News: 2006-12-26

Snegurochka, granddaughter of Father Frost

The home of Snegurochka, weather a small girl or a beautiful young woman, the granddaughter of Ded Moroz (Father Frost), is to be considered to be from one of two places: country estate-museum Abramtsevo (Moscow region, Sergiev Posad) or Kostroma (350 km from Moscow). None of Grand Father Frost's foreign congeners has such a sweet accompaniment.

She is a unique character, a symbol of congealed waters. This beauty became very well known in 1873 after the piece by a. Ostrovsky, based on folk legends and sagas about a snowy girl who became alive. The playwright called it "Spring fairy-tale". The very famous Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov wrote wonderful music for this piece and the great artist Vasnetsov created the amazing decors, both real masterpieces of art. After successful staging in 1886 Snegurochka penetrated into hearts of Russian people and has become an inalienable helpmate of Ded Moroz in the New Year celebrations. The scene of this magic story is the ancient kingdom of Berendeys, happy and honest nation. The cold young beauty Snegurochka,the daughter of Frost (father) and Spring (mother), suffering from the loneliness and wishing to be as happy as all Berendeys, asks her mother to give her human feelings, to experience love . Feeling the whole fire of ebullient infatuation Snegurochka perishes from sizzling love. At the end of this sad romantic story she jumps over the bonfire (ancient pagan tradition of winter  send-off, still remaining in some parts of Russia) and turns into a light cloud so as to come back next winter:.

Snegurochka is also associated with Kostroma are doubtable winter goddess, highly esteemed in the Kostroma region. There is a tradition of drowning a straw girl in the river or burning her on the bonfire to dispel the winter!!! This ceremony is supposed to guarantee the seasons fertility. Little by little the power of this goddess has been forgotten and Kostroma turned into a delicate young girl. Probably that tradition was the basis of the Ostrovsky fairy-tale. Originally Snegurochka wore only white garments and a crown, decorated with silver and pearls. In the present day the costume of this snowy girl happens to be blue and the crown sometimes replaced by an embroided cap with a fir edging.

The dream of every woman is to turn into a young beautiful Snegurochka, even for a little time. This can come true. In the country -estate Abramtsevo, where celebrated Russian artist Vasnetsov did his painting "Snegurochka"-the daughter of Frost and Spring", they have decided to reconstruct the plot of this canvas. It's remarkable that not very far from Abramtsevo there is a village called Berendeevo. To everyone's surprise any woman in the cloth of Vasnetsov's Snegurochka getting out the snowy forest becomes as young as spring and as dazzlingly beautiful as frosty rime. You don't believe? Well, come and try yourself...