Fairytale island from Russian folklore. Folk art

Folk art Eastern Slavs is a huge and special area research. Within the framework of the general course, we can touch only on its most basic phenomena. The variety of forms of folk art of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and the high artistic perfection of many of their works are such that only a few other peoples Soviet Union can argue with them in this regard.

Oral folk art (folklore, folk literature) of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians reveals a complex combination of old, traditional and new forms. Previous folklorists considered oral folk art exclusively as a monument of antiquity, believing that in modern era, starting with the penetration of capitalism into the countryside, it is doomed to decline and disappearance. But Soviet folklorists have established that this is not true: folk creativity does not dry out even today, moreover, in Soviet era Some traditional genres of folklore are also being revived, imbued with new content, and completely new ones are developing. “Folklore,” says one of the prominent Soviet folklorists, Yu. M. Sokolov, “is an echo of the past, but at the same time the loud voice of the present.”

The traditional genres of East Slavic folklore include: ritual songs, lyrical songs, folk theater, fairy tales, proverbs, sayings and riddles, epic poetry - epics and historical songs, spiritual poems.

Ritual songs - perhaps oldest species folk poetry. They accompanied various rituals from the calendar cycle, from Christmas to stubble. Together with these rituals, they arose in a distant era on the basis of spontaneous materialistic labor relations the farmer to the natural environment, but were also colored by magical ideas. Other ritual songs were associated with family rituals - these are wedding songs, funeral lamentations (lamentations, lamentations); Of the latter, the northern ones are especially interesting. Nowadays, with a few exceptions, this ritual poetry is a thing of the past.

Lyrical folk poetry is extremely diverse. It is dominated by sad motives generated by a heavy fate working people in past. Love and family songs are distinguished, then songs about conscription and soldiering, about serfdom, barge haulers, coachmen, prison songs, comic-satirical songs and others. In addition to songs of peasant origin, from the 18th century. Factory worker poetry also began to emerge, which, however, retained close ties with village poetry.

Folk theater was once quite widespread. Among the Eastern Slavs this is mainly a puppet theater,
known in several forms. Among the Russians, the most famous theater is “Petrushki” (puppets worn and moved on the fingers); main character performances - Petrushka, a brave, resourceful, witty hero who enters into a fight with a merchant, a policeman, a doctor and overcomes everyone; in this image the spontaneous protest of the people against social oppression found expression. Ukrainians and Belarusians were better known for another type of theater - the “nativity scene”, where dolls moved through slits in the floor of the stage; the content of the performances were part church scenes, partly everyday satirical scenes. The third type of theater is “rayok” among Russians: this is different pictures, which were shown to the audience by rewinding between two rollers, and the raeshnik gave comically rhymed explanations.

Much less widespread was the theater of live actors. Only a few plays of this are known folk theater, which arose around the 18th century: these are “Tsar Maximilian”, “Boat”, “The Naked Master”, etc.

In the old days in Rus' there were wandering professional actors - the so-called buffoons. But the government and the church persecuted them for satirical speeches against those in power, and already in the 18th century. The buffoons are gone.

The fabulous epic of the Eastern Slavs is extremely rich. It is customary to share folk tales into types: fairy tales about animals, fairy tales, fairy tales, legends, everyday tales, fairy tales, anecdotes, fairy tales and short stories. Fairy tales with an element of the miraculous are generally more ancient. But the opinion of previous researchers, especially supporters of the mythological school, is erroneous, that at the heart of every fairy tale, and above all, lies a myth or religious performance. Soviet folklorists and ethnographers came to the conclusion that the fairy-tale creativity of the people from the very beginning existed independently of religious and mythological ideas, although, of course, there was mutual crossing of both. It is noted that (P.G. Bogatyrev), images of fairy tales among the Eastern Slavs - such as Baba Yaga, Koschey the Immortal, the Firebird - are not found at all in folk beliefs(i.e. people do not believe in their existence) and, conversely, objects folk beliefs- goblin, water goblin, brownie, etc. - almost never appear in fairy tales. Fairy tales of everyday content are associated with social themes, often have a satirical overtones and contain almost no elements of fantasy: here there are stories about a priest and his worker (the priest is always depicted negative traits), about a stupid gentleman and lady, about a soldier, etc. In these tales, the people captured their hostility towards the exploiters and sympathy for the disadvantaged.

Proverbs and sayings are extremely numerous. They also express folk wisdom, popular ideas about morality, and a critical attitude towards the exploitative system. It is known how widely they were and are being used folk proverbs classics of literature, as politicians often use them in their speeches.

One of the most specific types of Russian folklore is the heroic epic, the so-called epics. Unlike other types of folklore, their distribution is limited: they are preserved almost exclusively in the north - in the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Arkhangelsk, Vologda regions, Pechora, and in some places in Siberia. But by their origin, epics are associated with the ancient centers of Rus' - mainly with Kiev, Novgorod, and less with Moscow. They were created, according to most experts, between the 12th and 17th centuries. Soviet folklorists have established that epics, like other types of folk poetry, are not a half-forgotten relic of antiquity, but still live today full-blooded life, change, even enriched with new details. However, the main content of the epics is the exploits of ancient heroes. Of these, the most favorite is the peasant hero Ilya Muromets, next to him stand Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich, Volga Svyatoslavich, Mikula Selyaninovich and others. These are the heroes of the Kyiv cycle. Sadko and Vasily Buslaevich especially stand out from the Novgorod cycle. The word “epics” is not popular; it was introduced by folklorists, the first of whom was I. I. Sakharov. People often call these works “antiques.” They are performed by special specialists - “storytellers”, talented singers, possessing enormous memory, because you need to remember thousands of lines of text in a row. The most famous Storytellers are the Ryabinin family, the Kryukov family (who died in 1954, Marfa Kryukova - order bearer and member of the Union Soviet writers). Epic poems are sung, and their motifs are often heard in works of Russian classical music.

