Section: Russian customs and traditions
13th page of the section
Chapter "Dictionaries of Russian myths and fairy tales"
Russian Santa Claus
(Morozko)
History of Santa Claus
Collection of materials
Traditional costume of Santa Claus.
For the clothes of Santa Claus, see below "THE DIFFERENCES OF OUR FATHER FROST FROM THE ENEMY'S SANTA CLAUS".
Santa Claus - the almighty God of the weather on the planet
Father Frost's patrimony - the Arctic, people call "the kitchen of the weather."
In the Arctic, Santa Claus prepares the weather for the entire earthly world, for all countries, continents, seas and oceans.
Good peoples Santa Claus generously bestows good weather and high yields.
And evil peoples are severely punished with severe colds, floods or severe drought and extensive fires.
Almighty Santa Claus is the most important God for the life of all countries and peoples!
Santa Claus on the throne in the Arctic.
FATHER FROST(Morozko) - a mighty Russian pagan God, a character in Russian legends, in Slavic legends - the personification of Russian winter frosts, a blacksmith who ices water, generously showering winter nature with sparkling snowy silver, giving the joy of a winter festival, and, if necessary, protecting in a difficult time Russians from the advancing enemies, hitherto unprecedented winter cold freezing into the ice, from which iron begins to break.
Morozko.
Under the influence of Christianity, which brutally and bloodily fought Slavic paganism (a battle with religious competitors for profits), the original image of the Snow Grandfather was distorted (like all other Slavic gods), and Morozko began to be represented as an evil and cruel pagan deity, the Great Elder of the North, the ruler icy cold and blizzards that froze people. This was also reflected in Nekrasov's poem "Frost - Red Nose", where Frost kills a poor young peasant widow in the forest, leaving her young children orphans.
With the weakening of the influence of Christianity in Russia in the late XIX - early XX century, the image of Morozko began to soften. Santa Claus first appeared at Christmas in 1910, but did not become widespread.
In Soviet times, after the rejection of the ideas of Christianity, a new image of Santa Claus was spread: he appeared to children on New Year's Eve and gave gifts; this image was created by Soviet filmmakers in the 1930s.
In December 1935, Stalin's comrade-in-arms, member of the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR Pavel Postyshev published an article in the Pravda newspaper, where he proposed organizing a New Year celebration for children. A children's New Year's party was organized in Kharkov. Some modern illiterate students of history accuse Stalin of inconsistency for not destroying Santa Claus, since Santa Claus, in their opinion, is a "children's god."
He comes to the holiday with his divine granddaughter -. The modern collective image of Santa Claus is based on the hagiography of St. Nicholas, as well as descriptions of the ancient Slavic deities Pozvizd, Zimnik and Korochun. Unfortunately, all the ancient myths and legends of the Slavs were destroyed after, because we know practically nothing about the ancient Slavic beliefs and traditions (see).
The peculiar nature of the interpretation in Christianity of pagan deities (religious competitors of Christianity, albeit beloved by the people, whom the clergy certainly represented as extremely evil and cruel) determined the behavior of Santa Claus inspired by the clergy - after the introduction of Christianity in Rus', he began to collect sacrifices - to steal naughty children and take them to bag. Such a church interpretation made it possible to inspire rejection of pagan gods from childhood.
However, over time, after the introduction of restrictions on the irreconcilable ideology of Christianity and the spread of later post-Christian humanistic traditions, especially after the final ban on Christians burning people at the stake (in the first quarter of the 19th century), Father Frost, in the opinion of Russians, became kinder and began to give gifts to children.
This image was finally formalized in the USSR: the ancient Slavic God Santa Claus became a symbol of the most beloved national holiday - which replaced the holiday of the Nativity of Christ (allegedly the birthday of the god of a foreign people from the Sinai Desert), hitherto, with the full support of the authorities, imposed by the church on the people of Tsarist Russia for almost whole millennium.
The professional holiday of Santa Clauses is celebrated every last Sunday of August.
Recently, November 18 was announced as the birthday of the Russian Father Frost - according to long-term meteorological observations, a stable snow cover falls on most of Russia on this day. But this is nothing more than the current Russian commercial amateur performance based on the Christian tradition of the Nativity of Christ. Of course, the great Slavic Gods do not and cannot have "birthdays", because they are eternal and arose in the minds and beliefs of people back in the early Paleolithic at the very beginning of the post-glacial period, and possibly even earlier.
About the ancient beliefs of the Slavs, about their four great solar holidays, incl. about the great two-week pagan New Year's Yule-Solstice, which marked the beginning of our modern New Year's holiday (which is simply a truncated Yule, from which now only the last and most magical 12th Yule Night remains - our New Year's Eve), about the forced Christianization of the Slavs by the Varangian invaders-enslavers , about the destruction of Slavic mythology (because now the Slavs do not have their own mythology), see on p. and in the accompanying articles on p., given after the "Dictionary of Slavic Gods".
Traditions
Santa Claus is our beloved Slavic God and fairy-tale wizard. From young to old, from edge to edge of the Russian land, every person is familiar with him.
Since ancient pre-Christian times, among the pagan Slavs, Santa Claus has been the divine ruler of the winter cold, snow and wind, frozen rivers and snowdrifts. Initially, he was presented as a powerful old man of huge growth with a long gray beard. Harsh winters, in the understanding of our ancient Slavic ancestors, were the work of an old man with a staff. He was perceived as a powerful wizard with a rather severe character.
And now we love his winter patterns on the windows. He, of course, did not change his staff, and a blizzard still lives in his beard. Still the powerful old man freezes the rivers with ice and sweeps impassable snowdrifts.
In the wardrobe of Santa Claus there are long-brimmed fur coats of three colors: white, blue and red, on a gray-haired head a boyar hat decorated with multi-colored crystals, in his hands he holds a staff and a bag with gifts. According to the old tradition, he moves on a trio of magnificent white horses, symbolizing the three winter months. His divine granddaughter, the Snow Maiden, helps Santa Claus to do good deeds. Like all gods and wizards, Santa Claus can punish the heroes of fairy tales for the evil and dishonest acts, and help in the most desperate moment.
Unlike the traditional Snow Queen in Northern Europe, Santa Claus multiplies his magical power, not freezing people's hearts, but rather warming them with his love. Santa Claus always gives other characters the opportunity to correct their mistake, the Snow Queen never helps the heroes of fairy tales in any way. Possessing the same power in the matter of freezing all life on earth, they are completely different in the temperature and kindness of their hearts. The heart of the Snow Queen is a piece of ice, and the Russian Santa Claus brings us such kind warmth of his ancient pagan Slavic soul that it can only be compared with the warmth of the sun.
There are significant differences between our ancient Slavic Father Frost and the Western European Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus, Santa Claus). Santa Claus is quite strict, but fair, as a beloved Slavic God should. And in Santa Claus, there is no trace of greatness. How else?!
Can you imagine a European rattling Santa in a remote Russian village? Imagine Santa iceing the rivers? Paves frosty snowy paths for travelers? Sweeps snowdrifts? Who, in the most difficult circumstances, comes to the aid of his people, who are losing their strength, and freezes the invincible armies of invaders into ice with unprecedented cold and turns the invincible armies of invaders into dust, as he did with the army of Napoleon, and with the army of Hitler near Moscow and near Stalingrad? Of course not! Therefore, our great Russian pagan God Santa Claus is always with us, no matter how hard the clergy try to eradicate him from our Russian soul.
The quivering Santa Claus is just a Western businessman and merchant: he has been in Coca-Cola commercials since 1931. Our mighty Santa Claus, unlike our Western neighbor, gives gifts to absolutely all children, and not just those who have behaved well. And the size of Santa Claus's generous gifts is not limited to the size of the socks in which Santa Claus puts his gifts. The soul of our beloved Slavic God Santa Claus is wide and generous. Good and beautiful it .
And with each New Year's gift left under the Christmas tree for kids and adults, the power of Santa Claus grows and the Goodness on earth increases.
Santa Claus and the Russian Orthodox Church
The attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church towards Santa Claus is ambiguous, on the one hand, as a pagan deity and magician (God of a different religion, which means a religious competitor that contradicts Christian teachings), and on the other hand, as an invincible Russian cultural tradition, with which to fight - only embarrass yourself and expose your weakness.
In 2001, Bishop Maximilian (Lazarenko) of Vologda and Veliky Ustyug announced that the Russian Orthodox Church would support the project "Veliky Ustyug - Fatherland of Father Frost" only if Father Frost was baptized.
Such a statement of the Orthodox hierarch was generated by a complete misunderstanding of the essence of the phenomenon - the absurdly powerful and formidable Russian pagan God to be baptized as believers of a foreign Byzantine monotheistic religion that came to Rus' later. So the Russian Orthodox Church in its current unbridled pride will wish to baptize the ancient Greek Zeus, and at the same time - Allah, Buddha and all other gods of other religions, in order to collect their profits not only from the Orthodox, but also from other believers. Mastering the famous New Year's brand would allow the ROC to further increase its income.
However, it is precisely for gross violations of basic Christian truths and indiscriminate exorbitant greed in acquisition that the modern ROC has been declared a pariah Church in the Christian world. But the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church, who in the post-Soviet era became owners of personal billions of dollars, are not too worried about this situation. After the further growth of the ROC into power, you look, and we will see the baptism of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden, shameful for the ROC, into Orthodoxy. Then the Russian Orthodox Church, now richer than Gazprom, will have access to another source of its already considerable income.
