We are already so accustomed to such signs of the New Year holidays as a Christmas tree, garlands, salad Olivier, etc., that we hardly think about how they became traditional. But we often answer the question of our children about where Santa Claus came from. We'll talk about this today. So…
Story of Santa Claus
The image of Santa Claus - a stately good-natured old man with a long lush beard, with a staff in his hand and a bag of gifts - is now familiar to every child and adult. He comes in the New Year, congratulates, wishes happiness and bestows gifts on everyone. It is not surprising that his appearance is especially expected at children's matinees.
The story of the appearance of Santa Claus begins from the depths of centuries, from the mythology of the ancient Slavs. But the one who thinks that he was originally a kind wizard who brings joy is mistaken. Rather the opposite. The Slavic predecessor of Santa Claus - Snow Grandfather, Karachun, Studenets, Treskun, Zimnik, Morozko - was harsh, tried to freeze those who met on the way. And the attitude towards children was peculiar -carry it away in a bag … It was not he who gave out gifts, but it was necessary to appease him in order to avoid trouble. That's where the fun was left - to sculpt snowmen. In fact, for our ancestors, these were idols depicting the god of winter. With the advent of Christianity, this peculiar spirit of Winter was preserved in folk tales.
Only in the 19th century Morozko, Moroz Ivanovich and other characters of fairy tales began to be presented as strict but fair beings. Kindness and hard work were rewarded, while laziness and malice were punished. Odoevsky's tale about Frost Ivanovich - that's where Santa Claus came from!
Christmas Santa Claus
In the 80s of the 19th century, following the example of European countries, they began to associate a person called Christmas Grandfather (or Christmas Santa) with the holiday of Christmas. Here he already brought gifts to reward children for good behavior during the year. But, unlike Santa Claus, he was not a saint and had nothing to do with religion at all. And in the countryside, they did not notice his appearance at all and continued to celebrate Holy Evenings, as before - with fortune-telling and carols.
But Santa Claus has become familiar to the general public since 1910. And Christmas cards helped in this. At first, he was painted in a blue or white fur coat to the toes, the color of winter itself. A hat of the same color was depicted on his head, and Grandfather also wore warm boots and mittens. A magic staff and a bag with gifts became indispensable attributes.
The history of Father Frost in Soviet times
After coming to power, the Bolsheviks began to fight against "religious rubbish". In 1929, the celebration of Christmas as a religious holiday was banned. It is clear that Santa Claus with a Christmas tree also fell out of favor. Even fairy tales have been recognized as a hoax designed to cloud the heads of the masses.
And only in 1935, at the suggestion of Stalin, the Komsomol decree on the celebration of the New Year was issued. It was ordered to organize New Year trees for children instead of pre-revolutionary Christmas ones. It was noted that this is great fun for the kids of workers and peasants, who previously could only look with envy at the entertainment of the offspring of the rich.
The symbolism of the Christmas tree has also changed. It was a secular, not a religious holiday. Instead of the Star of Bethlehem, a red five-pointed star lit up at the top of the forest beauty. Santa Claus remained the same kind grandfather, bringing gifts. He rode in a Russian troika, accompanied by his beloved granddaughter Snegurochka.
How Santa Claus became a grandfather
So, we figured out where Santa Claus came from. The Snow Maiden appeared next to him much later. In ancient Slavic folklore there is no indication of the companion of our Grandfather.
The image of the Snow Maiden was invented by the writer A. N. Ostrovsky. In his fairy tale, she was the daughter of Santa Claus, who came to people attracted by music. After the appearance of the opera by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, the Snow Maiden became very popular. Sometimes she appeared on Christmas trees, but on her own, without Santa Claus.
In 1937 onYolke in the Moscow House of Unions for the first time, the Snow Maiden performed with her Grandfather. Her transformation from daughter to granddaughter happened because a cheerful girl or a very young girl was closer to the children, for whom the holiday was arranged.
