You can often hear that Father Frost and Santa Claus are one and the same. However, Santa Claus has several important differences from Santa Claus, which are due to historical, literary, and often geographical, as well as climatic factors. So, what are the external differences between Father Frost and Santa!
1. Color of clothes! - Santa Claus has a long blue sheepskin coat, he is belted with a sash, a hat on his head, felt boots on his feet, mittens on his hands, and a staff in his hands. - Santa has a red jacket and belt, a cap and boots, gloves, and a pipe in his hands.
Santa Claus can also be in red, but at the same time he can wear other clothes - in general, it is desirable that it be white, blue, maybe it can be yellow or green. Also, the robe of the real Santa Claus is not covered with a solid color - it is diluted with patterns, embroidery, trim (white or blue), etc.
And in Santa Claus’ clothes the aggressive solid red color predominates (exclusively this one!), and only the edge of his jacket is sometimes white.
The color of the clothes is red: This is hardly a Russian Grandfather!
From history: The traditional clothing of Russian Father Frost is white, embroidered with silver thread ("frost" patterns). In late tsarist times (late 19th – early 20th centuries), “cold” clothes appeared of blue color, embroidered with silver thread, and yellow, embroidered with “golden” thread.
After the proletarian revolution of 1917, red clothes appeared (to match the color of the international proletarian flag), embroidered with silver thread.
After the 1960s, the Muslim peoples of the USSR began to occasionally wear green clothes, also embroidered with patterns, for Santa Claus.
Modern traditions of Father Frost's robes: It is desirable that it be real silver - white, almost entirely embroidered with silver patterns. Santa Claus can be in a red or blue robe embroidered with patterns. It is acceptable for it to be “golden” - yellow, embroidered with “golden” threads.
The robe of a real Santa Claus does not cover a solid color - it is necessarily diluted with patterns, embroidery, trim (white or blue), etc.
The clothes of the alien Santa Claus are dominated by an aggressive solid red color (exclusively this one!), and only the edge of his pathetic jacket is sometimes white.
The red robes of Santa Claus were introduced into Soviet time as ideologically consistent with the color of the international proletarian revolutionary red flag. This is ridiculous. Santa Claus - ancient pagan god our ancestors from very long “pre-proletarian” times.
2. Cap! The most typical distinguishing feature! - Real Grandfather Frost can NEVER be in a cap - he is wearing a boyar's hat. - And Santa Claus is wearing a jester’s cap with a pompom, like a prankster gnome, which immediately gives him a frivolity and parody atypical for Santa Claus.
When you see the cap, be sure: it is the enemy!
3. Outerwear. - Santa Claus wears a short jacket (sometimes just below the waist, sometimes up to the waist), tied with a belt. Below the sweatshirt are red pants. Remember that the true Father Frost would never be able to endure our Russian winter in such mocking clothes. - Santa Claus should have a long fur coat reaching to the ground, from under which no pants should be visible. The sight of pants sticking out from under a short fur coat destroys all respectability. What Santa Claus wears under his fur coat is sacred and cannot be put on display!
If you saw Grandfather wearing pants, know: this Grandfather is not from our country!
4. Shoes, mittens, belt. - Santa Claus always wears boots, often of a short type, which is again ridiculous for our climate. - Santa Claus should only have felt boots!
If Grandfather is wearing boots, you know that enemies wear them!
Santa Claus has warm mittens on his hands, Santa Claus has light gloves.
Mittens are good for autumn, but in cold weather it is better to wear mittens. The classic image requires that the mittens be three-fingered white, embroidered with silver - a symbol of the purity and holiness of everything that he gives from his hands. Three-fingered fingers have been a symbol of belonging to a higher divine principle since the Neolithic.
Santa Claus has a white belt; or with a trim to match the color of the fur coat. Santa Claus has a belt with a buckle. (Maybe demobilization? :-))
Again - the difference in climate. In the cold, the leather belt will simply crack. And how can you fasten the buckle in mittens?