“Historical songs” are close to epics. They are dedicated historical figures- Ivan the Terrible, Stepan Razin, Pugachev and others, and historical events are conveyed more closely. They are usually shorter in size.

Ukrainians also have historical songs. But they got it great importance special genre folk historical poetry - the so-called “dumas”. In terms of content, most thoughts are devoted to historical events, the struggle of the Ukrainian people with the Tatars, Turks, Poles; but there are also thoughts of everyday content. Feature doom - the presence in them, along with purely folk art, also of elements of bookish, intellectual writing. Dumas were usually sung by blind lyricists, kobza players, and bandura players.

Spiritual poetry is an obsolete form of folk poetry. In the Middle Ages, they reflected the sentiments of dissatisfied sections of the population who adhered to various “heresies”; but subsequently this “heretical” spirit of theirs disappeared. Spiritual poems were sung by various wanderers, blind beggars, and pilgrims who stayed near monasteries. It was a type of religious propaganda that stupefied the consciousness of the people.

But the bulk of the works of traditional East Slavic folklore are of great ideological value. V.I. Lenin treated them with interest. Having familiarized himself with the records of Russian folklore texts, he once said to one of his interlocutors: “What interesting material... I quickly looked through all these books and see that, obviously, there are not enough hands or desire to generalize all this, to look at all this from a socio-political angle . After all, on this material one could write excellent research about the aspirations and expectations of the people. Look... in Onchukov’s fairy tales, which I leafed through, there are wonderful places here. This is what our literary historians should pay attention to. This is genuine folk art, so necessary and important for the study of folk psychology in our days." Russian folklore was highly appreciated by Maxim Gorky. “Collect our folklore,” he told the writers, “learn from it, process it.”

Long before people set out to build heaven on earth with their own hands, their ancestors believed that such a promised land already existed. From Kitezh to Buyan - 6 promised countries in the Russian tradition.

Perhaps the most famous promised place. The hidden city, which was located in the northern part of the Nizhny Novgorod region on the shores of Lake Svetloyar. According to legend, when the Mongol Khan Batu learned about Kitezh and ordered its capture, one of the Russian prisoners told the Mongols about secret paths to Lake Svetloyar. The horde pursued Prince Yuri and soon reached the walls of the city. To the surprise of the Mongols, the city had no fortifications at all. Its inhabitants did not even intend to defend themselves and only prayed. Suddenly, water gushed from the ground, engulfing the city and drowning the invaders. The enemies could only watch powerlessly as the city sank into the lake. The last thing they saw was the cross on the dome of the cathedral. The cross also disappeared - and in the place of Kitezh only the surface of the water remained.

Since then, according to legend, it is believed that only pure in heart and the soul can find the way to Kitezh. It is also said that in calm weather you can sometimes hear the ringing of bells and people singing, heard from under the waters of Lake Svetloyar, which is sometimes called the “Russian Atlantis”. The legend of Kitezh was repeatedly addressed, including by the composer Rimsky-Korsakov, who created “The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia.”

The legendary land of freedom in Russians folk legends, the image of Belovodye is partly connected with the image of the invisible city of Kitezh. The origin of the legend is attributed to end of the XVIII century, and its spread is associated with the activities of the runners, one of the Old Believer communities. At that time, there were numerous “guidebooks” that described the path to Belovodye in an encrypted, allegorical form. In the 18th-19th centuries, Belovodye acquired a real image among the Old Believers - the valleys of the Bukhtarma and Katun rivers in Altai, where various fugitives from government duties settled without permission, forming ethnographic group Bukhtarma masons. Some groups of Old Believers, in search of Belovodye, went much further into Chinese territory, and even crossed over to the New World.

Lukomorye is a protected place on the outskirts of the universe in the “bend” of the sea, where there is a world tree - the axis of the world, along which you can get to other worlds, since its top rests on the heavens, and its roots reach the underworld. Sometimes the ancient Northern Kingdom was called Lukomorye, where people hibernate in winter in order to wake up for the return of the spring Sun - this interpretation was recorded in the studies of N. M. Karamzin, A. N. Afanasyev and A. A. Korinfsky.

This promised land was described by Euphrosinus in “The Tale of the Rakhmanakhs and Their Wonderful Life.” The same Islands of the Blessed are described in detail in the apocrypha known as “The Walking of Zosimas to the Rahmans.” The island is inhabited by “Rakhmans” (Brahmins?), Christian sages who were allegedly visited by Alexander the Great during his campaign against India. Rahmans spend day and night in prayer, eat the fruits of the earth and drink sweet water flowing from under the root of one tree. They have no grapes, no iron vessels, no iron knives, no houses, no fire, no gold and silver, no clothes.

