JANUARY
1 – New Year
– 120 years since the birth (1893–1941) of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General I. V. Panfilov
– 75 years since the birth of I. G. Gilyazetdinov (1938), Kyrgyz writer, poet, translator, honored figure of culture of the Kyrgyz Republic
– 65 years since the birth of A. Ibraimov (1948), Doctor of Biological Sciences, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic
2 – 65 years since the birth of Zh. Abdildaev (1948), Kyrgyz poet, laureate of the T. Moldov prize
4 – 470 years since the birth of Isaac Newton (1643–1727), English scientist
7 – Christmas
– 110 years since the birth of V. A. Vlasov (1903–1986), composer, People's Artist of Kyrgyzstan, honored figure of arts of the RSFSR, laureate of the State Prize of Kyrgyzstan named after Toktogul.
– 85 years since the birth of E. Kolesnikov (1933), Russian writer of Kyrgyzstan, laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize of Kyrgyzstan
8 – 100 years since the birth of Ya. V. Smelyakov (1913–1972), Russian poet
10 – 130 years since the birth of A. N. Tolstoy (1883–1945), Russian writer
12 – 110 years since the birth of I. V. Kurchatov (1903–1960), physicist
– 385 years since the birth of Charles Perrault (1628–1703), French writer
13 – 120 years since the birth of D. I. Shcherbakov (1893–1966), outstanding geologist and geographer, researcher of Kyrgyzstan, academician, laureate of the Lenin Prize
17 – 150 years since the birth of K. I. Stanislavsky (1863–1938), actor, director, theater theorist, People's Artist of the USSR
19 – 150 years since the birth of A. S. Serafimovich (1863–1949), Russian writer
20 – 70 years since the publication (1943) of the letter of the Kyrgyz people to the Kyrgyz warriors fighting against the German-fascist invaders
21 – Day of the Engineering Troops of the Kyrgyz Republic
22 – 15 years of the space flight of Kyrgyz cosmonaut S. Sharipov (1998)
– 115 years since the birth of S. M. Eisenstein (1898–1948), Russian director and film theorist, educator
– 225 years since the birth of George Gordon Byron (1788–1824), English poet, playwright
– 105 years since the birth of L. D. Landau (1908–1968), physicist, academician, Hero of Socialist Labor, Nobel Prize laureate
23 – 230 years since the birth of Stendhal (1783–1842), French writer
– 80 years since the opening of the Osh Silk Factory (1928)
25 – 75 years since the birth of V. S. Vysotsky (1938–1980), Russian poet, theater and film actor
– Tatiana's Day
26 – 100 years since the birth of Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Ya. V. Bykov (1913–1988)
28 – 100 years since the birth of academician, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences A. E. Izmailov
30 – 60 years since the birth of Doctor of Medical Sciences, laureate of the State Prize of the Kyrgyz Republic in the field of science and technology I. K. Moldotashov (1953)
In 2013, the following anniversaries are celebrated:
– 175 years since the birth of the akyn-writer Nurmoldo (1838–1920)
– 85 years since the birth of Doctor of Technical Sciences, hydraulic engineer Ya. V. Bochkarev (1998–2003)
January has arrived. The month of January is named after the Roman god Janus, to whom the first days of all months of the year were dedicated. He holds the keys to the heavenly gates and all doors in the world. As the god of Heaven and the revealer of the mysteries of the future, Janus corresponds to the astrological image of the planet Uranus. About this month, it is said: “The year begins, winter is in the middle”; “January is the middle of winter, he is the grandfather of spring”; “In January, the sun is for summer, winter is for frost.” In Kyrgyzstan, this month is the coldest of the year.
In the Kyrgyz calendar, this month was called "uchtun ayi."
JANUARY 1
NEW YEAR
Show me a person who does not dream of quickly taking a seat at the New Year's table! This holiday is special, and therefore preparations are made for it, and treats are thought out in advance. And it does not matter whether guests come to your house or you celebrate the holiday with your family; every hostess will try to set the table so that it is delicious and beautiful.
Each dish on the New Year's table has a special meaning and significance in different countries and among different peoples. In France and America, the holiday is not a holiday if there is no traditional roasted turkey on the New Year's table, while in Austria, Hungary, and Yugoslavia, there is never Christmas goose, duck, chicken, or turkey on festive tables – they believe that eating poultry on this evening will drive away happiness.
The grapevine has long been considered a symbol of abundance and a happy family hearth. Therefore, every Cuban, Spaniard, and Portuguese must eat grapes at midnight – twelve strikes of the clock mean twelve berries for happiness.
Grapes, nuts, and lentils are served on New Year's Eve in Italy as symbols of health, longevity, and prosperity.
New Year's pies are baked in Romania, Austria, and Bulgaria, and they are not ordinary pies but surprise pies: whoever finds a coin, a nut, or a pepper pod baked in the filling will acquire a family in the coming year, and happiness and good fortune will smile upon them.
Each nation has its own highlight in the New Year's menu – Russian goose with apples, Ukrainian piglet, Moldovan pie "plăcintă," Armenian dolma – stuffed grape leaves… Siberians also do not have to think long about what to prepare for the holiday.
Traditional dumplings are the dish that invariably adorns their table. They do not spare treats for livestock either: on the first morning of the new year, they feed the cow, chicken, and pig with bread and grain – on this day, everyone should be full and satisfied.
You can read about the New Year holiday in: CALENDAR customs and rituals in foreign European countries. Winter holidays. – M.: Nauka, 1973. – 351 p.
