The history of Russian Father Frost December 26th, 2013

It seems that New Year with Christmas trees, gifts, Santa Claus and Snow Maiden was always there... But no matter how it is! It turns out that my favorite new year character, awaited with trepidation every year by every Russian child, was born not so long ago. However, first things first...

Young grandfather

I already wrote about the New Year and the Christmas tree a year ago () and talked about how in our country the tradition of the Christmas and New Year trees, as well as the New Year holiday itself, arose in a form familiar to us quite recently...

But it turns out that Santa Claus is even younger! He is only 100 years old. That is, until the beginning of the last century there was no Santa Claus... Treskun was stern and angry, Morozko was cheerful and fair, in Europe all children already knew Santa Claus, but ours dear Grandfather There was no frost.

Only at the beginning of the twentieth century did the familiar image of Father Frost emerge - a kind wizard with a snow-white beard in a long fur coat and a boyar's hat, who brings gifts to children. However, that Santa Claus was exclusively a Christmas character, because Christmas was considered the most significant winter holiday.

The death and rebirth of Santa Claus.

After the revolution, the image of Father Frost, along with all Christmas (and generally Orthodox) traditions, was persecuted. His final expulsion occurred on the eve of 1929, when Christmas was declared a working day, and special patrols walked the streets and peered into windows, preventing even the slightest hint of preparation for happy holiday Nativity of Christ.

But, fortunately, these bleak times passed, and already in 1935 the first New Year tree was organized. This happened after December 28, 1935, member of the Presidium of the USSR Central Executive Committee P.P. Postyshev published an article in the Pravda newspaper in which he proposed organizing a New Year celebration for children. And now all over the country they are starting to organize New Year's events, using, albeit Christmas, but still greatly rethought, paraphernalia. And already in 1937, Father Frost first appeared before the guests together with his granddaughter Snegurochka.

Prototypes of Santa Claus

The modern image of Santa Claus has more than one predecessor. He certainly absorbed the features of the infinitely kind and merciful Archbishop Nicholas (the prototype of Santa Claus), who lived in the city of Mira (Turkey) back in the 4th century and after his death was canonized. Until now, Saint Nicholas the saint is revered not only in Christian countries, but almost all over the world.

Our Father Frost is also similar to his pagan Slavic great-grandfather - the spirit of winter, the lord of frost. It was this pagan god who covered the earth with snow, froze rivers and lakes, and often saved people from enemies by freezing them in the harsh Russian winter.

Where does Santa Claus live?

The first homeland of Father Frost is Arkhangelsk, it was there that the “House of Father Frost” and the “Mail of Father Frost” were created in 1991.

In 1995, the management of the Lapland Nature Reserve on the Kola Peninsula launched the project “Fabulous Lapland - The Domain of Father Frost,” according to which the residence of Father Frost was located in the Chunozero estate.

Lapland Nature Reserve

Since 1998, on the initiative of the former mayor of Moscow Yu. Luzhkov, the state tourism project “ Veliky Ustyug- the birthplace of Father Frost." As part of this project, since 2005, the “official” birthday of Father Frost has also been celebrated: November 18th. This date was chosen due to the fact that the first day in Veliky Ustyug usually strikes on these dates. very coldy.

Residence of Father Frost in Veliky Ustyug

On December 25, 1999, Veliky Ustyug hosted Grand opening"The House of Santa Claus." Tourist trains go to the city from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vologda, and other Russian cities.

In 2011, a new fabulous residence of Father Frost was opened in Murmansk.

Since the beginning of the project, children from different countries More than a million letters were sent to Santa Claus. These letters are carefully stored in the “treasury”. The letters are distributed among our Santa Clauses, so that not one of them sits idle. So, for example, if the letter does not indicate the Lapland Nature Reserve, then it is sent to Veliky Ustyug.

So it turns out that in Russia we have several national Santa Clauses... But, in fact, the whole point is that Santa Claus is a wonderful wizard, so he can easily end up in several places at the same time!

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas!

