What is the difference between Santa Claus and Santa Claus: comparison, differences and similarities. Who is older, better, cooler, stronger: Santa Claus or Santa Claus? Where can Santa Claus and Santa Claus meet? What is the difference between Santa Claus and Santa Claus? How is our Santa Claus different about
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SANTA CLAUS(Morozko) - a mighty Russian pagan God, a character in Russian legends, in Slavic legends - the personification of Russian winter frosts, a blacksmith who ices water, generously showering winter nature with sparkling snowy silver, giving the joy of a winter festival, and, if necessary, protecting in a difficult time Russians from the advancing enemies, hitherto unprecedented winter cold freezing into the ice, from which iron begins to break.
Morozko.
Under the influence of Christianity, which brutally and bloodily fought Slavic paganism (a battle with religious competitors for profits), the original image of the Snow Grandfather was distorted (like all other Slavic gods), and Morozko began to be represented as an evil and cruel pagan deity, the Great Elder of the North, the ruler icy cold and blizzards that froze people. This was also reflected in Nekrasov's poem "Frost - Red Nose", where Frost kills a poor young peasant widow in the forest, leaving her young children orphans.
With the weakening of the influence of Christianity in Russia in the late XIX - early XX century, the image of Morozko began to soften. Santa Claus first appeared at Christmas in 1910, but did not become widespread.
In Soviet times, after the rejection of the ideas of Christianity, a new image of Santa Claus was spread: he appeared to children on New Year's Eve and gave gifts; this image was created by Soviet filmmakers in the 1930s.
In December 1935, Stalin's comrade-in-arms, member of the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR Pavel Postyshev published an article in the Pravda newspaper, where he proposed organizing a New Year celebration for children. A children's New Year's party was organized in Kharkov. Some modern illiterate students of history accuse Stalin of inconsistency for not destroying Santa Claus, since Santa Claus, in their opinion, is a "children's god."
He comes to the holiday with his divine granddaughter - Snow Maiden . The modern collective image of Santa Claus is based on the hagiography of St. Nicholas, as well as descriptions of the ancient Slavic deities Pozvizd, Zimnik and Korochun. Unfortunately, all the ancient myths and legends of the Slavs were destroyed afterforced Christianization , therefore, we know almost nothing about the ancient Slavic beliefs and traditions (see."Problems of studying paganism in Russia" ).
The peculiar nature of the interpretation in Christianity of pagan deities (religious competitors of Christianity, albeit beloved by the people, whom the clergy certainly represented as extremely evil and cruel) determined the behavior of Santa Claus inspired by the clergy - after the introduction of Christianity in Russia, he began to collect sacrifices - to steal naughty children and take them to bag. Such a church interpretation made it possible to inspire rejection of pagan gods from childhood.
However, over time, after the introduction of restrictions on the irreconcilable ideology of Christianity and the spread of later post-Christian humanistic traditions, especially after the final ban on Christians burning people at the stake (in the first quarter of the 19th century), Father Frost, in the opinion of Russians, became kinder and began to give gifts to children.
This image was finalized in the USSR: the ancient Slavic God Santa Claus became a symbol of the most beloved national holiday - New Year , which replaced the feast of the Nativity of Christ (allegedly the birthday of the god of a foreign people from the Sinai desert), hitherto, with the full support of the authorities, imposed by the church on the people of tsarist Russia for almost a whole millennium.
The professional holiday of Santa Clauses is celebrated every last Sunday of August.
Recently, the birthday of the Russian Father Frost was announced on November 18 - according to long-term meteorological observations, a stable snow cover falls on most of Russia on this day. But this is nothing more than the current Russian commercial amateur performance based on the Christian tradition of the Nativity of Christ. Of course, the great Slavic Gods do not and cannot have "birthdays", because they are eternal and arose in the minds and beliefs of people back in the early Paleolithic at the very beginning of the post-glacial period, and possibly even earlier.
About the ancient beliefs of the Slavs, about their four great solar holidays, incl. about the great two-week pagan New Year's Yule-Solstice, which marked the beginning of our modern New Year's holiday (which is simply a truncated Yule, from which now only the last and most magical 12th Yule Night remains - our New Year's Eve), about the forced Christianization of the Slavs by the Varangian invaders-enslavers , about the destruction of Slavic mythology (because now the Slavs do not have their own mythology), see p. Pancake week and accompanying articles on p.Pantheon of Slavic gods given after the "Dictionary of Slavic Gods".
Traditions
Santa Claus is our beloved Slavic God and fairy-tale wizard. From young to old, from edge to edge of the Russian land, every person is familiar with him.
Since ancient pre-Christian times, among the pagan Slavs, Santa Claus has been the divine ruler of the winter cold, snow and wind, frozen rivers and snowdrifts. Initially, he was presented as a powerful old man of huge growth with a long gray beard. Harsh winters, in the understanding of our ancient Slavic ancestors, were the work of an old man with a staff. He was perceived as a powerful wizard with a rather severe character.
And now we love his winter patterns on the windows. He, of course, did not change his staff, and a blizzard still lives in his beard. Still the powerful old man freezes the rivers with ice and sweeps impassable snowdrifts.
In the wardrobe of Santa Claus there are long-brimmed fur coats of three colors: white, blue and red, on a gray-haired head a boyar hat decorated with multi-colored crystals, in his hands he holds a staff and a bag with gifts. According to the old tradition, he moves on a trio of magnificent white horses, symbolizing the three winter months. His divine granddaughter, the Snow Maiden, helps Santa Claus to do good deeds. Like all gods and wizards, Santa Claus can punish the heroes of fairy tales for the evil and dishonest acts, and help in the most desperate moment.