Veliky Ustyug is the current "business homeland of Father Frost"
On the initiative of Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, since 1999 the tourist business project “Veliky Ustyug - Father Frost's birthplace” has been operating in the Vologda Oblast. Tourist trains from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vologda go to Veliky Ustyug, specialized bus trips have been developed.
During the first three years (from 1999 to 2002) the number of tourists visiting Veliky Ustyug grew from 2,000 to 32,000. According to the Governor of the Vologda Oblast Vyacheslav Pozgalev, since the beginning of the project, more than a million letters from children from various countries have been sent to Santa Claus, and the turnover in the city has increased 15 times and unemployment has decreased.
Great Ustyug. The estate of Santa Claus in the summer.
Estate of Santa Claus in winter.
Estate of Santa Claus in winter.
The gate to the estate of Santa Claus.
Ded Moroz and Snegurochka.
Hall in the tower of Santa Claus.
Oven for pies in the estate of Santa Claus.
House of the Snow Maiden in the estate of Father Frost.
The interior of the hotel in the estate of Father Frost.
Gift shop in the estate of Santa Claus.
The great Russian God and the betrayal of the Ivans,
not remembering kinship
Editorial article website for the 67th anniversary of Victory Day
History of Santa Claus
Great God of our ancient pagan ancestors
Grandfather Frost - the formidable and omnipotent Russian pagan God - appeared with us a very long time ago (not like the western clowning rattling Santa Claus). This is a real-life spirit, alive, by the way, to this day.
Twice, saving Rus' from a fierce advancing enemy, when the Russian people were already losing their last strength in fierce battles, and the enemy was approaching Moscow, the hitherto cheerful Russian Santa Claus turned into a harsh, invincible General Frost and came to the rescue. And the two most powerful armies in the world at that time (Napoleon and Hitler), General Frost mercilessly turned to dust and froze into ice with hitherto unprecedented cold.
If it happens now, the western silly Christian Santa will not come to save the Russians.
Once upon a time, even before the advent of Christianity in Rus', our ancestors believed that the spirits of the dead guard their family, take care of the offspring of livestock and good weather. Therefore, in order to reward them for their care, every winter people gave them gifts.
On the eve of the holiday, the village youth put on masks, turned out sheepskin coats and went from house to house, caroling. Different regions had their own peculiarities of caroling. The hosts presented the carolers with food.
The meaning was precisely that the carolers were the spirits of their ancestors, who received a reward for their tireless care of the living. Among the carolers there was often one "man" dressed the worst of all. As a rule, he was forbidden to speak. It was the oldest and most formidable spirit, he was often called simply Grandfather. It is 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, the pagan rites of the church that came from Byzantium to Rus' were "abolished", but exist to this day.
The carolers depict not the spirits of ancestors, but heavenly messengers, which, you see, is practically the same thing. It is already difficult to say who to consider as Grandfather, but there is an "older" even now.
Master of winter
According to another version, the "great-great-grandfather" of the modern Russian Santa Claus was the hero of Russian folk tales Morozko or Frost the red nose, the master of weather, winter and frost. Initially, he was called Grandfather Treskun and was represented as a little old man with a long beard and a disposition as harsh as Russian frosts. From November to March, Grandfather Cracker was the sovereign master of the earth. Even the sun was afraid of him! He was married to a despising person - Zima. Grandfather Treskun or Father Frost was also identified with the first month of the year - the middle of 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 snowstorms. People say about January like this: fireman and jelly, snowman and cracker, fierce and fierce.
Cool temper
In Russian fairy tales, Santa Claus is portrayed as an eccentric, strict, but fair spirit of winter. Remember, for example, the fairy tale "Morozko". Good hardworking girl Morozko froze, froze, and then bestowed, and evil and lazy - he froze to death. Therefore, in order to avoid trouble, some northern peoples are still coaxing old man Frost - on solemn nights they throw cakes, meat, pour wine over the threshold of their dwellings so that the spirit does not get angry, does not interfere with hunting, does not destroy crops.
Appearance
Santa Claus was represented as a gray-haired old man with a beard to the floor in a long thick fur coat, felt boots, a hat, mittens, and with a staff with which he froze people.
Location
It is difficult to say unequivocally where the Russian Santa Claus lives, since there are a lot of legends. Some say that Santa Claus comes from the 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. Although in the fairy tale of VF Odoevsky "Moroz Ivanovich" Frost's red nose in the spring moves to the well, where "it is cold even in summer."
Later, Santa Claus had a granddaughter Snegurka or, the heroine of many Russian fairy tales, a snow girl. Yes, and Santa Claus himself has changed: he began to bring gifts to children on New Year's Eve and fulfill innermost desires.
As you can see, the origin of the Russian Santa Claus is fundamentally different from the European Santa Claus. If Santa Claus was a real historical figure who was elevated to the rank of a saint for good deeds, then the Russian Santa Claus is a pagan almighty God, a character of folk beliefs and fairy tales.
Despite the fact that the modern image of Santa Claus was already formed under the influence of the European New Year's character, most of the characteristic Russian features remained. To this day, Russian Grandfather Frost walks in a long fur coat, felt boots and with a staff. He prefers to move on foot, by air, or on a sleigh drawn by a frisky troika. His constant companion is the granddaughter of the Snow Maiden. Santa Claus plays the game "I'll Freeze" with children and hides gifts under the Christmas tree on New Year's Eve.
History of Christian Santa Claus
The prototype of the Western European Santa Claus was St. Nicholas, who was born in the 3rd century in the city of Patara (Asia Minor, Lycia) to very wealthy parents. Saint Nicholas is one of the most revered Christian saints. This honor fell to him for his great kindness to people and for the many miracles he performed. Later, he became a bishop in the city of Myra (now Demre, a small town not far from Phenicia), therefore he received the name of Mirliki. In this town, he even erected a monument. In some countries, it is said that St. Nicholas threw purses full of gold into the houses of the poor, and many believe that the saint threw purses through the chimney, and they fell into shoes, which were left to dry by the hearth.
Therefore, in many Western European countries, even today it is customary to hide New Year's gifts, especially for children, in boots, shoes, or shoes. European settlers who settled in America in the 7th and 18th centuries brought with them the legends about St. Nicholas. One of the first churches built in what was then New York was Sinter Klaas or Sint Nicholas, later called "Santa Claus".
Where was Santa Claus born?
The modern image of the good-natured fat Santa Claus appeared in the United States relatively recently, on Christmas Day 1822. It was then that Clement Clark Moore wrote the poem "The Coming of St. Nicholas", in which the Saint appeared as a cheerful and cheerful elf with a round, tight belly, indicating a passion for delicious food, and with a smoking pipe. As a result of the reincarnation, Saint Nicholas got down from the donkey, acquired eight deer, and in his hands appeared a bag with gifts.
Where does Santa Claus live
Many northern countries are still arguing about where Santa Claus lives. Some believe that he lives at the Sererny Pole, others that he settled in the town of Rovaniemi in northern Finland. In modern Finland, there is even a special service for answering on behalf of Santa Claus, and this is understandable, because. on average, in December, he receives up to 80 thousand letters from children from different countries with requests and wishes.
The English Santa Claus comes from the nickname Sinterklaas (from the word "ash") St. Nicholas (in the Orthodox tradition Nicholas the Pleasant) by the first Dutch settlers in America. He was considered the patron of sailors and children, for whom he prepared gifts all year long, and on Christmas night he delivered them and left them in stockings prepared for gifts. True, it began to be considered so later, and among the Dutch, Sinterklaas was rather a stern educator, for he poured ashes into the stockings of those children who did not behave as they should.
The main Christmas character gained particular popularity after the American professor of Greek and Oriental literature, Clement Clark MUR, in 1822 wrote a poem for his children for the holiday about St. a bag full of presents to leave for the children. In a fur coat, with a white beard and a red nose, he rides on a team of eight deer, and his approach can be recognized by the creak of runners and the melodious ringing of bells tied to deer necks.
The poem quickly sold out and became popular, which somewhat offended the professor, as he was very serious and did not approve of the fun that the celebration of Christmas turned into.
And forty years later, cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus, and the image acquired completeness: a red fur coat and headdress, a wide leather belt and sparkling black boots.
Russian Santa Claus looks different, and his story goes back to the ancient pagan gods, to Morozko from Slavic folklore. Santa Claus is the pagan God of our ancient Slavic ancestors. He is from those ancient times when there was no Christianity in the world.
If Santa Claus is more like a gnome, then Santa Claus is a giant, a hero, every winter he patrols his possessions, ices rivers and lakes, and, at the same time, gives gifts to children. Its peculiarity is, before presenting a gift, often to ask to perform something for yourself, to tell a poem, to sing a song, to dance, to solve a riddle. This is not because of greed - just his broad soul asks for joy. But for the voiceless, legless, suffering from sclerosis, everything pays off with the fact that our Grandfather has a Snow Maiden - she will not only always give gifts, but she can also kiss.
Features of Russian Santa Claus
Santa Claus (Morozko).
The external features of Santa Claus and his invariable attributes are as follows:
1. Santa Claus wears a very warm hat with fur trim. Attention: no bombs and brushes!
2. Santa's nose is usually red. (No bad analogies! It's just VERY COLD in the far north! And the divine Grandfather is not afraid of alcohol.) But a blue nose is also allowed due to Grandfather's snow and ice origin.
