Unusual New Year's heroes. The most complete list of the best New Year's domestic films and cartoons (29 photos)

New Year we cannot imagine without our own special, New Year's characters, which are different in each country, but they have the same goal - to give gifts to adults and children. Today, the image of New Year's heroes has developed completely, although a couple of centuries ago, Santa Claus and Santa were just beginning to take on their appearance. In Holland in the 19th century, it was believed that gifts are left by a slender chimney sweep with a pipe in his teeth while cleaning chimneys.

Father Frost

Santa Claus has become an international hero and in many countries the New Year cannot be imagined either without Christian customs or without Santa Claus. And what a festive Christmas tree without Santa Claus. For children, the appearance magic grandfather always a joyful event, as it means the beginning of wonderful transformations and gifts.

At the end of the 19th century, Christmas trees appeared in Russia, which were bought mainly for children's fun, this tradition came from Germany. At first, the parents themselves played the role of Santa Claus, and only later they began to hire actors for this and invite not only relatives, but also friends and acquaintances to the holidays. So, gradually, Santa Claus leaves the postcards to the delight of the kids and turns the New Year from family holiday into the secular.

At first it was just Christmas tree decoration, then the size of the toys increased, and the grandfather with the beard began to decorate shop windows, and only at the beginning of the 20th century did the character really come to life. Someone put on a red caftan, took a staff and a bag of gifts and we have a real fairy-tale character. Most likely, this idea came to the head of the parents who wanted to dispel the doubts of the children forever who believe that a magic grandfather does not exist or the idea of one of the actors who decided to earn extra money on the eve of the holidays. But the joy of the children knew no bounds, they were interested in whether their grandfather had a real beard and why he didn’t melt in a warm room and where he lived all year.

Already in Soviet Russia, the New Year is beginning to be celebrated on a grand scale - all institutions hold Christmas trees and blue lights for their employees and their children. And although the scenario of the celebration practically did not change from year to year, since it had to be necessarily approved by the Ministry of Culture, Soviet citizens were glad both to the Christmas trees and to Santa Claus.

Snow Maiden

Granddaughter of Santa Claus, a real Russian beauty with a braid to the waist in a beautiful fur coat and with a pink blush on her cheeks. It is she who helps to distribute gifts and amuse children at children's new year holidays... But why only we have the Snow Maiden, which, among other things, is a symbol of purity, youth and love.

Snow maidens and bullfinches in Russia were called both birds with pink breasts, which, without fear of frost, remained with us for the whole winter, and snow figures. They began to sculpt the idol of a snow woman at the end of January, and in many tales it was emphasized that sometimes such idols came to life in the form of a beautiful girl, so childless old people also tried to mold themselves a snow granddaughter in the hope of a miracle. This girl from the snow was the daughter of Spring and Frost, but she always left her old people, turning into a babbling stream, and gives her smile and blush to the wildflowers.

The legends of other nations say that you can give birth to such a snow maiden by swallowing snow or just looking at it. But now the Snow Maiden is the companion of Santa Claus, who every New Year pleases us with her arrival on the holiday. Many girls choose this particular costume as a New Year's outfit, which allows them to be in the center of the New Year's celebration.

Santa Claus

With Santa, it's a little easier, because it is known for certain that the name of this character is associated with St. Nicholas (from the distorted Dutch Sinterklaas). This character is widespread in the American states and appears on New Year's Eve in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. His costume is similar to that of our New Year's grandfather, only the caftan and beard are slightly shorter. But he did not come from folk legends and beliefs, but from the poems of Clark Moore and pictures by Thomas Knight, which, however, does not make the character less fabulous.

And other characters

Slightly less common are gnomes and itinerant actors who, whistling Christmas carols, travel from city to city, handing out gifts to residents and bringing New Years. For example, in Sweden, the kind grandfather Julotmtennen comes to the children together with the dwarf Yulnissar. And in Finland gifts are brought by the little man Iolupukki in a green jacket and a red cap, accompanied by gnomes and a donkey, and it is the donkey who gives gifts to each child.

