Did Moroz (Grandfather Frost) — a Soviet atheist substitute for St. Nicholas — epitomized the appropriation of religious tradition by the Soviet regime
Editor’s Note
After the 1917 Russian revolution, the military occupation of the newly-created national republics, and the subsequent creation of the USSR, Soviet authorities attained political power. They then targeted still popular, so-called “bourgeois,” deeply rooted religious traditions. Obviously, Christmas was one of the strongest cultural links with the pre-Soviet period that was to be uprooted and eliminated.
“Religion — the brakes of the five-year plan” — was the motto of the epoch.
By April 1923, the XIIth Congress of the Communist Party adopted a resolution, “On the Launching of Anti-religious Agitation and Propaganda.” The resolution facilitated the complete eradication of folk customs associated with religious celebrations, including musical works with religious and biblical themes.
Instead of koliady, songs marking the birth of Christ (Christmas carols); shchedrivky and vinshyvky, sung on the feast of St. Basil, and St. Melany, which coincided with the New Year, the party proposed communist songs glorifying proletarians. Similar was the fate of St. Nicholas Day, the Christmas tree, and even the symbol of the Christmas star.
For Ukrainians, all of these occasions were steeped in tradition and central to religious celebrations. The examples of rapidly created communist traditions were not only ridiculous but in many cases surreal. They also showcase how terrible and traumatic the totalitarian ideology was. At the same time, inspiring is the fact that the Ukrainian people were able to preserve — and later revive — these musical and religious traditions, despite 70 years of propaganda and repression.
Christmas in Kharkiv Region, Ukraine, early 20th century. Source: National Museum of Holodomor-Genocide
At first, the party was eager to follow Lenin’s recommendation that “it is necessary to replace the religious worldview with a coherent communist scientific system.” Authorities printed more scientific books ridiculing and — by the late 1920s — outright banning religious holidays.
“[The regime] conducted anti-Christmas and anti-Easter campaigns. Children were taught at school that during these holidays crimes take place most frequently. And during lessons, teachers would check that there was no paint from Easter eggs on children’s hands. Along with Christmas, the Christmas tree itself was branded with shame. It was called anti-Soviet, “a priest’s custom,” and religious nonsense. Some still would put it up secretly, behind tightly drawn curtains,” describes Marichka Naboka.
Kindergarten pupils at an anti-religious demonstration. Posters read: “We teach children with the help of a teacher, not God,” and “Parents, don’t lead us astray, don’t celebrate Christmas and the Christmas tree.” Source: rus-biography.ru
“Peoples — for peace, Church — for war” was the title of an article published in the Bezbozhnik (“Atheist”) newspaper. Source: galinfo
In 1922, the newspaper Bezbozhnik (Godless or Atheist) began publishing in the USSR, followed by the magazine Bezbozhnik u Stanka, meaning “atheist and the workbench,” and many others. In 1925, the Society of Friends of the Bezbozhnik newspaper was transformed into the Union of Atheists.
The USSR also introduced alternative communist rites. For example, Zvizdyny (“Starisms”) as opposed to church baptisms, and anti-religious burial rites with a communist star on the tombstone instead of a cross.
Early Soviet anti-religious propaganda juxtaposing Christmas and the Bolshevik “world army of workers”
Coming to power, Stalin tightened anti-religious policy. In 1929, days off from work were canceled for Christmas, New Year, and other religious holidays.
Early Soviet anti-religious propaganda posters. “Down with Christmas, long live the ‘nepreryvka’ (five-day continuous work week)”; “Down with church holidays”
Early Soviet anti-religious propaganda. “Down with the bourgeois Christmas tree”; “Don’t spend money uselessly on a Christmas tree, ice skates and skis are much dearer to us.”
Regardless of these restrictions, it was not easy to erase traditional rites and rituals which persisted at the community level, even if surreptitiously. Authorities had to change their tactics and did so according to the principle “If you can’t beat them, join them.” But in this case it was to “lead” them, or more accurately “mislead” them.
