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Ded Moroz (, diminutive:
Dedushka Moroz) is a fictional character who in some
Slavic cultures plays a role similar to that of
Santa Claus. The literal translation of the name would be
Grandfather Frost, although the name is often translated as
Father Frost.
Ded Moroz is said to bring presents to children, however, unlike the secretive Santa Claus, the gifts are often delivered "in person", at
New Year's Eve parties and other
New Year celebrations.
The "in-person" gifts usually occur at organized celebrations at kindergartens or schools and at circus performances around New Year time where the gifts can be standardized. Various agencies provide Ded Moroz visits to families and offices. In such cases specific gifts can be chosen for particular members at the parties. The clandestine placing of gifts under a New Year tree occurs when a Ded Moroz visit is not arranged for some reason.
Depictions of Ded Moroz commonly show him accompanied by Snegurochka (), or 'Snow Maiden,' his granddaughter. She is a unique attribute of Ded Moroz, no traditional gift-givers from other cultures are portrayed with a similar companion.
The traditional appearance of Ded Moroz resembles that of Santa Claus, with his coat, boots and long white beard. Specifically, Ded Moroz is often shown wearing a heel-length fur coat, a semi-round fur hat, and valenki or jackboots on his feet. Unlike Santa Claus, he is often depicted as walking with a long magical staff.
The official residence of Ded Moroz in Russia is considered to be the town of Veliky Ustyug.
Development of the character
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The earliest tales of Ded Moroz presented him as a wicked and cruel sorcerer, similar to the Old Slavic gods 'Pozvizd' — the god of wind and good and bad weather, 'Zimnik' — god of winter, and the terrifying '
Korochun' — an underworld god ruling over frosts. According to legend, Ded Moroz liked to freeze people and kidnap children, taking them away in his gigantic sack. Parents were said to have to give him presents as a ransom in return for their children. However, under the influence of
Orthodox traditions, the character of Ded Moroz was completely transformed, later adopting certain traits from the
Dutch Sinterklaas (or Saint Nicholas), the prototype of Santa Claus.
Since the 19th century the attributes and legend of Ded Moroz have been shaped by literary influences. The fairy tale play Snegurochka by the famous Russian playwright Aleksandr Ostrovsky was influential in this respect, as was Rimsky-Korsakov's Snegurochka with libretto based on the play. By the end of the 19th century Ded Moroz had become the most popular of the various mythical New Year gift-givers in Russia. Similarly, in 1928 Ded Moroz was declared "an ally of the priest and kulak". Nevertheless, the image of Ded Moroz took its current form during Soviet times, becoming the main symbol of the New Year’s holiday that replaced Christmas. Some Christmas traditions were revived following the famous letter by Pavel Postyshev, published in Pravda on December 28, 1935. During Stalinist times, Ded Moroz, Snegurochka (or "Snow Maiden"), and New Year Boy were featured in Communist-type Nativity scenes, or public appearances, with Ded Moroz as the equivalent to Jospeh, Snegurochka as the equivalent to Mary, and the New Year Boy as the equivalent to the Christ child.
During the period of the Soviet Union's dominance over Eastern Europe, Ded Moroz was officially introduced to many nations, despite being alien to them. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, there have been efforts to revive local characters.
Ded Moroz in modern Russia
, then President of the
Russian Federation was reported to have visited Ded Moroz' residence in
Veliky Ustyug on January 7, 2008.]]
Ded Moroz is very popular in modern Russia. In 1998, the town of
Veliky Ustyug in
Vologda Oblast, Russia was declared the home of the Russian Ded Moroz by
Yury Luzhkov, then
Mayor of Moscow. Between 2003 and 2010, the post office in Veliky Ustyug received approximately 2,000,000 letters from within Russia and from all over the world for Ded Moroz. On January 7, 2008, then President
Putin of the
Russian Federation was reported to have visited Ded Moroz' residence in the town of
Veliky Ustyug as part of the
Russian Orthodox Christmas Eve celebration.
The western Santa Claus made inroads in the Russian Federation during the "turbulent" 1990's when many western ideas such as liberal democracy and market-oriented capitalism were considered panacea solutions for Russia. The resurgence of Russia in the early 21st century brought about a renewed emphasis on the basic Slavic character of Ded Moroz. This included the Russian Federation and subordinate governments sponsoring courses about Ded Moroz every December, with the aim of establishing appropriate Slavic norms for Ded Moroz and Snegurochka ("Snow Maiden" - Ded Moroz' granddaughter) roles for the New Year holiday. People playing Ded Moroz and Snegurochka now typically make appearances at children's parties during the winter holiday season, distributing presents and fighting off the wicked witch, Baba Yaga, who children are told wants to steal the gifts.
