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How is the New Year celebrated in different countries? Who brings gifts to children and adults and who? New Year is a holiday of fairy tales and magic, regardless of age, everyone is waiting for a miracle and counting the minutes until the clock strikes and the moment of the holiday. Expectation of a miracle, fulfillment of desires and children's delight engulf us in anticipation of New Year's gifts and surprises. Who brings these gifts?
Santa Claus, his brothers and sisters
In Russia, as you know, it brings gifts Father Frost with granddaughter Snow Maiden ... You just need to write him a letter and put it in the freezer. For reliability, you can inscribe the envelope: "Who read - that Santa Claus." But our country is large and only Grandfather cannot cope with the delivery of gifts - his brothers help him. In Karelia - Pakkaine or Morozets, in northern Yakutia at the Pole of Cold, he packs gifts Chishan ... Neighborhood in Finland provides the whole country with New Year's gifts Youlupukki ( I especially like this name), while delivery is carried out on a goat. The Estonian relative of Santa Claus is very similar to the Finnish brother and is called Yyuluvan's grandfather. Uzbekistan travels to children on a donkey in a striped dressing gown and a red skullcap Corbobo (Snow grandfather) with granddaughter Korgyz .
In France, the delivery of gifts is carried out under a strict division of labor - it brings them to good children Per-Noel (Grandfather January), and the disobedient Shalanda, but no one is waiting for him, because he has a rod in his bag. There is also a couple working in Italy - Babbo Natale looking like Santa Claus and fairy Befana , eerily similar to our Baba Yaga. Wherein Babbo Natale works exclusively by appointment - he brings gifts only to those who wrote him a letter. Fairy Befana, dressed in a raincoat, a pointed hat, woolen stockings and for some reason leaky stockings, delivers sweets and nuts to good children, leaving a coal and an onion to the bad ones.
There is a whole family working in Mongolia: Uvlin Uvgun - the main shepherd, Zazan Ohin - snow girl and Shina Lived (New Year), grandson of Uvgun. Czech Mikulas you can entrust the most fragile gifts, because he carries them not in a bag, but in a box. In addition, he has two whole assistants - Snow White Angel and Shaggy imp. If you've been misbehaving all year but don't want to get away from Shaggy assistant potato, you can ask for forgiveness from Mikulas artistic poetry reading or decent vocals. The most unknown distributor of Christmas gifts lives in Slovakia and the Czech Republic - Hedgehogs, the arrival of which will be recognized by the tinkling of the bell. Leaving the presents, he rings the bell and disappears.
There is no Santa Claus in Sweden! It is replaced by Yul Tomte , leaving his protected forest and lakeside with his entourage to work miracles at Christmas . All year, his elves mine gold in the mines to decorate the Christmas tree and collect gifts, and the snowman Dusty helps to carry them around. In Colombia Pope Pasquale arranges fireworks, right after the parade of dolls and the departure of the Old Year, walking on stilts. And in Austria he delivers gifts to children on Christmas Eve Christkindl - a beautiful young woman in a mantle and crown, while the gifts most often turn out to be piggy banks.
Santa Claus - Santa Claus, did you bring us presents?
Why are children and adults all over the world looking forward to Santa Claus and all his brothers with such impatience? Everything is explained by the belief in miracles, the expectation of gifts and holiday surprises. What do magic creatures carry home on New Year's and Christmas Eve?
In Japan Segatsu-san he does not give gifts to children at all, he just walks and wishes a Happy New Year, passing through a gate made of pine branches specially for him. Apparently the Japanese considered themselves dressed and invented a new Santa Claus - Oji-san who brings gifts by sea.
Englishmen order gifts for Father Christmas - Father Christmas. A letter with a list of wishes is sent to the fireplace, and together with the smoke, the list is delivered to the addressee. In addition to this message, it is necessary to send Christmas cards to all relatives. Indeed! You cannot rely only on Santa Claus, you must try and think about gifts to your loved ones yourself.
In Bulgaria, the youngest receives the most gifts, although for this he stands near the Christmas tree and sings Christmas carols to everyone!
A special gift exchange ceremony takes place at the family table in Germany Besherung and a treat with a special gingerbread - Lebekuchen, which can be the size of a bench to be enough for everyone! In many countries, a coin, figurine or bean is baked into a pie - for good luck. Instead of a pie, a special porridge with a hidden nut can be cooked - whoever gets it, that one to be married, well, or just luckily!
Chinese children find their gifts in stockings, where he puts them at night Dong Che Lao Ren (Grandpa Christmas).
In Vietnam, Kampuchea, Korea, Mongolia and Japan, a rake can be a must-have gift for the new year, of course, beautifully decorated and packaged. What for? They say to rake in happiness all year round! In America, it is customary to give gifts along with a check (if you don't like it - you can turn it in or exchange it), but they are beautifully packaged. What a pleasure to take apart and expose such gifts from rustling packaging and shiny bows! The best gift in Estonia and Scotland is a figurine of a chimney sweep bringing happiness to your home. On New Year's Eve, the Scots are still bringing their friends a piece of cake, some wine and a piece of coal. If you have a lot of friends, then food, drink and warmth are provided for you all winter! Are you friends with the Swedes? If so, then on New Year's Day you will receive from them a symbol of friendship and fun - a homemade candle. What kind of gifts are not given for the new year: the Greeks - a deck of cards and a stone, the Spaniards - nougat and champagne, the Portuguese will certainly hand-made, Mexicans - gingerbread dolls, but the most amazing gifts are usually given in Greenland - these are ice figures of animals. And what? It's so cold there that the gift won't melt for a long time.
Everyone knows that Santa Claus gives gifts to good children and coal to bad ones. However, according to tradition, Saint Nicholas - the prototype of the famous Santa Claus - was accompanied by his faithful companion and at the same time the antipode - a horned monster named Krampus. It was he who was responsible for punishing disobedient children. Krampus is an integral New Year's character in the Alpine regions. People in the costumes of this terrible monster can be found on the streets during Christmas festivities.
How is this orc-like creature of the night even associated with Christmas? As you know, if children behave well, Santa Claus (or Santa Claus - who knows how) will bring them gifts for the New Year. With Krampus, the idea is the same, only he doesn't bring gifts. He is not interested in good children at all. He likes those who behave badly, because it is them that he can whip with his whip in the New Year. For some, this punishment is enough. However, some cultures have had their own characters to intimidate naughty children. One of them was Krampus - the thunderstorm of all naughty children. Remember the movie The Grinch Stole Christmas? Well, Krampus is somewhat similar to him. Only with a much nastier character. In Europe, it began to gain popularity, appearing in remote, isolated alpine regions a little over a hundred years ago. This was due in part to the popularity of the Christmas cards that depicted him in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The image of Krampus has changed little in recent years, one might even say that he has become scarier. The very name of this monster comes from the old Germanic word "krumpen". It means claw. Krampus is an incubus that accompanied Saint Nicholas. Only he does not give gifts to good children - he punishes the bad ones. On postcards of the early twentieth century, Krampus is depicted with a whip. It is with this whip that he "measures out" his Christmas punishment. Particularly in Austria, Krampus Night is still not forgotten. He is remembered on December 6, the day of St. Nicholas. Young people (and today girls) dress up as Krampus and walk the streets of cities. Their goal is to scare children. And it looks like not only children.
There is a long tradition of giving naughty children charcoal at Christmas. It existed even before the appearance of Santa Claus, Befana, Sinterklaas and his assistant Black Pete. But with the advent of the fabulous grandfather, she did not disappear, but on the contrary, became an incentive for children to behave decently. There is no particular explanation for this “gift”; for Santa, giving coal is just an ordinary convenience. Why? Let's figure it out now.
How this strange tradition came about
Santa enters the house through the chimney and leaves presents in socks hanging on the fireplace. Sinterklaas, along with his assistant Black Pete, also goes down the chimney and puts presents in the shoes left by the fireplace. Befana penetrated through the window, and later through the chimney, when they began to be massively used in Europe.
So all of these characters are tied to the fireplace. While filling stockings or shoes, wizards sometimes encountered a child who did not deserve a gift. Therefore, to celebrate his bad behavior in the past year, he needs to put a gift that would serve as a hint of it. But the gift should not be sweets and toys, but something unusual and obscene. It was at this moment that the fireplace came to the rescue. Grandpa only needs to reach out, take a piece of coal and put it in a stocking. Previously, people used to heat their fireplaces with coal, it was very convenient.
What other New Year characters gave bad children
With the exception of Santa Claus, other characters weren't limited to charcoal as a gift. They left twigs, bags of salt, onions and garlic in the shoes of naughty children. By this they tried to show the child that he did not deserve a good present with his behavior.
It turns out that Santa Claus is just a lazy wizard on New Year's Eve. He did not stock up on symbolic gifts for naughty children in advance. What if he was too lazy to reach out for coal? What do you think about this? What would the kids get?
On New Year's and Christmas, gifts are handed out all over the world, however, not in every case, it is Santa Claus or his analogue who does it. Sometimes it can be gnomes, trolls, a scary goat or a baby. A whole galaxy of New Year's creatures is in our selection today.
1. Yolasweinars
Country: Iceland
Yolasweinars are 13 mischievous creatures who replace Santa Claus in Iceland. The first significant mention of them came in the early 1930s, when an Icelandic writer wrote a short poem about their role in Christmas. Since then, they have gone through many different incarnations: from cute generous donors to harmful pests. At one time they were even called bloodthirsty monsters who kidnap and eat children at night.
