List of Christmas characters

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Very soon, the long-awaited New Year holiday in every family will knock on our doors, during which even adults turn into children and often dress up as New Year's characters. To the sound of chimes and falling snow flakes, each of us plunges into a winter fairy tale and forgets about all our troubles and disappointments. If the holiday has such an impact on adults, then imagine how much it means to children! New Year's characters, known to us from old fairy tales, are an integral part of this holiday. But how much do we know about them? After all, it is quite possible that the history of these heroes contains many interesting facts. As you probably already understood, our today's article is dedicated to New Year's characters and everything connected with them.

The main characters of the New Year holidays

When we talk about such an important holiday for every Russian person as the New Year, images of the good-natured Santa Claus in a red coat, the beautiful Snow Maiden, the funny Snowman and the evil Snow Queen clearly begin to float before our eyes. Children's and adult New Year's scenarios with the characters listed by us are always a success. Therefore, at every holiday and corporate party you can always see one or two heroes of the winter celebration.

However, not only in our country they like to celebrate the arrival of the new year. Around the world from the beginning of December to the beginning of January, a series of festive events lasts, where their characters reign. Some of them echo the heroes of Russian fairy tales, while others look incomprehensible and even somewhat exotic. These include the New Year's fairy Befana from Italy, the Spanish Three Kings and the dwarfs Yolasveinar from Iceland. Without these New Year's characters, it's hard to imagine the winter holidays and the distribution of gifts for kids.

Today we decided to gather all the main characters of the upcoming New Year and tell readers their interesting stories.

The most important fairy-tale New Year character: Santa Claus

How many names does this good wizard have! You can’t name everything even for an hour! However, this does not change the main essence of the holiday - without Santa Claus, children and adults cannot see gifts, fun and various delicacies. However, this was far from always the case, because even two hundred years ago a good wizard was not at all such a welcome guest in every home. He was not at all associated with the New Year character, whom all the children of the country love and are waiting for.

In fact, Santa Claus looked like an unpleasant old man of short stature, roaming the vast Russian lands from November to March. He clearly did not like people and tried with all his might to harm those who, at an inopportune hour, found themselves outside their home. FavoriteSanta Claus's entertainment was to turn any living creatures into ice cubes, and at his leisure, he gladly dressed trees in snow coats and hung funny icicles on branches.

It is not known how the further life of this character would have developed if at the end of the nineteenth century they had not begun to invite him to New Year trees. For some reason, everyone forgot about the not-so-good past of Santa Claus and entrusted him with the honorary mission of distributing gifts. Over time, he became kinder and turned into a caring wizard who enjoys communicating with the kids.

Who delivers gifts in Slovakia?

If we talk about New Year's characters similar to our Santa Claus, then we can name Santa Claus and St. Mikulash. The first character is quite well known thanks to American culture, but very little is known about the second in Russia. Mikulas brings gifts to Slovak and Czech children, but he comes to them not at all on New Year's Eve, but in early December. It is at this time that most Europeans celebrate the day of St. Nicholas, which is recognized as a real-life prototype of all winter wizards, who rewarded children for good behavior with gifts.

Saint Mikulash looks very similar to our Santa Claus, but he carries a box behind his back, and his main assistants are the Angel and the Devil. They are the ones who keep the list of obedient children and mischievous people.

It is noteworthy that in European culture, gifts are distributed by two wizards. Each country has its own, but the first one always comes in early December, and the second one on the night of Catholic Christmas.

Snegurochka: exploring the pedigree

Children's parties simply cannot do without this New Year's character. A cute little girl in a white fur coat embroidered with snowflakes and flowers is the main assistant of Santa Claus in all his affairs. She communicates with animals, loves kids and is always ready to come to the rescue of the young and inexperienced New Year. However, it is still unknown who she really is to a good wizard - a daughter or a granddaughter? Let's try to lift the veil on this mystery.

If we turn to the era of paganism, we can find out that the Slavs greatly revered the formidable god Frost. He was the son of Buri Yaga, who was the most ancient goddess of our ancestors. Frost himself was very stern and unsociable, but his granddaughter Snegurochka loved people very much. In winter, she sometimes came to the villages and helped the elderly and lonely residents with the housework. But this is just one of the old legends.

