You can often hear that Father Frost and Santa Claus are one and the same. However, Santa Claus has several important differences from Santa Claus, which are due to historical, literary, and often geographical, as well as climatic factors. So, what are the external differences between Father Frost and Santa!

1. Color of clothes! - Santa Claus has a long blue sheepskin coat, he is belted with a sash, a hat on his head, felt boots on his feet, mittens on his hands, and a staff in his hands. - Santa has a red jacket and belt, a cap and boots, gloves, and a pipe in his hands.

Santa Claus can also be in red, but at the same time he can wear other clothes - in general, it is desirable that it be white, blue, maybe it can be yellow or green. Also, the robe of the real Santa Claus is not covered with a solid color - it is diluted with patterns, embroidery, trim (white or blue color) etc.

And in Santa Claus’ clothes the aggressive solid red color predominates (exclusively this one!), and only the edge of his jacket is sometimes white.

The color of the clothes is red: This is hardly a Russian Grandfather!

From history: The traditional clothing of Russian Father Frost is white, embroidered with silver thread ("frost" patterns). In late tsarist times ( late XIX– beginning of the 20th century) “cold” clothes appeared blue, embroidered with silver thread, and yellow, embroidered with “golden” thread.

After the proletarian revolution of 1917, red clothes appeared (to match the color of the international proletarian flag), embroidered with silver thread.

After the 1960s, the Muslim peoples of the USSR began to occasionally wear green clothes, also embroidered with patterns, for Santa Claus.

Modern traditions of Father Frost's robes: It is desirable that it be real silver - white, almost entirely embroidered with silver patterns. Santa Claus can be in a red or blue robe embroidered with patterns. It is acceptable for it to be “golden” - yellow, embroidered with “golden” threads.

The robe of a real Santa Claus does not cover a solid color - it is necessarily diluted with patterns, embroidery, trim (white or blue), etc.

The clothes of the alien Santa Claus are dominated by an aggressive solid red color (exclusively this one!), and only the edge of his pathetic jacket is sometimes white.

The red robes of Father Frost were introduced in Soviet times as ideologically consistent with the color of the international proletarian revolutionary red flag. This is ridiculous. Santa Claus is the ancient pagan god of our ancestors from very old “pre-proletarian” times.

2. Cap! The most typical distinguishing feature! - Real Grandfather Frost can NEVER be in a cap - he is wearing a boyar's hat. - And Santa Claus is wearing a jester’s cap with a pompom, like a prankster gnome, which immediately gives him a frivolity and parody atypical for Santa Claus.

When you see the cap, be sure: it is the enemy!

3. Outerwear. - Santa Claus wears a short jacket (sometimes just below the waist, sometimes up to the waist), tied with a belt. Below the sweatshirt are red pants. Remember that the true Father Frost would never be able to endure our Russian winter in such mocking clothes. - Santa Claus should have a long fur coat reaching to the ground, from under which no pants should be visible. The sight of pants sticking out from under a short fur coat destroys all respectability. What Santa Claus wears under his fur coat is sacred and cannot be put on display!

If you saw Grandfather wearing pants, know: this Grandfather is not from our country!

4. Shoes, mittens, belt. - Santa Claus always wears boots, often of a short type, which is again ridiculous for our climate. - Santa Claus should only have felt boots!

If Grandfather is wearing boots, you know that enemies wear them!

Santa Claus has warm mittens on his hands, Santa Claus has light gloves.

Mittens are good for autumn, but in cold weather it is better to wear mittens. The classic image requires that the mittens be three-fingered white, embroidered with silver - a symbol of the purity and holiness of everything that he gives from his hands. Three-fingered fingers have been a symbol of belonging to a higher divine principle since the Neolithic.

Santa Claus has a white belt; or with a trim to match the color of the fur coat. Santa Claus has a belt with a buckle. (Maybe demobilization? :-))

Again - the difference in climate. In the cold, the leather belt will simply crack. And how can you fasten the buckle in mittens?

5. Beard. - Santa Claus's beard is cut short, like that of a civilized old man, and also curly, like that of a lamb from a children's postcard. Curly skipper beard! - All this is absolutely not typical for Santa Claus. The beard of Santa Claus is wild, long, disheveled by the free wind, and in most cases it lacks any sugary curliness.

