20.12.2016

The main winter holiday in Germany is the Catholic Christmas - December 25th. It is to this day that a gala dinner with the family, decoration of the Christmas tree and exchange of gifts are timed. At night, the children are waiting for the appearance of the German Santa Claus (whose name is Weinakhtsman) with an assistant Kristkind. And even earlier, on December 6, on the eve of the Catholic day of memory of St. Nicholas, another magician comes to them - Santa Nikolaus with the farmhand Ruprecht. Both characters are popular and differ from each other in appearance and behavior.

Weinakhtsman and Christkind

Santa Claus in Germany is called Weinachtsman ("Christmas grandfather"). He looks just like a traditional Santa Claus: in a red jacket with white fur, in a red cap, with a snow-white beard and glasses. He comes to the children on Christmas night together with Kristkind, a German blond Snow Maiden of an angelic appearance. She is dressed in long white and gold clothes, wears a crown on her head (symbolizes a halo) and, of course, has wonderful golden wings.

The origin story of Weinakhtsman

The historical character - the prototype of Weinakhtsman, like Santa Claus, is St. Nicholas - a Byzantine bishop and philanthropist, known for his patronage of children and good deeds.

The history of Christkind

But Christkind (her name - Christkind - translates as "baby Jesus") appeared later. It was invented in the 16th century by the reformer of the Catholic Church - Martin Luther, on the basis of whose ideas a new direction in Christianity arose - Protestantism. Among other disagreements, Protestants refused to recognize Catholic saints, including Nicholas of Myra. But the children needed a magical winter character.

And so Christkind appeared, bringing gifts (sweets, fruits) on Christmas night, and not on January 6th. By the beginning of the 20th century, the angel girl had taken root in Catholic families, but, on the contrary, disappeared from Protestant ones. But both of them began to celebrate Christmas on December 25 - with Weinakhtsman. To the first he comes on a donkey with an assistant, to the second - alone.

Weinakhtsman residence

Weinachtsman has his own residence in Himmelpfort (Brandenburg), where you can come to visit him. Letters from children from different countries addressed to the German Santa Claus come to a special post office there. There are other branches of the Christmas mail in Germany, but this one is the most popular. Weinakhtsman writes answers in more than 10 languages, including Russian.

Santa Nikolaus and Ruprecht

Santa Nikolaus is a more religious character. He rides a sleigh, wears a long, patterned red robe, and wears a high headdress that makes him look like a bishop. Assistant Ruprecht follows him, but not with a bag of gifts, but with rods - for educational purposes for naughty children. They put the gifts in the shoes put on the porch or in the socks hanging in the room.

The first Santa Claus is Santa Nikolaus, who is inseparable from Ruprecht, his servant. Santa Claus brings gifts in Germany not at Christmas, but on December 6 on the day of St. Nicholas.

Instead of gifts, Santa Claus can bring rods to disobedient children. Ruphert appeared in connection with a medieval tradition, when a priest came to Catholic schools in Germany with gifts, and the peasants preferred to see not a priest, but a laborer instead of Santa Claus. So the farmhand Ruprecht appeared, and the priest turned into Santa Nikolaus.

On Christmas night, Weinakhtsman comes to the guys in Germany, who is an exact copy of Santa Claus. Santa Claus in Germany appears at Christmas on a donkey. Before going to bed, children put a plate for gifts that the German Santa Claus will give them - Santa Claus. They put hay in the shoes - this is a treat for the donkey. German Christmas is a family holiday. The family always gathers at the festive Christmas table. Gifts are traditionally exchanged on this day in Germany. This ceremony has its own name - Besherung. This tradition is another reason to doubt the Christian origin of Santa Claus. Most likely, both Orthodox and pagan traditions were mixed in the image of Santa Claus.

Christmas in Germany

For Christmas in Germany, they prepare in advance, about a month in advance. German families traditionally prepare a festive wreath with four candles. Advent - the following week before Christmas is accompanied by a gala dinner, when relatives and friends gather at the festive table and eat the traditional German special cupcake "stolen", which is baked for this occasion and lit by a candle. Thus, 4 candles burning on a family table in Germany indicate that Christmas is at the doorstep. In December, Germany celebrates Saint Nikolaus Day. Then the children put the shoes and shoes out the door so that Nikolaus puts gifts in them. The next day in Germany, they decorate the Christmas tree. At Christmas, German families go to the service - this is a religious holiday. And then, at home, a traditional goose with apples and cabbage awaits them. New Year's Santa Claus in Germany - Santa Claus.

Very little time is left until one of the main and favorite holidays of our country - the New Year. The apartments begin to smell fragrant with fragrant tangerines, a New Year's mood appears, and the kids are waiting for gifts from Santa Claus under the Christmas tree. It's time to remember what these elders look like in other countries. For you, a selection of Santa Claus colleagues from around the world.

"Santa Christian" from Burundi. Among African Catholics, Santa Claus lives on Mount Kilimanjaro, because. it is the only mountain in Africa that has permanent snow on top.



Kanakaloka- Hawaiian Islands



It should be noted that people in Hawaii did not celebrate Christmas until the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778. But only Protestant missionaries from New England, who first came to Hawaii in 1820, introduced Christmas traditions into everyday life.

The Hawaiian Islands officially celebrate three New Years. In early October, the traditional Hawaiian New Year, Makahiki, is celebrated. Like many tribes in the Pacific region, the Hawaiians believe in Bayame, a heavenly deity who lives near the Great Stream of Water (the Milky Way). Sitting on a crystal throne, which is made up of stars, this god daily sends messengers to the earth - the Sun and the Moon, sends thunder and rain, fertilizing the earth. It is Baiame who is “guilty” of the beginning of the cycle of life, and the day of his birth, when the God of Heaven created himself, is the New Year for the Hawaiians.

Hawaiian girls on New Year's holiday put on lei (Lei) - garlands of orchids to seduce and lure the god Lono - the bearer of abundance, rain and music. If he is not lured, the world will never be updated. People traditionally revere the land that gives them food. The New Year's festivities lasted for 4 months, during this period any wars and conflicts were forbidden.



Western Christmas and the calendar New Year fall exactly on this period, so they automatically began to be celebrated from the century before last. Words such as Christmas (Mele Kalikimaka), elves (Menehune), deer (Leinekia), snowflake (Xau puehuehu), angel (Anela), snowballs (Popohau) and, of course, Santa Claus, whose name is Kanakaloka.

He resembles Santa Claus in his image, only often because of the heat he changes his fur suit for a light red jacket and breeches. Only a large gray beard remains unchanged.

In addition to all this, back in the middle of the 19th century, a tradition was brought to Hawaii to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the end of January with dragon dances and fireworks. Therefore, the four-month celebration of Makahiki is very rich, including traditions and holidays of different eras and peoples.

Senyalis Xaltis, Kaledu Senyalis and Kaleda- Lithuania



There are several characters in Lithuania who play the role of our Santa Claus. From Soviet times comes to the kids Senyalis Shaltis, whose name is translated as Elder Frost or Cold grandfather, this grandfather took root in Lithuania, and his name is still used. Grandpa Shaltis differs from the Western Santa Claus in a longer fur coat and knitted mittens, but unlike the Russian grandfather, his beard and fur coat are still shorter.

In addition to him, at Christmas, he appears in houses Kaledu Senalis- Christmas grandfather, well, also a very popular folklore character, the hero of legends and tales - Caleda, old man in a white coat.



The whole year Kaleda lives in the village, and during the holidays she visits the children of Lithuania. The character of Kaled has become more and more popular lately, pushing into the background both his colleague from the times of the USSR, and the “product” of American culture in the form of a character that looks like two drops like a “coca-cola” Santa.




For the New Year, Lithuanian families prepare an original sweet treat - an unusually shaped cake made of egg dough, baked on an open fire, called "šakotis". It is considered an indispensable attribute of weddings, but they also prepare it for Christmas. This cake is listed in the Lithuanian National Culinary Heritage Fund.

Pai Natal- Portugal



Portuguese Santa Claus is called Pai Natal(Dad Christmas), he looks the same as the American Santa Claus: in red and white clothes and with a beard.

Pai Natal is considered the ruler of the "winter kingdom", and his possessions are located in the medieval fortified town of Obidos, located a hundred kilometers north of Lisbon. Every year the town becomes the capital of New Year celebrations. The home of the bearded Santa Claus was built in the form of an Eskimo igloo. At certain hours, the "main" Pai Natal appears in the town, distributing gifts to the kids.

His assistants, of course, come to the kids in every city, in every house, helping to distribute gifts.

Santa Claus in Australia.



