Interesting facts about winter and the new year. Interesting but little-known facts about Winter, snow and snowflakes

Very soon we will be celebrating the Year of the Rabbit and welcoming the Dragon. This time it will be a black water dragon. The dragon is a mythical, noble, strong creature. Astrologers recommend this New Year meet in motion, brightly, uncluttered. On this night you must shine and no matter what - humor, precious jewelry or bright outfits and makeup. The main thing is that the meeting is memorable, and that you are able to carry out all our traditional new year holidays, which have been going on almost since December 25 ( Catholic Christmas for the European part former USSR for the most part, it is a dress rehearsal before the main events) and only slightly reduces its intensity after January 13. But then the series of celebrations does not stop - Baptism, Chinese New Year (which begins on January 23), Tatiana's Day, Valentine's Day, February 23, March 8, May 1 and 9... And we will give you some interesting facts about the New Year that will allow you to shine even brighter in the New Year's company .

1. It's New Year's Eve time different nations very different. So in Ancient Babylon the holiday fell in the spring. And during the holidays, the king and his entire retinue left the city, and the townspeople had the opportunity to walk freely and have fun.
2. In Micronesia, the New Year traditionally starts on January 1st. But on this day, all island residents receive new names and whisper them to those closest to them. And trusted relatives beat the drums with terrible force so that they evil spirits didn't overhear.
3. In Italy it is customary to New Year's Eve get rid of old things that are thrown straight out of the windows. Moreover, the more things are thrown away, the more wealth and good luck the new year will bring.

4. In Rus', the New Year was celebrated on March 1 - in the X - XV centuries, on September 1 - from 1348 after the Council in Moscow, and from 1699, by decree of Peter I, it was moved to January 1. As a result, by now the New Year has become a dense mixture of ancient Slavic, Christian, Western European and Eastern traditions.
5. The tradition of the Christmas log was brought by the Vikings to England. They sawed at Christmas a big tree, which was aged and dried all year. And the next Christmas, this tree was brought into the house and placed on the hearth. If the tree burned for a long time and burned out completely, then good luck awaited the house, but if it died out before it burned down to ashes, expect trouble.
6. Living Christmas trees are one of the Christian traditions of Christmas and New Year celebrations. But it turns out that they can bring not only joy and the spirit of the holiday. Scientists have found that spruce trees contain fungi, which easily multiply in warm home conditions and produce huge amounts of spores. The spores in turn cause coughing, difficulty breathing, insomnia, lethargy, even bronchitis and pneumonia. To protect yourself, you need to either wash and dry the spruce before bringing it into the house, or use an artificial tree.
7. Before becoming famous, James Belushi moonlighted as Santa Claus. It was during this period of work that he was left without rights, but the actor still decided to continue delivering gifts to children. In such a “disenfranchised” state, the police detained him and began, and the officers began the arrest procedure, handcuffing him and conducting a search. Children passing by sobbed and screamed in horror that their beloved Santa Claus had been arrested.

8. Both children and adults turn to Santa Claus or Father Frost. Children usually want a computer, and employees ask their boss to freeze it.
9. One of the most popular traditional spices for Christmas baking is ginger.
10. It is believed that if in the last hour of the old year you write your most cherished wish on a piece of paper, and then, when the clock begins to strike, set fire to this piece of paper, then you can determine whether the wish will come true. If the note burns out while the clock is striking, then everything will definitely come true.
11. The unforgettable “Irony of Fate, or with light steam" has been shown on television for more than 35 years on the last day of the year.

12. On New Year’s Eve in Tibet, they bake pies and distribute them to passers-by. Wealth in the New Year directly depends on the number of pies distributed.
13. The source of the popularity of fireworks is the ancient belief in the power of noise and fire in the fight against evil spirits.
14. In Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), a 76-meter artificial Christmas tree was installed, the largest in the world.
15. In Orthodoxy, the period between Christmas and Epiphany falls on Christmastide. This time is filled not only Christian traditions, but also with many pagan images, which include traditional fortune telling. An example of it can be found in chapter 5, stanza 8 of the novel by A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin".

16. The main dish in Brazil is lentil soup, which symbolizes prosperity and wealth.
17. The first electric garland was lit on the Christmas tree in front of the White House in the USA in 1895.
18. In Austria, among the New Year's characters there is also the Bird of Happiness, and therefore they do not have game on the festive table.
19. New Year in Japanese sounds like “Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu”.