5. Beard. - Santa Claus's beard is cut short, like that of a civilized old man, and also curly, like that of a lamb from a children's postcard. Curly skipper beard! - All this is absolutely not typical for Santa Claus. Santa Claus's beard is wild, long, disheveled by the free wind, and in most cases it lacks any sugary curliness.
Is Grandfather's beard short? Trouble threatens the nation!
6. Growth and volume. From all the previous rants, in general, it is clear that Santa Claus is indecently small in height. And Santa Claus is impressive in stature, like the true ruler of the New Year! As for volume, Santa Claus is quite skinny. Well, his clothes are crap, just for the sake of formality. But in accordance with the Russian winter, Santa Claus wears a lot of warm clothes, and all the clothes are real, fur, thick. So Santa Claus is also impressive in terms of volume!
If Grandfather is skinny and petty - boldly drive him away!
Sometimes it happens that in terms of volume, Santa Claus, on the contrary, goes to the opposite extreme and becomes fat and round. But remember that his thickness always looks unnatural and caricatured, while all the proportions of Santa Claus are always harmonious, and his thickness never conflicts with his height.
7. Glasses. Also, such a sign of culture as glasses is typical for Santa Claus. Santa Claus does not have this characteristic. How can this all-powerful spirit of Nature - Santa Claus - have such a disadvantage as myopia?! Myopia is inherent only to those who are spoiled by a destructive civilization, who are tamed and domesticated to the point of complete degeneration, as happened with Santa Claus.
8. Snow Maiden. Same hallmark. Santa Claus never had and never will have a granddaughter, because his prototype is St. Nicholas, almost like any saint, was chaste. And our natural Grandfather has a granddaughter, this is everyone’s favorite Snow Maiden! So there are two of us, and there is only one Santa Claus! The Snow Maiden is the granddaughter of Father Frost and accompanies him everywhere. The image of the Snow Maiden is a symbol of frozen waters. This is a girl dressed only in white clothes (or colors reminiscent of frozen water). The headdress of the granddaughter of Santa Claus is an eight-rayed crown, embroidered with silver and pearls.
Santa sometimes still has Mrs. Santa Claus, but she is hardly visible.
9. Staff. - Please note: Santa Claus’s staff is the standard staff of a Catholic bishop (for it is not for nothing that Santa Claus comes from St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra): a stick with a curved top.
But Santa Claus has nothing to do with St. Nicholas has nothing to do with it, so his staff should only be a straight stick; it could have a round knob (or at least in the shape of a star; the staff should never be rounded).
10. Deer. - Only Santa Claus moves, as the Americans teach us in their movies and cartoons, on reindeer across the sky.
Reindeer have never been Santa Claus's mode of transportation. For our Grandfather, the deer is too small and weak. Santa Claus can ride on a Russian troika, not in the sky, but quite on the ground, or rather on the snow - he is flesh of the flesh of this snow, this earth, this nature, why should he tear himself away from his native roots, snow fluttering from under the runners dust, frosty wind blows in the face, Santa Claus rolls with daring and bells! The dashing troika is rushing across the Russian Earth - then the owner of Winter, Grandfather Frost, is driving around his endless domain! And Grandfather Frost also skis!!! A real athlete!
But in general, as already mentioned, Santa Claus moves mystically, and there is no point in meddling with sacred matters.
11. Socks on the fireplace. - This applies only to Santa Claus, but not to Father Frost. Socks on the fireplace are a purely Western gadget: supposedly Santa Claus comes down the chimney and puts a gift in the sock. However, what to explain - a fool understands that there have never been any fireplaces in Rus'. And our Grandfather won’t fit into some narrow fireplace, why would he? Moreover, Santa Claus would never have appeared among us in such a primitive and mundane way as they did: “Penetrating into the house through pipes and windows, he puts gifts in stockings, most often hung on the fireplace, and jingles his bells, as if announcing about the coming of the New Year."
Santa Claus appears in our homes in some mystical way, truly like a spirit, no one really knows how he appears - we only know that he WAS... And trying to explain this sacred secret in a rational way in the Western manner is blasphemy.