Dutch Sinterklaas wears a caftan and white boots. Just before the New Year, he sails to Amsterdam on a ship, but he does not distribute gifts himself. For this, he has a retinue - the Moors in magnificent turbans.



The Dutch Santa Claus arrives by boat at the end of November from Spain (why from there, history is silent, although perhaps because the Netherlands was a Spanish colony for a long time) to bring all the gifts by December 5th. Although there is a version based on a poem written in 1810, which says that Sinterklaas calls in Spain to "stock up" tangerines and oranges for gifts to children.

Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands exactly on December 5, because on this day everyone celebrates St. Nicholas Day, which is the prototype of the Dutch Santa Claus. Sometimes Sinterklaas is called De Goedheiligman - a holy man who gives blessings, or directly Sint Nicolaas - Saint Nicholas. Initially, the holiday was celebrated as the name day of St. Nicholas, since he is the patron saint of children, sailors and the city of Amsterdam.

Since the historical Saint Nicholas was a Greek bishop, this is expressed in the appearance of the Dutch Santa Claus. He is an elderly man with gray hair and a long beard, dressed in a long red cloak or chasuble, with a red miter on his head, a gilded staff in his hand and a ruby ​​ring on his finger. Sinterklaas has a large book in his hands, in which the names and addresses of the children are written, as well as how each particular child behaved in the past year. Children know that Sinterklaas will definitely ask their parents about their behavior, so the guys send all letters and wishes through them.

However, in addition to religious roots in the image of Sinterklaas, some lines of paganism were embodied, based on Germanic myths about the god Odin, who was worshiped in Northern and Western Europe before Christianization. For example, the story that Sinterklaas rides around on a white or gray horse that can even fly over rooftops. The horse had many different names, of the latest and most popular - Sleipnir and Amerigo Vespucci. Therefore, the children, along with the shoe, in which Sinterklaas will definitely put a gift (if you deserve it, of course!), Leave treats for the horse by the fireplace - carrots, apples or a bunch of hay. And in houses where there is no chimney and fireplace, shoes are put up in front of the front door. The next morning, the carrots and other foods miraculously disappear, but the children find sweets and other small gifts there.

To modern children, parents also tell the story that the shoe can be left on the windowsill or at the door in the apartment, since Sinterklaas has a key that fits every door. Apparently, parents are too lazy to go outside late at night, or they are afraid that someone will steal the gift.

The second distinguishing feature of Sinterklaas from his relatives is that he has many mischievous assistants with black faces, they are all called "Black Pete" (Zwarte Piet), and they do a lot of work - deliver gifts from Spain, pack them and deliver them to children home . They also keep statistics - who was obedient, and who was a hooligan. Black Pete performs about the same role under Sinterklaas as the elves under the American Santa Claus.

Black Pete is typically a teenager with black curly hair, dressed in a 17th-century Moorish costume with a lace collar and a feathered cap. The history of the emergence of these assistants also has several versions.

According to one of them (the most ancient) - the boys are black, because this is the embodiment of the ravens of the god Odin, whose names were Hugin and Munin, who flew everywhere and told Odin what was happening where. In the Middle Ages, Sinterklaas's assistant embodied the devil or his assistant Nervi, the black father of the Night. The history of Sinterklaas and his "opponents" was built on the struggle between good and evil.

Later, another version of Pete's appearance arose, based on the colonial experience of Holland and the holiness of Nicholas. Allegedly, once Sinterklaas bought an Ethiopian boy named Peter at the slave market on the island of Myra and immediately gave him freedom. The boy was so grateful that he decided to stay with Saint Nicholas as an assistant. In the middle of the twentieth century, in order not to be accused of racism, Black Pete came up with another legend. Allegedly, Pete has a black face from soot, since it is he who descends through the chimneys into the house to put a gift from Sinterklaas in his shoe. Although, this version is criticized by many, because it does not explain why Sinterklaas' assistant has curly, black hair and large, red lips.

Belarusian Dzed Maroz.

The forerunner of the Belarusian Santa Claus was the folklore character Zyuzya. He was a generous old man with a long beard, living in the forest and walking barefoot. Folklore legends say that the trees crack during severe frosts because Zyuzya knocks on the trees, breaking the ice from the branches so that the trees do not freeze. People put out treats for him at the threshold of the house and loudly call, then Zyuzya comes and gives gifts to the children.

Babbo Natale. Looks like our Santa Claus. This beloved Italian character has its historical roots in Saint Nicholas. Babbo Natale lived for a long time at the North Pole, and later acquired an excellent home in the Finnish north - in Lapland.

The name of the Italian brother Santa Claus is literally translated as "Christmas grandfather", he comes to the kids on Christmas Eve and looks like Santa Claus. According to the legend, which the children believe, Babo Natale flies on a sleigh, leaves them on the roof and enters the house through the chimney, where the children leave some milk and sweets for him "for reinforcement"

But the role of our New Year's Santa Claus in Italy is performed, oddly enough, by ... a lady. She is called fairy Befana(Befana). It is she who brings sweets to obedient children on the night of January 5-6 - chocolates, candies and honey nuts, chestnuts, as well as souvenirs and toys. And the owners of the house leave a small glass of wine and a plate of food on the fireplace for the guest.



This mythological character arose because on January 6 in Italy they celebrate the feast of Epiphany, colloquially called Befana. She looks a bit like our Baba Yaga - with a hooked nose and a large wart on her cheek, dressed in a long patched cloak, a torn shabby skirt, holey stockings and a black pointed hat, from under which long uncombed hair sticks out. Behind her back she carries a bag of sweets and ashes. Unlike Babbo Natale, she arrives not in a sleigh, but on a broomstick, sometimes jumping from roof to roof. But this semi-sorceress-half-fairy also penetrates into houses through chimneys.

The tradition of giving children delicious gifts in stockings has ancient roots. According to legend, Befana was forced to deliver gifts to children as a punishment for her obstinate character. Allegedly, Befana was from Bethlehem, one day she was gathering brushwood in the forest and met three wise men who invited her to go together to visit the baby Jesus. However, she refused, saying that she was busy with an important matter, and when she changed her mind, she could not catch up with the sages-sorcerers. Therefore, every year Befana flies from house to house in search of the holy baby and leaves sweet gifts for all the children.

But as a punishment for the tricks committed by the children in the past year, instead of sweets, they will find black sugar coals in stockings by the fireplace (before they were generally left with real ashes!) Or onions with garlic. There is a belief that if a good owner lives in the house, then Befana will not only give gifts to his children, but also sweep the floor before leaving.

Epiphany Day ends the Christmas and New Year holidays in Italy, there is even a saying: "Befana's broom sweeps away all the holidays."

Per Noel. Winter folklore New Year's character straight from France. According to tradition, Per Noel, having arrived at the house on a donkey in wooden shoes and with a basket of gifts, enters through the chimney into the house, laying out gifts in shoes left in front of the fireplace.



In some regions of France, as in many other countries, Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 5th. For this special day, the French not only have Saint Nicholas himself, but also a character named Père Fottar (Father with a Whip). Like Belsnickel, he is needed to intimidate naughty children. Why this happened is clear from his history. Its most common version says that in the 12th century, Per Fottar and his wife kidnapped and killed three young men and made soup from them. Then the good Saint Nicholas found and resurrected the victims, and Per Fottar repented of his crime and promised to become his assistant.

How does he give gifts?

Like Sinterklaas and many other variations of Santa Claus, Per Noel puts small presents and candies in his shoes to the left of the fireplace. Per Fottar is not so kind and cheerful: he carries rusty chains and whips with him, with which he “gifts” naughty children. Sometimes he is even more cruel - in some regions they believe that he cuts out the tongues of children caught in a lie.

Saint Shaland- Upper Savoie



The department of Haute-Savoie lies in the east of France, at the point where the French, Italian and Swiss borders meet. The population of Haute-Savoie is small - only recently it has exceeded one million. However, in addition to the standard New Year's Grandfather, they also have their own national New Year's hero - Don Shaland.

His beard is pitch black, he is dressed in a travel cloak, and in his bag he holds various tools for punishing naughty children.
Don Shaland is an evil and terrible spirit of winter, however, if you sing a song or recite a poem to him, he will soften and not only not touch the juvenile tomboys, but also give them sweets.

Daidi na Nollaig- Irish counterpart of Santa Claus. Ireland is a religious country and appreciates its good old traditions very much. That is why the New Year in Ireland will be saturated with mysticism and unusualness.

