Great Ustyug - the official residence of Santa Claus

Good afternoon, dear radio listeners. You are on "MOROZ - FM", broadcasts Sergey Petrovich, and today we will tell you about the New Year!

So, dear radio listeners, the first snow. What thoughts do these words bring to your mind? Snow? Frost, cold, snowstorm, new year, Santa Claus? Maybe. Tell me, friends, do you believe in Santa Claus? I personally do. But why? He exists! And I saw him! I talked to him and even wrote him a letter. Listen to this:

"Dear Father Frost!"
My name is Sergey Petrovich, I do not ask you anything, but let the person who reads this be happy in the new year!

Where does Santa Claus live if he is real? I'll tell you! Great Ustyug. Yeah, right there! Great Ustyu This is the official residence of Santa Claus!

As all people say, but for me, speaking from the heart, this is the place where you start to believe in a fairy tale. And you know, I even wrote a couple of lines after I went there, so listen to this:

"The Great Ustyug ... How many lines, enthusiastic reviews and poems were devoted to this fabulous town...

The unique appearance that I saw there, the leisurely way of Russian life, artistic sights, authentic architectural, historical and spiritual heritage of our country.

I cannot even tell you how this unique splendor struck me that I had completely forgotten about worldly concerns. Great Ustyug wins the hearts of many guests, and now me. But why? It's simple! It's a real fairy tale that lives somewhere where you can't see it, but you can feel it.

That's what I decided to figure out. What is it that he is famous for, what has he hooked me, except that he is a living tale.

I thought at first, but then I realized that Great Ustyug is famous for his churches. I had to dig up thousands of documents to verify and double-check all the information I wanted to share with you!

Incredibly, this is a real temple complex! With such cathedrals as the Assumption, the Cathedral of John of Ustyuzhsky and many more small churches...

Nearby is Dymkovskaya Sloboda – another large church complex. And this is not the whole list of holy places that can be found in the city! Just listen!

Separately, it is worth highlighting the oldest monastery - Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk. And as I found out, even this is only a small part!

Church of Myrrhbearers with a unique collection of Christmas toys. Trinity-Gleden monastery with the most beautiful carved iconostasis. Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Monastery, by the way, the first stone walls in the city appeared here! The Cathedral of Michael the Archangel...

And also the Church of the Ascension with the Museum of Old Russian Art, where the five-tier iconostasis and the Cathedral Palace are stored, the center of which is decorated with the majestic Assumption Cathedral... And even noble mansions, many of which are perfectly preserved to this day!

And as it turned out later, the "tourist hit" in this city was a monument to the Lapthu! Traditionally, people come to him to celebrate the “lapot wedding”. It's 3 years of marriage..."

And even that's not all! Believe me, to understand my feelings, you need to be there! And more than once to realize all the greatness of the city, which is expressed not only in churches, but also in the fact that the city has made a huge contribution to the development of the country's economy!

And now in detail about where he is:

“An interesting history of this city, as well as the location ... It's complex. The city is located in the Vologda region and is considered one of the oldest Russian cities, which was founded in 1147, simultaneously with Moscow, which then did not yet have the proud title of the Russian capital! According to one version, the name of the city comes from the location near the mouth of the South. And according to another, the name came together with immigrants from Gleden, located at the mouth of Ustyug. But that's not the most interesting thing! Did you know that the epithet "Great" and it is a fact, the city received for its role in history and for its commercial significance! Thus, in the XVI century, the trade importance of Ustyug increased so much that Ivan IV included it in the number of oprichny cities that gave money "for the sovereign's everyday life." It is during this period that the title of the Great is affirmed!

And if you think that's it, no. You can’t imagine how much I had to collect to understand this story! But, running ahead, I did not understand the fairy tale, and it is not necessary to understand! A fairy tale is a fairy tale. You have to believe in her! The following helped me in this:

"Where is Santa Claus' real estate? I asked myself a question. I got an answer right away! 10 km from the city, on the banks of the Sukhona River in a picturesque, dense forest. Behind a high elegant fence with carved gates is a sparkling multi-colored lights magical Terem of Santa Claus, a winter garden and a fairy tale park... You will like this magical place for both children and adults – this is a real excursion to a happy childhood! Remember what it was like? Silver snow, light cold, evening, the light of the lantern, snowflakes shine in its beam...

At this moment I remember the poems of Sergei Yesenin. Here's one:

birch

White birch
Under my window.
Covered in snow,
Exactly silver.

On fluffy branches
Snow border
The brushes opened.
White fringe.

And there's birch.
In the sleepy silence,
And snowflakes burn.
In the golden fire.

And dawn, lazy.
Going around,
Sprinkling branches
New silver.
1913.

Here, Santa Claus has a city residence, where you can see what this fairy-tale character lives. You can even write him a letter and visit his little museum of letters written by children from all over Russia. Who knows, maybe yours is among them.