Is Grandfather's beard short? Trouble threatens the nation!

6. Growth and volume. From all the previous rants, in general, it is clear that Santa Claus is indecently small in height. And Santa Claus is impressive in stature, like the true ruler of the New Year! As for volume, Santa Claus is quite skinny. Well, his clothes are crap, just for the sake of formality. But in accordance with the Russian winter, Santa Claus wears a lot of warm clothes, and all the clothes are real, fur, thick. So Santa Claus is impressive in terms of volume too!

If Grandfather is skinny and petty - boldly drive him away!

Sometimes it happens that in terms of volume, Santa Claus, on the contrary, goes to the opposite extreme and becomes fat and round. But remember that his thickness always looks unnatural and caricatured, while all the proportions of Santa Claus are always harmonious, and his thickness never conflicts with his height.

7. Glasses. Also, such a sign of culture as glasses is typical for Santa Claus. Santa Claus does not have this characteristic. How can this all-powerful spirit of Nature - Santa Claus - have such a disadvantage as myopia?! Myopia is inherent only to those who are spoiled by a destructive civilization, who are tamed and domesticated to the point of complete degeneration, as happened with Santa Claus.

8. Snow Maiden. Same hallmark. Santa Claus never had and never will have a granddaughter, because his prototype is St. Nicholas, almost like any saint, was chaste. And our natural Grandfather has a granddaughter, this is everyone’s favorite Snow Maiden! So there are two of us, and there is only one Santa Claus! The Snow Maiden is the granddaughter of Father Frost and accompanies him everywhere. The image of the Snow Maiden is a symbol of frozen waters. This is a girl dressed only in white clothes (or colors reminiscent of frozen water). The headdress of the granddaughter of Santa Claus is an eight-rayed crown, embroidered with silver and pearls.

Santa sometimes still has Mrs. Santa Claus, but she is hardly visible.

9. Staff. - Please note: Santa Claus’s staff is the standard staff of a Catholic bishop (for it is not for nothing that Santa Claus comes from St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra): a stick with a curved top.

But Santa Claus has nothing to do with St. Nicholas has nothing to do with it, so his staff should only be a straight stick; it could have a round knob (or at least in the shape of a star; the staff should never be rounded).

10. Deer. - Only Santa Claus moves, as the Americans teach us in their movies and cartoons, on reindeer across the sky.

Reindeer have never been Santa Claus's mode of transportation. For our Grandfather, the deer is too small and weak. Santa Claus can ride on a Russian troika, not in the sky, but quite on the ground, or rather on the snow - he is flesh of the flesh of this snow, this earth, this nature, why should he tear himself away from his native roots, snow fluttering from under the runners dust, frosty wind blows in the face, Santa Claus rolls with daring and bells! The dashing troika is rushing across the Russian Earth - then the owner of Winter, Grandfather Frost, is driving around his endless domain! And Grandfather Frost also skis!!! A real athlete!

But in general, as already mentioned, Santa Claus moves in a mystical way, and there is no point in meddling with sacred matters.

11. Socks on the fireplace. - This applies only to Santa Claus, but not to Father Frost. Socks on the fireplace are a purely Western gadget: supposedly Santa Claus comes down the chimney and puts a gift in the sock. However, what to explain - a fool understands that there have never been any fireplaces in Rus'. And our Grandfather won’t fit into some narrow fireplace, why would he? Moreover, Santa Claus would never have appeared among us in such a primitive and mundane way as they did: “Penetrating into the house through pipes and windows, he puts gifts in stockings, most often hung on the fireplace, and jingles his bells, as if announcing about the coming of the New Year."

Santa Claus appears in our homes in some mystical way, truly like a spirit, no one really knows how he appears - we only know that he WAS... And trying to explain this sacred secret in a rational way in the Western manner is blasphemy.

And one more thing. Our Father Frost is a real generous Russian soul, he is not so wretched and stingy as to limit his gift to the size of an idiotic and, most often, striped sock!

12. Other accompanying paraphernalia – all sorts of wreaths, bells, etc., including “Jingle Bells” songs and others. This is all purely Christmas paraphernalia and is associated only with Santa Claus, and all this Western consumer goods should not be attributed to the image of Father Frost.

