We can’t imagine New Year without our special ones,New Year characters, which are different in each country, but their goal is the same - to give gifts to adults and children. Today, the image of New Year characters has fully formed, although a couple of centuries ago, Father Frost and Santa were just beginning to take on their appearance. In Holland in the 19th century, it was believed that gifts were left during the cleaning of chimneys by a slender chimney sweep with a pipe in his teeth.
Santa Claus
Father Frost became an international hero andIn many countries, New Year is unthinkable without both Christian customs and Father Frost. And what kind of festive Christmas tree would it be without Father Frost? For children, the appearance of the magical grandfather is always a joyful event, as it means the beginning of miraculous transformations and gifts. At the end of the 19th century, Christmas trees appeared in Russia, which were bought mainly for children's fun; this tradition came from Germany. At first, parents themselves played the role of Father Frost and only later began to hire actors for this and invite not only relatives, but also friends and acquaintances to the holidays. So, gradually, Father Frost leaves the postcards to the delight of children and turns the New Year from a family holiday into a secular one. At first, it was just a Christmas tree toy, then the size of the toys increased, and the grandfather with a beard began to decorate shop windows, and only at the beginning of the 20th century did the character truly come to life. Someone put on a red caftan, took a staff and a bag of gifts, and we had a real fairy-tale character. Most likely, this idea came to the minds of parents who wanted to dispel the doubts of children who believed that the magical grandfather did not exist or that it was the idea of one of the actors who decided to earn some money on the eve of the holidays. But the children's joy knew no bounds, they were interested in whether the grandfather's beard was real and why he did not melt in a warm room and where he lived all year. Already in Soviet Russia, the New Year began to be celebrated in a grand style - all institutions held Christmas trees and blue lights for their employees and their children. And although the scenario of the celebration practically did not change from year to year, since it had to be approved by the Ministry of Culture, Soviet citizens were happy with both the Christmas trees and Father Frost.
Snow Maiden
Granddaughter of Santa Claus, a real Russian beautywith a braid to the waist, in a beautiful fur coat and with a pink blush on her cheeks. It is she who helps to hand out gifts and amuse the children at children's New Year's parties. But why only we have Snegurochka, who, among other things, is a symbol of purity, youth and love. In Rus', snow maidens and bullfinches were the names of both birds with pink breasts, who, not afraid of the frost, stayed with us throughout the winter, and snow figures. The idol of the snow woman began to be sculpted at the end of January, and many fairy tales emphasized that sometimes such idols came to life in the form of a beautiful girl, so childless old people also tried to sculpt a snow granddaughter for themselves in the hope of a miracle. This girl from the snow was the daughter of Spring and Frost, but she always left her old people, turning into a babbling brook, and gives her smile and blush to the wild flowers. In the legends of other nations it is said that you can give birth to such a girl-snow maiden by swallowing snow or just looking at it. But now the Snow Maiden is the companion of Father Frost, who pleases us every New Year with her arrival at the holiday. Many girls choose this costume as a New Year's outfit, which allows them to be in the center of the New Year's celebration.
Santa Claus
It's a little easier with Santa, because it's authenticIt is known that the name of this character is associated with Saint Nicholas (from the distorted Dutch Sinterklaas). This character is widespread in the American states and appears on New Year's Eve in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. His costume is similar to that of our New Year's grandfather, only the caftan and beard are slightly shorter. But he did not come from folk legends and beliefs, but from the poems of Clark Moore and the pictures of Thomas Knight, which, however, does not make the character less fabulous.
And other characters
Slightly less common are gnomes and wanderers.actors who, whistling Christmas carols, travel from town to town, handing out presents to residents and bringing the New Year. For example, in Sweden, the kind grandfather Julotmtennen comes to children together with the dwarf Jullissar. And in Finland, gifts are brought by a little man named Iolupukki in a green jacket and a red cap, who is accompanied by gnomes and a donkey, and it is the donkey who gives gifts to each child. And in Italy, the good fairy Befana is responsible for New Year's gifts, who uses a broom on this occasion to get to each child on New Year's Eve. But all the characters are invariably kind, desired and loved, so it does not matter who gives a package in shiny paper, the main thing is that no child is left without a gift on New Year's Eve. We recommend reading:
