~ * ~
I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and thinking about Santa Claus! Does Russia have a Santa Claus?
The answer is yes…
We in America believe that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole! Then on the 25th of December he delivers gifts to all the children in the world…
Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply “Santa” is a historical, legendary and mythical figure believed by many children to bring gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day…
The Russian Santa Claus:
In Russia, Santa Claus is known as Father Frost or Ded Moroz. He is usually illustrated with his granddaughter, the snow maiden, Snegurochka riding with an evergreen tree and presents in a traditional Russian troika. A troika is a sleigh drawn by 3 horses yoked abreast. The above photo below the Santa photo reads, “Happy New Year!” (click to read about Father Frost)
Real Christmas is now celebrated in Russia on January 7. After the Russian October Revolution in 1917, the calendar was changed to place Christmas after New Year’s Day. This was done in order to place more emphases on the non-religious New Year’s Day. For this reason, the Russian Father Frost is associated with New Year’s Day rather than with Christmas…”
So the answer is yes: Russia has Christmas and Santa Claus, though different from in America, it just has a Russian twist to it…
It works for me…
WtR