Snow Maiden

The image of the Snow Maiden is not fixed in the Russian folk rite. However, in Russian folklore, she appears as a character in a folk tale about a girl made of snow, who came to life.

Tales of Snegurka were investigated by AN Afanasiev in the second volume of his work "Poetic views of the Slavs on nature" (1867 year).

In 1873, A. Ostrovsky, under the influence of Afanasyev's ideas, wrote the play "The Snow Maiden." In it, the Snow Maiden appears as the daughter of Grandfather Frost and Spring-Red, who dies during the summer ritual of veneration of the Sun-god Yarila. Looks like a beautiful pale blond girl. Dressed in blue and white clothes with a fur coat (fur coat, fur cap, gloves). Initially, the play did not have success with the public.

In 1882 NA Rimsky-Korsakov staged an opera of the same name, which was a huge success. Further development of the image of Snow Maiden was received in the works of teachers of the late XIX - early XX century, who prepared scripts for children's Christmas trees. Even before the revolution, the Snow Maiden figures were hung on a Christmas tree, girls dressed up in Snow Maiden costumes, staged fragments from fairy tales, plays by Ostrovsky or opera. At this time in the role of leading Snegurochka did not perform.

His image of the Snow Maiden received his modern look in 1935 in the Soviet Union, after the official permission to celebrate the New Year. In books on the organization of Christmas trees of this period, Snegurochka acts on a par with Santa Claus, as his granddaughter, assistant and intermediary in the communication between him and the children. In the beginning of 1937, Father Frost and Snow Maiden came together for the first time at the Christmas tree festival in the Moscow House of Unions. It is curious that in the early Soviet images the Snow Maiden is more often depicted as a little girl, she was introduced as a girl later.

In the post-war period, the Snow Maiden is almost an obligatory companion of Father Frost in all festive celebrations, congratulations, etc. Under the New Year, often Snow Maiden worked as a student of theater universities and actresses. In amateur productions for the role of Snow Maiden chose the older girls, girls and women, more often blonde.