The image of the Snow Maiden in different countries. New Year characters from different countries of the world. The modern image of the Snow Maiden

04.07.2020

In Russia, the tradition of giving gifts under the Christmas tree with a special mythological character, widespread in Europe, has taken root. The name of this character did not appear immediately.

The name of the donor was both Grandfather Nikolai, and Old Ruprecht (a character from the German tradition), kind Morozko, Moroz Elkich ...

But gradually Santa Claus firmly took his place at the Christmas tree. Gradually, from an evil grandfather, with which parents frightened children, Frost turns into a good wizard, the ruler of the winter forest, creating a winter holiday. To this day, everyone knows that Santa Claus lives in the forest and is friends with forest animals and birds.

The Christmas tree as a New Year's attribute appeared in Russia under Peter the Great and gradually became widespread. The tradition of decorating the Christmas tree comes from Germany.

There is a legend that the beginning of this tradition was laid by the German reformer Martin Luther. In 1513, returning home on Christmas Eve, Luther was fascinated and delighted with the beauty of the stars, which strewed the firmament so densely that it seemed as if the crowns of the trees sparkled with stars. At home, he put a Christmas tree on the table and decorated it with candles, and placed a star on top in memory of the star of Bethlehem, which showed the way to the cave where Jesus was born.

It is also known that in the 16th century in Central Europe on Christmas night it was customary to put a small beech tree in the middle of the table, decorated with small apples boiled in honey, plums, pears and hazelnuts.

So. Back to Santa Claus. :)

Minor infographic fix needed -

In Slovak it is not "Hedgehog" (this is in Czech, by the way), but "Hedgehog", but on December 6th it brings gifts "Dedo Mraz" or "Sveta Mikulas". ;)

If you notice further errors, let me know while the account allows me to fix it. :)

And also:

By Latvian- Salavecis.

AT Sweden By the way, there are two Santa Clauses: a stooped grandfather with a knobby nose - Yultomten and a dwarf Yulnissaar. Both the one and the other go home on New Year's Eve and leave gifts on the windowsills.

Sho Hing, Sheng Dan Laozhen - China.

In France also two Santa Clauses. One is called Per-Noel, which means Father Christmas. He is kind and brings gifts to the children in a basket. The second is called Chalande. This bearded old man wears a fur hat and a warm travel cloak. Hidden in his basket are rods for naughty and lazy children.

Sook-Taadak - Altaic edge.

Pascual Pascual - Colombia.

AT Italy the old woman Befana also comes to the children. On New Year's Eve, she flies into houses through the chimney and brings gifts to good children, and naughty children get only ashes.

In the country Basque Santa Claus's name is Olentzero. He is dressed in national homespun clothes and carries a flask of good Spanish wine.

Grandfather Zhar - Cambodia.

Sylvester - Austria(perhaps confusion, Sylvester = last day of the year?!)

Pakkainen - Karelia.

Ayaz-ata - Kazakhstan.

Oji-san - Japan.

Corbobo - Uzbekistan(literally "Snow Grandfather"). He is dressed in a striped robe and a red skullcap. Korbobo enters the villages on a donkey loaded with sacks of New Year's gifts.

Zul - Kalmykia.

Khyzyr Ilyas - Muslim countries. In early May, an old man named Khyzyr Ilyas comes to Muslim countries with gifts. He wears a red cap wrapped in a green scarf and a green robe with flowers embroidered on it.

Sexy Snow Maiden :)

Snow Maiden Courtney Stodden

Phuket

Snow Maiden around the world

Snow Maiden - the favorite New Year's guest of children, who accompanies Santa Claus everywhere, helps him cook and present gifts. From a literary character, she has become an obligatory "attribute" of the holiday, symbolizing tender beauty and meekness. A kind granddaughter obeys her grandfather in everything and fulfills all his instructions. He cites her as an example for capricious and disobedient children.

In the paintings of the first half of the 19th century, the Snow Maiden appears as a little girl, and only later does she acquire the features of a young beauty with a long braid. A fur hat or a kokoshnik crown is the preferred headdress of the Russian Snow Maiden.

A. N. Ostrovsky, who published the play The Snow Maiden in 1873, is considered the literary father of the girl who was molded from the snow. He drew this image from a Russian folk tale. In 1882, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov's opera based on this play was staged at the Mariinsky Theatre. In Ostrovsky's play, the Snow Maiden was not Grandfather Frost's granddaughter, but his assistant. Later, she was traditionally portrayed as his granddaughter, only her age constantly varied - either she was a little girl, or an adult girl. For some, she looked like a peasant woman, for others - like the Snow Queen ...

Whether there is a Santa's helpers in other countries ? With such a fabulous biography as the Snow Maiden - no, but there are characters who are just as loved, known and desired by children of different nations. In Italy, this is the fairy Befana, the Mongolian Snow Maiden is called Zazan Ohin, the German one is Kristinda. The Swedes also have their own legendary heroine - Lucia.

Although the Italian Befana not as tender and beautiful as the Russian Snegurochka - an old woman with a hooked nose - her arrival for children is a real holiday. The good fairy arrives on a broom, bringing with her gifts in a darned bag. Like the American Santa Claus, the sorceress in worn-out shoes descends the chimney and puts the presents in socks hung beforehand by the children and their parents. Obedient and kind candy awaits, all kinds of toys, and pranksters and naughty - coals - special sweets that color the tongue black.