20. January 1 became a day off in the USSR only by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of December 23, 1947
21. In Germany, Santa Claus brings gifts to the windowsill, and in Sweden - to the stove.
22. You can find out the answer to a question on New Year’s Eve by tossing a bowl of boiled rice. If there is an even number of pure grains of rice in it, then the answer is “yes”; otherwise, “no”.
23. It is almost always cold in Greenland, and there are no problems with the availability of ice. Therefore, local Eskimos have a tradition of giving each other polar bears and walruses carved from ice, which do not melt for a long time.

24.V southern countries, where there is neither frost nor snow, you have to use other characters, for example, in Cambodia there is Santa Claus.
25. In Vietnam, for the New Year, a carp is released into a pond near the house, on whose back, according to legend, a brownie rides. The carp lives in the pond for a whole year, and the brownie looks after the family.
26. Turkey, cheese, foie gras and oysters are served at the festive table in France.
27. On the border of Finland and Russia in 2001, a meeting was held between the New Year characters Yolupukki and Santa Claus.

28. It is believed that money cannot be given away before the New Year, otherwise you will have to pay off debts throughout the year.
29. On the New Year's table in Scandinavia they place rice porridge with one almond. Whoever finds it will be happy all year.
30. With the start of the New Year's clock striking in England, I open the back door of the house for the outgoing year, and with the last strike of the clock they are greeted at front door New Year
31. “A Christmas Tree Was Born in the Forest” was first published in 1903 in the children’s magazine “Malyutka.” After 2 years, Raisa Adamovna Kudasheva’s poems were set to music by composer Leonid Karlovich Bekman.

32. In Australia, Santa Claus has to wear formal swimming trunks and saddle a jet ski in the New Year's heat.
33. In the old days, it was customary to give gifts to Santa Claus, and not to expect gifts from him.
34. In Italy, symbols of health, longevity and prosperity on the festive table are lentils, nuts and grapes.
35. Interesting fact– Santa Claus has a wife who usually personifies winter.

36. Mystical properties have long been attributed to mistletoe. In some countries, for example, there is a tradition that allows a man to kiss any girl passing under a mistletoe branch at Christmas.
37. In Cuba, on New Year's Day, all the dishes in the house are filled with water, which is then thrown out onto the street on New Year's Eve to wash away all sins.
38. For Bulgarians, dogwood sticks represent all the best in the new year. They are given as gifts for the New Year.
39. Czech and Slovak children are pleased with gifts from Mikulas with a beaming smile and a tall hat.

40. Snowman began to be sculpted in the 19th century with indispensable attributes - a bucket on his head, a broom and a carrot nose.
41. There is a belief that a New Year's dream (from December 30 to 31) predicts the coming year.
42. In China, the Dragon is especially loved - it symbolizes prosperity. That’s why it’s customary there to make his personification – paper kites. In addition, many bright lanterns are lit on the streets.
43. In Ecuador, before the New Year, it is customary to describe all the troubles on a piece of paper, and then burn them along with a straw effigy.

44. In England in the 19th century, there were even charitable societies that distributed flour, sugar and raisins to the poor to make Christmas pudding.
45.V Southern Hemisphere Eucalyptus trees are usually decorated, since the New Year is the height of summer.
46. ​​On New Year's Day in Holland, donuts are a traditional dish, symbolizing a full cycle, completeness.
47. The Snow Maiden was invented in the mid-50s of the last century by children's writers Lev Kassil and Sergei Mikhalkov, introducing the granddaughter of Father Frost into children's performances.

48. Père Noel (French Frost) rides a donkey and leaves gifts in his shoes for children. And the children prepare their gifts for him - straw for the riding animal.
49. In Greece, the head of a family breaks a pomegranate fruit on the street on New Year’s Eve against the wall of the house. Good luck is promised by grains scattered in different directions.
50. The first glass Christmas tree decorations began to be produced in the middle of the 19th century in Scandinavia.
51. Mexicans find new Year gifts in a shoe, and the Irish and English - in socks.

52.V Ancient Egypt The New Year began on the day the Nile flooded, at the beginning of summer.
53. It is customary to celebrate the New Year in new clothes, so that you can have new things all year round.
54. In Cuba, New Year is called Kings Day
55. The largest number of Christmas trees in Europe are sold in Denmark.

56. Many surprises are hidden in Romanian New Year's pies. In frequency, the coin means happiness in the coming year.
57. The French usually give souvenirs and cards for the New Year.
58. Since ancient times, the Slavs have been decorating the Christmas tree with toys and delicacies.
59. In Scotland, on New Year's Day you don't propose marriage and don't take out the trash.