Agios Vassilis- Greece, Cyprus



Santa Claus in Greece and Cyprus bears the name of Agios Vasilis, which translates as Saint Basil. While for all European countries the prototype of the Christmas saint was St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, for the Greeks this role is played by Basil the Great of Caesarea, a younger contemporary of Nicholas, who lived with him in the 4th century AD. Saint Basil turned out to be a Christmas saint for the reason that his memory is celebrated by the Greek church on the first of January (January 14, according to the new style).

Basil the Great was a bishop in the city of Caesarea, which is located in Asia Minor (on the territory of present-day Turkey). He became famous for his charity and tireless work in defense of Orthodoxy. With his own funds and donations from parishioners, Vasily built many shelters for the sick and the poor.

One of the ancient stories associated with the name of St. Basil laid the foundation for the New Year tradition. This happened during the reign of the Roman emperor Julian (361 - 363). The emperor made an attempt, under the threat of capturing Caesarea and enslaving its inhabitants, to receive rich gifts. To this end, Julian sent an armed detachment to the bishop of the city - Basil. The townspeople, who loved their city and their bishop, collected all the jewels they had and decided to entrust them to the Saint, so that he would wisely dispose of them. When the emperor's soldiers came for a ransom, St. Basil showed them a treasure chest. But as soon as the commander approached to take him away, a cloud arose, from which Saint Mercury appeared, accompanied by angels, and expelled the emperor's soldiers, distraught with fear. Seeing the miracle, Basil and the inhabitants of Caesarea thanked the Lord for help. By order of the bishop, small loaves of bread with jewels baked in them were prepared and distributed to the residents. The remaining treasures were donated to charity. Thus was born the tradition that continues to this day to bake a pie with a coin baked in it on New Year's Eve. New Year's cake, named after St. Basil the Great - Vasilopita.

In the guise of the Greek Santa Claus, there are many features from his western counterpart. Agios Vasilis is depicted as an old man with a white beard who goes around the house and gives gifts to children. Now the appearance of Agios Vasilis is practically indistinguishable from the image of his American counterpart - Santa Claus. According to Western beliefs, Saint Basil is depicted in a red and white outfit and is even sometimes claimed to live at the North Pole. But in folk Greek carols, they still sing that "St. Basil is coming from Caesarea."

In Greece and Cyprus, it is on the New Year, and not on Christmas, that people give and receive gifts.

Children sing the following song requests at Christmas:
"Saint Basil, give happiness,
Fulfill all my desires!
May it be a glorious Christmas!"

On Christmas Eve, families gather around the fire and play a game of olive leaves. This game is said to predict the future. When all the children are asleep, a cake with a coin inside and a glass of wine are placed under the Christmas tree. According to legend, Saint Basil drinks wine, blesses the cake and places gifts around the tree. In the morning, the head of the family, in the presence of all family members, cut the pie into pieces: the first - for Christ, the second - for the Mother of God, the third for a beggar wanderer, then for himself, the hostess and other family members in seniority. The one who found the coin was considered lucky, and kept it in his wallet for good luck for a whole year.

On New Year's morning, getting up as early as possible, the hostess walked through the water, trying not to utter a word on the way back. With this so-called "silent" water, the whole family washed their faces, believing that all troubles and misfortunes would go away with it. Then the mother symbolically whipped all family members with olive branches in order to finally expel evil from the house.
Daddy na Nollag- Ireland



In Ireland, people celebrate Christmas and New Year in much the same way as in the UK and the US, but Irish holidays have their own Christmas traditions and customs. Christmas for Catholics - the Irish lasts from December 25 to the feast of Epiphany on January 6.

In Ireland and Wales, Santa Claus comes with gifts at Christmas, who is called Dady na Nollig, which literally translates as "Father of December." Dedi, like his British counterpart, is dressed in a green fur coat and a fur hat with a sprig of mistletoe on the lapel or a green top hat (bowler hat).

The day after Christmas, Ireland celebrates St. Stephen's Day (Boxing Day). On this day, carnival processions, horse races take place, young people go from house to house and sing songs.

But the feast of Epiphany (January 6) in Ireland is called "Women's Christmas" (a kind of March 8!). Traditionally, women relax on this day, go to visit each other for tea, gossip and enjoy each other's company, and men do all the housework and even cook food.

Yolasveinars



www.unlockingkiki.com

The country: Iceland

Yolasveinars are 13 mischievous creatures that replace Santa Claus in Iceland. The first significant mention of them came in the early 1930s, when an Icelandic writer wrote a short poem about their role in Christmas. Since then, they have gone through many different incarnations, from cute generous givers to harmful pests. At one time they were even called bloodthirsty monsters who kidnap and eat children at night.

But above all, the Yolasweinar are famous for their mischievous nature. And everyone has a special trait that is unique to him and sometimes quite strange. For example, Ketcrokur steals meat with a long hook, and Gluggagegir peeps people out the window to steal something at night. Stekkjastur walks on stilts and chases sheep.

How do they give gifts?

But the yolasweinar not only do strange things, they also give gifts to children. For children who have been well-behaved all 13 nights before Christmas Eve, they put good gifts in their shoes. And bad children are given potatoes. Accompanying the yolasweinar is the Yule Cat, a hungry beast that eats bad children.

Ulemanden- Denmark



The protagonist of the Christmas and New Year holidays in Denmark is, of course, the Danish Santa Claus. The Danes call him Ülemanden or Ületomten, which means Christmas man.

A fabulous old man lives in Greenland - and every child can write a letter to him. With the arrival of winter, Ülemande gets into a magical sleigh and travels around the cities of Denmark. On Christmas Eve, December 24, he brings gifts to all obedient children. But he doesn’t put it under the tree, but hides it in the most unexpected place, and in order to find a gift, sometimes you have to turn the whole house over!

Yulemanden's Christmas grandfather has helpers - little Nisse gnomes. They are sometimes referred to by their "full name" Julenisse, which translates to "Christmas gnome". These mischievous but good-natured creatures are very fond of rice pudding and oatmeal with butter and cinnamon. As a rule, they are dressed in wooden shoes, red stockings, gray knee-length pants and a sweater, which sometimes has red stripes, and they have a traditional red cap on their heads.

The head of the clan Yulenisse (senior dwarf) also lives in Greenland among the permafrost and rides a cart pulled by foxes, sometimes he is called the “younger Santa Claus”. There is a belief that for a whole year the old man Nisse with his huge family lives in his hut and makes gifts for children, and closer to Christmas, in the second half of December, he moves closer to people and settles in a barn and acts as a New Year's Brownie. People believe that he can help the hostess in various holiday chores, look after children and animals.
In addition to Nisse, the Danish Santa Claus has many more helpers; according to legend, mischievous mice, witches, a snowman, and forest animals help him.

It is customary for children in Denmark to give a plush or wooden Christmas tree and a figurine of the dwarf Nisse for the New Year. The Danes, by the way, sincerely believe that he is the embodiment of the soul of spruce.

Yulebukk- Norway



In Norway, with Santa Claus and his assistant - the Christmas gnome Nisse (Julenissen), the same story, only grandfather's name is Yulebukk here.

And Nisse is the same - a cute little brownie. He also likes sweet oatmeal with a bit of butter, wears a knitted red cap, and delivers gifts to children. He is very fond of attics and cabinets with utensils, he is friends with pets.

But in Norway, it is believed that Nisse, being a caring protector of the house, can be very vindictive. If offended, the nisse can cause damage to livestock and even destroy the entire farm.

And the Norwegians argue that the first Nisse in Scandinavia appeared precisely with them. According to legend, the very first Nisse more than four hundred years ago accidentally saw a girl who put a bowl in the snow on Christmas Eve so that Nisse would leave some food for her. Nisse put two silver coins into the bowl. The girl was so happy that Nissa liked this idea so much that every year he began to give the children coins and sweets. Thus, Nisse transformed into Yulebukk's Christmas helper.

And it is Nisse who helps to choose the best spruce that adorns the main square of any city. They say that he climbs to the top of the most beautiful Christmas tree and swings on it until people pay attention to this tree.

Niemand and Weinachtsmann- Germany


Nimand

In Germany, a whole company of New Year and Christmas characters.

The oldest New Year's character in Germany is considered Nimand(Nimand), which translates as "Nobody". German children put the blame on him when they were naughty or broke or smashed something. On New Year's Eve, he came on a donkey and brought sweets to obedient children. Children for these sweets put a plate on the table, and put hay in the shoes for the donkey Nimand.

Then the most important Santa Claus became Santa Nikolaus(Santa Nikolaus), therefore, until the beginning of the twentieth century, he wore episcopal attire.



In the old days, the evil Knecht Ruprecht (Knight Ruprecht) walked along with St. Nicholas, who punished naughty children. On the evening of December 5, on the eve of St. Nicholas Day, they marched together through the streets, handing out gifts to obedient children and whipping the disobedient with rods.