The Mongolian Santa Claus, Uvlin Uvgun, has 2 assistants at once - the boy Zhin Shin (New Year) and Zazan Ohin or, as they call her otherwise, Snow Girl. Zazan Ohin loves to make riddles, and gives a gift only after he hears the answer.

The ubiquitous accompaniment of the formidable German Weinachtsman is a meek and beautiful Christkind. She always dresses in a long white outfit, covers her head with a veil, and holds a basket of fruits, sweets, nuts in her hand. Kind Christkind leaves a chance for naughty children to receive a gift. They sing songs for her, read poems.

Although the Swedish Snow Maiden is usually called a girl Lucia(Queen of Light), the story of her origin is tragic and rooted in past centuries. In Sweden, the feast of St. Lucia is dedicated to her, which in the Middle Ages was accompanied by superstitious rites. Today, the tradition of celebrating has changed radically. Lucia wears a long white dress, intercepted by a red ribbon at the waist, on her head there must be a wreath of lingonberries, in which lighted wax candles are inserted. The light emanating from them resembles a halo of a halo. The girl symbolizes the little Christ and is considered the patron saint of children.

Snow Maidens of the former CIS countries - unlike the European assistants of Santa Claus, the Snow Maiden of the republics of the former Soviet Union in an image resemble a Russian beauty.

In Armenia it is Junanushik(Snowy Anush). She wears a long fur coat decorated with gold/silver embroidery and fur trim, on her head is a luxurious kokoshnik crown.

Corbobo accompanies grandfather everywhere in Uzbekistan Korgyz. She is known for her talent as a needlewoman, so she makes all the gifts with her own hands.

The New Year cannot be complete without Ded Moroz and Snegurochka in Russia, Santa Claus and Rudolph the reindeer in English-speaking countries, and Joulupukki in Finland. About what other New Year's wizards come to visit children - in our material

Grandfather Mikulash and grandfather Ezhishek

Children in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are the first to receive their Christmas gifts. Local Santa Claus - St. Mikulash - comes to visit on the night of December 5-6, on the eve of the celebration of St. Nicholas Day. It is known that he is dressed in a long red fur coat, a high hat, and he has a staff in his hands, but instead of a bag with gifts, he carries a box behind his back. A good wizard has many friends: a chimney sweep, peasants, hussars, even Death. It is believed that on the journey Mikulash is accompanied by a snow-white Angel and a shaggy Devil, who tell the old man which of the kids to give an orange, apple or candy, and to which - a piece of coal or a potato. Angel carries with him a list of obedient and good children who studied diligently and helped their parents, and the Devil carries a list with the names of prankster children. However, little mischievous people have long learned to circle St. Mikulash around their fingers - it is believed that if you sing a song or tell a rhyme to him, the good old man will be touched and will present the treasured gift.

The second Santa Claus - Hedgehog - visits houses on Christmas, December 25th. Almost nothing is known about him, as no one has ever seen him. According to one legend, he is the brother of grandfather Mikulash, and they are very similar, only grandfather Ezhishek is very modest, according to another, baby Jesus himself throws gifts under the Christmas tree on Christmas. Be that as it may, Jerzyszek is careful that no one sees him while he throws gifts at the children's houses, but always announces his visit with a gentle chime of bells, which invariably decorate Christmas trees and houses in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Babbo Natale and Fairy Befana

In Italy, as in many other European countries, there are two Santa Clauses at once, one of which comes at Christmas, and the second, or rather, the second, on January 6th. New Year in Italy is not customary to celebrate on a grand scale, so they don’t have a person who brings gifts on this day, but it’s customary to visit with clean water, there is even a saying: “If you have nothing to give to the owners of the house, give new water with olive twig."

The Italian Santa Claus is called Babbo Natale, which means Christmas Father. There are two legends about its origin. The first connects Babbo Natale with Saint Nicholas, who lived in the 3rd century AD. According to the second version, the Christmas fairy-tale wizard was borrowed from the Americans. In any case, outwardly, he is not much different from Santa Claus - he is usually depicted as a plump man in a red coat trimmed with white fur, and with a gray beard, sometimes he even wears glasses. Like the American Santa Claus, Babbo Natale travels through the air in a sleigh pulled by reindeer and enters houses through a chimney. All Italians know that the Christmas Father is a big lover of milk, so they always leave a cup of milk and sweets on the table. However, he visits only those children who wrote him a letter in advance with a request to fulfill their cherished desires - for this, special mailboxes are even installed on the streets and in shops for letters to Italian Santa Claus.

And on January 6, children are looking forward to visiting the fairy Befana. She is usually depicted as an old woman on a broom, with a hooked nose and large teeth, dressed in all black. Behind her back is a bag with gifts and coals. There are several legends about the sorceress at once: according to one of them, the Befana fairy remained in Italy after the Magi did not take her on a journey to the newborn Jesus. Since then, she has been visiting the homes of little Italians to give gifts to obedient children and punish hooligans. Another says that the sorceress herself refused to visit Bethlehem and has since been looking for his cradle in Italian homes. Some New Year's legends say that Befana unlocks the doors of any house with a small golden key, according to others, the sorceress enters the house through the chimney. There are also many legends about how the fairy moves. Someone believes that the stars bring the fairy, and someone that she moves on a small donkey, and someone that she moves from roof to roof by jumping on a broomstick. It is customary for Fairy Befana to leave treats on the mantelpiece - a glass of wine and a saucer of food. There is a belief: if the sorceress liked the treat, she will certainly sweep the floor before leaving. On January 6, on the day of Saint Epiphany, the Befana fairy is symbolized by a doll, which is carried on a cart around the city, after which it is burned in the main square. Perhaps this tradition is due to the fact that Befana has long been considered an evil sorceress.

