Who is Santa Claus - this question is asked not only by children, but also by adults, because not everyone knows where this New Year's character lives, who helps him cope with such a volume of work and how to write a letter correctly in order to receive a cherished gift for the holiday.

Childhood memories warm a person's soul throughout life path, such stories provide strength to overcome adult difficulties. The brightest are magical events that a child’s mind cannot understand, but sincerely perceives with joy. Older children explain who Santa Claus is, he brings gifts and a lot of positive emotions. Sincere belief in miracles often passes with childhood, but even adults do not dare to deny the existence of Santa Claus.

Is there a real Santa Claus?

A child’s question whether Grandfather Frost exists should not take the parent by surprise; one must confidently say yes. From generation to generation, older family members tell younger ones about a fairy-tale, non-fictional character, the lord of winter frosts and snowfalls. In the mythology of the Slavs, he was associated with a blacksmith; he bound water and miraculously drew designs from frost. The breath of Santa Claus is a frosty cold, the tears are icicles, and his gray thick hair is clouds of snow, his wife is Winter.

For the first time, Father Frost came to the Christmas holidays in 1910, but the Soviet authorities forbade him to appear, and for several years he went on forced leave. On the eve of 1936, they remembered him and began to invite him to the New Year holidays. Father Frost became the giver of gifts to children at the Christmas tree, he is invited to act in films, and with him his granddaughter Snegurochka and a boy symbolizing the New Coming Year appear in public.

Who is Santa Claus - origin story

There is a story about how the modern Santa Claus appeared, because he didn’t always look like this. The Slavs had a god Morok - the ruler of winter cold, frost and snow. He was cunning and crafty, loved to deceive and mislead. The meeting with Morok did not bring good luck, they were afraid of him and cajoled him with gifts - they prepared delicious pancakes and kutya for him, displaying them outside the windows, and asked him not to destroy crops or freeze travelers on the roads.

A lot of time passed, and Morok became kinder; he easily began to give gifts to the kind and hardworking, for example the fairy tale “Morozko” where main character with an easygoing and meek character, she received gifts after the tests, and the lazy and evil sister was frozen to death. Every parent always explains to their child that Santa Claus comes first to the obedient and good - in order to receive a gift, you must behave well.

Where does the real Santa Claus live?

Father Frost lives in Veliky Ustyug, a few kilometers from the city center, has an estate - a carved tower, located in pine forest, on the bank of the river. There he spends most of his time - reading letters, accepting drawings and postcards sent by children. You can get to the house itself, where Santa Claus is from, only on , and you can get to it by riding on a Russian stove with Emelya. On the path leading to the house you can find:

• Babu Yaga;
• Twelve Months;
• Teddy bear;
• Squirrel;
• Chanterelle;
• Grandmother Aushka;
• Old Lesovichka;
• Wise Owl.

In the house of Father Frost there are entire mansions - a museum of gifts from different parts of the planet. There is a room where people make a wish while bells ring; you can go into the study, visit the observatory and bedroom, see a huge closet with fur coats, hats and felt boots. The only secret of the fairy-tale character will be the room with gifts; it is not customary to talk about it, much less show it to guests.

What does Santa Claus look like?

Santa Claus is known as a strict and hot-tempered old man, but he is always fair, loves children very much, and acts as an instructive character, not a nanny. External description Santa Claus is known to everyone, a tall, gray-haired old man, he is many, many years old, has a long beard reaching to the waist or the floor and thick gray eyebrows, symbolizing wisdom and power, rosy cheeks - good health. It is difficult to confuse him with other characters, Father Frost's outfit is bright and memorable, each element symbolizes a certain power, a bag of gifts and a magic crystal staff are always with him.

1. The hat is skillfully embroidered with silver and gold threads with pearls.
2. A long, warm fur coat - usually red, but can be blue or light blue, the edges are trimmed with swan's down, and the fur coat is decorated with an ornament of precious threads.
3. Mittens – warm mittens.
4. Shirt and trousers made of linen.
5. Shoes – felt boots.

What is the name of Santa Claus?

What is Santa Claus called? different countries oh the world - the fairy-tale character has different names, and his visit to the children does not always coincide with the New Year holidays. The most famous Santa Claus - the American grandfather, also in a red suit, but with pants and a wide black belt - comes on the Christmas holidays and hides gifts in a stocking by the fireplace. In Poland this is Saint Nicholas, in France he is called Pere Noel, in Greece he is called Vasily, in Spain Olentzero or Papa Noel, in warm Cambodia he is Father Heat, he gives gifts to Norwegian children to Jolinissa, to Slovak children - Mikulas.

Santa Claus's assistants

The most responsible workers who help Santa Claus prepare gifts are the Snowman and the Snow Maiden, snowflakes, Blizzard or Winter Blizzard, a young boy - New Year, very smart and nimble beyond their years, they often not only prepare gifts, but also appear near the New Year tree. At holiday matinees, brave children often volunteer to help an old grandfather, hold a staff, or suggest the necessary information. At the residence of Santa Claus, characters from New Year's tales and cartoons living in fairy-tale houses near his mansion.

Santa Claus's assistant Snowman

Snegurochka Santa Claus and Snowman are the main three characters coming to the New Year's holiday. The snowman is cheerful and funny, carries a heavy bag, loves to talk about interesting adventures and various obstacles that suddenly happened on the way to the holiday. The kids make fun of him, but he is not offended, he reminds Santa Claus that other children are waiting and it’s time to hurry.

Who is Snegurochka?