According to another legend, the Snow Maiden is the daughter of Santa Claus and the Snow Queen. These two fell in love, despite the fact that Chernobog himself was against their marriage. This deity led all the dark forces and was very much afraid of him in Russia. But his daughter the Snow Queen turned out to be a very sincere girl, capable of love. Where the fairy-tale mother of the Snow Maiden then went is not told in any of the legends. It is only known that the girl remained with Santa Claus and became his faithful and only assistant.

By the way, the Snow Maiden became the character of the New Year holidays only in Soviet times. Around the thirties of the last century, she first began to appear on Christmas trees and other celebrations.

Cute Snowman: the closest relative of Santa Claus

The snowman, made of three balls and with a carrot instead of a nose, has become one of the most beloved children's characters of the New Year. But why exactly did he become so close to the Russian soul?

The fact is that in the old days snowmen or snowmen were sculpted everywhere and given them a sacred meaning. During the thaw period, there were always three snowmen in the villages. One was handed a broom, with which she had to drive away winter and snow. The second was considered the patroness of the future autumn harvest, and grain was always scattered around it. The third snowman was made smaller than the others and beautifully dressed up.

It is not known when the Snowman from the sacred symbol became a faithful helper of Santa Claus, but for many years he has been strongly associated with the New Year and all festive events among children.

Snow Queen

This evil sorceress often participates in New Year's performances and she did not come to us from the fairy tales of a Danish writer. Almost all northern peoples had a character commanding blizzards, snowflakes and ice. For some, she bore the name of the Queen of the Night, while for others, for example, she was called the Polar Old Woman.

It was these heroes that became the prototype of the Snow Queen. This sorceress usually comes to children's parties and does something bad. And then Santa Claus, the Snow Maiden and other characters correct everything that the evil one has donesorceress.

Sorceress Befana: witch or fairy

Telling about the New Year holidays, one cannot fail to mention foreign characters loved by kids in different countries of the world. In Italy, in early January, obedient guys are looking forward to the Befana fairy. The kids know that in fact she is a good sorceress, although she looks rather intimidating. She is usually depicted as a hook-nosed old woman riding a broomstick. A large bag dangles behind her back, in which gifts and coals coexist. The last fairy throws mischievous, upset their parents throughout the year.

There are many legends about how the fairy Befana appeared. According to one of them, the Magi did not take her with them when they went for the Star of Bethlehem. Frustrated, she decided to give gifts to local kids, which she still does.

Italians always leave a glass of wine and some snacks on the mantelpiece. If Belfana is satisfied with the treat, she will definitely help the hosts and sweep the floor.

The oldest Christmas characters

In Spain it is impossible to meet Santa Claus, but the Three Kings always come to good children there. Their prototypes were the same magi who went to bow to the newborn Jesus.

The Day in honor of the Kings is celebrated after the New Year, however, this holiday in European culture is not as important as in Russia, and is accompanied by colorful processions.

The holidays pass on the sixth of January, and on this dayall children receive their long-awaited gifts. In small towns, they are handed out right on the square, where three thrones are installed. One of the Three Kings sits on each, and the kids can sit on the lap of any of them.

Icelandic mischief-makers

Iceland has its own traditions of celebrating Christmas and New Year. The main heroes of these days are the dwarves of Yolasweinara. They are very different from other holiday characters as they have their own story.

According to ancient legend, thirteen Yolasweinars are the sons of a giantess who ate people, and one of the lazy ones. Initially, mischievous people were portrayed as trolls who came to local villages in mid-December. These New Year's characters did a lot of nasty things with their own hands, including kidnapping children. Only obedient kids could avoid meeting the Yolasweinars, because they never left the house without the permission of their parents.

Today, the trolls have transformed into kind gnomes who lay out gifts for kids living in local villages.

Japanese Winter Wizard

Segatsu-san, this is the name of the good spirit of the New Year in Japan, never gives gifts, but nevertheless he is expected in every home. The fact is that a week before the holiday, he bypasses all the inhabitants of the country and marks those who were especially preparing for his arrival. The gods of Happiness come to these families on New Year's Eve, giving people their blessing for a long twelvemonths.

And a little more about the New Year…

On the eve of the holidays, people spend so much energy on the New Year's surroundings that they lose the very feeling of a fairy tale. You can return it if you come up with a celebration scenario for your loved ones yourself.

Don't be shy and spend something original. Let your house be filled with friends in carnival costumes, kids dress up as fairy-tale characters, and the evening will turn into a series of contests and fun competitions. Perhaps after such a holiday, one of the good wizards will definitely look into your house and bring happiness with them.