Melchior, Baltasar, Gaspard, Olentzero and Tio Nadal

Spanish children do not believe in Santa Claus. Instead of the traditional New Year's wizard, three Kings come to visit them at once, whom we used to call the Magi - without exaggeration, the oldest Christmas characters that are written about in the Bible.

On the eve of the Day of the Three Kings, it is celebrated in Spain on January 6, in all cities and villages there is a large colorful procession of the Kings. At the end of Melchior, Balthazar and Gaspar give a solemn speech, which invariably ends with the words: "This year all children will receive gifts!". The kings occupy each of their thrones, often installed in the center of the city, after which they call the kids to them and personally present the treasured gift.

At the same time, in the Basque Country and the province of Navarre, gifts are given to obedient children by Olentzero, the local Santa Claus. There are several legends about his origin - according to one of them, he comes from the giants of the gentilaks and was the first to know about the birth of Jesus Christ and bring this news to people. According to another, when Olentzero was a baby, a fairy found him and gave him to an elderly couple. When his adoptive parents died, Olentzero began making toys to give to the neighborhood kids. He died in a fire saving the children, but the fairy gave Olentzero eternal life. Usually Olentzero is depicted in national homespun clothes. This good-natured black-bearded fat man loves a good treat and will never refuse good wine - for this he even carries a flask with him.

In Catalonia, the place of Santa Claus is taken by a magic log named Tio Nadal. Little Catalans carefully look after the log - they feed it during the day and cover it at night. In gratitude for their care, the log gives them small edible souvenirs - sweets, nuts or fruits. In general, the Catalans believe that if a log is burned on Christmas and the ashes are kept all year round, this will protect them from evil spirits.

Yolasveinars

Icelandic Jolasveinars have nothing to do with either the Russian Father Frost or Saint Nicholas, better known as Santa Claus. According to legend, 13 sons appeared in the family of the cannibalistic giantess Grila and the lazy lazybones Leppaludi - Yolasveinarov, translated from Icelandic Christmas chaps or Christmas guys. Modern Christmas traditions present them in the form of mischievous joker gnomes, but until the beginning of the 20th century, the "fraternity" was considered nothing more than evil trolls, causing a lot of trouble to the inhabitants of the "ice country".

According to legend, the offspring of mother Grila appeared in the villages two weeks before Christmas, on December 12, and began to harm in every possible way - they stole cattle and food, broke dishes, made a mess in the house, and sometimes kidnapped children. In order not to be eaten, Icelandic children behaved well and obeyed their parents all year before Christmas.

Over time, the images of the Yolasveinars have been transformed - now these good-natured gnomes leave gifts in the shoes of obedient children, and not one, but thirteen, and to the same mischievous people like themselves, they give bumps of coal, a potato or even a stone. It is believed that the gnomes come in turn from the side of the mountains and linger in each house for 13 days, after which they also go back to their cave one by one.

At the same time, mother Grila and the pet of the Yolasveinars, a huge black Yule cat, the size of a bull, still bring genuine horror to Icelandic kids. On Christmas Eve, they sometimes come to cities and villages, where they lie in wait for naughty children or lazy people who did not have time to buy a new woolen dress for Christmas time. In 2010, one of the news agencies stated that the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano was the work of the insidious cannibal Grila.

Maulana Karenga

Since the 60s of the last century, the black population of the United States has been holding the African-American Kwanza Festival, which lasts from December 26 to January 1. The main purpose of the holiday is to support and preserve African traditions, established in the USA in the 17th-19th centuries along with black slaves. Kwanzaa, or First Fruit Festival, was coined by African American rights leader Maulana Karenga, professor at the University of California, Ph.D. He proposed to abandon the Christmas holiday, which he considered the "religion of the whites" and return to the "roots". However, over time, black Christians in the United States enjoy celebrating both Christmas and Kwanzaa. In addition, the holiday has gained popularity in Canada, where it is celebrated by everyone who is interested in African American culture.

Karenga, as the ideological leader of the holiday, also proposed the "seven postulates of Kwanza", one for each day - unity, self-determination, teamwork and collective responsibility, cooperation, purposefulness, creativity and faith. Maulana Karenga himself called them the principles by which a black person should be guided in his life in order to achieve progress.

According to tradition, adults and children decorate their homes, put on bright national clothes and participate in festive ceremonies - playing national musical instruments, chants, dancing, "bloodless" sacrifice, reading prayers and, of course, a feast.

Dr. Karenga can be safely called the New Year's wizard of African Americans - this man did no less for the "black" movement in the world than Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela.

Segatsu-san and Oji-san

In Japan, the New Year is celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, which was adopted in the land of the rising sun in 1873, although the date of the traditional Japanese New Year coincides with Chinese tradition and is usually located between January 21 and February 21. The tradition of celebrating this holiday has been preserved since ancient times - 108 bell strikes invariably announce the New Year. However, after the end of World War II, the Japanese borrowed some elements of Western culture. For example, in addition to the traditional ancient Santa Claus Segatsu-san, a younger, modern winter wizard, Oji-san, was added.