But first of all, the Yolasweinars are famous for their mischievous nature. And each has a special feature inherent only to him and sometimes rather strange. For example, Ketkrokur steals meat with a long hook, and Gluggagegir spies on people through the window in order to steal something at night. Stekkyastur walks on stilt legs and chases sheep.
How they give gifts:
But Yolasweinars not only do strange things, they also give gifts to children. Children who are well behaved all 13 nights before Christmas Eve put nice presents in their shoes. And bad children are put potatoes. Accompanying the Yolasweinars is the Yule Cat - a hungry animal that eats bad children.
2. Nisse
Country: different areas of Scandinavia
Nissa legends are told in the Scandinavian countries: Norway, Finland and Sweden. At first, the nisse were called the little gnomes who looked after the family farms. They were kind and looked after people, but they loved to be mischievous and often could break something or play a cruel joke with someone who mismanaged their lands. As Christianity gained strength, the nisse gradually merged into the traditional Christmas holidays for the whole world, but they themselves changed: they acquired more human features and became more like Santa Claus.
How they give gifts:
Modern nisse, also known as youlupukki, are still very different from Santa Claus and our Santa Claus. In particular, they are not full and do not ride a flying sled. And they do not live at the North Pole, as well as in Veliky Ustyug. In some regions, children believe that nisse live very close to their homes. And, although nisse bring gifts to children, they do not climb into the chimney at night. In this respect, nisse are just like the Russian Grandfather Frost: a father or relative dresses in a nisse costume and personally gives gifts to children.
3. Baby Jesus
Country: some provinces of Germany, Austria, Italy and Brazil
In those countries where Christianity has become the main religion, the Infant Jesus gives gifts to children. This was invented back in the 16th century by Martin Luther. He hoped that the more religious the holiday was, the more likely it was to eradicate what he considered the harmful influence of St. Nicholas. Since Baby Jesus is meant to be a literal baby, he is usually portrayed as a small holy child with blond hair and angel wings. Infant Jesus' influence as the sole symbol of Christmas diminishes with the rise in popularity of Santa Claus, but he is still revered in the Catholic countries of South and Central America.
How he gives gifts:
The hallmark of Infant Jesus as a giver is that no one has ever seen him. Children often say that he disappeared a few moments before they arrived.
4. Belsnickel
Country: Germany, Austria, Argentina, USA (Dutch Pennsylvania)
Belsnickel is a legendary figure. He accompanies Santa Claus in parts of Europe as well as in some small Dutch communities in the US state of Pennsylvania. Like Krampus in Germany and Austria or Per Fottar in France, Belsnickel is the main disciplinarian with Santa Claus's entourage. Belsnickel usually appears in the form of a figure similar to a mountain man - his body is wrapped in furs, and his face is sometimes covered with a mask with a long tongue. Unlike Santa Claus, created to be loved by children, Belsnickel is designed to be feared. In most regions, it serves as a kind of horror story with which children can be made to behave.
How he gives gifts:
By all indications, Belsnickel can be attributed to negative characters, but in some regions he also gives gifts to children. For example, in Germany, good obedient children receive sweets and small gifts from him on December 6, St. Nicholas Day. Coals or a whip await disobedient children. In some countries, they even say that Belsnickel can come to the children personally and warn them that they need to behave better.
5. Per Noel and Per Fottar
Country: France
Pope Noel is one of the most popular incarnations of Saint Nicholas. In France, he is known more than anyone else. Outwardly, he looks like Santa Claus, but instead of reindeer he rides on a single donkey named Gui, which means "mistletoe" in French.
In some regions of France, as in many other countries, Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 5th. For this special day, the French have not only Saint Nicholas himself, but also a character named Per Fottar (Father with a whip). Like Belsnickel, he is used to intimidate naughty children. Why this happened is clear from his history. Its most common version says that in the 12th century, Per Fottar and his wife kidnapped and killed three young men and made soup with them. Then the good Saint Nicholas found and resurrected the victims, and Per Fottar repented of his atrocity and promised to become his assistant.
How he gives gifts:
Like Sinterklaas and many other variations of Santa Claus, Père Noel places small gifts and candy in the shoes to the left of the fireplace. Per Fottar is not so kind and cheerful: he carries with him rusty chains and whips, with which he "presents" naughty children. Sometimes he is even more cruel - in some regions it is believed that he cuts out the tongues of children caught in a lie.
6. Befana
Country: Italy
In general, Befana is similar to Santa Claus and Santa Claus, but outwardly it is very different from them. Befana is a witch who has become an important part of the Christmas holidays in Italy. There are different stories about her, but most often they say that this kind woman gave food and shelter to the three wise men when they went to worship the baby Jesus.
