“My dear, where are you?”: fortune telling for the Old New Year. Ancient fortune telling for the old new year

We had a lot of fun on New Year's Day, made a wish as the chimes struck, and now we're celebrating the Old New Year. And we won’t just drink champagne, but we’ll have a fortune telling evening. After all, someone can’t wait to find out if the guy will propose marriage or if the man of their dreams will meet this year?

Let's plunge into the mysterious world and learn interesting predictions about the future! We tried to collect for you the most ancient methods of fortune telling.

Fortune telling for the Old New Year with glasses

Take glasses according to the number of fortune tellers. Place one item in each: salt, sugar, coin, onion, ring, bread and fill one with a small amount of water. Make a wish and blindfolded choose:

  • sugar- joy, cheerful life
  • salt- sadness, problems
  • onion- tears, disappointment
  • bread- profit, prosperity, wealth
  • coin- profit, wealth
  • water- life without changes

Fortune telling for the Old New Year on a piece of paper

A sheet of paper or newspaper is suitable for fortune telling. Mentally think about your dream and at this time crumple the paper with your own hands. Place it on a saucer and set it on fire. Hold the burnt paper scraps up to the wall to see the shadow. Its shape means your future.

Fortune telling for the Old New Year for the betrothed

As soon as the clock strikes twelve times, go outside and ask the first man you meet for his name. This is the name of your future groom. If you meet a woman, then this year you will still be a girl.

Fortune telling for the Old New Year by candlelight

Buy two wax candles. Light one. Break off a piece from the second, put it in a spoon and melt the wax by heating it over a burning candle. There should be a glass or saucer with water nearby, into which you should quickly pour the melted wax. The resulting figure will be a prediction of the future.

Fortune telling for the Old New Year on a ring

Fortune telling is carried out near the front door. If there are a lot of girls, take turns, each one throws a ring across the floor towards the door. If it hits the target, get ready for the wedding.

Fortune telling for the Old New Year for the birth of children

In the evening, put the ring in a glass of water and put it out in the cold. Before going to bed, we pick up our glass from the street and look at the result. If the ice coating turns out to be bumpy, then you are having a son. If you see notches, you will have daughters.

Fortune telling for the Old New Year from a book

You can take any book, but it is believed that a book with a red cover is best suited for fortune telling. We ask a question and indicate the page number and on which line of the account, from the top or from the bottom, to read the prophecy.

Fortune telling for the Old New Year

If you want to find out if your boyfriend will propose to you this year, before you go to bed on the night of January 13-14, place the king of diamonds under your pillow. In your dream you will see the answer to your question. I will have a prophetic dream.

May all your beautiful dreams come true!


please your family and friends with gifts and drink champagne, sparkling merrily from the many New Year's lights.

This is a fabulous day when you want to believe in miracles and feel like children. Let there be more magic in our lives, and then the world will become kinder, and all our wishes will surely come true!

What is the Old New Year, why does this holiday still exist, in which countries is it still relevant?

On January 24, 1918, in Soviet Russia, the Council of People's Commissars decided to catch up with the progressive world and switch from the archaic Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. On the same day, a corresponding decree was formulated and adopted. Two days later - January 26 - Lenin signed it.

The Bolsheviks tried to switch to the Gregorian calendar since November 1917, but could not agree on the form of the transition. Discussions boiled down to two projects. According to the first of them, it was supposed to switch to a new calendar within 13 years, discarding 24 hours each year. The second project, which Lenin advocated, assumed a one-time transition, which ultimately happened.

- In order to establish in Russia the same calculation of time as almost all cultural nations, the Council of People's Commissars decides to introduce a new calendar into civil use after the month of January of this year. Because of this, the first day after January 31 of this year should be considered not February 1, but February 14, the second day should be considered the 15th, and so on,” the text of the decree stated.

And already on the night of January 13-14, 1919, Soviet citizens had an additional reason to drink, because they had already celebrated the New Year in the new style, and the old style was still used by the church and was not completely forgotten.

Thus, the tradition of celebrating the Old New Year is almost 100 years old.