3. Santa Claus has a beard to the floor. White and fluffy like snow.
4. Santa Claus wears a long thick fur coat. Initially, the color of the fur coat was white; then, at the very beginning of the twentieth century, it became blue, cold; in Soviet times, it changed to "revolutionary" red, which is completely stupid in relation to the pagan God. At the moment, two options are allowed - white and, in extreme cases, blue.
5. Santa Claus hides his hands in huge three-fingered mittens.
6. Santa Claus never wears belts and usually does not tie his fur coat with a sash. His fur coat has internal fasteners. The sash appeared already in the 20th century.
7. Santa Claus prefers only felt boots. And it is not surprising, because at - 50 gr. With (usual northern air temperature) in boots, even the Snow Master's feet will freeze.
8. Santa Claus always has a magic staff with him. Firstly, to make it easier to wade through the snowdrifts. And secondly, according to legend, Santa Claus, while still being "wild Frost", with this very staff "froze" the people.
9. A bag of gifts - 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 he himself takes out gifts from it. He does this without looking, but he always guesses who is waiting for what gift - that's why he and God.
10. Santa Claus moves on foot or on a sleigh pulled by a troika, or instantly moves in a mysterious divine way, which we are not given to know about. He also likes to cross his native expanses by skiing. Cases of using deer by Santa Claus are not registered - they are too small for our mighty God.
11. The most important difference between the Russian Santa Claus is his constant companion, the granddaughter of the Snow Maiden. It is understandable: alone and in the far north, where there are only seals and penguins, you can die of longing! And with the granddaughter it is more fun.
P.S. And Santa Claus never wears glasses and never smokes a pipe! God's eyes and habits are all right.
The origin of New Year's grandfathers of different nations
In some countries, local gnomes are considered the ancestors of the fairy-tale New Year's character, in others - medieval wandering jugglers who sang Christmas songs, or wandering sellers of children's toys.
The ancestor of our modern Russian Santa Claus is the East Slavic spirit of cold Treskun, he is Studenets, Frost. The image of our Santa Claus has evolved over the centuries, and each time has brought something of its own into it.
Among the ancestors of the Western European New Year's Elder Santa Claus (but not our Father Frost!) was a very real person. In the 4th century, Archbishop Nicholas lived in the Turkish city of Mira. According to legend, he was a very kind person. So, once he saved three little daughters of a distressed family by throwing bundles of gold coins into 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. An international scandal erupted. This story made so much noise that Nicholas became the object of reverence and worship of Christians from around the world.
In the Middle Ages, the custom was firmly established on Nicholas Day, December 19, to give gifts to children, because the saint himself did this. After the introduction of the new calendar, the saint began to come to the children at Christmas, and then on the New Year. Everywhere the good old man is called differently, in England and America - Santa Claus, and in our country - Santa Claus.
The costume of the European Santa Claus also did not appear immediately. At first he was depicted in a raincoat. By the beginning of the 19th century, the Dutch depicted him as a slender pipe smoker, skillfully cleaning the chimneys through which he threw gifts to children. At the end of the same century, he was dressed in a red fur coat trimmed with fur. In 1860, the American artist Thomas Knight decorated Santa Claus with a beard, and soon the Englishman Tenniel created the image of a good-natured fat man. We are all familiar with this Santa Claus.
Who is he - our old friend and all-powerful good wizard Russian Santa Claus?
Our Frost is a pagan God and a character of Slavic folklore. For many generations, the Eastern Slavs created and kept a kind of "oral chronicle": prose legends, epic tales, ritual songs, legends and tales about the past of their native land.
The Eastern Slavs have a fabulous image of Frost - a hero, a blacksmith who binds water with "iron frosts". The Frosts themselves were often identified with violent winter winds. Several folk tales are known, where the North Wind (or Frost) helps lost travelers, showing the way.
Our Santa Claus is a special image. It is reflected in ancient Slavic legends (Karachun, Pozvizd, Zimnik), Russian folk tales, folklore, Russian literature (A.N. Ostrovsky's play "The Snow Maiden", N.A. Nekrasov's poem "Frost, Red Nose", a poem by V.Ya. Bryusov "To the King of the North Pole", the Karelian-Finnish epic "Kalevala").
Pozvizd - Slavic god of storms and bad weather. As soon as he shook his head, a large hail fell on the ground. Instead of a cloak, the winds dragged behind him, snow flakes fell from the hems of his clothes. Pozvizd rushed swiftly through the heavens, accompanied by a retinue of storms and hurricanes.
In the legends of the ancient Slavs, there was another character - Zimnik. He, like Frost, was presented as an old man of small stature, with white hair and a long gray beard, with an uncovered head, in warm white clothes and with an iron mace in his hands. Where he passes - there expect a cruel cold.
Among the Slavic deities, Karachun stood out for his ferocity - an evil spirit that shortens life. The ancient Slavs considered him an underground god who commanded frost.
But over time, Frost changed. Stern, in the company of the Sun and Wind, walking around the earth and freezing to death the peasants who met on the way (in the Belarusian fairy tale "Frost, Sun and Wind), he gradually turns from a formidable into a fair and kind grandfather.
And yet, let's try to determine the main features of the appearance of the Russian Santa Claus, corresponding to both historical and modern ideas about this fairy-tale wizard. According to one of the researchers of the image of Santa Claus - candidate of historical sciences, art critic and ethnologist Svetlana Vasilievna Zharnikova - the traditional image of Santa Claus, according to ancient mythology and color symbolism, suggests:
The beard and hair are thick, long and gray (silver). These details of appearance, in addition to their "physiological" meaning (he is an old god - gray-haired, but full of divine power and energy) also have a huge symbolic character denoting power, happiness, prosperity and wealth. Surprisingly, it is the hair that is the only detail of the appearance that has not undergone any significant changes over the millennia.
The shirt and trousers are white, linen, decorated with white geometric patterns (a symbol of purity). This detail is almost lost in the modern idea of a costume. The performers of the role of Santa Claus and dressers prefer to cover the neck of the performer with a white scarf (which is acceptable). As a rule, they do not pay attention to trousers or they are sewn in red to match the color of the fur coat (a terrible mistake!)
Fur coat - long (ankle-length), always silver (entirely embroidered with patterns of silver threads), in extreme cases, blue, embroidered with silver (eight-pointed stars, geese and other traditional ornament), trimmed with swan down. A fur coat of red "revolutionary" color appeared under the Soviet regime. Some modern theatrical costumes, alas, sin with experiments in the field of colors and substitution of materials. Surely many have seen a gray-haired wizard in a green 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 open) or has pronounced buttons, then you have a suit of Santa Claus, Per Noel or one of the foreign brothers of Santa Claus. But the replacement of swan down with white fur, although not desirable, is still acceptable.
Hat - the color of a fur coat, embroidered with silver and pearls. Trimming (hall) with swan down (or white fur) with a triangular cutout made on the front (stylized horns). The shape of the hat is semi-oval (the round shape of the hat is traditional for Russian tsars, it is enough to recall the headdress of Ivan the Terrible). In addition to the imposing attitude to color described above, theatrical costume designers of our time tried to diversify the decoration and shape of Santa Claus's headdress. The following "inaccuracies" are characteristic: replacing pearls with glass diamonds and gems (permissible), the absence of a cutout behind the rim (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 purity and holiness of everything that he gives from his hands. Three-fingeredness has been a symbol of belonging to the highest divine principle since the Neolithic. It is not known what symbolic meaning modern red mittens carry.
The belt (permissible, but undesirable) is white with an ornament in the color of a long fur coat (a symbol of the connection between ancestors and descendants). Nowadays, it has been preserved as an element of the costume, having completely lost its symbolic meaning and the corresponding color scheme. It's a pity...
Shoes - white boots embroidered with silver (or, in extreme cases, boots embroidered with silver with a raised toe, the heel is beveled, small in size or completely absent). On a frosty day, Santa Claus always puts on white felt boots embroidered with silver. White color and silver are symbols of the moon, holiness, north, water and purity. It is by shoes that you can distinguish the real Santa Claus from the "fake".
A more or less professional performer of the role of Santa Claus will never go out to the public in boots or black boots! As a last resort, he will try to find at least red dancing boots or ordinary black felt boots (which is also very undesirable).
Staff - crystal or silver-plated "under the crystal". The handle is twisted, also in a silver-white color scheme, without a hook-shaped top. The staff is completed by a lunnitsa (a stylized image of the month) or a bull's head (a symbol of power, fertility and happiness). It is difficult to find a staff that matches these descriptions these days. The fantasy of decorators and props almost completely changed its shape.
Differences between our Santa Claus and the enemy Santa Claus
1. Red color.
From the history:
Modern traditions of Santa Claus robes:
It is desirable that it be real silver - white, almost entirely embroidered with silver patterns.
Santa Claus can be in a red or blue robe embroidered with patterns.
It is permissible that it be "golden" - yellow, embroidered with "golden" threads.
The attire of a real Santa Claus does not cover a solid color - it is necessarily diluted with patterns, embroidery, trim (white or blue), etc.
In the clothes of an alien Santa Claus, an aggressive solid red color prevails (exclusively this one!), And only the edge of his miserable jacket is sometimes white.
The red robes of Santa Claus were introduced during the Soviet era as ideologically consistent with the color of the international proletarian revolutionary red flag. This is ridiculous. Santa Claus is an ancient pagan god of our ancestors of very old "pre-proletarian" times.
Clothing color - red:
It is unlikely that this is a Russian grandfather!