Having given birth to two children with his wife, the Rakhmans divorce and live chastely. The angels inform the rahmans about righteous and sinful people on earth, how many years of life are assigned to them, and the rahmans pray for people, because, as they told Zosima, “we are from your family.” During fasting, Rahmans, instead of tree fruits, eat manna falling from the sky, and only for this reason do they judge the change of time. Rahmans live from 100 to 860 and even up to 1800 years. They know the time of their death and die without illness and without fear.

Fairy-tale island-city in Russian folklore. Well known thanks to A. S. Pushkin’s fairy tale “The Tale of Tsar Saltan.” Buyan Island is endowed with miraculous powers; magical things are stored on it that help fairy-tale heroes fight evil (a mystical oak tree grows on the island, in whose branches Koshchei’s death is hidden). There on the island there is a sacred stone, Alatyr, which marks the center of the world. Whoever manages to find this stone will have all his wishes come true. As a guess real prototypes The island-city of Buyan is called the foreign islands of Rügen and Bornholm (which, however, have not one, but several cities and settlements each), as well as the island-city of Sviyazhsk and the island of Berezan.

IN Slavic mythology southern regions where birds fly in winter, Dreamland. In accordance with ancient Slavic myths, the ancestors of all birds and animals live on this island (before the name of the animal that lived on this island they said “elder” or “old”, this spoke of their maturity and bodily power). This island of the seventh heaven, whose roof was the eighth and ninth heavens, was also called “Iriy” or “Viriy”. In the Belarusian and Ukrainian languages, there are currently also expressions about migratory birds: “lyatsyats u vyray” (Belarusian) and “letit u virii” (read: letits u vyriy) (Ukrainian), which are not used in other contexts.

Folklorist Varvara Dobrovolskaya about her homeland New Year's character, the origin of the Snow Maiden and her family ties with Santa Claus.

When we talk about the Snow Maiden, we actually mean two characters: a beautiful maiden in love with Lelya, and a little girl fashioned from snow by childless old men. The beautiful maiden - the Snow Maiden - is a character invented by a specific person, Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. She is the heroine of the play “The Snow Maiden,” which the author called a spring fairy tale. Her parents, according to the text of the play, are Father Frost and Spring-Red. Snegurochka is a child of Spring-Red’s rash behavior, and she herself speaks about it this way:

"Sixteen years ago, I'm just a joke,
And amusing my fickle temper
Changeable and whimsical, has become
Flirting with Frost, the old grandfather,
A gray-haired prankster; and from then on
I am in captivity with the old...
I would like to leave the gray one,
But the trouble is, the old man and I have a daughter -
Snow Maiden."

Grandfather Frost loves the Snow Maiden and hides her from Yarila, but, succumbing to Spring’s persuasion, he releases his daughter into the human world, where she dies. Her death is connected with the love that Yarilo brings, and not with the sunlight and warmth itself. IN folk tales The Snow Maiden girl is molded from snow, her creators-parents are her grandfather and grandmother who made her from snow. The Snow Maiden can be molded as a snow woman or snow can be poured into a mortar and crushed with a pestle - in the process of grinding the snow together, a girl appears; There are options when snow was placed on the stove. She dies from jumping over a fire, and her feelings in this case are not described.

The first recordings of Russian folk tales featuring the character of the girl Snow Maiden appeared in the 19th century, but they probably existed before that. Ostrovsky's play was written in 1873. And, of course, that Snow Maiden, whom we all know as the granddaughter of Father Frost, is associated specifically with Ostrovsky’s play, although it contains many references to folk tales about the Snow Maiden girl. A shift in phenomena occurred: the Snow Maiden became an adult girl, just like in Ostrovsky, but just like the old people in Russian folk tales, Father Frost, being an old man, began to call her his granddaughter, and not his daughter.

Father Frost appeared not much earlier than the Snow Maiden; he is also an invention of the 19th century, although we are accustomed to the fact that he is a mythological character. And they usually refer to the fact that in Russian folklore there is a character named Moroz, who is fed oatmeal jelly at Christmas so that he does not freeze out the winter crops. When he was invited to a Christmas feast, the owners took a dish of jelly outside and shouted:

Frost, Frost! Come eat jelly!
Frost, Frost! Don't hit our oats!

Nobody knows what this character looks like and what he does. But it is quite obvious that this is not the familiar Santa Claus, but some other character associated with natural elements.

And the appearance of the familiar Santa Claus is associated with the desire of Russian society - of course, urban and educated - to create its own unique Russian Christmas grandfather, who will bring gifts to children. This desire did not fall on unprepared soil. In 1848, Vladimir Fedorovich Odoevsky wrote “Tales of Grandfather Irenaeus,” among which there is the fairy tale “Moroz Ivanovich.” This character does not come to children, but children come to him, he lives in an icy country and does not give gifts, but rewards children for good deeds. Gradually, by the beginning of the twentieth century, the already familiar image of Father Frost took shape, but this is Father Christmas. After the revolution of 1917, this character was persecuted, and in 1929, when Christmas was declared a working day, Father Frost left the festive space. However, in 1936, a decision was made to celebrate not Christmas, but the New Year, and Santa Claus returned. And already in 1937, at the children's New Year's tree in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions, Father Frost had a granddaughter - Snegurochka.