The Soviet New Year spruce tree replaces the (Christian) Christmas holiday tree, while Did Moroz takes the stage instead of St. Nicholas
In the 1930s, it was already evident that simple prohibition and mockery could not extinguish centuries-old traditions. At the same time, after the terror of the Holodomor (1932-33) inflicted by Stalin, along with the dreadful conditions of Soviet life, the regime recognized that they needed to provide some conciliation — give the people something to celebrate, if for no reason than to keep them under control. Thus, they devised a “Soviet New Year” — similar to Christmas in festive mood, but in place of any religious meaning, communist propaganda was introduced.
The originator of the New Year concept is unknown, however, details were published and popularized by one of the main organizers of the Holodomor. The notorious Pavel Postyshev was the main driver of Stalin’s policy to curtail Ukrainian national identity and a leading member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. On 28 December 1935, on page one of Pravda (Truth), the communist newspaper, Postyshev’s initiative was published as “Let’s organize a good spruce tree for children for the New Year!”
.@hwag_ucmc delves into the story of the creation of Ded Moroz by Communist emissary Pavel Postyshev, known, among other things, for the his role in engineering the Holodomor.https://t.co/wQbtz0vVRc
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) December 19, 2020
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Banned a few years earlier as a religious relic, the yalynka (decorated spruce tree) was now rehabilitated from a Christmas symbol to a communist symbol. The order was to prepare “bright New Year’s celebrations that were not dull.” The script for the first New Year celebration was prepared by Sergei Mikhalkov — lyricist of the Stalinist anthem of the USSR and author of popular children’s books — with the help of Lev Kassil, another Soviet author of children’s books.
St. Nicholas vs Soviet Did Moroz. Source: Instytut prosvity
Officials, enterprises, institutions, the Komsomol (communist youth league), and trade unions zealously reported how many New Year’s trees had been installed and decorated.
There was a modification, however. The decorative star on the top was no longer the one traditionally associated with Bethlehem, but the communist red star. The New Year’s tree was decorated with communist symbols. Tree ornaments were images of heroes of the revolution, red trumpeters, miners (and later cosmonauts), and of course Lenin, Stalin, Marx, and Engels. And eventually, Did Moroz (RUSS: Ded Moroz) (Grandfather Frost) a secular
figure, replaced St. Nicholas.
On 28 December 1936, the Soviet party fuctionary Pavel Postyshev called to make a “good Soviet New Year tree celebration” for children”, after which factories went into overdrive producing Soviet-themed tree ornaments. Source
As early as 1937, Did Moroz (Grandfather Frost) debuted in the Kremlin palace halls. Like St. Nicholas before the revolution, he brought gifts for children, however, he visited on the secular New Year’s Eve instead of the religious feast of St. Nicholas. The latter had been celebrated on either the 6th or 19th of December — the two dates according to the Julian or Gregorian calendar.
In fact, a new character was a rehabilitated pagan humanized symbol of moroz frost, revamped to fit Soviet ideology. In pagan Slavic mythology, Did Moroz was a strict character who punished evil forces by covering them in frost and whisking away naughty children in his huge sack. But, the Soviet Did Moroz became a jolly person, bringing gifts for everyone and celebrating the New Year with a pint or two.
Painting Snehurochka by Viktor Vasnetsov
Snihuronka (Snow Maiden) (RUSS: Snehorochka) in pagan mythology was a beloved child of Did Moroz. In Soviet reality, she became Did Moroz’s worker (mimicking the communist model of a Komsomol scout).
Ironically, Soviet authorities based the characters of Did Moroz and Snihuronka on the 1873 play The Snow Maiden by “bourgeois” Alexandr Ostrovskiy, the play itself arising from Slavic folk tales. The play was mega-popular and possibly inspired pre-revolution “bourgeois” composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov to compose the opera Snow Maiden, and folklorist Viktor Vasnetsov to paint her image. The Soviets borrowed from any number of popular subjects then rehabilitated them to fit the communist ideal.
Although the Church condemned these new atheist and mostly nonsensical celebrations, it could not challenge the official party line.
People continued the tradition of St. Nicholas, bringing gifts to their children on either the 6th or 19th of December. Today, with the fall of Soviet communism, Did Moroz has been losing his appeal year by year, while St. Nicholas has made a strong comeback.
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