60. Santa Claus began to be invited to a house in the USSR in the 1970s.
61. The United States traditionally holds the record for Christmas gifts and New Year's greeting cards.
62. In Japan, on New Year's Eve, an interesting fact, they traditionally serve cabbage, roasted chestnuts, beans and caviar, which respectively symbolize joy, success, health and many children.
63. Veliky Ustyug is considered the birthplace of Father Frost, and the Snow Maiden is the village of Shchelykovo, not far from Kostroma, where the estate of A.N. Ostrovsky is located. it was he who wrote based on the Russians folk tales"Snow Maiden"

64. On New Year’s Day, at exactly midnight in Bulgaria, the lights go out. within three minutes, anyone can kiss anyone, and only the night will know about it.
65.V Slavic myths Santa Claus personified the winter cold, he bound the water.
66. The birthplace of Jolupukki is the city of Rovaniemi in Lapland, near the Arctic Circle.
67. On New Year's Eve in Scotland, they set fire to tar barrels and roll them through the streets, driving them away. Old year and inviting New.

68. On festive table in Poland they put “paczki” - donuts with jelly.
69. The first New Year's card was printed in London in 1843.
70. The Russian Pension Fund awarded the title of “Veteran of Fairytale Labor” to Father Frost. Not without reason, of course. He has enough work. And deliver gifts, and amuse the children with the Snow Maiden. Snegurochka and Santa Claus at home in St. Petersburg is a completely affordable service for everyone and a joy for children. New Year with the participation of living Santa Claus is an unforgettable holiday!

And meeting year of the dragon remember that the next one is Year of the Snake will be no less interesting. After all, the Snake symbolizes wisdom, and it advises

But even about such simple phenomena you can tell a lot of interesting things. Let's get acquainted with some interesting facts about winter, snow and snowflakes.

1. There are no absolutely identical snowflakes in the world. Many years of research have proven this. Even TWO absolutely identical snowflakes cannot exist in nature. So all snowflakes are unique and created by Nature in a single copy.

2. In 1951, the classification of snowflakes was officially legalized. According to this classification, there are seven types of snowflakes: star-shaped crystals, needles, columns (columns), platelets, spatial dendrites, tipped columns and snowflakes irregular shape.

3. The Eskimos have 24 words that describe snow in its different states. And the Sami speak 41 words for this.

4. Snow women were originally sculpted not for children's fun, but in order to appease the harsh Winter.

5. Speed snow avalanche reaches 80-110 km/h. A fast train travels at approximately the same speed. And large avalanches can overtake a racing car, since during an avalanche they reach a speed of 360 km/h.

6. The largest snowflake, the dimensions of which were recorded, had a diameter of more than 12 centimeters.

7. On April 30, 1944, the strangest recorded snowfall fell in Moscow, the size of the snowflakes was the size of a human palm, and their shape resembled ostrich feathers.

8. When snowflakes fall on the surface of the water, they “sing”, that is, they emit a very high-pitched sound that the human ear is not able to catch. But fish, according to scientists, really don’t like this sound.

9. More than half of the world's population have never seen real snow in their lives.

10. On Far North The snow can be so hard that it rings like iron when you hit it.

11. Oddly enough, snowflakes are 95% air. This can explain the fragility of the snowflake and the low speed of its fall.

12. Snow is edible, everyone knows this from childhood. True, you will spend more energy while eating than calories you will ultimately receive.

13. A layer of compacted snow, 1 centimeter thick, provides 25-35 cubic meters of water per hectare when melted.

14. Ice temperature may vary. The coldest ice can reach temperatures of minus 60 degrees (for example, in Antarctic glaciers). The ice in Greenland glaciers is warmer, about minus 28 degrees. The warmest ice, only about 0 degrees, lies on the tops of the Alps and Scandinavian mountains.

15. Snowflakes are formed directly from steam, bypassing the rain stage.

16. 2-3 medium icebergs contain a mass of water equal to the annual flow of the Volga (about 252 cubic kilometers).

Here are some interesting facts. Now you know them too.

Photo: aliciya-bes.com, www.fotokonkurs.ru, snehinkaf.narod.ru, www.ikolyaski.ru

Winter is a controversial time of year. On the one hand, in winter there are many unique entertainments and exceptional beautiful nature. The Russian winter was perfectly sung by A.S. Pushkin. In addition, winter since time immemorial is the time of the most happy Holidays. Both adults and children look forward with approximately equal impatience to the New Year and the weekends and holidays associated with this date and Christmas.