2. Cap. The most typical feature! The real Santa Claus can NEVER be in a cap - on it boyar hat. And on Santa Claus - this vile jester's cap with a pom-pom, like a prankster gnome, which immediately gives him a frivolity and parody, atypical for Santa Claus.
How do you see the cap -
Be sure: this is the enemy!
3. Outerwear. On Santa Claus should be a long fur coat to the ground, preferably without any belts, from under which no pants should be visible. Pants destroy all solidity. What Santa Claus has under a fur coat is sacred and cannot be put on display.
Santa Claus is wearing a short jacket (sometimes just below the waist, sometimes even up to the waist), intercepted by a belt. Below the katsaveyka are red pants.
Remember that in such mocking clothes the true Santa Claus of our Russian winter will never endure.
If you see pants on Grandfather -
Know: this Grandfather is not from our country!
4. Shoes. Santa Claus is always wearing boots, often of a shortened type, which again is ridiculous for our climate. Santa Claus should only have felt boots!
Kohl on Grandfather's boots -
Know that enemies walk in them!
5. Beard. Santa Claus has a short beard, like a kind of civilized old man, and also curly, like a lamb from a children's postcard.
All this is absolutely not typical for Santa Claus. Father Frost's beard is wild, long, tousled by the free wind, and, in most cases, there is no sugary curlyness in it.
Short beard?
This is trouble from the West!
6. Growth and volume. Santa Claus is impressive in growth, mighty well, like a true divine ruler of the New Year!
Santa Claus, in accordance with the Russian winter, is wearing a lot of warm clothes, and all the clothes are real, fur, thick.
So Santa Claus is necessarily impressive in size and in terms of volume, but it is precisely because of warm clothes that the Russian god does not suffer from obesity and other health disorders.
Santa Claus is indecently small in stature. As for volume, Santa Claus is quite skinny. Well, yes, his clothes are thin figs, so, for the sake of formality.
If Grandfather is both skinny and shallow -
Drive away such boldly!
Sometimes it happens that in terms of volume, Santa Claus, on the contrary, rushes to the opposite extreme and becomes fat and round. But remember that his thickness always looks unnatural and caricature, while all the proportions of the mighty Santa Claus, as befits a god, are always majestic and harmonious, and his thickness never conflicts with his height.
7. Points. Also, for Santa Claus, such a sign of culture as glasses is typical. Santa Claus does not have this feature. How can this omnipotent spirit of Nature - Santa Claus - have such a physical defect as myopia?!
Myopia is inherent only in those who are corrupted by a pernicious civilization, who are tamed and domesticated to the point of complete degeneration, as happened with Santa Claus.
Santa Claus is a mighty Russian pagan god, he is strong and slender, completely healthy, and he doesn’t care about anything! If necessary, he can drink in divine quantities, while not getting drunk at all!
8. Snow Maiden. It's also a hallmark. Santa Claus never had and never will have a granddaughter, because his mutilated prototype is St. Nicholas, like any Western saint, was a chaste impotent.
And our natural Santa Claus has a granddaughter, everyone's favorite Snow Maiden! So there are two of us, and Santa Claus wanders forever alone!
9. Staff. Please note: the staff of Santa Claus is the standard staff of a Catholic bishop (for it is not for nothing that Santa Claus comes from St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra): a stick with a curved top. But Santa Claus does not have to St. Nikolai has nothing to do with it, therefore his staff is always only straight, it can have a round knob on it. Or in the form of a snowflake star; the staff should not be rounded in any way.
10. Deer. Only Santa Claus moves, as the Americans teach us in their movies and cartoons, on reindeer across the sky. Deer have never been a means of transportation for Santa Claus.
For our Grandfather, the deer is small and weak. Santa Claus can sometimes ride a Russian troika. And not in the sky, but on the ground, or rather on the snow, - he is the flesh of the flesh of this snow, this earth, this nature. Why should he break away from his native roots?
Snow dust rises from under the sleigh runners, a frosty wind beats in the face - Santa Claus is rolling with daring and bells!
A dashing troika rushes across the Russian Land - then the owner of Winter, Grandfather Frost, travels around his boundless possessions!
But more often Santa Claus moves instantly in a divine mystical way, and there is nothing for us to climb into sacred matters.
11. Socks on the fireplace. This applies only to Santa Claus, not to Santa Claus.
The socks on the mantelpiece are a purely Western tidbit: supposedly Santa Claus comes down the chimney and puts a gift in the sock. However, what to explain - a fool understands that there have never been any fireplaces in Rus'. Yes, and our mighty Grandfather will not crawl into some narrow fireplace, why would he?
In addition, Santa Claus would never have appeared with us in such a primitive and mundane way as they have: "Penetrating into the house through pipes and windows, he puts gifts in stockings, most often hung on the fireplace, and tinkles with bells, as if announcing the arrival of the New Year."
Santa Claus appears in our homes in a certain mystical way, truly like a pagan spirit, no one really knows how he appears - we only know that he WAS in our house ... But in a Western manner to try to explain this sacred secret in a rational way is blasphemy.(As in Christianity, a blasphemous rational explanation of the Resurrection of Christ.)
And further. Our Santa Claus is a real generous Russian soul, he is not so miserable and tight-fisted as to limit his gift to the size of an idiotic striped sock!
12. Other related paraphernalia- all sorts of wreaths, bells, etc., including the songs "Jingle Bells" and others. This is all purely Christmas paraphernalia and is associated only with Santa Claus. Attribute all this Western consumer goods and garbage to the image of Santa Claus should not be.
P.S. Relation to Santa Claus
In many articles posted on the Internet, you can read the following statement: "Santa Claus is not alone, he has relatives in many countries. The closest and most important of them is Santa Claus. And the story of Santa Claus, like Santa Claus, begins with St. Nicholas."
This is a blatant lie! Santa Claus is not a relative of Santa Claus and our ancient pagan Santa is much older than St. Nicholas and all of Christianity ().
WHAT IS SANTA CLAUS DANGEROUS?
What would you say if the artist depicts our fabulous Emelya as a cowboy against the backdrop of the American prairies? Or will Vasilisa the Beautiful be portrayed as a mulatto? Surely, such a discrepancy between the signature and the image will make you smile. You will simply laugh at the wild fantasy of an unreasonable artist. It is only in stupid Hollywood films that the ancient Greek singer Orpheus can be represented by a black man.
And what will your children and grandchildren say when they see such pictures?
At the current pace of Americanization, your grandchildren, or even children, will take such pictures for granted! They will be sure that the cowboy is part of Russian culture, and any Russian folk tale must certainly contain black characters.
Don't believe? But in vain!
Ask your child to draw Santa Claus - and he will most likely draw Santa Claus for you!
Your children already forget what a real Santa Claus looks like.
Forgetting our Santa Claus and our New Year's traditions, we gradually forget our own culture, while not acquiring someone else's at all.
And we become just rootless and dependent miserable imitators (as has already happened in our economy), losing our past, present and future.
Now churchmen are trying to portray our ancient Slavic ancestors as just some kind of savages, whom only the adoption of Christianity brought to civilization. Of course, this is a complete lie.
Our Slavic ancestors had their own developed culture, and considerable scientific knowledge, which made it possible to always have an accurate solar calendar tied to annual astronomical events, and beautiful architecture (all stone Slavic pagan temples were demolished by Christians), and their ancient gods, and , keepers and creators of the then great Slavic culture.
It was as a result of the forced baptism and drenched in Slavic blood, carried out by the conquering Varangians to strengthen their then shaken power, that our Slavic ancestors were deprived of their writing, their past, and their primordial gods, who united the people and symbolized glorious ancestors.
The baptism of the Slavs by the Vikings was accompanied by massacres of dissenters. As a result of the genocide carried out during the Christianization, the Slavic population was reduced from approximately 12 million to 3 million people.
(Also, about Prince Vladimir and the baptism of Rus', see.)
We still have the echoes of this thousand years of being in slavery in the form of the hopeless subordination of the people to any authorities, the constant Russian scientific and technical backwardness, the humiliated position of Russians, who still have neither their own national territorial formation, nor their own Russian capital. So in the Russian Federation, the lands are either national non-Russian, or common. And only 31% of Russians now live in the capital of the Russian Federation, Moscow.
The last thing that still remains with us from the ancient beliefs and traditions of our Slavic pagan ancestors is our Russian Santa Claus.
For a 2-week sacred New Year's holiday of our ancient Slavic ancestors, see.
From the story of Santa Claus
The creation of Santa Claus as an obligatory character of the New Year's ritual is attributed to the Soviet authorities and is dated to the end of the 1930s, when after several years of the ban, the Christmas tree was again allowed.
The rapid process of developing this image as an indispensable participant in the children's holiday of the Christmas tree became possible in the pre-war years only when relying on the literary tradition and everyday practice, which in its main features had developed long before October ...
This image is already recognizable: “good Moroz Ivanovich” - a “gray-haired-gray-haired” old man who, as he “shakes his head, frost falls from his hair”; he lives in an ice house, and sleeps on a featherbed made of fluffy snow ...
On the one hand, according to Nekrasov's poem "Frost, Red Nose" (1863), he is portrayed as a harmful atmospheric spirit, which is credited with the ability to have a detrimental effect on a person ...
On the other hand (mainly in poetry for children), its positive counterpart is born, the main function of which is the formation of "healthy" weather and the creation of winter "magic" ...