Segatsu-san, translated from Japanese as Mr. New Year or Mr. January, is dressed in a green or sky blue kimono. According to legend, a week before the New Year, he leaves his home in the small town of Shiogama on the island of Honshu and begins to bypass the inhabitants of Japan. This week is popularly called "golden". By his arrival, gates are built in front of the houses from bamboo sticks and pine branches, dwarf trees of pine, plum or peach are installed. Despite the fact that Segatsu-san does not give gifts, but simply wishes everyone a Happy New Year, he is a welcome guest in every home. There is a belief that on the night of December 31 to January 1, the inhabitants of Japan are visited by the Seven Gods of Fortune, who sail on a magical ship - especially for them, children leave images of sailboats on their pillows.

The second Santa Claus, Oji-san, appeared in Japan relatively recently - with the penetration of American traditions into the country. "Young colleague" Segatsu-san - the Japanese version of Santa Claus - copes with his duties in just one night. Oji-san, dressed in a red sheepskin coat and cap, moves along the sea, with him he brings gifts for all the inhabitants of the islands. Recently, little Japanese have adopted the tradition of writing letters to their Santa Clauses with cherished desires, according to statistics, more and more they choose Oji-san as the addressee, who will surely fulfill their wishes.

Ayios Vassilis

Greek Santa Claus has nothing to do with our traditional ideas about the New Year's wizard. Even his name is not St. Nicholas, but St. Basil - Agios (Agios) Vasilis, in honor of the Orthodox saint, who was born in 330 and received the nickname Great during his lifetime. Saint Vasilis lived only 49 years, during which he helped the poor and the needy, while he himself lived very modestly. He died on January 1, 379, since then the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. Basil the Great on this day. He was a tall and thin man with pale skin and a long black beard streaked with gray.

Despite the fact that in modern Greece, Agios Vasilis is portrayed as Santa Claus - in a red sheepskin coat with a gray beard - in the traditional view, he wears a costume resembling a priest's cassock, and has a tiara on his head. Saint Basil comes to homes not from the North Pole, but from his native city of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Another important difference is that Agios Vasilis does not carry a bag with gifts, since throughout his life his main gifts were the word and faith of Christ.

Another New Year's tradition, Vasilopita, is connected with the name of the Great Vasilis of Caesarea. This is a cake, without which not a single celebration in Greece and Cyprus is complete, where the saint is also very revered. According to one of the legends, in order to rid his hometown from invaders, the wise Agios Vasilis ordered the locals to bring all the most valuable things from home. The enemy retreated, and all the collected valuables were baked into pies, which were treated to all the inhabitants of the city. These pies were called Vasilopity. They are invariably baked on January 1, and a coin "for good luck" is always hidden inside.

Shan Dan Laozhen

In China, as in other countries of East Asia, the onset of the New Year is celebrated according to the lunar calendar and marks the arrival of spring. According to ancient beliefs, on the first day of spring, nature awakens and the earth comes to life, and the mythical animal Nian comes to Earth, which devoured cattle, grain, as well as children and villagers. Since then, it has been customary in China to leave food on the threshold of houses - it is believed that the beast will be satisfied and leave people alone. There is another belief: once Nian was frightened of a child in a red hanfu, since then, on New Year's Eve, it is customary to decorate their homes with red lanterns and scrolls to scare away the beast.

The Chinese call their Santa Claus Shan Dan Laozhen, there are other interpretations of the name - Dong Che Lao Ren, Sho Hin and others. Like the Russian Santa Claus, he wears a red robe and does not like to travel on foot, preferring to travel around his possessions on a donkey. Shan Dan Laozhen can safely be called the busiest Santa Claus on New Year's Eve - there are many children in China, but he always looks into every house and leaves a laysi - an envelope with a small amount of money for happiness. The Chinese believe that their New Year's elder studied the philosophy of Confucius, masters wushu and aikido. It is also believed to ward off evil spirits.

Khyzyr-Ilyas

Muslim countries celebrate two New Years at once. The first of them comes on the first day of the month of Muharram, but since Islamic countries use the lunar calendar, the holiday is shifted 11 days ahead. The second is called Hederlez and symbolizes the beginning of a new pastoral year (usually celebrated on April 23 in the Julian calendar and May 6 in the Gregorian). Santa Claus is called Khyzyr Ilyas here and he appears in the homes of kind and righteous people only at the beginning of May. He is usually portrayed as a gray-haired old man with a long gray beard, he wears a green embroidered robe and a red turban, and he carries a bag with gifts with him.

In fact, Khizir and Ilyas are two prophets, whose names have long been perceived as a single whole. According to Tatar beliefs, Khyzyr drank living water and received immortality. It is believed that he travels the world, helps those in need and punishes greedy people. Until now, the Tatars believe that it is impossible to offend an old man who met on the road or looked into the house, since it could be Khyzyr himself.

According to other legends, Khyzyr and Ilyas are brothers, they meet only once a year to bring Spring back to earth. On this day, Hederlez is celebrated. According to tradition, on the eve of the holiday, all houses are carefully cleaned, since the New Year's magician will not look into the dwelling of a slut. The hostesses also believe that if all the caskets, purses and pots with food are left open on a festive night, you can get the blessing of Khyzyr-Ilyas for prosperity in the family.