13. Other very important differences:

Father Frost is much older than Santa Claus, whose modern image was created by the American writer Clement Clark Moore, who described his appearance and habits in detail in his poem “The Night Before Christmas” in the early 19th century. - Santa Claus holds a pipe in his mouth - he smokes!!! (V lately This detail is becoming increasingly rare). Santa Claus is leading healthy image life, and does not smoke.

Santa Claus and Grandfather Frost are the most Christmas and New Year characters with whom numerous fairy tales are associated. Despite the fact that the characters have similar functions and tasks, the differences are fundamental.

Santa Claus: who is it?

Santa Claus is Christmas Father Christmas, a folklore character originating from Western Europe and North America. Santa Claus must give numerous gifts to children on Christmas Day.


To date, there is no consensus as to which country is the homeland of Santa Claus. Despite this, traditionally people come to visit Santa Claus in Finland, in Lappland.

The prototype of Santa Claus is the saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, and the grandfather’s name is translated as follows: Santa - saint, Klaus - Nikolai. The miracle worker initially became famous thanks to his charity, because he provided numerous gifts to poor people with children.

Santa Claus, as a Christmas character, took over the functions of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Initially, on December 6th, on the day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, in Europe it was customary to give various gifts to children. However, after the veneration of saints was banned, in Germany and neighboring countries Jesus Christ began to distribute gifts, and the tradition was moved to December 24, when Christmas markets are held. Soon the children began to receive gifts again, but they had to wait until December 24th for their delivery.

Santa Claus: who is this?

Santa Claus is a fabulous New Year's character who is a Christmas giver and has earned popularity in Eastern Slavic countries. It is this New Year's hero that has had special meaning for children for many decades.

During the Soviet era, Santa Claus was accompanied by a boy in a red fur coat and a cap, on which the numbers of the coming year were supposed to be visible. The boy was perceived as a successor, but subsequently the hero’s popularity began to decline and now he is practically forgotten. Despite the fact that the grandfather's pedigree is gradually changing, he still remains the personification of miracles and faith in a fabulous future.

Santa Claus can ride with forest animals, which is also typical only for the East Slavic New Year's character. Despite the fact that in Western countries people love nature and try to maintain good ecology, only residents of the countries have a reverent attitude towards picturesque winter landscapes former USSR. In America and the USA it will never be possible to comprehend a real Russian winter.

Santa Claus and Father Frost: main differences

You need to understand that the characters turn out to be completely different, despite the fact that the grandfathers have significant visual similarities.

1. The headdress distinguishes grandfathers. The Russian character wears a hat with a fringe of natural fur, which is due to the harsh Russian winters. It is important to note that the headdress is made in a semi-oval shape, which is traditional for Russian tsars. Santa Claus can be proud of his beautiful hat. This headdress is made in red. A white pompom is used as decoration.
2. Clothes color. Santa Claus always wears a red suit, but he can never wear a fur coat. White trim is used to decorate clothes. Santa Claus has a rich wardrobe, and the main color of his clothes can be any, but the association with winter and frost turns out to be truly important. The character's clothing is decorated with rich and original patterns, gold and silver embroidery. Everything should testify to the dignity of the wonderful mother winter.
3. Cloth. Santa Claus dresses in a thick and warm fur coat. Moreover, the maximum length of the fur coat is assumed. There is the possibility of using not only a belt, but also a sash, which corresponds to Russian national winter fashion. A character cannot wear a fur coat above the knee if he truly respects his ancestry. Santa Claus must wear a short jacket. For a stylish look, a black belt with a buckle is required.
4. What's under the fur coat? Santa Claus prefers linen items, which turn out to be natural. Moreover, it is assumed geometric pattern. Santa Claus should wear red stylish pants. The rest remains a mystery.
5. Shoes. Santa Claus wears Russian shoes, or rather felt boots. The traditional color of shoes is white. Santa Claus did not receive Russian honor. The Americans wore elegant black boots for their character.
6. Gloves or mittens. Santa Claus may wear three-fingered white mittens with silver embroidery. Santa Claus can take off his mittens, but he must tuck them into the belt of his fur coat. In America and many European countries, a warmer climate is expected, so Santa Claus is not ready to put on warm mittens. As a result, the hero received light gloves.
7. Beard. Santa Claus has a long and thick beard, which is his pride. Santa Claus has only a short beard with decorative curls.
8. What attributes do the characters have? Santa Claus should be with a crystal or silver staff, decorated with a twisted handle and a moon. Occasionally you can notice that the top of the handle is made in the form of a bull's head. Santa Claus has glasses and a pipe, which are not acceptable for an East Slavic hero.
9. Transport. Santa Claus must travel on foot or in a sleigh with three horses, Santa Claus must travel in a cart with reindeer.
10. Gift bag is the only common attribute. However, Santa Claus must secretly crawl through the chimney and hide gifts in stockings, and Santa Claus must enter the house openly and give gifts in hand or place them under the Christmas tree.
11. Grandfather Frost is a tall hero with a courageous figure, Santa Claus is a short and plump old man with a cheerful character.