There is no doubt that the most favorite characters of the New Year holiday are Father Frost and Snow Maiden. The image of Father Frost in Russian folklore has evolved over many centuries. Historians are inclined to believe that the prototype of our Father Frost was the East Slavic spirit of cold Treskun, or, as he was also called, Studenets. More like our Santa Claus character old fairy tales Morozko, in later versions - Moroz Ivanovich, Moroz Elkich. This is the Spirit of Winter - strict, sometimes angry, grumpy, but fair. To good people favors and bestows, and can freeze the bad ones with his magic staff. By the 1880s in public consciousness a certain character appeared with a bag of gifts near the Christmas tree. True, they called him differently: the Christmas old man, the Christmas grandfather, or simply the Christmas tree grandfather. IN literary processing Moroz Ivanovich appeared in 1840 in the collection “Children's Tales of Grandfather Iriney” by V.F. Odoevsky. This kind gray-haired old man gifts the Needlewoman for Good work“a handful of silver coins,” and teaches Sloth a lesson by giving her an icicle instead of silver. In Nekrasov’s poem “Red Nose Frost” main character evil, who loves to “freeze the blood in the veins and freeze the brain in the head.” In children's poetry of the late 19th century, Father Frost is a good wizard. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the image of Father Frost as a kind giver of Christmas trees and gifts was finally established. Traditionally, Father Frost is dressed in a long, ankle-length red fur coat trimmed with white fur. At first his fur coat was blue (indicating the northern, cold origin of the character); on pre-revolutionary postcards you can also find a white Santa Claus. Nowadays, Santa Claus most often comes in a red suit. His hat is semi-oval to match his fur coat. The children's favorite has mittens on his hands. In one hand he holds a staff and in the other a bag of gifts.

The image of the Snow Maiden also took shape in the 19th century. In 1860 G.P. Danilevsky published poetic version Russian folk tale about a snow girl who comes to life. The official date of birth of the Snow Maiden was 1873, when A.N. Ostrovsky translated this folk tale in his own way in the play “The Snow Maiden”. So the Kostroma region began to be considered the birthplace of the winter beauty, where on the Shchelykovo estate the writer came up with new story For old fairy tale. In 1874, “The Snow Maiden” was published in “Bulletin of Europe”, then an opera appeared, the music for which was written by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. It is interesting that upon first reading, Ostrovsky’s poetic dramatic tale did not inspire the composer. Five years later, in the winter of 1879, Rimsky-Korsakov “read The Snow Maiden again” and clearly saw its amazing beauty. I immediately wanted to write an opera based on this plot, and as I thought about this intention, I felt more and more in love with Ostrovsky’s fairy tale. The attraction to ancient Russian customs and pagan pantheism that had gradually manifested itself in me now flared up with a bright flame. Wasn't there for me best story, there were no better poetic images for me than the Snow Maiden, Lel or Spring, there was no better kingdom of the Berendeys with their wonderful king...” The first performance of The Snow Maiden took place on January 29, 1882 at the Mariinsky Theater during a benefit performance of the Russian Opera Choir. Soon “The Snow Maiden” was staged in Moscow, in Russkaya private opera S.I. Mamontov, and in 1893 - in Bolshoi Theater. The opera was a huge success.

The image of the Snow Maiden both as a daughter and as a granddaughter of Frost was developed in the nursery and adult literature, V fine arts. But precisely thanks to a beautiful fairy tale Ostrovsky, the Snow Maiden fell in love with many and soon became the constant companion of Father Frost. Only their family ties underwent some changes over time - from a daughter she turned into a granddaughter, but she did not lose her charm because of this. Appearance The Snow Maiden was created thanks to three great artists: Vasnetsov, Vrubel and Roerich. It was in their paintings that the Snow Maiden “found” her famous outfits: a light sundress and a headband; a long white snow robe, lined with ermine, a small fur coat. Before the revolution, the Snow Maiden never acted as a presenter at the Christmas tree festival.