Grandfather Frost, despite the complexity and debatability of the issue of the fairy-tale map of Russia, lives in Veliky Ustyug, and Kostroma is considered to be the birthplace of the Snow Maiden, although this is not entirely true. According to the fairy-tale map of Russia, the birthplace of the Snow Maiden is located in the Shchelykovo estate in the Kostroma region. There is Ostrovsky’s museum-estate, where he thought about the idea of ​​writing the play “The Snow Maiden”. And if we are guided by the logic of the creators of the fairy-tale map, according to which the character’s homeland is where the work was written, then the Snow Maiden’s homeland should be Malaya Ordynka in Moscow, where Ostrovsky wrote the play. However, the idea with Shchelykovo took root, museum workers actively use this brand. Now the “Blue House” in the Ostrovsky estate in Shchelykovo is the Snow Maiden’s mansion. But since it is more difficult to get to Shchelykovo and the number of people who can come there is less than those who can get to Kostroma, the residence of the Snow Maiden was moved to the regional center.

Varvara Dobrovolskaya

A walk through fairs and all sorts of New Year's “markets” has, as we noticed, a therapeutic effect. The whole secret is in the beauty of the presented things, bright colors, smells of coffee and mulled wine, as well as general atmosphere holiday. Even if you don’t buy anything, consider yourself a winner. Most people probably go for it. During the holidays, fairs are open on Elagin Island, Ostrovsky Square, Pionerskaya Square, and in almost all shopping centers. We especially recommend the Galereya shopping center. You will find all the addresses of the fairs as well as their dates in our special material.

Winter excursions

Walk around the city with a guide? In winter? In the cold? What are you talking about?! Of course! When else if not on vacation?

Here we have two suggestions for you. Firstly, look at our material with the best winter excursions in St. Petersburg. Some of them are also held in the summer, but not all city guests have the opportunity to come in the warm season.

Secondly, check out the excursions that have been specially designed by local guides for the 2019 holidays.

And, it seems that we were lucky with the weather during these holidays, so it’s unlikely to freeze, not to mention the fact that quite a lot of excursions are held indoors.

Water park "Piterland"

A water park is the number one choice for most families. In winter, it works great in contrast: you float along the local “river”, and outside the wall-to-wall window you can see the snow-covered Krestovsky Island, the UFO stadium and the ice-covered Malaya Nevka. You fly down the slide and plop into the pool while snow falls outside the window.

Schedule of the Piterland water park during the holidays

31 12.18 - from 10.00 to 18.30;
- 01.01.2019 - from 14.00 (ticket office from 13.00) to 22.30;
- from January 2 to January 8 - from 9.00 (ticket office from 8.30) to 22.30;
Prices. Until January 08, 2019, three special rates apply:
1) “Adult 3 hours” - for 1,700 rubles;
2) “Adult 5 hours” - for 1900 rubles;
3) Children from 5 to 13 years old pay the “Children's Day Off” tariff - 990 rubles.
Additional time in the water park for all tariffs is paid in the amount of 100 rubles for every 15 minutes.
Important: B new year holidays from 12/30/18 to 01/08/19. There are no promotions or discounts, except for the ISIC promotion.
Note: in May 2018, the Begovaya metro station was opened next to Piterland, now this is the shortest route to the water park, 10-15 minutes on foot.

Children's shows and parties

We have selected several large-scale or intimate, but interesting children's events, where children, together with adults, will see a powerful show or even take part in something.

- "Wait for it! Catch a star." The Wolf, the Hare and the Snow Maiden will emerge from the cartoon world into the real one, and the public will have to bring them back. Each viewer can influence the development of the plot. Until January 6th.
- “Nutcracker 2”. Ice show. Classical ballet under the leadership of Evgeni Plushenko, it turned into a mixture of genres on ice with cool scenery and special effects. From January 2 to January 8.
- “World New Year at Expoforum. This is a large area with many areas for entertainment, from laser shooting to jumping on stuffed toys. At the same time, a musical is shown, which is available for an additional fee. From January 2 to January 7.
- “Magic ice cream, or in search of the Snow Queen.” The queen kidnapped Kai, Gerda goes in search of her brother. Everything is classic. Until January 6.
- Santa Claus's house at the Mouse House children's center. The most specialized animator, Father Frost, settled with his belongings at the Mouse House on Petrogradskaya. Until January 15, he entertains children by playing with them, telling rhymes and jokes.

Circus in St. Petersburg during the New Year holidays

Circus performers will be working hard in the arenas of St. Petersburg circuses throughout the New Year holidays.

Circus on Fontanka

Great St. Petersburg state circus(aka “Circus on the Fontanka”, aka “Circus Ciniselli”) gives a win-win classic - “Cinderella”. The heroine of the fairy tale will be the star of a circus musical performance. A touching fairy tale will sparkle with new colors, immersing the audience in a world of beauty, magic and transformation. The performance involves various animals: horses, Mickey the chimpanzee, parrots, sheep and lions. Spectators can expect trampoline acrobats, colorful horsemen and bicycle figure skaters.

The performance is made at the intersection of many genres - from theatrical lyrical comedy to an ultra-modern circus show. The main characters of the New Year holidays - Father Frost and Snow Maiden - will also be at the holiday.