Ruprecht, in addition, kept a journal with a detailed description of the actions of children. The children believed that if they misbehaved, then Ruprecht would seize the most notorious naughty ones, put them in a bag or in a huge pocket of his raincoat and carry them into the forest.

Later, the images of Santa Nikolaus and Knecht Ruprecht merged into one, and the tradition of giving gifts to children was transferred to Christmas.


Weinachtsmann

Since the 19th century, Santa Claus has been called in German Weinachtsmann, which means Christmas grandfather. This kind grandfather with a long white beard, a red hat and white fur, as well as a bag of gifts, also arrives on a donkey, and the children, continuing the tradition, put a plate for gifts on the table before going to bed, and put treats for the donkey in their shoes. Sometimes Weinachtsmann leaves gifts on the windowsill, and sometimes he comes to visit on the evening of December 24, when the Christmas trees are already lit. In addition, he comes with his assistant - the beautiful and meek Kristkind (a kind of analogue of the Snow Maiden).



The image of Christkind was invented by Martin Luther, since the Protestants did not recognize Catholic saints, but wanted to continue the custom of receiving gifts. Therefore, Christkind came to Protestant families at Christmas in a white outfit, like an angel. In her hands she had a basket with traditional apples, nuts and sweets, and the children could tell her poems or sing songs, and for this they received gifts. However, Kristkind gave gifts only to obedient children, and the naughty ones were left empty-handed. This image took root in Germany, and Kristkind began to come to Catholic families, but the Protestants later practically abandoned this character.
Even with Weinakhtsmann comes the successor of Ruprecht's traditions - a strange creature in a topsy-turvy fur coat, intercepted by a chain, and a rod for punishing the disobedient in his hands named Polznickel (sometimes he is called out of habit Ruprecht).

But they try not to let Polznikel into the house, so he walks the streets, catches walkers, scaring them with his chains and forcing them to eat onions and garlic, which he specially carries with him. At the same time, Polznikel is considered not evil, but rather harsh and fair, the Germans believe that with his chains he scares away evil spirits.

Christmas in Germany is a family holiday, on this day a gift exchange ceremony takes place, which has a name - Bescherung.

Belsnickel



www.kansascity.com

Country: Germany, Austria, Argentina, USA (Dutch Pennsylvania)

Belsnickel is a legendary figure. He accompanies Santa Claus in some regions of Europe, as well as in some small Dutch communities in the US state of Pennsylvania. Like Krampus in Germany and Austria or Per Fottar in France, Belsnickel is the main enforcer of discipline in the Santa Claus circle. Belsnickel usually appears as a figure resembling a mountain man - his body is wrapped in furs, and his face is sometimes covered with a mask with a long tongue. Unlike Santa Claus, who was designed to be loved by children, Belsnickel is designed to be feared. In most regions, it serves as a kind of horror story with which children can be made to behave.

How does he give gifts?

By all indications, Belsnickel can be attributed to negative characters, but in some regions he also gives gifts to children. For example, in Germany, good obedient children receive sweets and small gifts from him on December 6th, St. Nicholas Day. And naughty children are waiting for coals or a whip. In some countries, they even say that Belsnickel can come to the children in person and warn them that they need to behave better.

Krampus



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Country: Austria, Germany and Hungary

In the Alpine countries, Santa Claus comes to children. But not alone: ​​he is accompanied by a terrible bloodthirsty monster named Krampus. His name comes from the German "klaue" - "claw". Krampus is part of the entourage of Santa Claus, but he is more of an evil character than a kind one - in any case, he beats naughty children or punishes them in other ways in a medieval style.

The Krampus legend appeared hundreds of years ago, but the church hushed it up until the 19th century. And today it has become part of Christmas in parts of Bavaria and Austria, where December 5th is celebrated as "Krampus Day" or "Krapusteg". People dress up as Krampus, walk the streets and scare other people. Some cities even hold entire festivals.

How does he give gifts?

It is clear that gifts are not his style. In traditional folklore, Krampus is more likely to beat delinquent children with rods or give them a severe reprimand if they are lucky. According to another version, he even kidnaps the worst children in the city, stuffs them into a bag and throws them into the river.

Papa Pasquale- Colombia



In Colombia, the New Year is celebrated very noisily and cheerfully. The main characters of the holiday are the Old Year and the Colombian Santa Claus, whose name is Papa Pasquale. He, like his brother Santa Claus, is also dressed in a red and white suit.

The arrival of the New Year is celebrated with a carnival procession. On the evening of December 31, a parade of puppets passes through the streets. They are attached to cars, bicycles or, put on a stake, simply carried over the crowd. Gifts are thrown to the dolls and thanked for all the good things that happened in the old year. It is like a farewell to the Old Year, its final procession.

Then the Old Year himself appears in the crowd on huge stilts, he amuses the children and tells them funny stories. The role of the Old Year can also be played by a doll attached to a long stick. As the clock strikes midnight, the Old Year descends from its stilts and it's Papa Pasquale's turn to set off spectacular fireworks.

Gaspard, Balthazar and Melchor- Cuba



The celebration of the New Year falls on Cuba at the hottest time. In the evening on the eve of the New Year's Eve, it's time for carnival processions, noisy fun and fireworks.

The main attribute of this holiday is the New Year tree - a local coniferous plant, araucaria, with hard branches and prickly needles.
But Santa Claus on the Island of Freedom, alas, does not exist. But there are still characters who carry out the mission of Santa Claus and deliver gifts to children. Children's New Year's holiday in Cuba is called the Day of the Kings. On the eve of the holiday, children write letters describing their most secret desires to three kind magicians, whose names are Gaspar, Balthazar and Melchor.

On New Year's Eve itself, Cubans are busy with a long tradition - before the New Year, fill all the vessels in the house with water, and when the clock strikes midnight, pour water out of the windows, wishing that the upcoming New Year be as clean as water.

But on the first day of the new year, named wizards appear in cities and villages who give gifts to children, have fun around Cuban Christmas trees and celebrate the onset of the new year.

Dedek (Deda) Mraz- Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina



In the countries of the former Yugoslavia, the image of Dedek (Grandfather) Mraz was inspired by the image of a New Year's guest from the USSR. The mythical Slavic benefactor comes from paganism a week before the New Year and on the night of December 31 to January 1, he began to distribute gifts to children in the countries of the SFRY.

Slovenia, or rather the city of Triglav, where he lives in the fictional country of Kekech, became the patrimony of Grandfather Mraz. Slovenian artist Maksim Gaspari created the image of a grandfather, dressing him in a white sheepskin coat with Slovenian ornaments and a furry hat, giving the costume a national touch.

Dedko Mraz usually arrives in a sleigh pulled by horses. Very often he is accompanied by wood elves, animals or snowflakes. Dedek Mraz decided not to take blood ties associated with his marriage to Mother Winter and the presence of a granddaughter of the Snow Maiden from Russian traditions.

At the end of December, in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, a festive procession of Dedek Mraz takes place. From Ljubljana Castle to the Krekov Market, Dedek's sleigh is moving across the city, accompanied by bears, rabbits, dragons and other heroes of folk tales. Along the way, the grandfather greets the children and treats them with sweets.

Actually, Santa Claus himself.



Santa Claus is the most famous partner of Santa Claus. Gray hair, neat beard and mustache. Red jacket, pants and cap. A dark leather belt wraps around a thick belly. In fact, this is an elf-cheerful. Most often, he has glasses on his nose, and a smoking pipe in his mouth (in recent years he has been trying not to “press” on this element of the image).



There are two Santa Clauses in Sweden: a round-shouldered grandfather with a knobby nose Yultomten and dwarf Yulnissaar. Both of them go home on New Year's Eve and leave gifts on the windowsills. Yultomten has many other names, I think, related to the folk dialects of the Swedes. It is called Kris Kringle, Yul Tomten, Yul Temten, Yultomte and Yolotomten.
Swedish Santa Claus visits the houses on December 24 in the afternoon or evening. Previously, relatives of children usually dressed as Yultomten. Even the tradition of wearing a mask has been preserved so that the children do not know who is under it and believe that this is the real Yultomten.



Many peoples of Russia have a similar character: the Karelians call him Pakkaine (Frost), and he is young.