And in Italy for new Year gifts the good fairy Befana answers, who on this occasion uses a broom to catch every baby on New Year's Eve. But all the characters are invariably kind, desired and beloved, so it doesn't matter who presents the bundle in shiny paper, the main thing is that not a single child stays in New Year's Eve without a gift.

Very soon, the most long-awaited holiday in every family will knock on our doors, during which even adults turn into children and often dress up in costumes of New Year's characters. Under the chimes and falling flakes of snow, each of us plunges into winter's tale and forgets about all his troubles and disappointments. If the holiday is so influencing on adults, then imagine how much it means to children! New year characters, known to us from old 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 about New Year's characters and everything that is associated 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, then the images of a good-natured Santa Claus in a red coat, the beautiful Snow Maiden, the funny Snowman and the evil Snow Queen begin to float before our eyes. Kids and adults with the characters we have listed enjoy consistent 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 parish. 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 have something in common with the heroes of Russian fairy tales, while others look incomprehensible and even somewhat exotic. These include new year fairy Befanu is from Italy, the Spanish Three Kings and the Yolasveinar dwarves are from Iceland. It is difficult to imagine giving gifts to children without these New Year characters.

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

The most important fairytale New Year character: Santa Claus

How many names this good wizard has! You can't name everything even in an hour! However, this does not change the main point holiday - without Santa Claus, children and adults will not see gifts, fun and various delicacies. However, this was not always the case, because two hundred years ago a kind wizard was not at all such a welcome guest in every home. He was not at all associated with the New Year's character, whom all the children of the country love and expect.

In fact, Santa Claus looked like an unpleasant old man of short stature, roaming the endless Russian lands from November to March. He clearly disliked people and did his best to harm those who found themselves outside of their home at an inopportune hour. Ded Moroz's favorite pastime was to turn any living creatures into ice, and in his spare time he gladly dressed trees in snow coats and hung funny icicles on twigs.

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 the New Year trees. For some reason, everyone forgot about the not very good past of Santa Claus and entrusted him with the honorable mission of distributing gifts. Over time, he matured and turned into a caring wizard who enjoys communicating with children.

Who delivers gifts in Slovakia?

If we talk about New Year's characters similar to our Santa Claus, we can name Santa Claus and St. Mikulas. The first hero 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 does not come to them at all on New Year's Eve, but at the beginning of December. It is at this time that most Europeans celebrate the day of St. Nicholas, which is recognized as a real living prototype of all winter wizards who rewarded children for good behavior with gifts.

Saint Mikulas looks very much like our Santa Claus, but behind his back he carries a box, 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 given out by two wizards. Each country has its own, but the first always comes in early December, and the second - on the night of Catholic Christmas.

Snow Maiden: exploring the pedigree

Children's matinees simply cannot do without this New Year character. A sweet 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, adores kids and is always ready to come to the rescue of a young and inexperienced New Year. However, it is still unknown who she really is a good wizard - a daughter or a granddaughter? Let's try to lift the veil over this secret.

If we turn to the era of paganism, then we can find out that the Slavs greatly revered the formidable god of Frost. He was the son of Buri Yaga, who was the most ancient goddess of our ancestors. Frost himself was very harsh and unsociable, but his granddaughter Snegurochka was very fond of people. In winter, she sometimes came to the villages and helped the elderly and lonely residents with the household chores. 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 with each other, despite the fact that Chernobog himself was against their marriage. This deity ruled over all dark forces and was very much feared in Russia. But his daughter the Snow Queen turned out to be very sincere girl capable of love. Where the fairytale 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 helper.

By the way, the Snow Maiden became a 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 in the New Year. But why exactly did he become so close to the Russian soul?

The fact is that in the old days, snow women or snowmen were sculpted everywhere and gave them a sacred meaning. During the thaw period, there were always three snow women in the villages. One was handed a broom in hand, with it she had to drive away the 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 was beautifully dressed up.

It is not known when the Snowman from a sacred symbol became faithful, but for many years it has been firmly associated with children with the New Year and all the festive events.

The Snow Queen

This evil sorceress is often involved in New Year's performances and she came to us not at all from the tales of a Danish writer. Almost all northern peoples had a character who commanded 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, Snow Maiden and other characters correct everything that the evil sorceress has done.

