Every year on January 30, the holiday of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden is celebrated. This ancient pagan holiday is especially well known to the Eastern Slavs, who added many legends and tales about the frosty grandfather and his granddaughter.
Why is the Snow Maiden closer to people?
So, for example, there is an explanation why the Snow Maiden can melt, but Santa Claus cannot. A young girl, at the whim of the Slavic god of love, Lelia fell in love with a common man, and therefore, with the arrival of Spring, she stopped flying to the North. But at that moment, when "a bright ray of the sun cuts through the morning fog and falls on the Snow Maiden," she melts and returns to the kingdom of ice.Operas, fairy tales, films and cartoons have been written based on the plots of legends and fairy tales about Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden.
The meaning of the holiday
The Slavs on this day honored the enemy of Perun (the main god, the god of lightning) - Frost, who was considered the hypostasis of Veles (the god of witchcraft and the patron saint of domestic animals). Moreover, if Frost is his winter incarnation, then Yar (the son of Veles and Diva) is spring.Frost's wife was the Snow Queen, daughter of Mara (goddess of death) and Koschei (god of the dead). The Snow Queen gave birth to a beautiful daughter to Frost, who was named Snegurochka.
The celebration of the day of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden was considered a symbolic end to winter and a reminder that the wide and generous Maslenitsa is just around the corner.
January 30, 2018 Santa Claus and Snow Maiden Day: what kind of holiday it is and how it is celebrated, traditions, customs, history, congratulations. Every year on January 30, a very interesting and unusual holiday is celebrated. It is called the Day of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden.
Not everyone knows about this holiday, but those who know it celebrate it with great pleasure. Especially, of course, children love this holiday. After all, for them this is another opportunity to plunge into the magical world of a fairy tale.
Many people mistakenly believe that Santa Claus and Snow Maiden are relatively young fairy tale characters. But experts have a different point of view. According to history, these characters were revered by the ancient Slavs. And the holiday itself is rooted in paganism.
According to an ancient belief, Santa Claus (Morozko), who was the embodiment of the god Veles, lived many hundreds of years ago. He was married to the Snow Queen, who in turn was the daughter of Koshchei and Mary, the rulers of the winter world. Santa Claus and the Snow Queen had a daughter, Snow Maiden. Where this legend came from and whether there is some truth in it is unknown. Indeed, in folk tales it is presented so that the Snow Maiden is Santa Claus's granddaughter.
There are no specific traditions associated with the celebration of the Day of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden. Therefore, each family can come up with their own customs, how to spend this holiday and give joy to the child. This can be a trip to a movie or a cafe, a slide or an ice rink. Together with your child, you can come up with your own tradition of how to celebrate the Day of Santa Claus and Snow Maiden on January 30.
Have a wonderful holiday!
This day in history:
The Day of Frost and Snow Maiden is a traditional pagan holiday that most of the inhabitants in our country do not know about. However, in Ancient Rus January 30 was one of the most popular winter holidays.
On this day, our ancestors glorified Frost, who was the winter incarnation of the powerful god Veles - a symbol of wealth and prosperity. In addition, Santa Claus and Snow Maiden are integral attributes of winter, the coming New Year and mass fun.
On that day, they revered the enemy of Perun - Moroz - the hypostasis of Veles. We can say that Frost is the winter hypostasis of Veles, just like Yar (the son of Veles and Diva) is the spring.
Moroz is married to the Snow Queen, daughter of Mary and Koschei. Frost and the Snow Queen have a daughter, the Snow Maiden.
These days they tell tales about Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden. About how the Snow Maiden, at the whim of the goddess of love Lelia, fell in love with a person, therefore, with the arrival of Spring, she did not fly to the North. And as soon as the Sun warmed her, she melted.
Interesting Facts about the holiday:
Quite funny is the fact that Santa Claus and Snegurka received a Russian residence permit in 1999, and now they live in the city of Veliky Ustyug, in the Vologda region, in the east. We hope it will be interesting to know that in the New Year's Western and Christmas mythology there is no analogue of our Snow Maiden, no matter how many people were looking for him. They compared him with Malanka, and with Saint Lucia, and with Saint Katerina, and with many others, but none of them resembled the Russian Snow Maiden. And by the way, foreign Santa Clauses do not have a "partner" at all.
History of the holiday:
New Year- this is traditional holiday, whose symbols are Santa Claus and Snow Maiden. However, few people know that on January 30 the Slavs celebrate the Day of Frost and Snow Maiden. It is on this day that I want to understand and rethink the role of the character inherent in this holiday.
The popular story about the kind Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden, who live quite far in the North and give gifts to children on New Year's Eve, is known to everyone, but what are the deeper, Old Slavonic roots of the familiar Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden still need to be figured out.