His fabulous Majesty Ruler of the Lukomorye Yamal Grandfather Frost Yamal Iri lives in Yamal, or rather in the only city in the world located right on the Arctic Circle - Salekhard.
The Yamal Santa Claus has a magic staff-shovel. It is made of wood and decorated with exquisite ornaments. If you have a cherished desire, and you touch this staff, then it will surely come true.
Another fabulous attribute of the Yamal Santa Claus is a magic tambourine. A tambourine for Yamal Iri is a voice from the magical world, a shield symbol for a friend and assistant in magical affairs, a guide to the world of magic, a source of strength and energy. A tambourine helps to get rid of bad thoughts, makes good people stronger, and evil ones kinder.
The Yamal Grandfather of the North is a pantry of folk wisdom, He is a great storyteller of national northern legends and myths. Jokes, riddles, proverbs and fairy tales invariably accompany all meetings with Yamal Iri.
Grandfather Yamal - Ruler of the fabulous Lukomorye, endowed with magical powers. The Yamal Santa Claus is the ruler of the ice ridge (Polar Urals), through which winter descends to the Yamal land.
Yamal Iri gladly welcomes guests at his residence, gives them wonderful gifts, treats them with sweet treats and grants wishes.



Ehee Dyyl or Chiskhan - Yakut Santa Claus.



This New Year's character, apparently, "settled" better than other New Year's colleagues. Judge for yourself: his wife Kyhyn Khotun is in charge of winter time; the three daughters of Saaschaan, Sayyina and Kuhyuney distribute spring, summer and autumn duties among themselves. What Ehee Dyyl himself does is not entirely clear.

Wes Dade- Kabardino-Balkaria



Kabardino-Balkarian Santa Claus Wes Dade (“dade” means “grandfather”) is a rather secretive person. Little is reliably known about him, but in general he is a typical highlander - with a beard, a dagger and a traditional bunch of gifts, although he often dresses not in national clothes, but in the traditional red fur coat of Santa Claus.

Yushto Kugyza- Mari El



The Mari Santa Claus is called Yushto Kugyz, which translates as "Cold Grandfather". He comes to the guys together with his granddaughter Lumudyr.

However, in the Mari language the word "kugyza" means "old man" or "grandfather", and this is how the Mari call all spirits. There is Surt Kugyza - the spirit of the house, Pokshym Kugyza - the spirit of frosts, Kuryk Kugyza - the mountain old man.

But besides Yushto Kugyz, the Mari have another character who claims to be similar to Father Frost in terms of the role and duties of delivering gifts. This is Grandfather Vasily, in Mari El they call him Vasli Kuva-Kugyza. He, along with his old woman named Shorykyol Kuva-Kugyza, is the main character of the holiday Shorykyol - "Sheep's Leg".



The name was fixed from a magical action performed on holidays - pulling sheep by the legs in order to “call” a larger offspring of sheep in the new year. Shorykyol is one of the most famous Mari ritual holidays, and the Orthodox Mari celebrate it at the same time as Christian Christmas. Vasli Kuva-Kugyza and Shorykyol Kuva-Kugyza usually lead the procession of mummers and bring good luck and happiness to the house.

Frost Atya- Mordovia



In Mordovian mythology, there is a character Nishke, who is considered the highest god. According to legend, Nishke created the sky and the earth, released three fish into the world ocean, on which the earth rests, planted forests, created the Erzya human race, ordered men to do farming, and women to do housework. Nishke has two daughters, Castargo and Vetsorgo, who are invoked in conspiracies against illnesses, and a wife, Nishke-ava. Mordva knows that Nishke has seven magic barns in the sky. In one lives Santa Claus, who is called Moroz-atya, in the other - Grandfather Myakina, in the third - Friday, in the fourth - Sunday, in the fifth - winter, in the sixth - summer, and the seventh cannot be opened, and therefore no one knows what there is.

Frost Atya on New Year's holidays lives in his estate, which is located in the Mordovian village of Kivat in the Kuzovatovsky district of the Ulyanovsk region.

hyul muchi- Chuvashia



The house of the Chuvash Santa Claus - Khel Muchi stands on the Red Square of the city of Cheboksary, near the Cheboksary Bay. He lives with his granddaughter Snegurochka (in Chuvash - Yur Pique), and among the wonderful artifacts he has a wish-fulfilling chest, a pendulum clock that brings happiness, and a talking samovar.

Sagan Ubugun- Buryatia



Sagan Ubugun is translated as the White Elder, who, moreover, is considered the Master of the Year. Sagan Ubugun occupies one of the most popular places in the history of Buryat Buddhism, in ancient myths he is called the god - the spouse of the Earth. Sagan Ubugun is revered as the patron of longevity, wealth, happiness, family well-being, procreation, fertility, the lord of wild animals, people and domestic animals, geniuses (spirits) of the earth, water, the lord of mountains, earth and water.

And legends say that Sagan Ubugun was born already an old man. So the wizards punished his mother for not letting them drink water.

It is believed that with the advent of Sagan Ubugun, peace and prosperity come to every home. The elder is one of the main characters of the Sagaalgan (White Moon) holiday - the New Year of the Mongolian-speaking peoples, this holiday is celebrated in early spring, as well as the Buddhist holiday Tsam, a solemn religious service held annually on the eve of the New Year.

Traditionally, the White Elder is depicted as an old man with a long white beard, holding a rosary and a staff, on top of which is the head of a Makar, a mythical water monster that combines the features of a dolphin and a crocodile. It is believed that touching the staff of the Elder gives a long life. With congratulations and gifts, the Elder does not come by himself, but in the company of the Evenk Mother Winter, whose name is Tugeni Enyoken.

Tol-Babay- Udmurtia



An old Udmurt legend says that in ancient times, when there were no people in the world, Alangasary giants lived in the vicinity of Kar-Gora (now it is the central part of the Sharkan natural park). After people appeared in the vicinity of Kar-Gora, the Alangasars, not wanting to have anything to do with them, hurried to take refuge in its depths. And only the smallest of them, before leaving the world of people forever, looked back to look at his native places for the last time.
And while he was admiring the surroundings, the entrance to the parallel world was closed, and the little alangasar was left alone. He wandered around the world for a long time - he gained his mind, learned the language of birds and animals, learned the healing properties of plants. One winter, Alangasar met human children, but they were not afraid of the old man, but on the contrary, they began to play with him.

As a token of gratitude, the alangasar decided to make small gifts for the children. With the help of his squirrel friends, he collected cones from tall trees, hit the ground with his staff, and the snow melted in the clearing and flowers appeared. The children were delighted and called Alangasar Tol Babay - which means Snow grandfather.
Since then, Tol Babai comes to the children every winter and pleases them with gifts.

Tol Babai lives all year on the sacred mountain near the village of Sharkan, and in December he descends to his wooden residence, which was built for him in the Sharkansky district, in the village of Titovo.

In winter, the snowy old man receives guests, he goes to visit with his granddaughter Lyma Nyl, which means “snow girl” in Udmurt. Faithful forest and water spirits also help Tol Babai - Obyda, similar to our kikimora, the goblin Nyulesmurt and the owner of the water Vumurt, an analogue of the Vodyanoy.

There is another belief - if you hold on to the staff of Tol Babai and make a wish, then it will surely come true. Tol-Babai found this staff in the forest, and it is already many, many years old, so from time to time the staff was rubbed and bent. The old man also wears a traditional motley on his shoulder - a birch bark box, in which there are gifts for children. And the main difference between Tol Babay and our Santa Claus is that his coat is not red or blue, but purple.


Kysh-Babai. Tatarstan



Kysh-Babay appeared quite recently, and he does not yet have his own residence. He temporarily settled in the museum-reserve of the poet Gabdula Tukay.

Kysh Babai is the Tatar analogue of Santa Claus. He lives with his granddaughter Snegurochka, whose name is no less "romantic" - Kar Kyzy. And together with them live the well-known fairy-tale creatures - Baba Yaga (in Tatar - Ubyrly-Korchag) and Leshy (Shurale).

Dyado Koleda— Bulgaria



By tradition, the Christmas holidays in Bulgaria begin on December 20 - the day of St. Ignat the God-bearer - Ignazhden and continue until December 27 - Stephen's Day. These days, the holidays gradually unfold and reach their culmination on the night of Christmas. On Christmas days, festive Christmas trees for children are held all over Bulgaria, where the Bulgarian Dyado Koleda comes with his Snow Maiden, whose name is Snezhanka.

On the same days, Koledkas are held all over the country. Koledari dress up in clothes, depicting animals, devils, with music, with sacks in which they collect treats, they walk the streets and sing carols. And in southern and central Bulgaria, terrible kukeris walk the streets and also drive away evil spirits by singing songs.




On January 1, Bulgaria celebrates an ancient pre-Christian holiday, which has Proto-Bulgarian roots and is associated with the worship of the Sun God - Surva. The main attribute is a dogwood branch, which is called survachka or survaknitsa, decorated with colored threads, nuts, peppers, dried fruits, bread products and coins.