Befana looks colorful. She is depicted as an old woman who flies on a broomstick, wears a black shawl and carries a bag of gifts with her. She looks scary, and they say that she can hit with her broom any child who watches over her. Smart kids should lie in bed while parents prepare gifts!
How she gives gifts:
Like Santa Claus, Befana goes down the chimney into the house and leaves gifts to obedient children, and a piece of coal or ash to the disobedient ones. And since Befana is known as the best hostess in all of Italy, she sweeps the floor around the fireplace before going out, before diving back into the chimney.
7. Krampus
Country: Austria, Germany and Hungary
In the Alpine countries, Santa Claus comes to children. But not alone: he is accompanied by a terrible bloodthirsty monster named Krampus. His name comes from the German "klaue" - "claw". Krampus is surrounded by Santa Claus, but he is more an evil character than a kind - in any case, he hits naughty children or punishes them in other ways in a medieval style.
The Krampus legend appeared hundreds of years ago, but the church hushed it up until the 19th century. And today it has become part of Christmas in parts of Bavaria and Austria, where the 5th December is celebrated as "Krampus Day" or "Krapusteg". People dress up in Krampus costumes, walk the streets and scare other people. Some cities even host entire festivals.
How he gives gifts:
It is clear that gifts are not in his style. In traditional folklore, Krampus is more likely to beat delinquent children with rods or severely reprimand them if he is lucky. According to another version, he even kidnaps the worst children in the city, pushes them into a sack and throws them into the river.
8. Santa Claus and Snow Maiden
Country: Russia, Serbia, Bosnia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Poland and other countries of the former USSR
Our Santa Claus is one of the most interesting New Year characters in the world. He gives gifts not only to Russian children, but also to babies from almost all Slavic countries in Eastern Europe. Santa Claus wears a red fur coat and a white beard, but, unlike western Santa Claus, does not ride a reindeer-drawn sleigh. Everything is cooler with him: he rides a sleigh pulled by three horses.
But the most interesting thing about Grandfather Frost is his story. Once he was an evil and vicious sorcerer, kidnapped children and demanded rich gifts as ransom. But over time, he "corrected himself", and now he himself gives gifts to children. And Santa Claus has a granddaughter, Snow Maiden, who helps him. And no one else has such a Snow Girl.
How he gives gifts:
Santa Claus comes on New Year's Eve or December 31st. He puts gifts under the tree, but sometimes he himself appears at parties and gala dinners and gives gifts in person.
9. Sinterklaas and Cherny Peter
Country: Netherlands, Flanders
Sinterklaas is the Dutch version of Santa Claus. He wears a traditional red suit, a gray beard and is always cheerful. But unlike Santa, he appears in the Netherlands every year at the end of November. They say that he comes by steamer from Spain, and after going ashore, he walks through the streets of the city to say hello to all the Dutch children.
There are no elves in Sinterklaas's retinue; Black Peter, a little boy, helps him to give gifts. There are many legends about how Black Peter began to travel with Sinterklaas, and some are very controversial. Some say that he was a black servant or even a slave of Sinterklaas, while other legends claim that he is a demon. But due to racist overtones, Black Peter's old stories were rewritten, and now he is often described as a simple chimney sweep.
How they give gifts:
Sinterklaas brings gifts to children on December 5th, St. Nicholas Day. Children put their boots next to the fireplace and leave a carrot for Sinterklaas's horse there. If they behaved well, then in the morning they will find candy and gifts in their shoes. Sinterklaas personally does not leave gifts: he has Black Peter for this, who goes down the chimney into the house with gifts for good children and coal or bags of salt for bad ones. In old legends, Black Peter kidnapped the worst children and took them to Spain as punishment for terrible behavior.
10. Father Christmas
Country: UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and many others
Father Christmas had a huge impact on the look of the "classic" Santa Claus. It is Father Christmas who is the main character in Christmas legends and a giver of gifts in many countries. In his modern incarnation, he looks like Santa Claus, but they have different origins. In the 17th century, Father Christmas was portrayed as a jolly old man dressed in a green robe. Then he did not give gifts yet, but was the spirit of good news and the joy of Christmas. This incarnation was taken as a basis by the famous writer Charles Dickens, having invented his Spirit of the current Christmastide from the story "A Christmas Carol". However, over time, Father Christmas became like Santa Claus and Sinterklaas and also began to give gifts to children.
How he gives gifts:
Basically, he does everything the same way as Santa Claus: he rides a sleigh pulled by reindeer and goes down the chimney into the house to leave gifts for good children. Families often leave treats for him and the reindeer at home, although this varies from country to country. In addition, the house and appearance of the Father Christmas depend on the country. In some countries he wears a green suit instead of a red one and does not always live in the North Pole: some countries “settle” him in Greenland, Lapland or Finland.