In the twenties of the last century, the country embarked on the path of combating “religious prejudices.” Since 1929, all church holidays. The Christmas day off became a working day, but “secret” Christmas trees were sometimes held. Santa Claus has become “a product of the anti-people activities of capitalists” and “religious trash.” The Christmas tree holiday was allowed again only on New Year's Eve 1936, after Stalin uttered the significant phrase: “Life has become good, comrades. Life has become more fun." The New Year tree, having lost its religious context, has become a symbol of the holiday happy childhood in our country. From that time on, Santa Claus was fully restored to his rights. Soviet Grandfather Frost brought bags with the same gifts for all the children. In 1937, Father Frost and the Snow Maiden first appeared together at the Christmas tree celebration in the Moscow House of Unions. The Snow Maiden became Father Frost's permanent companion, helping him in everything (the tradition was broken only in the 1960s, when the Snow Maiden's place on the Kremlin Christmas tree was taken several times by an astronaut). So then it happened: a girl, sometimes older, sometimes younger, with or without pigtails, wearing a kokoshnik or a hat, sometimes surrounded by little animals, sometimes singing, sometimes dancing. She asks questions to Santa Claus, leads round dances with the children, and helps distribute gifts. For many years now, Father Frost and the Snow Maiden have been decorating any New Year's celebration, be it a corporate party or children's party. These fairy-tale heroes are an integral part of the New Year, just like a beautifully decorated Christmas tree and gifts.

Not long ago, the Russian Father Frost got his own residence. It is located in Veliky Ustyug, in the Vologda region. By the new year 2006, the estate of Father Frost was opened in Moscow, in Kuzminki Park. In November 2006, the Snow Maiden's tower opened in Kuzminki. The wooden two-story tower was designed by Kostroma architects in the “onion” style. Inside, on the first floor, there is a spinning wheel for the Snow Maiden-craftswoman. On the second floor there is an exhibition of gifts from children. These are drawings, clay crafts, snowflakes and other souvenirs dedicated to the New Year.

It turns out that he was not always like this: several centuries ago, Frost wore a cloak, had only three fingers on his hands, and beat children he disliked with a staff. the site traced how the image of Santa Claus in Rus' changed from the ancient Slavs to our times.

Evil spirit of winter

No one knows exactly where and when Santa Claus was born. The first mention of the elder, who causes severe frosts, was noticed in Eastern Slavs. Initially, the wizard was not called Santa Claus, but Morok - the name of the god of cold and winter. There is a version according to which the word “frost” subsequently came from the name of the ancient Slavic spirit. Morok was an evil creature. The Slavs imagined him as a hunched, disheveled old man who walked through the forests in a linen shirt and bast shoes. He covered everything in his path with snow or turned it into ice - trees, rivers, earth. The Slavs believed that when meeting Morok, a person would turn into an ice statue, so they were very afraid of the evil spirit. From those times, the expressions “faint” and “confuse one’s head” came into being.

Later, our ancestors learned to use the spirit of winter for their own purposes. The Slavs believed: if the winter is snowy and cold, then in the summer there will definitely be a lot of harvest. They began to lure the god of cold, on Christmastide and Maundy Thursday, inviting him to come to them with pancakes or kutya. Food for the spirit was left on the porch or window. The next morning the food disappeared, and on Christmas or Christmastide there were frosts, so strong that the snow literally cracked under the ruts. This is where more came from pet names for the god of winter - Treskunets and Studenets. The image of the wizard has also changed.

The shirt and bast shoes were replaced by a long fur coat and hat. The staff of the progenitor Santa Claus was decorated with the head of a bull - a symbol of fertility and happiness. Treskunts had warm three-fingered gloves on his hands: it was believed that all deities had fewer fingers than humans. Despite the fact that this Santa Claus became kinder, modern children would hardly like him: the Student was still portrayed as a fierce, shaggy old man.

Moroz Ivanovich

After the Baptism of Rus', Studenets was forgotten, and no one came to replace him. Santa Claus was reborn only in the 19th century in the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, or St. Nicholas the Pleasant. This saint was chosen to represent the image of a good old man with gifts for children, since during his lifetime he helped people a lot and was very generous. Under Emperor Alexander II, the image of St. Nicholas was first associated with the New Year and Christmas. Nikolai Ugodnik went from house to house and gave gifts to children, but the children themselves never became close to this image, and in late XIX century, the saint was replaced by the familiar Santa Claus.