Nekrasov’s “Frost, Red Nose” also begins to “work” to create this image, from which only the fragment “It’s not the wind that rages over the forest ...” is taken for children’s use, where the main character, torn out of the context of the poem, acts as a “voivode”, unlimited ruler of the winter forest and a magician who puts his "kingdom" into "diamonds, pearls, silver"...
At the same time and regardless of the literary image of Frost, a mythological character arises and develops in the urban environment, "managing" the Christmas tree and, like the Christmas tree itself, originally borrowed from the West. In the course of the reorientation of the Christmas tree "on domestic soil" and the creation of pseudo-folklore Christmas tree mythology, the design of Santa Claus took place. This character was formed in the process of searching for answers to children's questions: where does the Christmas tree come from in the house, who brings it, who gives gifts? ..
The process of name unification stretches over several decades: old Ruprecht (1861) - isolated cases pointing to the German tradition; St. Nikolai or Grandfather Nikolai (1870) - the option is discarded early, since among the Russians, as already noted, Nikola never acted as a donor; Santa Claus (1914) - only when depicting Western Christmas trees; just an old man living in the woods in winter (1894); kind Morozko (1886); Frost Yolkich (1890s)…
In the struggle for the name, Santa Claus turned out to be the winner. There is no analogue to this name in any Western Christmas tree character. In East Slavic mythology, Frost is a respected creature, but also dangerous: in order not to arouse his anger, he had to be handled with care; asking not to destroy the harvest, he was cajoled; they scared the kids. But along with this, he also acted as the Grandfather (deceased parent, ancestor) coming on Christmas Eve ...
On Christmas tree holidays, Santa Claus does not appear immediately, but in the middle or even towards the end of the celebration. According to popular notions, any guest is always welcome and should be an object of veneration as a representative of a foreign world.
So Santa Claus becomes welcome on the Christmas tree, and he should be invited, which is quite consistent with the ritual of inviting mythological characters - ancestors or the same folklore Frost. Santa Claus, in essence, becomes the ancestor-giver. Therefore, they call him not an old man or an old man, but a grandfather or grandfather.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the image of Santa Claus had finally taken shape: he functions as a toy on the Christmas tree, the main figure standing under the Christmas tree, an advertising doll in the windows, a character in children's literature, a masquerade mask, a giver of the Christmas tree and gifts.
At this time, the opinion about the “original”, antiquity of this image is affirmed: “Grandfather Frost ... suddenly appears in the hall and, just like a hundred or two hundred years ago, and maybe a thousand years ago, together with the children, dances around Christmas trees, singing an old song in chorus, after which gifts begin to pour out of his bag for children "...
When an anti-religious campaign began in the USSR in the mid-1920s, not only the Christmas tree, but also Santa Claus turned into “religious rubbish” and began to be regarded as a “product of the anti-people activities of the capitalists” ... Poets who were in the service of the Soviet Union took part in the anti-Christmas campaign authorities, such as Demyan Bedny, who wrote:
Under "Christmas" at lunchtime
Old-fashioned Christmas grandfather
With such a long, long beard
Poured fabulous "Santa Claus"
With a Christmas tree under his arm, he carried a sleigh,
Sledge with a five-year-old child.
There is nothing Soviet here!
Together with the rehabilitation of the Christmas tree at the end of 1935, the denunciations of Father Frost also ceased, after some doubts, he was completely restored in his rights. Organizers of children's trees got the opportunity to take the initiative, compilers of books - recommendations on the arrangement of Christmas trees wrote scripts, which eventually led to the development of a standard ritual of a public children's tree.
If earlier children received various gifts that differed both in quality and material value, now Santa Claus brought the same packages for all children, which he took out of his bag in a row.
Fairy houses of Santa Claus,
Snow Maiden and Snowman
Palace of Father Frost and Snow Maiden in the Wild Far North.
Hall with a Christmas tree in the Palace of Santa Claus.
This tree grows in this hall, its roots are in the earth, and therefore it never crumbles.
Sitting on a sofa under the Christmas tree, Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden discuss and come up with their own gifts for the kids.
When the Snowman comes to visit them, he also likes to sit on this sofa.
Ice house of the Snowman next to the palace of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden.
The Snowman cannot live in the palace - he is hot there.
Christmas tree in the North near the palace of Father Frost.
Father Frost's dacha with an outbuilding for the Snow Maiden.
The floating palace of Santa Claus on an iceberg near Antarctica.
This iceberg never melts, because Santa Claus constantly freezes it.
And this non-melting iceberg can float on all seas and oceans.
School of children's drawing
How to draw Santa Claus?
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
How to draw a Christmas tree?
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Option 4
Option 5
Option 6
A Christmas wreath can be fashioned from salt dough and later used simply as a candlestick.
Such a wreath can be sculpted with a child. Depending on the age, instruct the child to pour salt and flour into a bowl, mix them, knead the dough, roll out the bundles, paint the wreath, sprinkle with "rain" or sparkles.
To make salty dough, take equal amounts of salt and flour, add a little water and knead thoroughly to make an elastic dough.
Salt dough can be used to make various table decorations, beautiful pedestals for festive dishes, and even children's toys.
See our wonderful site for many different homemade jewelry.
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Roll up a tourniquet from salt dough and close it into a flat ring. |
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Roll up two thin flagella, twist them and lay them around each candle. |
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Roll out 8 oval cakes. Stick them between the candles, as shown in the photo. Make cuts with a knife. |
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The wreath can be left unpainted, or it can be painted with ordinary watercolors or gouache. |
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Tint the cones with gouache and attach them between the candles. |
Santa Claus can be molded from plasticine, salt dough (see above) or.
And if you try, you can make a big Santa Claus out of the snow, and install it near the house.
Final review:
Where is Santa Claus?
In Russia, Father Frost and Snegurochka congratulate those celebrating the New Year.
And how do they celebrate the New Year in Hungary and Yakutia? Is there a Santa Claus in Japan and China?
How does a Christmas grandfather dress in Mongolia or Georgia?
Let's inspect the Santa Clauses of all countries and continents.
It turns out that there are many winter wonderworkers around the world and each has its own residence.
What are they, "overseas Santa Claus", and where do they live?
Site Kaas (Sinter Klaas) - Holland
Saint Basil - Greece, Cyprus
Papa Noel - Spain
Kris Kringl (Yulnissan, Yul Tomten (Yolotomten)) - Sweden
Ületomte (Ülemanden) or Saint Nicholas - Denmark
Sho Hing, Sheng Dan Laozhen - China
Saints Mikalaus - Western Slavs
Saint Schaland - Savoy
Sook-Taadak - Altai Territory
Father Christmas - England
Pascual - Colombia
Grandfather Mikulas - Czech Republic
Ded Zhar - Cambodia
Sanderklaas - Netherlands
Mosh Jerile - Romania
Sylvester - Austria
Pakkainen - Karelia
Ayaz-ata - Kazakhstan
Oji-san - Japan
Zul - Kalmykia
RUSSIA
In Russia, relatively recently, Grandfather Frost was given a fiefdom and built a wooden tower in Veliky Ustyug, not far from Vologda.
Veliky Ustyug is located in the northeast of the Vologda Oblast. This is an ancient city founded in 1147, the birthplace of Russian explorers Yerofei Khabarov, Semyon Dezhnev, Fedot Popov.
Veliky Ustyug is a beautiful city - an open-air museum, one of the oldest cities in the Russian North, which has preserved a rich cultural heritage.
Since 1999, it has been declared the birthplace of the All-Russian Santa Claus.
The fabulous palace, built in 1998, is located 15 km from the town on the banks of the Sukhona River.
The town of Veliky Ustyug.
(What the patrimony of Santa Claus looks like - see above.)
In the background - the tower of Father Frost in his estate, which is 15 km from Veliky Ustyug.
NORWAY
FINLAND
In Lapland, beyond the Arctic Circle, lives the American Santa Claus (aka the Finnish Joulupukki). In 1984, he arrived in the suburbs of the city of Rovaniemi with numerous assistants - gnomes. The construction of the residence cost 2.5 million euros.
Santa Claus in Finland is called Joulupukki, not too euphonious, because in Finnish Joulu is Christmas, and pukki is a goat. Previously, he used to go from house to house, with goat horns on his head and in a sheepskin coat with fur outside.
The Finns believe that it is their Santa Claus who is real because he lives in Lapland (other contenders for the title of real Santa Claus live in Canada, Greenland and our Veliky Ustyug). Joulupukki lives in a well-equipped cave in the Arctic Circle in the city of Rovaniemi with his old woman Muori, yes, the Finnish Santa Claus is married, but he does not like to talk about his wife.
Previously, Joulupukki went from house to house with horns on his head and in a sheepskin coat with fur outside. In one hand there is a bag with gifts, in the other a bundle of rods, in Finland, bad children are not supposed to receive gifts on Christmas.
The current Joulupukki looks like Santa Claus, rides in a sleigh on a deer, whose name is Petteri red muzzle. Unlike Western Santa Claus, Finnish children know their Joulupukki by sight: he does not climb pipes and does not wait for everyone to fall asleep, but brings gifts personally on the evening of December 24th. Therefore, children in Finland receive gifts earlier than children in other countries.
Finnish Santa Claus is very old, so old that he does not remember how old he is. But he does not lag behind technological progress - he has a red mobile phone, of course Nokia.
Joulupukki has assistants, gnomes. The house of Joulupukki and old Muori is full of gnomes who help with the housework and, most importantly, pack gifts. Where do gnomes come from? From fir cones. The old woman collects cones in the forest, puts them in a large cauldron at night and wraps them in a warm blanket. By morning the gnomes are ready.