The Russian Father Frost travels with the Snow Maiden, a beautiful young companion that his foreign colleagues do not have. She is obedient and makes friends with forest dwellers, loves to sing songs with children and give out gifts. She is dressed in a white or blue fur coat made of fluff and snow, a long braid of hair, and is decorated with a headband of crystal snowflakes. She is often kidnapped evil forces, and Santa Claus and the Snowman have to rescue the beauty from captivity - he is late for the solemn holiday.

Santa Claus's horses

Santa Claus arrives at the New Year's tree or as an invited guest in the house on three horses harnessed to a sleigh. He drives the team himself or entrusts it to his assistant Snowman. Using a mysterious method, he manages to visit different places, congratulate adults and give gifts to children. It should be admitted that if Santa Claus is sure that he does not have time, he instructs the most responsible assistants to take his outfits under the secret cover of a thick beard to attend a holiday where they are very much looking forward to it.

How to call the real Santa Claus?

Fulfilling a child’s cherished wish, how to call Santa Claus, you can invite him to the house for a personal visit, but children, like adults, have fun in the company. The most perky fairy tale character giving a bunch of desired gifts may not create a festive atmosphere in an individual setting. In such cases, an option would be to organize a children's celebration together with other parents and their children in a pre-agreed area.

How to write a letter to Santa Claus correctly?

Your cherished wish can be written down and sent like a regular postcard, you shouldn’t start with demands - I want and I need, it’s better to start with a greeting and a story about yourself, perfect good deeds, over the past year. Letters written by children should be read to parents before sending them to correct mistakes. There will definitely be a response to the letter.

The historical appearance of Father Frost.
Santa Claus was represented as a gray-haired old man with a floor-length beard, wearing a long thick fur coat, felt boots, a hat, mittens, and with a staff with which he froze people.

The beard and hair are thick, gray (silver). These details of appearance, in addition to their “physiological” meaning (the old man is gray-haired), also have a huge symbolic character, denoting power, happiness, prosperity and wealth.
The shirt and trousers are white, linen, decorated with white geometric patterns (a symbol of purity).
Three-fingered gloves or mittens - white, embroidered with silver - a symbol of the purity and holiness of everything that he gives from his hands.
The belt is white with a red ornament (a symbol of the connection between ancestors and descendants, as well as a strong amulet).
Shoes - silver or red, silver-embroidered boots with raised toes. The heel is slanted, small in size or completely absent. On a frosty day, Father Frost puts on white felt boots embroidered with silver.
The hat is red, embroidered with silver and pearls. Trimmed with swan down (white fur) with a triangular cutout made on the front part (stylized horns). The shape of the hat is semi-oval ( round shape hats are traditional for Russian tsars; just remember the headdress of Ivan the Terrible).
The staff is crystal or silver “like crystal”. The handle is twisted and also has a silver-white color scheme. The staff is completed with a moon (a stylized image of the month) or a bull's head (a symbol of power, fertility and happiness).

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

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

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

It is difficult to say unambiguously where the Russian Father Frost lives, since there are a lot of legends. Some claim that Santa Claus comes from 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 “Moroz Ivanovich” by V.F. Odoevsky, in the spring Frost’s red nose moves into the well, where “even in the summer it’s cold.”

Later, Father Frost had a granddaughter, Snegurka or Snegurochka, the heroine of many Russian fairy tales, a snow girl. And Santa Claus himself has changed: he began to bring children gifts for the New Year and fulfill their innermost desires.
The image of the Snow Maiden is unique to Russian culture. There are no female characters in Western New Year and Christmas mythology.
As you can see, the origin of the Russian Father Frost is fundamentally different from the European Santa Claus. If Santa Claus was real historical figure, who was elevated to the rank of saint for her good deeds, then the Russian Father Frost is rather a pagan spirit, a character in folk beliefs and fairy tales. Even though modern look 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, the Russian Grandfather Frost walks around in a long fur coat, felt boots and with a staff. He prefers to travel on foot, by air, or on a sleigh pulled by a fast troika. His constant companion is his granddaughter Snegurochka. Santa Claus plays the game “I’ll Freeze” with the children and hides them in New Year's Eve gifts under the tree.

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 wizard, and therefore contradictory Christian teaching, and on the other hand, as to the Russian cultural tradition. In 2001, Bishop Maximilian of Vologda and Veliky Ustyug said that the Russian Orthodox Church would support the project “Veliky Ustyug - the Homeland of Father Frost” only if Father Frost was baptized.
Mythological image
Who is he - our old friend and good wizard Russian Father Frost? Our Frost is a character in Slavic folklore. For many generations, the Eastern Slavs created and preserved a kind of “oral chronicle”: prosaic legends, epic tales, ritual songs, legends and tales about the past of their native land.
Among the Eastern Slavs it is represented fairy tale image Moroz - a hero, a blacksmith who binds water with “iron frosts”. Frosts themselves were often identified with violent winter winds. There are several folk tales where the North Wind (or Frost) helps lost travelers by showing them the way.
The Belarusian brother of Father Frost - Zyuzya, or the god of Winter - is introduced as a grandfather with a long beard who lives in the forest and walks barefoot.
Our Santa Claus is a special image. It is reflected in ancient Slavic legends (Karachun ( Karachun(Korochun) - winter solstice day - December 21.), Pozvizd( Pozvizd - according to sources late XVII century Slavic god wind, good and bad weather. Brother Dogoda. ), Zimnik), Russians folk tales, folklore, Russian literature (play by A.N. Ostrovsky “The Snow Maiden”, poem by N.A. Nekrasov “Frost, Red Nose”, poem by V.Ya. Bryusov “To the King of the North Pole”, Karelian- Finnish epic“Kalevala”).
Pozvizd is the Slavic god of storms and bad weather. As soon as he shook his head, large hail fell to the ground. Instead of a cloak, the winds dragged behind him, and snow fell in flakes from the hem of his clothes. Pozvizd swiftly rushed across the skies, accompanied by a retinue of storms and hurricanes.
In the legends of the ancient Slavs there was another character - Zimnik. He, like Frost, appeared in the form of an old man of small stature, with white hair and a long gray beard, with his head uncovered, in warm white clothes and with an iron mace in his hands. Wherever it passes, expect severe cold.
Among Slavic deities Karachun stood out for his ferocity - evil spirit, shortening life. The ancient Slavs considered him an underground god who commanded frost.
But over time, Frost changed. Severe, in the company of the Sun and Wind, walking the earth and freezing to death the men he met along the way (in Belarusian fairy tale“Frost, Sun and Wind”), he gradually turns from a formidable man into a fair and kind grandfather.