Since then, the Snow Maiden has been accompanying Santa Claus at any New Year's holiday, most often it is she who is leading him. True, after Gagarin's flight, sometimes on the Christmas trees instead of the Snow Maiden appeared … an astronaut.
Santa Claus Helpers
The story of the appearance of Santa Claus has recently been supplemented with new pages. In addition to the Snow Maiden, new fairy-tale heroes also take part in the good New Year's magic. For example, the Snowman, who appeared in the fairy tales of the wonderful children's writer and cartoonist Suteev. He either goes to the forest for a Christmas tree for a holiday, or drives a car with gifts. For the most part, forest animals help Grandfather, and some sometimes try to prevent the onset of the New Year holidays. Often in the scripts appear Old Men-Foresters, Brothers-Months…
Where Santa Claus came from, he moved on foot or on the wings of a snowstorm. Subsequently, they began to represent him on the dashing Russian troika. And now reindeer are also kept in Veliky Ustyug - a real winter form of transport. How can the kindest wizard in the country, whose domain stretches to the North Pole, fall behind Santa Claus!
When was Santa Claus born?
Curious children want to find out how old Santa Claus is. Despite the ancient Slavic roots, Grandfather is stillpretty young. The appearance of the fairy tale "Moroz Ivanovich" by Odoevsky (1840) can be considered the moment of his birth. It is in it that a kind old man first appears, who gives gifts to a diligent girl and punishes a lazy one. According to this version, Grandfather is 174 years old.
But in the mentioned fairy tale, Frost does not come to anyone, does not distribute gifts in connection with the holiday. All this will be much later, towards the end of the 19th century. If you count from now, Santa Claus is not yet 150 years old.
If we consider the date of his birth in 1935, when New Year Trees began to be held again, then Grandfather is planning a modest anniversary - he will be 80 years old.
When is Father Frost's birthday?
This is another question that puzzles us with children. After all, they, who received gifts for the New Year, often want to thank the kind old man. This question can be answered quite accurately - November 18th. After all, the children themselves decided so, choosing as their birthday the day of the onset of winter in the homeland of Santa Claus. It happened in 2005.
And now every year on this day a big holiday is held, to which his colleagues arrive. These are Santa Claus from real Lapland, Pakkaine from Karelia, Mikulash from the Czech Republic and even Chiskhan from Yakutia… Every year the scope of the celebration expands, more and more new guests come. But most importantly, from his homeland, from Kostroma, the Snow Maiden hurries to congratulate Grandfather.
Guests from other cities are also invited to the celebration. These are the deputies of Santa Claus, who will come to the children for the New Year, and fairy-tale charactershelpers. All of them are waiting for fun activities. And in the evening, Santa Claus lights the lights on the very first Christmas tree and announces the start of preparations for the New Year. After that, he and his assistants go on a trip around the country in order to have time to congratulate all its inhabitants.
In March, Santa Claus hands over his duty to Spring-Krasna and returns to his house. In public, before the next birthday, he will appear again - in the summer, on the Day of the City. Both holidays include folk festivals, an extensive program of events telling about the Russian North, including excursions around the estate of Father Frost.
And let's not say exactly how old Santa Claus is, but it is quite possible to congratulate him, write a letter of good wishes.
Where to write?
Where can Santa Claus live? At the North Pole? Or in Lapland, next to Santa Claus? Or maybe in a well, like in the fairy tale "Moroz Ivanovich"?
The address of Santa Claus is known to many very well. His residence is located in the city of Veliky Ustyug, in the Vologda region. A magnificent tower was built there for him, his post office works. Santa Claus even received a passport from the hands of the governor of the Vologda region. And to the children's question "where did Santa Claus come from", you can safely answer: from Veliky Ustyug.
If your child wants to write a letter, congratulate a good old man on his birthday, make a wish for the New Year, don't be scared and don't get lost, because it's easy to do. Write down the address of Santa Claus:162390, Russia, Vologda region, the city of Veliky Ustyug. Santa Claus mail.