Sorceress Befana: witch or fairy

Talking about the New Year holidays, one cannot fail to mention the foreign characters who are loved by the kids in different countries the world. In Italy, in early January, obedient guys are looking forward to the fairy Befana. The little ones know that in essence she is a good sorceress, although she looks rather intimidating. She is usually depicted as an old woman with a hooked nose and a broomstick. A large bag dangles behind her, in which gifts and coals are adjacent. The last fairy throws up the mischievous people who 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 Star of bethlehem... Upset, she decided to give gifts to local children, which she still does.

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

Oldest Christmas characters

It is impossible to meet Santa Claus in Spain, but Three Kings always come to good children there. The same wise men who went to worship the newborn Jesus became their prototypes.

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.

Holidays are held on January 6, and it is on this day that all children receive their long-awaited gifts. In small towns, they are distributed right on the square, where three thrones are installed. One of the Three Kings sits on each, and the kids can sit on the knees of any of them.

Icelandic mischievous

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

According to an ancient legend, thirteen Yolasveinar 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 Yolasveinars, because they never left the house without the demand of their parents.

Today the trolls have transformed into good gnomes who lay out gifts for the 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 residents of the country and celebrates 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 twelve long months.

And a little more about the New Year ...

On the eve of the holidays, people spend so much energy on 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.

Do not hesitate and do something original. Let your house be filled with friends in carnival costumes, the kids will 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.

In every country in the world, children are intimidated by monsters, water and ghosts, who supposedly come for naughty mischievous people and punish them. This, according to the parents, should make their children behave approximately, go to bed on time and finish their porridge. If in our country children are frightened with Baba Yaga and Babayka, then in other countries of the world they would seem like a mere trifle to frightened children who are intimidated by much more terrible monsters.

Grila and the Yule Boys (Iceland)

Winter in Iceland was a particularly dangerous time, so there were many evil and dangerous spirits among the characters in winter folklore. Most of all, the naughty children should beware of the cannibal Grila. Although she lives in the mountains, at times she comes down from there with a large bag at the ready, in which she puts lazy and naughty children in order to feast on them at dinner.

Grila does not live alone - like any decent cannibal, she has a husband (a bum, however), 13 children and even a black cat. Once her children, who are also called Yule Guys, were as evil and bloodthirsty as their mother, but today their images have become rather funny.

It is believed that they begin to appear 13 days before Christmas, one after the other, and remain for two weeks (from December 12 to January 6 in total). Children put their shoes on the windowsill for them, and in the morning those who behaved well find small gifts in their shoes, and those who behaved badly find a stone, a piece of coal or raw potatoes.

Each of the Yule Guys has their own weird habits. According to polls, the most popular among Icelanders are Stuvur (Shorty, eats bread crumbs and stale bread) and Kertasnikir (he follows children to steal their Christmas candles). Among the Yule Guys, there is one who sniffs under the door, and one who steals sausage. One of the brothers is a fan of slamming doors and creaking, the other is stealing wooden bowls ... In general, they have a lot of things to do at this time. And you still need to feed the cat!

A huge black Yule Cat walks around the cities with its owner and Guys and eats those who did not have time to get new clothes for Christmas.

Mrs. Metelitsa (Germany)

Perhaps you remember the Brothers Grimm's tale about the good sorceress Mistress Blizzard (Frau Hall), who appeared from the well, helped kind and hardworking girls and punished the evil and greedy.

But the image of Frau Hall is much older than it might seem. Some researchers associate Frau Holle with the Scandinavian goddess Hel - the ruler of the world of the dead in Scandinavian mythology. It is known that Mistress Blizzard controls the weather: the more thoroughly she shakes out her feather bed, the more and more it snows on the ground. All the snow that we see is feathers from the feather bed of Lady Blizzard.

But people did not always take her for a good sorceress. Frau Holle most often appeared in winter - in the dark and cold weather. She raced across the sky on a black horse with a retinue of witches who fly after her on enchanted spinning wheels. These witches were called Hulden. At night, they "fly out of the house through locked doors, leaving sleeping husbands behind," and go to feast or fight in the sky. This was mentioned in one medieval instruction for bishops, which ordered the expelling of people suspected of sorcery from the villages.