Finnish children write letters to Santa Claus with a list of gifts that they give to their parents to correct mistakes. So Finnish Santa Claus (and parents) always know how to please the kids. Children always make Christmas gifts from colorful pieces of paper, beads, gold and silver ribbons. In Finland, handmade decorations and postcards are highly valued.
AUSTRIA
The Austrian Santa Claus was originally by no means a positive character. The name of the New Year's old man is also Weinnachtsman, in translation it means "night man."
According to legend, many years ago, Weinnachtsman was an evil spirit, at night he flew over Vienna, looked into the windows of houses and, seeing awake children, stole them for subsequent execution.
Weinnachtsman was re-educated about 300 years ago. It happened like this. Returning from a hunt with another child in his arms, the “night man” stumbled upon a chimney sweep. The latter, apparently out of love for children, hacked the villain in full.
After that, the Weinnachtsman sharply became kinder and swore off doing dirty deeds. Now, every New Year, he gives the kids marzipan gingerbread and a chimney sweep figurine for good luck.
SWEDEN
In the village of Tomteland, in the province of Dalarna, Santa rests when he comes to Sweden. In this country, however, his name is Tomte. Elves and dwarves, whose houses were built in the same place, help grandfather sort out the mail.
There are two Santa Clauses in Sweden. The first is a stooped old man with a knobby nose, his name is Yultomten, that is, a forest man, and he lives in the legendary Lapland. The second friend of the children is called Yulnissaar, he is a nimble little dwarf. Grandfathers Frost work in pairs, on New Year's Eve they walk the streets and leave gifts on the windowsills of houses.
ENGLAND
British Phaser Christmas (Dad Christmas) is not much different from Santa Claus. On the eve of the holiday, little Englishmen write touching letters to him, in which they first confess all the sins committed during the year, then talk about personal achievements, followed by a long list of gifts. Maybe at least one of them will deliver the good Phaser Christmas to its destination! The children throw their messages into the fireplace. According to legend, it is the smoke of the burnt letter that is the conductor through which Phaser Christmas receives Christmas correspondence.
As you know, Santa Claus in England is called Santa Claus. On holidays, theaters show children performances based on old English fairy tales.
Before going to bed, children prepare a special plate for gifts from Santa. In addition, the children prepare a shoe in which they put hay for the donkey.
Throughout New Year's Eve, merchants sell all kinds of gifts, tweeters, masks, toys, balls on the streets.
For many years in England there has been a tradition to exchange cards for the New Year. The first postcard was printed in London in 1843.
The bell announces the coming of the New Year. The bell starts ringing before midnight. But he does it in a whisper. To do this, he is specially wrapped in a blanket. And exactly at twelve the bell is uncovered and it begins to beat at full power. In order for the lovers not to part next year, they must kiss at this moment. This tradition of the British deserves attention!
FRANCE
Despite the fact that the British have been enemies of the French since the time of the Maid of Orleans, the Parisian Père Noel differs from the London Phaser Christmas only in the place of registration. Even the name of the French Santa Claus is also translated - Father Christmas.
However, in addition to the standard friend of children, like the single European currency, the French also have their own national New Year's hero - Don Schaland. He lives in the southern provinces of France, his beard is pitch black, he is dressed in a travel cloak, and in his sack he holds various instruments for torturing naughty children.
Don Shaland is an evil and terrible spirit of winter, however, if you sing a magic song to him, he will soften and will not touch juvenile tomboys.
SPAIN
In sunny Spain, winter holidays are celebrated for 13 days in a row: they start with Catholic Christmas and buzz until January 6 - the Day of the Magi. On the eve of the holidays, the whole team of Santa Clauses is poisoned to congratulate the children. At Christmas, Santa Claus and three wise men visit the little ones.
And on December 28, children are amused by the national character Olentzero. He is dressed in a homespun shirt and a straw hat, on his belt he wears a flask of wine, which he treats to the children. On December 28, among other things, the Spanish Feast of Disobedience, on this day children are allowed to do anything, for example, to taste the wine kindly offered by Olentzero.
CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVAKIA
In the Czech Republic there is Grandfather Mikulas; he, like the German Santa Nikolaus. It arrives on the night of December 5-6, on the eve of St. Nicholas Day. Outwardly, it looks like the Russian Santa Claus: the same long fur coat, hat, staff with a top twisted into a spiral. Only now he brings gifts not in a bag, but in a shoulder box. Yes, and it is not the Snow Maiden who accompanies him, but an angel in snow-white clothes and a shaggy imp. Mikulash is always happy to give good and obedient children an orange, an apple or some kind of sweetness (that is, something tasty and edible!). But if in the "Christmas boot" a hooligan or a loafer found a potato or a piece of coal - this is definitely Mikulash. According to legend, Mikulash has a daughter named Snezhinka. She constantly sits at home and knits a fluffy snow cover for the earth.
It is not clear how Mikulash gets along with another New Year's character Hedgehog!
Hedgehog (Hedgehog) - Surely this is the most modest New Year's character in the world. So, in some countries of Eastern Europe, the traditional character is Hedgehog (Baby Jesus). Throwing gifts at children's houses, Hedgehog carefully makes sure that no one sees him. Apparently it is for this reason that nothing is known about the appearance of this good-natured man. But, as soon as the Christmas bell rings on the Christmas tree, thousands of Czech and Slovak children rush to look at the gifts they got. "Who brought it?" - asks another unintelligent kid. "Hedgehogs!" happy parents answer.
YAKUTIA
The Yakut Ehee Dyyl took deep family roots at the "Pole of Cold", in the area of \u200b\u200bthe villages of Oymyakon and Tomtor, where the temperature in winter dropped to minus 71.2 degrees Celsius (at minus 78 ° C, carbon dioxide freezes, the record low temperature on our planet is - minus 91.2 degrees Celsius - recorded in Antarctica on December 8, 2013 in the area of the Japanese station "Fuji Dome").
This New Year's character, apparently, settled better than other New Year's colleagues.
Judge for yourself: his wife Kyhyn Khotun is in charge of winter time; the three daughters of Saaschaan, Sayyina and Kuhyuney distribute spring, summer and autumn duties among themselves.
What Ehee Dyyl himself does is not entirely clear.
But it is known for sure that he has two grandchildren: the eldest granddaughter is Haarchaana, the patroness of snow, and the youngest grandson is Tyalchaan.
Of the living creatures, Grandfather Dyla has only one bull, but what a !!! Every autumn, he (the bull) comes out of the Arctic Ocean and grows his horns until the middle of winter. The higher the horn, the lower the thermometer falls. From mid-January, the bull's horns gradually fall off, and by March he himself dies under the scorching sun.
It is Ehee Dyul who congratulates the kids on New Year's trees.
The Yakut Santa Claus also has an enemy: the evil lord of frosts Chyskhaan, who seeks to destroy all life.
The evil Chyskhaan is on the far left, the good Ehee Dyyl is the second on the right, on the right is the eldest granddaughter of Grandfather Dyyl Khaarchaan, the patroness of snow.
Second from the left is the Russian Father Frost, the all-powerful lord of frost and weather on the planet.
IN MONGOLIA - Uvlin Uvgun
Uvlin Uvgun - like Ehee Dyla, the whole family manages the New Year's household among the Mongols. The head of the family is assisted by Zazan Ohin (snow girl) and Sheena Zhila (New Year boy). Uvlin Uvgun himself, as expected, is a great cattle breeder, and therefore he comes to the holiday in traditional Mongolian cattle breeder clothes.
Well, in order not to forget about business on New Year's Eve, from December 31 to January 1, the Mongols celebrate another cattle breeder's night. 
Sinderkalas arrives in Amsterdam on a ship, he does not distribute gifts himself, this honorable mission is carried out by his retinue - Moors in magnificent turbans.
Gifts for children are brought by Black Pete. This is the assistant of St. Nicholas, according to the legends of Holland and Flanders, delivering gifts through the pipe to good children on St. Nicholas Day, and the saint has many such helpers. The origin of the character is not entirely clear; most likely, it arose due to the fact that in the paintings the Magi were sometimes depicted accompanied by exotic servants (in the images of St. Nicholas, such servants appeared in the period after the fall of Granada), including the Moors. Initially, St. Nicholas had only one black servant, and was considered either a chimney sweep with a smeared face (after all, gifts are delivered through pipes dirty with soot), or a demon, or simply a slave freed by Nicholas, who, out of gratitude, decided to accompany the saint in his wanderings. In addition to delivering gifts, Black Pete is able to flog those who misbehaved with a whip, in addition, it is he who carries with him a book in which all the actions of children, both good and bad, are recorded.
KARELIA
Specialists have only recently become aware of the existence of Pakkaine, so this character is young both literally and figuratively. His birthday is December 1st. According to legend, Pakkaine was born at the beginning of winter. In memory of his unusual birth, his parents named him Pakkaine, which means "Frost" in Karelian. When Pakkaine grew up, he traveled the world a lot - after all, in ordinary life he was a merchant. He brought overseas sweets and various outlandish goods to his Olonets shop. And every New Year, Pakkaine returns to his homeland in the form of Santa Claus.
HUNGARY
Hungarians love their saints very much, even birthdays are celebrated here much more modestly than Angel Days. So on New Year's Eve, not Santa Claus comes to congratulate children, but St. Sylvester, his holiday falls on January 1. The Saint is dressed in a golden robe, on his head he has a high hat resembling a papal tiara.