New Year is just around the corner! This holiday, like no other, is rich in paraphernalia recognizable by all: a Christmas tree, a round dance, gifts, Kremlin chimes, Russian olives, sparklers and, of course, Santa Claus with the Snow Maiden.

Santa Claus is a kind character who comes when all the children call him well, cools his unhidden hands with his mittens, listens to poetry, gives gifts and lights a garland on the Christmas tree. Every person in Russia knows very well what he looks like. His assistants are the granddaughter of the Snow Maiden and forest animals.

But not only in Russia they love New Year's fairy tales. Interesting, what is Santa Claus called in different countries peace? So, in a vowel role brothers of Santa Claus in different countries!

Name in order! Names of Santa Claus in different countries

First, it is worth listing all the New Year's grandfathers!

List of Santa Clauses from different countries:

Santa Claus (USA, Canada, Britain, Western Europe);
Joulupukki (Finland);
Jõuluvana (Estonia);
Yul Tomten Yolotomten (Sweden);
Yuletomte, or Saint Nicholas (Denmark);
Site Kaas (Holland);
Sho Hing (China);
Saint Basil (Greece);
Old Befana (Italy);
Father Noel (France, Spain);
Grandfather Mikulash (Czech Republic);
Sylvester (Austria);
Ayaz-Ata (Kazakhstan);
Baba mine (Azerbaijan);
Dzmer Papi, or Father Winter (Armenia);
Segatsu-san and Oji-san (Japan);
Khizir Ilyas (among Muslims).

In Colombia, Romania, Cambodia and many other countries, Santa Claus also has his own name (often difficult to pronounce).

The name of Santa Claus in different countries- This is only a small part of the story. After all, each of them has his own clothes, way of transportation, presenting gifts, his own home and helpers.

Clothing and paraphernalia

That, what does Santa Claus look like in different countries peace is a very interesting question. I must say that they have a lot in common - the color of the clothes is usually red, there is a hat with a cap, a beard and, of course, a bag with gifts.

So, Santa Claus, familiar to us from many films, has all the listed "parameters": a red hat with a white pompom, a jacket and trousers. He has a short beard and glasses on his nose. He is shod not in felt boots, but in black high boots.

The Chinese Sho Hin, also known by several intricate names, has characteristic national features: a long black beard, a narrow slit in the eyes, dragons and snakes on a red kimono with white cuffs. Grandfather's hat is intricate - gold with red pom-poms.

Old Befana can take on different guises. Usually this is a cute grandmother on a broomstick, with gifts and coals behind her back. Those who behaved well in the year - prizes, and the rest - alas ...

Japanese New Year characters are representatives of two generations. The classic Segatsu-san, which means Master-New-Year, is dressed in a sky-blue kimono with a gold pattern. He is gray-haired, sometimes with a staff in his hands and always with a beard. But Oji-san is a "typical" Santa, except that the eyes are of a different shape.

Santa Clauses of the Scandinavian countries are similar to each other in terms of customs, but completely different in appearance. So, Swede Ületomte is a Christmas gnome! They draw him in a green suit, red pants and a stocking cap, and certainly with a beard.

But Khyzyr Ilyas is not quite Santa Claus. This is a sage, an old man, a traveler who has immortality, the gift of providence and is able to bestow and punish. He has a long white beard, a marching cloak and a staff.

Transport of Santa Claus around the world

Most New Year's grandfathers move on foot. Only some heroes have their own vehicle.

Santa Claus rides on a sleigh. He lives in Lapland, and there are no horses there. But there are a lot of reindeer. With them, Santa harnesses his "swallow".

The Spanish Befana flies on a broom like a Russian Baba Yaga. Norwegian Santa Claus rides a team of foxes. Grandfather from Uzbekistan, Korbobo, rides a donkey loaded with bags of gifts. The Chinese Sho Hing moves in chariots or on special stretchers (like the emperors of antiquity). But Japanese grandfathers prefer to walk on foot.

Helpers of Santa Claus around the world

Often Santa Claus around the world acts independently. However, it happens that he has a whole “army” of helpers.

It is known that elves work "for Santa". Some films even show entire gift-wrapping factories! Scandinavian grandfathers are helped by these same creatures.

New Year's grandfathers can be helped by gnomes, fairies and other creatures that are in the folklore of a particular country.

But some heroes even have “their own” Snow Maiden - Gargyz in Azerbaijan, Dzyunanushik in Armenia.

But it's not important what is the name of Santa Claus in different countries not how they are dressed and how they move from one house to another. The most important thing is that everywhere there are kind (or at least benevolent) characters who encourage obedient children and scold the capricious ones, give gifts and bring good luck, happiness and good mood with them.

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Of course, our most beloved characters of the New Year holiday are Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden. But if some similarities of our Russian pagan God Santa Claus under different names exist in many countries, then the Snow Maiden is our purely Russian heritage, the offspring of the great and generous truly Russian spirit.

02 01 2017
10:40

We have long been accustomed to the annual appearance of this fabulously beautiful, eternally young, cheerful and infinitely kind Russian Goddess at New Year's celebrations and every time we chant with pleasure: “Snow Maiden! Snow Maiden! Snow Maiden!" And it is even hard to imagine that no one can respond to our call.