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- Unique words: 203
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Why does Santa Claus give coal to bad children?
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On New Year's and Christmas, gifts are handed out all over the world, however, not in every case, it is Santa Claus or his analogue who does it. In Western countries, this is Santa Claus, and what he gives to bad children is written in this article
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The main participants of the Russian winter holidays - Santa Claus and Snegurochka want to remind all residents of Russia that New Year and Christmas are coming soon and it is time to write a letter to Santa Claus and ask him to fulfill his cherished dream.
New Year's action for children "Letter to Santa Claus" will be held at the stations of the Crimean Railway Peninsula. Snegurochka will help the guys to compose a letter and write the address correctly December 14 from 9.00 to 16.00 in the building of the railway station in Evpatoria. All letters by mail will be sent to the residence of Father Frost in Veliky Ustyug, and it is expected that in two weeks the children will receive answers and your dreams will begin to come true.
On December 19, on the Teatralnaya Square of Evpatoria, the opening of the Santa Claus Mail will take place and the New Year's contest of the best letters to the main wizard of winter starts. Santa Claus's New Year mailbox will work until December 31, 2015.
Father Frost lives in Veliky Ustyug, Vologda region in a large fairytale tower and annually receives more than 200 thousand letters from children not only from Russia, but from all over the world.
Santa Claus, accompanied by the granddaughter of the Snow Maiden, rides in winter on a troika of frisky horses across the endless northern expanses of Russia. Neither snow blizzards nor crackling Siberian frosts are afraid of Santa Claus. A gray-haired grandfather is dressed in a warm fur coat, a hat and felt boots, in his hands he holds a magic staff, from the touch of which the sea waves are pacified and freeze, lakes and reservoirs freeze, fast rivers are covered with a thick layer of ice.
For children and adults, the arrival of a snowy winter is an inexpressible joy, everyone runs to ski or sled from the ice slide, or spin around on skates with funny music on the ice rink.
Santa Claus likes the joy and fun of people who are keen on winter fun, arrange noisy holidays in the middle of winter, for this Santa Claus gives people his fabulous New Year's gifts.
Every year, Santa Claus travels around and inspects his possessions, and begins his New Year's journey across Russia with a visit to the coldest place in the country in Oymyakon, where the official residence is Chyskhaana is the lord of the cold in Yakutia. The temperature minimum in Oymyakon ranges from –77.8 to –82 ° C. Chyskhaan wears on his head a high hat decorated with bull horns, according to Yakut legends he is called Bull of Winter. Every year in the fall, the Bull of Winter comes out of the Arctic Ocean and brings a symbol of cold to the earth.
Common to all Christians, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, known for his help to poor people and fabulous gifts for obedient children, served as a prototype for New Year's characters in different countries of the world. Santa Claus- one of them. Until now, there is no consensus about where Santa Claus lives, some speak in Lapland, others - in the immediate vicinity of the North Pole.
Sintaklaas- New Year character in the Netherlands and Belgium, traveling with his servant Zwarte Piet. Have Sintaklaasa there is a special big red book, where each child and his good and evil deeds are written. Every year at the end of November, he arrives by steamer from Spain to bring all the gifts to the children for St. Nicholas Day - December 6th. In many cities in Belgium and the Netherlands, Sintaklaas drives through the city and is given a gala reception at the city hall. Sintaklaas does not enter the house through the chimney, but sends instead of himself a chimney sweep boy (Black Peter), who puts gifts for good children, and bags of salt for bad children. In more ancient legends, Black Peter could kidnap bad kids and take them to Spain.
Cheerful old woman Befana or Epiphany flies on a broomstick to every Italian house on the night of January 5-6, sweeps the floor in the house of hospitable hosts, with a broom she sweeps out all the problems and troubles of the past year from the house, for which they leave a small treat and a glass of wine for her.
There is a legend according to which the Magi, who were in a hurry to visit the born Jesus, met an old woman on the way to Bethlehem Epifani yu, who gave them shelter and fed. They offered Epifani and go with them to Bethlehem, but she refused. And when she saw the Star of Bethlehem at night, she herself decided to go to the baby Jesus with a gift, but she never found his manger. Since then it has been flying old lady Befana on a broomstick on the night of January 5-6, hoping to find Jesus. For good children, Befana gives sweets and toys, and for those who behaved badly all year, she traditionally leaves a tiny coal, a clump of wool or a pile of dust.
Pere Noil(Pere Noel), accompanied by the "Evil Pope" (La Pere Fouettard), brings New Year's gifts to French children and puts them in shoes specially left by the hearth. And his ominous companion, when visiting naughty children, instead of gifts, gives them a good spanking, and in some versions of legends he cuts off the tongues of children who lie a lot. Père Noel rides on a little donkey named Gui, which means “Mistletoe”, and the children leave a treat for the donkey - a carrot.
