We are all accustomed to the fact that a white-bearded wizard in a long fur coat is a symbol of the winter holidays. Children are waiting for his visit and gifts for New Year or Christmas. But where can Santa Claus spend his summer days? Not to mention spring and autumn …
Opinions on this matter may vary. For example, when employees of the popular TV show "100 to 1" conducted a survey on the streets, passers-by gave a wide variety of answers. However, most of the respondents still suggested that in the north it is not surprising, because the snow grandfather probably prefers a cool climate. Others replied succinctly "at home", and some specified: "in Lapland." There were also completely unexpected answers: “in the south”, “at sea” and even “in the refrigerator”.
Of course, seriously speaking, it is unlikely that a New Year's wizard will spend time in the summer sunbathing in the southern sun. Moreover, he is a family man - after all, he has a granddaughter, and the Snow Maiden will definitely not be able to sunbathe, because she is made of snow. So, most likely, after all, at home. But where is he - the house of Santa Claus?
Where is the homeland of Santa Claus?
In fact, this question cannot be answered unequivocally. The fact is that in Russia there is more than one official residence of Father Frost. Perhaps he travels between them, stopping here and there.
Most letters to Santa Claus, if the Lapland address is not indicated on the envelope, are sent to Veliky Ustyug.
The very first House of Father Frost and the official Post Office of Father Frost appeared in the 1980s in Arkhangelsk and still exist today. And since 1995, the Chunozero estate in the Lapland reserve has become another residence of the wizard. In 1998, Veliky Ustyug also announced his right to be called the homeland of Santa Claus. Today, this particular residence is perhaps the most famous in Russia. Since 2005, the birthday of Santa Claus is also celebrated here - November 18. This date was chosen because by about the second half of November, the time of real frosts usually begins in Veliky Ustyug.
And finally, another official residence opened in December 2011 in Murmansk.
The wizard has his own estates not only in Russia. For example, in the national park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" in Belarus, Father Frost, together with his granddaughter Snegurochka, receives guests not only in winter, but also at other times of the year.
What about your colleagues?
With the western "colleague" of the winter wizard, everything is more or less clear. Everyone knows that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole with his mistress, as well as a company of cheerful elf wizards. Most likely, it is there that he takes into account the good and bad deeds of children all year and sorts gifts for next Christmas.
But on the territory of Russia gifts to children are given not only by the Russian Santa Claus. For example, Pakkaine, a local winter wizard, lives near Petrozavodsk in Karelia. By the way, he is much younger than most of his colleagues, does not wear a beard, but lives in a huge plague. But the Yamal winter grandfather Yamal Iri wears a pigtail and a beard with a wedge, and lives in the village of Gornoknyazevsk near Salekhard.