On the other hand, winter means cold and associated problems in the form of colds, the need to dress warmly and the associated costs and inconveniences. Days in winter are short even in the European part of the country, not to mention at higher latitudes, which also does not add to the mood. If it snows, there will be trouble with transport. The thaw will come - everything will drown in water and dirty snow slush...

One way or another, winter exists, albeit in different forms, sometimes harsh, sometimes funny.

1. Winter is not December, January and February. Or rather, this definition is relevant, but only for most of the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, winter is precisely those months that we consider summer. It would be more accurate to define winter in nature as the interval between summer and autumn or as the coldest time of the year.

In Brazil, if there is snow, it happens in July.

2. Winter does not come from a change in the distance from the Earth to the Sun. The Earth's orbit is slightly elongated, but there is a 5 million km difference between perihelion and aphelion (the largest and smallest distance to the Sun) big role they can't play. But the 23.5° inclination of the earth’s axis relative to the vertical influences the weather in mid-latitudes in winter and summer very strongly. The sun's rays fall on the ground at an angle close to a straight line - it's summer here. They fall tangentially - it’s winter here. On the planet Uranus, due to the tilt of its axis (it is more than 97°), there are only two seasons - summer and winter, and they last 42 years.

3. The most harsh winter in the world - Yakut. In Yakutia it can begin in mid-September. In Yakutia there is also the coldest village in the world with permanent population. It's called Oymyakon. The temperature recorded here was -77.8°C, “not winter” - the local name - lasts from the end of May to mid-September, and children do not go to school only if the frost is stronger than -60°C.

People live and work in Oymyakon

4. The most low temperature on Earth was recorded in Antarctica. In the Japanese area polar station The thermometer once showed -91.8°C.

5. Astronomically, winter in the Northern Hemisphere begins on December 22 and ends on March 21. In the Antipodes, winter begins on June 22 and ends on September 21.

6. Climate winter in terms of timing is more relative than astronomical. In the latitudes where Russia is located, the beginning of winter is considered the day during which average temperature air did not exceed 0°C. Winter ends when the same temperature threshold is crossed back.

7. There is a concept of “nuclear winter” - a steady cooling caused by massive nuclear explosions. According to a theory developed at the end of the twentieth century, megatons of soot raised into the atmosphere atomic explosions, will limit the influx solar heat and light. The air temperature will drop to Ice Age which will be a disaster for Agriculture and wildlife in general. IN last years The concept of “nuclear winter” has been criticized by both optimists and pessimists. There have already been some semblances of nuclear winter in human memory - in 1815, during the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, so much dust entered the atmosphere that next year in Europe and America they called it “the year without summer.” Two centuries earlier, three abnormally cold years caused by a volcanic eruption in South America, led to famine and political upheaval in Russia. The Great Troubles began, which almost ended in the death of the state.

8. There is a popular belief that in the winter of 1941 German troops they would have taken Moscow if not for “General Frost” - the winter was so severe that the Europeans, not accustomed to the cold, and their equipment could not fight. That winter is indeed one of the ten most severe in Russia in the Black Sea century, but severe cold began already in January 1942, when the Germans were driven back from Moscow. December 1941, in which the Red Army attacked, was quite mild - the temperature dropped below -10°C in a matter of days.

They were not warned about the frost

9. As practice shows, in modern Russia The catastrophe is not a harsh winter, but an unstable winter. A good illustration is the winter of 2011/2012. December consequences freezing rain were catastrophic: thousands of kilometers of broken wires, a mass fallen trees, human casualties. At the end of January it became sharply cold, the temperature remained stable at -20°C, but nothing particularly serious happened in Russia. In neighboring countries with a warmer climate (and around Russia there are all countries with a warmer climate), dozens of people froze to death.

Freezing rain is often more dangerous than severe frosts

10. In the winter of 2016/2017, snow fell in the most exotic places for snowfall. Almost a meter of snow covered some of the Hawaiian Islands. Previously, their residents could only see snow in real life in the highlands. Snow fell in the Algerian part of the Sahara Desert, in Vietnam and Thailand. Moreover, snow fell on the last two countries at the end of December, that is, in the middle of summer, which led to corresponding consequences for agriculture.

