Christ, but namely about the celebration of the New Year.

And when life is merry, the work is going fine...».

«Life has become better, life has become merrier.

Exploration of the north, sky and the premiere of the film "Circus"

At the same time, there were appeared filigree and hand-painted decorations on an oriental theme: Aladdin, the old man Hottabych, the sorcerer Chernomor.

The theme of the north and the sky was reflected in New-Year decorations in the 1930s: polar bears, Red Army soldiers, paratroopers, airplanes, dirigibles. The tree paws were decorated with figures of polar explorers.

The second popular theme was the circus: almost each New Year tree was decorated with toy clowns, bears, elephants, dogs. After the stunning success of the “Circus” movie in 1936, the wadded decorations in form of Afro-American children were appeared on sale.

1937–1940

Snow Maiden, teapots, cars and... portraits of the Politburo members

Decorations made of glass were very expensive, so they were produced mainly from pressed cardboard and cotton wool. Flappers, painted cones, bonbonnieres were also an integral part of the New Year tree at that time.

In 1937, new party initiative was released, at the first and the last time (to “hang up” the leadership of the party and the country, even though it was for the New-Year tree, was apolitical!) – and there were produced decorations with images of Lenin, Stalin, as well as a set of balloons with portraits of all members of the Politburo.

The appearance of New-Year tree decorations was strictly censored. Before the revolution, decorations reflected biblical Christmas stories.

In the USSR, wax angels were replaced with ideologically correct images, which were changed over time. They reflect the history of our country.

Ornaments made from pressed cotton wool were widespread. There were special frames of men and animals, which helped the ornament to get a given shape. The figurine was being decorated with colored paints and covered with starch paste. Such decorations were produced until the mid-fifties.

Later, in the 1940s, there were appeared New-Year decorations depicting household items – teapots, samovars, lamps, etc. They were distinguished by their fluidity of form and hand-painted with bright colors.

THE leadership of the party and

the country on the New Year tree!

It was apolitical to "hang up"

Also, in 1937, the Snow Maiden became the companion of Grandfather Frost

During the war, the country was not up to the production of ornaments... and yet they were produced! People had not stopped decorating New-Year trees.

1941–1945

Bullet cases, flasks, test tubes and burnt-out light bulbs

1946–1950

New-Year decorations were produced that time, but in limited quantities and from production waste. Soldiers, tanks, cannons, airplanes, paratroopers, pistols were stamped from tin and then painted. Five-pointed top stars, snowflakes, houses were made from metal shavings and wire waste.

During the Great Patriotic War, despite the devastation and ubiquitous shortages, decorating the New-Year tree was obligatory – the tradition reminded of a peaceful life and gave strength to hope for an early victory.

Fascinating decorations were made of painted chemical flasks and test tubes. Another typical decoration of that period was a burnt-out electric light bulb. They were cut off from above, decorated, painted, a loop was soldered on top, and after that bulbs turned into a kind of New Year's "ball".

At home, decorations were made of everything close at hand – paper, cardboard, ribbons, multi-colored fabric, eggshells. On battle-front, New-Year trees were decorated with bullet cases, cotton wool, figurines made from shoulder straps, bandages, paper and rags.

Peaceful theme, Pushkin's anniversary and fairy tales’ heroes

The year 1949 was marked by the 150th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

In honor of this significant date, a whole series of New-Year ornaments was released, with images of the heroes of Pushkin's fairy tales: "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish", "The Tale of Tsar Saltan and the Swan Princess", "The Tale of Ruslan and Lyudmila", "The Tale of the Golden Rooster".

First in post-war period, only cardboard sheets were in stores. There were series with a peaceful theme: images of animals, children, huts in the snow. They needed to be cut out, glued and hung on the New-Year tree.

In 1946, the industrial production of New-Year decorations was completely restored.

During that period, a lot of decorations made of wire and bugles also appeared on Soviet New-Year trees: glass tubes and beads were strung on a wire (later – on a thread). These toys were widely distributed from the late 1940s until the 1960s. At the same time, multi-colored glass beads came into fashion.