On the evening of December 31, he begins his procession through the streets of Budapest. During the walk, Sylvester blows his pipe all the time, the kids open the windows of the houses and begin to buzz in response.
GREECE AND BULGARIA
In these two countries, St. Basil is in charge of winter celebrations. On Christmas Eve, the Saint cruises the streets of small and large cities, looking for houses where children live. The little ones help Vasily with all their might: in the evening they put their shoes and slippers on the threshold. According to tradition, the Greek-Bulgarian Santa Claus puts gifts in children's shoes left at the entrance to the house.
JAPAN
The traditional Japanese Santa Claus, Segatsu-san, has a hard life. Firstly, now he is being oppressed in every possible way by the newcomer Oji-san - a modified version of the American Santa Claus. The new Santa Claus has appeared in the land of the rising sun relatively recently, but more and more children prefer Oji-san, mainly because of the traditional red sheepskin coat and the famous reindeer team. Secondly, Segatsu-san has to go from house to house for a whole week, which the Japanese call "golden". Segatsu-san is dressed in a sky-blue kimono, but he does not give gifts to kids, his parents do it for him.
CHINA
In China, Santa Claus is called simply and uncomplicated: Dong Che Lao Ren or Shan Dan Laozhen. Despite the exotic name, the habits of the Chinese grandfather from the famous Santa Claus are not at all different. On New Year's Eve, he also comes to the children's bedrooms and fills the stockings hung on the walls with gifts. Dong Che Lao Ren looks like a wise old man: he is wearing silk robes, his long beard sways in the wind, and he rides a donkey around the country.
GEORGIA
In Georgia, Santa Claus is called Tovlis Babua, he comes from the highland village of Ushguli, he wears not a sheepskin coat, but a black chokha with a white cloak, he has a Svan hat on his head. Tovlis Babua takes out gifts for the kids from the magic sack of a sack. On the eve of 2006, the Georgian Santa Claus arrived in Tbilisi on December 27 by helicopter, moving around the city in a white limousine, accompanied by an escort of motorcyclists. During the New Year celebrations, Tovlis Babua settled in a Svan tower located on the territory of the ethnographic museum.
CUBA
But Santa Claus never made it to Cuba. Instead, the gospel magicians walk around the houses of the Island of Freedom: Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar. They give gifts to children.
LATIN AMERICA
The most exotic-looking Santa Claus lives in Colombia, Panama, Ecuador and Uruguay. On the eve of the New Year, he walks the streets on stilts, and his name is Pasquale. Seeing a miracle on long legs, the locals immediately begin to whistle, throw firecrackers, shout and shoot guns. Thus, the inhabitants of Latin America are trying to drive Pasquale away, because the local Santa Claus personifies the old year, which does not want to end.
MUSLIM COUNTRIES
The Muslim Santa Claus is called Khizir Ilyas, he wears a green robe embroidered with flowers and a red cap wrapped in a scarf. In his hand, of course, a bag of gifts. Santa Claus gets to Muslim countries very late, only in the spring on the day of the vernal equinox (the beginning of astronomical spring on the planet, a holiday). But, better late than never.
In ancient times, our Slavic ancestors also celebrated the onset of the New Year on the Day of the vernal equinox - see.
Gift Traditions
All Santa Clauses bring gifts, but everyone does it in their own way:
Russian Santa Claus puts a gift under the Christmas tree.
In the sock, gifts are found by the British and Irish, and in the boot - by the Mexicans.
New Year's gifts are thrown down the chimney in France, and onto the balcony in Spain.
In Sweden, Santa Claus puts gifts on the stove, and in Germany he leaves them on the windowsill.
TO It seems that Santa Claus has always existed. In fact, the familiar image of a fabulous grandfather with a bag of gifts developed in the 19th century. Where did Santa Claus live before this and was he at all? Let's delve into history.
D ve thousand years ago, the northerners, in order to appease Frost, threw meat and cakes over the threshold. If the treat was pleasant, Frost did not punish the northerners with a severe cold. The Huns worshiped their god, Yerl, who appeared on earth on the first day of the year. Treats were prepared for his arrival and Christmas trees were put up.
IN V. I. Dahl’s dictionary defines the word grandfather as an honorary nickname for a brownie. Therefore, for the ancient Slavs, Grandfather is a deceased ancestor who became the protector and symbolic head of the clan. The ancient Slavs believed that Frost was the common progenitor of all families, so for him there was a common ritual, which was different from the veneration of other spirits. Santa Claus was honored both on the days of the winter solstice and in the spring, so that the stern Santa would keep the crops, and not destroy them with frost.
WITH the advent of Christianity, the day of veneration of Santa Claus, became known as the Easter of the Dead, as it was celebrated after the church Easter. Doors and windows opened wide. Treats for the spirits were placed under the table and outside the window. Great Grandfathers entered through the door, and lesser spirits flew in through the window. During the meal, Santa Claus was asked for help, and if the ancestor remained an argument with a treat, he helped his descendants.
WITH Over time, Santa Claus has become a character of folklore. In the legends, Grandfather appeared, ruling the winter, to whom blizzards, blizzards, frosts and snows obeyed. Santa Claus was described as a small old man with an uncovered head, with thick, silver hair and a long, half-gray beard. Grandfather wore warm, white clothes and never parted with an iron mace.
ABOUT Santa Claus was distinguished by a formidable and tough temper, where he hits with his mace - there expect severe cold and burning frosts.
P Santa Claus existed under many names in fairy tales and legends: Zimnik, Moroz Ivanovich, Santa Treskun, Frost Elkich, good Morozko. During the time of Peter I, Old Ruprecht came from German fairy tales, and then Grandfather Nicholas - the prototype of St. Nicholas of Myra.
P Gradually, the appearance of the modern Santa Claus took shape. From an evil ancient spirit, Santa Claus turned into a kind, fairy-tale character, without which it is unthinkable to imagine the New Year.
P Maybe the children grow up and do not take for granted that Santa Claus really exists, but the pieces of a fairy tale and a miracle that they touched in childhood remain in their souls forever.
H and finally, let's watch a 4-minute video from Papacarus Ravlyk, where the story of Santa Claus does not look as attractive as we would like, and find out who Santa Claus is.
History of Santa Claus. Who is it, where did it come from?
With the New Year, we associate many things that are probably already deeply rooted in our genes. This is a Christmas tree, garlands, Olivier and, of course, Santa Claus with the Snow Maiden.
But in fact, each culture has its own New Year's character, which has certain historical and cultural roots. For some of them, this history is calculated in centuries, and for someone only for years. And in fact, they have only one thing in common - they bring gifts.
I think it's time to figure out what these New Year's characters are.
Let's start with the closest and most familiar to us Santa Claus. Few people know such an obvious thing that Santa Claus is an ordinary product of Soviet propaganda and he appeared around 1937.
Among historians, there are two versions of its appearance. Since these years had a huge number of repressions and prohibitions, which were not least directed against religion, Soviet propagandists urgently needed to create new traditions. Therefore, Christmas faded into the background, giving way to the New Year.
The second version is more prosaic. According to her, the incentive to create a new holiday and character was just the desire of the authorities to distract the population from real problems, in particular from repression. Well, the Soviet propaganda machine was so professional that thanks to it, not only the New Year, but also a lot of Soviet is still in the minds of the population.
In Ukraine, for example, in recent years, the tendency to return to pre-Soviet customs has been gaining momentum, therefore, gradually replacing Santa Claus, St. Nicholas takes his rightful place. It was he who was once the main symbol of Christmas, not even the New Year.
According to legend, the tradition of giving gifts appeared after Nicholas, being the son of a rich merchant, secretly threw gold coins to a poor girl so that she could marry her beloved. A rumor spread around the city that it was a gift from an angel, and Nikolai continued to secretly distribute various gifts to those who really needed them.
Initially, his day was celebrated on December 6, but later it was decided to move this holiday closer to the Christmas market. This happened during the years of the Reformation, which opposed the veneration of saints. But already during the Counter-Reformation, St. Nicholas was firmly entrenched as a character of Christmas who gives gifts.
In Holland, St. Nicholas was called Sinterklaas, the story of him, along with the Dutch colonists, came to America, where he became Santa Claus. Over the years, this image has taken root, has become a character in numerous fairy tales, commercialized and has become the main symbol of Christmas in the United States. But even the tradition of hanging socks over the fireplace comes from stories about St. Nicholas.
Can any of the children or adults imagine such a beloved and long-awaited New Year's holiday without the most important guest of Santa Claus. All people are waiting with equal impatience for both of them. The capricious queen from the fairy tale "Twelve Months" claimed that there would be no New Year until snowdrops were brought to her. But in reality, the New Year does not come until the most welcome guest, Grandfather Frost, comes to visit.
But what is the story of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden? How did Santa Claus and his granddaughter appear? Has he always been a grandfather? Very young children are more interested in what gifts he has in the bag, and older children already want to know more about him and his companion.
The history of the appearance of Santa Claus - a good grandfather goes far into the past, there is no unequivocal opinion who exactly became his prototype. There are several versions and legends that reveal the secret of the appearance of a magical character:
Lord of the Cold
Similar characters appeared long ago in ancient Russian legends. People believed that the lord of cold wanders through fields and forests, wrapping them in snow, knocking with a staff, freezing rivers and lakes, and drawing patterns. They called this Vladyka Moroz, Grandfather Studenets, Morozko, Grandfather Treskun or Moroz Ivanovich. This gray-haired old man not only freezes, he also looks after nature, helps plants and animals survive the frosty winter. Morozko did not give gifts to children and did not wish Happy New Year, his main task was to take care of nature.