"Pagan calendar" has a different name, namely "Kolo Svarozhie". For our ancestors, Kolo Svarozhie is a zodiac circle. Svarog is nothing more than the identification of the male embodiment of the Universe, the heavenly blacksmith, the Creator God of the Universe, who created all life on Earth and inhabited it, he is also the patron saint of family and marriage.
According to this calendar, the day of Frost and the Snow Maiden is a holiday of the God of winter, Veles, who brings snow and cold to the earth, and also gives the embryos of wealth, offspring and harvest. The patron saint of all winter activities outside the home are also Moroz and Snegurka.
It is believed that Santa Claus is one of the hypostases of the almighty god Veles, or rather his winter hypostasis. The main act of Veles was that he set in motion the world created by Rod and Svarog. The night began to change the day, after winter came spring, sadness was followed by joy. But this is not a monotonous cyclicality, this is learning the basics of life.
People have learned to cope with difficulties and appreciate rare moments of happiness. The rotation occurs in the direction of the movement of the Sun in the sky, in accordance with the laws of the Rule. And Great Love is the guiding and helping force in trials. The Laws of the Rule, in turn, tell about the Creator and the laws of the Universe.
According to the myths of the ancient Slavs, the wife of Frost is the Snow Queen, who is the daughter of Koshchei and Mary, who rule the dark underworld. And the Snow Maiden is the daughter of Frost and the Snow Queen. How old is Frost or Snow Maiden exactly - no one undertakes to calculate, only one thing is clear that they are several thousand years old. In addition, this explanation completely denies the myth that the Snow Maiden is the granddaughter of Santa Claus.
The story of the origin of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden: Slavic roots:
For some time now, Santa Claus and Snow Maiden have become symbols of the New Year - fairy-tale characters of our childhood.
The very image of Santa Claus, as a New Year's character of fairy tales and children's matinees, to which we are accustomed, exists relatively recently. When Grandfather was born and who gave birth to him is a story covered in darkness, since its roots go back to the distant past of our ancestors.
There is a version that our Santa Claus is the embodiment of the Slavic god Moroka, the lord of winter and snow. By the way, the god Morok was also considered the god of lies, deceit and delusion.
Hence such expressions in Russian have been preserved as: “to faint”, “to fool your head”; in the Ukrainian language - "zapamorochennya". The wraith seemed to our ancestors as a gray-haired old man who wandered through the forests, covering trees with frost, and freezing rivers with ice.
Meeting Morok promised trouble. An evil god could freeze to death, so people placated him as best they could: they treated him to pancakes, jelly, invited to the table to taste kutya, cookies, asked not to destroy the crops.
Somehow, over time, the evil Morok became kinder, or something, but not immediately. Remember at least the Russian folk tale"Morozko" or the tale of Vladimir Fedorovich Odoevsky based on folk motives "Moroz Ivanovich". The heroine of the fairy tale, who was distinguished by a kind, docile character and worked tirelessly, Morozko froze a little, and then presented with treasures. And her half-sister, angry and lazy, froze to death. This is probably why we tell our children that Grandfather Frost gives gifts only to obedient children.
Father Frost:
Morok, Morozko ... In fact, this old man has many names. How many names, so many versions about his origin: Morok, Morozko (as we already know), he is Karachun, he is Treskun, he is Zyuzya (our brothers Belarusians called him that), Pozvizd (the Slavic god of storms and bad weather), Zimnik, Uncle Koleda (in Bulgaria), etc. But, perhaps, there is something in common in which all the supposed prototypes of the current Grandfather agree. Firstly, this is a powerful being - a spirit or god, endowed with magical, magic power; secondly, the temper is steep and harsh, to match the harsh winter - the time of year when he rules the earth. There is one more thing that allows us to recognize in the prototypes of our modern hero - appearance.
The gray hair and beard of the elder testifies to a respectable age, therefore, of wisdom and possession of powerful magical knowledge. The gloves of Santa Claus were previously three-fingered, which was considered a symbol of the divine principle. In our time, they have been replaced by mittens that are familiar to us. He wears a white shirt and linen trousers embroidered with ornaments - a sign of a deity who carries pure energy. A long red fur coat trimmed with swan down, and a hat embroidered with silver and pearls, and also trimmed with fur, are the invariable attributes of Santa Claus.
As a strong amulet and a symbol of connection with generations from ancestors to descendants - a wide belt over a fur coat. In the hands of a magic crystal staff, from the touch of which all living things turn into ice. The tip of the staff is decorated with a lunar (silver decoration in the form of a crescent) or the head of a bull - symbols of power, fertility, happiness.
