Santa Claus Russian tnvention ?
Say He Was in Folklore
Long Before St. Nicholas
MGQrnw By R0Y ESSOYAN
insist that Rufans didn,t invent Christmas but they do
wool Russian invent^ n>St-Santa CIaus to *>“-* a dyed-ta-the
Sa^tT!aauseHpFh"i\k,n°Wn 38 “Ded Maroz” here- and acts like
a_- . ' the same ruddy cheeks flowing hparH an^
uv/wuig oag of gifts.
Bat the Russians say his origin
is pure Russian folklore without
any religious overtures, imported
or domestic
The Russians also say Grand
father Frost has nothing to do
witn St. Nicholas, the prototype
of Santa Claus for the rest of the
; - j U' This despite the fact that
Nicholas is and long has been
rro ably the most revered saint
hi Russia. More Russian churches
r.re named after him tharf after
anybody else.
St. Nicholas reputedly Chris
tianized the Slavs in the Fourth
Century but at that t;me there
was no Russia "a£ such. Chris
tianity came to Russia more than
six centuries later, from Byzanti
um.
.The Russians started celebrat
ing Christinas soon after that, and
incorporated much of their old
P3#*1* .folklore into the Christian
ritual. ,
Grandfather Frost was one of
the rpagart institutions incorporat
ed into the ritual. Other equally
pagan institutions were Sne
gurechka, the legendary Snow
maid, and Vesna Krasna or the
Beauty of Spring, a female per
sonification of spring.
Fortune-telling, hardly a Chris
tian rite, was another institution
incorporated into the Russian cele
bration of Christmas.
i
<
Survived Revolution <
Much of this ritual has lasted (
the thousand years since then <
and survived the Russian revolu- J
tion 40 years ago.
And today, in atheist Soviet 1
Russia, almost everybody cele <
brates Christmas. To avoid the 3
“stigma” of religious connota
tion, however, they call it New }
Year’s. Even Christmas trees are <
called “New Year trees” in Rus- ]
sia today. <
Current Christmas (or New <
Year) celebrations in Russia
smack of the pagan days. They <
lack the carefree flavor of t?re- <
revolutionary times and are much ;
more highly organized, in keeping <
with the spirit of the times here! 1
Even the Kremlin, that once <
.forbidding fortress of Stalin’s '
day, and the House of Unions,
scene of the purge trials of the (
1930s, have got into the act ; t
Mammoth Christmas (or New 1
Year) -parties are staged in them <■
and tens of thousands of Moscow
thralled with practically continu- *
and dancing, for the two-week run (
of the holidays. 1
Open Doors s
During Stalin's day the ©rdi- *
nary Russian citizen stepped.into 1
the Kreihlin only with trepida
tion. Today both the Kremlin I
and the House of Unions are c
open to visitors the year round* <■
»nd during the Ne^r Year holi
lay s the children take over com
>Ietely.
A giant, 75-foot “New Year
xee”—brightly lighted and re
rol ving—brushes the golden
chandeliers of St George’s Hall
n the Grand Kremlin Palace as
he kiddies dance around in awe.
Clowns, acrobats and magi
cians hold the children ea
rns performances* and red-ker
children scream through, singing
chiefed Young Communist League
cheerleaders; guide them in song
mid applause.
Other Christmas trees, propor
ionately smaller, are the center
>f attraction in practically every
lome in Russia over the holidays.
Christmas here is a seasc-.; u*
•Ift-fcearing as it is everywhere
else. The department stores are
nicked for weeks ahead with
crowds jostling for gifts and
lecorations.
This year's observance has been
jiven an added lift for the young
er generation with completion of
s giant new department store
catering exclusively to children,
t’s called Detsky Mir, or Ckil
i rents World, and took four years
o butt'd. /
Detslcy Mir stands on a corner
opposite Xubyanka Prison and is a
oken of the consumer goods-the
K>st Stalin leadership has promis
ed the Russian -people.
The sack that Grandfather Frost
lings across his shoulder this
Christmas is bulging with gifts
rqm Detsky Mir, gifts that will be
pread under Christmas trees high
.nd humble in Moscow and for
ailes around.
Grandfather Frost delivers his
ifts in person too, just as Santa
loes in the West, but with one
iiference, hie does not deliver
KNUDSEN’S
It's time to address greeting cards....and we
have a fine selection.
For candies and cookies for home or gifts, we
have attractive metal containers.
Alaskan gift items for every member of the
family.
Record permanently the happy and festive mo
ments with snapshots.
Cameras, film, projectors, light meters and
gadget bags.
Alaskan jade, ivory and nugget jewelry
Boxed chocolates
Gift Wrappings
Alaskan slippers & mukluks, allso parkas.
Ceramics by Schutzendorf.... they are different
and SO attractive.
KNUDSEN’S
where ALL shopi
* w
Open Till 9aJ0
■ini''”"
them via the chimney chute.
“Grandfather Frost is to digni
fied to come down the chimney/*
one Russian explained.
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