Unlike the traditional Snow Queen in Northern Europe, Santa Claus multiplies his magical power, not freezing people's hearts, but rather warming them with his love. Santa Claus always gives other characters the opportunity to correct their mistake, the Snow Queen never helps the heroes of fairy tales in any way. Possessing the same power in the matter of freezing all life on earth, they are completely different in the temperature and kindness of their hearts. The heart of the Snow Queen is a piece of ice, and the Russian Santa Claus brings us such kind warmth of his ancient pagan Slavic soul that it can only be compared with the warmth of the sun.
There are significant differences between our ancient Slavic Father Frost and the Western European Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus, Santa Claus). Santa Claus is quite strict, but fair, as a beloved Slavic God should. And in Santa Claus, there is no trace of greatness. How else?!
Can you imagine a European rattling Santa in a remote Russian village? Imagine Santa iceing the rivers? Paves frosty snowy paths for travelers? Sweeps snowdrifts? Who, in the most difficult circumstances, comes to the aid of his people who are losing their strength and freezes the invincible armies of invaders into ice with unprecedented cold and turns into dust, as he did with the army of Napoleon, and with the army of Hitler near Moscow and near Stalingrad? Of course not! Therefore, our great Russian pagan God Santa Claus is always with us, no matter how hard the clergy try to eradicate him from our Russian soul.
The jerky Santa Claus is just a Western businessman and merchant: he has been in Coca-Cola commercials since 1931. Our mighty Santa Claus, unlike our Western neighbor, gives gifts to absolutely all children, and not just those who have behaved well. And the size of Santa Claus's generous gifts is not limited to the size of the socks in which Santa Claus puts his gifts. The soul of our beloved Slavic God Santa Claus is wide and generous. Good and beautiful
divine granddaughter Snow Maiden .And with each New Year's gift left under the Christmas tree for kids and adults, the power of Santa Claus grows and the Goodness on earth increases.
Santa Claus and the Russian Orthodox Church
The attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church towards Santa Claus is ambiguous, on the one hand, as a pagan deity and magician (God of a different religion, which means a religious competitor that contradicts Christian teaching), and on the other hand, as an invincible Russian cultural tradition, with which it is only possible to fight embarrass yourself and expose your weakness.
In 2001, Bishop Maximilian (Lazarenko) of Vologda and Veliky Ustyug announced that the Russian Orthodox Church would support the project "Veliky Ustyug - Fatherland of Father Frost" only if Father Frost was baptized.
Such a statement of the Orthodox hierarch was generated by a complete misunderstanding of the essence of the phenomenon - the absurdly powerful and formidable Russian pagan God to be baptized as believers of a foreign Byzantine monotheistic religion that came to Russia later. So the Russian Orthodox Church, in its current unbridled pride, will wish to baptize the ancient Greek Zeus, and at the same time - Allah, Buddha and all other gods of other religions, in order to collect their profits not only from the Orthodox, but also from other believers. Mastering the famous New Year's brand would allow the ROC to further increase its income.
However, it is precisely for gross violations of basic Christian truths and indiscriminate exorbitant greed in acquisition that the modern ROC has been declared a pariah Church in the Christian world. But the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church, who in the post-Soviet era became owners of personal billions of dollars, are not too worried about this situation. After the further growth of the ROC into power, you look, and we will see the baptism of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden, shameful for the ROC, into Orthodoxy. Then the Russian Orthodox Church, now richer than Gazprom, will have access to another source of its already considerable income.
Veliky Ustyug is the current "business homeland of Father Frost"
On the initiative of Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, since 1999 the tourist business project “Veliky Ustyug – Father Frost’s Homeland” has been operating in the Vologda Oblast. Tourist trains from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vologda go to Veliky Ustyug, specialized bus trips have been developed.
During the first three years (from 1999 to 2002) the number of tourists visiting Veliky Ustyug grew from 2,000 to 32,000. According to the Governor of the Vologda Oblast Vyacheslav Pozgalev, since the beginning of the project, more than a million letters from children from various countries have been sent to Santa Claus, and the turnover in the city has increased 15 times and unemployment has decreased.
Great Ustyug. The estate of Santa Claus in the summer.
Estate of Santa Claus in winter.
Estate of Santa Claus in winter.
The gate to the estate of Santa Claus.
Ded Moroz and Snegurochka.
Hall in the tower of Santa Claus.
Oven for pies in the estate of Santa Claus.
House of the Snow Maiden in the estate of Father Frost.
The interior of the hotel in the estate of Father Frost.
Gift shop in the estate of Santa Claus.
Santa Claus - the formidable and omnipotent Russian pagan God - appeared with us a very long time ago (not like the western clowning rattling Santa Claus). This is a real-life spirit, alive, by the way, to this day.
Twice, saving Russia from a fierce advancing enemy, when the Russian people were already losing their last strength in fierce battles, and the enemy was approaching Moscow, the hitherto cheerful Russian Santa Claus turned into a harsh, invincible General Frost and came to the rescue. And the two most powerful armies in the world at that time (Napoleon and Hitler) General Frost mercilessly turned to dust and froze into ice with hitherto unprecedented cold.
If it happens now, the western silly Christian Santa will not come to save the Russians.
Once upon a time, even before the advent of Christianity in Russia, our ancestors believed that the spirits of the dead guard their family, take care of the offspring of livestock and good weather. Therefore, in order to reward them for their care, every winter people gave them gifts.
On the eve of the holiday, the village youth put on masks, turned out sheepskin coats and went from house to house, caroling. Different regions had their own peculiarities of caroling. The hosts presented the carolers with food.
The meaning was precisely that the carolers were the spirits of their ancestors, who received a reward for their tireless care of the living. Among the carolers there was often one "man" dressed the worst of all. As a rule, he was forbidden to speak. It was the oldest and most formidable spirit, he was often called simply Grandfather. It is possible that this is the prototype of the modern Santa Claus.
Only today, of course, he has become kinder and does not come for gifts, but brings them himself. With the adoption of Christianity, the pagan rites of the church that came from Byzantium to Russia were "abolished", but exist to this day.
