New Year Address by the President of Russia

The New Year Address by the President of Russia is a traditional speech given in Russia by the President to the citizens, and generally broadcast on Russian television.

History
See also: Novy God
Dmitry Medvedev's 2008 New Year Address
Vladimir Putin's 2017 New Year Address

In Russia, tuning in before midnight to watch the President's speech (Russian: новогодние обращения) has become traditional.[1] The president gives the New Year speech from the Kremlin, a few minutes before the Kremlin Clock chimes at midnight.[2] The speech sums up the main events of the year and discusses prospects for the coming one. The tradition is observed by most Russians, regardless of political views.[3]

The speech is broadcast in each of the 11 time zones in the country.[4] Because of that, the video of the speech is already available on the internet to audiences in western Russia during the afternoon of 31 December.[1]

The tradition dates back to 1941, when the Soviet government broadcast a speech about the state of the country during World War II.[5] Gorbachev gave a speech in 1990 saying the 1990s would be "a decade of the drawing of the United States and the Soviet Union closer together".[6]

Boris Yeltsin generally avoided talk of politics during his new year speeches, preferring to talk about family values and the holiday spirit,[5] though he did use his 1996 speech to promote economic reforms.[7] Yeltsin famously resigned during his New Year speech on 31 December 1999.[8] In 2013 two different speeches were broadcast: the first one was only broadcast in the Far East, while a new broadcast for the rest of the country mentioned the December 2013 Volgograd bombings.[9]

References
  1. "New Years and Christmas in Russia has its own merry way". Prospekt Magazine. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  2. Strelávina, Daria (31 December 2016). "10 facts about the Kremlin Clock, Russia's New Year symbol". Russia Beyond The Headlines. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  3. Zubtsov, Vitaly (29 December 2016). "Survival guide: How to survive New Year, Russian-style". Russia Beyond The Headlines. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  4. "Vladimir Putin Congratulates Russians, Reveals New Year 'Secret'". NDTV.com. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  5. "December, 31 in history". Russiapedia. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  6. Press, From Associated (2 January 1990). "Gorbachev's New Year Toast Hopeful for '90s". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  7. "Yeltsin rings in New Year on note of reform". The Independent. 1 January 1996. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  8. "Yeltsin's resignation speech". BBC News. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  9. "Новогодние обращения к россиянам в разные годы". Субботний Рамблер (in Russian).
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