In winter, we eagerly await the arrival of Christmas and New Year. Of course, these are some of the most fun and favorite holidays. What can we say about children: children wait with special delight and trepidation for the time of gifts and miracles to come. At this time, every child tries not to see who is leaving gifts under the tree, and whether they really will appear there. Without a doubt, it will be interesting to know how Father Frost differs from Santa Claus. Let's start with the history of these characters.

Pagan version of the origin of the image of Santa Claus

Santa Claus has been with us for a very long time. There are several versions explaining the origin of this. One of them is pagan. Our great-great-grandfathers firmly believed that the spirits of deceased ancestors protected the clan from hunger and bad weather. They were given gifts as a sign of gratitude and respect. And the oldest and most terrifying of them was called the elder. And it may very well be that it was he who became the prototype of our modern and beloved Santa Claus.

Folklore origins of the image of Father Frost

There is another point of view on the origin of this character, according to which the prototype of Grandfather Frost first appeared in folk tales. He was Morozko, or Frost. In the old days it was believed that a stern, bearded old man personified the winter cold. He bound rivers with ice, scattered sparkling silver snow across forests and fields, and his staff had miraculous powers: it could freeze scoundrels and scoundrels and, conversely, defrost those in trouble. As you can see, Santa Claus was, although a strict old man, but fair.

Origin of Santa Claus

How is Santa Claus different from Santa Claus, his Western counterpart? This giver comes to children in English-speaking countries and gives them gifts, but not New Year's gifts, but Christmas ones. The prototype of Santa Claus is the Wonderworker common to all Christians. He was known for his charity and gave gifts to children from poor families. In the middle of the 17th century, this image moved to the North American continent, where over time it experienced some transformations.

Modern Santa Claus

How is Father Frost different from Santa Claus now? Let's find out. For for a long time his existence has changed noticeably. The kind and generous Santa Claus we are accustomed to appeared already in Soviet times. Then, in 1936, the New Year tree holiday was again allowed, after several years it was prohibited to celebrate it. And now the appearance of Santa Claus finally takes on a complete design. This is a welcome guest who comes at the end of the holiday and gives gifts to the children. He also puts them under the Christmas tree. And if you yourself want to come to visit him, then know: the estate of Father Frost is located in Veliky Ustyug, Vologda region. He celebrates his birthday on November 18th.

By the way, giving surprises is also how Father Frost differs from Santa Claus. The latter is accustomed to putting gifts in colorful socks for children. They were usually hung by the fireplace the night before Christmas.

Santa Claus today

How did the modern appearance of Santa Claus come about? This character was invented in 1823 by teacher Clement Clarke Moore. His Santa Claus turned out to be a kind little elf who flies on eight reindeer and sneaks into people's houses through the chimney. And already in the twentieth century, thanks to the well-known advertising of the Coca-Cola company, the final image of Santa was formed - the well-known plump, good-natured old man in a red sheepskin coat.

The character's homeland is considered to be Lapland. His birthday is celebrated on December 6th, because that's when Catholic world celebrates the holiday dedicated to memory St. Nicholas. Orthodox Christians celebrate this holiday on December 19, and children who obeyed adults and behaved well will definitely receive gifts from the saint.

