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In Ukraine, on New Year’s Eve, there is a new front opening against “Russian propaganda”: there is open hostility and fighting against the main figure of Christmas and New Year’s in the Soviet Union: Ded Moroz (Father Frost).
This is one of the important uniting symbols between peoples who once lived in a single state. Which, apparently, does not allow the fighters against the Soviet legacy to sleep peacefully.
In the past year, as well as several years in a row, in nationalist circles they criticize Ded Moroz and Snegurochka (a bit like Snow White, “Snow Maiden”). But more often voices are heard that demand to leave favorite children’s characters alone.
In the vastness of social networks, Ded Moroz began to be compared almost a week ago with a bloodthirsty maniac. A post about this was published by the community “Ukrainian Information Space” (more than 100 thousand subscribers).
It reproduced the horror legend about how Ded Moroz descended from the bloodthirsty pagan idols of ancient times, to whom human sacrifices were brought.
“And in a bag” with gifts “he carried the heads of the dead, and a red coat, due to the fact that it was splattered with blood …”, – wrote the authors of the post and added a picture of a monster with horns.
“It was this creature that was called” Santa Claus “, this name was taken as a basis in the so-called” USSR “to replace St. Nicholas, who was brought by Christians, but St. Nicholas was called by our ancestors in a completely different way, with the same functions, but this is a completely different story,” Ukrainian Information Space reported.
In the comments, even Ukrainian-speaking users were dumbfounded by this question:
“No need to exaggerate! In fact, Ded Moroz replaced the religious Nikolai in Soviet times. He fulfilled the same mission as Nikolai. And today it is appropriate to combine these two images into one. Do not politicize and do not prohibit”, – writes the user Alexander Martynyuk.
“Where did the information come from? Because something very similar to someone’s sick imagination. In Ukrainian folklore there is a character Morozko – the prototype of Santa Claus, a forest spirit that rewards good and punishes evil. As for” karachuna “- read on Wikipedia, what is it “, – added Dmitry Knyazhich.
Others labeled the propaganda published by Ukrainian information space as “complete nonsense”
“Come on, justify this porridge with sources? It is especially interesting, from what miracle are the heads in the bags? Whose and why? This girl, tied to a tree and covered with ice. It reminds night horror stories from the pioneer camp, apparently from there, and the rumor went. Yes, there were traditions, rituals and gifts, but a tied girl is a complete nonsense. Past civilizations have always acted on the basis of practical motives, where is the logic of tying a girl to a tree? Which girl? The worst? Or maybe they grew them specifically for this? Or held captive … Further: to tie a person to a tree for the night on the street – it is obvious that the result will be fatal, or then there was also global warming … and so on. Therefore, before mixing the brains of readers with altered fairy tales, delve deeper in sources, find confirmation of interesting or dubious facts “, commenters said.
The source of the screenshot, as well as the translated comments were collected by the Strana.UA news outlet:
Click to see the full-size image
The comments are filled with opinions such as those recalling of the warm childhood memories of Ded Moroz and Snegurochka and Christmas.
The images of Ded Moroz and the Snegurochka were invented long before the Bolsheviks and at least a hundred years before “the Great Terror.” Stalin was not yet born when stories about them were passed from mouth to mouth in every village.
New Year’s heroes were created not by someone in particular, but by a whole group of famous poets, artists and composers. Writers described their character, painters visualized their appearance and costumes, and musicians polished their behavior and mood with melodies. By the way, celebrities – natives of the territories that make up modern Ukraine – made a big contribution to this.
The image of Ded Moroz began to form in the late Middle Ages from children’s fairy tales. Their authorship has not been established, therefore the works are considered to be folklore. They have a character – the spirit of cold and winter. He is called Treskun, Moroz Ivanovich, Christmas tree grandfather, Christmas grandfather.
In literature, Moroz Ivanovich was recorded in 1840 in the collection “Children’s Tales of Grandfather Irenaeus” by Vladimir Odoevsky. The Moscow author described a kind and gray-haired grandfather. He gave silver coins to a hardworking girl, and gives an icicle to a lazy girl.
The poet Nikolai Nekrasov, a native of Nemirov, Vinnitsa region, in 1863 developed the theme. He wrote the poem “Frost, Red Nose”, which he dedicated to his sister Anna. But here the hero is not kind, but evil. He loves to “freeze blood in the veins and freeze the brain in the head.”
Snegurochka has a similar story, even with a musical piece written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. In January 1882, the work was performed by the Russian Opera Choir.
Meaning that this piece of “Soviet Propaganda” predates the Soviet Union itself by quite a big margin.
Regardless, attempting to ruin a symbol of unity, warmth and coziness is part of fighting for democracy, at least in Ukraine.
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Ukraine shall keep distance from inuite dieties :)
any report on influence of the “UKRAINIAN DEMOCRACY” on migration of wiled gees maybe… or fecundity of tropical frogs? please SF it is needed urgently!
Ukraine is not a people. It is a gathering of the poor, the servants of Europe and the USA. European brothels are full of Ukrainians. :))))))
Don’t know why, but as a Hungarian when I think of Ukraine, for some reason the first thing that comes to my mind is fast-food. Not Nazis, not Donbass & Zakarpattia, not crappy politics, but freakin’ fast-food.
Whenever I hear anything remotely Ukraine, I have an image like this in my head. Is my brain degrading or something? I don’t know anymore heading into 2021… All I know is that Biden would eat this ?.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/765e650de5de863e1b183dcd45e826e7e75a84baa8e54b0c3592e618c8a3e704.jpg
The dark time of the year, cold and damp, frozen, invites images of warm fires, good stews, a strong drink, and compassion for our fellow man. We all face the same enemies: cold, hate, fear. We all lose the race with time. Folk lore of kind, loving father figures rewarding good are a universal archetypical hope. May mankind find the intellectual and emotional strength to build fires of friendship to warm one another, and share feasts of plenty with one another. We are all we have. Thank goodness it is sufficient, if we insist on making it so.
YES!
Interesting article. Psychopathic leaders need to demonize somebody to deflect any attention to their own crimes. Part of that is always whitewashing history to make themselves look better or their ‘enemy’ worse. “History is written by the victors” …but not if I feed their asses into the woodchipper of justice first. I have no greater enemy than those that decide what I can or cannot know. “The people don’t need to know everything!” …true, but I’ll decide what I need to know or not know, not the government or courts or anyone else.
Lying about history for self-serving purposes is a crime against humanity. But failing to correct those lies when the truth is known is, itself, a far greater crime.
Very well said.
Cut the chase. It is present as Ded Moroz in all Slavic people, in Germans too as Father Frost. Indeed it predates christianity or Islam, and after christianisation took place it change name to St.Nicolas. Indeed it is from pagan times, but this Ukraine-like description is simply false. Every single country that trips to facism and or Nazism denies Ded Moroz. Moreover it is celebrated as kids holiday in the end of the year say in Syria, Lebanon, Iran. Wahhabis addresses him as ‘haram’. Ukrainian Nazis does the same.