New look Everyone liked Santa Claus. Photo: Collage AiF

He was dressed in a long blue or red fur coat, a hat and felt boots. The wizard's entire outfit was painted with patterns. On the staff, instead of a bull’s head, a star-shaped tip appeared. At that time, Father Frost lived in a large ice palace and slept on feather beds made of snow. No one knew where the old man’s house was. The wizard’s parents were also unknown, but, according to Russian tradition, elders should be called by name -

patronymic. WITH light hand writer Vladimir Odoevsky, Father Frost became Moroz Ivanovich. Both children and adults liked the new image, but the favor of Santa Claus then had to be earned. Grandfather gave sweets to children who behaved well all year - sweets, lollipops and gingerbread. Lazy people and slobs received an icicle as a gift, and bad and evil children who made faces and teased Santa Claus received a staff on the forehead.

After the revolution, Father Frost was persecuted. The wizard returned only on the eve of 1936, and not alone, but with his granddaughter Snegurochka. After the next revival, Santa Claus again became even kinder. Now he began to give gifts to all children, in exchange for a poem or song told. The staff from a tool for cuffs turned into a magical device, with the help of which Santa Claus began to light up New Year's trees with multi-colored lights.

At the end of the 80s, Grandfather Frost settled in his residence in Arkhangelsk, and at the end of the 90s he moved to Veliky Ustyug, where he lives to this day. Children from all over Russia write throughout the year good wizard letters telling them what they want to receive as a New Year's gift. Santa Claus fulfills the wishes of all children without exception, bringing them not just toys or treats, but a real fairy tale and magic.

Santa Claus appeared with us a long time ago. This is a really existing spirit, which, by the way, is still alive today.

Ded Moroz (Morozko) - mighty Russian pagan god, a character in Russian legends, in Slavic legends - the personification of Russians winter frosts, a blacksmith who freezes water with ice, generously showering winter nature sparkling snowy silver, giving the joy of a winter festival, and if necessary, in difficult times, protecting Russians from advancing enemies with hitherto unprecedented winter colds freezing into the ice, from which iron begins to break.

Once upon a time, even before the advent of Christianity in Rus', our ancestors believed that the spirits of the dead protected their family, took care of the offspring of livestock and good weather. Therefore, to reward them for their care, people gave them gifts every winter. On the eve of the holiday, village youth put on masks, turned out their sheepskin coats and went from house to house, singing carols. (However, in different regions caroling had its own peculiarities.) The owners presented the carolers with food.
The meaning was precisely that the carolers represented the spirits of ancestors who received a reward for their tireless care of the living. Among the carolers there was often one “person” dressed more terribly than anyone else. As a rule, he was forbidden to speak. This was the oldest and most formidable spirit; he was often called simply Grandfather. It is quite possible that this is the prototype of the modern Santa Claus. Only today, of course, he has become kinder and does not come for gifts, but brings them himself. With the adoption of Christianity, pagan rituals were, of course, “abolished,” and therefore exist to this day. The carolers depict not the spirits of their ancestors, but heavenly messengers, which, you see, is practically the same thing. It’s already difficult to say who should be considered Grandfather, but there is still an “elder”.

According to another version, the “great-great-grandfather” of the modern Russian Father Frost was the hero of Russian folk tales Morozko or Moroz Red nose, master of weather, winter and frost. Initially he was called Grandfather Treskun and was represented as a little old man with long beard and a temper as harsh as Russian frosts. From November to March, Grandfather Treskun was the absolute master of the earth. Even the sun was afraid of him! He was married to a despicable person - Winter. Father Treskun or Father Frost was also identified with the first month of the year - mid-winter - January. The first month of the year is cold and cold - the king of frosts, the root of winter, its sovereign. It is strict, icy, icy, it’s time for snowmen. People also talk about January like this: fireman and jelly, snowman and cracker, fierce and fierce.

In Russian fairy tales, Father Frost is portrayed as an eccentric, strict, but fair spirit of winter. . Remember, for example, the fairy tale "Morozko". Morozko froze and froze the kind, hardworking girl, and then gave her a gift, but he froze the evil and lazy girl to death. Therefore, in order to avoid troubles, some northern peoples and now they appease old man Frost - on festive nights they throw cakes and meat over the threshold of their homes, pour out wine so that the spirit does not get angry, does not interfere with the hunt, or destroys the crops.

