The tradition of how to properly carol at Christmas and be generous on the Old New Year was born in pagan times, when our ancient ancestors celebrated the day winter solstice and revered the goddess of fertility Kolyada, who gave birth on December 25 to Bozhich - a new sun that sanctifies and warms the earth. This significant event was praised in ritual poems and songs, which later became known as "carols". According to the church calendar, Kolyada coincided with one of the most significant Christian events - Christmas, coming on the night of January 6-7.

Over time, the two holidays are closely intertwined and today are almost one. On Christmas Eve, adults and children dress up in traditional costumes of mummers, remember the words to be spoken on this significant day, and go caroling and generous to friends, relatives and acquaintances, praising the miraculous birth of Jesus in poems and songs and wishing well-being to everyone around the world. , happiness and prosperity.

How to correctly carol on January 6 and 7 at Christmas 2017 and the Old New Year - ancient traditions

V different regions there are specific concepts about how to properly carol on Christmas on January 6 and 7 and be generous on the Old New Year, but there are also some criteria that are universal for absolutely everyone. The most important thing is to get together in a group of at least three people and choose the main caroler. This character is called a "star". He stands in front of everyone and carries a star, symbolizing the magical birth of the baby Christ. The correct ritual star with the obligatory eight rays can be made with your own hands from yellow paper or cardboard, decorated with sparkles or crumbs from broken Christmas decorations, and around the edges it is beautiful to tie ribbons of different colors.

The second significant participant in caroling at Christmas is the "ringer". He follows the star, rings a big bell and thereby notifies the owners that carolers are approaching their farmstead. Closes the procession "mekhonosha" - a man with a large bag. He goes last and drags a bag into which they throw sweets, gingerbread, rolls and other treats, since, according to ancient tradition, it is strictly forbidden to take offerings for poems and songs directly from the hands of the owners on Christmas and Old New Year. The right bag must be sewn in advance from bright, durable fabric and decorated with stars, the sun and the moon, cut out of shiny paper. These symbols represent the natural transition from deep night to bright day and from cold winter for a hot summer.

Before starting the performance, carolers are supposed to ask the hosts for permission to sing their ritual songs. Of course, no one ever refuses this request (this is considered a huge sin), but the tradition of asking a question is always observed by everyone. When the owners give the go-ahead, carolers can start reading poetry. In the process of caroling, you must certainly bow to the ground to the hosts, thank them for their hospitality, generosity, nobility and very sincerely wish health, happiness, mutual understanding and every success in the coming year.

If you want to go caroling from January 6 to 7, then you should know that there is an ancient custom according to which it is strictly forbidden to let a woman into the house before dinner on Christmas. Therefore, to go caroling in the morning is supposed to be guys or mature men. But on the eve of the Old New Year, it is the turn of young girls and women to sing carols and carols, but in the morning “sow” and wish the owners rich, bountiful harvest again accounts for the strong half of humanity.

How to carol correctly and what to say - words for children at Christmas

Teaching children how to carol correctly and what to say at this moment is not difficult at all. Traditional Christmas verses and songs usually consist of 1-3 verses, are very easy to hear and are quickly remembered even by kids. It takes only a few repetitions for the words, as they say, to bounce off the teeth. Boys and girls of any age easily memorize peppy verses by heart, especially when they find out that a pleasant reward awaits them for their performance - sweets, presents, small money and fruits. In addition, the performance of folklore works helps the younger generation to join the ancient Slavic culture and promotes the popularization of ancient folk traditions caroling and generosity.

Ding, ding, ding, the bells are ringing
Sons and daughters came to you,
You meet carolers,
Greet us with a smile!

We knock on the door, we carol,
Open up, the wind is blowing
It's winter outside
And we wish you warmth!
Peace to the owner with the mistress,
We will sing you songs-tales,
Let's flood, let's rumble
Let's play, let's have fun
Let's have some fun with a carol
Best wishes.
For us, the benefit is simple:
At least a piece from the table!
Kolyada, Kolyada, Merry Christmas to you, gentlemen!

Christmas carol came
On the eve of Christmas.
Give me a cow, a butter head,
And God forbid the one who is in this house,
The rye is thick for him, the rye is supper:
Him with an ear of octopus,
From the grain of his carpet,
From half-grain - a pie.
The Lord would give you
And life, and being, and wealth
And reward you, Lord,
More better than that!