In Ukraine and Belarus, a Generous Evening is celebrated on this day, which includes celebrations, festivities and fortune telling. The generous evening of January 13 is very similar to Christmas Eve before Christmas. However, the dishes are no longer meatless: there should be sausages, meat, lard, pies, dumplings, and pancakes on the table.
The whole family should gather for a festive dinner. Ask each other for forgiveness and wish you happiness and prosperity in the new year.

In addition, the Old New Year is celebrated in the countries that were part of Yugoslavia. This is done especially actively in Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in Montenegro, where the church uses the Julian calendar.

Finally, the Old New Year is celebrated in North Africa as well. The Berbers do this. True, for them, unlike Europeans, this is a real New Year, because the Berber calendar, in fact, is a not very literate tracing from the Julian. They celebrate the holiday on January 12th.


Fortune telling for the Old New Year

The Old New Year is a special, mystical time. It is believed that the night from January 13 to 14 is the best time for fortune telling.
Despite the fact that the Orthodox Church categorically does not approve of the various rituals of guessing the future that people resort to during Christmas time, fortune-telling nevertheless remains a favorite Russian pastime.

The start for the famous Christmas fortune-telling was given by the Christmas holiday, but fortune-telling can be done until January 19 - Epiphany.
In the period between January 8 and 18, it is customary to ask the names of late passers-by in the hope of finding out the name of the future chosen one, to throw a shoe into the darkness and see who will pick it up, to guess what awaits us by the coffee grounds or by the outlines of burnt paper.
Of course, all this is just entertainment for people gathered in a group to fool around. But few dare to attempt one of the most reliable and mysterious fortune-telling known in Rus' - to try to see the betrothed in the mirror.

According to popular beliefs, on the night of January 13-14, all prohibitions are lifted and mysterious forces rush to Earth. Some are to harm people, others are to help.
Vasiliev's evening is recognized as special - January 13, when the result turns out to be highly accurate, even prophetic. No less successful in fortune telling is January 18 - Epiphany Eve.

In the old days, girls, going to tell fortunes, were in a serious mood. They mentally fenced themselves off from the real world and turned to supernatural forces.
They placed two mirrors: one large, the other smaller, facing each other with their front sides. Two candles were placed between the mirrors and looked through the top of the smaller mirror. It turned out to be a long corridor, gradually darkening and going into the depths.
You need to look into this deep part, and after a while you begin to see various objects there, by which the future is determined.
By the way, it is better to guess in a non-residential building or in the attic.
At the beginning of fortune telling you need to say: “The betrothed-mummer! Come to me, dressed up!” .
They say that sooner or later a person destined for you appears in the mirror.

By the way, there is a more mystical, in my opinion, version of this fortune telling. You need to sit in absolute darkness in front of a mirror with a candle in the middle of the night.
An important condition is that no one else should be in the room!

You must look carefully at the reflective surface. After about 5 minutes it will fade. Then the betrothed, or rather the devil who has taken his guise, will be reflected behind the glass.
The girl must start shunning him so that he disappears, saying “Forget me!” Otherwise, evil spirits will materialize.

Preparing for fortune telling:

You need to get serious;
- dissolve the hair;
- untie all the knots that are on the clothes (belts, belts, decorative elements);
- remove bracelets and rings;
- mentally isolate yourself from the real world;
- accurately formulate the question.

On the night from January 13th to 14th, we have another chance to wish for something that we didn’t have time for the New Year, or to say the main words to our near and dear people.
The Old New Year is a day when you need to let go of old thoughts, old moods and open your heart to something new, for something to come and to come!

May the year be easy but bright! Pleasant, but not empty!

Happy holiday!

Since ancient times, fortune telling for the Old New Year was considered the most truthful and sure way to look into the future with at least one eye and find out your fate in the near future. The night from January 13 to 14 is a special magical time associated with many rituals, fortune telling and traditions that make the Old New Year holiday truly mystical and mysterious.

The roots of the fortune telling ritual go back to the distant past, to pagan deities. Now, despite technical and scientific progress, people still believe in fortune-telling, go to fortune-tellers, psychics, and conduct various rituals themselves to find out about the future.

