Snow Maiden and Santa Claus are popular characters and constant guests of any New Year. The characters are invariably cheerful and friendly - they congratulate adults and give gifts to kids. But the history of the rite of celebration, like the real roles of Frost and the Snow Maiden, stagger the imagination with its cruelty and abundance of bloody details.
Snow Maiden and Frost: Scandinavian interpretation
According to the Roman chronicles, the Celtic priests - the Druids - among other trees especially honored conifers (spruce, pine). The green giants from the sacred groves were regularly offered gifts - food, flowers, jewelry and human sacrifices. However, the latter is an unconfirmed fact, although the Russian Snegurochka and its modern interpretation is considered a cultural borrowing from the wild, unenlightened Vikings.
Where is the Snow Maiden from?
The cruel spirit of winter - the Elder of the North - demanded a respectful attitude. The Snow Maiden girl was needed to appease the deity of nature. Either an orphan was chosen for the role of the Snow Maiden, or the lot was thrown within the boundaries of the settlement. Who are the parents of the Snow Maiden - it was completelynever mind.
Roman historians described the tradition of sacrifice very colorfully and with a lot of unappetizing details - dousing with ice water and ripping open the stomach of a young girl were obligatory attributes of Celtic celebrations, as well as decorating sacred fir trees with human remains.
There is no special faith in the Roman chroniclers, since the Druids were known for their pacifism and careful attitude to all living things - trees, herbs, animals and people.
Snegurka: Slavic interpretation
The common roots of the peoples of the Indo-European group allow us to draw conclusions about a single mythological space, in the light of which the characters, heroes and main motifs of fairy tales and legends are repeated and intertwined. The Russian Snegurochka is an echo of the general cosmogonic concept and partial cultural borrowing. The character is found mainly in Slavic fairy tales, in Europe there is no such image.
One of the indispensable external signs and modern New Year's attributes is the crown of the Snow Maiden. This artifact, according to the observations of culturologists, goes back to the image of the great-Snow Maiden - the Slavic spirit of Kostroma. Kupala's sister, Kostroma, was depicted as a girl in white clothes with a crown (perhaps the same crown of the Snow Maiden) on her head and an oak branch in her hand. Meetings and farewells to Kostroma (the personification of spring) were accompanied by special rituals. Like a fairy-tale character familiar to us from numerous literary works, Kostroma left people - just like the Snow Maiden in summer. Kupala's sister was “strong” for some time, and then “got sick” and “died.”
It is still unknown how the Snow Maiden girl came from Kostroma, but it is the ancient deity of the Slavs that underlies modern family holidays.
Does the Snow Maiden have a family?
To the question "Who are the parents of the Snow Maiden?" There are several answers in mythology - Winter and Lada, Spring and Winter - two mutually exclusive beginnings.
Obviously, it could not have done without the intervention of otherworldly forces, but the modern legend about Frost and his granddaughter does not recognize the parents of the Snow Maiden in principle.
Where are the Snow Maiden's parents? Based on the Old Norse and Old Slavonic understanding of the holiday, the girl’s parents would be “in chocolate”. The Snow Maiden, chosen for the solemn sacrifice, was promised eternal life, and prosperity and prosperity to all her relatives.
Snow Maiden and Santa Claus: the evolution of images
Traditional Santa Claus from Russian fairy tales evolved into a kind old man for a long time. Great Frost, aka Morok, was a chthonic deity, and no one would want to meet him.
The Lord of snows and endless winter, Frost-Morok was also known for his love of deceit, which is preserved in numerous sayings of the Indo-European group of languages. The favorite entertainment of the good grandfather Morok was to confuse the traveler and lure him into a swamp or thicket, where the latter died from cold and exhaustion. It was possible to appease Morok only with special offerings and gifts that were placed outside the door and onroadsides.
Over time, Santa Claus became much kinder and began not only to freeze, but also to give gifts to mortals. This motif can be traced in folk and author's tales.
The Snow Maiden and Father Frost pair formed much later, at the beginning of the 20th century.
Father Frost and Snow Maiden: traditional costumes
An old man of huge growth in a white fur coat covered with frost - this is how our distant ancestors imagined the formidable Frost. Long gray hair and a white disheveled beard with icicles are indispensable signs of the lord of winter. Winter was the realm of Pozvizd-Frost - at this time of the year, he and only he belonged to the whole world.