Santa Claus vs Santa Claus

Let's find out how Father Frost and Santa Claus differ in appearance. The first one is always wearing a warm, floor-length fur coat, trimmed with fluffy iridescent fur and decorated with silvery fancy patterns. It can be not only red, but also blue or white. On his head, Father Frost wears a traditional boyar hat, also trimmed with fur, and on his hands - warm mittens. The New Year's wizard does not appear anywhere without his silver staff. Santa Claus' outfit corresponds to the conditions of a Western winter, much milder than the Russian one. Therefore, he looks completely different: a short sheepskin coat (certainly red) with a leather strap, short pants, and a night cap with a pompom on his head. In addition, he often appears with a pipe, and also wears glasses, which are completely unnecessary for our Santa Claus.

You already know the difference between Father Frost and Santa Claus, if we talk about appearance. But this is not the only difference between them. Let us give some more nuances that help distinguish these two wizards from each other. So, Santa Claus rides three snow-white horses or visits the children on foot. Another difference between Father Frost and Santa Claus is that his assistant and beloved granddaughter, Snegurochka, is with him everywhere. This slender young beauty is dressed in a sparkling snow-white or blue and silver outfit, and on her head is a crown of amazing beauty with eight rays. In turn, Santa Claus flies through the air in a carriage and controls the reindeer. And various fairy-tale creatures help him.

Father Frost and Santa Claus, as you can see, are noticeably different from each other. And yet, despite this, they are similar in one thing: both heroes are the main ones and, undoubtedly, beloved ones during the Christmas holidays. And every year children all over the world write letters to their beloved wizards and enthusiastically await gifts and surprises from them. Therefore, in the battle between Father Frost and Santa Claus there can be no winners.

Of course, our family is much closer to us cultural traditions. However, what is more important is not how Father Frost differs from Santa Claus and which of them is more important, but that both give joy and good mood and, of course, they create magic. After all, a holiday is always a miracle.

The most important holiday of the year is ahead and children are looking forward to the good Father Frost. But there are more and more Santa Clauses on TV and in stores, but they are trying to forget our real Santa Claus? Some may think this is stupid, like, what are the differences between Father Frost and Santa Claus? But in reality this is not the case. They have differences, and the most important thing is that Santa Claus is our traditions, history and our identity!

Origin

The prototype of Santa Claus was the famous Catholic and Orthodox saint - St. Nicholas. IN Orthodox tradition he is usually called Nikolai Ugodnik. Catholics and Orthodox believe that Nikolai Ugodnik secretly helps poor people, which is why he was chosen for such a responsible position as distributing gifts. But Santa Claus is a character of pagan origin. In mythology Eastern Slavs Frost was considered the patron saint of winter cold and other world. But over time, the image of the pagan god was erased from memory, and the formidable Frost turned into a kind grandfather. Granddaughter of the grandfather, the Snow Maiden is a character in the author's fairy tale written by V. Dahl.

Color range

Western Santa traditionally dresses in red and white. These are the colors in Western Europe symbolize Christmas: red is a symbol of joy. And white color is a symbol of snow, winter, calm and peace. But the domestic grandfather has several options for a winter caftan: blue, red and white. Our ancestral Grandfather’s sheepskin coat is not plain, but covered with carved patterns. And his granddaughter matches him, in an elegant fur coat of the same color.

Headdress

Western Santa wears a pompom hat. He has a cheerful disposition, and therefore such a hat suits Santa. But our Grandfather is strict, but fair: if the children behave badly at the Christmas tree, he can freeze them! And he wears a headdress that matches his cool character and severe frosts: a warm fur hat. They say that under his hat he wears delicate grass and flowers so that they do not freeze in winter, and he can also warm the birds there. It is impossible to imagine our Father Frost in a jester's cap, and even with a pompom. And the granddaughter of such a serious grandfather wears an elegant kokoshnik - an old Russian headdress for women and girls.

Warm clothes

There are no severe frosts in the West, so Santa usually wears a short red sheepskin coat with fur trim. But. If Santa Claus dressed like that, he would definitely freeze. That's why traditional clothes our grandfather’s is a long, toe-length, warm sheepskin coat made of natural fur. And the old man must wear warm mittens on his hands. If a grandfather touches a naughty child with such a mitten, the baby will immediately freeze. Under his sheepskin coat, Santa Claus wears ordinary European clothes: a warm jacket, shirt and trousers. And our grandfather has an old Russian caftan under his fur coat. But he never takes off his fur coat and mittens, even during fun games with the guys.