Some rules to follow in order to fortune telling for the Old New Year 2017 was truly true:

  • during fortune telling, there should be no cats, dogs, or other living creatures in the house (or room), because pets can prevent the spirits from answering your questions;
  • It is best to start fortune telling after sunset on January 13;
  • candles used in fortune telling (if required by the ritual) should be bought not in a store, but in a temple, then no evil spirits will be able to interfere or harm you.

Popular fortune telling

Below we have collected for you the most popular methods to try to predict your fate on this magical night. It is worth carefully reading the explanations and recommendations for each fortune-telling so that it turns out to be as truthful and correct as possible.

Fortune telling on an egg

On the evening of January 13, you should prepare a fresh chicken egg, make a hole in it and carefully pour the contents into a transparent glass of water. After some time, the egg white will coagulate and by the shape it takes, one can judge what is to come.

For example, if you think you see a church, then this is a clear sign that you will be getting married in the near future; if the ring is an engagement; if you see a car or ship - travel and so on.

Fortune telling on grains

The simplest thing is Christmas fortune telling with grains. You need to pour any cereal into a small jar. Mentally you need to formulate a question that interests you, to which you can answer “yes” or “no” and with your left hand take a handful of cereal from the jar.

Fortune telling by book

The most common fortune telling for the Old New Year is fortune telling from a book. You need to take a book (preferably one containing a spiritual text, but any fiction will do), mentally ask a question and sharply open it to any page.

Reading the first lines above and below will help you find the answer to your question.

Fortune telling on nut shells

At all times, unmarried girls and their mothers used nut shells to tell fortunes about their early marriage. Place two walnut shells in a container of water. If the shells come together, you can soon wait on the doorstep of matchmakers.

Wax fortune telling

For this fortune telling you need to take a wax candle. You also need to prepare a container of water (melted snow is best). The wax candle should be melted in a separate bowl and the already melted wax should be poured into cold water (it should be poured strictly into the center).

By the frozen figure, with the help of imagination, you can judge your future.

Fortune telling with a mirror

Mirrors play a large role in the process of fortune telling in Russian folklore. Fortune telling with a mirror can be performed by both unmarried girls and unmarried guys. Exactly at midnight on the night of January 13-14, you need to light three wax candles in front of the mirror, sit opposite the reflective canvas and quietly say something like the following: “Betrothed, show yourself.”

Fortune telling with glasses

A very interesting and, as many confirm, truthful type of fortune telling is fortune telling in glasses. In order to find out your fate, you need to take four glasses and fill them halfway with water or melted snow. You should put salt in one glass, sugar in another, a ring in the third, and you don’t need to add anything to the fourth glass. Next, one fortune-telling girl should turn to the other.

While the first girl stands with her back turned and, to say the least, is openly worried, the second girl takes turns pointing her finger at one glass, then at the other, until the fortune-telling girl stops her. Then you need to try the water from a glass chosen blindly: if the water is salty, there will be sadness and sadness, if it is sweet, there will be joy and fun, if it is fresh, the year will be normal, but if there is a ring in the glass, the girl will soon get married.

Fortune telling for the betrothed

The most interesting thing... On the night of January 13-14, girls go out into the street in a cheerful crowd and stop random passers-by, asking them their name. It is believed that the first male name a girl hears is what her future husband will bear. According to many women, this fortune telling is extremely truthful.

Fortune telling with a shoe

Fortune telling is also widely known in fiction, most popular in the last century. To flirt with fate and try to find out your future, on the night of the Old New Year you should go out to the threshold of your house and, with a good swing, throw the shoe as far as possible.

Then you need to look where the toe of the boot is pointing and you will find out on which side you can wait for your betrothed.

Fortune telling by wish

Fortune telling should be done on the evening of January 13th. To find out whether your cherished wish will come true, you need to take two glasses and fill one of them to the top with water. Having made a wish, you should pour water from one glass to another several times.

Now you need to carefully examine the surface over which the ritual was performed: if there are a few drops of water, the wish will most likely come true, but if there is more spilled water, the fulfillment of the wish is in big doubt.

Fortune telling by shadows

A slightly mystical and creepy fortune-telling is fortune-telling based on shadows from fire. In order to carry out this ritual, you need to take a wax candle, a sheet of paper and a flat plate. The paper should be crumpled up and placed on a plate, light a candle and set fire to the wad of paper from the candle.