How to Carol at Christmas: Folk Poems and Holiday Songs

Before you go caroling at Christmas, you must definitely learn the right old carols - beautiful, touching, kind poems and short songs glorifying the owners of the house. It is very important not to confuse them with schedrivkas, which are performed on January 13 before the Old New Year.

Previously, caroling began after sunset, however, today it is quite acceptable to do this during the day. Moreover, many people simply do not risk opening doors to strangers at night, quite rightly fearing that intruders will break into their house under the guise of carolers.

By tradition, the owners of the dwelling must be asked for permission to carol, and only after consent has been received, start the performance. Correct holiday carols should contain optimistic wishes for good, comfort, joy and prosperity to the owners of the house, and songs should tell about how generous and merciful to all people the infant Christ who was born.

If the audience likes caroling, and the wishes cause pleasant sensations, the performers are thanked from the bottom of their hearts and bestowed with money, gifts and all sorts of goodies. Most of the presents, according to tradition, are given to children. Toddlers who correctly read folk verses and sing sincere, ingenuous carols always touch adults and cause an acute desire to reward them very well for their performance. Yes, and old signs say that generosity to carolers will certainly be rewarded with family happiness, financial well-being and big profits in the coming year.

A carol comes to us
On the eve of Christmas.
Asks, asks carols
At least a piece of the pie.

Who will give the pie to the carol,
He will be in everything!
That cattle will be healthy
The barn will be full of cows

Who will hold his piece,
The whole year will be lonely.
Will not find luck, happiness,
The year is wasted in bad weather.

Don't feel sorry for the pie
Otherwise, you will create a debt!

carol, carol,
Christmas Eve!
Good aunt,
The pie is sweet
Don't cut, don't break
Give it quickly
two, three,
We've been standing for a long time
Let's not stand!
The stove is heated
I want a pie!

Good evening good people!
Let happy holiday will.
We congratulate you on Christmas.
We wish you happiness, joy!
Good evening, good evening!
Good people to health!

How to carol for Christmas 2017 - the right costumes for children and adults

Just knowing what to say and how to properly carol at Christmas and the Old New Year is not enough. You also need to prepare suitable costumes in which you can go to neighbors, friends and acquaintances on a wonderful festive evening from January 6 to 7, to sing traditional carols and have plenty of fun.

• Mask- the simplest and most affordable accessory for caroling. It is purchased in a store or made by hand from improvised materials (cardboard, colored paper, fabric, etc.).
• Goat- a very popular and sought-after character of the classic carol. To recreate the image, a sheepskin coat or sheepskin coat is required, which must be turned inside out and put on. A knitted or fur hat decorated with small horns will complement the costume.
• Bear- a full-fledged participant in the traditional Slavic caroling at Christmas and the Old New Year. The costume can be rented from a party and party agency, or you can make your own from Mom's old fur coat and a shabby earflap hat. dark brown. It is permissible to make up the face or hide it under an appropriate mask.
• Horse- to fulfill this role, two people will be needed, a large section of dark, thick fabric and a stick with a horse's head made of cardboard and colored paper.
• Folk costume- a good and not expensive option, because everyone at home has old colorful skirts, colorful scarves, wide ribbons and other things typical of the Russian village. You can dress a large group of children in such bright outfits and send them to caroling on Christmas or Old New Year. Adults simply will not be able to resist the costumed kids, who perform holiday poems and songs in different voices. The guys will certainly thank for the kind words and fill the caroling bag with small coins, fruits, gingerbread and sweets. And someone will definitely film the children's caroling on video, so that later they can watch it again and relive the most pleasant, sincere and warm Christmas emotions.

How to organize Christmas for children so that it brings joy and is remembered for a long time? In this article, we will look at interesting scenarios holiday.

Every parent wants to arrange Christmas holidays for children in such a way that it brings joy and is remembered for a long time. Let's look at two average children's holidays held on their own at home.

Option one. About a week before the miraculous event, mom begins to create a menu, buy balloons and call guests. A rich table is laid with chops, salads, cake and wine. Up to 2-3 toasts, they still remember what occasion they gathered for and admire the bright holiday and still clean, having fun children. After that, the little guests are usually left to their own devices (as a rule, these are children of different ages of invited relatives and friends, sometimes even unfamiliar with each other).

Option two. Having firmly decided to arrange a holiday more for children than for adults, mother covers them with a separate festive table and during the whole event he is trying to somehow direct the destructive energy of youth in the right direction.

Have you had a similar experience? Then let's try to organize a holiday according to the third option.