Ded Moroz, and on occasion the Belarus Dzied Maroz, are presented in the media as being in on-going détente with various counterparts from other cultures, such as the Estonian Santa Claus (Jõuluvana or "Old man of Christmas"), the Finnish Santa Claus (Joulupukki or "Yule Goat"), and other Santa Claus, Father Christmas, and Saint Nicholas figures. The détente efforts portrayed have included one-on-one meetings, group meetings and friendly competitions, such as the annual November Santa Claus championships of Celle, Germany.
In November and December 2010, Ded Moroz was one of the candidates in the running for consideration as a mascot for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
The Russian language website (a language not currently offered by the competing NORAD Tracks Santa) includes these features: "real-time tracking" of Ded Moroz, "news" of Ded Moroz throughout the year, a form to send e-mail to Ded Moroz, photos, videos, streaming audio of Russian songs, poems and verses from children's letters to Ded Moroz, information on Veliky Ustyug in Vologda Oblast (considered to be Ded Moroz's hometown) and opportunities to enter competitions and win prizes.
Regional differences
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There are equivalents of Ded Moroz and Snegurochka all over the
former USSR, as well as the countries once in the so-called
Soviet bloc and in the former
Yugoslavia.
Belarus
In
Belarus Ded Moroz is known as
Dzied Maroz. He is not a traditional Belarusian character and is never mentioned in national folklore.
The official residence of Dzied Maróz (, is considered to be in Biełavieskaja Pušča.
Croatia
After the
breakup of Yugoslavia,
Djed Mraz was labeled Communist and
Djed Božićnjak (literally: Grandfather Christmas) was introduced. Attempts were made in the mass media and advertising to replace
Djed Mraz with
Djed Božićnjak. After 1999 the names of
Djed Mraz and
Djed Božićnjak became more or less synonymous, including in their use on public television. In some families
Djed Mraz is still said to brings gifts at New Year.
In Croatia, children also get presents on December 6. The present are said to be brought by a traditional figure called Sveti Nikola (Saint Nicholas) who closely resembles Djed Mraz or Djed Božićnjak, except for the fact that he is accompanied by Krampus who takes misbehaving children away.
In some religious families, little Jesus is said to brings gifts at Christmas instead of Djed Božićnjak.
Bulgaria
The traditional local name of Santa Claus in
Bulgaria is Дядо Коледа (
Dyado Koleda, "
Grandfather Christmas"), with
Dyado Mraz (Дядо Мраз, "Grandfather Frost") being a similar Russian-imported character lacking the Christian connotations and thus popular during Communist rule. However, he has been largely forgotten since 1989, when
Dyado Koleda again returned as the more popular figure.
Poland
While there is no traditional analog of Ded Moroz in Polish folklore, there was an attempt to introduce him as
Dziadek Mróz during the
communist period. In the
People's Republic of Poland the figure
Dziadek Mróz was used in
propaganda, since the traditional
Święty Mikołaj (
Saint Nicholas, the Polish
Santa Claus) was determined to be "ideologically hostile", as part of the campaign against religion, which included elimination of
Christmas in favor of
New Year. Often officials insisted on using the figure in Polish schools and preschools during celebrations and events for Polish children, instead of Santa Claus in order to give an impression of traditional cultural links with the
Soviet Union. Despite those efforts,
Dziadek Mróz never gained any popular support among the Polish people, and after the
fall of communism he disappeared from Poland.
Romania
In 1948, after the Communists gained power in Romania, it was decided that
Christmas should not be celebrated. December 25 and December 26 became working days and no official celebrations were to be held. As a replacement for
Moş Crăciun (Father Christmas), a new character was introduced,
Moş Gerilă (literally "Old Man Frosty", a
Romanian language adptation of the Russian Ded Moroz). He was said to bring gifts to children on December 31.
Officially, the New Year's Day celebrations began on 30 December, which was named the Day of the Republic, since it was the day when King Mihai I of Romania abdicated in 1947.
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Moş Gerilă lost his influence, being replaced by Moş Crăciun.
Tatarstan
In
Tatar Ded Moroz is known as
Qış Babay (Кыш Бабай, literally: "Winter Grandfather") and
Snegurochka is known as
Qar Qızı (Кар Кызы or "Snow Girl").
Yamal
The
Nenets people of
Yamal know Ded Moroz as
Yamal Iri (Grandfather of Yamal).
See also
Christmas in Eastern Europe
Old Man Winter
Jack Frost
Father Christmas
Christmas gift-bringers around the world
References
External links
"Just Don't Call Me Santa!" A history of Ded Maroz in English.
"Father Frost, the Red Nose" on Russia Info-Centre.
Reveling in Russian Santa’s fairytale home.
GLONASS Tracks Ded Moroz (in Russian).
Геральдика Деда Мороза Heraldry of Ded Moroz (in Russian).
Category:Christmas characters
Category:New Year celebrations
Category:Slavic mythology
Category:Winter traditions
Category:Russian folklore
