December 21, 2021

Snow Fright


Snow Fright
Surely she lost her immortality?! RIA Novosti Telegram

Snegurochka, or the Snowmaiden granddaughter of Father Frost, is an essential figure of the Russian holiday season. In Kostroma, this year’s Snowmaiden seems to be more of a snow job.

On December 13, online outlet Kostroma Today reported that the city’s sparkling Snowmaiden structure, once called the “bride of Darth Vader,” has returned for the second year in a row.

The Snowmaiden is thought to have roots in pagan lore, and was first popularized by the playwright Alexander Ostrovsky, in his nineteenth-century play “Spring Fairytale.” In the tale, the Snowmaiden is the beautiful and lonely daughter of Frost and Spring who relinquishes immortality for the ability to love. She evaporates from the sun’s rays when she finally falls in love and leaves her forest shelter.

The Kostroma decoration is of a sort commonly found in Russia and Eastern Europe during the winter season, made of metal structure and laced with strings of lights. You often see find reindeer, Christmas trees, bears, balls, and jingle bells, but sometimes you’ll also stumble across a figure so horrifying that you’d rather run in the opposite direction.

“Remove this monstrosity already - it scares everyone off with its eerie appearance,” one resident of Kostroma wrote. "Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky has already turned over in his grave a thousand times from such a disgrace of a city. When I pass, I cross myself against sin a little farther away."

Some Kostroma residents are fans of the strange lady, but others are distraught, finding her more horrifying than before. Although this is the second year the Snowmaiden structure made an appearance, it was only removed the first time at the end of May!

Do not look into her eyes, some advise… this Snegurochka sure isn’t as pure as the driven snow.

 

You Might Also Like

Of Soviet Santas & Snegurochkas
  • January 01, 2000

Of Soviet Santas & Snegurochkas

This time of year, many Russians pine for the calmer, friendlier New Year's celebrations of decades past, and struggle to preserve family holiday traditions
Bringing in the New Year
  • November 01, 2004

Bringing in the New Year

From her village in the Bryansk region, Laura Williams offers a distinctly rural picture of the New Year's holidays in Russia.
Kostroma
  • August 16, 2016

Kostroma

Irina Yemets takes us north on the Golden Ring to visit the colorful town of Kostroma, hometown of the Romanovs and Snegurochka.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955