Tour of the Great Moscow Circus under the direction of the Zapashny brothers at the Sibur Arena

The Zapashny brothers will present their fairy-tale show based on Russian folk tales “Tall Tales”. They promise stunning costumes, spectacular special effects, musical accompaniment, and performances by a whole parade of trainers with a wide variety of animals - from dogs and horses to sea lions. Also involved are gymnasts on trampolines, belts and throwing boards, tightrope walkers and aerialists, clowns, roller acrobats.

The plot is based on Russian folk tales with Ivan Tsarevich, Vasilisa the Beautiful, Koshchei the Immortal. Koschey kidnaps Ivan's beloved Vasilisa, and the hero sets off on a journey to return his bride. Many mysteries and other obstacles arise on his way, but in the end the good fellow overcomes all obstacles.

Circus in Avtovo: “Amazing New Year trees”

The circus in Avtovo offers theatrical performances this holiday season. circus show, in which the audience themselves will be able to take part. The program includes live vocals, interactive interludes, miracles and New Year jokes, as well as trained exotic animals (peacocks, crocodiles, ostriches, boa constrictors, iguanas, bears, ponies, monkeys, scientist cats and raccoons), tightrope walkers, jugglers and clowns and dizzying flights under the circus big top.

The bazaar in the creative space “Tkachi” will give you comfort and the most pleasant aromas. Its specialty is spicy drinks such as mulled wine, sbiten, masala, lemonade, spicy coffee, which will be prepared for you by the festival restaurants, as well as spicy gingerbread and even Czech trdel. Musical accompaniment is provided by specially invited musicians. Creative master classes and New Year's performances are organized for children.

Dates and times: January 5 and 6, 2019, from 13:00 to 21:00
Address: Obvodny Canal embankment, 60. Nearest metro station Obvodny Canal.
Price: 200 rubles. A drink is included in the price.
Website: https://vk.com/prianybazar

Winter skating rink in New Holland

New Holland, of course, has the most beautiful skating rink in St. Petersburg. Even the skating rink on Palace Square in its time could not compare with it. Go ice skating surrounded by beautiful restored industrial buildings accompanied by light music - this is a ready-made backdrop for your photos and Instagram stories. Moreover, in the very center of St. Petersburg, you don’t need to go to any outskirts.

What is important: those who don’t want to skate will be able to while away their time in the numerous cafes and shops in the Bottle, a chic round building, while waiting for their friends who have gone on the ice.

Important: during the holidays, it is best to arrive early for your session (yes, in New Holland, as in a decent place, they allow people to go to the skating rink one session at a time, so as not to create crowds). A passport is not accepted as a deposit for skates.

Dates: until the ice melts
Schedule: December thirty-first, last session at 20. January 1, first session at 12:30. From January 2 to 8, the skating rink is open from 11 to 22:30. On January 4 and 5, Silent Disco sessions from 23:00 to 00:00.
Address: Admiralteysky Canal embankment, 2. Nearest metro station Admiralteyskaya
Price: 150 – 450 rubles
Website: http://www.newhollandsp.ru/rink/

Ice Sculpture Festival

Every year on the beach Peter and Paul Fortress compositions from ice grow. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it looks like real beauty. This year the theme is travel, and therefore there are sculptures dedicated to all corners of our planet, for example, the Statue of Liberty, the underwater world of Australia or penguins from Antarctica.

Dates and times: until the third of February two thousand and nineteen, from 10:00 to 22:00.
Price: adult ticket 470 rubles, children’s ticket – 370 rubles
Website: http://icefantasy.ru/

Fire festival on Strelka “Christmas Star”

In the evenings, the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island turns into a huge theater of light technologies - installations, Laser show, all things. The Exchange building serves as a large screen on which colorful scenes will sparkle; in front of it, fakirs will handle live fire, and pyrotechnicians will launch their fireworks.

Exhibition “Beloved India”

Exhibitions don’t seem to be a New Year’s genre, but these two still look appropriate. “Beloved India” - consider it a fair, only not a Christmas one, but dedicated to a specific country. In contrast to the snow-covered St. Petersburg, the world of elephants, spices and belly dancing will be absolutely stunning.

Dates and times: until January thirteenth two thousand and nineteen, from 11:00 to 19:00
Place: exhibition complex"Lenexpo", Bolshoy Prospekt V.O., 103.
Tickets: free entry

"Shubamania" at SKK

“Shubamania” is suitable at any time of the year. It's never too late and never too early to get a fur coat. Especially if it is mink, sheepskin, mouton, arctic fox, and even at a discount, and even in all sizes. Moreover, you can purchase all this on credit and without overpayment.

Dates: until January eighth two thousand nineteen.
Place: SKK. Yuri Gagarin Avenue, 8. The nearest metro station is Park Pobedy.

Orchid exhibition in the Botanical Garden

The surreal title “Rainbow Pieces” perfectly captures the essence of what you can see: orchids and bromeliads have so many colors and shades that there is enough for even several rainbows. Varietal orchids will be presented in the Great Palm Greenhouse, surrounded by a man-made tropical forest. By the way, from closed funds. .