Winter shoes

Santa has ordinary leather boots on his feet. But for Russia this option, of course, is not suitable. Despite the fact that severe frosts have been rare lately, the Russian Grandfather continues to wear felt boots according to tradition. And the Snow Maiden usually sports elegant boots with heels, because she is much younger than her grandfather and is known as a fashionista. Father Frost's felt boots are large, size "forty-five extendable." When grandfather walks through the forest with a bag over his shoulders, the creaking of snow under his massive shoes can be heard from afar.

Hairstyle

Santa Claus has a small, neat white beard, like a teacher, doctor or elderly university professor. And Father Frost has a large, thick beard, approximately the same as what both boyars and peasants wore in Rus' before Peter the Great. IN Slavic culture A beard is traditionally considered a symbol of wisdom, so children and adults treat the fairy-tale old man with respect. Children sometimes simply call a Western grandfather “Santa,” but our grandfather does not tolerate such familiarity. He loves to be addressed respectfully: “Grandfather Frost” or “Moroz Ivanovich.”

Build

Santa Claus is a middle-aged man, dense, stocky and short in stature. If you put him next to the Russian Snow Maiden, Santa will barely reach her shoulders. Funny couple! And our Grandfather Frost is always tall and stately. He reminds me of something epic hero or a giant. Probably, Moroz Ivanovich’s good physical shape is explained by the fact that he moves not only in a troika, but also likes to walk through the forest on foot or ski or skate with his forest assistant friends. If you compare the ages of two grandfathers, any Santa Claus will visually look years...ten years older than any Santa.

Vision

Western Santa invariably wears round, thin-framed glasses. This is probably because he often has to read letters with incomprehensible childish scribbles. But our grandfather, despite constantly reading children’s letters and his advanced age, managed to preserve his eyesight and does not need glasses. However, perhaps this is because his beloved granddaughter reads children’s letters to him, and Santa has to cope alone. Or maybe Santa Claus is often treated to carrots by his hare assistants, which is why he retained his keen eyes into old age.

Accompanying persons

Santa Claus usually travels alone. But Father Frost is always accompanied by his granddaughter, Snegurochka. When children's Christmas trees began to be held again in the Soviet Union for the first time after the revolution, many children were afraid of the big and loud Santa Claus. So they came up with a kind granddaughter for him - an affectionate and sweet girl from V. Dahl’s fairy tale “The Snow Maiden”. The image of the Snow Maiden, like the image of Father Frost, goes back to the ancient Slavic religion - paganism. To be convinced of this, it is enough to recall the plot of Rimsky-Korsakov’s popular opera “The Snow Maiden”.

Magic staff

Santa Claus will not take a step without his famous staff in the shape of a rounded letter “L”. In the West, lollipops of the same shape with red and white stripes are very popular. The exact same staff is traditionally carried by Catholic bishops. But the staff of Santa Claus is a straight stick with a figured knob. It's essentially a magic wand. With its help, a fairytale Grandfather can freeze a naughty child, light the lights on a festive Christmas tree, or fulfill any child’s wish.

Transport

Santa Claus is “registered” in Lapland, and this northern region is famous for its reindeer. It is on them that the Western Grandfather travels. And one of his reindeer even became famous, becoming the hero of cartoons and children's songs - this is Rudolph, the little deer with a crane nose. The domestic Father Frost rides a dashing troika of nameless horses or travels through the forest on foot, and his beloved granddaughter carefully leads him by the arm. However, in Soviet-era postcards, kind Grandfather was often depicted on a train, plane, or even on board spaceship, because progress does not stand still.

Gift delivery method

Santa Claus enters the house secretly through the chimney. He leaves in the same way, “in English,” quietly placing the gift in the baby’s sock or boot. In the morning, children wake up and rejoice at gifts. It’s very convenient, and grandpa doesn’t have to read poems or sing songs. And our Santa Claus knocks loudly on the door and demands from the child a poem, a song or a report on good behavior throughout the year. Only then is the gift solemnly presented. If Grandfather cannot stay in the house for a long time, he quietly puts the gift under the tree.