Kolyada - celebration winter solstice (December 21-25), solstice.

It was believed that on this day a small, fierce sun was born in the form of a boy, Khors. The new sun completed the course of the old sun (old year) and opened the course of the next year. While the sun is still weak, night and cold prevail on the earth, inherited from the old year, but every day the Great Horse (as mentioned in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”) grows, and the sun grows stronger.
Our ancestors celebrated the solstice with carols, wore a Kolovrat (eight-pointed star) - the sun - on a pole, put on the masks of totem animals, which were associated in the minds of people with the images of ancient gods: the bear - Veles, the cow - Makosh, the goat - the cheerful and at the same time evil hypostasis of Veles , the horse is the sun, the swan is Lada, the duck is Rozhanitsa (progenitor of the world), the rooster is a symbol of time, sunrise and sunset, and so on.

Maslenitsa isholiday, dedicated to seeing off winter and joyfully welcoming spring.

In fact, it was a New Year's Eve celebration, only at the beginning of spring on March 23 - until the 15th century. Since this holiday was used to say goodbye to winter and welcome the new summer, hence both the Year of the Year and the New Year. That is, Maslenitsa celebrated the actual new year, the arrival of a new summer. And Kolyada celebrated the birth of a new sun.
The Northern peoples still celebrate the meeting of the new sun, the festival of Heiro.
Heiro is a holiday of the northern peoples associated with the appearance of the sun after a long polar night. The duration of the polar night at the latitude of Dudinka is one and a half months. It ends in mid-January, when the sun's disk appears above the horizon. At the traditional holiday of the end of winter, people express gratitude for the winter they have lived through, asking the spirits for fertility and well-being in the family. The holiday symbolizes the beginning of a new life. On this day, people gather around the ritual fire and, holding hands, dance in circles. This is how the northern peoples greeted the luminary hundreds of years ago, and this is how they greet it now.

And the Slavs have Horses, in tune, don’t they?

None of us can imagine a New Year's holiday without the participation of its main characters - Grandfather Frost and his granddaughter Snegurochka. If you believe that Father Frost is a native Russian character whose main concern is New Year's gifts, then you are very mistaken. In the legends of ancient Rus', there were similar figures: for example, the lord of the winter cold, Moroz, Morozko. It was believed that Frost wanders through the forests and knocks with his mighty staff, causing bitter frosts to begin in these places, rushing through the streets, which is why simple snow-frost patterns appear on the windows. Our ancestors imagined Moroz as an old man with a long gray beard. However, New Year's gifts were by no means Frost's main task. It was believed that all winter, from November to March, Frost had a lot to do, he carried his patrol through forests and fields, helping plants and animals adapt to the harsh, cold winter. We can find especially many prototypes of Grandfather in Russian folk tales: this is Morozko, Moroz Ivanovich, and Grandfather Studenets. However, these characters were not associated with the New Year celebrations. Their main concern is to help nature and people. Suffice it to recall the wonderful fairy tale “Twelve Months” by Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak.

But today's Grandfather Frost, that same New Year's character, has his own prototype. They consider him to be a man named Nicholas, who lived in the 3rd century AD on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. According to legend, Nikolai came from a fairly wealthy family and happily helped the poor and needy, and also showed special care for children. After his death, Nicholas was canonized and canonized.

There is a legend according to which Nikolai, quite by chance, overheard the complaints of one poor peasant, who had such a hard time that he was going to give away his daughters. The poor man was very sad, but did not see any way out, as he suffered from extreme poverty. Nikolai snuck into the peasant's house and stuffed a large bag of coins into the chimney. At that time, the stockings and shoes of the poor peasant's daughters were drying in the oven. Can you imagine the indescribable joy of the girls when the next morning they found their stockings and shoes filled to the brim with gold coins in the oven... Since then, in many European countries There was a custom to hide little surprises “from St. Nicholas” in stockings for your children. We have a tradition of hiding “Nicholas” gifts under the pillow. Children always look forward to such gifts and rejoice at them. However, gradually the tradition of giving gifts moved to Christmas in Western countries and to the New Year in the countries of the former Soviet Union. It is noteworthy that in most Western countries, the New Year is a holiday less significant than Christmas. It is not celebrated on such a grand scale, nor is there a tradition of exchanging gifts on New Year's Eve. And some people don’t celebrate it at all.

In our country, on the contrary, New Year is considered the main holiday. And on this day, Father Frost and his assistant Snegurochka give all the children New Year's surprises. It is known that it is very common among children to write so-called “letters to Santa Claus”, in which children promise to behave well and ask Santa Claus for what they want. at the moment most.