Snow in the Sahara

11. Snow is not always white. In America, sometimes red snow falls - it is colored by an algae with the dubious name of chlamydomonas. Red snow tastes like watermelon. In 2002, snow of several colors fell in Kamchatka - sandstorms thousands of kilometers from the peninsula, dust and grains of sand were raised into the atmosphere, and they colored the snowflakes. But when residents of the Omsk region saw orange snow in 2007, the cause of the color could not be determined.

12. The most popular winter sport is hockey. But if several decades ago hockey was the prerogative of countries with pronounced winters, now hockey - and even at the professional level - is played in such conditions. winter countries like Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Morocco.

13. The first and only battle between the ground forces and the fleet took place in the winter of 1795 at the roadstead of the Dutch city of Den Helder. The winter was very severe then, and the Dutch fleet was frozen into ice. Having learned about this, the French launched a covert night attack on the ships. Having wrapped rags around the horseshoes of their horses, they managed to secretly approach the ships. Each horseman also carried an infantryman. The forces of the hussar regiment and an infantry battalion captured 14 battleships and a number of escort vessels.

Well, aren't you tired of resting? New Year behind, and the mood of doing nothing sucked everyone in, as in ?.

By the way, half of the winter has already passed (well, almost half). This is for those who are completely lost in the calendar.

1. What do you like more: heat or frost? Judging by the annual reports of travel agencies, many people like summer. We knew that winter cold kills people more often than summer heat, exactly 2 times.
2. In countries where land prevails over sea, winter is more severe.
3. Have any of you measured snowflakes? The Guinness Book of Records records a record from 1887: then in January (Montana) a large snowflake was measured. It turned out to be 38 by 20 centimeters. Although I have a hard time believing it.
4. The fear of snow is called chionophobia. And frosts and cold weather are cryophobia.
5. Counting stars is unrealistic, but scientists still manage to do it. How to count snowflakes? Nevertheless, we set a goal and the result is clear: over the winter, at least 1 septillion ice crystals fall from the sky on us (that’s 24 zeros 10 24).
6. A snowflake floats at a speed of 0.9 km/hour.
7. Contrary to logic, the most close quarters from Earth to Sun in December. Why contrary? Because the shortest day of the year is the winter solstice.

On Earth, 12% of the surface is covered with snow and ice

1. What is the biggest snowman you have ever made? You can set a record: in 1999, the state of Maine beat the previous one, Japan, in size Bigfoot. It was 35 meters!
2. In one average year, the earth is covered with approximately 40 million tons of snow.
3. There are migratory ones. Everyone knows. Have you heard about butterflies that travel vast distances in search of an acceptable warm climate? These are monarch butterflies. They are capable of flying up to 5,000 kilometers. And they always choose the same tree for their winter home. Migratory butterflies – sounds a little strange...

1. 12% of the Earth's surface is covered with snow.
2. Winter is treacherous. So just 7 days before, a blizzard with freezing snow and a cyclone blocked traffic in the southern United States, and Cuba and Canada suffered $7 billion in damage. There were more than 330 casualties. This happened in 1993.
3. I wonder what exactly is the reason for winter? It happens due to the fact that in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres the earth's axis is tilted away from the Sun.
4. In the Southern Hemisphere, winter does not come in December, January and February, as we are used to. And in June, July and August. It's the other way around.

Winter facts about winter

1. The lowest temperature was recorded at Vostok station in 1983, at: -123°C. But that's just for now.
2. Winter can be a defensive weapon. Napoleon Bonaparte fell in an unequal battle before the Russian frosts.

The coldest country in the world

Winter hotels in Finland

1. In winter, people have an increased appetite. More sweets and cakes are bought in stores.
2. State subsidies for clearing winter roads and Maintenance trails account for more than 20% of annual income. It's not a cheap pleasure to drive on clean roads.
3. Did you know that the most common birthday is September 16th? Because there was something to do in everything. I set it in the right way and cold weather, and holidays.
4. According to statistics in winter time men prefer to admire women's charms (in photographs). And many previously unnoticed women open up to them from a different, more attractive side. This is because in the cold season, clothes cover almost everything, allowing for wild imagination.
5. Many northern animals camouflage themselves under the snow: Arctic hares and foxes, stoats and even partridges. These are colorful in the summer and whiter than snow in the colder months.
6. After the eruption at Tambora Peak, there was no summer for a whole year.
7. Plum blossoms in winter in China. For the residents of the country, it is a symbol of perseverance and hope for the best.

Your brain has been stretched by facts, maybe it’s time to break away from the monitor and take a walk along the snow-covered streets of your favorite city or village? The snow will melt, streams will run, and only memories of frost will remain. Hurry up to live...

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