And further. Our Father Frost is a real generous Russian soul, he is not so wretched and stingy as to limit his gift to the size of an idiotic and, most often, striped sock!
12. Other accompanying paraphernalia – all sorts of wreaths, bells, etc., including “Jingle Bells” songs and others. This is all purely Christmas paraphernalia and is associated only with Santa Claus, and all this Western consumer goods should not be attributed to the image of Father Frost.
13. Other very important differences:
Father Frost is much older than Santa Claus, whose modern look was created by the American writer Clement Clarke Moore, who described it in detail appearance and habits in his poem "The Night Before Christmas" in the early 19th century. - Santa Claus holds a pipe in his mouth - he smokes!!! (V Lately This detail is becoming increasingly rare). Santa Claus is leading healthy image life, and does not smoke.
Many are rightly irritated by the character of “Santa Claus” - a plump, ruddy creature, whose round body is barely fitted by a red suit, laughing loudly, rushing across the sky on Christmas Day on a team of reindeer. It's especially frustrating for those who know that his name actually means "St. Nicholas."
But this image, mercilessly exploited in Coca-Cola advertising, was established thanks to American influence. In the old European tradition Santa Claus looked exactly like Saint Nicholas - a tall old man in bishop's vestments with a staff, who was accompanied by a little arapka carrying gifts (or rods for naughty children). Between this handsome bishop and the fat, red-faced “dwarf” there is a real cultural abyss.
In general, we can roughly divide the “gift-bearers” in Christian countries into three large teams. The first is directly connected with the name of St. Nicholas (Belgium and the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary). Another Western European tradition is “Christmas Grandfathers” (France, England, Ireland, Italy, Catalonia). And the third gives the right to distribute gifts to “Santa Clauses”. Usually she has Slavic roots(Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Bulgaria, as well as Latvia, Romania, Moldova).
The Greeks (including the Cypriots) stand apart, for whom the same character is identified with St. Basil the Great. Yes, that’s what they call it – “Agios Vasilis”. In appearance, the modern “Vasily”, however, is not too different from Santa Claus.
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas is known as a donor who secretly helped the poor. It is not surprising that it was on his day (and not on New Year) and gifts were given to children in Europe in his name. The Reformation, which opposed the veneration of saints, forced many residents European countries make the infant Christ himself a character presenting gifts, and move the day of presenting gifts from December 6 to the period of Christmas markets, that is, to December 24.
The Catholic Counter-Reformation brought back the gifts of St. Nicholas to European children, but now they appeared at the end of December, at Christmas. However, in Belgium and the Netherlands, St. Nicholas-Sinterklaas still brings gifts on either December 5, Christmas, or both.
American Santa
Dutch colonists who founded the settlement of New Amsterdam, now known as New York, in the 1650s brought New World image of St. Nicholas - the giver of gifts. In 1823, Moore published the poem "The Night Before Christmas, or the Visit of St. Nicholas."
There was talk about a certain character who gives gifts to children - Santa Claus. This character, the “funny old man,” quickly gained popularity. In 1863 American artist, who worked for Harper Weekly, used Santa Claus as a gift-giving character, first in a series of political cartoons and then in drawings for children.
And in 1931, the Coca-Cola company launched an advertising campaign that featured “Santa.” The American Santa Claus has completely separated from his Christian prototype, turning into a grotesque, life-loving fat man.
Father Frost
The Slavic Father Frost has pagan roots; he is the personification of cold, which can both freeze a person and generously reward him (remember the fairy tale “Morozko”). Russian Moroz was endowed with these same traits literature XIX century (fairy tale “Moroz Ivanovich” by Odoevsky, “Frost, Red Nose” by Nekrasov).
For quite a long time Frost was not associated with the New Year and Christmas. Only in the second half of the 19th century did they decide in Russia to come up with their own original “Christmas grandfather”, who would give gifts to Russian children, like their Western peers.