New Year is our favorite, most magical, most fabulous and most family holiday! But this is only a small part, besides, the main question is another. What do we expect from such a holiday? And I tried to find the answer to that question!

Of course, we are waiting for a miracle, waiting for magic, waiting for a fairy tale and, of course, Santa Claus. And Snow Maiden! And we're waiting for presents! Who among us did not dream of finding himself in a fairy tale, returning to his childhood, do you think it is impossible? Then listen:

In a certain Kingdom, in a certain State, in the glorious city of Great Ustyug, in its fairy-tale, log, shining with multicolored lights tower, Santa Claus lives with his beloved granddaughter Snow Maiden.

And we rub that one, standing in a magical forest and that forest is full of miracles! What wonders will we find on this fabulous path running to the bath? Here we go! In her cozy hut, Grandma Yaga is waiting for us, do not be afraid of her, she is kind in this fairy tale. In general, it helped me understand the magic of this city a simple thought that came to my mind at the moment when I remembered my golden years. How small and carefree I was...

I learned some interesting facts about this city!

“Did you know that the most important trade routes from Moscow to Arkhangelsk and Zauralye passed through Ustyug? Know! The city also found itself at a busy crossroads through which the Russians conducted regular trade with the British and Dutch.

That’s where your feet grow from... A huge flow of goods, mainly products of Russian agriculture and livestock, went through it. More fish and Western European fabrics, non-ferrous metals, paper, glass, luxury goods, oriental goods and much more.

Later in the city there was a living yard and many shops! Famous fur fairs attracted hundreds and, who knows, thousands of foreign merchants! Their commissioners, coming to Ustyug, stayed in a special German settlement near Ivanova Hill. Thus, a professional merchant class has developed in the city.

By the way, the largest fortunes had merchants living room hundreds! These are: Barefoot, Guselnikov, Usov-Grudtsyn and Revyakin. They were engaged in intermediary operations to exchange Russian and imported goods for Siberian fur. Rich citizens began to invest part of the capital in the construction of stone temples.

Interesting fact! In 1780, the highest emblem of the Great Ustyug was approved, in which the artist symbolically depicted the favorable geographical position of the city, which played an important role in its development for several centuries!

What were the residents doing?

Let’s find out: Actually, mainly the inhabitants of the Great Ustyug worked very successfully in various crafts and arts! For example, in 1785, a guild council was opened, uniting eight craft shops: icon painting, silver, tailor, cobbler, maroon, blacksmith, dye and copper. It is worth saying that the brilliant skill of these artisans was manifested in the most diverse fields of fine and decorative arts. In addition, decorative Ustyuzh ceramics were also widely popular. By the way, in Veliky Ustyug since 1682, masters blacken silver in ways different from other art centers. Even here, this city surprised me. In their works, the plot engraving gained special importance, very rich, much thicker in color than Moscow or St. Petersburg. Works made of silver, created by our masters, were repeatedly presented at national and international exhibitions and, as a rule, were awarded the highest awards!

Here is another interesting fact for you!

In 1986, by order of the Minister of Culture of the USSR, Veliky Ustyug was included in the list of historical cities of union significance! And two years later, the local museum received the status of a museum-reserve!

He has 90,000 items in his collection! Unique items. The pride of the museum consists of collections of icon painting, books, local art crafts. More than ten new exhibitions open annually in the halls of the museum! The expositions are constantly updated.

Attract tourists and architectural monuments of the XVII - XVIII centuries with preserved monumental painting! Well, that's enough. I'm not going to say the rest, airtime, you know. Thus, about the historical, cultural and spiritual values of the Great Ustyug everything.

Let’s go back to our happy childhood. Here’s what I learned and felt for myself:

“It is time to turn to entertainment! I thought about it when I finished reviewing historical topics and documents. What kind of fun are we going to have? I thought again. But the answer I got was normal, childish. Without further ado, I was just sent around town. As it turned out, when I went deeper into the city, all the surrounding space is a small snowy realm, where the spirit of the New Year and the atmosphere of a real, festive fairy tale live forever! In short, for January holidays and winter holidays, the place is just perfect. Especially if you are traveling with a large and friendly family. A trip to Great Ustyug is a lot of amazing winter experiences! It is a change of scenery, and an invaluable feeling of travel.

After that, I remembered a childhood incident. It was like this:

In the morning, the stove was burning in the house, everything was filled with heat, and I just woke up. On the one hand, I really didn’t want to get out of the blanket, and on the other hand, I already wanted a holiday! Then there were no plastic windows, as now, and the frost left on the glass bizarre patterns that changed throughout the day. I, small and curious, could spend hours admiring the frosty lace and wait for that moment. Finally, there was an axe in the yard! Grandfather built a tree stand. Then, believe me, the choice of the tree was approached responsibly! She was always alive, big, fluffy and under the ceiling! The tree was placed in a spacious hall, but even there it occupied a huge space. I remember running around looking forward to it, when do we start dressing up? But adults told me that the Christmas tree needs to settle down, defrost, get used to the house and ... Filled it, the house, with its fragrance of the holiday. In the meantime, as always, we made dumplings. Do not forget to put coins or buttons in some of them. Lucky. And especially for the New Year's table, my grandmother from autumn harvested sauerkraut, soaked and mowed it in a special wooden barrel. Needless to say, the aromas of the New Year and childhood were unique. I still remember that. And this city, he brought me back to that time. Imagine: a tree from the cold, dumplings bubbling on a Russian stove, tangerines ... And sour cabbage crunching on your teeth!