It is known that in almost every country Frost is called differently. For the Americans and the British it is Santa Claus who comes at Christmas, in France it is Père Noel. In Finland - Jollupuk.

However, there is one feature that makes the Russian Father Frost stand out from the most advantageous side. Only he has a granddaughter and she is called Snegurochka. The Snow Maiden appeared at the end of the 19th century, thanks to A.N. Ostrovsky and his fairy tale "The Snow Maiden". However, in fairy tale of the same name The Snow Maiden acted as Frost's daughter. The Snow Maiden lived in the forest and came out to people, enchanted by the beautiful music she heard from them. Later, the famous philanthropist Savva Mamontov, fascinated by the image of the Snow Maiden, staged the play on the stage of his home theater.

Also, such famous artists as M.A. Vrubel, N.K. had a hand in the image of the Snow Maiden. Roerich, V.M. Vasnetsov. The famous Russian composer N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov dedicated an entire opera to this attractive fairy-tale character.

Nowadays, Father Frost and Snow Maiden are the favorites of all children. They are looking forward to the cherished moment when Father Frost and Snow Maiden will enter their house and give everyone long-awaited gifts.

Interesting things about Grandfather Frost. Story.

A small percentage of people know that Grandfather Frost became who he is because of the existence of a very specific and living prototype. In the 4th century, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker (in Catholic and Lutheran versions - Saint Nicholas or Claus) lived and performed godly deeds in Asia Minor.

Grandfather Frost was originally an evil and cruel pagan deity, the Great Old Man of the North, the lord of icy cold and blizzards, who froze people, this was reflected in Nekrasov’s poem “Frost - the Red Nose”, where Frost kills a poor young peasant widow in the forest, leaving her young orphans children. Santa Claus first appeared at Christmas in 1910, but he did not become widespread.

IN Soviet era a new image was widespread: 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 USSR Central Executive Committee, Pavel Postyshev, published an article in the Pravda newspaper in which he proposed organizing a New Year celebration for children. A children's New Year's party was solemnly organized in Kharkov. Father Frost comes to the holiday with his granddaughter, the girl Snegurochka. The collective image of Grandfather Frost is based on the biography of St. Nicholas, as well as descriptions of the ancient Slavic deities Zimnik, Pozvezda, and Karochun.

The unique character of pagan deities gave rise to the behavior of Grandfather Frost - at first he collected sacrifices, stole children and carried them away in a sack. However, over time - as it happens - everything changed, and under the influence of Orthodox traditions, Grandfather Frost became kinder and began to give gifts to the children himself. This image was finalized in Soviet Russia: Grandfather Frost has become a symbol of the New Year celebration, replacing in the ideology of atheism the most beloved by children in pre-revolutionary Russia holiday of the Nativity of Christ. The professional holiday of Santa Clauses is celebrated every last Sunday in August.

Grandfather and granddaughter started visiting the children for New Year’s holidays only at the end of the 19th century.

Many people think that Father Frost is of Russian origin, and his ancestry goes back to the image of the frosty old man from Russian folk tales. This is not entirely true, or rather, not at all true. It is sometimes mistakenly believed that Father Frost and the Snow Maiden have been companions of festive New Year trees since ancient times, but this only happened at the end of the 19th century. In the legends of our ancestors, there was Frost - the lord of winter cold. His image reflected the ideas of the ancient Slavs about Karachun - the god of winter cold. Moroz was presented as a small old man with a long gray beard. From November to March, Moroz always has a lot of work. He runs through the forests and knocks with his staff, causing bitter frosts to occur. Frost sweeps through the streets and paints patterns on the window panes. It chills the surface of lakes and rivers, stings our noses, gives us a blush, and amuses us with fluffy snowfalls. This image of the winter lord is artistically developed and embodied in Russian fairy tales in the images of Grandfather Student, Grandfather Treskun, Moroz Ivanovich, Morozko. However, although these frosty grandfathers were not devoid of a sense of justice and compassion and sometimes gave gifts to kind and hardworking people who wandered into their domain, they were not associated with the arrival of the New Year and the distribution of gifts was not their main concern.

The prototype of Santa Claus - real person from Asia Minor

The prototype of modern Santa Claus is considered to be a real person named Nicholas, who was born in the 3rd century in Asia Minor (on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea) into a wealthy family and later became a bishop. Having inherited a considerable fortune, Nikolai helped the poor, the needy, the unfortunate, and especially took care of children. After his death, Nicholas was canonized. In 1087, pirates stole his remains from the church in Demre, where he served as bishop during his lifetime, and transported them to Italy. The parishioners of the church were so outraged that a big scandal broke out, which, as contemporaries would say, unwittingly served as an advertisement. Gradually, from a saint who was known and appreciated only in his homeland, Nicholas became an object of veneration for all Christians in Western Europe.

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

Nisse. Norway.

This is how the tradition of preparing stockings or shoes for gifts arose

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

Uzbek Father Frost and Snow Maiden.

How did Santa Claus appear?

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

The popularity of the good Christmas “old man in a red fur coat” among Americans has become very high. In the middle of the 19th century, this Saint, or Père Noel, became fashionable even in Paris, and from France the image of Father Frost penetrated to Russia, where Western European culture was not alien to educated and wealthy people.

Russian Santa Claus

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

Russian Santa Claus.

Where did Frost get his granddaughter Snegurochka from?