Snow Maiden:
The Snow Maiden, unlike Santa Claus, has its own specific author. This is the writer Alexander Ostrovsky. In his fairy tale "The Snow Maiden", for the first time, he tells about a relative of Santa Claus. Only in this work does she appear in the role of his daughter. The Snow Maiden, according to the plot, appeared in front of people in the forest. She was attracted by the music she heard in people.
Later, the Snow Maiden "reincarnated" as the granddaughter of Santa Claus. This can be explained by the fact that this image is much closer to children. After all, if the Snow Maiden is his daughter, then, accordingly, she introduces herself at an older age. And if a granddaughter, she is the same age as the children she comes to visit.
It is now difficult to trace when Santa Claus had a daughter or granddaughter Snegurochka as a companion. V folklore this image sometimes appears on its own.
Even some researchers are inclined to think that the image of a beautiful snow girl has deeper roots - none other than Kostroma herself (Kupala's sister).
Kostroma presented herself as a girl wrapped in white, holding an oak branch in her hands and steps accompanied by a round dance. In the funeral ceremony of Kostroma, conducted by our ancestors, it was shown how a girl falls ill and dies, and then resurrects, which are signs of a seasonal spirit, and in this there is a relationship with the image of the Snow Maiden. The fairytale character also dies - melts.
It should be noted that the Snow Maiden is a purely Russian phenomenon. Not a single overseas character symbolizing the arrival of the new year has a companion. Only our Santa Claus is lucky.
Folk traditions and customs:
According to the established custom, on the days of this holiday, different tales are told about Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden. Of particular popularity among our ancestors was the legend of how the Snow Maiden, out of the whim of Lelya, the goddess of love, fell in love with a common man, and therefore, when Spring came, she did not fly to the North. But only the sun warmed up, the Snow Maiden and melted.
These fairy tales reflect the myth that tells about the natural spirits that die when the season changes - a creature born in winter from snow melts with the onset of spring, turning into a cloud. It is here that you can make a connection with the Kupala calendar rite, which is initiation and consists in jumping over a fire - the essence is that the girl at this moment turns into a girl. As a winter, seasonal character Snow Maiden dies with the arrival of summer.
In turn, Moroz, Morozko is a Slavic character in fairytale and ceremonial folklore. The cult of Frost is somehow represented in all traditions of the Slavs, mainly in sayings and proverbs. The fabulous image of Frost among the Eastern Slavs presents us with a hero and a blacksmith who fetters the water with "iron" frosts.
Similar images are reflected in Serbo-Croatian and Czech phraseological phrases and customs associated with blacksmiths. The traditions that came to our cities from Western Europe, over time, have changed the stereotypes associated with Santa Claus and Snow Maiden, adding to them the "smell" of Western culture. The ancient Santa Claus with the Snow Maiden, according to pagan Slavic myths, lives in an ice hut in the land of the dead. You can get there only by going through a magic well.
Gifts that are customary to give on this day:
Not only ceremonies, but also the process of giving gifts have undergone some transformation. In the old days, people did not expect gifts from Santa Claus, but gave them to him themselves.
The Slavs in ancient times believed that the ancient spirits of their ancestors protected man from misfortunes and troubles.
And in order for them to be complacent, they should be propitiated. For this, caroling ceremonies were performed, the eldest of the carols was called Grandfather. He personified the spirit of Winter - strict, sometimes evil and often not accommodating, but fair.
However, from a rather evil character, with whom children are frightened in childhood, Santa Claus transformed into a kind wizard, the owner of the winter forest, who gives a holiday. A staff and a large bag with gifts are considered obligatory attributes of Frost.
And the Snow Maiden is an irreplaceable companion in all of Frost's travels. Parents, on behalf of Santa Claus and Snow Maiden, make gifts to children that they dreamed of all year and behaved well in order to justify their parents' trust.
On January 30, on the day of Frost and Snow Maiden, special gifts are not given, but this day serves as a reminder that time does not stand still.
Copy of other people's materials
Invariably, Santa Claus and Snow Maiden are considered the most beloved symbols for adults and children, its guardians and patrons. It is difficult even to imagine this holiday without their presence, because they not only bring gifts to children in a magic bag, but also give a wonderful mood and joy to everyone without exception. But did you know that these fairy-tale characters also have your holiday whose history goes back to a long, long time ago?
On this day, January 30, in Ancient Russia, one of the most popular pagan holidays was celebrated - the Day of Frost and the Snow Maiden. It turns out that the history of these characters has deep roots in ancient Slavic mythology. In the old days, on this day, Santa Claus was revered as the winter incarnation of a pagan god Veles- the embodiment of the defender of material wealth and well-being.