Often, Grandfather comes to modern celebrations with a staff in his hand - the same was with his progenitor. With a single touch of this powerful weapon, primordial Frost could freeze rivers and lakes, turn the earth into icy plains, and split mountains. Under the influence of the artifact, people and animals turned into ice blocks, so it was vital to appease the deity.
Another magical artifact is a belt, which can be seen in modern Frosts, it acted as a kind of amulet.
With the Snow Maiden, everything is much more complicated - it is not clear who the parents of the Snow Maiden are, where she came from, and how her traditional costume developed. Presumably, the girl's white or blue fur coat speaks of her "winter" origin and makes her related to her named relative - Santa Claus.
Snegurochka: urban legends and modern "horror"
Popular in the global networkthe version about the real origin of the holiday and the imagery associated with it slightly smacks of cheap horror films.
According to the best Hollywood traditions, the role of the Snow Maiden, according to a popular urban legend, was played by a young maiden who did not know a man. This unfortunate girl was not only put out in the cold and doused with ice water, but later the trees in the nearest forest “decorated” her remains with her remains. All these ritual actions are attributed to the druids - the ancient Celtic eco-pacifists, who were not allowed to offend any living creature by laws.
It is very hard to believe in such desecration of sacred groves and trees by cult priests. Outsiders were not allowed into the territory where seasonal rituals and ceremonies were performed - all the more unlikely that the unknown girl could be in the sacred grove until complete glaciation. And the druids would hardly have begun to desecrate the ancient fir trees, whose age could be several hundred years old.
The image of the unfortunate Snow Maiden frozen to death is partly the merit of the victorious Romans, and partly the usual horror stories from the “in a black, black city” series.
"Revolutionary" Snow Maiden from the USSR
With the change of the regime of the new government - the Soviet one - new holidays were needed. A Catholic Christmas with bourgeois attributes - a fat Santa and his elves-servants - seemed to the party leaders not ideologically consistent enough.
The national traditions of the small peoples of the USSR were spread over relatively small territories, and the huge country needed a different holiday - a new, bright andabsolutely unique.
The "Kremlin Christmas Trees", which went down in history as an example of pompous celebrations for the elite, became the beginning of the legend of the Soviet Snow Maiden, because the strict old man Santa Claus himself is very far from children, and many kids are still afraid of a terrible beard and unusual new year's guest clothes. Inviting the Snow Maiden to a children's party allows you to make the celebration more comfortable and homely. To the question "Who are the parents of the Snow Maiden?" one can answer unequivocally - entertainers and organizers of the Kremlin New Year's events of the 30s.
Santa Claus and Snow Maiden: how to please children?
Supporting children's faith in the New Year's miracle is not easy enough. Artists do not always want to and can earn a fee, which is sometimes immodest, and the scenery, on the contrary, leaves much to be desired.
For kids and their parents, the fact that the young Snow Maiden weighs a good hundred kilograms, and Grandfather Frost smells of beer can be a big surprise.
Mass events are the best choice, because on such holidays there is not only a huge bright Christmas tree, but also a real Santa Claus, who, although he is far away on the stage, congratulates everyone at once.
It's even better if the father of the family or another male relative will contract for the role of a good wizard. So the kids are guaranteed to receive hearty congratulations, gifts and memories of a real New Year's miracle.
Who will be your favorite Christmas characters?
Dynamics of the images of the main charactersfolk festival allows you to make assumptions based on the evolution of characters. Terrible spirits of nature for hundreds of years have turned from pests into helpers and benefactors, who are expected in every home. From a little girl, the Snow Maiden turned into a completely adult girl, and Santa Claus from a gray-haired evil old man into a handsome old man with gray hair.
Mixing the images of Catholic Santa and Russian Frost today leads to many funny confusions - often on holidays you can meet Santa Claus in a Santa Claus hat or Santa accompanied by a Snow Maiden.
Perhaps in the near future these characters will become so close that they will be completely interchangeable. However, since each of them brings a holiday and gifts, this is not a shame at all.
It will be no less pleasant to celebrate the New Year with Santa, and with the Snow Maiden, and with Santa Claus - similar traditions can already be observed today in some families where there are both Catholics and Orthodox.
A Christmas tree will always be a Christmas tree, gifts will always be gifts, and a holiday will always be a holiday, no matter who brings them and whoever wishes he alth, happiness and we alth.
New Year's Father Frost and Snow Maiden, as well as Santa Claus and his elves, certainly will not leave anyone without gifts and memories of unusual and fun holidays.