Santa Claus was represented as a gray-haired old man with a floor-length beard in a long thick fur coat, felt boots, a hat, mittens, and with a staff with which he froze people .
Under the influence of Christianity, which cruelly and bloodily fought against Slavic paganism (battle with religious competitors for profits), the original image of Snow Grandfather was distorted (like all others Slavic gods), and Morozko began to be represented as an evil and cruel pagan deity, the Great Old Man of the North, the lord of icy cold and blizzards, who froze people. This was reflected in Nekrasov’s poem “Frost - Red Nose”, where Frost kills a poor young peasant widow in the forest, leaving her young children orphans.
As the influence of Christianity weakened in Russia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the image of Morozko began to soften. Santa Claus first appeared at Christmas in 1910, but did not become widespread.

And here is that Santa Claus whom you and I are accustomed to seeing with early years Appeared already in Soviet time , after the rejection of the ideas of Christianity, was widespread new image Santa Claus: he appeared to children on New Year’s Eve and gave gifts; this image was created by Soviet filmmakers in the 1930s.
And note that only our Father Frost comes to the holiday with his divine granddaughter - the Snow Maiden.
Modern collective image Father Frost is based on the hagiography of St. Nicholas, as well as descriptions of the ancient Slavic deities Pozvizd (God of the Wind), Zimnik and Karachun.

But the attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to Santa Claus is ambiguous, on the one hand, as a pagan deity and wizard (God of another religion, which means a religious competitor, contradicting Christian teaching), and on the other hand, as an invincible Russian cultural tradition, which to fight is only to disgrace yourself and reveal your weakness
It is difficult to say unambiguously where the Russian Father Frost lives, since there are a lot of legends. Some claim that Santa Claus comes from North Pole, others say - from Lapland. Only one thing is clear, Santa Claus lives somewhere in the Far North, where it is winter all year round.

But the most interesting thing is the Origin of Santa Claus
Imagine that in some countries local gnomes are considered the ancestors of Santa Claus. In others - medieval wandering jugglers who sang Christmas carols, or wandering sellers of children's toys. There is an opinion that among the relatives of Father Frost is the East Slavic spirit of cold Treskun, aka Studenets, Frost. The image of Santa Claus has evolved over centuries, and each nation has contributed something of its own to its history. But among the elder’s ancestors there was, it turns out, quite a real man. In the 4th century, Archbishop Nicholas lived in the Turkish city of Myra. According to legend, it was very a kind person. So, one day he saved three daughters of a poor family by throwing bundles of gold through the window of their house. After the death of Nicholas, he was declared a saint. In the 11th century, the church where he was buried was robbed by Italian pirates. They stole the remains of the saint and took them to their homeland. The parishioners of the Church of St. Nicholas were outraged. erupted international scandal. This story caused so much noise that Nicholas became the object of veneration and worship of Christians from different countries of the world.

And yet Saint Nicholas is Ours kind Grandfather Frost, Santa Claus Holiday and Day of Honor of St. Nicholas All nations celebrate December 19. On December 19, it is customary to give gifts to children, because the saint himself did so. After the introduction of the new calendar, the saint began to come to children at Christmas, and then on New Year. Everywhere kind old man They call him differently, in England and America - Santa Claus, but here - Father Frost.

And this is what our traditional appearance of Santa Claus looks like, according to ancient mythology and symbolism :

