November 18, 2014

Grandfather Frost: More than Just Santa Claus


Grandfather Frost: More than Just Santa Claus

Today, November 18, is Ded Moroz’s birthday! Now, you might think that Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) is just your familiar Santa Claus in a blue coat, but in fact he is a powerful pagan god who just softened up a bit over the years.

Santa Claus and Ded Moroz have several superficial similarities: they’re old white men with long white beards, wearing heavy coats with white trim, giving out presents to the good little children (and often impersonated by the children’s parents). Given how much Russian New Year’s traditions have borrowed from the Western concept of Christmas, this apparent similarity comes as no surprise. Nonetheless, Ded Moroz has a few distinctly Russian qualities, above and beyond the color of his coat.

Morozko
Ded Moroz as the spirit of winter

1. Unholy origins: Centuries ago, Ded Moroz went by the name Morozko, a powerful and cruel god of frost and ice, married to the equally unforgiving Winter. He could freeze people and landscapes at will, including entire invading armies. In some tellings, he was capricious and unpredictable, and the newly established Russian Orthodox Church attempted to brand him as a demon, along with the other pagan gods. However, his more lasting image was of a wise and impartial old man, someone who would give everyone a second change and only freeze them if they persisted in their ways.

Snegurochka
Ded Moroz with Snegurochka (right)

2. Family matters: Santa Claus has his Mrs. Claus; Ded Moroz has a granddaughter, Snegurochka (from sneg, ‘snow’). As far as we know, Mrs. Claus is flesh and blood, but Snegurochka is made of snow, with predictable consequences. Before her association with Ded Moroz, she appeared in several Russian fairy tales, each of which ended with her melting.

Ded Moroz
Look at that embroidery - and that beard!

3. Attire: As mentioned above, Ded Moroz can sometimes appear in blue, or even white. But that’s not the main difference. In his clothing Ded Moroz is meant to look like a Russian nobleman from before Russia’s Westernization. His coat is not just trimmed in white: it is often richly embroidered with white or gold designs. A traditional fur-trimmed cap and felt boots complete the picture – don’t expect to see Ded Moroz in a Santa hat.

Ded Moroz's house
Ded Moroz's house in Velikiy Ustyug

4. Housekeeping: While we all know that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, we don’t know exactly where: every country that borders the Arctic Ocean claims a location or postal address for Santa’s workshop. Ded Moroz, on the other hand, is very easy to locate: his house is located in Velikiy Ustyug, a few hours north of Moscow.

Troika
Ded Moroz in his signature troika

5. Transportation: You may be asking, where are the reindeer? Like a real Russian aristocrat, Ded Moroz rides in a troika – a sleigh pulled by a trio of three white horses representing the three months of winter. Not only do Russian children not have to rattle off the names of all 12 of Santa’s reindeer, their task of remembering the names of Ded Moroz’s horses was made easy for them by a popular children’s song.

 

Further reading on supercook.ru [ru]

Image credits: flickr.com, supercook.ru, souzspb.com

You Might Also Like

Christmastide Tradition
  • January 01, 1990

Christmastide Tradition

St. Nicholas, Babouschka, Christmas Eve festivities . . .Ded Moroz leading to Christmas on January 7th.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955