The carolers depict not the spirits of ancestors, but heavenly messengers, which, you see, is practically the same thing. It is already difficult to say who to consider as Grandfather, but there is an "older" even now.
Master of winter
According to another version, the "great-great-grandfather" of the modern Russian Santa Claus was the hero of Russian folk tales Morozko or Frost the red nose, the master of weather, winter and frost. Initially, he was called Grandfather Treskun and was represented as a little old man with a long beard and a disposition as harsh as Russian frosts. From November to March, Grandfather Cracker was the sovereign master of the earth. Even the sun was afraid of him! He was married to a despising person - Zima. Grandfather Treskun or Father Frost was also identified with the first month of the year - the middle of winter - January. The first month of the year is cold and cold - the king of frosts, the root of winter, its sovereign. It is strict, icy, icy, it's time for snowstorms. People say about January like this: fireman and jelly, snowman and cracker, fierce and fierce.
Cool temper
In Russian fairy tales, Santa Claus is portrayed as an eccentric, strict, but fair spirit of winter. Remember, for example, the fairy tale "Morozko". Good hardworking girl Morozko froze, froze, and then bestowed, and evil and lazy - he froze to death. Therefore, in order to avoid trouble, some northern peoples are still coaxing old man Frost - on solemn nights they throw cakes, meat, pour wine over the threshold of their dwellings so that the spirit does not get angry, does not interfere with hunting, and does not destroy crops.
Appearance
Santa Claus was represented as a gray-haired old man with a beard to the floor in a long thick fur coat, felt boots, a hat, mittens, and with a staff with which he froze people.
Place of residence
It is difficult to say unequivocally where the Russian Santa Claus lives, since there are a lot of legends. Some say that Santa Claus comes from the North Pole, others say - from Lapland. Only one thing is clear, Santa Claus lives somewhere in the Far North, where it is winter all year round. Although in the fairy tale of VF Odoevsky "Moroz Ivanovich" Frost's red nose in the spring moves to the well, where "it is cold even in summer."
Snow Maiden
Later, Santa Claus had a granddaughter Snegurka orSnow Maiden , the heroine of many Russian fairy tales, a snow girl. Yes, and Santa Claus himself has changed: he began to bring gifts to children on New Year's Eve and fulfill their innermost desires.
As you can see, the origin of the Russian Santa Claus is fundamentally different from the European Santa Claus. If Santa Claus was a real historical figure who was elevated to the rank of a saint for good deeds, then the Russian Santa Claus is a pagan almighty God, a character of folk beliefs and fairy tales.
Despite the fact that the modern image of Santa Claus was already formed under the influence of the European New Year's character, most of the characteristic Russian features remained. To this day, Russian Grandfather Frost walks in a long fur coat, felt boots and with a staff. He prefers to move on foot, by air, or on a sleigh drawn by a frisky troika. His constant companion is the granddaughter of the Snow Maiden. Santa Claus plays the game "I'll Freeze" with children and hides gifts under the Christmas tree on New Year's Eve.
History of Christian Santa Claus
The prototype of the Western European Santa Claus was St. Nicholas, who was born in the 3rd century in the city of Patara (Asia Minor, Lycia) to very wealthy parents. Saint Nicholas is one of the most revered Christian saints. This honor fell to him for his great kindness to people and for the many miracles he performed. Later, he became a bishop in the city of Myra (now Demre, a small town not far from Phenicia), therefore he received the name of Mirliki. In this town, he even erected a monument. In some countries, it is said that St. Nicholas threw purses full of gold into the houses of the poor, and many believe that the saint threw purses through the chimney, and they fell into shoes, which were left to dry by the hearth.
Therefore, in many Western European countries, even today it is customary to hide New Year's gifts, especially for children, in boots, shoes, or shoes. European settlers who settled in America in the 7th and 18th centuries brought with them the legends about St. Nicholas. One of the first churches built in what was then New York was Sinter Klaas or Sint Nicholas, later called "Santa Claus".
Where was Santa Claus born?
The modern image of the good-natured fat Santa Claus appeared in the United States relatively recently, on Christmas Day 1822. It was then that Clement Clark Moore wrote the poem "The Coming of St. Nicholas", in which the Saint appeared as a cheerful and cheerful elf with a round, tight belly, indicating a passion for delicious food, and with a smoking pipe. As a result of the reincarnation, Saint Nicholas got down from the donkey, acquired eight deer, and in his hands appeared a bag with gifts.
Where does Santa Claus live
Many northern countries are still arguing about where Santa Claus lives. Some believe that he lives at the Sererny Pole, others that he settled in the town of Rovaniemi in northern Finland. In modern Finland, there is even a special service for answering on behalf of Santa Claus, and this is understandable, because. on average, in December, he receives up to 80 thousand letters from children from different countries with requests and wishes.
The English Santa Claus comes from the nickname Sinterklaas (from the word "ash") St. Nicholas (in the Orthodox tradition Nicholas the Pleasant) by the first Dutch settlers in America. He was considered the patron of sailors and children, for whom he prepared gifts all year long, and on Christmas night he delivered them and left them in stockings prepared for gifts. True, it began to be considered so later, and among the Dutch, Sinterklaas was rather a stern educator, for he poured ashes into the stockings of those children who did not behave as they should.
The main Christmas character gained particular popularity after the American professor of Greek and Oriental literature, Clement Clark MUR, in 1822 wrote a poem for his children for the holiday about St. a bag full of presents to leave for the children. In a fur coat, with a white beard and a red nose, he rides on a team of eight deer, and his approach can be recognized by the creak of runners and the melodious ringing of bells tied to deer necks.
The poem quickly sold out and became popular, which somewhat offended the professor, as he was very serious and did not approve of the fun that the celebration of Christmas turned into.
And forty years later, cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus, and the image acquired completeness: a red fur coat and headdress, a wide leather belt and sparkling black boots.
Russian Santa Claus looks different, and his story goes back to the ancient pagan gods, to Morozko from Slavic folklore. Santa Claus is the pagan God of our ancient Slavic ancestors. He is from those ancient times when there was no Christianity in the world.