Dates: until January thirteenth two thousand and nineteen, 11:00 – 17:00, ticket office open until 16:30
Address: Professor Popova Street, 2. Nearest metro station - Petrogradskaya (walk 10-15 minutes)
Price: adults - four hundred rubles, children from 4 years old and schoolchildren - 200 rubles, students and pensioners - 300 rubles.
Website: https://vk.com/botsad_spb

"Christmas meetings on Elagin"

From the fifth to the eighth of January two thousand and nineteen, 2 programs a day are held in the Semicircular Hall of the Stables Building: at 13 and 15 hours. Each program consists of:
- meeting guests folklore group 30 minutes before the start of the performance at the New Year's tree on the square near the Konyushenny building;
- New Year's puppet show in the Semicircular Hall for children and their parents, lasting from thirty to forty-five minutes;
- creative master class on decorating Christmas gingerbread lasting thirty minutes;

Program of “Christmas meetings on Elagin” 2019

The fifth of January. Theater “Without a Curtain”, play “Chaliapin's Tales”. Duration forty-five minutes. This is an unusual performance, which is based on biographical materials, fairy tales and stories that Chaliapin composed for his children. Category six +.
- January 6th Puppet Theater “Assorted Club”, play “About a bear cub and a snowy winter.” Duration forty minutes. This is a gentle and light winter story about a polar bear cub and his relationship with his parents, as well as friends. The play is based on famous stories about the bear cub Umka (writer Yuri Yakovlev). Recommended age is from two to seven years.
- January 6th Puppet Theater “Assorted Club”, Musical performance"Teddy Bear and starry sky" A story set in the far North. Summer there is short and cold, but even so it is greatly loved by those who live there... A bear cub, a man, a polar owl and a deer - everyone is looking forward to summer and the joys that it will bring. Duration forty minutes. Recommended age is from two to seven years.
- January 7th Theater “Vinograd”, nativity play “Christmas”. The traditional Christmas mystery for children and adults tells about the events of the Nativity of Christ. Duration 30 minutes. Recommended age: from three years.
- January 8th Theater “Tutti”, nativity play “Christmas Miracle”. A deeply moving performance in which a trio of angels tell the story of the birth of Jesus in language puppet theater. The Christmas story is told here not as a biography, but as a kind and bright fairy tale.

Duration thirty-five minutes.
Recommended age is from two to six years.
Address: Central Park of Culture and Culture named after S. M. Kirov, St. Petersburg, Elagin Island, fourlit. D. Nearest metro station – Staraya Derevnya
Tickets: adults – two hundred rubles, children – five hundred rubles. You can buy on the website spb.kassir.ru

“Taming the Yule Cat” in Vyborg

Vyborg cat quarter shows interactive program"The Taming of the Yule Cat"

During the program you:
- you will find out that this is Yule and who the Yule cat is;
- try to outwit, as well as appease the Yule cat;
- eat a delicious Yule treat;
- win lucky amulets that will protect you and your loved ones for a whole year!;
- you will communicate not only with the terrible Yule cat, but also with his real modern purring-meowing family of the Quarter;
- and a lot of other things.

Dates: until January thirteenth two thousand and nineteen at 12, 15 and 20 o'clock.
Duration: one hour
Groups of eight to sixteen people are accepted
Price: six hundred rubles per person. The cost of the program includes entertainment, food, amulets, and communication with cats.
Phones: +7 812 454 6757, +7 991 000 6757
Website: https://vk.com/fraumiau

On the Lastochka to Ruskeala

The Ruskeala marble quarry in Karelia is now, as they say, “within walking distance.” You just need to walk to the Finland Station, take the high-speed train “Lastochka” there and after 6 hours get off at Matkaselka station, and from there take a bus to the marble beauties. Travel in winter for warmly dressed people, provided with food and thermoses. But those who went say that it is worth it.

Fabulous New Year and Christmastide in Vitoslavlitsy

Vitoslavlitsy ( Velikiy Novgorod), one of the most popular and famous museums wooden architecture in Russia, calls from the first to the third of January two thousand and nineteen to celebrate the New Year in a fabulous way. If you have not yet been to Vitoslavlitsy, then we will tell you that there are many wooden buildings here in the open air - not only life-size, but how they are in themselves. 1-in 1-in. You find yourself in a kind of ancient Russian fairy tale, and if we talk about the New Year, then this is probably the best setting for it.

You will be given a route map with tasks. In order to complete them, you need to outsmart everyone Evil spirits, try to bake Kolobok, ride the Little Humpbacked Horse, help the 7 kids escape from the wolf, get the Scarlet Flower, manage to populate the Mitten and pull out the Turnip. The prize at the end is a gift from Father Frost and Snow Maiden.

There are also craft trade stalls.

Dates and times: from the first to the third of January 2019, from 13:00 to 15:00
Place: Vitoslavlitsa Museum, Veliky Novgorod.
Website: http://novgorodmuseum.ru/muzej-zapovednik/velikij-novgorod/16-.html
Tickets: adults - three hundred and fifty rubles, students and pensioners upon presentation of an ID - two hundred and fifty rubles; family ticket for a married couple and 1-2 children, for large families upon presentation of an ID - seven hundred rubles.

In addition, on the sixth of January in Vitoslavlitsy at sixteen and seventeen there will be a “Christmas Nativity Scene” in the c. Zhen Myronosits (adult ticket 250 rubles), and on January 8th from 13 to 15 – “Svyatki” (adult ticket 350 rubles).

"New Year's chaos" in Gatchina

The Gatchina Palace with a park and a parade ground is probably the most crowded place in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, when to take the number festive events per unit of time.