While the flame is burning, you need to look carefully at the walls, looking at the shadows. By turning on your imagination, you can consider specific silhouettes and get some ideas about your future.

Video section

It is generally accepted that fortune telling is particularly accurate and reliable during the Old New Year and Epiphany. And although the Church condemns any attempts to find out the future with the help of divination and magic, people have been guessing and continue to guess. The unknown and mystery have always attracted people, so during these holidays many people rush to tell fortunes about the future or perform a ritual to attract money and good luck. Well, girls, of course, wonder about their betrothed.

Sputnik Georgia presents what rituals were performed on the Old New Year and Epiphany and which of them were the most popular.

Fortune telling

In the old days, Christmas evenings were dedicated to divination and fortune-telling; accordingly, everyone who wants to look, according to the traditions of their ancestors, into their future, can do this before the Epiphany, on any evening, including on the night of the Old New Year.

In the old days, fortune telling was done on everything that came to hand - on rings, mirrors, beans, shoes, rice, onions, brooms, apples and even on fence boards, which is not difficult to do in our time.

The girl, with her arms outstretched, tried to grab as many boards in the fence as possible, and then counted them - an even number indicated imminent marriage, and an odd number indicated loneliness.

For the betrothed

It is very easy to find out the name of your future husband - you just need to go out into the street and ask the first man you meet to tell him his name.

On Old New Year and Epiphany, girls could not only find out the name of their betrothed, but even see his face in the mirror. To do this, in the midnight darkness, they sat down between two mirrors, lit candles and began to peer into the reflection, hoping to see their betrothed.

Girls also wondered with a mirror on the street. Standing at the crossroads with your back to the month, looking in the mirror and wishing: “Betrothed, mummer, show yourself to me in the mirror.” As some claim, the betrothed appears in the mirror after some time.

People considered fortune telling on the night of the Old New Year to be the most truthful, and they said that it was at this time that you could see your future spouse in a dream.

In particular, the girl let down and combed her hair, then put the comb under the pillow, calling with magical words to her future husband: “Mummer, come comb my head.”

And it was possible to find out what kind of betrothed one would be by fortune telling with card kings. To do this, on the night before the Old New Year, before going to bed, you need to put cards with images of kings under your pillow, and in the morning, without looking, pull out one card.

In the old days, people believed that whichever king they got, so would the husband: the king of diamonds - the betrothed one would be desired, the king of hearts - young and rich, the king of clubs - military, and the king of spades - old and jealous.

Where to look for a betrothed

During Christmas time you can also find out the place where to look for your betrothed. The following fortune telling will help with this: put several multi-colored buttons, preferably the same size, into an opaque bag.

Tune in and ask the question: “My dear, where are you?” and then take one of them out of the bag. According to the button, the answer will indicate where you will meet your destiny.

The meaning of buttons: simple black - at work, green - in the store, brown - with friends, white - on a trip, yellow - in transport, iron - he will be in the military, with rhinestones - in the cinema, theater or village club, blue - by chance street.

Ancient fortune telling

One of the most popular fortune telling for the Old New Year and Epiphany for young girls who wanted to know their future was “inviting the betrothed to dinner.”

Before starting fortune-telling, the girl in an empty room covered the table with a tablecloth, put down the utensils in addition to the knife and fork, and said: “The betrothed-mummer, come to dinner with me.” Then she locked the windows and doors and waited alone for her betrothed.

The howling of the wind and blows on the windows and door indicated the approach of the groom, and then he appeared, sat down at the table and began to entertain her with conversation. The girl, without moving, was supposed to silently notice facial features and clothing and not answer questions.

Then, suddenly perking up, she asked point blank: “What’s your name?” The betrothed called his name and took something out of his pocket. At that moment the girl should have said: “Forget me!” - and the groom simply disappeared.

In the old days, people used to tell fortunes on Christmastide using a candle. They took a deep bowl and filled it halfway with water. On the edges of the bowl, pieces of paper were fastened on which questions were pre-written, such as “will I get married this year,” “will I have luck,” and so on.

Then a small candle was attached to a small wooden plank and lit so that the flame reached the edge of the attached pieces of paper. They lowered a board with a candle onto the water and looked. The prediction was that piece of paper with a question that the candle would burn.