The role of survakars is usually played by children who, on the first of January, go around relatives and neighbors and, starting with the oldest member of the family, tap the survaknitsa on the back and say: Surva, surva, a merry year, a red apple in the garden, a gold coin in a wallet, many children in yard.
Grateful hosts give children treats and small money.

Noel Baba- Turkey



In Turkey, Santa Claus is called Noel Baba, which literally means "Christmas grandfather". The prototype for all the Christmas characters in many countries was St. Nicholas, in the world of Nicaea-Laos, who was born in the 4th century AD. in the Lycian state (the territory of the south of modern Turkey). He began serving God at the age of 19 and rose to the rank of bishop in the ancient city of Myra (now the city of Demre in the province of Antalya).

The tradition of well-known Christmas gifts is also due to St. Nicholas. Therefore, the Turks claim that not northern Lanland, but southern Antalya is considered the birthplace of Santa Claus. But at the same time, Noel Baba in Turkey is dressed like an American Santa Claus, and not like a Christmas representative of some European states, dressed in episcopal clothes.

Mongolian friend of Santa Claus Uvlin Uvgun



In Mongolia, the New Year is also a holiday for shepherds and cattle breeders. And since Uvlin Uvgun (that is the name of the Mongolian brother of Father Frost) is considered the most important shepherd, he comes to the children for the holiday in traditional Mongolian clothes of a cattle breeder. He is dressed in a long sheepskin coat or fur coat, on his head is a large fox hat. Uvlin Uvgun has a bag on his belt, in which there is a snuffbox, flint and flint, and in his hand is a long whip. These are the ancient belongings of a nomad who is not afraid of wandering and loneliness. Sometimes Uvlin Uvgun wears festive white clothes, on his head is a Mongolian three-piece hat, to the three ends of which red ribbons are sewn.

Uvlin Uvgun's assistants help deliver gifts - the granddaughter Zazan Ohin, whose name translates as a snow girl, that is, practically a Snow Maiden, and the boy Sheena Zhila (boy New Year). At the same time, in Mongolia they celebrate the New Year not at midnight, as is customary with us, but early in the morning, on the first day of the new year.

Colleagues of Santa Claus from Japan Oji-san and Segatsu-san



In Japan, the New Year is celebrated with 108 tolls of the bell. The most popular New Year's gift is Kumade - a bamboo rake, so that there is something to rake in happiness. Houses are decorated with pine branches, pine is a symbol of longevity.

In Japan, the role of Santa Claus for many centuries was played by the main figure of the New Year holiday - the god Hotei osho, whose peculiarity is that he has huge ears and eyes ... on the back of his head. Hotei Osho is one of the seven gods of happiness, the god of abundance, the embodiment of happiness and carelessness. You can easily recognize him by his huge belly. This god was worshiped, he was asked for gifts, etc.

But recently, two other Christmas and New Year characters have appeared in the Land of the Rising Sun, which even compete with each other.
Traditional Segatsu-san, on the eve of the New Year holidays, goes from house to house for a whole week, which the Japanese call "golden". He is dressed in a sky blue kimono.

He does not give gifts (they are prepared and given to children by their parents), but only congratulates everyone on the upcoming New Year. Segatsu-san is called "Lord New Year".
But his "younger" brother Oji-san is a "tracing paper" of the American Santa Claus. He is dressed in a traditional red sheepskin coat, brings gifts by sea, delivers them on deer and gives them to all the children. Therefore, he has a lot of fans in Japan and is very popular with children.

Uzbek Santa Claus - Corbobo



The New Year in Uzbekistan is also celebrated twice a year - according to the European style on January 1 and according to folk traditions - on March 21. On the eve of the New Year holidays, the “snow grandfather” comes to the children. This is how the name that the Uzbek Santa Claus bears - Korbobo is translated into Russian.

Instead of a fur coat, grandfather wears a striped robe and a red skullcap on his head. Traditionally, Korbobo arrives at the houses of cities and villages on a donkey loaded with bags of gifts. True, today, on the streets of modern Uzbekistan, one can rarely see a snow grandfather on a donkey. But there is a belief: if you ride the donkey Corbobo, then we can assume that in the new year you are saddled with luck. And the granddaughter, born in the USSR (before this character did not exist!) Helps the grandfather - by the name of Korgyz, which means in Uzbek - Snow Maiden.

Dzmer Papi or Kahand Papi- Armenia



The Armenian Father Frost, whose name is translated as “Frosty Father”, is surrounded by fabulous creatures: Khlvliks are noisy and active little men, and Aralez are half animals, half people.
Armenians often call the New Year Amanor. This word comes from the old Armenian word "am", which means "year" and "nor" - "new". In different regions of Armenia, the holiday was called differently: Taremut - the beginning of the year, Tareglukh - the head of the year, Kahand, which means the beginning of the month.
By the way, it was the last name that served as a second name for the Armenian Santa Claus - Kahand Papi. Often Dzmer Papi goes to congratulate children on their granddaughter, whose name is Dzyunanushik - literally - snowy Anush.

Tovlis Babua- Georgia



Georgian Santa Claus, as the legend says, comes from the highland village of Ushguli, located in the mountains of Svaneti. His name is translated from Georgian as "snow grandfather".

True, the Georgian grandfather Frost has a double name. In eastern Georgia, he is called "Tovlis papa", and in western Georgia, "Tovlis babua", although no one makes such a difference in the capital of the country, grandfather is called this way and that.

Tovlis Babua is a gray-haired old man with a long beard. He is dressed in a black or white chokha with a white cloak "nabadi", on his head he has a Svan hat or a white sheepskin hat - "papanaki". Sometimes the grandfather carries a dagger, but this is not a formidable weapon, but a tribute to the national costume.

Tovlis Babua brings gifts to children in a large bag of “khurzhini”. This is a very beautifully woven bag with double attachment,

Khurjun is a household item woven with carpet technique from multi-colored wool fibers and decorated with bells. It consists of two parts (bags). Khurjuns can have different sizes. Basically, they are intended for carrying agricultural products, etc. Such bags were thrown from both sides on donkeys or horses.

Georgian Santa Claus brings churchkhela, gozinaki, chiri-sweets in this bag for the kids. The Georgian Santa Claus does not have a granddaughter.

Baba mine- Azerbaijan



Grandfather Frost in Azerbaijan is called Mine Baba (with an accent on the second syllable), the literal translation is "Frosty Grandfather". The Azerbaijani granddaughter of the grandfather - the Snow Maiden, is called Gar gizi, which translates as "Snow Girl". Shakhta Baba is dressed in the same way as Santa Claus, and gives gifts in the same way.
Salavecis- Latvia



The Latvian Santa Claus is called Salavecis.
He lives in the town of Ziemupe, Liepaja region. The dwarfs help Salavecis to parse letters from children and prepare gifts for them. And unlike our Santa Claus, he wears a blue fur coat.

Papa Noel and Olentzero- Spain



The Spanish Santa Claus, who comes exactly on New Year's Eve, is called Papa Noel, he is the "twin brother" of Santa Claus and performs the same functions.

But in the Basque country and Navarre there is a Santa Claus, whose name is Olentzero.

Literally, the name Olentzero means "good time". He lives in the mountains and descends to people only on New Year's Eve. Olentzero is dressed in national homespun clothes, has a traditional beret or straw hat on his head, and he always smokes a smoking pipe and carries a flask of good Spanish wine (albeit very weak) on his belt, which he treats to children. The thing is that Olentzero comes to the children on December 28, namely on this day, in addition to the Christmas holidays, the Feast of Disobedience is celebrated in Spain. Only on this day, children are allowed to do whatever they want, and even try the wine offered by Olentzero.



The history of this character began in pagan times, when he symbolized winter. Later, legends appeared telling how this old man was involved in Christmas and the New Year.
According to the first legend, it was Olentzero who informed the ancestors of modern Basques about the coming of Christ. Allegedly, once an ancient tribe of Basque giants observed glowing clouds in the sky for several days. Only one blind old man could look at the bright light emanating from them. To numerous questions about what this means, the blind man replied that Jesus would be born soon.