Under Alexander II, there were attempts to call him “Saint Nicholas” or “Grandfather Nicholas,” but they did not take root. Most likely, in Russia they simply could not perceive such a revered saint as Nicholas the Wonderworker as a Christmas character, while Father Frost was much more neutral.
Ostrovsky gave the Snow Maiden
The Snow Maiden as a relative (in this case, daughter) of Father Frost first appeared in the play “The Snow Maiden” by Ostrovsky (1873), created under the influence of Afanasyev’s fairy tales. They didn’t pay much attention to the play, but Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera based on it (1882) had big success. Gradually, the Snow Maiden became one of the Christmas characters, although she received the role of constant companion and “granddaughter” of frost only in Soviet times.
After the revolution, Father Frost, along with all Christmas traditions, was “abolished” on the eve of 1929 and returned to the Russian people only on the eve of 1936. This was due to the rethinking of Christmas paraphernalia in a new, “correct” way. In January 1937, Father Frost and the Snow Maiden greeted guests at a holiday in the Moscow House of Unions. This is how the story began Soviet Grandfather Frost.
It turns out that modern Father Frost is in many ways just as divorced from his short-lived Orthodox “youth” late XIX century and is also a product of another era, like Santa Claus.
But still, the Russian Father Frost retains much more of the traditional spirit (as well as the European Sinterklaas) than Santa Claus with a bottle of Coca-Cola.
IN New Year's Eve everyone - both children and adults - is looking forward to miracles and gifts. Since ancient times in Rus', all winter magic has been associated with the image of Father Frost - an ice lord, magician and entertainer - usually kind, but sometimes harsh.
Santa Claus: where is he from?
To fully understand the differences between Father Frost and Santa Claus, it is necessary to understand the origin of each of them. Let's start with Santa Claus.
First belief
The story of the main winter wizard began in the times of the ancient Slavs, who worshiped deities - the spirits of nature. Among them were prototypes of Santa Claus: for example, the East Slavic spirit of cold Grandfather Treskun, also known as Studenets and Frost. He sent cold to the earth, destroyed crops, and did not spare people and animals.
Our ancestors tried to buy themselves away from the harsh winter spirit - they read conspiracies and made bloodless sacrifices. The head of the family had to go out to the threshold or lean out of the window and offer Frost a spoonful of jelly or porridge with the words: “Frost, Frost! Come eat some jelly!” or “Frost, Frost! Don’t hit our oats.”
In the spring, a second tribute to Frost was paid - forty koloboks were baked in the villages and one of them was thrown out the window every morning as a sign of gratitude for the saved future harvest.
Second belief
There was another belief that emphasized the difference between Father Frost and Santa Claus, since it was characteristic of only one of them. It was with Santa Claus that they drew an analogy when talking about another character.
There were also widespread beliefs about Zimnik - a gray-haired, long-bearded old man of small stature, with his head uncovered, in warm white clothes and with an iron mace in his hands. As he passed, this commander left a severe cold behind him.
Third belief
Under the ground, grandfather Karachun commanded the cold, who also froze crops and turned springs and water in wells into ice. According to ancient belief, meeting this spirit significantly shortened life.
These three “fierce Frosts” became the main characters of ancient Slavic legends.
Santa Claus is different from Santa Claus: literary evidence
Over time, ancient beliefs flowed into folklore. The character Morozko appeared in the works, aka Frost the Red Nose and Frost the Voevoda. This master of the winter kingdom, both in appearance and clothing, very much resembles the modern Father Frost. It was about him that Nekrasov wrote his famous poem“Frost, Red Nose”, Bryusov dedicated a poem to him “To the King of the North Pole”, and Ostrovsky added it to his fairy tale play “The Snow Maiden”.
But one of the first literary adaptations of the folklore and ritual image of Father Frost was made by Odoevsky in his “Children's Tales of Grandfather Irenaeus.” The winter wizard is shown here as “kind Moroz Ivanovich” - a “gray-haired” old man who “shake his head - frost falls from his hair”; he lives in an ice house and sleeps on a feather bed made of fluffy snow... Over time, he also had a granddaughter - the blonde Snow Maiden, who grew up and became an indispensable assistant for him in his New Year's magic.