If Santa Claus is more like a gnome, then Santa Claus is a giant, a hero, every winter he patrols his possessions, ices rivers and lakes, and, at the same time, gives gifts to children. His peculiarity - before presenting a gift, often ask to perform something for himself, tell a poem, sing a song, dance, solve a riddle. This is not because of greed - just his broad soul asks for joy. But for the voiceless, legless, suffering from sclerosis, everything pays off with the fact that our Grandfather has a Snow Maiden - she will not only always give gifts, but she can also kiss.
Features of Russian Santa Claus
Santa Claus (Morozko).
The external features of Santa Claus and his invariable attributes are as follows:
1. Santa Claus wears a very warm hat with fur trim. Attention: no bombs and brushes!
2. Santa Claus's nose is usually red. (No bad analogies! It's just VERY COLD in the far north! And the divine Grandfather is not afraid of alcohol.) But a blue nose is also allowed due to Grandfather's snow and ice origin.
3. Santa Claus has a beard to the floor. White and fluffy like snow.
4. Santa Claus wears a long thick fur coat. Initially, the color of the fur coat was white; then, at the very beginning of the twentieth century, it became blue, cold; in Soviet times, it changed to "revolutionary" red, which is completely stupid in relation to the pagan God. At the moment, two options are allowed - white and, in extreme cases, blue.
5. Santa Claus hides his hands in huge three-fingered mittens.
6. Santa Claus never wears belts and usually does not tie his fur coat with a sash. His fur coat has internal fasteners. The sash appeared already in the 20th century.
7. Santa Claus prefers only felt boots. And it is not surprising, because at - 50 gr. With (usual northern air temperature) in boots, even the Snow Master's feet will freeze.
8. Santa Claus always has a magic staff with him. Firstly, to make it easier to wade through the snowdrifts. And secondly, according to legend, Santa Claus, while still being "wild Frost", with this very staff "froze" the people.
9. A bag of gifts - a later attribute of the Master of winter. Many children believe that he is bottomless. In any case, Santa Claus never lets anyone near the bag, but he himself takes out gifts from it. He does this without looking, but he always guesses who is waiting for what gift - that's why he and God.
10. Santa Claus moves on foot or on a sleigh pulled by a troika, or instantly moves in a mysterious divine way, which we are not given to know about. He also likes to cross his native expanses by skiing. Cases of using deer by Santa Claus are not registered - they are too small for our mighty God.
11. The most important difference between the Russian Santa Claus is his constant companion, the granddaughter of the Snow Maiden. It is understandable: alone and in the far north, where there are only seals and penguins, you can die of longing! And with the granddaughter it is more fun.
P.S. And Santa Claus never wears glasses and never smokes a pipe! God's eyes and habits are all right.
The origin of New Year's grandfathers of different nations
In some countries, local gnomes are considered the ancestors of the fairy-tale New Year's character, in others - medieval wandering jugglers who sang Christmas songs, or wandering sellers of children's toys.
The ancestor of our modern Russian Santa Claus is the East Slavic spirit of cold Treskun, he is Studenets, Frost. The image of our Santa Claus has evolved over the centuries, and each time has brought something of its own into it.
Among the ancestors of the Western European New Year's Elder Santa Claus (but not our Father Frost!) was a very real person. In the 4th century, Archbishop Nicholas lived in the Turkish city of Mira. According to legend, he was a very kind person. So, once he saved three little daughters of a distressed family by throwing bundles of gold coins into the window of their house. After the death of Nicholas, he was declared a saint. In the 11th century, the church where he was buried was robbed by Italian pirates. They stole the remains of the saint and took them to their homeland. The parishioners of the church of St. Nicholas were outraged. An international scandal erupted. This story made so much noise that Nicholas became the object of veneration and worship of Christians from around the world.
In the Middle Ages, the custom was firmly established on Nicholas Day, December 19, to give gifts to children, because the saint himself did this. After the introduction of the new calendar, the saint began to come to the children at Christmas, and then on the New Year. Everywhere the good old man is called differently, in England and America - Santa Claus, and in our country - Santa Claus.
The costume of the European Santa Claus also did not appear immediately. At first he was depicted in a raincoat. By the beginning of the 19th century, the Dutch depicted him as a slender pipe smoker, skillfully cleaning the chimneys through which he threw gifts to children. At the end of the same century, he was dressed in a red fur coat trimmed with fur. In 1860, the American artist Thomas Knight decorated Santa Claus with a beard, and soon the Englishman Tenniel created the image of a good-natured fat man. We are all familiar with this Santa Claus.
Who is he - our old friend and all-powerful good wizard Russian Santa Claus?
Our Frost is a pagan God and a character in Slavic folklore. For many generations, the Eastern Slavs created and kept a kind of "oral chronicle": prose legends, epic tales, ritual songs, legends and tales about the past of their native land.
The Eastern Slavs have a fabulous image of Frost - a hero, a blacksmith who binds water with "iron frosts". The Frosts themselves were often identified with violent winter winds. Several folk tales are known, where the North Wind (or Frost) helps lost travelers, showing the way.
Our Santa Claus is a special image. It is reflected in ancient Slavic legends (Karachun, Pozvizd, Zimnik), Russian folk tales, folklore, Russian literature (A.N. Ostrovsky's play "The Snow Maiden", N.A. Nekrasov's poem "Frost, Red Nose", a poem by V.Ya. Bryusov "To the King of the North Pole", the Karelian-Finnish epic "Kalevala").
Pozvizd - Slavic god of storms and bad weather. As soon as he shook his head, a large hail fell on the ground. Instead of a cloak, the winds dragged behind him, snow flakes fell from the hems of his clothes. Pozvizd rushed swiftly through the heavens, accompanied by a retinue of storms and hurricanes.