The script for the feast of the Nativity of Christ

From Christmas morning to welcoming guests

New Year, Christmas and Birthday are the most fabulous holidays childhood. Remember yourself with what impatience you went to bed, waiting for the onset of a little fairy tale in the morning.

Preparing for Christmas begins long before the holiday itself: children are told about, with older children you can learn (“Christ is born, praise!”). We arrange in a few days. At night or in the morning - in the temple.

On the day of the holiday, let's surprise the child as soon as he opens his sleepy eyes.

Balls are trite, I do not argue. But how amazing it is to wake up and see a colorful garland above you! And sitting in a crib, surprised by a blanket covered with confetti and serpentine? Make a surprise - create the mood of a fairy tale.

It often happens that some of the guests invited during the celebrations have already arrived, and some have not yet. The children who have come are bored stiffly, not knowing what to do with themselves. I suggest this way to pass the time: instead of a beautiful starched tablecloth, we will lay a disposable light paper tablecloth on the table and give the children felt-tip pens - let them draw a fun drawing themselves. Or we will distribute album sheets with a request to write (or draw, if the children are still small) a fun Christmas card. Or maybe ask the children to tell what the holiday is today.

You can put various squiggles and bizarre incomprehensible figures on blank sheets with a marker and invite the children to show their imagination and draw something for them so that these squiggles turn into understandable drawings: turn something into a mysterious animal, something into a fabulous creature, exotic plant.

I would recommend for children from 4 years old (and 10-year-olds are engaged in such entertainment with pleasure) to cut out a Christmas Star for each white cardboard, cut small stars, rhombuses, flowers from colored foil, cut pieces of tinsel, pour confetti and invite everyone to decorate a cardboard blank . If older children - from 6 years old - you can give glue in a cup and brushes, then it is better for kids to prepare the base in advance by applying double-sided tape to the star.

Treat on

You will not surprise your child's guests with a snow-white tablecloth and crystal. Everything that is a pity to get dirty and break is out of sight. Let's look with common eyes at our children: will they be happy with meat and salads? Few parents will answer in the affirmative. What about fruits and sweets? Well, what a stupid question - you might say. Let's spoil our guests with delicious treats. There should be a lot of juices on the table - at the rate of a liter per child, at least, more is better - something, and children excited by the holiday drink a lot. Fruits should be divided into convenient parts: grapes (pitted if you do not want to collect them all over the house) cut into branches of 3-4 berries, citrus fruits are peeled and sorted into slices, apples ... well, almost nothing ever eats them, like and bananas, the traces of which leave stains on clothes. In general, avoid soiled fruits, one persimmon is tantamount to a small nuclear explosion.

You can arrange a little surprise: put a leaf with Christmas wishes under the plates!

If you really want to feed the children with essential food - make sandwiches, canapes with meat, sausage, fish, cheese, decorate them more interestingly, serve a cocktail (you can beat milk, a banana and a little sugar with a blender) - very satisfying and nutritious food. But is it worth sticking with the standard cake? I recommend making such an original dessert: buy waffle cakes, ice cream, a can of cream, various fruits. 10 minutes before serving, lay a layer of ice cream 3 cm thick on a waffle sheet, cake, ice cream again, cake, ice cream, now a mixture of chopped fruits, pour whipped cream and stick candles - the cake is ready! Let's call it, for example: "Christmas treat".

... By the way - as one of the entertaining entertainments, guests can be invited to cook and eat canapes themselves (using plates with chopped products) and decorate their cocktails with chocolate chips, colored sugar dragees and straws.

Sequence of activities

The room is decorated, the table is set, the treat is ready. What should follow what, so that it is not boring, but not oversaturated? The guests began to arrive. While we are waiting for the full turnout - the children need to be occupied with a calm game - this is exactly what painting the festive tablecloth is very well suited for. All in the collection - sit down at the table. We congratulate the children and eat sandwiches with drinks, fruits. It is not worth sitting up for a long time for a treat - as soon as the noise began - they ate, it's time to play.

Games - only under the organization of an adult presenter, otherwise the uncontrolled baby will simply walk on his head, arranging a real doomsday. All planned entertainment behind? Back at the table! And after - quiet games (the children are tired and overexcited). At parting, each guest needs to be presented with a small gift - this will be a very pleasant souvenir.

