Nickolai Gurgeiff - Christmas Carved Santa

A Little Bit of History

      It would be fair to say that St. Nicholas is a prototype of almost all Santa Claus. The legend has it that the 11th-century Prince Vladimir went to Constantinople to be baptized, and came back with stories of miracles performed by St. Nicholas of Myra, who was also known for his exceptional love for children, and his kindness. St. Nicholas was acknowledged as one of the closed Saints to God. He is the saint who Russians ask for protection and relief of all hardships. Since then many Eastern Orthodox Churches are named for this great Saint. Many religious and folk traditions were suppressed during the communist era in Russia. Due to ideological discrepancies of the old (tzar's) and new (communists) regimes, Christmas trees were banned and replaced with "New Year's" trees, let alone religious celebrations.
      Most Russians are Christian Orthodox. Traditionally, they fast until after the first church service on January 6, Christmas Eve. Since the old Julian calendar is still in use in Russia, Christmas celebration falls on January 7 (13 days) behind the Gregorian calendar that is used in America.
      For Russians, Christmas is a more religious holiday and more spiritual. That is why RUSSIAN SANTA IS NOT JUST A TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CHARACTER, HE IS A SAINT.

Traditions

The literal translation of Santa Claus in Russia would be Grand-Father Frost. Rumors have it as if Grand-Father Frost lives deeply in the woods and comes to town in a sleigh. He has a grand-daughter who looks after him and helps pack Christmas gifts for kids. Every year on New Year's Eve Grand-Father Frost visits every house when children are deeply asleep and puts gifts under each Christmas tree. (Russian Santa though does not come down the chimney like Western does.) Usually, Russian kids can't wait to pen their gifts and they get up on early New Year's morning to do so.

A unique Christmas gift and warm words are what make Christmas so special. Prepare in advance for this wonderful time of giving with collectible hand carved and hand painted Russian Santa Claus Figurines and Christmas Ornaments. They came directly from Sergiev Posad, a renown center of craftsmanship in Russia. These unique Santa Claus dolls are covered with glitter and lacquer to preserve their bright and beautiful coloring for years. Their coats have festive patterns sometimes looking like a small painting. The majority of Santa Claus figurines are signed by an artist, which makes them a wonderful collectible