In the legends of the ancient Slavs, there was another character - Zimnik. He, like Frost, was presented as an old man of small stature, with white hair and a long gray beard, with an uncovered head, in warm white clothes and with an iron mace in his hands. Where he passes - there expect a cruel cold.
Among the Slavic deities, Karachun stood out for his ferocity - an evil spirit that shortens life. The ancient Slavs considered him an underground god who commanded frost.
But over time, Frost changed. Severe, in the company of the Sun and Wind, walking around the earth and freezing to death the peasants who met on the way (in the Belarusian fairy tale "Frost, Sun and Wind), he gradually turns from a formidable into a fair and kind grandfather.
And yet, let's try to determine the main features of the appearance of the Russian Santa Claus, corresponding to both historical and modern ideas about this fairy-tale wizard. According to one of the researchers of the image of Santa Claus - candidate of historical sciences, art critic and ethnologist Svetlana Vasilievna Zharnikova - the traditional image of Santa Claus, according to ancient mythology and color symbolism, suggests:
The beard and hair are thick, long and gray (silver). These details of appearance, in addition to their "physiological" meaning (he is an old god - gray-haired, but full of divine power and energy) also have a huge symbolic character denoting power, happiness, prosperity and wealth. Surprisingly, it is the hair that is the only detail of the appearance that has not undergone any significant changes over the millennia.
The shirt and trousers are white, linen, decorated with white geometric patterns (a symbol of purity). This detail is almost lost in the modern idea of a costume. The performers of the role of Santa Claus and dressers prefer to cover the neck of the performer with a white scarf (which is acceptable). As a rule, they do not pay attention to trousers or they are sewn in red to match the color of the fur coat (a terrible mistake!)
Fur coat - long (ankle-length), always silver (entirely embroidered with patterns of silver threads), in extreme cases, blue, embroidered with silver (eight-pointed stars, geese and other traditional ornament), trimmed with swan down. A fur coat of red "revolutionary" color appeared under the Soviet regime. Some modern theatrical costumes, alas, sin with experiments in the field of colors and substitution of materials. Surely many have seen a gray-haired wizard in a green coat. If so, know that this is not Santa Claus, but one of his many "younger brothers". If the fur coat is short (the shin is open) or has pronounced buttons, then you have a suit of Santa Claus, Per Noel or one of the foreign brothers of Santa Claus. But replacing swan fluff with white fur, although not desirable, is still acceptable.
Hat - the color of a fur coat, embroidered with silver and pearls. Trimming (hall) with swan down (or white fur) with a triangular cutout made on the front (stylized horns). The shape of the hat is semi-oval (the round shape of the hat is traditional for Russian tsars, it is enough to recall the headdress of Ivan the Terrible). In addition to the imposing attitude to color described above, theatrical costume designers of our time tried to diversify the decoration and shape of Santa Claus's headdress. The following "inaccuracies" are characteristic: replacing pearls with glass diamonds and gems (permissible), the absence of a cutout behind the rim (not desirable, but very common), a hat of the correct semicircular shape (this is Vladimir Monomakh) or a cap (Santa Claus), a pompom (he same).
Three-fingered gloves or mittens - white, embroidered with silver - a symbol of purity and holiness of everything that he gives from his hands. Three-fingeredness has been a symbol of belonging to the highest divine principle since the Neolithic. It is not known what symbolic meaning modern red mittens carry.
The belt (permissible, but undesirable) is white with an ornament in the color of a long fur coat (a symbol of the connection between ancestors and descendants). Nowadays, it has been preserved as an element of the costume, having completely lost its symbolic meaning and the corresponding color scheme. It's a pity...
Shoes - white boots embroidered with silver (or, in extreme cases, boots embroidered with silver with a raised toe, the heel is beveled, small in size or completely absent). On a frosty day, Santa Claus always puts on white felt boots embroidered with silver. White color and silver are symbols of the moon, holiness, north, water and purity. It is by shoes that you can distinguish the real Santa Claus from the "fake".
A more or less professional performer of the role of Santa Claus will never go out to the public in boots or black boots! As a last resort, he will try to find at least red dancing boots or ordinary black felt boots (which is also very undesirable).
Staff - crystal or silver-plated "under the crystal". The handle is twisted, also in a silver-white color scheme, without a hook-shaped top. The staff is completed by a lunnitsa (a stylized image of the month) or a bull's head (a symbol of power, fertility and happiness). It is difficult to find a staff that matches these descriptions these days. The fantasy of decorators and props almost completely changed its shape.
Santa Claus and Father Frost are the most Christmas and New Year characters with whom numerous fairy tales are associated. Despite the fact that the characters turn out to have similar functions and tasks, the differences are cardinal.
Santa Claus: who is it?
Santa Claus is a Christmas Santa Claus, a folklore character originating from Western Europe and North America. Santa Claus has to give numerous gifts to kids on Christmas. 
To date, there is no consensus as to which country is still the birthplace of Santa Claus. Despite this, traditionally people come to visit Santa Claus in Finland, in Lappland.
Saint is the prototype of Santa Claus Nicholas the Wonderworker, and the name of the grandfather is translated as follows: Santa is a saint, Klaus is Nikolai. The miracle worker initially became famous thanks to charity, because he provided numerous gifts to poor people with kids.
Santa Claus, as a Christmas character, took over the functions of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Initially, on December 6, on the day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, it is customary in Europe to give various gifts to children. However, after the reverence of the saints was banned, Jesus Christ began to distribute gifts in Germany and neighboring states, and the tradition was moved to December 24, when Christmas markets are held. Soon the children began to receive gifts again, but they had to wait until December 24th. 
Santa Claus: who is it?
Santa Claus is a fabulous New Year's character who is a Christmas giver and has earned popularity in East Slavic countries. It is this New Year's hero that has a special meaning for children for many decades. 