A folk tale of the 16th century, recorded by the theologian and poet Erasmus Albert, tells of an "army of women" with sickles in their hands sent by Mrs. Holda. Until the 16th century, it was the custom to leave food for Frau Hall's retinue overnight. For this, a special bun in the form of a braided braid was baked - Hollenzopf, "Kosa Hall". She was left on the street overnight to be blessed by Hall, and then the dried bread was used for medicinal purposes throughout the year.

Shulikuny (Russia)

These are small, harmful demons that crawl out of the water on the eve of Christmas or New Year, and return to the underworld at Epiphany.

“They are often about the size of a fist, sometimes larger, they can have horse legs and a pointed head, a fire burns from their mouths, they wear white hand-woven caftans with sashes and pointed hats” (E. Levkievskaya. Myths of the Russian people).

Shulikuns crawl out of the water - from an ice-hole or a swamp.

In some localities, they think that shulikuns have no heels, and that fire is emanating from their mouths. Usually shulikuns walk along intersections, trapping people who have lost their way. According to some rumors, the Shulikuns have iron carts and horses, according to others - they ride on skins or in iron mortars.

It is believed that the crooks run through the streets with hot coals on an iron frying pan or an iron red-hot hook in their hands, with which they can grab people ("hook and burn") or drag them into an ice-hole.

Marie Louis (Wales)

A curious custom has survived in Wales. Now he looks rather harmless, but through this good nature the eerie features of ancient traditions can be seen. The custom is called "Marie Luid" or "Gray Nag".

Marie Luid is a winter custom, but it is not associated with Christmas, but with the wires of the old year.

Marie Luid was a horse skull set on a stick. The white sheet completely covered the "Gray Nag", colorful ribbons hung from the skull. Buttons were inserted into the eyes of the "scarecrow", and work gloves were fastened instead of ears. Usually, Marie Luid portrayed the same "special" person who controlled the monster as if it were alive.

The zombie horse walks, accompanied by five or six people, to the houses and persuades the owners to let themselves in, give them water and warm them up. The goal of the owner of the house is not to succumb to the persuasions of Marie Louis and not to let her in, blaming a bad year and a low harvest. Moreover, everything - from persuasion to refusal - should take place in poetry for the amusement of the public.

Nisse (Norway and Denmark)

Nisse is a little man in a red cap, gray pants and big shoes. Despite their small stature, the nisse are very strong, generally friendly, but at the same time vindictive - you cannot offend the nissa.

They say that the head of the family of Christmas nisse is the son of the same nisse, who was the first to give the little girl two silver coins. It happened over 400 years ago.

It was like this: one nisse accidentally saw how on Christmas Eve a poor girl put a bowl in the snow in the hope that the kind nisse would put food there. Nisse put two silver coins in the bowl. He liked doing good deeds so much that he began to give the children coins and sweets every year.

It is the nisse who choose the best spruce worthy to decorate the whole city. They climb to the top of the chosen tree and swing on it until people pay attention to the spruce.

Of course, everyone knows who Santa Claus and our dear Santa Claus and his Snow Maiden are. But did you know that in almost every country, Santa Claus is accompanied by completely different characters that you have never even heard of. Or heard, but did not understand. Mentioning their names to a Russian person can lead to the same stupor as the Snow Maiden - foreigners. And, if our Snow Maiden is charm itself (and she can even drink if they pour it), then Santa's European helpers are not always positive personalities. Christmas, which nevertheless takes place before the New Year, is an ancient phenomenon, and, at times, very terrible. It is connected, if you are not in the know, with celtic holiday solstice - Yul, which occurs on December 21st. Since the creation of the Earth, all the people who inhabited it believed that on the 3rd day after December 21, when the sun again begins to rise in the sky, different, mostly good (but by no means always) things happen.