Until recently, the origin of the Snow Maiden was shrouded in deep mystery. Everyone knows that she is the granddaughter of Santa Claus, but who her father and mother were until recently was known very confusingly and vaguely. For this reason, the editors of SuperCook.ru conducted their own fundamental scientific and historical research, finally clarifying this great ancient secret.

Our all-powerful Russian pagan God Santa Claus is powerful and great in everything, including the ability to drink a lot in Russian - everything is in order with divine health, no ailments and intoxications take him ...

Once upon a time, the God-Son Snowman was born to the great Russian God-Father Santa Claus and the divine Snow Blizzard-Metelitsa. Due to the conception in the state and strong New Year's drunkenness of his parents, he was born with a somewhat weak mind, but very kind and sympathetic. He did not take over the habit of drinking from his Father, therefore he does not drink at all, and prefers ice cream to any food.

At one fine moment, the daughter of the Snow Maiden was born to the winter God-Son of the Snowman and the Russian goddess of Spring-Red. Since the non-drinking Snowman with divine genetics is all right, his daughter was born to glory!

The Snow Maiden came out to everyone - and the unprecedented divine beauty adopted from Spring-Krasna, and the mind, and quick wit, and the kindness and disinclination to alcohol adopted from the Snowman.

The divine mothers of the God-Son of the Snowman (son of Father Frost and the Snow Blizzard-Metelitsa), and the Goddess-Granddaughter of the Snow Maiden (daughter of the Snowman and Spring-Red) quickly fled from this merry riotous New Year's company and appear there infrequently. The wise Spring-Krasna prefers to communicate with Santa Claus, the Snowman and the Snow Maiden only briefly, just before the onset of spring warmth, when our cheerful New Year's God-Father Santa Claus, God-Son the Snowman and Goddess-Granddaughter Snow Maiden are already going to leave for the whole summer in their fiefdom in the Wild Far North. But the more daring and resolute divine Snowstorm-Metelitsa occasionally visits her New Year's relatives throughout the winter, and in the summer she also sometimes drops by to visit them in the northern Land of Eternal Snows.

But what is known about the Snow Maiden from other, earlier sources.

The image of the Snow Maiden is not recorded in the Russian folk ritual. However, in Russian folklore, she appears as a character in a folk tale about a girl made of snow who came to life.

The tales of the Snow Maiden were studied by A. N. Afanasiev in the second volume of his work “Poetic Views of the Slavs on Nature” (1867).

In 1873, A. N. Ostrovsky, under the influence of Afanasiev's ideas, wrote the play "The Snow Maiden". In it, the Snow Maiden appears as the daughter of Father Frost and Spring-Red, who dies during the summer ritual of honoring the sun god Yarila. She has the appearance of a beautiful pale blonde girl. Dressed in white and blue clothes with fur trim (fur coat, fur hat, mittens). Initially, the play was not successful with the public.

In 1882, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov staged an opera of the same name based on the play, which was a huge success.

The image of the Snow Maiden was further developed in the works of teachers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, who prepared scenarios for children's New Year trees. Even before the revolution, figures of the Snow Maiden were hung on a Christmas tree, girls dressed up in costumes of the Snow Maiden, fragments from fairy tales, Ostrovsky's play or opera were staged. At this time, the Snow Maiden did not act as a host.

The image of the Snow Maiden received its modern look in 1935 in the Soviet Union, after the official permission to celebrate the New Year. In books on organizing Christmas trees of this period, the Snow Maiden appears on a par with Santa Claus, as his granddaughter, assistant and mediator in communication between him and the children. At the beginning of 1937, Father Frost and the Snow Maiden first appeared together for the Christmas tree festival at the Moscow House of Unions (that is, at the most important Christmas tree of the Soviet Union).

History of the Snow Maiden. Snegurochka is a Russian New Year's character. She is a unique attribute of the image of Santa Claus. None of his younger or foreign counterparts have such a sweet escort.

The image of the Snow Maiden is a symbol of frozen waters. This is a girl (not a girl) - an eternally young and cheerful pagan Goddess, dressed only in white clothes. No other color is allowed in traditional symbolism, although from the middle of the 20th century blue tones were sometimes used in her clothes. Her headdress is an eight-pointed crown embroidered with silver and pearls. The modern costume of the Snow Maiden most often corresponds to the historical description. Violations of the color scheme are extremely rare and, as a rule, justified by the lack of the ability to make the “correct” suit.

The image of the Snow Maiden is not recorded in the ancient Russian folk ritual. The Snow Maiden is a relatively recent achievement in Russian culture.

Nowadays, there is often a deeply erroneous, anti-scientific opinion that the image of our Snow Maiden arose from the image of a certain pagan goddess of winter and death, Kostroma.

Here we recall that in historical science there is a term “armchair mythology”, in which known disparate facts are artificially “pulled by the ears”, powerfully supplemented by the “researcher’s” own fantasy, and as a result, a quasi-historical work in the fantasy style arises that has nothing to do with reality. . Often, such mythologists work under the order of the authorities - local or state.

In historical science, “armchair mythology” did not arise yesterday and will not disappear tomorrow. In all sciences there have always been and are lovers to compose gag that is not related to reality. The connection between the image of the Russian Snow Maiden and Kostroma was "found" by Kostroma local historians, when the authorities of Kostroma decided to declare their places the birthplace of the Snow Maiden.