Delivers New Year's gifts to children in the Czech Republic and Slovakia Grandfather Mikulas (Saint Nicholas) December 6 together, he travels with an angel who gives children sweets and an imp who gives naughty kids coals and potatoes. In the festive Christmas retinue of Ded Mikulas there is a little Hedgehog, a diminutive form from Jezis - baby Jesus. Hedgehog presents sweets to the little residents of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
In Iceland, speaking, in general there is no single Santa Claus, instead of him in national folklore there are thirteen strange-looking creatures resembling gnomes. They are called Yule Lads (Yule Lads) that is approximately "Christmas Boys", and are the sons of a fearsome mountain troll named Gryla. Previously, it was believed that Yule Lads harmed people in every possible way before Christmas for 13 nights, starting from December 12 they steal meat, spices and even children.
Each of "Christmas Boys" has its own name and a clear specialization, for example, Ketkrokur, there is a long hook, with which he steals meat from people. Second, by name Gluggagaegir,peeps through the windows to find something to profit from in a human dwelling, the third - Stekkjastaur, has pork legs and scares the sheep in the barns. Yulnisse is the kindest New Year's gnome, he puts small gifts in their shoes for the 13 nights before Christmas, and for naughty children potatoes instead of gifts.
In the Scandinavian countries - Norway, Finland, Sweden - there is a legend about Tomte or Nisse- small brownies on farms that harm the farm if the farmer is sloppy and does not maintain order in the house and on the farm. With the spread of Christianity in Scandinavia, all gnomes and brownies turned into little Santa Claus. Modern Tomte is called differently in Scandinavia: Yultomte, Yulnis or Yollupukki (Jultomte, Julnisse, and Joulupukki), he looks like Santa Claus, but they are thin and slender, they are not so well-fed, they do not fly on a team of reindeer, but travel on a cart pulled by a goat on the ground. Scandinavian Santa Claus live not at the North Pole, but in the nearest forest. Unlike Santa Claus, Yultomtes do not fly into the chimney with gifts, but simply enter the door when no one sees them.
Yolupukki gives Christmas gifts to children in Finland. Now Yolupukki looks more like Santa Claus, but more than a century ago he was portrayed in a goat's skin and with small horns on its head, now only deer have horns. In Finnish Yolupukki means "Christmas goat".
There is a long tradition of giving naughty children charcoal at Christmas. It existed even before the appearance of Santa Claus, Befana, Sinterklaas and his assistant Black Pete. But with the advent of the fabulous grandfather, she did not disappear, but on the contrary, became an incentive for children to behave decently. There is no particular explanation for this “gift”; for Santa, giving coal is just an ordinary convenience. Why? Let's figure it out now.
How this strange tradition came about
Santa enters the house through the chimney and leaves presents in socks hanging on the fireplace. Sinterklaas, along with his assistant Black Pete, also goes down the chimney and puts presents in the shoes left by the fireplace. Befana penetrated through the window, and later through the chimney, when they began to be massively used in Europe.
So all of these characters are tied to the fireplace. While filling stockings or shoes, wizards sometimes encountered a child who did not deserve a gift. Therefore, to celebrate his bad behavior in the past year, he needs to put a gift that would serve as a hint of it. But the gift should not be sweets and toys, but something unusual and obscene. It was at this moment that the fireplace came to the rescue. Grandpa only needs to reach out, take a piece of coal and put it in a stocking. Previously, people used to heat their fireplaces with coal, it was very convenient.
What other New Year characters gave bad children
With the exception of Santa Claus, other characters weren't limited to charcoal as a gift. They left twigs, bags of salt, onions and garlic in the shoes of naughty children. By this they tried to show the child that he did not deserve a good present with his behavior.
It turns out that Santa Claus is just a lazy wizard on New Year's Eve. He did not stock up on symbolic gifts for naughty children in advance. What if he was too lazy to reach out for coal? What do you think about this? What would the kids get?
Our New Year cannot be imagined without the kind Santa Claus and his granddaughter Snegurochka. No Western Christmas (Europe, England, USA and others) is complete without the main character - Santa Claus. But who is this kind-hearted gift-giver? Is this a real character or a fictional one? Why was he named that and where does he live? I will try to answer all these questions for you today. Santa Claus I can say for sure that Santa Claus is a very real person who lived in antiquity. True, his name was different, he looked different and he was born not in Lapland, as is commonly believed, but in the place of Myra of Lycia in 253 AD, on the modern territory of Turkey. And then he was called Saint Nicholas. He was a simple bishop who was ready to accept death for his faith and always fought for good.