JACK FROST

This young man will be more ancient than Santa's counterpart in the person of St. Nicholas, who gave out gold coins to girls / boys every year so that those poor parents would not be sold into slavery. And, probably, the closest character to our Santa Claus. But he did not appear in Russia at all, but in Norway / Sweden. In general, where the Vikings lived. And his name was originally Jokul Frosti ("icicle frost"). He is an extremely unpleasant personality, and at the moment he survived, as a character, only in overseas America. They need, in contrast to the good and kind fat old man in red clothes, bad and evil Jack, who puts sticks in his wheels and draws patterns on the glass (as entertainment, obviously). On the territory of Russia, he transformed into a grandfather who wears blue and mocks people. Don't believe me? Review "Frost". Our cinema doesn't lie.

Zwarte Piet

Surprisingly, in the Dutch Sinterklaas (local Santa) escort there is a perfect Negro (oh, sorry, Afro-European). Every year he comes with Sinterklaas from Spain. Stoned to zero, the Dutch sincerely believe that Santa Claus sunbathes most of the year in the resort of Marbella. There are probably reasons for this, because Holland spent so long under the civilized yoke of Spain that the Dutch, just in case, so as not to irritate the authorities, forgot about the existence of all other countries, except for the country of flamenco and sangria. Be that as it may, the Dutch Sinterklaas, a personality, apparently not too positive, because until the middle of the last century, "Black Piet" (Zvarthe Piet) seemed to be his slave, and now - just a servant who packs bad kids in his big bag (and probably eats it later). A bit racist, isn't it? But who else is there to punish bad kids if not a black man (again, sorry for being politically incorrect).

CRAMPUS (Krampus)

The Austrians are known to be harsh perverts (yes, Sacher-Masoch and Hitler were born there). Therefore, in Austria and the surrounding environs on Christmas, along with kind Santa, who distributes sweets to the kids to the right and left, comes a very disgusting person in the person of Krampus. This is such a far-fetched pre-Christian analogue of the Jule nightmare for children who did not listen to their parents. Krampus is a clawed and hairy monster that is terribly similar to the popular idea of Christians about the devil, steals their toys, lashes them with rods, and in the most neglected cases, puts them in a bag and throws them into the river. So, if an Austrian child finds in his stocking hanged for gifts not toys and sweets, but a piece of coal, he sighs with relief and wipes off the cold sweat. He, of course, was not very positive, but, at least, they didn’t beat him for nothing.

Belsnikel

In northern Germany and Pennsylvania, Belsnickel visits bad children instead of Krampus. He is not so hysterically scary, only covered with fur from head to toe. That is, absolutely. If the child didn’t do it with horror when he saw Belsnickel, then he too had nothing to hope for. If the child was good, Belsnickel leaves him sweets and toys in his sock (well, at least, he does not rush them from there), but if the child is guilty, he eats sweets, and leaves coal and stones instead. Thank you for not drowning fools in the river at least.

GRANDFATHER WITH ROSES (Le Pere Fouettard)

Assistant Saint Nicolas (this is Santa Claus in French) is an extremely unpleasant creature. Firstly, he is always unshaven and poorly washed, and therefore announces his appearance with the persistent smell of a goat, secondly, like a goth, he dresses in black, and thirdly, which is especially unpleasant, wears a whip or a rod. And if the good grandfather Nicolas distributes toys to good children, then Per-Fyutard thrashes the naughty children for nothing. And, although visually he is not as terrible as Krampus, some stories claim that he beat three boys to death, who, after their death, are forced to slavishly hunch back at St. Nick's toy factory. One thing is good, he threatens with his appearance only the children of eastern France, and comes only on the day of Saint Nicolas - January 6.

WINGS ( Grýla)

A terrifying (still, with such and such a name) giantess lives in the mountains of Iceland. We do not know how it is with Santa Claus in Iceland, or his analogue, but Gryla descends from the mountains exactly to Yul (December 21) and eats bad children right up to January 6. Yes, yes, you heard right, she does not scare them, does not hit them, does not take away toys and cakes from them, but simply eats them corny. Raw. The aunt was married three times - and everything was unsuccessful (the husbands either ran away, or corny, out of horror, committed suicide by throwing themselves off a cliff), the children also turned out to be ugly, it is not surprising that now she was so angry that she lives with a black cat and prefers human flesh ...