Note that the supposedly "ancient" rite associated with the image of Kostroma was first noted and described only in the 19th century, so that the antiquity of information about it is very small. Much later, from these descriptions, local Kostroma "armchair mythologists" concluded that the myth of the Snow Maiden arose from the "ancient" Slavic ritual of the funeral of Kostroma, which was carried out by peasants in the areas around the city of Kostroma.

But consider who Kostroma is in this rite.

The word "Kostroma" has the same root as the word bonfire. According to the descriptions of researchers of the 19th century, at the end of winter, the effigy of Kostroma in different villages was buried by peasants in the vicinity of the city of Kostroma in different ways. The straw effigy, depicting Kostroma, joyfully, with hoots and jokes, was either drowned in the river or burned.

From conscientious descriptions by researchers of the 19th century, it can be seen that the rite of destruction of the effigy of Kostroma repeats to the smallest detail the rite of festive destruction in the spring of the effigy of the bored evil Winter-Marena, which in different places is also called Morena, Marana, Morana, Mara, Marukh, Marmara.

From the descriptions of the rite, it is clearly seen that the goddess of winter, Kostroma, is not a separate independent deity, but only the local (local) Kostroma name of the common Slavic Marena (Morana), the pagan goddess of death, winter and night.

Morana (Marana, Kostroma ...) was personified in a frightening image: relentless and ferocious, her teeth are more dangerous than the fangs of a wild beast, terrible, crooked claws on her hands; Death is black, gnashes its teeth, quickly rushes to war, grabs fallen warriors and, sticking its claws into the body, sucks the blood out of them.

The plurality of Morana-Kostroma names in Russian is not surprising. In the 19th century in Russia, there were still many local features of the Russian language, which by the middle of the 20th century had practically disappeared due to the introduction of a single standardized education. For example, the same ancient pagan harvest festival, traditionally celebrated on the day of the autumn equinox, was called Veresen, Tausen, Ovsen, Avsen, Usen, Autumn, Radogoshch in different parts of Russia.

The burning of an effigy of Winter (Marena, Kostroma, etc.) is a farewell to a boring winter, practiced in the spring by all the peoples of Europe, including the Slavs, who in pre-Christian times had a common religion of druids / sorcerers (the Slavs called pagan priests-druids " Magi").

In pre-Christian times, the effigy of Winter was destroyed by drowning in water or by burning on the day of the vernal equinox during the pagan holiday of Komoyeditsy (see details). Later, when the victorious Christian church, under fear of heavy punishment, banned the pagan Komoyeditsa and introduced the Christian holiday Shrovetide (in Europe called "carnival") instead, people began to destroy the effigy of Winter on the last day of Maslenitsa.

The rite of burning on Komoyeditsa on the day of the vernal equinox (later in Christian times - on the last day of Maslenitsa) the effigy of the annoying Winter-Marena (and not Maslenitsa, as some mistakenly believe) was intended to ensure the fertility of the lands.

Of course, there is no reason to associate the image of our Russian Snow Maiden with the image of the ancient evil and cruel goddess of winter, death and night Morana (Kostroma) - these are just ridiculous anti-scientific exaggerations of overly witty Kostroma local historians who acted under the order of local authorities.

Attempts to look for the roots of the relationship of the Snow Maiden in the pre-Christian mythology of the Slavs, which by the 13th century was completely and irretrievably destroyed by churchmen, and about which practically nothing is known today, are also senseless.

In the cruel medieval times of the introduction of Christianity in Russia, conquered and enslaved by the newcomer Scandinavian bandits-Varangians (Vikings), the Russian people lost both their mythology and the ancient Slavic runic writing, and together with the runic writing, all their historical chronicles, which were led by the Magi. It was then that the history, beliefs and customs of the Slavs of pre-Christian times were carefully destroyed for several centuries by churchmen and Varangian authorities and became unknown.

Let us turn to the real story of the origin of our Russian Snow Maiden.

It is known that the gods will be born sometime, live for some time in the minds of people, and then die, being erased from memory.

In the great Russian culture of the 19th century, the miracle of the birth of a new Goddess took place, which will never disappear from the memory of the Russian people, as long as our Russian people will exist.

To understand this Russian cultural phenomenon, one should not mistakenly believe that only the cunning Jewish people are capable of creating new gods, while other peoples in their creativity and traditions must certainly dance to the tune of only Jewish religious fantasies. As the history of culture of the 19th and 20th centuries shows, Russian people are also not born with a bast. It would be nice if Russians did not forget about this even in the current 21st century.

Since ancient times, people have been making likenesses of a person from different materials (i.e., sculptures), sometimes imagining their sculptures come to life (recall the ancient myth of Pygmalion and Galatea).

The image of a revived ice girl is often found in northern fairy tales. In the Russian folklore of the 19th century recorded by researchers, the Snow Maiden also appears as a character in a folk tale about a girl made of snow who came to life.

Most likely, the Russian folk tale about the Snow Maiden was composed somewhere in the middle of the 18th century, possibly under the influence of northern legends that came through Russian northern Pomors, and then interpreted in the oral work of various storytellers. So in Russia there were variants of this fairy tale.

In Russian folk tales, the Snow Maiden miraculously emerges from the snow just like a living person. The Slavic Goddess Snegurochka was made in 1873 by the great Russian playwright A.N. Ostrovsky, giving her the Slavic gods Father Frost and Spring-Krasna as her parents. And the gods, as you know, gods are born.