There were legends that Saint Nicholas himself was very prosperous, but not greedy. He helped all the unfortunate and the poor, at night, imperceptibly throwing coins into their shoes, which they left at the door, and putting delicious pies on the windows. So Saint Nicholas became the favorites of children. However, merchants, bakers, prisoners and sailors also chose him as their patron and saint.
But how did he become a symbol of Christmas? St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6th. In the 10th century, in the cathedral of the German city of Cologne, students of the Christian school began to distribute pastries and fruits on this day. Very quickly, this tradition became widespread in other cities and countries. Remembering the legend, people began to hang special festive stockings or shoes for the night so that Nicholas would put his gifts there.
It is generally accepted that a Saint who enters houses at night, going down the chimney, brings gifts to obedient children, and rods to mischievous, mischievous and pranksters. Therefore, children, long before the holiday, try to behave well, and parents, with their bad behavior, immediately remind them that they can receive a rod as a gift. Sometimes, even together with presents, children are given small twigs.
How did Saint Nicholas become Santa Claus? This character came to the USA from Holland in the 17th century. In 1626, a frigate from several Dutch ships arrived in the New World. On the bow of the main ship "Goede Vrove" stood the figure of Nicholas, who, as I said, was also the patron saint of sailors.
The sailors bought land from the indigenous people of America - Indians for 24 dollars and gave the name to the settlement - "New Amsterdam". Today this "village" has become the largest city in the United States and one of the most famous cities in the world - "New York". The Dutchmen removed the saint's figurine from the ship and transferred it to the main square so that Nicholas could defend the village.
Only now the Indians and the new inhabitants spoke their own language, and not English. They could not clearly pronounce the name of the saint and the phrase sounded like "Sinter Claus", then transformed into "Santa Claus", and over time into the familiar "Santa Claus". This is how Saint Nicholas miraculously transformed into Santa Claus, who brings gifts home on Christmas Eve.
However, the story of Santa Claus's transformation does not end there. The poem by Clement Clark Moore, The Coming of St. Nicholas, published on Christmas Eve 1822, was an important milestone in his reincarnation. 20 quatrains describe the meeting of a child with Santa Claus, who brought him gifts. In the poem, practically nothing remained of the former saint; he was completely devoid of severity and seriousness. 
Santa on a sleigh U K. Moore Santa is a cheerful, cheerful elf with a pipe in his mouth and a round belly. As a result of this metamarphosis, Nicholas forever lost his episcopal appearance and moved to a team of reindeer. In 1823, the poem "The Night Before Christmas" listed the names of 8 Santa's reindeer:
- Blixem (Lightning Fast)
- Dunder (Blockhead)
- Cupid (Cupid)
- Comet (Comet)
- Vixen (Vicious)
- Prancer (Prancing)
- Dancer (Dancer)
- Desher (Awesome)
Only in 1939 did the ninth stag, Rudolph, appear with a large and shiny reddish nose. 
Rudolph Meanwhile, illustrator Thomas Nast refined the image of Santa Claus in detail in 1860-1880. in Harper's magazine Santa has such irreplaceable attributes as the list of good and bad kids, the North Pole, but this is not the end of the transformation.
Klaus, completely devoid of a holy halo, was dressed up in all sorts of colorful clothes. But in 1931, the famous brand Coca Cola launched an advertising campaign featuring Santa Claus. Haddon Sandblom, an American artist, portrayed a good-natured white-bearded old man in red and white clothes and holding soda.
As a result, Santa Claus acquired the image that we can all see today. This is a plump, cheerful old man who delivers gifts on Christmas night. He must have a red jacket or sheepskin coat, a white beard, a red hat and pants with white trim. Santa Claus travels on a sleigh pulled by 9 reindeer and filled to the brim with gifts for obedient children around the world.
In Great Britain it is usually called "Father Christmas", which means "Father Christmas". But our Russian Santa Claus has nothing to do with Saint Nicholas. Our Grandfather Frost is a folklore ritual character living in the forest or, as it is believed today, his residence in Veliky Ustyug. Winter is his wife. Together they rule the earth from November to March. In very old tales, he is sometimes called Morozko or Ded Treskun.
Where does Santa Claus live today?
The closest relative of Santa Claus is Yolupukki, who lives in Lapland, and Santa Claus also lives here. Since 1984, by the UN decision, Lapland has been officially proclaimed the Land of Santa Claus. Here is also the residence of Santa, in which he lives with the gnomes and elves all year round. It is there that children from all over the world write letters with wishes to the address: Arctic Circle, 96 930, Finland or to the website: santamail.com.
The Finnish government elevated Santa Claus to a cult status, built him a house on the slopes of Mount Korvatunturi, made an advertisement, created a website and announced his email address to the whole world. It is Yolupukki from Lapland (Finland) who receives the most letters from adults and children from all over the world every day.
