Snegurochka, also known as the Snow Maiden or Snowflake, is a character from Russian folklore and New Year traditions. She is the granddaughter of Ded Moroz (“Father Frost,” the Russian Santa Claus) and serves as his companion and assistant. She serves as a go-between for kids and Ded Moroz throughout the Christmas season. An adult female is the more prevalent depiction of Snegurochka; however, the appearance of a young girl is not uncommon. The literary depiction of Snegurochka and the need to provide celebratory services (together with Ded Moroz) both have a role in her appearance. In 1937, Snegurochka made his debut as Ded Moroz’s helper during a gathering held at the Moscow House of Unions.
-> See also: Christmas in Russia: Celebration, Traditions, and History
The Origin of Snegurochka
A Slavic Paganism?
Some historians believe that the origins of Snegurochka lay in Slavic paganism and folklore. However, she has no real origins in traditional Slavic mythology and rituals, having made her first appearance in Russian folklore in the 19th century.
She is supposedly the offspring of the Snow King and Queen. One day, she walked into the woods with a bunch of local girls to collect flowers. It was almost dark, so the girls built a fire and started leaping joyfully over it. Snegurochka leaped as well, but instead of landing softly, she changed into a puffy white cloud.
Some Russians still practice the age-old custom of burning a straw figure (Wickerman) or submerging it in water to drive away winter. This tradition celebrates the arrival of spring after a long winter. Snegurochka’s origins do not lie in this tradition but she has nonetheless become a vital component of the Russian New Year’s festivities and an assistant to Ded Moroz today.
Snegurochka and Kar Kız
Ayaz Ata (“Frost Father”) in Turkic mythology appears as the possible inspiration of Ded Moroz. Like the Russian character Ded Moroz, Ayaz Ata has a female counterpart known as Kar Kız or Snow Girl. In Turkic mythology, the mythical character Ayaz Ata represents the winter season and the beginning of a new year. He’s famous for having twelve sons, one for each month of the year. His daughter and assistant, Kar Kız, is a symbol of winter and the New Year. Since the symbolic meaning of Ayaz Ata appears to be more rooted than that of Ded Moroz in history, it’s possible that Kar Kız gave way to Snegurochka in Russian literature.
Snegurochka in History
A Literature
Snegurochka is a figure from a Russian folktale about a girl called Snegurka (Snowflake), who is created entirely out of snow and comes to life. It was in 1869 that A.N. Afanasyev processed and published this plot in the second volume of his book “The Poetic Outlook of Slavs about Nature.” He says, “Snegurochka (Schneekind in German) is so named because she was born from snow.” In the story, an elderly couple named Ivan and Marya bring to life a snow doll they sculpted together since they are longing for children. The girl and her companions visit the woods during the summer and, presumably, melt.
According to another legend, she is the snowy daughter of Spring-Beauty and Ded Moroz. She is lonely and longs for the company of regular people. She develops feelings for Lel, a shepherd, but her heart can’t handle love. Her mother feels sorry for her and bestows this power on her, but the moment she falls in love, her heart warms and she melts.
A Drama
In 1873, the Russian playwright A.N. Ostrovsky, inspired by Afanasyev’s stories, composed the drama “Snegurochka.” Depicted as the daughter of Ded Moroz and Spring-Beauty, Snegurochka tragically meets her end during a summer ceremony dedicated to the sun deity Yarilo. In this form, she appears as a lovely young lady with a fair complexion and blonde hair. Initially, the play was not successful with the audience. N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, however, turned the drama into a smashingly successful opera of the same name in 1882.
Educators in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who wrote Christmas dramas for kids contributed significantly to the character of Snegurochka. Snegurochka ornaments adorned Christmas trees even before the October Revolution (1917–1923), and girls often wore costumes inspired by Ostrovsky’s play or opera to perform passages from the tale. Unlike today, Snegurochka was not a helper of Ded Moroz yet.
Over in the USSR
After the revolution, Christmas and other religious practices were subject to strict governmental regulation. Christmas celebrations were banned in Soviet Russia after 1929. As per the 1929 decree about work hours and breaks in businesses moving to a continuous production week, the Soviet Union’s Council of People’s Commissars mandated that on New Year’s Day and all religious holidays (previously designated days off), work should proceed as usual.
In 1935, however, a change in state policy recast Christmas customs as part of the more secular New Year’s Day (January 1) celebration. During the Soviet era, Snegurochka was featured as Ded Moroz’s granddaughter, helper, and mediator with children in books for preparing New Year’s trees.
The Rise of Snegurochka
At the Moscow House of Unions’ Christmas tree event in early 1937, Ded Moroz and Snegurochka made their debut joint appearance. Snegurochka was first represented as a small girl in Soviet art, but she eventually took on the appearance of a young lady.
Postcards from the turn of the century often featured Ded Moroz in a red or white coat and a kid dressed in blue as the New Year. According to custom, Snegurochka wore a blue dress to accompany Ded Moroz at the first official Christmas tree at the House of the Unions building in Moscow.
In the decades after World War II, Ded Moroz’s sidekick Snegurochka became an integral part of the holiday season. Snegurochka was traditionally played by theater students and actresses on New Year’s Eve. Snegurochka was often played by an older girl or young woman with fair hair in amateur plays.
A Whole Village Is Built for Snegurochka
A recreated version of the fictional “Berendei village” from the 1968 film “Snegurochka,” or “The Snow Maiden,” was built alongside the Mera River specifically for the movie. Ostrovsky composed his play here in Shchyolkovo, so the setting wasn’t coincidental. Once the filming was wrapped, the wooden sets were transported to Kostroma, giving rise to Berendeevka Park.
In 2008, Snegurochka’s Terem was constructed in Kostroma, where she provides year-round hospitality. The first recorded birthday party for Snegurochka was held in 2009 on April 4. There has been an annual birthday party for Snegurochka in Kostroma ever since. Kostroma also welcomed the Snegurochka Fashion Museum in the year 2020.
Not Everybody Likes Snegurochka
- On the eve of celebrating the new year in 2012, Islamic preachers in Dagestan viewed the image of Snegurochka as a threat to traditional culture (due to her “short provocative sarafan”), leading to the neglect of celebrations in numerous schools in the republic.
- Along with the New Year tree and Ded Moroz, Snegurochka was among the Soviet New Year symbols that Tajik state television declared on the eve of 2014 that it would no longer be airing.