Spirit of the ancestors
Ancient people believed that the spirits of the dead take care of the living and protect nature. As a token of gratitude, people performed a kind of ritual, depicting the spirit of the dead, and went from house to house. For this they received remuneration from the owners. The oldest person among all carolers portrayed a formidable spirit, for which he was called Grandfather. Probably, he could become the predecessor of Santa Claus, with the difference that the participants in the ceremony received gifts, and Santa Claus, on the contrary, brings them.
Ancient Varuna
In the rituals of antiquity, falling on the period of the winter solstice, during Christmas time, depicting the sun, it was customary to draw his legs. This meant that all roads were now open to the sun. Now the sun begins its new journey in a circle, which increases the daylight hours and frees nature from snow and ice. By analogy with the ancient Varuna, in Rus' this is facilitated by Santa Claus, who also connects the world of the living and the dead and helps the souls of the dead return to Earth with rain or snow. It was from Varuna that the winter guest known to us adopted the custom of judging people by their deeds and repaying according to their merits, to be a strict and fair judge.
Evil Frost
There are several versions, according to which the prototype of dear Grandfather was completely opposite characters. According to one legend, he is known as an evil and cruel deity, the lord of cold and blizzards, the Great Northern Elder, who freezes people, and one day freezes a young widow to death and leaves her children orphans. According to another version of the pagan peoples, Santa Claus received sacrifices on earth, stole small children and carried them away in his bag.
St Nicholas
According to one version, many of the features of Santa Claus were inherited from a real person who lived before our era, the kind and disinterested Nikolai. Living in prosperity, he willingly helped the needy and those who were in trouble, he paid special attention to children. Everyone knows that Nikolai helped collect a dowry for the daughter of a poor peasant, he threw a bag of coins into the chimney, and the coins fell into the girl's sock drying near the fireplace. This legend marked the beginning of the tradition of hiding surprises - "Nikolaychiki" in children's socks. For his kindness, Nicholas began to be called a saint. And in many countries, the custom of giving gifts for the Christmas holidays has become entrenched.
Image and clothes
Previously, Santa Claus was portrayed in completely different clothes, which were radically different from the outfit we are used to. Now it’s hard to imagine that Santa Claus was once dressed in a raincoat. Then the artists worked on the image and outfit of the grandfather, and at the end of the 19th century he wore a red fur coat with white fur trim. Later, the image of a good-natured old fat man with a gray beard characteristic of his age was created.
Now the grandfather we know has such special signs:
Hair and a long beard to the floor(the same in all collective images of the character) - thick, gray-haired, symbolize power and happiness.
Shirt and trousers- white with the same snow-white pattern, symbolize purity. It is a mistake to dress grandfather in red trousers.
Fur coat- very long and exclusively red, with swan down trim and decorated with a silver pattern. A short sheepskin coat and fur coats of other colors belong to the wardrobe of grandfathers from other countries.
A cap- red, without tassels or pom-poms, with swan down trim, embellished with pearls and a silver pattern, with a V-neck at the front.
Mittens- always white, not red, decorated with a silver pattern, symbolize purity.
Belt- white with a red pattern, symbolizing the unity of the past and the present.
Shoes- felt boots or red or silver boots.
Staff- has a twisted silver handle, with a bull's head or a moon on top, which symbolizes fertility and power, the staff can freeze mischievous children and helps to move through the snowdrifts.
Bag- bottomless, full of gifts, always red.
Who is the Snow Maiden?
If with the advent of Grandfather Frost everything is very complicated and confusing, then the story of his granddaughter Snegurochka is known - this is the heroine of the New Year's play, which the audience has loved so much that her image has been popular for more than a hundred years. Although there was an image of a girl in a white coat before, it existed in folklore and this girl was called Snezhevinochka, Snegurka. Her name comes from the word "snow", because this girl was born from the snow.
Sometimes she is portrayed as a young girl, sometimes as a little girl, because there is a version that the Snow Maiden is the daughter of Grandfather Frost, but we know her as the granddaughter of a fabulous grandfather.
Be that as it may, not a single children's matinee can do without her, it is she who helps the kids to call Santa Claus for the holiday, it is she who is his permanent companion and assistant.
On holiday
On the holiday, Santa Claus manages to go around every house, but he does not invite anyone to visit him, so no one knows his exact address. People who believe in magic assume that his home is far in the North, in the land of ice and eternal winter. Many believe that grandfather may well live at the North Pole or that his home is in Lapland. Santa Claus will feel comfortable in any country where winter rules all year round.
Grandfather comes to visit on a sled flying through the air, which is harnessed by three horses, he can also come on skis or on foot. If someone had to see him on deer, keep in mind that Santa is in front of you.
Santa Claus comes to the children with the Snow Maiden, who is his granddaughter. Her clothes are snow-white in color, with a silvery ornament, and on her head she wears a crown with 8 rays. The image of the Snow Maiden is very close to children, she takes an active part in New Year's games and competitions and helps the children to invite Grandfather Frost to the holiday.
The appearance and character of Santa Claus were collected from many good and evil, real and fictional characters. Having traveled a long way, he appeared before us as a symbol of power, goodness, justice and holiness. Meeting with him marks the beginning of a new period in the life of a person and the whole planet, in which there will be only good, kind and the best.
Undoubtedly, the most beloved characters of the New Year holiday are Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden. The image of Santa Claus in Russian folklore has evolved over many centuries. Historians tend to believe that the prototype of our Santa Claus was the East Slavic spirit of cold Treskun, or, as he was also called, Studenets. More like our Santa Claus, the character of the old fairy tales Morozko, in later versions - Moroz Ivanovich, Moroz Elkich. This is the Spirit of Winter - strict, sometimes angry, grumpy, but fair. He favors and bestows good people, and he can freeze the bad ones with his magic staff. By the 1880s, a certain character with a bag of gifts by the Christmas tree had established itself in the public mind. True, they called him differently: the Yule old man, the Christmas grandfather, or simply the Christmas tree grandfather. Moroz Ivanovich appeared in literary processing in 1840 in the collection "Children's Tales of Grandpa Iriney" by V.F. Odoevsky. This kind gray-haired old man presents the Needlewoman with a “handful of silver coins” for good work, and teaches Sloth a lesson by giving her an icicle instead of silver. In Nekrasov's poem "Frost the Red Nose", the protagonist is evil, loving "to freeze the blood in his veins and freeze the brain in his head." In children's poetry of the late 19th century, Santa Claus is a kind wizard. By the beginning of the 20th century, the image of Santa Claus as a kind giver of Christmas trees and gifts was finally fixed. Traditionally, Santa Claus 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 white Santa Claus. Now Santa Claus most often comes in a red suit. His cap is semi-oval to match the fur coat. On the hands of the pet of the children are mittens. 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 a poetic version of the Russian folk tale about the revived snow girl. The official birth date 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 the writer came up with a new plot for an old fairy tale in the Shchelykovo estate. In 1874, The Snow Maiden was published in Vestnik Evropy, then an opera appeared, the music for which was written by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. Interestingly, at the 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 her astonishing 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 gravitation towards the ancient Russian custom and pagan pantheism, which was gradually manifesting in me, now flared up with a bright flame. There was no better plot for me in the world, 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 as a benefit performance for the Russian Opera Chorus. Soon The Snow Maiden was staged in Moscow, at the Russian Private Opera by S.I. Mamontov, and in 1893 at the Bolshoi Theatre. The opera was a huge success.
The image of the Snow Maiden, both as a daughter and as the granddaughter of Frost, was developed in children's and adult literature, in the visual arts. But it was precisely thanks to the beautiful fairy tale of Ostrovsky that the Snow Maiden fell in love with many and soon became a constant companion of Santa Claus. Only their family ties underwent some changes over time - from a daughter she turned into a granddaughter, but she did not lose her charm from this. The appearance of the Snow Maiden was formed 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 bandage on her head; white long snowy robe lined with ermine, a small fur coat. Before the revolution, the Snow Maiden never acted as a host at the Christmas tree festival.
In the twenties of the last century, the country embarked on the path of combating "religious prejudice." Since 1929, all church holidays have been cancelled. The Christmas day off became a working day, but "secret" Christmas trees were sometimes arranged. Santa Claus has become "a product of the anti-people activities of the capitalists" and "religious rubbish." The Christmas tree holiday was again allowed only on the eve of the new year 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 of happy childhood in our country. Since that time, Santa Claus has been fully restored in his rights. The Soviet Santa Claus brought packages in a bag with the same gifts for all children. In 1937, Father Frost and the Snow Maiden first appeared together at the Christmas tree festival 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 an astronaut took the place of the Snow Maiden on the Kremlin tree several times). So then it happened: a girl, sometimes older, sometimes younger, with pigtails or without, in a kokoshnik or a hat, sometimes surrounded by animals, sometimes singing, sometimes dancing. She asks Santa Claus questions, leads round dances with children, and helps distribute gifts. For many years, Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden have been decorating any New Year's holiday, whether it's a corporate party or a 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 so long ago, the Russian Santa Claus 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 the Kuzminki park. In November 2006, the Snegurochka's tower was 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 skilled Snow Maiden. On the second, there is an exhibition of gifts from children. These are drawings, clay crafts, snowflakes and other souvenirs dedicated to the New Year.
