National Peculiarities of the New Year Holiday

It is a well-known fact that the New Year party owes its warmth to a decorated New Year tree and the presence of Ded Moroz, who arrives to distrib­ute gifts and sweets, putting them under the tree. For hundreds of years he has continued to visit peo­ple on holiday nights. The tradition has been firmly established. It all started with the follow­ing:

Each Fairy Tale Holds a Grain of Truth

In the 3rd century ВС in the city of Patara (Lycia, Asia Minor) a boy was born who was given the name of Nicholas. When Nicholas grew up, he became a bishop in the town of Myra. Consequently, he was called St. Nicholas of Myra. He was believed to be a kind miracle-worker and persecu­tor of evil. He was the patron of kidnapped and lost children, and of seamen.

Legend has it that Nicholas, passing by a pau­per's house one night, threw three gold-packed purses to the pauper's daughters down the chimney. The purses landed in the girls' shoes that stood drying by the fireplace. The happy father bought a dowry for his daughters and gave the girls away. Therefore, many countries still pre­serve the tradition of putting New Year presents into shoes or boots. Nicholas was believed to bring cold as he walked. That is why his name is associated with winter frosts.

Nowadays, tourists can visit the church in Demre that, translated from Arabic, is Grandfather Frost's Church. In its southern part, there is a sarcophagus that is said to hold the relics of the saint.

Today, it is hard to get at the heart of the matter about how St. Nicholas legend began to live its own life, and how the saint evolved into a winter character that every­body knows beginning in childhood. Later, a particular patron of winter appeared in each country.

The Emergence of Ded Moroz and Snegurochka (a girl made of snow)

Our Ded Moroz is St. Nicholas, unrecognizably changed by folk myths and legends. Folks would say that the old man lived in an icy hut and generously endowed his visitors with gifts. When he hit the ground with his stick, severe frosts would start.

Snegurochka (a derivative of the word "sneg" — "snow" in Russian) has no prototypes and is not involved in any of the New Year and Christmas traditions of world countries. She is a character of a Russian fairy tale in which a child­less old couple made a girl of snow.

The common "frosty origin" of pity towards the lonely old man most likely caused people to closely tie Ded Moroz and Snegurochka with blood bonds: an old man should have a granddaughter. So, everybody knows Snegurochka as Ded Moroz's granddaughter.

II. Questions for discussion:

1. What are the main missions of Ded Moroz?

2. What was the mission of St.Nicholas?

3. Why do many countries still preserve the tradition of putting New Year presents into socks?

4. What is the origin of Snegurochka?

5. Why is Ded Moroz believed to be a kind of miracle-worker?

III. Study the vocabulary to read and understand the text better. Prepare for a discussion.

to await — ожидать

cane — трость

solely — исключительно

embroidered — вышитый, расшитый

to settle — поселиться, обосноваться

permeated — пропитанный

tamed elks — прирученные лоси

hut — хижина, бел. Хата

Attention! Ded Moroz Wanted!

Belarusian Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost, analogue of Santa Claus) awaits visitors in the Belovezhskaya Puscha.

Witnesses say that on seeing Ded Moroz, after a thick white beard, they notice his red nose. Sometimes he is even called Ded Moroz — Red Nose. (Do not think badly of him! His nose is red solely because of cold weather). Real Ded Moroz is normally dressed in a blue caftan listed with white fur and dec­orated with silver. He also wears huge mittens on his hands and valenki (Belarusian winter footwear) on his feet. He always has a cane — a mag­ical stick that, by touching an object, is able to transform it into ice. Besides, he always has a sack of gifts — also magical. Some people say the sack is bigger inside than out.

Fact of the Matter

With the flow of time, a blue caftan embroidered with silver receded to the realm of legends. Today, Ded Moroz prefers a red Santa Claus outfit. I feel real vexation in this respect, as I would like New Year celebrations in Belarus to be related to national traditions. Attractiveness of any rituals and customs is rooted in their singulari­ty and peculiarity. Meanwhile, in our country, it is sometimes hard to distinguish whether Ded Moroz puts presents under the fir tree or Santa Claus, who mixed up New Year with Christmas. In fact, Santa brings gifts for Christmas celebrated on December the 24th-25th, while we nor­mally wait for presents on January the 1st — the New Year.

Ded Moroz Likes Belarus

Ded Moroz has decided to settle in the Belovezhskaya Puscha and it is a great surprise and remarkable occurrence for the Belarusians. This means Belarus will be permeated with fairy tale spirits.

A wooden apartment has been built for Moroz Ivanovich. The residence consists of several huts. They include lodgings for him and for Snegurochka. In a dreamlike castle called Skarbnitsa, a small museum has been created to house subjects of peasant life. The muse­um also holds paintings created by Belarusian children, and girls and boys from different countries who sent their works to Ded Moroz. Museum-keepers receive about 500 letters daily from all over the world. Four hundred lamps decorate a New Year fir tree inside the resi­dence. It is the highest New Year tree in Europe at a height of forty metres.

Young attendees (visitors) will have the chance to tour around the surround­ings, treat themselves to pancakes with tea, and feed the animals that live in the preserve out of their bare hands. Just for this occasion the pre­serve staff have brought tamed elks. Each child is pre­sented with a gift.

IV. Questions for discussion:

1. What is the historical appearance of Ded Moroz? How does he look today?

2. Why is the sack of Ded Moroz bigger inside than out?

3. Why was the Belovezhskaya Puscha chosen as the best place for the residence of Belarusian Ded Moroz?

4. What can visitors do to enjoy in the Belovezhskaya Puscha during New Year holidays?

5. What is Skarbnitsa?

6. Have you ever been to the Belovezhskaya Puscha and the residence of Ded Moroz and Snegurochka?

7. Do you agree that unique traditions should be kept by the nation?