A ray of sunshine warms your cheek, a warm draft blows the curtains, birds chirp cheerfully. The Snow Maiden sits in front of me and laughs. Her laughter really resembles the frosty ringing of silver bells. Snowflakes are swirling outside the window. No, I'm not crazy. It's poplar fluff flying! And sitting opposite me is the actress of the Vera Children's Theater Alexandra Trushkina. And the reason for conversation is joyful. This season, Sasha became the Laureate of the regional award “Nizhny Novgorod Pearl”.
- You are so young, and you can already congratulate you on the award! How many years have you been working in the theater?
IN " Children's theater“Vera” I have been working for 5 years. Before that, he studied at the Nizhny Novgorod Theater School and worked for several years in Tula Theater dolls I went there after my future husband, even High school prom I couldn't wait! After the birth of our son, we returned home to our parents. Home is still better!
- Your first role in “Vera” is the role of the Snow Maiden! And now this is an annual effort. What is more in it - joy or responsibilities?
Of course joy! Yes, new year holidays- this is a huge psychophysical load, but also very close communication with children. They are so looking forward to the holiday, preparing for it, and I try to touch everyone, congratulate, praise. They look with such admiring eyes! They are open and sincerely believe in Father Frost and the Snow Maiden! I want to create miracles for them! It's a pity I don't have a magic staff...
- In the play " Silver fairy tale“M. Barteneva, you have a role-shifter. From the living girl Feni, your heroine turns into the Snow Maiden, an icy beauty who is bewitched by love. What is more in your Snow Maiden - ice floes or mischief?
IN New Year's fairy tale It can't be cold! The Snow Maiden is more of a liaison between the children and Santa Claus; they recognize themselves in me and trust me.
- In the play “The Blue Bird” you play Mytyl, the younger sister of the main character, played by 13-year-old Volodya Malyzhenkov. How do you maintain such amazing childishness?
I only wanted to work in a theater for children. I understand their logic of behavior, they are interesting to me! It was not at all difficult to work with Volodya; he absorbed everything like a sponge. It was a mutual enrichment, I tried not to be different from him. Glad it worked out!
- With your absolute positive charm, you have and negative roles: the girl Lelka from the fairy tale of the same name by N. Voronova and Mashenka from the play “The Secret of Success” based on A. Ostrovsky’s play “Simplicity is enough for every wise man” - a practical and even cynical girl, easily exchanging love for prosperity and secular pleasures. How did the directors see this in you?
Yes, roles with negative qualities It's more difficult for me. If I cannot find justification for my heroine’s actions, a conflict arises and I suffer. I'm trying to understand how, with such a character, I would act in such a situation. Playing Lelka is difficult and very interesting! She is overwhelmed with emotions, she is growing up before our eyes!
- The range of your roles extends to men’s: the page boy in “Cinderella” by E. Schwartz and Fedyushka in “Kashtanka” by A. Chekhov. Where does femininity hide? (Sasha laughs).
Once, they say, she got carried away with Fedyushka and made a slip of the feminine gender. It seems to me, on the contrary, that I have a lot of boyish harshness in me; as a child I loved playing Indians! When playing with a child, it is important that they recognize themselves. I'm watching my son. My characters contain his happiness, his enthusiasm, his naivety.
- How does the girl Snegurochka manage her family and everyday life?
In the theater, all household chores and problems are forgotten! If I’m rehearsing, sometimes I forget to call to see if my son has had lunch, to check what he’s doing after school...
-Are you a strict mother?
No. I am sure that respect at the level of “I’m older, I’m smarter” will not last long. The child is growing up quickly. To maintain his trust, you need to communicate as equals, and not put pressure on him with authority. I try to be a friend to my son.
- What does the Snow Maiden do in the summer?
Getting ready for the next New Year! And remembers the past! At the last Christmas tree the actors played a prank on me. Sending Totoshka home, I clicked my magic golden shoes and... everyone disappeared from the stage, even Santa Claus. I didn't expect this from him! I was so confused that tears even began to flow treacherously. Actors' nightmare come true: you're standing on an empty stage in front of a full auditorium and don't know what to do. I closed my eyes and whispered: “Please come back!” and clicked her golden heels! And they are back!
