Christmas celebration… Of course, you are all familiar with this celebration, right? Every country has its own tradition to celebrate Christmas. Starting from how the celebration will be celebrated to anything that must be prepared when celebrating Christmas. Usually there are several countries that have their own characteristics in celebrating.
Then is it like that in Russia too? Are celebrations in Russia different? Before answering all these questions, there are important things that I will ask you. Do you know about Snegurochka? If you don’t know it yet, let’s look at the interesting facts of Snegurochka as tradition of Russian Christmas. And also, some discussion about the question before.
Christmas in Russia is not celebrated on December 25 like other countries. It is celebrated on January 7. Christmas celebration in Russia is not a big celebration. Even this religious day celebration was banned for about 20 years. Christmas celebrations are usually celebrated at the same time when New Year’s celebrations arrive.
The tradition of celebrating Christmas in Russia is a little different. When they followed in the Russian Orthodox church, there were a number of things that were usually done when celebrating that day. Like eating a porridge called “kutya”. Then there are also characters that are famous for the Christmas and New Year celebrations. The characters are Ded Moroz and Snegurochka. In this article, I will discuss Snegurochka as a Christmas tradition in Russia. Here are 6 interesting facts of Snegurochka as tradition of Russian Christmas.
- A Little Bit Story of Snegurochka
Snegurochka is a character that comes from Russian folklore. Legend says if the origin of Snegurochka is the daughter of Father Frost and the Snow Queen. But for the truth, no one knows. Snegurochka have other names, such as The Snow Maiden and Snegurka. Snegurochka’s name was given to her because she was made of snow.
This Snegurochka character has several versions of her story. But all versions of Snegurochka’s life story end sadly. There is a version of the story that says if Snegurochka melts because she wants to feel in love like other humans. And there is also a version of the story which mentions that Snegurochka melted because she played to jump over the fire and become a cloud.
- Snegurochka Is Ded Moroz Helper
Snegurochka or the Snow Maiden is a very popular character in Russian culture. Especially when the celebration of Christmas and New Year celebrations in Russia. She was known as the granddaughter of Ded Moroz. But Snegurochka is not a character directly related to the legend of Ded Moroz because she had previously appeared in several Russian fairy tales. Snegurochka also accompany and help Ded Moroz when he traveled to give gifts to good children. Snegurochka is considered as a person who connects children with Ded Moroz.
- Children Hold Hands and Call Snegurochka
The new year celebration is also a celebration of Christmas in Russia. And when the new year celebration arrives, Grandfather Frost or who has another name Ded Moroz will distribute gifts to good children in Russia. When he distributed the gifts, Ded Moroz accompanied by Snegurochka, his granddaughter.
When celebrating the new year, children in Russia will hold hands and circle around the Christmas tree. The Russian children will call Snegurochka or Ded Moroz. They believe that if the stars and other lights on the Christmas tree lights up, it means Snegurochka or Ded Moroz arrived with great magic.
- Snegurochka Characters
Snegurochka character is described as a very beautiful girl, has sky-blue eyes, skin as white as snow, and had curly white hair. There is also a mention if she has blonde hair. Snegurochka is identical to a slim girl and wears a blue fur coat and crown over her head. In Russian fairy tales, Snegurochka is a miracle because it is a snow statue that lives like a human. That’s why she was named Snegurochka. The Snegurochka character is known as a unique character because only in Russia a Father Frost is accompanied by a very beautiful granddaughter.
When someone plays a role as Snegurochka, she must have a good personality, smart and has a lot of sense to keep the trust of children in fairy tales.
- Snegurochka Is A Decorative Figure to Decorate the Christmas Celebration
Snegurochka is a character that you can often meet when celebrating New Year in Russia. The life story of Snegurochka is often beautifully illustrated in Russian handicrafts in the form of paintings. You can also see Snegurochka on the New Year celebration greeting cards. Many Russian souvenirs that have this character. Some other objects that have Snegurochka images are Matryoshka dolls, and also on The Lacquer art in Russian Lacquer Box. You can use decorations with pictures of Snegurochka to decorate the room in your home when celebrating Christmas or New Year’s celebrations.
- Modern Image of Snegurochka
Images of the modern version of Snegurochka were first seen at the turn of the 20th century. Precisely at the end of the Russian Empire. Snegurochka is a popular character during New Year’s celebrations and in theater performances. Snegurochka’s figure is seen as a young and beautiful girl. This snegurochka is identical to a silver-blue long robe costume or dressed in white with a crown decorated with silver and pearls. At this time, the Snegurochka statue was also used to decorate pine trees at New Year’s celebrations in Russia.
And maybe there are still some of interesting facts of Snegurochka as tradition of Russian Christmas that haven’t been listed above. I hope this article can really help you to find out the 6 interesting facts of Snegurochka as tradition of Russian Christmas. Which do you think is the most interesting facts? Do you also begin to like Snegurochka?