And what about the parents of the invited children, you ask? Who will take care of them. When will I celebrate? Who will serve-clean cutlets and Olivier? Our holiday is for children. If you can bring your child and leave, great! If this is not possible, warn in advance that you will have to participate as your assistant. In the meantime, the children will eat, you will have time to eat a cake and drink a glass of wine.

Entertaining and occupied: contests for Christmas

On the Internet you can find many different competitions, as well as ready scripts holiday. Be careful! Fast, energetic activities (relay races, tags and other running and jumping entertainment) must be alternated with calm games (drawing games, riddles and other sedentary tasks). It is permissible to arrange several active games in a row at the very beginning of the holiday, but at the end of it it is better to combine a couple of quiet ones so that the children calm down. If noisy competitions follow one after another, the children will quickly get tired, get overexcited, and the rest of the evening will no longer be a joy. And vice versa: too many sedentary activities will make active kids get bored and they will start looking for violent games on their own. It is desirable that your holiday scenario does not repeat the type of game: if the relay race, then only once, if the dance game, then also only once, the dexterity competition should also not be held twice.

Be sure to break the guests into two teams, the competitive moment adds spice to the competition. Let each team choose its own name and come up with a slogan. For each contest she wins, she will receive a point in the form of something substantial. It could be a little Christmas star. There must be more of them than the number of contests, in case of a draw.

What else can you do with your little guests?

Relay races and hide and seek are all great, of course, but it would be nice to surprise children with an unusual entertainment for such a holiday.

Children are completely delighted when they are offered to make something interesting from ... real yeast dough. You can buy it frozen at the store or make your own. I emphasize - the dough should be just yeast! Their creations bulge and enlarge in a funny way when the finished pieces start to fit, which is simply amazing for the little guests! Each child is given a piece of parchment paper, the size of a notebook leaf, on which they need to make their own pie. This is necessary so that the figure of a man or animal made of dough is transferred to the baking sheet without deformation, and from the baking sheet in baked form back to the plate. For decoration, you can offer saucers with kernels of nuts and seeds, raisins. These baked souvenirs are handed out to guests at the end of the holiday, and she happily takes them home. You can suggest making the Christmas star again, now not from cardboard, but from dough.

I remind you that calm games must alternate with active games. If two quiet activities go on in a row, more active children will lose concentration and begin to be distracted and noisy. If two energetic and noisy competitions are held without a break, the children will quickly overwork and begin to act up.

I’ll tell you the relay game, which we invented and tested first at a children’s and then at an adult holiday, it turned out to be so fun and win-win-funny. Blanks: two sheets of Whatman paper pinned to the wall, two markers, two containers with the same set of notes indicating body parts. Since our task was to portray the "Russian beauty", we wrote: crown, braid, eyes, nose, mouth ... boots. The main thing is not to skip a single part so that the drawing is as complete as possible. All notes are mixed and placed in a box, which is placed under each Whatman sheet. When the START command is given, the first player runs up to the wall with a marker, pulls out a piece of paper, reads what to draw, depicts it on the sheet, runs away and passes the relay marker to the next participant, and he himself becomes at the end of the queue. The player who received the marker also runs to the wall, reads, draws and returns. IT'S VERY FUNNY! Our operator could not shoot the competition on camera - my hands were shaking with laughter, and I, as the presenter, was unable to comment on the resulting "Beauties" - disproportionate parts of the body, skewed facial features ... Tears flowed in a stream from laughter. We also held the same competition among adults: they drew Miss Beauty - it was even more great than on children's holiday. The team with the prettiest drawing wins.

The end of the holiday of the Nativity of Christ for children

This wonderful day has come to an end. I would like to end it in such a way that it is not sad that it ended, but good at heart. If you filmed a holiday on a camera, then you can play the video on the TV screen at the moment when the guests eat the cake. Children are already tired, they don’t really want to talk and have fun, and such viewing will amuse them. If the children are already schoolchildren and know how to write, having cleared the table, bring a huge postcard and felt-tip pens bought in advance, let everyone leave a review about the holiday and a congratulation-wish to all those present. It would be nice to make a simple letter on the computer and give it to each guest as parting: the most dexterous, the most cheerful, the most resourceful - they will proudly show it to their parents, recalling the past fun.

... And how nice, saying goodbye to your child's friends, to hear: “Thank you! Thank you very much for the holiday! We have never had so much fun! …Will you invite us next time?!”

