January 04, 2024

My Fair Snow Maiden


My Fair Snow Maiden
1988 Soviet postage stamp depicting the two protagonists of "Well, Just You Wait!" Wikimedia Commons

Controversy arose after a recent New Year's celebration at a school in Nakhodka, a port city in Russia's Far East Primorsky Krai region.

According to local news outlets City N and Vladivostok Online, a male physical education teacher played the role of the Wolf dressed as the Snow Maiden, a humorous character from the Soviet cartoon “Well, Just You Wait!” (“Nu, Pogodi!”), during the school's holiday celebration. Following the event, some Nakhodka residents lodged complaints about the teacher's participation.

One comment from a resident of Nakhodka read: "I ask the prosecutor's office to pay attention to the celebration in School 26 of the Livadia village. What family values can we talk about if the overgrown Snow Maiden is played by a guy? The children came in shock... Please take action – the Ministry of Education of Primorye does not react, the Ministry of Culture, too. I'm waiting for an official response for further appeal.” News outlet “City N” notes that there were no complaints about the girl who dressed up as Santa Claus.

The school administration released a statement, explaining their traditions and apologizing: “Teachers and children on this day come in carnival costumes, New Year's music happens during all breaks, competitions and New Year's lottery are held, Santa Claus's workshops occur. Teachers and children always wait for this day because they know it will be a lot of fun! 

"Teachers dressed in costumes performed plots of Soviet cartoons. Our favorite cartoon 'Well, Just You Wait!' was no exception. The role of the Wolf in the Snow Maiden costume was performed by our physical education teacher, who congratulated the kids on the holiday. There was no limit to the joy, fun and delight of children!

"We did not pursue any subtext or malicious intent in the plot with the heroes of the event. Our only goal is to please, amuse children, and embellish our school life.”

According to Vladivostok Online, many Primorye residents defended the school, recalling their own primary school teachers dressed as characters like Koshchei or Santa Claus during their childhood celebrations.

You Might Also Like

Show and Shell
  • October 26, 2023

Show and Shell

A convicted murderer and Wagner mercenary was invited to talk to Russian students.
Snow Fright
  • December 21, 2021

Snow Fright

A granddaughter of Father Christmas who is blonde, slim, and very kind? This year’s Snow Maiden doesn’t seem to fit the bill.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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 Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

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