Every year on December 24, at noon, he arrives on his reindeer in the oldest Finnish town of Turku, accompanied by tontu, his young assistants - girls, boys in red overalls and caps. Here, from the building of the city council, the coming of Christmas is proclaimed and New Year's songs are sung.
But thanks to American advertising and perseverance, Western Santa Claus gradually replaced the English Father Christmas, the Finnish Yolupukki, and the French Christmas Grandfather. And even our beloved and dear Grandfather Frost. I will even say more, the Turks erected a monument to St. Nicholas in the city of Demra, but it is not a bishop who stands on the pedestal, but a cheerful bearded man with a huge bag of gifts!
However, apparently, these are not the final changes in the image of the saint. For example, in Israel, where religious traditions are strictly observed, Christmas is not celebrated. And if you want to buy Christmas cards or other accessories there, then you will be very problematic to find them.
But that's why they are Jews - they will find a way out of any situation! On Christmas Eve, postcards depicting Santa Claus, wearing a Jewish kippa instead of the traditional red cap, began to appear on the shelves of Israeli stores on Christmas Eve. There are still no holiday greetings on the postcards, but something tells me: there will still be Tolya!
Well, but seriously, it seems to me that it doesn't matter who knocks on your door on New Year's or Christmas night: Santa Claus, Santa, Nikolai, Father Christmas or Yolupukki. The main thing is to believe in magic and kindness, so that a cheerful wizard brings smiles and joy along with gifts. And what is his name, you ask him yourself when you meet on a magical night.
I wish you fulfillment of your most cherished desires, may good Santa bring happiness to your home!
What is the difference between Santa Claus and Santa Claus? For modern children, the name is probably not so important - the main thing is that they fulfill their duties!
By the beginning of the 20th century, the image of Santa Claus was gradually formed, which we also know. Earlier attempts to create the type of "Christmas grandfather" giving gifts to children did not take root in our country.
But after the revolution, Santa Claus, as a religious prejudice, was in disgrace for more than ten years. Following the rehabilitated New Year tree, only in 1937, he appeared at the New Year celebrations at the Moscow House of Unions. Since then, Santa Claus has become one of the main characters of the New Year holidays.
In different countries, this character bears his own name: Papa Noel in Spain, Mosh Jarila in Romania, Sinte Claas in Holland, Per Noel in France, Santa Claus in America.
It is a pity that our Santa Claus is gradually being replaced by Santa Claus. What is the difference between our Grandfather and the foreign Santa Claus?
First of all - in origin. Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas (Nikolaus), a real historical figure - Archbishop Nicholas of Mirliki, who had a reputation as a protector of children and lived in the fourth century in Lycia, in Asia Minor, which is part of modern southern Turkey. Raised to the rank of saints after death.
There is a legend like St. Nicholas heard about a poor city dweller who was forced to give up his three daughters to "fornication" and saved the whole family from want and shame by secretly throwing them three bags of gold. Hence the bag of gifts - an indispensable attribute of Christmas Santa Claus.
Later, this legend was transformed into a parable about how the saint threw gold coins into the chimney of the house where the poor sisters lived, and the coins accidentally fell into the stockings that were drying by the fireplace. This is how the custom was born to hang up socks before the commemoration of St. Nicholas (December 6/19) to find gifts in them in the morning.
Gradually, this day shifted in time, and the gifts of St. Nikolai began to do for Christmas already in the form of Santa. Although, here, too, not everything is so obvious. The Catholic Church prefers to regard Santa Claus (St. Nicholas) as a messenger rather than a donor. He only transmits, delivers the gifts of the infant Christ. It is clear who needs to be thanked, and to whom to address your cherished desires.
Father Frost
Russian Santa Claus is a character of Slavic fairytale ritual folklore, a pagan spirit. Despite the fact that the formation of the modern image of Santa Claus was not without imitation of Western customs, he retained almost all the characteristic Russian features. 
Our Santa Claus and to this day walks in felt boots and a long fur coat, with a staff. He prefers a sleigh pulled by a brisk and very playful troika to all types of transport, and he does not move in the sky, like a foreign Santa Claus, but on the ground! There were never any deer in his team.
Santa Claus and some other foreign brothers of our grandfather wear shorter fur coats, with pronounced buttons, and a hat that looks like a jester's cap.
Snow Maiden
Let's not forget about the Snow Maiden, the assistant and companion of the Russian Father Frost. Her name and image are unique. No other country has a Christmas or New Year character with similar features.
The Snow Maiden is the embodiment of frozen waters in general and the waters of the Northern Dvina in particular. She is dressed only in white clothes. No other color is allowed in traditional symbols. The ornament is made only with silver threads. The headpiece is an eight-pointed wreath, embroidered with silver and pearls.
S. V. Zharnikova Ph.D. n. art critic, ethnologist