For billions of people on planet Earth, Christmas is a meaningful and bright, truly great holiday. It is traditionally celebrated throughout the Christian world in honor of the birth of the baby Jesus in the city of Bethlehem. According to the new style - December 25 (for Catholics), according to the old - January 7 (for Orthodox), but the essence is the same: a holiday dedicated to Christ - that's what Christmas is! This is the opportunity for the salvation of all mankind, which came to us with the birth of little Jesus.

Significance

What is Christmas for Catholics? This most revered church considers it even superior to Easter, highlighting the physical birth of Christ, which made it possible to atone for everyone's sins. For Orthodox Christians, the holiday is the second most important after the Resurrection. In the first place is the spiritual birth - the resurrection and ascension of the Teacher to heaven.

Christian history

What is Christmas? The description, the origin of the holiday are well known to us from the Gospel. Mary lived with her parents in Nazareth (Galilee). She was born when her parents, Joachim and Anna, were already in years, became a desired and late child. When Mary was 3 years old, she was taken to the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, where she was brought up in piety. When the time came to get married, they found a God-fearing and righteous husband for her - the carpenter Joseph. Mary and Joseph got engaged.

Appearance of the Archangel

One day Mary goes to the spring for water. She is an angel who proclaims the future birth of a baby from the Holy Spirit. There will be that male baby, and he is destined to die for the sins of the human race, taking upon himself the redemption and purification. The Virgin is amazed, but accepts the will of God. Soon, her position can no longer be hidden, and people begin to condemn Mary, since she was still just engaged. Even Joseph intends to leave her. But the angel, who dreamed of him at night, tells about from the Holy Spirit, and Joseph submits. By the command of the Lord, he will have to stay with his wife with the baby. The righteous man declares Mary his wife.

In Bethlehem

Mary, being already in the middle of a demolition, together with her husband Joseph, goes to Bethlehem. They failed to find shelter upon arrival in the city, but they see a cave outside and take refuge there. Maria feels that the time of childbirth is coming. Here, in the shepherd's cave, the baby Jesus is born, and the fact of birth is announced by the bright Star of Bethlehem. Its light illuminates the whole earth, and far in the east, the Magi, the Chaldean wise men, understand that the prophecies of the sacred writings have come true: the King Savior is born!

Gifts of the Wise Men

To see the Messiah, the Magi are going on a long journey. And the shepherds, grazing cattle in neighboring pastures, are the first to worship the Savior, hearing the singing of angels who announce the birth. Upon arrival in Judea, the wise men find a cave where the Holy Family is hiding by a brightly shining star. Approaching Christ, they bring gifts: frankincense and myrrh, as well as gold. And then they leave to glorify Jesus, each to their own lands.

Massacre of the innocents

King Herod, who has heard of the birth of the King of the World in Bethlehem, orders his subordinates to destroy all male babies under two years of age. But the Holy Family flees from the city to Egypt to save Jesus from reprisal. Here is a summary of the Christian story of what Christmas is.

In Russia

We began to celebrate this bright holiday back in the 10th century, since the spread of Christianity in the lands subordinate to Prince Vladimir, who, it is believed, baptized Russia. In a strange way, Christmas combined with pagan holiday in honor of the spirits of ancestors - Christmas time. Therefore, in the Russian context of the celebration, there are also Christmastide rites. To understand what Christmas is in Russia, you need to know these, more ancient, Slavic traditions.

Christmas Eve

This is the name of the day that precedes Christmas, the last day of Lent (December 24 - for Catholics, January 6 - for Orthodox). The word "sochivo" literally translates as "vegetable oil". This was the name of the porridge seasoned with vegetable oil, which was supposed to be eaten on this day. In the morning on Christmas Eve, they put things in order, cleanliness in all rooms, scraped the floor and rubbed it with juniper branches. Then - a hot bath for the purity of the body and soul.

Kolyada

In the evening they gathered in large companies - to sing carols. They dressed up in strange clothes, painted their faces. On the sleigh they put Kolyada, as a rule, a doll dressed in white shirt. They sang ritual songs.

What is Christmas for children?

Children made a star and walked around the village. They sang under the windows or went into houses. These were songs, mostly glorifying the holiday. They also called the owners and for this they received gifts from them - money, pastries, sweets and sweets. Thus, from an early age, children knew what the Nativity of Christ was, and were accustomed to the traditions and beliefs of Orthodoxy.

