RUSSIA'S "SNOW MAIDEN" TALE, a presentation by Philippa Rappoport

Lecture

While the Snow Maiden story has the simple grace and stark development characteristic of most folktales, it also offers a remarkably detailed view of Russian traditional culture, and can be connected to a series of rituals performed between the winter and summer solstices in which a personification of the season was erected, paraded through the town, and eventually destroyed. This presentation will examine the connection between the folktale and ritual celebrations, and will explore more broadly notions of the sacred in narrative and ritual celebration.   

Snegurochka, or the Snow Maiden, was first published in a collection of folktales in the late 19th century. It inspired a symphony and a ballet, and continues to be one of the most popular folktales in Russia today. A visit from Snegurochka and her grandfather, Ded Moroz, is an established and cherished component of contemporary New Year celebrations.