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

This pretty companion began to accompany her grandfather to the New Year trees only with late XIX century. She was born in 1873 thanks to the fairy tale play of the same name by A.N. Ostrovsky, who, in turn, artistically reworked one of the versions of the folk tale about a girl fashioned from snow and melted by the warm rays of the sun. The plot of the play by A.N. Ostrovsky differs significantly from the folk tale. Here the Snow Maiden is the daughter of Frost. She comes to the people from the forest, enchanted by their beautiful songs.

Lyrical, beautiful story Many people liked about the Snow Maiden. Famous philanthropist Savva Ivanovich Mamontov wanted to stage it on the home stage of the Abramtsevo circle in Moscow. The premiere took place on January 6, 1882. Costume sketches for her were made by V.M. Vasnetsov, and three years later famous artist makes new sketches for the production of the opera of the same name by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, based on the play by N.A. Ostrovsky.

Two more were related to the creation of the appearance of the Snow Maiden: famous artist. M.A. In 1898, Vrubel created the image of the Snow Maiden for a decorative panel in the house of A.V. Morozova. Later, in 1912, N.K. presented his vision of the Snow Maiden. Roerich, who participated in the production dramatic performance about the Snow Maiden in St. Petersburg.

The modern appearance of the Snow Maiden has absorbed individual features of the artistic versions of all three masters of the brush. She can come to the Christmas tree in a light sundress with a hoop or headband - just as V.M. saw her. Vasnetsov; or in white clothes woven from snow and down, lined with ermine fur, as M.A. depicted it. Vrubel; or in the fur coat that N.K. put on her. Roerich.

Yakut Father Frost.

The story of the snow girl who came to people became increasingly popular and fit very well into the city's Christmas tree programs. Gradually, the Snow Maiden becomes a permanent character during the holidays as an assistant to Father Frost. This is how the special Russian custom of celebrating Christmas with the participation of Father Frost and his beautiful and intelligent granddaughter is born. Father Frost and Snow Maiden entered social life countries like required attributes meeting the coming New Year. And Snegurochka still helps her elderly grandfather to amuse the children with games, dance around the Christmas tree, and distribute gifts.

By the way

What is Santa Claus called in different countries?

• Australia, USA - Santa Claus. The American grandfather wears a cap and a red jacket, smokes a pipe, travels through the air on reindeer and enters the house through a pipe. Australian Santa Claus is the same, only in swimming trunks and on a scooter (you know, it’s hot on the first of January in the country of kangaroos).
• Austria - Sylvester.
• Altai Territory - Sook-Taadak.
• England - Father Christmas.
• Belgium, Poland - Saint Nicholas. As the legend goes, he left golden apples in a shoe in front of the fireplace for the family who sheltered him. This was a very long time ago, so St. Nicholas is considered the very first Santa Claus. He rides a horse, wearing a miter and a white bishop's robe. He is always accompanied by his Moor servant Black Peter, who carries a bag of gifts for obedient children behind his back, and in his hands - rods for naughty children.
• Greece, Cyprus - Saint Basil.
• Denmark - Yletomte, Ylemanden, St. Nicholas.
• Western Slavs - Saints Mikalaus.
• Italy - Babo Nattale. Besides him, he comes to obedient children good fairy Befana (La Befana) and gives gifts. The naughty ones get a coal from the evil sorceress Befana.
• Spain - Papa Noel.
• Kazakhstan - Ayaz-ata.
• Kalmykia - Zul.
• Cambodia - Grandfather Heat.
• Karelia - Pakkainen.
• China - Sho Hin, Sheng Dan Laoren.
• Colombia - Papa Pascual.
• Mongolia - Uvlin Uvgun, comes accompanied by Zazan Okhin (Snow Maiden) and Shina Zhila (New Year boy). New Year in Mongolia coincides with the cattle breeding holiday, so Santa Claus wears the clothes of a cattle breeder.
• Netherlands - Sanderklaas.
• Norway - Nisse (little brownies). Nisse wear knitted caps and love tasty things.
• Russia - Father Frost, Father Treskun, Morozko and Karachun rolled into one. He looks a little stern. He wears a fur coat down to the ground and a high hat, and in his hands he holds an ice staff and a bag of gifts.
• Romania - Mos Jerile.
• Savoy - Saint Chalande.
• Uzbekistan - Korbobo and Korgyz (Snow Maiden). On New Year's Eve, a “snow grandfather” in a striped robe rides into Uzbek villages on a donkey. This is Corbobo.
• Finland - Joulupukki. This name was not given to him in vain: “Youlu” means Christmas, and “pukki” means goat. Many years ago, Santa Claus wore a goat skin and delivered gifts on a goat.
• France - Grandfather January, Pere Noel. The French "Father January" walks with a staff and wears a wide-brimmed hat.
• Czech Republic - Grandfather Mikulas.
• Sweden - Krise Kringl, Yulnissan, Jul Tomten (Yolotomten).
• Japan - Oji-san.

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

Once upon a time, even before the advent of Christianity in Rus', our ancestors believed that the spirits of the dead protected their family, took care of the offspring of livestock and good weather. Therefore, to reward them for their care, people gave them gifts every winter. On the eve of the holiday, village youth put on masks, turned out their sheepskin coats and went from house to house, singing carols. (However, different regions had their own peculiarities of caroling.) The owners presented the carolers with food.