Ritual dishes

There was a tradition (relevant even in our time) of preparing special dishes that accompany the great holiday, playing a symbolic role. Kutya meant in the sacred sense the continuity of being, fertility and well-being. Vzvar is a drink prepared in honor of the birth of the baby Jesus. This combination of kutya and vzvara was usually served on the table at Christmas. Kutya was usually boiled early in the morning from cereal grains, then simmered in the oven and seasoned with honey and butter. The broth was prepared from dried fruits and berries on the water. And such dishes were placed under the icons for hay in honor of Jesus, who was born in a manger. They also baked various figurines of animals - sheep, cows, chickens - as holiday symbols, and then distributed them to relatives and friends.

star of bethlehem

What is the Nativity of Christ and how did the further process of celebration take place? In the evening, everyone was waiting for the exit to heaven symbolizing the birth of the Savior. Only after this event it was possible to take food. At the same time, both the table and the benches were supposed to be covered with hay. This symbolized the cave where Christ was once born.

On Christmas Eve it was not supposed to work. That evening, young girls usually guessed.

Christmas time

From Christmas to Epiphany (January 19), days passed, called Christmas time. On the first day, early in the morning, "sowing" of huts was carried out. The shepherd, entering the room, scattered a handful of oats. It symbolized prosperity, health and fertility.

About Christ for children

For kids, Christmas is always a fairy tale, do not forget about it. If the child is small, he can also participate in the holiday with pleasure. Buy him some coloring books about what Christmas is like for kids. Help me learn a verse or a carol to tell it to the guests who have come. You can do it yourself by cutting and painting small figures actors along with your baby.

If the child is older, you can teach him to sing Christmas carols, and even go with the children to carol to the neighbors. Of course, the child should receive various rewards for this - sweets, small money, sweets. And in many countries it is customary to give gifts to children at Christmas. Let's keep this good tradition alive!

In January we have many holidays: New Year, Christmas, old New Year.
These days, people have fun, go to visit each other, wish happiness, health and prosperity, set a rich table and invite relatives to visit. In addition to festive feasts, it is customary to carol at Christmas, walk around the yards, sing carols with wishes of health and happiness.

What are carols, how to properly carol, what costumes are worn for caroling?

The tradition of caroling was born back in pagan times, when our ancestors worshiped the goddess of fertility Kolyada and celebrated the winter solstice, when the days became longer and the nights shorter. People sang songs dedicated to this event so that the harvest would be good and there would be prosperity in the house.

With the birth of Christianity, the two holidays are intertwined and are practically one. At Christmas, adults and children dress up, go to relatives, friends, learn carols, generosity, wish everyone well-being and happiness. Carols are traditional ritual songs, which are often of a religious nature, glorify the birth of Jesus Christ. With the words of carols, they began to thank God for all the good things that happened in the old year, they praised the generosity and hospitality of the owners.

How to carol correctly

According to tradition, mummers walk around the village, the village: guys, girls, dressed in costumes, and carol. The spectacle is very bright and interesting.

Firstly, for caroling you need to gather in a group, at least three people. At the head of the company of mummers is the "star", who carries on a stick a large eight-pointed star - a symbol of the birth of Jesus Christ. The star is main attribute Christmas. It can be cut out of cardboard or made of wire, decorated with sparkles, broken toys.The star is the main character. He must know carols very well and sing them.

The next one is the ‘ringer’ who carries the bell. He calls, thereby informing the owners that carolers are coming.

And closes the procession ''mechonosha'' . He has a bag where the owners put various sweets, rolls, bagels. The bag should be bright, made of durable fabric. You can decorate it with stars, a month, the sun.

Before starting to carol, the mummers must ask the owner for permission to carol. Of course, no one refuses this request, but for decency, you still need to ask permission. If the host gave the go-ahead, the mummers thank him, wish the hospitable hosts health, happiness, prosperity, and begin to sing carols.

Christmas carols for children
It is not difficult to teach children to carol. They can remember little carols. Learning carols and schedrovkas with children, we introduce them to the traditions of Slavic culture. Toddlers very quickly perceive the words of carols by ear. A few repetitions and they know them by heart. Moreover, knowing that later they will be given sweets, children learn carols quickly.

***

Carol, carol!
You give us a pie
Or a slice of bread
Or a chicken with a tuft,
Cockerel with comb.
——————

Christ the Savior
Born at midnight
In the den of the poor
He settled.

Christ Lord,
On your birthday
Give to all people
World of enlightenment!
—————-

And I'm small, but remote,
Born on Tuesday
Studied on Wednesday
books to read,
Praise Christ!
Congratulations!
Be healthy.
Merry Christmas!
———————-
Today an angel came down to us,
And he sang: "Christ is born!"
We came to glorify Christ
And congratulations on your holiday!

