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Post: Santa Claus and other New Year’s characters around the world

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Santa Claus is the favorite character of children and adults around the world. This winter magician comes to wish everyone a Happy New Year and present gifts. In Russia, over the past two thousand years, he appeared in different images: first, in the guise of the East Slavic spirit of the cold Treskun, then Morozko as a character in ancient fairy tales, in later versions, Moroz Ivanovich, Moroz Yelkich.

With the onset of New Year’s celebrations in Russia, he began to give gifts. He gave it to obedient children first, and beat the naughty ones with a stick. Over time, it was replaced by a magic wand, with which Santa Claus warmed all living things and illuminated Christmas trees. According to tradition, the magician has a thick silver beard that symbolizes prosperity and wealth, as well as gloves that have recently turned red, felt boots, a red jacket and white trousers. Santa’s fur coat should be long – ankle-length or shank-length. The modern Santa Claus in a suit has new decoration elements: embroideries with gold thread, decorations with rhinestones and “gems”.

Russian Santa Claus travels a lot around the country. During his long life he experimented with different modes of transportation: from sleds to helicopters. However, the white horse and ski trio is preferred. Granddaughter Snegurochka helps her granddaughter give gifts to the children. According to one version, the girl was born from a snowwoman. The literary father of the Snow Maiden can be considered the playwright Alexander Ostrovsky, who wrote a play based on a folk tale. In 1882, composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov staged an opera of the same name based on the play, which was a huge success. It was then that the image of a beautiful blond-haired girl appeared in a white and blue dress with fur trim. The Snow Maiden got its modern image in the middle of the 20th century, after official permission was obtained in the USSR to celebrate the New Year.

An electronic board with an inscription about the arrival of a train with a mobile residence of Santa Claus at the train station in Tambov - RIA Novosti, 1920, 29.12.2022
Electronic board with the inscription about the arrival of the train with the mobile residence of Santa Claus at the train station in Tambov

The main residence of the Russian Father Frost positioned In Veliky Ustyug (Vologda region). There is room manor In Moscow’s Kuzminsky forest.

Santa Claus in different countries it seems and called differently. In America, his name is Santa Claus. The prototype for him was the common Christian St. Nicholas of Myra (Santa Claus – “saint”, Klaus – “Nicholas”), known for helping poor people with children in the form of secret gifts.

image of Santa Claus invented In 1822, Clement Clark Moore, a seminary teacher from the United States, read a poem called “On the threshold of Christmas or Santa’s visit” to his wife and children on Christmas Eve. In it, Santa Claus appears the night before Christmas and comes down the chimney into the house with a large bag on his shoulders to deliver presents to the children. He was depicted as a cheerful, cheerful old elf with a round, tight belly and a pipe. In 1862, cartoonist Thomas Nast painted the first picture of Santa Claus, placing it at the North Pole. For more than 20 years, he has portrayed her for the cover of the popular Harper’s Weekly magazine. The covers were very popular, but they had one drawback – they were black and white. In 1885, American publisher Louis Prang printed Christmas cards using color lithography and gifted his grandfather a red fur coat. The modern look of Santa Claus is by American artist Haddon Sundblom, who made a series of drawings for a Coca-Cola advertisement in 1931. This is how the image of Santa Claus appeared – a gray-haired old man with a neat beard and mustache, wearing a red jacket, trousers and a hat.

In Finland, on New Year’s Eve, local children visits Youlupukki. This funny name is translated into Russian as “Christmas goat”. The fact is that the villagers carrying gifts home on Christmas night wore goatskin coats.

Joulupukki – a large man with long gray hair, a beard and mustache, wearing a long red hat, jacket and trousers. Finnish magician their life Korvantunturi, located in Lapland, fell. Thanks to Tepe, he can hear the wishes of children from all over the world and write them in a special spellbook. Santa lives in his house with his wife, Muori, and the dwarves. The wife prepares the meal and the little helpers perform various tasks. In addition to helping with gift wrapping, they run the household chores, record the behavior of all the children in the world in special books and receive mail.

Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi - RIA Novosti, 1920, 29.12.2022
Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi

German Santa Claus income Not on New Year’s Eve as in Russia, but on Christmas Eve. His name is Saint Nicholas (Saint Nicholas) and December 6 is his feast day. But in Germany no one knows what he looks like. Either a handsome, white-bearded grandfather in a fur coat and red beret, or a robed Catholic bishop with a crown and a scepter in his hand. Until the 20th century, there was a Weihnachtsmann (“Christmas grandfather”) in Germany, an exact copy of the Russian Father Frost. Over the years, Weihnachtsmann has become a kind of nickname for St. Nicholas. German Santa Claus brings presents to children under the Christmas tree and is always seen at Christmas markets with his white beard and red fur coat.