In Soviet times, Santa Claus was accompanied by a boy in a red coat and a hat, on which the numbers of the coming year should have been visible. The boy was perceived as a successor, but subsequently the popularity of the hero began to decrease and now he is almost forgotten. Despite the fact that the grandfather's pedigree is gradually changing, he still remains the personification of miracles and faith in a fabulous future. 
Santa Claus can ride with forest animals, which is also typical only for the East Slavic New Year's character. Despite the fact that people in Western countries also love nature and try to maintain good ecology, a reverent attitude to winter picturesque landscapes is noted only among residents of the countries of the former USSR. In America and the USA it will never be possible to comprehend the real Russian winter.
Santa Claus and Santa Claus: the main differences
You need to understand that the characters turn out to be completely different, despite the fact that the grandfathers have significant visual similarities.
- Headdress distinguishes grandfathers. The Russian character wears a hat with a natural fur trim, which is due to the severe Russian winters. It is important to note that the headdress is made in a semi-oval form, which is traditional for Russian tsars. Santa Claus can be proud of a beautiful hat. This headdress is made in red. A white pom-pom is used as a decoration.
- Clothing color. Santa Claus always wears a red suit, but he can never wear a fur coat. White trim is used to decorate clothes. Santa Claus has a rich wardrobe, and the main color of clothing can be any, but the association with winter, frost is truly important. The character's clothes are decorated with a rich and original pattern, gold and silver embroidery. Everything should testify to the dignity of a beautiful mother winter.
- clothing. Santa Claus is dressed in a thick and warm fur coat. Moreover, the maximum length of the fur coat is assumed. There is the possibility of using not only a belt, but also a sash, which corresponds to the Russian national winter fashion. A character cannot wear a fur coat above the knee if he truly respects his lineage. Santa Claus must wear a short jacket. For a stylish look, a black belt with a buckle is expected.
- What's under the coat? Santa Claus prefers linen items that turn out to be natural. Moreover, a geometric pattern is assumed. Santa Claus must wear red stylish pants. The rest remains a mystery.
- Shoes. Santa Claus wears Russian shoes, or rather felt boots. The traditional shoe color is white. Santa Claus did not receive Russian honor. The Americans timed elegant black boots for their character.
- Gloves or mittens. Santa Claus can wear three-fingered white mittens with silver embroidery. Santa Claus can take off his mittens, but he must tuck them into the belt of his fur coat. In America and many countries in Europe, a warmer climate is expected, so Santa Claus is not ready to put on warm mittens. As a result, the hero received light gloves.
- Beard. Santa Claus has a long and thick beard, which is his pride. Santa Claus has only a short beard with decorative curls.
- What attributes do the characters have? Santa Claus should be with a crystal or silver staff, decorated with a twisted handle and moonlight. Occasionally it can be noted that the top of the handle is made in the form of a bull's head. Santa Claus has glasses and a pipe, which are not allowed for an East Slavic hero.
- Transport. Santa Claus must move on foot or in a sleigh with three horses, Santa Claus - in a cart with deer.
- A bag with presents is the only common attribute. However, Santa Claus must sneak through the house chimney and hide gifts in stockings, and Santa Claus must openly enter the house and give presents in his hands or put them under the Christmas tree.
- Santa Claus is a tall hero with a courageous figure, Santa Claus is a short and plump old man with a cheerful character.
On New Year's Eve, everyone - both children and adults - is looking forward to miracles and gifts. From ancient times in Russia, all winter magic was associated with the image of Santa Claus - the ice lord, magician and entertainer - usually kind, but sometimes harsh.
Santa Claus: where is he from?
To fully understand the differences between Santa Claus and Santa Claus, you need to understand the origin of each of them. Let's start with Santa Claus.
First belief
The history of the main winter wizard began in the days of the ancient Slavs, who worshiped deities - the spirits of nature. Among them were the prototypes of Santa Claus: for example, the East Slavic spirit of the cold Grandfather Treskun, aka Studenets and Moroz. He sent a cold on the land, destroyed crops, did not spare people and animals.
From the harsh winter spirit, our ancestors tried to pay off - they read conspiracies and made bloodless sacrifices. The head of the family had to go out on the threshold or lean out the window and offer Frost a spoonful of jelly or porridge with the words: “Frost, Frost! Come eat jelly!" or “Frost, Frost! Don't beat our oats."
In the spring, the second tribute to Frost was also paid - forty koloboks were baked in the villages and every morning they threw one of them out the window - as a token of gratitude for the saved future harvest.
Second belief
There was another belief that emphasized the difference between Santa Claus and Santa Claus, since it was characteristic of only one of them. It was with Santa Claus that an analogy was made, speaking about a different character.
There were also beliefs about Zimnik - a gray-haired, long-bearded old man of small stature, with an uncovered head, in warm white clothes and with an iron mace in his hands. Passing, this governor left behind a severe cold.
Third belief
Under the ground, grandfather Karachun commanded the cold, who also froze crops and turned springs and water in wells into ice. According to ancient belief, meeting with this spirit significantly shortened life.
These three "fierce Frosts" became the main characters of ancient Slavic legends.
Santa Claus is different from Santa Claus: literary evidence
Over time, ancient beliefs spilled over into folklore. The character Morozko appeared in the works, he is also Frost the Red Nose and Frost the Voyevoda. This master of the winter kingdom, both in appearance and clothes, very much resembles the modern Santa Claus. It was about him that Nekrasov wrote his famous poem "Frost, Red Nose", Bryusov dedicated the poem "The King of the North Pole" to him, and Ostrovsky added it to his fairy tale play "The Snow Maiden".
But one of the first literary processing of the folklore and ritual image of Santa Claus was made by Odoevsky in his Children's Tales of Grandfather Iriney. The winter wizard is shown here as “good Moroz Ivanovich” - a “gray-haired-gray-haired” old man who, as he “shakes his head, frost falls from his hair”; he lives in an ice house, and sleeps on a feather bed made of fluffy snow ... Over time, he also had a granddaughter - a fair-haired Snow Maiden, who grew up and became an indispensable assistant for him in his New Year's magic.