Beard and hair - thick, gray (silver). These details of appearance, in addition to their “physiological” meaning (the old man is gray-haired), also carry a huge symbolic character denoting power, happiness, prosperity and wealth. Surprisingly, hair is the only detail of the appearance that has not undergone any significant changes over the millennia.
Shirt and pants - white, linen, decorated with white geometric ornament(symbol of purity). This detail was almost lost in modern concept about the suit. Performers of the role of Santa Claus and costume designers prefer to cover the performer's neck with a white scarf (which is acceptable). As a rule, they do not pay attention to the trousers or they are sewn in red to match the color of the fur coat ( terrible mistake!)
Fur coat- long (ankle-length or shin-length), always red, embroidered with silver (eight-pointed stars, jibs, crosses and other traditional ornament), trimmed with swan down. Some modern theatrical costumes, alas, they sin with experiments in the field color range and replacement of materials. Surely many people have seen a gray-haired wizard in a blue or green fur coat. If so, know that this is not Santa Claus, but one of his many " younger brothers ". If the fur coat is short (the shin is exposed) or has pronounced buttons- in front of you is a costume of Santa Claus, Pere Noel or one of the foreign brothers-in-arms of Father Frost. But replacing swan down with white fur, although not desirable, is still acceptable.
A cap- red, embroidered with silver and pearls. Trimmed with swan down (white fur) with a triangular cutout made on the front part (stylized horns). The shape of the hat is semi-oval (the round shape of the hat is traditional for Russian tsars,Just remember the headdress of Ivan the Terrible). In addition to the imposing attitude to color described above, modern theatrical costume designers tried to diversify the decoration and shape of Santa Claus's headdress. The following “inaccuracies” are typical: replacement of pearls with glass diamonds and semi-precious stones (permissible), lack of a cutout behind the trim (not desirable, but very common), a hat of the correct semicircular shape (this is Vladimir Monomakh) or a cap (Santa Claus), a pompom (he same).

Three-fingered gloves or mittens - white, embroidered with silver - a symbol of the purity and holiness of everything that he gives from his hands. Three-fingered- a symbol of belonging to the highest divine principle since the Neolithic. What symbolic meaning do modern red mittens carry is unknown
Belt - white with a red ornament (symbol of the connection between ancestors and descendants). Nowadays, it has been preserved as an element of costume, having completely lost its symbolic meaning and corresponding color scheme. It's a pity …
Shoes- silver or red, silver-embroidered boots with raised toes. The heel is slanted, small in size or completely absent. On a frosty day, Father Frost puts on white felt boots embroidered with silver. White color and silver - symbols of the moon, holiness, north, water and purity. It is by shoes that you can distinguish a real Santa Claus from a “fake” one. Dad Orosa will never go out to the public wearing boots or black boots! As a last resort, he will try to find red dancing boots or ordinary black felt boots (which is certainly not advisable).
Staff- crystal or silver “like crystal”. The handle is twisted and also has a silver-white color scheme. The staff is completed with a moon (a stylized image of the month) or a bull's head (a symbol of power, fertility and happiness).

And some more features of Santa Claus
1. Santa Claus wears a very warm hat with fur trim. Attention: no bombs or brushes!
2. Santa Claus's nose is usually red. (No bad analogies! Just far north VERY cold!) But the blue nose option is also allowed due to the snow-ice origin of Grandfather.
3. Santa Claus has a beard right down to the floor. White and fluffy like snow.
4. Grandfather Frost wears a long thick fur coat. Initially, quite a long time ago, the color of the fur coat was blue, cold, but under the influence of the red fur coats of its “European brothers” it changed to red. Although on this moment Both options are allowed.
5. Santa Claus hides his hands in huge mittens.
6. Santa Claus does not wear belts, but ties his fur coat with a sash (belt). In extreme cases, it is fastened with buttons.
7. Santa Claus prefers exclusively felt boots. And it’s not surprising, because at -50? C (usual northern air temperature) even the Snow Master’s feet will freeze in boots.
8. Santa Claus always carries a staff with him. Firstly, to make it easier to get through the snowdrifts. And secondly, according to legend, Santa Claus, while still a “wild Morozko,” used this very staff to “freeze” people.
9. A bag of gifts is a later attribute of the Master of Winter. Many children believe that he is bottomless. In any case, Santa Claus never lets anyone near the bag, but takes gifts out of it himself. He does this without looking, but he always guesses who is waiting for what gift.
10. Santa Claus travels on foot, by air or on a sleigh pulled by a troika. He also loves to cross his native expanses on skis. There have been no recorded cases of deer being used.
11. The most important difference between the Russian Father Frost is his constant companion, his granddaughter Snegurochka. This is understandable: alone and in the far north, you can die of boredom! And it’s more fun with my granddaughter. P.S. And Santa Claus never wears glasses or smokes a pipe!
Snow Maiden, granddaughter of Father Frost
It should be noted that the Snow Maiden is purely Russian phenomenon. Not a single overseas character symbolizing the arrival of the new year has a companion. Only our Santa Claus is lucky.