By the way, if you have not waited for winter, then Great Ustyug is the winter we are all waiting for! Especially in a boring and gray metropolis. Continue:

“It is a pleasure to walk along its cozy, winter, snow-capped streets! And you can hide from the winter frost in a cozy hotel, relax, eat deliciously and try local delicacies. As it turned out, guests here are greeted with a real scale! For them built comfortable wooden cottages, sauna, bar-restaurant, swimming pool, fireplace hall and even billiards! Adults are right. And with your favorite children, you can ski, sleigh drawn by horses, take part in quizzes and competitions, dance around a beautiful Christmas tree!

Here I remembered a poem I learned in school:

Lydia Nekrasova

The tree is burning.
There are blue shadows underneath.
Prickly needles
It's like white frost.

She thawed in warmth,
Spread the needles,
And the songs are fun.
We came to our Christmas tree.

Oh, childhood, where are you in a hurry?

Would you like to sit on his throne? Please! But the way there is through the Book of Good Deeds, in which you must leave an essay about your good deed. When you wrote a letter to Santa Claus, you told him that you were very obedient and behaved well all year long! In addition, literally in two steps, in the next room, is the post office of Santa Claus. From it you can send colorful cards to relatives and friends. Here are letters addressed to the legendary grandfather. And it's true. I've left my character in this book, too. Here's Santa Claus' email address:

“162390, Russia. Vologda region, the city of Veliky Ustyug, the post of Santa Claus

Here are a few more interesting things I wrote:

“Here comes the woodsman and the wise owl... But good guys, they invite us to participate in their games and fun. Here greets us with a century-old oak tree, and after it they warm themselves by the fire for twelve months, singing their clever songs, and we will sing with them!

And also on our path, there is a magical chest of a snowman, in it you can make a wish and it will come true! We can ride on the Emelin stove, because we are in a fairy tale! And the stove will take us to the hill, and what could be more fun than a slide?

Are you cold? Then hurry to warm up in the winter garden, there is tea with sheep and kalach! So we got to Santa Claus Palace! It's time for him. He's been waiting for us. Santa Claus is sitting in a red caftan, on a high throne at the very fairy tree in the world, and next to him is the granddaughter of the Snow Maiden.

I know, I saw it. Continue:

And in the workshop, the assistants of the winter wizard, will help you to make a souvenir using ancient Russian technology!

And in the pantry Santa Claus carefully keeps souvenirs and gifts that people from all over our country send him. How many clothes does Santa have? Lots! But they are divided into costumes of fabulous beauty and simple. Because Santa Claus has a lot of things to do. There is even an observatory, but how about without it, because Santa is guided by the stars. And how do you think he gets to us at the most important moment? And when Grandpa gets tired, he goes to his bed-bedroom and lies on a wooden carved bed covered with a sparkling snow cover. Although the grandfather is fabulous, even fabulous grandfathers need to rest.

Generally speaking, Santa Claus receives over 200,000 letters a year! That's not surprising, though. Among the fans of Santa Claus – and children and adults. The former are absolutely certain of its existence. And the latter may not believe, but deep down they really want him to be. We all come from childhood... But let me sum it up! Listen:

"Well, while Santa Claus is awake, let's go back to the most sparkling, most beautiful, most fabulous Christmas tree!" We dance around it, sing songs, read poems. And yet, we make a wish and whisper it to Santa Claus in the ear, but Santa Claus is a real wizard - he, of course, will fulfill it! And also, give all the children gifts in fabulous boxes. Who among us in childhood, as if by magic, did not dream of being in a fairy tale, so why not make a gift for yourself and the whole family not to go to a real fairy tale, in the same fairy tale where Santa Claus, and the Snow Maiden, and gifts are waiting for us! Where the magic awaits us! By the way, Santa Claus and in the warm season does not go to well-deserved rest. He invites you to visit in the summer. Fish, relax on the river beach and go hiking for taiga mushrooms and berries...

Where does a fairy tale begin?
And fabulous miracles?
Because once you have,
You'll just step in there!

In general, if you are tired of the flimsy and snowless winters in megacities, as I have already said, if you want just such a fabulous New Year as in the movie “Morozko”, go to Veliky Ustyug! Happy and wonderful New Year!

Unfortunately, airtime is limited. You were on "MOROZ - FM", broadcast Sergey Petrovich, happy New Year to you in Veliky Ustyug! Thank you very much.

Text: Nikita Selyanin