When an anti-religious campaign began in the USSR in the mid-1920s, Santa Claus was briefly banned as a relic of the past. The disgrace was removed in 1935, and in 1937 Father Frost and his Snow Maiden appeared on a Christmas tree in the Moscow House of Unions.
Birth of Santa Claus. And Santa Claus has nothing to do with it
The image of the foreign analogue of our Santa Claus - Santa Claus - was invented in 1823 by the seminary teacher Clement Clark Moore, who read to his wife and children the poem he had composed "Christmas on the Threshold, or the Visit of Santa Claus" to his wife and children on Christmas Eve. The teacher portrayed Santa as a kind elf who arrives on eight reindeer and enters the house through the chimney. The poem was published and the image of Santa "went to the people."
The first portrait of Klaus was created in 1862 by the American cartoonist Thomas Nast. The artist settled him at the North Pole and for 24 years painted the wizard for the covers of the popular Harper's Weekly magazines, which were incredibly popular, although they were black and white.
Image of Santa
The appearance also distinguishes Santa Claus from Santa Claus.
In 1885, the publisher Louis Prang gave the fairy-tale grandfather a bright red fur coat - it was he who transferred the Victorian tradition of Christmas greeting cards made using the technique of color lithography to America.
The cola company completed the formation of the image of Santa Claus, which in 1930, so that their products would not be forgotten either in summer or in winter, came up with a cunning advertising trick. Chicago-based artist Haddon Sundblom depicted Santa in the drink's signature red and white colors. This is how the modern image of a foreign wizard was born, who ceased to be Clement Moore's elf, but became a kind old man in a sleigh with a team of deer and with a bag of gifts, which he puts into stockings hung on the fireplace.
Santa Claus and Archbishop Nicholas: what unites them?
The prototype of Santa Claus was the Greek Archbishop Nicholas, who lived in the city of Mira in the 4th century AD. According to legend, the priest once met three girls who wept bitterly because they could not get married due to the lack of a dowry. Father Nikolai took pity on his friends and ordered them to go home, and in the morning each of them found a bag of gold near the fireplace - so the priest tried to unselfishly ensure people's happiness.
There are many versions of this legend - the result is the same: for good deeds, Nicholas was canonized as a saint, and his birthday, December 19, became a holiday. Now, in the church tradition, St. Nicholas is considered the patron saint of pilgrims, sailors and fishermen.
There are certainly similarities between Santa Claus and Santa Claus, but they are still completely different wizards.
So, if our winter patron wears a fur coat girded with a sash, then a foreign grandfather fastens it with buttons. The red, and sometimes silver, blue or green robe of Santa Claus reaches to the heels. The coat of a foreign grandfather is short. Our Frost walks in a traditional, old Russian hat, but on Santa's head there is a cap! Santa Claus usually wears felt boots, while Santa Claus always appears in black boots. And, of course, Grandfather Frost speaks Russian, and the overseas old man does not know our language.
So these two wizards are definitely not relatives. Happy New Year!
You can often hear that Santa Claus and Santa Claus are one and the same. However, Santa Claus has several important differences from Santa Claus, which is due to historical, literary, and often geographical, as well as climatic factors. So, what are the external differences between Santa Claus and Santa!
1. The color of the clothes! - Santa Claus has a long blue sheepskin coat, he is belted with a sash, he has a hat on his head, boots on his feet, mittens on his hands, a staff in his hands. - Santa has a red jacket and a belt, a cap and boots, gloves, and a pipe in his hands.
Santa Claus can also be in red, but at the same time he can wear other clothes - in general, it is desirable that it be white, blue, it can be both yellow and green. Also, the attire of a real Santa Claus does not cover a solid color - it is diluted with patterns, embroidery, trim (white or blue), etc.
And in the clothes of Santa Claus, an aggressive solid red color prevails (exclusively this one!), And only the edge of his jacket is sometimes white.
The color of clothes is red: It is unlikely that this is a Russian Grandfather!
From history: The traditional clothes of the Russian Father Frost are white, embroidered with silver thread ("frosty" patterns). In late tsarist times (the end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th centuries), clothes of a "cold" blue color, embroidered with silver thread, and yellow, embroidered with a "golden" thread, appeared.
After the proletarian revolution of 1917, red clothes appeared (under the color of the international proletarian flag), embroidered with silver thread.
After the 1960s, the Muslim peoples of the USSR for Santa Claus occasionally began to practice green clothes, also embroidered with patterns.
Modern traditions of Santa Claus robes: It is desirable that it be real silver - white, almost completely embroidered with silver patterns. Santa Claus can be in a red or blue robe embroidered with patterns. It is permissible that it be "golden" - yellow, embroidered with "golden" threads.
The attire of a real Santa Claus does not cover a solid color - it is necessarily diluted with patterns, embroidery, trim (white or blue), etc.
In the clothes of an alien Santa Claus, an aggressive solid red color prevails (exclusively this one!), And only the edge of his miserable jacket is sometimes white.
The red robes of Santa Claus were introduced during the Soviet era as ideologically consistent with the color of the international proletarian revolutionary red flag. This is ridiculous. Santa Claus is an ancient pagan god of our ancestors of very old "pre-proletarian" times.
2. Cap! The most typical feature! - The real Santa Claus can NEVER be in a cap - he is wearing a boyar hat. - And on Santa Claus - a jester's cap with a pom-pom, like a prankster gnome, which immediately gives him an atypical for Santa Claus frivolity and parody.
When you see the cap - Be sure: this is the enemy!
3. Outerwear. - Santa Claus is wearing a short jacket (sometimes just below the waist, sometimes even up to the waist), intercepted by a belt. Below the katsaveyka are red pants. Remember that in such mocking clothes the true Santa Claus of our Russian winter will never endure. - Santa Claus should have a long fur coat to the ground, from under which no pants should be visible. The sight of pants sticking out from under a short fur coat destroys all solidity. What Santa Claus has under a fur coat is sacred and cannot be put on display!