But both in one fairy tale character similar: they love children and sincerely want to bring them joy, fun, and faith in miracles.

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Good afternoon, friends. There are a few hours left until the new year. People all over the world are in a festive mood and expecting some kind of miracle. An indispensable attribute of the New Year in the countries of the former Soviet Union is Father Frost and his companion, the Snow Maiden. But, on the streets and in store windows, we increasingly see not Santa Claus, but Santa Claus. How did I determine that it was Santa?

How does Father Frost differ from Santa Claus in appearance? According to many people, they are almost the same. Both of them wear red warm clothes. Both have gray beards and arrive on sleighs. But not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. In fact, there are differences between them. Let's look at which ones.

Santa Claus and Santa Claus difference

Origin

I think most of you guess that the prototype of Santa is one of the main Christian saints, Nicholas the Wonderworker. He is especially revered in Rus'. Christians generally believe that he secretly helps the poor part of the population. Hence, Catholics chose him for the role of the Christmas character who secretly puts gifts under the Christmas tree for children.

Father Frost, unlike Santa, is a fairy-tale character. Its origin comes from Slavic pagan mythology. The Slavs believed that he patronized blizzards, frost, cold and one of the parts of the other world. Time passed, the image of the formidable winter deity disappeared, and the character himself became a kind grandfather who distributes gifts on Christmas Day. New Year. The Snow Maiden is a mythical character from a fairy tale by V. Dahl. But, if you look deeper, the image of the granddaughter of Santa Claus came from Slavic paganism.

Clothes colors

Santa wears red and white clothes. These colors in the West symbolize Christmas. Red - Christmas joy. White - symbolizes snow, winter in general, purity.

Grandfather Frost wears not only a red fur coat, but also a blue one, and can wear a white one. Frost's fur coat is not a uniform red color. It is covered with various winter iridescent patterns. The Snow Maiden wears a white (she can wear a red) rather elegant, beautiful fur coat, on which all sorts of winter patterns are also applied.

Character clothing

In western Europe and the USA there are no severe frosty days, hence Klaus wears a short red caftan. The bottom of the caftan has a fur trim. On his belt, Santa wears a wide leather belt with a large plaque. He usually wears white gloves on his hands. When Klaus takes off his sheepskin coat, we see that he is wearing a warm blouse, shirt and trousers.

But Santa Claus can’t dress like that, because... in the harsh conditions of the Russian winter, such clothing does not provide much warmth. From here, grandfather puts on a long fur coat that reaches his feet. Grandfather’s belt is white or red, covered with patterns. He has warm mittens on his hands, also covered with patterns. When some child does not listen to his grandfather, he touches him with his mitten, and the child freezes. Grandfather wears a beautiful Russian caftan under his fur coat. Grandfather rarely takes off his fur coat.

The Snow Maiden is dressed in a beautiful white, silver, red fur coat, belted with a beautiful belt. Under her fur coat, the granddaughter wears a snow-white, very beautiful sundress.

Santa and Father Frost hats

Santa wears a red hat with a white pompom on his head. He has a cheerful personality and a cap like this looks great on him. Grandfather Frost has a strict but fair character. When children behave incorrectly at a New Year's party, a strict grandfather can punish them by freezing them!

Grandfather's hat is the same color as his fur coat. It is made of fur. There are rumors that under his cap there are various birds, flowers, and grass. He hides them there so that they don't freeze in winter. Grandfather never wears a Santa hat, especially one with a pompom. The Snow Maiden wears a very beautiful kokoshnik made of silver, snow and various precious stones. Sometimes she is simply dressed in a red, blue, or white fur hat to match her grandfather.

Character shoes

Santa, as a rule, wears ordinary black leather boots. For the climate of Russia, such shoes are not suitable in winter. Hence, grandfather puts on beautiful red (white) winter boots, embroidered with patterns. Or, simple felt boots, also embroidered with winter patterns. The Snow Maiden wears light, elegant felt boots, embroidered with patterns, or silver (red), stylish boots with fur inside.

