The symbol of the Russian New Year is Santa Claus and his granddaughter Snegurochka, who tirelessly deliver gifts to children every winter. His colleague, the “Christmas grandfather” Santa Claus, who flies across the night sky in a sleigh pulled by magical deer, is no less famous. But the New Year wizards of other countries are much less famous. Let's get acquainted with some of them.
France: Père Noel and Père Fuetard
Translated from the French language "Père Noel" it means "Father of Christmas". It is he who comes to the little Frenchmen on his trusty donkey with a basket of gifts. He makes his way into the house under cover of night, through the chimney - and puts presents in socks, shoes and shoes left in front of the fireplace. And then he leaves. Pere Noel looks like an American Santa Claus - the same warm red and white suit, a cap with a pompom and a not very long bushy beard. But he only visits those guys who behaved well last year.
And pranksters and mischievous people must wait for the visit of the antipode Per Noel. The gloomy Per Fuetar, who comes to see children who have misbehaved at Christmas. Dressed in a dark cloak, with a black beard "a la Karabas-Barabas". Behind his belt, he wears a rod to punish naughty children.
Italy: Befana
And in Italy, from January 1 to January 6, children are not waiting for their grandfather with gifts, but for a female character - the old woman Befana, flying over the ground on a gnarled broom with a bag of gifts on her back. Outwardly, Befana is very similar to our Baba Yaga, only she is kind.
She enters the house through the chimney and puts presents in the socks specially left in front of the fireplace. But not all children will receive a sweet treat on New Year's Eve, for the disobedient a fair witch will have another "prize" - coals and ash.
There is also such a legend: if a respectable, exemplary family lives in an apartment, Befana will not only give gifts to children, but also clean the floor in the house as a kind of gift for adults.
Netherlands: Black Pit
Black Pete is one of St. Nicholas's assistants and one of his responsibilities is delivering gifts to good children. The peculiarity of this hero lies in the color of his skin - black as night. Historians have not yet come to the final conclusion why Black Pete looks like this - perhaps he is a chimney sweep with a smeared face, perhaps a former demon who took the side of good, or perhaps a Moor slave freed by the saint turned out to be in Nicholas's retinue.
Be that as it may, the dark-skinned wizard has quite a lot of things to do: he carries with him a special booklet in which both good and bad deeds of children are recorded and, depending on the "final balance", he can leave the child without a gift and even whip him with a whip …
Japan: Segatsu-san and Oji-san
Translated "Segatsu-san" means "Lord New Year", and this character is often depicted as a well-fed old man in a soft blue kimono. Meeting the "grandfather", the Japanese build gates of bamboo sticks and pine branches near their houses, or set dwarf trees in their yards: pine, plum or peach. On the occasion of the visit of "Mr. New Year", children dress up in new clothes - it is believed that this will help them to be successful and healthy in the new year. Segatsu-san during the week, called by the Japanese "golden", goes from door to door and congratulates everyone on the holiday. This is where his duties end, so the task of giving gifts to children remains with the parents.
It is not surprising that after the Japanese met Santa Claus, the "tight-fisted" grandfather had a younger and more exotic competitor for the Land of the Rising Sun: Ozdi-san ("Uncle"). He dresses in a traditional "Santa Claus" costume, and in his hands holds a bag with the coveted gifts. And because of this, it is gaining more and more popularity among Japanese children.
Spain: Olentzero
In Spain, a character named Olentzero gives gifts to children. Outwardly, he is very different from most Santa Clauses: his beard is not white, but black, he is dressed in the national clothes of his country - a striped homespun black and blue shirt tied with a belt and a black or brown beret. Olenciaro has a flask of wine in his belt. Delivering gifts, he does not sneak into the house through a dirty chimney, but uses a more original method: he leaves Christmas surprises on the balcony of the apartment. And the wizard rabbits help him in this.
The story of this character is a true Christmas tale. According to legend, Olentzero is a foundling, a certain fairy found a baby in the forest and gave it up to a childless family. The boy grew up, learned to carve toys from wood, and after the death of his parents he remained to live in the forest. And when he became lonely, he took all the toys he had made and went to the city, where he gave gifts to orphans. And such visits have become regular. Once a fire broke out in the house where the children lived, Olentzero managed to save several children, but died at the same time. And then a fairy appeared, and as a reward for the feat, she presented Olentzero with eternal life, so that he would always continue to make toys and give them to children. Which is what he does every year at Christmas.
Sweden: Jul Tomten
In Sweden, children are eagerly awaiting a visit to the "Christmas gnome" named Jul Tomten. He travels around the country, accompanied by his faithful assistant - the snowman Dusty and leaves gifts in front of the fireplace. Nobody knows what he looks like, because the gnome constantly changes his appearance and clothes, which allows him to remain unnoticed in the crowd. Recently, though, he has increasingly preferred the traditional red suit in the style of Santa Claus.
After the end of the delivery of the gifts, Yul Tomten returns to his home in the magical forest, where tiny elves await him. By the way, they have their own (and very important) role: in small mines they extract gold, which is then used for Christmas gifts and Christmas tree decorations.