Nowadays, children go with carols to have fun and get treats.
Children can be dressed up in colorful clothes. For example, a buffoon: in a bright shirt, bloomers, a hat on the head with bells, gird a shirt with a belt. If your children go caroling, make sure that they are warmly dressed, do not forget to give them mittens so that they do not freeze. Winter is still outside!

It is often customary to sow the floor with grain so that there is prosperity in the houses."I sow, sow, sow, Happy New Year or Merry Christmas!"
Learning carols with children, we help them develop memory, Creative skills children learn about the rites and traditions of Christmas.

Short carols for children at Christmas

Give me sweet honey
Yes, a piece of cake
I will dance and sing.
And I'll sing carols!
——————
I help my mom.
I carol until the morning.
Have pity, baby
Give me candy!
—————-

You don't drive the kids away.
And eat better!
Give dryers and bagels,
And some gift!
———————
We carol, we carol,
We alternate songs with dance!
And squatting, and around,
Serve a pie!
—————-
Children go home
give us treats!
We wish you good luck
And health in addition
—————-
The mummers came
All painted.
We will entertain you
Lift the mood!
—————-
Give us coins
Candy for children
We do not harm people.
We can't refuse!
——————
There is a horned goat.
Rich in carols.
What is the chest filled with
Put it in our bag!
—————
I'm called Mekhonoshey
And I'm not afraid of frost!
I'm going to you for a light,
And I carry a big bag!
——————
Ding-ding, ding-ding, the bells are ringing!
Your sons and daughters are here!
You meet carolers,
Greet us with a smile!
—————-
Mother winter has come.
Open the gate!
the holidays have arrived!
The carols have arrived!
Kolyada-molyada!
Carols with wishes
Merry Christmas to you people!
may peace be with you
So that you do not know grief
And lived in wealth!
———————
An angel came down to you from heaven
And he said: "Christ is born!"
We came to glorify Christ
And congratulate you on the holiday.
——————
Kolyada came
On the eve of Christmas.
God bless whoever is in this house
We wish good to all people.
gold, silver,
fluffy pies,
Soft pancakes.
good health,
Cow butter.

Costumes for caroling
To properly carol, it is not enough just to learn the words of the songs. You also need to dress up, pick up costumes for caroling children.

You can dress up children in folk style.

Clothing should be bright, elegant. You can look in the grandmother's chest for something suitable and sew a costume for the child. A girl can pick up a bright scarf, a beautiful bright and fluffy skirt, better long, make a wreath, decorate it with multi-colored ribbons.

Boys can also wear a folk-style shirt decorated with embroidery, wide trousers. The whole company can be dressed up and sent to carol around the village.

Masks.

Masks have always been an important element of Christmas costume. Previously, they were sewn from dense fabric, leather. Now you can buy finished mask or try to do it yourself. What masks are more often worn for Christmas: the mask of a goat, deer, dog, horse.

Goat.

A typical carol character. You can put on a sheepskin coat or sheepskin coat, turned inside out, put on a goat mask on your head knitted hat to which you can attach the horns.

Bear.

Also a participant in the festive festivities at Christmas and the old new year. The costume can be rented. And you can also put on your grandmother's old fur coat, grandfather's hat with earflaps, paint the face, draw the nose. Just! And the bear costume is ready!

Adults will not be able to resist dressed up children singing songs in sonorous children's voices. They will generously treat them with sweets, give coins. After all, children will bring so much joy, they will raise the mood of both relatives and neighbors.

Learn Christmas carols with your children, congratulate your relatives on the holiday.

We call the last two millennia our era, and this time is counted from the birth of Christ. Nowadays an Orthodox xmas has the status public holiday in Russia. What and how to tell children about this day, about its meaning and traditions? On this topic, on the eve of the holiday, we talked with Anastasia Abramova, managing partner and leading specialist of the Center for Children and Parents "Rozhdestvo", PhD in Cultural Studies.

When to introduce children to Christmas

If this bright day is celebrated in your house, in your family, then the baby will know about it from the very beginning. early childhood. It is not at all necessary to specifically seat the child at the table with the words: “Listen carefully, now I will tell you about Christmas.” When the baby grows up, parents can look through the illustrations in the children's Bible with him, read poems, remember songs on the Christmas theme - Christoslavy: all this creates the first children's impressions and knowledge about Christmas.