When an anti-religious campaign began in the USSR in the mid-1920s, Father Frost was briefly banned as a relic of the past. The disgrace was removed in 1935, and in 1937, Father Frost and his Snow Maiden appeared on the Christmas tree in the Moscow House of Unions.
"Birth" of Santa Claus. And Santa Claus has nothing to do with it
The image of the foreign analogue of our Father Frost - Santa Claus - was invented in 1823 by a seminary teacher, Clement Clarke Moore, who, on Christmas Eve, read to his wife and children the poem he had composed, “Christmas is on the Doorstep, or A Visit from Santa Claus.” The teacher portrayed Santa as a kind elf who arrives on eight reindeer and enters the house through the chimney. The poem was published and the image of Santa “went to the people.”
The first portrait of Klaus was created in 1862 by American cartoonist Thomas Nast. The artist settled him at the North Pole and for 24 years he painted the wizard for the covers of the popular Harper's Weekly magazines, which were incredibly popular, although they were in black and white.
Image of Santa
Appearance also distinguishes Santa Claus from Father Frost.
The bright red fur coat was given to the fairy-tale grandfather in 1885 by the publisher Louis Prang - it was he who brought the Victorian tradition of Christmas celebrations to America. greeting cards made using color lithography technique.
The formation of the image of Santa Claus was completed by the cola production company, which in 1930, in order to ensure that their products were not forgotten either in summer or winter, came up with a cunning advertising trick. Chicago artist Haddon Sundblom depicted Santa in the drink's signature red and white colors. Thus was born the modern image of a foreign wizard, who ceased to be Clement Moore’s elf, but became a kind old man in a sleigh with a team of reindeer and with a bag of gifts, which he puts in stockings hanging on the fireplace.
Santa Claus and Archbishop Nicholas: what do they have in common?
The prototype of Santa Claus was the Greek Archbishop Nicholas, who lived in the city of Myra in the 4th century AD. According to legend, a priest once met three girls who were crying bitterly because they could not get married due to the lack of a dowry. Father Nikolai took pity on his friends and ordered them to go home, and in the morning each of them found a bag of gold near the fireplace - this is how the priest tried to selflessly ensure people’s happiness.
There are many versions of this legend - the result is the same: for his good deeds, Nicholas was canonized as a Saint, and his birthday, December 19, became a holiday. Now in church tradition Saint Nicholas is considered the patron saint of pilgrims, sailors and fishermen.
There are certainly similarities between Father Frost and Santa Claus, but they are still completely different wizards.
So, if our winter patron wears a fur coat belted with a sash, then the foreign grandfather buttons it up. The red, and sometimes silver, blue or green robe of Santa Claus reaches to the toes. The foreign grandfather's fur coat is short. Our Frost wears a traditional, old Russian hat, but Santa has a cap on his head! Father Frost usually wears felt boots, while Santa Claus always appears in black boots. And, of course, Grandfather Frost speaks Russian, but the overseas old man does not know our language.
So these two wizards are definitely not relatives. Happy New Year!
The European Santa Claus has already taken root in Belarusian realities so much that few people think about how he differs from Father Frost. Meanwhile, there are many differences!
1. Headdress
Santa Claus has a hat trimmed with fur. Santa Claus has a nightcap with a pompom.
2. Beard
Santa Claus's is long, to the waist. Santa Claus has a short beard like a shovel.
3. Outerwear
Santa Claus has a warm fur coat to his toes. Santa Claus has a short jacket.
4. Fur coat color
Santa Claus' fur coat can be red, blue or even white (colors associated with frost - Ed). Santa Claus has only red.
5. Staff
Santa Claus holds a staff in his hands. Santa Claus is holding a bag of gifts.
6. Belt
Santa Claus has a white belt. Santa Claus has a belt with a buckle.
7. Shoes
Santa Claus has white felt boots. Santa Claus has black boots.
8. Glasses
Santa Claus has poor eyesight and wears glasses. Santa Claus sees well, so he doesn’t have any glasses.
