New Year Address

A New Year Address is a speech given in some countries by the head of state or head of government to the citizens, and generally broadcast on New Year's Eve on television.

Russia

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.[3] The tradition is observed by most Russians, regardless of political views.[4]

The speech is broadcast in each of the 11 time zones in the country.[5] 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.[6] 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".[7]

Boris Yeltsin generally avoided talk of politics during his new year speeches, preferring to talk about family values and the holiday spirit,[6] though he did use his 1996 speech to promote economic reforms.[8] Yeltsin famously resigned during his New Year speech on 31 December 1999.[9] 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.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 "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. ↑ "President Vladimir Putin's New Year address". RT International. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  4. ↑ Zubtsov, Vitaly (29 December 2016). "Survival guide: How to survive New Year, Russian-style". Russia Beyond The Headlines. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  5. ↑ "Vladimir Putin Congratulates Russians, Reveals New Year 'Secret'". NDTV.com. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  6. 1 2 "December, 31 in history". Russiapedia. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  7. ↑ Press, From Associated (2 January 1990). "Gorbachev's New Year Toast Hopeful for '90s". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  8. ↑ "Yeltsin rings in New Year on note of reform". The Independent. 1 January 1996. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "Yeltsin's resignation speech". BBC News. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  10. ↑ "Новогодние обращения к россиянам в разные годы". Субботний Рамблер (in Russian).
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