As for his constant companion, there is a belief that, bewitched by the goddess Cherish- the patroness of couples in love, Snow Maiden fell in love with a person... Her mother, Winter, warned her daughter that warm human feelings could ruin her. Every year, with the arrival of warmth, the Snow Maiden went with Santa Claus to the North Pole, but, captivated by love, she decided not to leave. And when the Sun came out and warmed her, the Snow Maiden immediately melted and no one saw her until next winter.
And since that time, these fairy-tale characters go to the North Pole every winter, foreshadowing the early arrival of spring. They make this trip every year on January 30th, because it was this date that began to be called the day of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden. Traditionally, on this day, we say goodbye to our favorite fairy-tale characters until next winter, and the older generation tells children interesting and fascinating fairy tales, the main characters of which are sure to be Santa Claus and Snow Maiden.
Interesting facts about Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden
No one knows for sure how old the old man is, but it is believed that he has passed 2000 years ago.
The "great-grandfather" of the modern Father Frost, the lord of the weather and winter, was presented as a little man with a long beard and a character as severe as frosts. And he did not give gifts, as we are used to, but, on the contrary, received them from people during ceremonies in honor of his praise.
During the reign of Peter I, the image of the first Grandfather Frost, familiar to us, appeared, who came with gifts only to obedient children, and "left hooligans and bully up with his nose." But his modern name - Moroz Ivanovich, he received only in the collection "Children's fairy tales of grandfather Irenaeus", written in 1840 by Vladimir Odoevsky.
It is interesting that none of the foreign brothers of Santa Claus has such a wonderful accompaniment as the Snow Maiden. According to legend, she is a girl made of ice, but with a heart hot with love. Today, it is mistakenly believed that Snegurka is the granddaughter of Santa Claus, but this is not so, because Alexander Ostrovsky, in whose work her image first appeared, says that the snow girl is the daughter of Frost and Spring.
Despite the influence of Western New Year characters, our Grandfather Frost still retains his folk characteristics and every year pleases obedient children with gifts, and brings adults festive mood and happiness.
Invariably Father Frost and Snow Maiden are considered the most beloved symbols of the New Year for adults and children, its guardians and patrons. It is difficult even to imagine this holiday without their presence, because they not only bring gifts to children in a magic bag, but also give a wonderful mood and joy to everyone without exception. But did you know that these fairy-tale characters also have your holiday whose history goes back a long, long time ago?
On this day, January 30, in Ancient Russia, one of the most popular pagan holidays was celebrated - Frost day and Snow Maidens... It turns out that the history of these characters has deep roots in ancient Slavic mythology. In the old days, on this day, Santa Claus was revered as the winter incarnation of a pagan god Veles - the embodiment of the defender of material wealth and well-being.
As for his constant companion, there is a belief that, bewitched by the goddess Cherish - the patroness of couples in love, Snow Maiden fell in love with a person ... Her mother, Winter, warned her daughter that warm human feelings could ruin her. Every year, with the arrival of warmth, the Snow Maiden went with Santa Claus to the North Pole, but, captivated by love, she decided not to leave. And when the Sun came out and warmed her, the Snow Maiden immediately melted and no one saw her until next winter.
And since that time, these fairy-tale characters go to the North Pole every winter, foreshadowing the early arrival of spring. They make this journey every year January 30, therefore it was this date that began to be called Happy Santa Claus and Snow Maidens... By tradition, on this day, we say goodbye to our beloved fairy-tale characters until next winter, and the older generation tells children interesting and fascinating fairy tales, the main characters of which are sure to be Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden.
Interesting facts about Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden
Nobody knows for sure how old is the old man, but it is believed that he has passed over 2000 a long time ago.
"Great-grandfather" of the modern Santa Claus, the lord of the weather and winter was represented as a little man with a long beard and a character as severe as frosts. And he did not give gifts, as we are accustomed to, but, on the contrary, received them from people during ceremonies in honor of his praise.
During the reign of Peter I, the image of the first familiar to us appeared Santa Claus, who came with gifts only to obedient children, and "left hooligans and bullies with his nose." But his modern name - Moroz Ivanovich, he received only in the collection "Children's fairy tales of grandfather Irenaeus", written in 1840 by Vladimir Odoevsky.
Interestingly, none of the foreign counterparts Santa Claus I do not have such a great accompaniment as Snow Maiden... According to legend, she is a girl made of ice, but with a heart hot with love. Today, it is mistakenly believed that Snegurka is the granddaughter of Santa Claus, but this is not so, because Alexander Ostrovsky, in whose work her image first appeared, says that the snow girl is the daughter of Frost and Spring.
Despite the influence of Western New Year characters, our Santa Claus nevertheless, it retains its national characteristics and every year pleases obedient children with gifts, and brings a festive mood and happiness to adults.