Other fortune telling

The potential bride or groom, with their eyes closed, takes out a grain from a canvas bag of beans and examines it. If there are no spots or chips on the grain, then they will soon have a wedding. And if there are spots, then their number indicates how many years to wait before the wedding.

Fortune telling on things for the future was popular among girls. They took a felt boot and put several different objects there. For example, a piece of sugar, meaning a happy and comfortable life, a ring - marriage, a scarf - a handsome husband, a rag - a poor husband, an onion - tears, a coin - a rich husband, and so on.

They shook the felt boots and, without looking, took out the object that came to hand first, and used it to predict fate.

The girls and their friends were guessing using a thread. They cut the threads to the same length and set them on fire at the same time. Whose thread burns out faster than others will marry first. And if the thread immediately goes out or burns only halfway, then, alas, you are not destined to get married.

They also guessed from the book. They took a book and, before opening it, wished for the page number and the line at the top or bottom. Then the book was opened and read in the hidden place. What was read was interpreted in accordance with the wish made for marriage, prosperity, future, and so on.

In the Old New Year they also used fortune telling. On January 13, before going to bed, they wrote 12 wishes on separate pieces of paper, folded the sheets neatly and put them under the pillow. Waking up, in the morning they pulled out three of them, which were sure to be fulfilled in the new year.

Some take fortune telling very seriously, others with a bit of humor, as one of the pastimes during the holidays. And we can only wish you good luck and happiness in the coming Old New Year.

The material was prepared based on open sources



Everything unknown and mysterious has attracted people for a long time, which is why many look forward to the celebration of Christmastide in order to tell fortunes for the future.
On the night of January 13-14, the girls gathered in a dark room lit by candle flames, which created a mysterious, mystical atmosphere. In it they told fortunes using Christmas attributes.

  • Fortune telling with cups
  • Fortune telling on paper
  • Wax fortune telling
  • Fortune telling "Yes-No"
  • Fortune telling by book
  • Fortune telling by the king of diamonds
  • Fortune telling with a chain
  • Fortune telling with a mirror
  • Fortune telling with sticks
  • Fortune telling by dogs
  • Fortune telling by conversations
  • Fortune telling with matches
  • Fortune telling with scissors and bread
  • Fortune telling with bulbs
  • Fortune telling on an egg
  • Fortune telling on dumplings

Fortune telling with cups

To tell fortunes, you will need several cups, one cup for each fortune teller. A ring, a coin, bread, sugar, onion, and salt are placed in cups, and a small amount of water is poured into one of them. Everyone chooses a cup in turn with their eyes closed.
The person who gets the ring expects a wedding, the coin - financial well-being, bread - profit, sugar - happiness, onions - shed tears, and a cup of water - life without much change.



Fortune telling on paper

You need to take a piece of paper and crumple it up. The crumpled sheet is placed on the bottom of an inverted plate and set on fire. Afterwards, the plate with the burnt sheet is brought to the wall and carefully turned until some shadow appears on the wall, the outlines of which will tell about the near future.



Wax fortune telling

For this fortune telling, you will need two wax candles, one of them must be lit, and pieces of the other must be placed in a spoon and heated over a burning candle until the wax melts. Then the wax is quickly poured into a glass filled with cold water. Based on the figure formed from wax, one can tell about the future.



Fortune telling "Yes-No"

You need to hold your left hand over a container with some kind of grain or cereal, turning your palm down. You need to focus and ask what interests you most. After the question is asked, a handful of cereal is taken from the container and poured onto the table. The number of grains is counted and if their number is even, the answer is yes. An odd number means no.



Fortune telling about the number of future children and their gender

A ring is placed in a glass of water and placed in the cold. Before going to bed, you need to take the glass out of the cold. You can judge future children by the icy surface. The number of tubercles indicates how many boys there will be, and the number of pits indicates how many girls there will be.



Fortune telling by book

Take any book at random and ask a question. After this, the page number and line number on this page are called. What is written on this line is the answer.



Fortune telling by the king of diamonds

You need to hide the King of Diamonds under your pillow and wish for the man you want as your husband. After this they go to bed. What you dream about this night will be the future. Dreams will be prophetic.