“Office” Santa Claus found in the German city with the meaningful name Himmelpfort – “The Gates of Heaven”. Every year, tens of thousands of letters addressed to him come here and he arranges the mail himself.

The name of the French Santa Claus is Pere Noel. translated as “Father of Christmas”. He is depicted in a bright red robe and red pants with a white beard and hat. The main difference between the French Matter of Frost is that there is no set of reindeer. Per Noel walks on foot, his robe is not embroidered. The French consider Strasbourg their hometown. Post Pere Noel is located in Libourne. This is where letters to Santa come from. Christmas night on Thu Noel travels It is in every home, all over the world. He goes down the chimney and leaves gifts for each child. On Christmas Eve, children fill their shoes with carrots and offer them to Per Noel’s donkey, leaving them by the fireplace.

In Italy, the local Santa Claus – Babbo Natale, leaving his sled on the roof and entering the house through a pipe. It is customary to leave milk and sweets for him. And after Babbo Natale income Befana. One of the most beloved New Year holidays in Italy and almost unknown to residents of other countries – January 6 – the Day of St. Epiphany, or Befana for short. This is an Italian fairy in the form of a good little witch. He flies into the houses with a broom down the chimney and brings gifts to the good children and ash or coal to the naughty ones. On the night of January 6, many leave him a glass of wine or an orange.

in the Czech Republic and Slovakia two new year characters – Mikulash and Ezhishek. Saint Mikulas is the Czech Santa Claus. He arrives on the night of December 6, on the eve of St. Nicholas’ Day.

He is dressed in a long fur coat and hat, and has a wand with a spiral top. And behind it is a box with gifts. Accompany a snow-white-clad angel and a furry devil. Children believe that the gifts brought by St. Mikulas come from Jerzyszko (Little Jesus). The hedgehog is the most humble New Year’s character in the world. She tries to stay invisible by throwing gifts at children’s homes.

Belarusian analogue of Santa Claus – ZyuzyaHe is considered the god of winter. Its name comes from the Belarusian “zyuzets”, which is translated into Russian as “freezing”. It reigns from Christmas to the day of the vernal equinox, personifies cold and severe frost. Zyuzya is a short and fat old man with snow-white hair, dressed in white clothes. He lives in forests, walks barefoot in the snow without a hat, and sends people frost, blizzards and other cold misfortunes. To appease Zyuzya, Belarusians on Christmas night separate some of the kutya on a separate plate and leave it on a separate table during the night.

For a long time in Japan, the role of Santa Claus was the main figure – the god Hotei osho – one of the seven gods of happiness. Recently, however, two more Christmas and New Year characters have appeared in the country, even competing with each other. On the eve of the New Year holidays, Segatsu-san goes from house to house for a week, which the Japanese call “gold.” She is wearing a sky blue kimono. He does not give gifts (prepared by parents and given to children), but congratulates everyone on the upcoming New Year. Segatsu-san is called “Lord New Year”. And his “little” brother Oji-san is more like an American Santa Claus. He wears a traditional red beret and gives gifts to children regardless of their parents.

Participants of the All-Russian Congress of Santa Claus dance during festive events on Pervomaisky Square in Novosibirsk - RIA Novosti, 1920, 29.12.2022
Participants of the All-Russian Congress of Santa Claus dance during festive events on Pervomaisky Square in Novosibirsk

In China, where the beginning of the New Year does not coincide with the global one and is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, the name and image of the winter wizard have several interpretations. Shan Dan Laozhen may respond to the names Dong Che Lao Ren or Sho Hing, but the list doesn’t end there. Shan Dan Laozhen wears red clothes like his “colleagues”. In China, it is believed that red drives away evil spirits. He travels on a donkey. Also, the Chinese are sure that the representatives of the New Year must have studied the Confucian philosophy and, if necessary, be able to demonstrate their wushu and aikido skills. Shan Dan Laozheng gives people laixi – envelopes containing a certain amount for happiness, which will be the basis of prosperity in the coming year.

In Chinese drawings and figurines, Chinese Santa Claus is often descriptionholding a saxophone.

New Year in Mongolia meet twice – on the night of December 31 – January 1 and in February. The name of Santa’s Mongolian counterpart is Uvlin Uvgun. He is an excellent cattle breeder and therefore for the holiday income in traditional Mongolian clothing: a fur coat and a large fox hat. Next to him is a snuffbox of flint and steel, a long whip in his hand. Zazan Ohin (Sneg girl) and Sheena Zhila (New Year boy) help him. They accompany him on New Year’s Eve.

The material has been prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources.

Source: Ria

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