My dear young and adult readers, hello! How's your New Year's mood? I hope that every day it gets better and more fun. You and I have already chosen the Christmas tree, we decided, with holiday menu decided. You can even call Santa Claus to your house, otherwise... New Year's Eve He is very busy, rushing to every house to deliver gifts to all the children without exception.
Together with Grandfather Frost, his constant companion and assistant, his granddaughter named Snegurochka, comes to visit us. And we are so accustomed to the fact that she simply exists and New Year’s Eve is often not complete without her, that we don’t even think about who the Snow Maiden is. She is like a self-evident addition to Santa Claus, may the fairy-tale beauty not be offended by me.
But for young and inquisitive people it often becomes unclear where it came from. Especially smart ones torture their parents, why does she have a grandfather, but not mom and dad, where is her house and why doesn’t she live with Santa Claus in Veliky Ustyug?
Tired of inventing all sorts of tall tales for my children, I finally decided to find out the story about the appearance of the Snow Maiden. At the same time, I’ll do you a good service - I’ll have something to answer tricky children’s questions.
Lesson plan:
Truly Russian heritage
If you study folklore about New Year and Christmas holidays different nations world, then there is no such prototype as the Snow Maiden in other countries. There are snowmen, there are also Santa Clauses in different clothes, there are deer, but there is no Snow Maiden!
Russian Santa Claus is simply fabulously lucky! Neither American Santa, neither the Finnish Joulupukki nor the Italian Babbo Natale has such a beautiful granddaughter, but ours does! And where did this come from?
There are many blank spots in the biography of the eternally young Snow Maiden. It just so happens that the Russian people like to explain everything with legends and shroud it in secrets. Same thing about the blonde assistant good grandfather is in Slavic mythology its own story.
- If you believe one of the versions, the Snow Maiden appeared during the farewell ceremony (more often called funeral) of Kostroma - a kind of spring-summer ritual. In it, an effigy of the female deity Kostroma, dressed in white robes, is burned on Kupala. The people said goodbye to the mermaid week in such a way that these mythological creatures - mermaids - more people did not harm. There is a custom of jumping over a fire. Some people associate Kostroma itself with the image of the Snow Maiden, who melted over the Kupala bonfire.
- Some are inclined to believe that the Snow Maiden is a prototype snow queen- the winter goddess Morana, who wanders in the snow, waits for the sun every night to destroy it, every spring fights with the light to prolong the winter and each time dies with the first days of spring, being burned at a symbolic bonfire. Here comes the Snow Maiden, like winter symbol, dies with the arrival of spring. Today, an effigy similar to Morana is burned on Maslenitsa as a farewell to winter.
But for some reason I don't like any of these stories. Well, I don’t associate this good-natured girl with the image of the ancient cruel winter goddess of the night Morana and the buried Kostroma. Although local Kostroma local historians tried to discover such a connection with the Snow Maiden and declared the city of Kostroma her homeland.
The legend is fabulous and beautiful to my liking. According to her, the Snow Maiden is a living symbol of water bound by ice in rivers. What does this have to do with it? Despite the fact that according to Slavic mythology, the waters, and at the same time the night sky, were in charge of the god Varuna, who in many mythological images often appears in the form of a good-natured and powerful grandfather, very similar to our Frost. I think it's not bad at all. How do you like it?
Ice girl from a fairy tale
The Russians talked about a living ice girl folk tales, in which she is sculpted in the yard, and she miraculously comes to life. And due to the fact that they sculpt this miracle from snow, people began to call their “crafts” Snow Maidens and Snowflakes.
One of the first to receive news about the existing snow girl was from Russian folklore lover Alexander Afanasyev. He spoke about the strange ice Snow Maiden, who always melts at the end of all Russian fairy tales, in his work - a study of Slavic mythology. In one of the distant Russian villages, Afanasyev was told a fairy tale about how the peasants Ivan and Marya, who had lived to old age without children, made themselves a snow doll, which after a while came to life.