Christmas comes to the world of the smallest child and through visual images. Stars and angels appear in the home interior, a Christmas icon, a small model of the cave of the Nativity - a nativity scene, mom and dad prepare and pack gifts, holiday tree crowned by a bright star, the prototype of which was the star of Bethlehem. So the child gets the first idea about the holiday.

If you are preparing for the Nativity of Christ with children 3-4 years old, then invite them to listen to the word itself: what is Christmas? Christmas means "birthday". Who was born on this day? Why is this birthday celebrated all over the world? And here it is necessary to tell about the fact that on this day God - the Creator of heaven, people and the whole earth, comes into the world as a Baby, is born to the Mother - the Virgin Mary. That is why we call Her the Theotokos, the One Who gave birth to God. You can look at the icons of the Nativity together, show the children where the Mother of God is depicted on them, where the Infant Christ is, why there is a radiance around him.

When a child reaches the age of 4, he is already able to think more systematically, and you can talk with him, answering important questions: who is the Savior? Why did he come to our world? What is he saving from? How long have people been waiting for Him? How did it happen? And here good texts, created especially for children's perception of the Sacred History, will help parents. For example, Maya Kucherskaya's book “The Bible for Children. Gospel stories. It tells about the Nativity of Christ in a very simple and accessible language.

Christmas in art

A great addition to your story about bright holiday serve, which you can contact with your child. Many Russian poets spoke about Christmas in their poems: Sasha Cherny, Boris Pasternak, Afanasy Fet and other lyric poets of the 19th and 20th centuries. Several publishers have already done the work for parents to find such texts: look for them in bookstores in special Christmas series. For example, the "Christmas Gift" series by the Nikea publishing house.

If we talk about the fine arts, then the most necessary and bright thing to introduce the baby to is Orthodox icon painting. There are many icon-painting scenes associated with Christmas. Examine them together with your child and tell him about the shepherds, the Magi, the Mother of God and Joseph, Star of Bethlehem that heralded the birth of Christ.

You can follow the history of Christmas in Russian painting, for example, Viktor Vasnetsov, Ilya Repin, Grigory Gagarin and others have Christmas stories.

Catholic and Orthodox Christmas

If Orthodox Christmas is celebrated every year in your family on January 7, then the child does not even have questions why in other countries it is celebrated earlier - on December 25. He understands: in our family and country it is customary. You can tell him about different countries- different customs, without delving into the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

Christmas presents

Gifts for Christmas, as a memory of the gifts that the Magi brought to the newborn Jesus, are received not only by the child, but also by all relatives living with him in the same house. If you want to not only tell your child about Christmas, but also instill a special attitude towards this holiday, it is better to save the most important and expected gift and put it under the Christmas tree on the night of January 7th. And, sweets and toys, the child will receive in any case: in kindergarten, in developmental classes, from family friends, from mom and dad. But the most desirable thing for every member of the family is at Christmas.

Whether these gifts should be anonymous or given personally and solemnly is up to each family to decide. In some families they say that these are gifts from, because initially it was precisely the “Christmas grandfather”, New Year's guest he became already in the Soviet era of the twentieth century. He is a kind giver who knows all desires and comes to wish you a Merry Christmas. In other families, gifts are given to each other, beautifully wrapped the day before, and this is also part of the Christmas culture, which you can tell the baby about. Children can prepare gifts for loved ones with their own hands, for example, beautiful postcards, candles made of wax, decorated with sparkles stars.

Christmas and Mercy

It has long been customary to show mercy at Christmas. And the habit of doing good - not only on Christmas, but on all other days - would certainly be desirable for any parent to see in their children. And you don't have to go far for things like that. Often, when it comes to deeds of mercy and responsiveness, parents think: you need to offer your child to feed the birds in the park, go to Orphanage etc. It's really good. But the deeds of love begin with loved ones, with the family, with caring for her. If a child is not used to putting away his toys, if he is unkind to his mother, does not see how you can take care of a sick sister, give delicious tea to a dad who is tired after work, if he does not find any good word, no business, but at the same time closely watching the feeders in the park, something is wrong here. And it is very important to explain to the baby that love and care for loved ones and relatives must be shown constantly, and not just not on a special, festive day. And one more thing - that human warmth is daily noticeable in the smallest deeds: “Mom told me sweet Nothing”, “Vasya gave me his dry mittens in kindergarten” ... It’s good when a child learns to notice manifestations of care and love in life and shows them himself in relation to loved ones.