This is how he is Dash Good Old Man Grandfather Frost Whom we look forward to every year and to whom we make wishes, believe in fairy tales and wait for a Miracle

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Father Frost. Origin story

Many people think that Santa Claus has Russian origin, and its ancestry goes back to the image of a frosty old man from Russian folk tales. This is not entirely true, or rather, not at all true. It is sometimes mistakenly believed that Father Frost and the Snow Maiden have been companions of festive New Year trees since ancient times, but this only happened at the end of the 19th century.

In the legends of our ancestors, since ancient times there was Frost - the lord of winter cold. His image reflected the ideas of the ancient Slavs about Karachun - the god of winter cold. Moroz was represented as a short old man with a long gray beard. From November to March, Moroz always has a lot of work. Frost runs through the forests and knocks with his staff, causing bitter frosts to occur. Frost sweeps through the streets and colors window glass pattern mi. Frost freezes the surface of lakes and rivers. Frost stings our noses, gives us a blush, and amuses us with fluffy snowfalls.

This image of the winter lord is artistically developed and embodied in Russian fairy tales in the images of Grandfather Student, Grandfather Treskun, Moroz Ivanovich, Morozko. However, although these frosty grandfathers were not devoid of a sense of justice and compassion and sometimes gave gifts to kind and hardworking people who wandered into their domain, they were not associated with the arrival of the New Year and giving gifts was not their main concern.

The prototype of modern Santa Claus is considered to be a real man named Nicholas, who was born in the 3rd century in Asia Minor (on the shore Mediterranean Sea) V rich family and subsequently became a bishop. Having inherited a considerable fortune, Nikolai helped the poor, the needy, the unfortunate, and especially took care of children.

In Russia, Saint Nicholas, nicknamed Nicholas the Wonderworker or Nicholas of Myra, also gained fame and worship, becoming one of the most revered saints. Sailors and fishermen considered him their patron and intercessor, but this saint especially did a lot of good and wonderful things for children.

There are many traditions and legends about the mercy and intercession of St. Nicholas in relation to children, widespread in Western Europe. One of these stories tells that a certain poor father of a family could not find the means to feed his three daughters, and, in despair, was going to give them into the wrong hands. Saint Nicholas, who heard about this, made his way into the house and stuffed a bag of coins into the chimney. At that time, the sisters' old, worn-out shoes were drying in the stove (according to another version, their stockings were drying by the fireplace). In the morning, the amazed girls took out their old shoes (stockings) filled with gold. Need I say that their happiness and jubilation knew no bounds? Kind-hearted Christians tenderly retold this story to many generations of their children and grandchildren, which led to the emergence of a custom: children put their boots over the threshold at night and hang their stockings by the bed with the expectation of receiving gifts from St. Nicholas in the morning. The tradition of giving gifts to children on St. Nicholas's Day has existed in Europe since the 14th century; gradually this custom moved to Christmas night.

In the 19th century, together with European emigrants, the image of St. Nicholas became known in America. The Dutch Saint Nicholas, who was called Sinter Klaas in his homeland, was reincarnated as American Santa Claus. This was facilitated by the book “The Parish of St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore, which appeared in America in 1822. It tells about a boy's Christmas meeting with Saint Nicholas, who lives in the cold North and rides around on a fast reindeer sleigh with a bag of toys, giving them to children.

Naturally, it was not difficult for Father Christmas to settle down in Russia, since similar image has been present in Slavic folklore since ancient times, developed into Russian folk tales And fiction(poem by N.A. Nekrasov “Frost, Red Nose”). The appearance of the Russian Father Frost incorporates both ancient Slavic ideas (a short old man with a long gray beard and a staff in his hand) and the features of the Santa Claus costume (a red fur coat trimmed with white fur).

This is a brief background to the appearance at the Christmas holidays, and later at Christmas trees Russian Santa Claus. And it’s even more pleasant that only our Santa Claus has granddaughter Snow Maiden and she was born in Russia.