Happy birthday, Santa Claus!
Santa Claus's birthday is celebrated on November 18th. On this day, he does not give gifts, but receives them. I wonder how old the legendary grandfather turns, and what is written in the passport handed to him in 1997 by the governor of the Vologda region?
According to rumors, Santa Claus has been living on earth for quite a long time – about two thousand years, and the ancient Slavs considered him a forest spirit controlling all natural elements. The lord of winter was called in different ways - Treskun, Zimnik, Studentets, Zyuzey and Morok. The Crackler had a menacing appearance and an angry temper, but he performed his duties properly – he wrapped the earth in snow, sent frosts, chained rivers in ice. However, the flighty grandfather, who lived in a remote forest in an ice hut, did not come to visit the children and did not give gifts, and no one knew about him. In 1840, Santa Claus appeared in Odoevsky's fairy tale "Moroz Ivanovich", and in 1910, the mysterious grandfather first came to a children's party with a bag of gifts. So Treskun became a friend and patron of all children, and if earlier he walked through the forest barefoot, holding a mace in his hands, then, becoming a celebrity, he changed into a red sheepskin coat, hat and pearl-embroidered boots. He got a staff and a bag of gifts in his hands, and from a forest hut he moved to Veliky Ustyug, where he settled in a country estate, where now guests come from all over our country and even from abroad.
At the end of autumn, real frosts come to the Vologda region, and rivers freeze. On November 18, Santa Claus goes out on the porch, admires the snowy trees, breathes in the frosty air with pleasure and feels very happy. But when he receives congratulations from children and adults, happiness becomes even greater. On this day, mass folk festivals are held in the city, and postmen bring an armful of letters and greeting cards from all over the world from the personal post office of Santa Claus. Grandfather, despite his advanced age, keeps pace with scientific and technological progress, so letters are also sent to him by e-mail and on social networks, and on his birthday his mobile phone bursts with calls. Once a year, all grandfather's relatives come to the Vologda region – American Santa Claus, French Peer Noel, Yakut old man Dyil, grandfather Pakkaine from Karelia, Czech Mikulash, Japanese Oji-San, Dutch Sinterklaas, Korbobo from Uzbekistan and Joulupukki from Finland. The staff of the residence of Santa Claus gives him a new sheepskin coat with luxurious embroidery every year. Delegations from different cities honor the birthday boy and present him with long-awaited presents. Fun events, concerts, and theatrical performances are organized on the main square of the city. And the most amazing thing is that on November 18, the lights are lit on the city's New Year tree, which is dressed up in honor of the great holiday.
The holiday begins at the residence of Santa Claus – he receives delegations in the Throne Room, distributes gifts to guests in the souvenir shop. But the real fun begins at his country estate – in a fairy-tale tower with 12 rooms, to which you can get only along the "Path of Fairy Tales", passing all the tests and solving riddles that fairy-tale characters have prepared for children and adults. By the way, the country estate is the personal property of Santa Claus, and there is even a registration stamp in his passport. There is a dressing room with a collection of clothes, a library, a dining room, a study, a bedroom with a large oak bed, hay instead of a feather bed and eight pillows. Grandfather is resting here after a grand celebration, surrounded by gifts, letters and greeting cards from all over the world. A fire crackles in the fireplace, and Santa Claus has magical dreams…
In the Luxpodarki store, you can choose souvenirs for the New Year, which is just around the corner!