And the second legend says that once a fairy found a baby in the forest. She named him Olentzero and gave him to a childless family who lived in the forest. There Olentzero grew up and became a coal miner. In his free time, he learned to make wooden toys, and when his parents died, he stayed in the forest. When he was completely lonely, he collected the made wooden toys in a bag, loaded the bag onto a donkey and went to the city, where he distributed these toys to orphans. The children were happy to receive toys as a gift, and Olenztero was happy that he managed to bring them joy. This went on for many years. But one day there was a severe thunderstorm, and the house where the orphans lived caught fire. Olentzero, who had just arrived for a visit with a new bag of toys, saw the fire and rushed to save the children. He managed to save the children, but he himself died. At that moment, that same fairy appeared and said: “Olentzero, you were a good person with a good heart. You lost your life saving the lives of children. And I don't want you to die, I want you to live forever. From now on, your destiny is to make toys and give them to children. Since then, Olentzero appears every Christmas and gives gifts to children. Children believe in Olentzero, there is even a Basque proverb: "everything that has a name exists if we ourselves believe in its existence."

Mikulash and Hedgehog- Czech Republic and Slovakia



There are really two Santa Clauses in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and one is very old and was born from the stories of St. Nicholas (Mikulas - in Czech Nicholas), and the second is too young and arose as a “giver” of gifts from the feast of the Nativity of Christ.

The first is St. Mikulas, a kind Czech grandfather who gives gifts to children on the eve of his name day - the day of St. Mikulas, which is celebrated on December 5th. Mikulas is dressed in a bishop's robe of red or white.

It arrives on the night of December 5-6, on the eve of St. Nicholas Day. Outwardly, it looks like our Santa Claus: the same long fur coat, hat, staff with a top twisted into a spiral. Only now he brings gifts not in a bag, but in a shoulder box. Yes, and it is not Snegu-rochka who accompanies him, but an angel in snow-white clothes and a shaggy imp. The devil carries with him a black list with the names of prankster children, and the Angel, respectively, is white with the names of obedient children. Together, these lists make up the "Book of Good and Bad Deeds."

Mikulash carefully studies the notes of this book and decides which of the kids he will give the treasured gift - fruits, sweets and toys, and to whom the Devil will get coal or potatoes from his big bag. However, you can also beg for "indulgence" from Mikulash by singing him a song or telling a rhyme.

But on Christmas itself, Czech children put gifts under the Christmas tree by a boy named Ezhishek or Ezulatko, the prototype of which is the baby Jesus himself.



Czechs, like Slovaks, when sending or giving gifts to friends and relatives, certainly say that this is a gift from Jerzyszek. Currently in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the image of Mikulas, who looks no different from the American Santa Claus and in most cases no longer wears episcopal vestments, has provoked opposition from the general public. In the vast majority of Czech and Slovak families, it is Jerzyszek, who brings gifts to everyone, that remains the symbol of a magical Christmas. This little guy comes in after dinner on Christmas Eve. Before or during dinner, parents try to go out unnoticed to put gifts under the tree, and after dinner, one of the adults (again, unnoticed) rings a bell hanging at the door or on a tree in the yard to inform that the gifts from Hedgehog are already under the tree.

St Nicholas. Poland, Belgium



Saint Nicholas is considered the prototype of Santa Claus. He lived in the 4th century and from early childhood was distinguished by mercy. Nikolay was rich, and often secretly put gifts in windows for the poor.

According to legend, one day he threw bags of gold down the chimney. all the windows were closed, and they fell into socks drying by the hearth.
From here came the tradition of Catholics - to put gifts in socks.
Tao Kuen, Teng Bep and Ong Gi Noen- Vietnam


Tao Kuen in yellow, Theng Bep in blue and Ong gi Noen in red

The New Year for the Vietnamese is always a surprise because it does not have an exact date for celebration. The exact date of the holiday varies from year to year - it is celebrated between January 21 and February 19. But in Vietnam they celebrate the New Year twice: according to the lunar calendar and according to the solar one. Therefore, there are several Vietnamese, so-called Santa Clauses.

The one who comes on New Year's Eve is called Onga Noen, which translates as Old Man Christmas. However, with it, the spirit of the New Year comes to Vietnamese homes. Tao Kuen, which in Vietnamese mythology is considered the deity of the earth. According to folk legends, Tao Kuen has the appearance of a dragon, but more often - an old man who knows about all human affairs.

Seven days before the new year according to the lunar calendar, this old man goes to heaven on a carp to report to the supreme deity Ngauk Hoang about the good deeds and deeds of all family members for the whole year. Therefore, near his image, the Vietnamese put a lot of sweets. It is believed that Tao Kuen will eat, his lips will stick together, and he will not be able to tell the heavenly ruler about bad deeds. And on New Year's Eve, the Vietnamese buy live carp, and then release it into a river or pond. With the return of Tao Kuen to the earth, before the first day of the new year, the earth awakened, and the old man carried gifts from Ngauk Hoang to homes.

And in folk representations, Tao Kuen is often identified with thang bepom- the spirit of the hearth, which sometimes comes to people on New Year's holidays.

So all these three "Santa Claus" often come to Vietnamese children and adults, dressed in costumes with national colors of different colors.

Perhaps, from the time of the great Soviet-Vietnamese friendship, a female one appeared next to male mythological characters - a kind of helper Snegurochka, whom everyone most often calls Tuet Ko Gai, which translates as “snow girl”, although they don’t know much about snow in Vietnam lot.


Theeng Bepom and Tuet Ko Gai

Instead of a Christmas tree, the Vietnamese decorate a tangerine tree and prepare a traditional dish - a square rice cake. And in Vietnam there are such interesting customs: firstly, according to Vietnamese belief, you must jump from the old year into the new one, and secondly, the first three days after the New Year, the Vietnamese do not sweep the floor in their houses, so as not to sweep away good and good luck .

what is the name of santa claus in germany and got the best answer

Answer from Andrey Yaroslavsky[guru]
There are two winter grandfathers in Germany. One of them is Santa Nikolaus, who is inseparable from his servant Ruprecht, but brings gifts (and not only gifts, but also rods for the guilty) to children not at Christmas, but on December 6, the day of St. Nicholas. But on Christmas night itself, Weinakhtsman comes to the German guys - an exact copy of the Russian Santa Claus.

Answer from 2 answers[guru]

Hey! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: what is the name of Santa Claus in Germany

Answer from DDD[guru]
St. Nikolaus: the family tree of the German Santa Claus
New Year in Russia is impossible to imagine without Santa Claus. Germany also has its own Santa Claus, who brings gifts, only his name is different. And the pedigree of this Santa Claus is still controversial.
German Santa Claus does not come on New Year's Eve, as in Russia, but on St. Nicholas Day. On the morning of December 6, having barely woken up, the children rush headlong to the door to discover with delight a sock or shoe filled with sweets behind it. There is only one "but": in Germany, no one still really knows what St. Nikolaus looks like (Sankt Nikolaus). Now he is a handsome white-bearded grandfather in a furry coat and a red cap, then he is a Catholic bishop in a cassock with a tiara on his head and a staff in his hand.
Bishop or laborer?
Saint Nicholas in episcopal vestments
And this confusion originated in ancient times. To begin with, under the name of St. Nikolaus (in the Russian tradition - St. Nicholas), two saints are revered at once. One of them, Bishop Nikolaus of Myra, lived in the 4th century AD. e. , and the other, his namesake, Bishop Nikolaus of Sion, in the 5th century. Later, Saint Nicholas was revered in Germany as the patron saint of sailors, merchants, bakers and schoolchildren. And in the XIV century, in schools at Catholic monasteries, every year they began to celebrate December 6, the Day of St. Nicholas of Myra. The holiday was accompanied by magnificent processions, in which monks, children and adult parishioners participated. Even then, gifts were handed out that day.
christmas grandfather
But in the villages of medieval Germany, ordinary people preferred that gifts be brought to children not by a Catholic bishop, but by the legendary farmhand Ruprecht, outwardly very much like the Russian Santa Claus. This custom was adopted and changed in its own way by the Protestant Church that appeared as a result of the church reformation. Therefore, in the Catholic regions of Germany, St. Nikolaus still often appears before the children in the cassock of a bishop, and in the Protestant regions - in a peasant sheepskin coat.
Over the centuries, the farm laborer Ruprecht transformed into an assistant to Nikolaus (instead of the Snow Maiden, who does not accompany the German Santa Claus). Now Ruprecht carries behind the owner a bag with gifts for obedient children and a bunch of rods for lazy people and hooligans.
Sutana or sheepskin coat?
But the confusion with St. Nikolaus in Germany does not end there. Until the beginning of the 20th century in Germany, he had another strong competitor - Weihnachtsmann (Christmas grandfather), an exact copy of the Russian Father Frost. He also brought gifts to children, but he preferred to do this not in early December, but on Christmas Day. Over the years, the figures of these wizards have merged into one. Now Weihnachtsmann is the "pseudonym" of St. Nikolaus. Or vice versa? In general, this is the same gray-bearded grandfather who accompanies the holidays throughout December.
Santa Claus
The Americans, who invented their own Santa Claus and called him Santa Claus, helped in many ways to eliminate this split personality. It is said that it was first described in 1822 by the American professor of Greek literature, Clement Clark Moore. In a poem he wrote for his daughters for Christmas, the scientist claimed that Santa Claus was a fat, cheerful, gray-bearded old man who arrived on a sleigh pulled by eight nimble reindeer.
The consonance of the names of Santa Claus (which the Americans adopted from Dutch immigrants) and St. Nikolaus, as well as the growing influence of American culture throughout the 20th century, contributed to the fact that over several decades the memory of the Christian bishop of the 4th century in Germany was noticeably erased, and St. more and more often he changes his cassock for a cheerful outfit of a Christmas grandfather.