The point was precisely that the carolers represented the spirits of ancestors who received a reward for their tireless care of the living. Among the carolers there was often one “person” dressed more terribly than anyone else. As a rule, he was forbidden to speak. This was the oldest and most formidable spirit; he was often called simply Grandfather. It is quite possible that this is the prototype of the modern Santa Claus. Only today, of course, he has become kinder and does not come for gifts, but brings them himself. With the adoption of Christianity, pagan rituals were, of course, “abolished,” and therefore exist to this day. The carolers depict not the spirits of their ancestors, but heavenly messengers, which, you see, is practically the same thing. It’s already difficult to say who should be considered Grandfather, but there is still an “elder”.

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

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

Santa Claus was represented as a gray-haired old man with a floor-length beard, wearing a long thick fur coat, felt boots, a hat, mittens, and with a staff with which he froze people.

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

Under the influence of Christianity, which cruelly and bloodily fought Slavic paganism (battle with religious competitors for profits), the original image of Snow Grandfather was distorted (like all other Slavic gods), and Morozko began to be represented as an evil and cruel pagan deity, the Great Old Man of the North, the ruler icy cold and blizzard that froze people. This was reflected in Nekrasov’s poem “Frost - Red Nose”, where Frost kills a poor young peasant widow in the forest, leaving her young children orphans.

As the influence of Christianity weakened in Russia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the image of Morozko began to soften. Santa Claus first appeared at Christmas in 1910, but did not become widespread.

In Soviet times, after the rejection of the ideas of Christianity, a new image of Father Frost was widespread: 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 USSR Central Executive Committee, Pavel Postyshev, published an article in the Pravda newspaper in which he proposed organizing a New Year celebration for children. A children's New Year's party was organized in Kharkov. Some modern illiterate history researchers accuse Stalin of inconsistency for not destroying Father Frost, since Father Frost, in their opinion, is a “children’s god.”

He comes to the holiday with his divine granddaughter, Snegurochka.

Modern collective image Father Frost is based on the hagiography of St. Nicholas, as well as descriptions of the ancient Slavic deities Pozvizd (God of the Wind), Zimnik and Karachun.

Unfortunately, all the ancient myths and tales of the Slavs were destroyed after forced Christianization, therefore we know practically nothing about the ancient Slavic beliefs and traditions (see “Problems of studying paganism in Rus'”).

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 Father Frost, inspired by the clergy - after the introduction of Christianity in Rus', he began to collect sacrifices - steal naughty children and take them to bag. This church interpretation made it possible to instill 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 XIX century), Santa Claus, in the minds of the Russians, became kinder and began to give gifts to children himself.

This image was finally formalized in the USSR: the ancient Slavic God Father Frost became the symbol of the most beloved folk holiday - the New Year, which replaced the holiday of the Nativity of Christ (supposedly 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 Tsarist Russia for almost a millennium.

The professional holiday of Santa Clauses is celebrated every last Sunday in August.

Recently, the birthday of the Russian Father Frost was announced November 18- according to long-term meteorological observations, stable snow cover falls on most of Russia on this day. But this is nothing more than the current Russian commercial amateur activity based on Christian tradition Nativity of Christ. Of course, the great Slavic Gods do not and cannot have “birthdays,” for they are eternal and arose in the consciousness and beliefs of people back in the days early paleolithic at the very beginning of the post-glacial period, and possibly 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 Night of Yule remains - our New Year's Eve), about the forced Christianization of the Slavs by the Varangian invaders-enslavers, about the destruction Slavic mythology(because now the Slavs do not have their own mythology) see on page Maslenitsa and in the accompanying articles on page Pantheon of Slavic gods, given after the “Dictionary of Slavic gods”.

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 wizard (the God of another religion, which means a religious competitor, contrary to Christian teaching), and on the other hand, as an invincible Russian cultural tradition, which can only be fought disgrace yourself and reveal your weakness.

It is difficult to say unambiguously where the Russian Father Frost lives, since there are a lot of legends. Some 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 V.F. Odoevsky’s fairy tale “Moroz Ivanovich”, Frost’s red nose moves into the well in the spring, where “it’s cold in the summer too.”

Veliky Ustyug is the current “business homeland of Father Frost”

On the initiative of the former mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov, Vologda region Since 1999, the tourism business project “Veliky Ustyug - the birthplace of Father Frost” has been operating. Tourist trains go to Veliky Ustyug from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vologda, and specialized bus travel has been developed.

In the first three years (from 1999 to 2002), the number of tourists visiting the city of Veliky Ustyug increased from 2 thousand to 32 thousand. According to the Governor of the Vologda Region 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 trade turnover in the city has increased 15 times and unemployment has decreased.

Origin of Santa Claus

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

In the Middle Ages, the custom of giving gifts to children on St. Nicholas Day, December 19, was firmly established, because this is what the saint himself did. After the introduction of the new calendar, the saint began to come to children at Christmas, and then on New Year. Everywhere kind old man They call him differently, in England and America - Santa Claus, but here - Father Frost.

Who is he - our old friend and good wizard Russian Father Frost? Our Frost is a character in Slavic folklore. For many generations, the Eastern Slavs created and preserved a kind of “oral chronicle”: prosaic legends, epic tales, ritual songs, legends and tales about the past of their native land.

The Eastern Slavs have a fabulous image of Moroz - a hero, a blacksmith who binds water with “iron frosts”. Frosts themselves were often identified with violent winter winds. There are several folk tales where the North Wind (or Frost) helps lost travelers by showing them 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”, poem by V.Ya. Bryusov "To the King of the North Pole", Karelian-Finnish epic "Kalevala").

Pozvizd is the Slavic god of storms and bad weather. As soon as he shook his head, large hail fell to the ground. Instead of a cloak, the winds dragged behind him, and snow fell in flakes from the hem of his clothes. Pozvizd swiftly rushed across the skies, accompanied by a retinue of storms and hurricanes.