A connoisseur of folklore was sure that such a character did not appear by chance and saw in him a prototype of the same winter goddess Morana, who, according to custom, melted at the end of the tale. But according to legend, something doesn’t fit with him: in that fairy tale, the Snow Maiden turned into a cloud over the fire in the summer, jumping over it, and not in the spring. Is this really the same Kostroma?
The first who was able to tell us more or less clearly about the snow wonder, giving birth once and for all to an assistant to Santa Claus, was the Russian writer-playwright Alexander Ostrovsky. In his play, written in 1873, the Snow Maiden appeared as a pale-faced girl with blond hair, dressed in a white fur coat with fur at the edge. She has a fur hat on her head and mittens on her hands.
Isn't it true that the island girl is painfully familiar? And a girl from the forest appeared to the people. Isn’t that where Grandfather Frost comes to us from?
About parents
If before Ostrovsky the Snow Maiden was sculpted by all the peasants - old men and old women, then the Russian playwright gave her Father Frost and Red Spring as her parents. His play was used as the basis for Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera and became famous throughout the world. Since then, the Snow Maiden has become real character coming every year on New Year's Eve.
Before October revolution Snow Maiden figurines were hung on Christmas trees, girls dressed up in her costumes, and in gymnasiums they staged performances based on Ostrovsky.
The Snow Maiden disappeared for a while and did not come to New Year in the post-revolutionary period, when the new government did not welcome the celebration of Christmas. After the 35th year of the last century, everything returned to normal, and Christmas trees They again began to delight children with Santa Claus, and the pretty girl, with her smiles in a cute outfit, as an example of complaisance and virtue, became another participant in children's celebrations.
But it was not right for an old man with a gray beard to have such a daughter, and gradually, during the times Soviet Union, by the power of the pen of poets and writers, the Snow Maiden turned into a granddaughter. Their first social appearance together took place in 1937 at the Moscow House of Unions.
The fate of the Snow Maiden hung in the balance during the war years and who knows whether she would have returned to us after the war or not if not for Lev Kassil and Sergei Mikhalkov, who in the 50s were the authors of scripts for the Kremlin Christmas tree. It was they who made her an obligatory participant in the holidays together with Frost.
Since then, they have not parted, and the kind old man, transferred to the role of her grandfather, carefully shifted part of his responsibilities for entertaining the children onto her fragile shoulders.
It's like a whole detective story. Now I’m in a stupor: according to Afanasyev, Snegurochka’s parents probably died of old age, and left the immortal fairy-tale character an orphan. And according to Ostrovsky, how to correctly explain to a child where Soviet era I don’t even know the affairs of the Snow Maiden’s father, having given his grandfather in return. Any ideas?
Little homeland of the Snow Maiden
As we have already noted, Kostroma local historians nevertheless assured the whole country that the small homeland of the daughter of Frost and Vesna is precisely the Kostroma region. A place called Shchelykovo, where Ostrovsky wrote his play, claims to be the family nest there. The film “The Snow Maiden” was also filmed there, and the wooden scenery used in the film was moved from the village to Kostroma, forming the Berendeyevka park.
In 2008, Kostroma residents built a whole tower for the Snow Maiden, where she enjoys meeting the children. Since 2009, April 4 has become her official birthday, so you can send Greeting Cards and send gifts.
Well, have you figured out the Snow Maiden’s family tree or have you not yet leaned towards some legend? Or maybe you have your own version of the appearance of a wonderwoman in a white fur coat? Tell us the secret!
And now, perhaps, the most popular cartoon song about our New Year's beauty)
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Happy New Year to you!
Irregular working hours. Yes, there are not many of these days a year. But the schedule of each of them is full from morning to evening. And customers appear long before the holiday itself. But the work is not boring and varied - after all, every day you need to speak in front of new people, and this is very interesting. Although some difficulties can be encountered here too - after all, you need to find your own approach to each person and please him in a special way.