From the thirtieth of December 2018 to the eighth of January 2019, there will be a fair, a spruce tree and a lot of entertainment on the parade ground in front of the Gatchina Palace:

Every day from the first to the eighth of January at 13, 14, 15 and 16 o'clock the “New Year's dispute between the White Duck and the Beaver” performs. New Year's interludes, round dances, outdoor games with Father Frost and the Snow Maiden;
- on the third of January at thirteen, 14 and 15.30 “In the New Year’s whirlwind”: festive program;
- January 5 at seventeen “New Year's Thunderstorm”: pantomime and pyrotechnic show. "Theater named after Who Must Not Be Named";
- January 7th at 1:30 p.m. – “Joy comes to us...”: festive Christmas program with the participation of artists from the Petit Trianon theater.
Admission to all events on the parade ground is free.

In the Gatchina Palace, from January 2 to 8, there is a very rich children's program from 12 to 17 hours: dancing with the Snow Queen, singing in chorus, excursions through the state rooms, puppet show, performance of magicians, clowns, etc., etc.

At the Priory Palace from the second to the eighth of January:
- At twelve, thirteen, 16 and 17 o'clock - Travel through an unusual castle, getting to know the history and traditions of the Order of Malta;
- At fourteen o’clock the game is the “Knight’s Tournament” competition;
- fifteen hours program “Christmas Traditions. Christmas Nativity Scene.

In the Theater Hall of the Gatchina Palace from the second to the seventh of January there are daily concerts at 16.00 from various musical groups and theaters.

All events in the palaces (except for excursions, which are paid additionally) - at the cost of entrance tickets:
- adult – five hundred rubles;
- student – ​​two hundred;
- family – one thousand two hundred;
- children under seven years old – free;
- sixty-five years and older – two hundred.

Museum website: http://gatchinapalace.ru

"Winter Fairy Garden" in Pavlovsk

On the Parade Ground of the Pavlovsk Palace there will be a magical fairy-tale garden of 10 real sculptural compositions. The project takes place within the framework of the famous “Pavlovsk seasons”, which are designed to acquaint the public with current landscape art.

The installation will consist of original works by popular designer Mila Schumann, made from wicker, forging and fabric elements. The heroes of the exposition will be Gerda, the ladies-in-waiting in magnificent elegant dresses, the majestic throne of the Snow Queen, as well as the Reindeer. Many bright glowing garlands and artificial flowers will decorate the figures, creating a New Year's mood. You can take a photo on the royal ice Throne or on a bench under a lantern near Gerda.

Pushkin on vacation

In the children's center of the Tsarskoye Selo Museum-Reserve in the White Tower pavilion (located in Alexander Park, to the right of its main axis), performances for children, as well as master classes, will be held.

Representation

Fourth of January: 12.30 “Tales of Ole Lukoje” (ages 5+);
- January 5th and 6th: 11.00 and 14.00 “Christmas Stories” 3+ ( music and game program for the whole family).

Price: child ticket– eight hundred rubles, adult – four hundred rubles.

Master classes “Workshop of Miracles”

On the fourth of January from 15.00 to 18.00 “Shishok”: making crafts New Year's toy made from eco-materials;
- January 5th from 12.00 to 17.00 “New Year’s decor”: we paint a wooden Christmas tree toy;
- January 6th from 12.00 to 17.00 Decorating the house for the holiday: decorating your own candlestick.

Price: three hundred and fifty rubles. Tickets can only be purchased at the White Tower itself.
Contacts: +7 812 466 80 12, +7 921 866 44 14

In addition, all major museums in Tsarskoye Selo are open seven days a week from January 2 to January 8: Catherine Palace, “War Chamber” and expositions.
Crew rides in Pushkin

Since the end of December, carriage rides have been available again in Alexander Pushkin Park. On New Year holidays On two thousand and nineteen you can ride in style on a sleigh drawn by two horses.

Each sleigh carries 4 people, and the organizers have 2 crews in total. So you can have fun and big company. One hour of walking costs ten thousand rubles, 30 minutes - 7 thousand rubles. Or, in terms of per person, only two thousand five hundred rubles per hour.

In addition, there is also a horse ride at a price of four thousand rubles for forty-five minutes and seven thousand rubles for 45 minutes.

Trip to Finland and the Baltic countries

Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are Catholic and Lutheran countries, which means their main celebrations took place at the end of December. But nevertheless, even during the Orthodox holidays there is something there, first of all, concerts, festivals and fairs. Which is not surprising: firstly, many Russians live there, and secondly, many Russians go there.

When traveling to Finland by bus or car, there is a pleasant bonus: you can make a stop at Zsar Outlet Village, which recently opened on the Russian-Finnish border from the Vaalimaa border crossing, and buy branded items there for cheap.

The fabulous Lukomorye was borrowed by Pushkin from the folklore of the Eastern Slavs. This is a reserved northern kingdom on the edge of the world, where people hibernate in winter and wake up with the first rays of the spring sun. There is the World Tree (“At Lukomorye there is a green oak”), along which, if you go up, you can get to heaven, if down, you can get to the underworld.

The real Lukomorye, contrary to the children's song with the words “Lukomorye is not on the map, which means there is no way into the fairy tale,” is depicted on many old Western European maps: this is the territory adjacent to the eastern shore of the Ob Bay, in the area of ​​​​the modern Tomsk region.