The Russian fairy-tale Snow Maiden is a surprisingly kind character. In Russian folklore there is not even a hint of something negative in the character of the Snow Maiden. On the contrary, in Russian fairy tales, the Snow Maiden appears as an absolutely positive character, but who has fallen into unfortunate environmental conditions. Even while suffering, the fabulous Snow Maiden does not show a single negative trait.

The fairy tale about the Snow Maiden, generated by the creativity of the Russian people, is a unique phenomenon in all the world's fairy-tale creativity. In the Russian folk tale "The Snow Maiden" there is not a single negative character! This is not in any other Russian fairy tale and in the fairy tales of other peoples of the world.

The amazing Russian culture of the 19th century gave rise to another similar unique work - the opera Iolanta, in which there is not a single negative character either, and the whole plot is also based on the struggle of good noble heroes with adverse natural circumstances. But in the opera “Iolanta” the heroes (with the help of the achievements of science) win, and in the folk tale “The Snow Maiden” the heroine dies under the influence of the irresistible force of earthly nature.

The modern image of the pagan Goddess Snegurochka, whose name has the same root as the words "snowman" and "snow", is a relatively recent creation of the great Russian culture of the 19th century.

Our divine Russian Snow Maiden originated as a literary character.

The initial study of folk tales about the Snow Maiden was carried out by A. N. Afanasiev (see the second volume of his work “Poetic Views of the Slavs on Nature”, 1867).

Under the influence of information about the fabulous snow girl received from Afanasyev, in 1873 A. N. Ostrovsky wrote the poetic play "The Snow Maiden". In it, the Snow Maiden appears as the daughter of the Slavic gods Father Frost and Spring-Red, who dies during a festive ritual of honoring the Slavic god of the spring sun Yarila, who comes into her own, on the Day of the vernal equinox (on the day the astronomical spring began, which our ancient pagan ancestors had and the first day of the New Year).

Later, writers and poets turned the Snow Maiden into a granddaughter - the gods are not born as a result of a single creative act of an individual, but always cumulate in themselves many ideas of the people.

Many liked the lyrical, beautiful story about the Snow Maiden. The well-known philanthropist Savva Ivanovich Mamontov wanted to put it on the home stage of the Abramtsevo circle in Moscow. The premiere took place on January 6, 1882.

Costume designs for her were made by V.M. Vasnetsov (in a light sundress with a hoop or bandage on his head), and three years later the famous artist makes new sketches already for the production of the opera of the same name by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, created on the basis of the play by N.A. Ostrovsky.

Two more well-known artists were involved in creating the appearance of the Snow Maiden. M.A. Vrubel in 1898 created the image of the Snow Maiden for a decorative panel in the house of A.V. Morozov (in white clothes woven from snow and down, lined with ermine fur). Later, in 1912, N.K. presented his vision of the Snow Maiden. Roerich (in a fur coat), who participated in the production of a dramatic play about the Snow Maiden in St. Petersburg.

The image of the Snow Maiden was further developed in the works of teachers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, who prepared scenarios for children's New Year trees. The story of a girl from the snow who came to people became more and more popular and very well "fit" into the programs of the city's Christmas trees.

Even before the revolution, figures of the Snow Maiden were hung on a Christmas tree, girls dressed up in costumes of the Snow Maiden, fragments from fairy tales, Ostrovsky's play or opera were staged. At this time, the Snow Maiden did not act as a host.

During the period of repressions of 1927-1935, the Snow Maiden suddenly disappeared.

At the beginning of 1937, Father Frost and the Snow Maiden first appeared together at the Christmas tree festival at the Moscow House of Unions. It is curious that in early Soviet images the Snow Maiden is more often depicted as a little girl; later, they began to represent her in the form of a girl. Why is still unknown.

During the war period, the Snow Maiden was again forgotten. As an obligatory constant companion of Santa Claus, she was revived only in the early 1950s thanks to the efforts of children's classics Lev Kassil and Sergei Mikhalkov, who wrote scripts for the Kremlin Christmas trees.

Father Frost and the Snow Maiden entered the public life of the country as obligatory attributes of the meeting of the upcoming New Year. Since then, every New Year, the Snow Maiden has been shifted to the duties that Santa Claus successfully copes with on the American and Western European Christmas tree. And on New Year's Eve, theater students and actresses often worked as Snow Maidens. In amateur productions, older girls and young women, often fair-haired, were chosen for the role of Snow Maidens.

Following our wonderful Russian New Year's tradition, now a beautiful granddaughter has also begun to accompany the European New Year's Grandfather.

The residence of our Santa Claus, as everyone knows, is located in the Vologda region, in Veliky Ustyug. The Snow Maiden does not live with him. Where is it?

Two places claim the title of "family nest" of the daughter of Frost and Spring. In the Shchelykovo estate in the Kostroma region, Ostrovsky came up with his play based on an old fairy tale - this, it seems, is the birthplace of the Snow Maiden.

But on the other hand, in the village of Abramtsevo near Moscow, Viktor Vasnetsov gave birth to the image of an icy beauty. Here the artist created scenery for the first theatrical production based on Ostrovsky's play and, again in Abramtsevo, Rimsky-Korsakov's opera was performed for the first time on the stage of Savva Mamontov's home theater.

The Snow Maiden is mysteriously silent and does not reveal the address of her residence. Probably afraid of annoying reporters.