9. Vehicle
Classic Santa Claus moves on foot. Modern - in a sleigh drawn by three horses. Santa Claus rides in a cart pulled by reindeer.
10. Assistants
Grandfather Frost is helped by his granddaughter Snegurochka. Elves work for Santa Claus.
By the way, the Christian Saint Nicholas is considered the prototype of Father Frost and Santa Claus. He lived a long time ago in the Turkish city of Mira and was a good miracle worker and persecutor of evil, the patron of kidnapped and lost children. In Russia, Nikolai Ugodnik became one of the most beloved saints by the people. Simple peasants prayed to him for help if a cow fell ill, there was no rain for a long time, or some other misfortune occurred. Gradually Saint Nicholas Western countries began to be called in English - Santa Claus. But in Russia the translation of the saint’s name was given in a very unique way. The whole point is that in Soviet years religious symbols were actively supplanted and, according to the resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1937, the saint was replaced by a character named Father Frost () NEW YEAR'S SHOPPING
By the way, the Christian Saint Nicholas is considered the prototype of Father Frost and Santa Claus. He lived a long time ago in the Turkish city of Mira and was a good miracle worker and persecutor of evil, the patron of kidnapped and lost children. In Russia, Nikolai Ugodnik became one of the most beloved saints by the people. Simple peasants prayed to him for help if a cow fell ill, there was no rain for a long time, or some other misfortune occurred. Gradually, St. Nicholas in Western countries began to be called in English - Santa Claus. But in Russia the translation of the saint’s name was given in a very unique way. The thing is that during the Soviet years, religious symbols were actively supplanted and, according to the resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1937, the saint was replaced by a character named Father Frost ()
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If you see Grandfather wearing pants, know: this Grandfather is not from our country!
Let's look for the differences between Father Frost and Santa Claus. Are they really completely different?
Clothes of Father Frost and Santa Claus
A cap
Santa Claus wears a very warm hat with fur trim. No bombs or brushes!
Santa Claus prefers a hat that looks like a nightcap with a pompom.
Fur coat
Grandfather Frost wears a long thick fur coat. Initially, the color of the fur coat was blue, cold, but under the influence of the red fur coats of its “European brothers” it changed to red. On this moment Both options are allowed.
Santa Claus wears not a fur coat, but a jacket. It is red and short, above the knees.
Belt
Santa Claus does not wear belts, but ties his fur coat with a sash (belt). Ile simply buttons it up.
Santa Claus is wearing a black belt with a wide buckle.
Mittens
Santa Claus hides his hands in huge mittens.
Shoes
Santa Claus prefers felt boots. And it’s not surprising, because in severe frosts, even his feet will freeze in boots.
Santa Claus wears warm black boots.
Appearance of Father Frost and Santa Claus
Nose
Santa Claus's nose is usually red. (No bad analogies! It’s just very cold in the far north!)
The blue nose option is also allowed due to the snow and ice origin of Grandfather.
Beard
Santa Claus has a beard down to his waist or all the way to the floor. White and fluffy like snow.
Santa Claus has a short beard, trimmed in the shape of a spade.
Attributes of Father Frost and Santa Claus
Glasses and pipe
Santa Claus never wears glasses or smokes a pipe.
Santa Claus has poor eyesight, so he wears glasses.
Staff
Santa Claus always takes a staff with him. Firstly, to make it easier to get through the snowdrifts. And secondly, according to legend, Santa Claus, while still a “wild Morozko,” used this very staff to “freeze” people.
Santa Claus doesn't use a staff.
A bag with presents
A bag of gifts is a later attribute of the Master of Winter. Many children believe that he is bottomless. In any case, Santa Claus never lets anyone near the bag, but takes gifts out of it himself. He does this without looking, but he always guesses who is waiting for what gift.
Santa Claus also carries gifts for children in a big bag.
Vehicle
Santa Claus travels on foot or on a sleigh drawn by three horses. He also loves to traverse his native expanses. skiing. There have been no recorded cases of deer being used.