Fortune telling with a chain

After everyone has fallen asleep, you need to take the gold chain and rub it between your palms. You need to hold it in your right hand, shake it, and then throw it on the table.
If the result is a circle, closed misfortunes await the person; streak - good luck; knot - to difficulties and illnesses; triangle - to love success; bow - for a wedding; snake - to betrayal; heart - to love.



Fortune telling with a mirror

Fortune telling with a mirror is the most mystical fortune telling. It is necessary to stand in complete silence in front of a mirror with a candle at midnight. No one except the fortuneteller should be in the room. You need to look in the mirror with all care. After 5 minutes it will become dimmer. After this, the betrothed will appear behind the glass, or, to be more precise, the devil in the guise of the betrothed. The girl must start saying “Beware of me!” so that the evil one disappears. If you don't shy away, evil spirits will appear in physical form.



Fortune telling with sticks

Take three sticks - red, blue and white. They are put in a box. The sticks are pulled three times. For the first time you can find out how rich your future husband will be. A red stick is a rich man, a white stick is a man with average income, a blue stick is a poor man. The second time, the external attractiveness of the betrothed is determined: a red stick means handsome, a white stick means handsome, and a blue stick means absolutely unattractive.



Fortune telling by dogs

In a room where only the fortune teller remains, you need to let the dog in. The fate of the girl is determined by how the animal behaves. If the dog immediately runs up to her, the girl will be happy in marriage; if the animal sniffs the floor first, the husband will be angry and cruel, and the marriage will not work out; if the dog begins to caress and wag its tail, the husband will be gentle.



Fortune telling by conversations

The girls went out into a crowded place where they could hear a conversation, and listened. What people talk about will come true. If the conversation is fun, then life will be the same, swearing is bad luck, and the like.

Fortune telling with matches

Take a matchbox and place a match on both sides of it. One match is a girl, and the second is a man whom she wants as a husband. The matches need to be lit. When they burn completely, you need to pay attention to where the heads are facing. If towards each other, there will be a wedding, but if in different directions, the couple will not be together.



Fortune telling with scissors and bread

If you put scissors and bread under your pillow before going to bed, you will dream about your future husband.



Fortune telling with bulbs

Each girl takes an onion and places it in the water with its roots. After this, you need to observe whose bulb will germinate first. The winner will get married before the rest.



Fortune telling on an egg

Take a fresh egg, in which you need to make a small hole. The contents of the egg are poured through the hole into a glass filled with water. After some time, the protein should coagulate. The shape it takes will speak about the future.

Fortune telling on dumplings

The lady of the house prepares dumplings and puts various surprises in them along with the filling. Guests will take a dumpling and determine by the filling what kind of future awaits them.

Orange - for pleasure;
Peanuts - for a love adventure;
White thread - for a long journey;
Cherry - for luck;
Peas - for home peace;
Walnut - to good health;
Buckwheat porridge - for favorable news;
Mushrooms - to a long life full of happiness;
Money means big profits;
Green thread - for a trip to a foreign country;
Grain - to financial well-being;
Raisins - to great temptation;
Cabbage - for money;
Caramel candy - for love;
Potatoes - for career advancement;
Cranberry - to sudden life changes;
Ring - for marriage;
Red pepper - to trouble;
Dried apricots - fortunately;
Bay leaf - to popularity;
Honey - to health;
Carrots - to new acquaintances;
Flour - to torment;
Meat - to wealth;
Thread with knots - foretells difficulties in the coming year;
Cucumber - to a good sexual partner;
Nut - to two fans at the same time;
Ground allspice - to eventful events in life;
Black peppercorns - for friendly relations;
Button - to new things;
Millet - to fruitless efforts;
Rice - to household well-being;
Sugar - to an easy, favorable life;
Seeds - to new fruitful plans;
Capsicum pepper - for a varied sex life;
Cheese - for income;
Cottage cheese - to a new friendship;
Dill - to good health;
Beans or fish scales - for the birth of a child;
Hazelnuts - to a successful acquisition;
Bread - for a well-fed year;
Chain - to strengthen relationships with relatives;
Black thread - for a short and very long trip;
Garlic - to a fictitious marriage;
An apple means receiving a well-deserved award.