The hardest thing is to surprise customers every year. The Snow Maiden doesn’t just need to be able to dance around and know a few New Year’s songs.
How nice it is to feel that everyone is waiting for you! In every apartment, in every team, everyone is happy to see you.
You need to be careful with the props - children constantly try to check whether the Snow Maiden has arrived to them for real, and they pull at the braid, fur coat, and mittens.
So what does it take to become a real New Year’s Snow Maiden and bring a fairy tale into people’s homes this year?
Firstly, you need to have communication skills, responsibility, organizational skills, be able to communicate with children and strangers, think creatively. Of course, the appearance must be suitable for the image of the granddaughter of Santa Claus. Secondly, you need to be prepared for the following inconveniences: irregular working hours and the inability to plan your personal time, work on weekends and, especially, holidays. Finally, to practice and understand for sure whether you can become the Snow Maiden, try to fulfill the New Year's dreams of your loved ones, arrange a festive performance for them and please your household.
Do you want incredible sensations? They are guaranteed if you find yourself in a fairy tale or organize one for others. What could be more wonderful when not only your dream, but the dream of your loved ones or acquaintances comes true! If you have always wanted to play the role of the Snow Maiden, then become her. There are three ways: get a costume and script and arrange a party for family and friends; you can negotiate with an entertainment agency about fabulous employment for the New Year period (if you also want to receive a material bonus). Or you can turn this experiment into a charity event - it will be interesting for you and it will make others happy.
However, to be the Snow Maiden, there are some rules that are worth knowing.
1. To create the desired look, you don’t have to douse yourself cold water and go out into the cold to freeze. It is enough to buy or rent an appropriate outfit (if your hair length allows) or use a ready-made wig with snow-white braids.
2. Have you ever seen a sad, angry or capricious Snow Maiden? Who wants to face something like this? fairy-tale character! That's why great mood, good spirits and a frank smile are mandatory components of the image. The New Year's bustle, of course, is exhausting, but the granddaughter of Santa Claus is forbidden to be lethargic and sleepy. If you decide to work with it, then determine the schedule for yourself, but the pace should definitely be in “energizer” mode.
3. It is important to be not only cheerful, but also resourceful. The spontaneity of children should not confuse you - no matter what question they ask, you must masterfully “hold the line”. If you have experience with small children, this is a big plus. And if not, you can simply practice in advance - and not on children, but on adults. Ask your friends to ask you the most unexpected questions - this is exactly what children specialize in.
4. In continuation of the previous point, do not forget about the ability to find a language with a wide variety of audiences. After all, they can meet adults with a difficult disposition or who are shy and difficult to communicate with. As well as vice versa - they are too sociable, and then the question arises: who is entertaining whom here? Don't miss the initiative. Basic knowledge of psychology and what is called social intelligence - the ability to feel people and understand their responses - will not hurt. After all, a holiday is always happiness, and happiness is when everyone is comfortable!
5. Soft and gentle, the “ice girl” must at the same time be active and creative - a real entertainer. Its main task is to give a holiday, which means that in terms of fun you need to be an example for children and adults. Would you like to be told a poem for a gift? An ultimatum and blackmail – is this worthy of a real Snow Maiden? In the end, people are not at an exam, but at home, and you: “Tell me!” Show me! Get it!” Break this evil practice and do the opposite: from you - a poem, from the owners - a dish of pickles.
6. Snow Maiden, of course, beautiful woman. But if we are talking about organizing leisure time in someone else’s family, your mission is to be a family friend who is always welcome and trusted.
7. In the best traditions of quality service, make sure that your clients feel like VIP clients. When it comes to a holiday for kids, it is important to give them a real fairy tale so that everyone has the feeling that they have touched a miracle. And let not a single child be left without attention, even if it turns out that for the first time you see so many children, each of whom expects something magical from you! However, this also applies to adults. If the company is large, talk to everyone.
Of course, it is impossible to predict all the nuances and complications that may arise during the process. Therefore, the main thing is a great mood, the desire to get used to the image of the Snow Maiden and the desire to give people a holiday! Then you will succeed.