If you saw pants on Grandfather - Know: this Grandfather is not from our country!
4. Shoes, gloves, belt. - Santa Claus is always wearing boots, often of a shortened type, which again is ridiculous for our climate. - Santa Claus should only have felt boots!
If Grandfather is wearing boots - Know that enemies walk in them!
Santa Claus has warm mittens on his hands, Santa Claus has light gloves.
Mittens are good for autumn, but in cold weather it is better to wear mittens. The classic image requires that the mittens be three-fingered white, embroidered with silver - a symbol of purity and holiness of everything that he gives from his hands. Three-fingeredness has been a symbol of belonging to the highest divine principle since the Neolithic.
Santa Claus has a white belt; or with a trim to match the color of the fur coat. Santa Claus has a belt with a buckle. (Maybe demobilization? :-))
Again - the difference in climate. In the cold, the leather belt will simply crack. And how can you fasten the buckle in mittens?
5. Beard. - Santa Claus has a short beard, like a kind of civilized old man, and curly, like a lamb from a children's postcard. Curly skipper beard! - All this is absolutely not typical for Santa Claus. Father Frost's beard is wild, long, tousled by the free wind, and in most cases there is no sugary curlyness in it.
Does Grandpa have a short beard? Trouble threatens the nation!
6. Growth and volume. From all the previous rantings, in general, it is clear that Santa Claus is indecently small in size. And Santa Claus is impressive in growth, like a true ruler of the New Year! As for volume, Santa Claus is quite skinny. Well, yes, his clothes are figs, so, for the sake of formality. But Santa Claus, in accordance with the Russian winter, wears a lot of warm clothes, and all the clothes are real, fur, thick. So Santa Claus is impressive in terms of volume!
If Grandfather is both skinny and shallow - Drive away such boldly!
Sometimes it happens that in terms of volume, Santa Claus, on the contrary, rushes to the opposite extreme and becomes fat and round. But remember that his thickness always looks unnatural and caricature, while all the proportions of Santa Claus are always harmonious, and his thickness never conflicts with his height.
7. Points. Also, for Santa Claus, such a sign of culture as glasses is typical. Santa Claus does not have this feature. How can this omnipotent spirit of Nature - Santa Claus - have such a drawback as myopia ?! Myopia is inherent only in those who are corrupted by a pernicious civilization, who are tamed and domesticated to the point of complete degeneration, as happened with Santa Claus.
8. Snow Maiden. It's also a hallmark. Santa Claus has never had and never will have a granddaughter, because his prototype is St. Nicholas, almost like any saint, was chaste. And our natural Grandfather has a granddaughter, this is everyone's favorite Snow Maiden! So there are two of us, and Santa Claus is just one! The Snow Maiden is the granddaughter of Santa Claus, she accompanies him everywhere. The image of the Snow Maiden is a symbol of frozen waters. This is a girl dressed only in white clothes (or colors resembling frozen water). The headdress of Grandfather Frost's granddaughter is an eight-pointed crown embroidered with silver and pearls.
Santa sometimes still has Mrs. Santa Claus, but she is almost invisible.
9. Staff. - Please note: the staff of Santa Claus is a standard staff of a Catholic bishop (for it is not for nothing that Santa Claus comes from St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra): a stick with a curved top.
But Santa Claus does not have to St. Nicholas has nothing to do, so his staff should only be a straight stick, it can have a round knob (or, at least, in the form of a star; the staff should not be rounded at all).
10. Deer. - Only Santa Claus moves, as the Americans teach us in their movies and cartoons, on deer across the sky.
Deer have never been a means of transportation for Santa Claus. For our Grandfather, the deer is small and weak. Santa Claus can ride a Russian troika, not in the sky, but quite on the ground, or rather on the snow, - he is the flesh of the flesh of this snow, this earth, this nature, why should he break away from his native roots, snow rises from under the runners dust, frosty wind beats in the face, Santa Claus rolls with daring and bells! A dashing troika is rushing across the Russian Land - then the owner of Winter, Grandfather Frost, is going around his boundless possessions! And Santa Claus goes skiing!!! A real athlete!
But in general, as already mentioned, Santa Claus moves in a mystical way, and there is nothing to climb into sacred matters.
11. Socks on the fireplace. - This applies only to Santa Claus, not to Santa Claus. The socks on the mantelpiece are a purely Western tidbit: supposedly Santa Claus comes down the chimney and puts a gift in the sock. However, what to explain - a fool understands that there have never been any fireplaces in Russia. Yes, and our Grandfather will not crawl into some kind of narrow fireplace, why would he? In addition, Santa Claus would never have appeared in our country in such a primitive and mundane way as they do: "Penetrating the house through pipes and windows, he lays out gifts in stockings, most often hung on the fireplace, and tinkles with bells, as if announcing about the arrival of the New Year.
Santa Claus appears in our homes in a certain mystical way, truly like a spirit, no one really knows how he appears - we only know that he WAS ... And trying to explain this sacred secret in a Western manner in a rational way is blasphemy.
And further. Our Santa Claus is a real generous Russian soul, he is not so miserable and tight-fisted to limit his gift to the size of an idiotic and most often striped sock!
12. Other related paraphernalia - all sorts of wreaths, bells, etc., including the songs "Jingle Bells" and others. All this is purely Christmas paraphernalia and is associated only with Santa Claus, and all this Western consumer goods should not be attributed to the image of Santa Claus.
13. More very important differences:
Santa Claus is much older than Santa Claus, whose modern image was created by the American writer Clement Clark Moore, who described his appearance and habits in detail in his poem "The Night Before Christmas" in the early 19th century. - Santa Claus holds a pipe in his mouth - smokes!!! (Recently, this detail is becoming less and less common). Santa Claus leads a healthy lifestyle and does not smoke.
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