In general, the “Lukomorye” in Old Slavonic language means "bend of the seashore", and in ancient Russian chronicles this toponym is mentioned not in the Far North, but in the area of ​​the Azov and Black Seas and the lower reaches of the Dnieper. The chronicle Lukomorye is one of the habitats of the Polovtsy, who were sometimes called “Lukomorets”. For example, in connection with these regions, Lukomorye is mentioned in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” In “Zadonshchina” in Lukomorye the remnants of Mamai’s army are retreating after the defeat in the Battle of Kulikovo.

Buyan Island

Fairytale Buyan also became widely known thanks to Pushkin: on the island of Buyan magical things are stored that help fairy-tale heroes, and a magical oak tree (World Tree) grows. Many folk conspiracies and spells began with the words: “On the sea on Okiyan, on the island on Buyan lies the white-flammable stone Alatyr.” The sacred stone alatyr in Slavic mythology designated the center of the world.

Real Buyan is the German island of Rügen in the Baltic. In ancient times, the West Slavic tribe of Ruyans lived on the island, and in their honor the island was called Ruyan. On the island was Arkona, the main pagan sanctuary of the Baltic Slavs. In subsequent centuries, in Slavic folklore the name was transformed into Buyan.

And the fabulous “white-flammable stone Alatyr” is the chalk rock “Royal Throne”, towering above the sea. According to tradition, the contender for the Ruyan throne had to climb alone at night along the spurs of the rock to the very top (which, apparently, was difficult and scary).

Tmutarakan

Often, when they want to talk about some distant, hard-to-reach place, they say that it is “some kind of Tmutarakan.”

Nevertheless, this is a very real city - the capital of the ancient Russian principality of the same name, which existed in X-XI centuries. The city was indeed located far from the rest of the principalities of Ancient Rus' - in the area of ​​​​the Kerch Strait, on the site of modern Taman.

After the defeat of the Khazar Kaganate by the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav, the city of Tmutarakan came under the rule of Kievan Rus, gradually becoming an independent Russian principality. But the remote location from Rus' played a role: after 1094, mentions of Tmutarakan disappear from Russian chronicles. The territory passes to Byzantium, and later to Genoa.

Brazil

The legendary Hy-Brasil is the island of the blessed in Irish mythology, the Celtic analogue of the biblical paradise. It was inhabited by heroes and simply good people. With the advent of Christianity in Ireland, Hy-Brasil began to be inhabited by monks and righteous people.

The island is surrounded by fog, which clears once every seven years, then only it can be seen. According to another version, the island floats to the surface of the ocean once every seven years. According to legend, the island will remain on the surface of the ocean forever if it is touched by fire.

This mythical island in the Atlantic was depicted on many ancient maps and was located west of Ireland. Therefore, when in 1500 the Portuguese reached unknown shores in Western Hemisphere, they decided that this is it legendary land Hi-Brazil. The country is still called that way: Brazil.

Avalon

On this magical island from Celtic legends, the fairy Morgana lived and King Arthur was buried. Avalon, also known as the Isle of Apple Trees, was another Celtic equivalent of paradise and was located in legends either somewhere in the west, among the endless waters of the Atlantic, or off the coast of Britain.

The island took on a real shape at the end of the 12th century, when a grave was discovered on St. Michael's Hill (which, by the way, was a volcano in prehistoric times) in Somerset. The inscription on the grave said that here, on the island of Avalon, King Arthur rested with his wife Guinevere. The remains of a large man and a short woman were found in the burial.

In ancient times, the hill rising above the marshy area resembled an island, and during frequent floods it turned into a real island. The remains were later reburied in a chapel built right there. During the Civil War in the 17th century, the grave was opened and the bones were scattered.

Thule Island

The mysterious island was first described by the ancient Greek traveler Pytheas from Massilia (modern Marseille) in the 4th century BC. He traveled to Northern Europe, and, in addition to the island of Thule, he spoke about the northern lights, the ice-bound sea, and the polar night.

These stories seemed like fiction to Pytheas's fellow citizens, and he was declared a liar. So the island of Thule, along with other “fables” described by Pytheas, was forgotten for centuries.

And only when the Vikings discovered Iceland in the 9th century and compared the natural and geographical characteristics of the island and the description of the mythical island of Thule, it became obvious that Pytheas had once discovered Iceland.

Terra Australis Incognita

The earth around South Pole has been recorded on maps since antiquity. It was believed that bald people, people with dog heads, giants, dragons and other curious personalities lived on these lands.

At first, the Unknown Southern Land occupied the entire south, turning the Indian Ocean into a lake. But as geographical discoveries progressed, it became smaller and smaller, moving south. The northern extremities of Terra Incognita were declared Tierra del Fuego, Australia and New Zealand. Even small lonely islands, lost in the ocean, were sometimes mistaken for the shores of the Unknown Southern Land.

After his unsuccessful voyage in 1772, James Cook, who never found the mysterious southern land, declared that if the southern continent existed, it was only near the pole, and therefore was of no value. After which the southern continent stopped being depicted on maps altogether.

Finally, in 1820, Antarctica was discovered by the Russian expedition of Bellingshausen and Lazarev. And Terra Australis, which previously existed only hypothetically, ceased to be Incognita. A sixth continent appeared on the map.