The whole era, named "Visiting a fairy tale" began in the history of the Soviet New-Year tree!

1950–1959

"Carnival Night" movie, toys on a clothespin and a corn

Since then Khrushchev's corn became the only New-Year decoration that has been continuously produced throughout the years of the Soviet government

Decorations depicting fruits and vegetables came into fashion. These gifts of nature were on New-Year trees before, but that time literally everything has begun to “grow” on the tree! Grapes, lemons, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, peas, eggplants, peppers, onions and garlic, sheaves of wheat, strawberries, raspberries, apples, pears, plums, peaches, mushrooms... made of cotton, foam, glass. And corns on the cob were especially popular.

The early 50s – the beginning of the reign of Khrushchev, who decided to develop the agricultural industry. The New-Year tree of this period resembles an exhibition of agricultural achievements.

At the same time, new heroes of fairy tales "found New Year's life" - "Dr Aibolit", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Puss in Boots", Aladdin, "Pinocchio", "Kolobok", "The Little Humpbacked Horse" and others.

In the 1950s, the industry began to produce a wide range of decorations that were attached to the New-Year tree with clothespins. There were: birds, animals (bears, bunnies, squirrels, foxes), clowns, circus performers, musicians. There also were houses and fir-trees, both green and “covered with snow”. Such a diversity gave the New-Year tree a special charm.

In the Union a corn can yield!

In any region, in any field –

After the release of Eldar Ryazanov's "Carnival Night" movie in 1956, the New Year's ornament "clock", with hands showing five minutes to twelve, gained immense popularity. The clock was produced by different factories of various colors and hung on almost each New-Year tree in the country.

The New Year is probably on its way…"

"At five minutes to twelve o`clock,

Cosmonauts, and how the red star was displaced from the top of New-Year tree

1960–1964

"In incredible rockets We'll fly to the Mars
To faraway planets We want to arrive"

The early 1960s were marked by the first manned flight into space. The ornaments industry immediately reacted to this event – the space age has begun in the production of Soviet New-Year tree decorations. Toy cosmonauts, satellites and rockets appeared on the tree.

At the same time, in the early 1960s, the traditional New-Year tree top – the red star – began to gradually give place to the peak, stylized as a rocket taking off.

In the industry of New-Year decorations, plastic began to be actively used: spotlight balls, polyhedral balls, like in discos, were produced in large quantities. There also were transparent plastic balls, inside of which plastic butterflies “flied”.

Some ornaments were covered with glow-in-the-dark paint. In the same years glass decorations in the form of icicles, fir cones, pyramids began to be produced.

During that period artists have experimented with form more bravely. Spheres of different sizes and various colors, with notches, extensions, with “snow” on the surface appeared on sale.

1965–1991

The standardization period, or how decorations lost their individuality

At the same time, tinsel made of metal foil and called “dozhdik” became very popular. Often people covered New-Year trees with that tinsel so, that neither other decorations nor green needles could be seen. There were noticeably fewer themed decorations, they became more and more abstract. So, New-Year decorations have lost their individuality.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, all the old fairy-tale characters altered and gave place to new heroes – Carlson, Cheburashka and Gena the crocodile, little bear Umka, Winnie-the-Pooh and other characters of favorite soviet cartoons.

Since the 1990s, a new tradition appeared: to decorate the New-Year tree with an animal depicted at ornaments – a symbol of the coming year according to the eastern calendar. The tradition is still actual.

In the 1980s and 1990s, forms of balls, bells, and houses prevailed. Exactly in that period decorations have become especially bright and shiny.

The era of standardization began in 1965-69. The production of New-Year decorations became serial, and the variety of produced decorations were decreased. At the same time advertising of ornaments before the New Year was unpretentious.

Nowadays, decorations released after 1965 are not in demand among collectors. By the decision of the international organization of collectors of New-Year trees decorations "Golden Glow", antique ornaments are ones produced before 1966.

MARGO SOKOVIKOVA

Translated by

Non-profit project, designed while the training

Asya VOLKOVA

Sources of information