In the legends of the ancient Slavs there was another character - Zimnik. He, like Frost, appeared in the form of an old man of small stature, with white hair and a long gray beard, with his head uncovered, in warm white clothes and with an iron mace in his hands. Wherever it passes, expect severe 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. Severe, walking the earth in the company of the Sun and Wind and freezing to death the men he met along the way (in the Belarusian fairy tale “Frost, Sun and Wind”), he gradually turns from a formidable man into a fair and kind grandfather.

The Santa Claus costume also did not appear immediately. At first he was depicted wearing a cloak. By the beginning of the 19th century, the Dutch depicted him as a slender pipe smoker, skillfully cleaning 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 American artist Thomas Knight adorned Santa Claus with a beard, and soon the Englishman Tenniel created the image of a good-natured fat man. We are all very familiar with this Santa Claus.

And yet, let's try to determine the main features of the appearance of the Russian Father Frost that correspond to both historical and modern ideas about this fairy-tale wizard. According to one of the researchers of the image of Santa Claus - candidate historical sciences, art historian and ethnologist Svetlana Vasilyevna Zharnikova - the traditional appearance of Father Frost, according to ancient mythology and symbolism of color, suggests:

Beard and hair- thick, gray (silver). These details of appearance, in addition to their “physiological” meaning (the old man is gray-haired), also have a huge symbolic character, denoting power, happiness, prosperity and wealth. Surprisingly, hair is the only detail of the appearance that has not undergone any significant changes over the millennia.

Shirt and pants- white, linen, decorated with white geometric patterns (symbol of purity). This detail was almost lost in modern idea about the suit. Performers of the role of Santa Claus and costume designers prefer to cover the performer's neck with a white scarf (which is acceptable). As a rule, they don’t pay attention to the trousers or they are sewn in red to match the color of the fur coat (a terrible mistake!)

Fur coat- long (ankle-length or shin-length), always red, embroidered with silver (eight-pointed stars, geese, crosses and other traditional ornaments), trimmed with swan down. Some modern theatrical costumes, alas, they sin with experiments in the field of colors and replacement of materials. Surely many people have seen a gray-haired wizard in a blue or green fur coat. If so, know that this is not Santa Claus, but one of his many “younger brothers.” If the fur coat is short (the lower leg is open) or has pronounced buttons, this means that you are looking at a costume of Santa Claus, Pere Noel or one of the other foreign brothers-in-arms of Father Frost. But replacing swan down with white fur, although not desirable, is still acceptable.

Cap- red, embroidered with silver and pearls. Trimmed with swan down (white fur) with a triangular cutout made on the front part (stylized horns). The shape of the hat is a semi-oval (the round shape of the hat is traditional for Russian tsars, just remember the headdress of Ivan the Terrible). In addition to the imposing attitude to color described above, modern theatrical costume designers tried to diversify the decoration and shape of Santa Claus's headdress. The following “inaccuracies” are typical: replacement of pearls with glass diamonds and semi-precious stones (permissible), lack of a cutout behind the trim (not desirable, but very common), a hat of the correct semicircular shape (this is Vladimir Monomakh) or a cap (Santa Claus), a pompom (he same).

Three-fingered gloves or mittens- white, embroidered with silver - a symbol of the purity and holiness of everything that he gives from his hands. Three-fingered fingers have been a symbol of belonging to the highest divine principle since the Neolithic. What symbolic meaning modern red mittens carry is unknown.

Belt- white with a red ornament (symbol of the connection between ancestors and descendants). Nowadays, it has been preserved as an element of costume, having completely lost its symbolic meaning and corresponding color scheme. It's a pity...

Shoes- silver or red, silver-embroidered boots with raised toes. The heel is slanted, small in size or completely absent. On a frosty day, Father Frost puts on white felt boots embroidered with silver. White and silver - symbols of the moon, holiness, north, water and purity. It is by shoes that you can distinguish a real Santa Claus from a “fake” one. 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 red dancing boots or ordinary black felt boots (which is certainly not advisable).

Staff- crystal or silver “like crystal”. The handle is twisted and also has a silver-white color scheme. The staff is completed with a moon (a stylized image of the month) or a bull's head (a symbol of power, fertility and happiness). These days it is difficult to find a staff that matches these descriptions. The imagination of decorative artists and props makers almost completely changed its shape.

And some more features of Santa Claus

The external features of Santa Claus and his constant attributes are as follows:

1. Santa Claus wears a very warm hat with fur trim. Attention: no bombs or brushes!

2. Santa Claus's nose is usually red. (No bad analogies! It’s just VERY cold in the far north!) But the blue nose option is also allowed due to Grandfather’s snow-ice origin.

3. Santa Claus has a beard right down to the floor. White and fluffy like snow.

4. Grandfather Frost wears a long thick fur coat. Initially, quite a long time ago, the color of the fur coat was blue, cold, but under the influence of the red fur coats of its “European brothers” it changed to red. Although at the moment both options are allowed.

5. Santa Claus hides his hands in huge mittens. (see also paragraph 7)

6. Santa Claus does not wear belts, but ties his fur coat with a sash (belt). In extreme cases, it is fastened with buttons.

7. Santa Claus prefers exclusively felt boots. And it’s not surprising, because at -50? C (usual northern air temperature) even the Snow Master’s feet will freeze in boots.

8. Santa Claus always carries a staff with him. Firstly, to make it easier to get through the snowdrifts. And secondly, according to legend, Father Frost, while still a “wild Morozko”, used this very staff to “freeze” people.