Working tools

Santa Claus holds in his hands a silver, or crystal, fairy staff with a carved knob. This staff is magical. With this staff he can freeze as bad people, and animals. He can use it to defrost good people and turn simple thing into a valuable one. In addition, the grandfather uses his staff to light the lights on the Christmas tree and with the help of it he makes the children’s wishes come true. Behind his back is a red or blue bag with gifts.

Santa often carries a staff shaped like a rounded "G" sign. Catholic bishops carry similar staffs. Nicholas the Wonderworker was also a bishop. In addition, red and white candies in this form are popular there. He also has a red bag of gifts behind his back.

Figure

Santa appears to be a middle-aged man with a heavy build, short stature, and a stocky build. When Klaus stands next to the Snow Maiden, we see that she is half a head taller than him. And if you take into account the Snow Maiden’s kokoshnik, then it’s on her head. Interesting couple.

Grandfather Frost has the figure of a tall and stately man. By appearance, he resembles a hero from Russian epics. Perhaps the excellent figure of the grandfather can be explained by his habit of walking through the forest on foot or on skis with forest animals.

Beard

Typically, Santa Claus has a spade-shaped, rounded beard. Santa Claus has a long, thick beard, below the waist. Almost all men in our country used to wear similar beards. Moreover, the older the person, the longer the beard. Such a long beard on a person symbolizes wisdom. According to legend, Santa Claus is several centuries old. Maybe thousands of years. Therefore, his beard sometimes reaches the ground.

Assistants

Klaus has wood elves as his assistants. They look at the children's addresses, prepare gifts, and choose which child to deliver this or that gift to. In general, they help in any way they can to prepare for Santa for Christmas. Santa travels on a sleigh with reindeers, usually alone. He also distributes gifts alone.

But Santa Claus prefers to travel with his granddaughter. During times Soviet Union, at the end of the Revolution, the Soviet government began to arrange new year holidays for kids. But some of the children were afraid of the huge Grandfather Frost. Therefore, the authorities took the “Snow Maiden”, affectionate and kind, from Dahl’s fairy tale. As already mentioned, her image comes from the ancient paganism of the Slavs. She also gives gifts to the children, makes them laugh, and leads round dances.

Vision

Klaus almost always wears round-framed glasses. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Santa reads a lot of letters from children whose handwriting is not clear.

Grandfather Frost also reads a lot of children's letters. Moreover, he has a very impressive age. But despite this, his vision is fine. Maybe this is because the Snow Maiden helps him read his letters. Santa, as a rule, reads letters alone. Also, the bunnies often let Frost eat carrots. And everyone knows that carrots help preserve vision.

Transport

Klaus lives in Lapland, which, as we know, is a habitat for reindeer. Therefore, Santa prefers to ride on a sleigh pulled by reindeer.

Grandfather Frost, according to Russian tradition, brings gifts on three horses. Also, he often walks in the forest. At the same time, the Snow Maiden helps him, taking his arm. In addition, on Soviet postcards Grandfather was also depicted traveling on trains, planes, and, interestingly, on space rockets.

How gifts are delivered

As we know from Hollywood films, Santa prefers to enter the house through the chimney. He returns the same way. Gifts are placed in children's boots or their little socks. Waking up in the morning, the child rejoices at the gifts. And why shouldn’t he be happy, because he doesn’t need to read poems or sing songs.

Grandfather Frost prefers to knock loudly on the door and demand from the child a poem, a song, or a story about how he behaved in last year. After this, the grandfather gives the child a gift. But when the grandfather cannot stay in the house for a long time, he quietly puts the gift under the Christmas tree and secretly leaves.

Place of residence

As we know, Klaus lives in Finland, in the Lapland region, in the Arctic. Lapland also includes parts of Sweden and Russia. According to official data, his house is located eight kilometers north of Rovaniemi. Not far from his residence there is an airport and amusement parks. People visit these places throughout the year.

Place of residence of Father Frost, Bolshoy Ustyug, Vologda region (since the late nineties). Until this moment, grandfather lived in Russian Lapland, and in Arkhangelsk. The Belarusian grandfather lives in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Now grandfather has his representative offices in Moscow and Murmansk.

We saw the differences between these New Year's characters. But they also have something in common. They love children very much and with all sincerity want to create an atmosphere of fun, joy, and New Year's mood for the children!