German Santa Claus does not come on New Year's Eve, as in Russia, but on the eve of Christmas. His name is St. Nikolaus - St. Nicholas, and December 6 is celebrated as his feast day. There is only one "but": in Germany, no one still really knows what St. Nikolaus looks like (Sankt Nikolaus). Now he is a handsome white-bearded grandfather in a furry coat and a red cap, then he is a Catholic bishop in a cassock with a tiara on his head and a staff in his hand.

Bishop or laborer?

This confusion began in ancient times. To begin with, at least with the fact that under the name of St. Nicholas, two saints are revered at once. One of them, Bishop Nikolaus of Myra, lived in the 4th century AD, and the other, his namesake, Bishop Nikolaus of Sion, lived in the 5th century. Later, St. Nicholas was revered in Germany as the patron saint of sailors, merchants, bakers and schoolchildren. And in the XIV century, in schools at Catholic monasteries, every year they began to celebrate December 6, the Day of St. Nicholas of Myra. The holiday was accompanied by magnificent processions, in which monks, children and adult parishioners participated. Even then, gifts were handed out that day.

But in the villages of medieval Germany, ordinary people preferred that gifts be brought to children not by a Catholic bishop, but by the legendary farmhand Ruprecht, outwardly very much like the Russian Santa Claus. This custom was adopted and changed in its own way by the Protestant Church that appeared as a result of the church reformation. Therefore, in the Catholic regions of Germany, St. Nikolaus still often appears before the children in the cassock of a bishop, and in the Protestant regions - in a peasant sheepskin coat.

Context

Over the centuries, the farm laborer Ruprecht transformed into an assistant to Nikolaus (instead of the Snow Maiden, who does not accompany the German Santa Claus). Now Ruprecht carries behind the owner a bag with gifts for obedient children and a bunch of rods for lazy people and hooligans.

Sutana or sheepskin coat?

But the confusion with St. Nikolaus in Germany does not end there. Until the beginning of the 20th century in Germany, he had another strong competitor - Weihnachtsmann (Christmas grandfather), an exact copy of the Russian Father Frost. He also brought gifts to children, but he preferred to do this not in the first half of December, but just before Christmas. Over the years, the figures of these wizards have merged into one. Now Weihnachtsmann is a kind of "pseudonym" of St. Nikolaus. Or vice versa? In general, this is the same gray-bearded grandfather who accompanies the holidays throughout December. However, Catholic priests do not get tired of saying that St. Nicholas is a bishop, and Christmas grandfather is not clear who.

The Americans, who invented their own Santa Claus and called him Santa Claus, helped in many ways to eliminate this split personality. It is said that it was first described in 1822 by the American professor of Greek literature, Clement Clark Moore. In a poem he wrote for his daughters for Christmas, the scientist claimed that Santa Claus was a fat, cheerful, gray-bearded old man who arrived on a sleigh pulled by eight nimble reindeer.

The consonance of the names of Santa Claus (which the Americans adopted from Dutch immigrants) and St. Nikolaus, as well as the growing influence of American culture throughout the 20th century, contributed to the fact that over several decades the memory of the Christian bishop of the 4th century in Germany was noticeably erased, and St. Nicholas more and more often he changes his cassock for a cheerful outfit of a Christmas grandfather.

Grandfather or baby?

Today, the snow-white beard and red coat of the German Santa Claus constantly flash in the Christmas markets and in the flea market of the pre-holiday sale in German stores. In Germany, there is, perhaps, not a single self-respecting large department store in which its own, "signature" St. Nikolaus would not treat children with sweets and fruits.

Well, on Christmas he puts presents for them under the tree. True, there is no competition here. Many children in Germany believe that it is not St. Nikolaus or the Christmas grandfather who puts gifts under the Christmas tree, but Christkind, who, in turn, is considered by some to be the Baby Jesus, others as an angel. However, neither one nor the other has yet been seen by anyone ...

See also:

advent season

In December, Christmas markets are open in Germany - large and small, traditional and alternative. There are about two and a half thousand of them throughout the country. Let's look at some of them.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

Next to the cathedral

Let's start with Cologne. This city leads in Germany in terms of the total number of visitors to its Christmas markets. In the few weeks leading up to Christmas, about four million people visit here. One of the fairs is located right next to the Cologne Cathedral Collection - the most popular German attraction.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

Berlin Christmas

Nearly three dozen Christmas markets await visitors in Berlin. They are scattered throughout the city. The most famous and popular are located on Alexanderplatz near the Berlin Television Tower and the Red Town Hall, on the Gendarme Market, Potsdamer Platz and in the Spandau district.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

In the former capital

The former capital of Germany, Bonn, lags behind capital Berlin in terms of the number of fairs, but can compete with other cities in the category of the most cozy Christmas markets. One of them is located on the square near the city hall and not far from the house where the great German composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

In the center of Düsseldorf

The historic center of Düsseldorf, known for its numerous pubs, bars and restaurants, actually turns into one big Christmas market during the pre-holiday weeks. Only in the Old Town there are six fairs, and the total number of stalls and pavilions exceeds two hundred.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

Gingerbread Christmas

The Aachen authorities decided to reduce the number of stalls selling food and drinks, and give more space to jewelry, souvenirs, gifts and other handicrafts. According to statistics, each visitor to the Christmas market in this city spends about 35 euros, in particular, on locally printed gingerbread - Aachener Printen.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

From around the world

Leaving North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous federal state of Germany, let's take a look at the capital of the Ruhr region, Essen, where the International Christmas Market (Internationaler Weihnachtsmarkt) awaits visitors once again, which traditionally sells treats, drinks and souvenirs from all over the world.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

Christmas in Nuremberg

The Nuremberg holiday market Christkindlesmarkt is considered the most famous Christmas market in Germany. About two million people visit it every year. Christkindlesmarkt dates back to the first half of the 17th century, that is, it is one of the oldest in Germany.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

Christmas in the Harz

The Christmas market in Wernigerode, famous for its monuments of half-timbered architecture, is one of the most famous and romantic such fairs in eastern Germany. Its visit can be combined with excursions in the Harz, a mountainous region famous for its traditional handicrafts. Here, for example, you can buy wooden souvenirs.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

Christmas in the financial capital of Europe

Frankfurt am Main Christmas Market is located on Römer Square in front of the Old Town Hall. It is one of the most visited in Germany. The main 30-meter Christmas tree is decorated with garlands with five thousand light bulbs and four hundred ribbons.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

Hanseatic Christmas

In the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, there are six large and more than two dozen small Christmas markets. The most famous is located on the Town Hall Square.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

With the Bremen Town Musicians

From Hamburg, let's look at another Hanseatic city - Bremen. Its main Christmas market is located in front of the Old Town Hall on one of the most beautiful historical squares in Germany with its Gothic and Renaissance facades. Special mention also deserves the Schlachte-Zauber trade fair dedicated to the maritime theme. She is waiting for guests in the quarter near the river Weser.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

Christmas in Thuringia

On the square in front of the Erfurt Cathedral, the largest Christmas market in the federal state of Thuringia is open. It has been held for more than a century and a half. Every year it is visited by a little less than 2 million people.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

Souvenirs of the Ore Mountains

Dresden has one of the oldest German Christmas markets - Dresdner Striezelmarkt. In 2019, it will be held for the 585th time. Only this fair, not counting others, for example, near the famous Frauenkirche church, is visited annually by about 2.5 million people. In Dresden, you can buy traditional wooden souvenirs made by craftsmen in the Ore Mountains region.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

Christmas in Leipzig

The Christmas market in Leipzig is also one of the largest and oldest such markets in Germany.



15 cities on the Christmas map of Germany

With a Bavarian accent

Munich is the last on our list, but far from the last in terms of its importance. The Bavarian capital is famous for its special flavor, which becomes even more evident in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The most famous market is the Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz, but there are fairs in almost every urban area.