BEFANA (La Befana)

Italian children are not waiting for Santa Claus with his reindeer. Usually, Befana comes to them on January 5 (on the eve of Epiphany). Despite the fact that this is a pure witch - with a wart on her nose, a broom and other necessary accessories an unpleasant person, it is a kind being. Gifts are given only to good children; bad Befana puts ash in her socks. There is also a belief that if the house has a good owner, Befana will not only give gifts to his children, but will also sweep the floor before leaving. There is a custom: on the night of January 5-6, leave a small glass of wine and a saucer with food for Befana on the fireplace. Strongly pre-Christian character, when people did not go to church, but hid from house to house, terrified that they might meet all sorts of unpleasant mythical personalities on the cold street.

Olentzero

Olenzero, according to one of the versions, is a giant from the genus of giants living in Perinea, according to the other, he is just a very fat man who comes to the Basque children on the night of December 24-25 to bring gifts. (Basques, if anyone does not know, live in the Basque Country - a province in the North-West of Spain and speak their own language, no one else understands). He dresses like a Basque peasant, wears a beret and smokes a pipe. Well, yes, he also has a big bag on his back. He is a character, in principle, positive and kind, but with some overtones. For example, before throwing away a mountain of gifts, he listens to see if the children are sleeping. If not, he gently and unobtrusively taps on the chimney with a sickle, as if hinting: either you, little bastards, will fall asleep right now, or I will come and cut your throat with this sickle, and no gifts.

CHRISTMAS CHURBAN (Tio de Nadal)

The cutest, but also the most controversial New Year character. Because it is also sometimes called "caga tio" or "fucking chump". It appears in the houses of Catalans (another province in Spain, where Russian tourists love to relax, and yes, Salvador Dali was still born there) since December 8 - the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and is a short log that is set on two sticks-legs and add a smiling face to it (the log). Every evening the family leaves him a few pieces of food so that he is “satiated”, and covers him with a blanket so that he does not “freeze,” God forbid. On Christmas day, the block is covered with (or, as the Catalans say, "dirty") with various goodies - dried figs, sweets, nuts, when "dirty", excuse me, there is nothing else - onions, garlic and salt are used. If the guests and hosts managed to fall asleep (oh, excuse me, "fuck up") a log up to their smiling ears, then next year they will succeed. And you can burn a block of wood with a clear conscience. To consolidate the result.

We cannot imagine the New Year without our own special, New Year's characters, which are different in each country, but they have the same goal - to give gifts to adults and children. Today, the image of New Year's heroes has developed completely, although a couple of centuries ago, Santa Claus and Santa were just beginning to take on their appearance. In Holland in the 19th century, it was believed that gifts are left by a slender chimney sweep with a pipe in his teeth while cleaning chimneys.

Father Frost

Santa Claus has become an international hero and in many countries the New Year cannot be imagined either without Christian customs or without Santa Claus. And what a festive Christmas tree without Santa Claus. For children, the appearance of a magical grandfather is always a joyful event, as it means the beginning of wonderful transformations and gifts.

At first it was just a Christmas tree toy, then the size of the toys increased, and the grandfather with the beard began to decorate shop windows, and only at the beginning of the 20th century the character really came to life. Someone put on a red caftan, took a staff and a bag of gifts and we have a real fairy-tale character. Most likely, this idea came to the head of the parents who wanted to dispel the doubts of the children forever who believe that a magic grandfather does not exist or the idea of one of the actors who decided to earn extra money on the eve of the holidays. But the joy of the children knew no bounds, they were interested in whether their grandfather had a real beard and why he didn’t melt in a warm room and where he lived all year.

Snow Maiden

Granddaughter of Santa Claus, a real Russian beauty with a braid to the waist in a beautiful fur coat and with a pink blush on her cheeks. It is she who helps to distribute gifts and amuse children at children's New Year's holidays. But why only we have the Snow Maiden, which, among other things, is a symbol of purity, youth and love.

Santa Claus

And other characters

And in Italy, the good fairy Befana is responsible for New Year's gifts, who on this occasion uses a broom to catch every baby on New Year's Eve. But all the characters are invariably kind, desired and beloved, so it doesn't matter who presents the package in shiny paper, the main thing is that not a single child is left without a gift on New Year's Eve.