9. A bag of gifts is a later attribute of the Master of Winter. Many children believe that he is bottomless. In any case, Santa Claus never lets anyone near the bag, but takes gifts out of it himself. He does this without looking, but he always guesses who is waiting for what gift.

10. Santa Claus travels on foot, by air or on a sleigh pulled by a troika. He also loves to cross his native expanses on skis. There have been no recorded cases of deer being used.

11. The most important difference between the Russian Father Frost is his constant companion, his granddaughter Snegurochka. This is understandable: alone and in the far north, you can die of boredom! And it’s more fun with my granddaughter. P.S. And Santa Claus never wears glasses or smokes a pipe!

Snow Maiden, granddaughter of Father Frost

Later, Father Frost had a granddaughter, Snegurka or Snegurochka, the heroine of many Russian fairy tales, a snow girl. And Santa Claus himself has changed: he began to bring children gifts for the New Year and fulfill their innermost desires.

As you can see, the origin of the Russian Father Frost is fundamentally different from the European Santa Claus. If Santa Claus was a real historical figure who was elevated to the rank of saint for his good deeds, then the Russian Father Frost is rather a pagan spirit, a character in folk beliefs and fairy tales. Despite the fact that the modern image of Father Frost has already been formed under the influence of the European New Year's character, most of the characteristic Russian features remain. To this day, the Russian Grandfather Frost walks around in a long fur coat, felt boots and with a staff. He prefers to travel on foot, by air, or on a sleigh pulled by a fast troika. His constant companion is his granddaughter Snegurochka. Santa Claus plays the game "I'll Freeze" with the children and hides gifts under the tree on New Year's Eve.

The Snow Maiden, the granddaughter of Father Frost, accompanies her Grandfather everywhere. The image of the Snow Maiden is a symbol of frozen waters. This is a girl dressed only in white clothes (or colors reminiscent of frozen water). The headdress of the granddaughter of Santa Claus is an eight-rayed crown, embroidered with silver and pearls.

From the history of Santa Claus

Creation of Santa Claus as a mandatory character New Year's ritual attributed to Soviet power and dates back to the end of the 1930s, when after several years of prohibition the Christmas tree was allowed again.

The rapid process of developing this image as an indispensable participant children's party Christmas trees became possible in the pre-war years only by relying on literary tradition and everyday practice, which in its main features had developed long before October.

This image is already recognizable: “kind Moroz Ivanovich” - a “gray-haired” old man who “shakes his head - frost falls from his hair”; he lives in an ice house and sleeps on a feather bed made of fluffy snow.

On the one hand, according to Nekrasov’s poem “Frost, Red Nose” (1863), he is portrayed as a malicious atmospheric spirit, which is credited with the ability to have a detrimental effect on humans.

On the other hand (mainly in poetry for children), its positive counterpart arises, main function which is the formation of “healthy” weather and the creation of winter “magics”.

Nekrasov’s “Frost, Red Nose” also begins to “work” to create this image, from which only the fragment “It is not the wind that rages over the forest...” is taken for children’s use, where main character, taken out of the context of the poem, appears as a “voivode”, an unlimited ruler winter forest and the wizard, putting away his “kingdom” into “diamonds, pearls, silver.”

At the same time and independently of the literary image of Frost, a mythological character arises and develops in the urban environment, “in charge” of the Christmas tree and, like the Christmas tree itself, originally borrowed from the West. During the reorientation of the Christmas tree “on domestic soil” and the creation of pseudo-folklore Christmas tree mythology, the design of Father Frost 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 unifying the name stretches over several decades: old Ruprecht (1861) - isolated cases indicating a 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 forest in winter (1894); kind Morozko (1886); Moroz Yolkic (1890s).

In the struggle for the name, Father Frost turned out to be the winner. No Western Christmas tree character has an analogue to this name. In East Slavic mythology, Frost is a respected creature, but also dangerous: in order not to provoke his anger, he should be handled carefully; asking not to destroy the harvest, they cajoled him; They used to scare children. But along with this, he also acted as the Grandfather (deceased parent, ancestor) who came on Christmas Eve.

At Christmas tree festivals, Santa Claus does not appear immediately, but in the middle or even towards the end of the celebration. According to popular beliefs, any guest is always welcome and should be an object of veneration as a representative of an alien world. This is how Santa Claus becomes welcome at the Christmas tree and 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. That’s why 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 tree, an advertising doll in shop 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 “originality”, the 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, dances around with the children Christmas tree, singing an old song in chorus, after which gifts begin to pour out of his bag for the 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 trash” and began to be viewed as “a product of the anti-national activities of capitalists.”

Poets who were in the service of the Soviet regime took part in the anti-Christmas campaign, such as Demyan Bedny, who wrote:

To “Nativity of Christ” at lunchtime

Old-fashioned Christmas tree grandfather

With such a long, very long beard

The spitting image of a fairytale “Santa Claus”

I was carrying a sleigh with a Christmas tree under my arm,

Sleigh with a five-year-old child.

You won't find anything Soviet here!

Along with the rehabilitation of the Christmas tree, at the end of 1935, the denunciations of Santa Claus also ceased, after some doubts he was completely restored to his rights. Organizers of children's Christmas trees were given the opportunity to take the initiative, and the compilers of books - recommendations for arranging Christmas trees - wrote scenarios, which ultimately led to the development of a standard ritual for a public children's Christmas tree.

If previously children received various gifts that differed in both quality and material value, now Santa Claus brought identical packages for all children, which he took out of his bag in a row.