Snegurochka (Снегурочка), the Snow Maiden

After the 1917 Revolution, Christmas was banned throughout Russia, along with other religious celebrations. The Russian people were concerned about giving up their traditional Christmas celebration.  So they re-invented the New Year's holiday tradition to include a decorated tree, and introduced a character called "Grandfather Frost." Known as "Ded Moroz," Grandfather Frost looked very much like the western "Santa Claus"  - except he wears a blue suit. Snegurochka (Снегурочка), or the Snow Maiden is often depicted as the helper or granddaughter of Father Frost.

Snegurochka is often the found in Russian Fairy Tales. In one story, she is the daughter of Spring and Frost, She falls for a shepherd named Lel, but her heart is unable to know love. Her mother takes pity and gives her this ability, but as soon as she falls in love, her heart warms up and she melts. In another version she becomes a mortal princess and lives out her life to a ripe old age.

My favorite version is the one of a woodcutter and his wife who were childless. They make a girl out of snow, who comes to life.  Their many endings to this tale but many agree that even though Snegurochka, melts, each year in winter, on the first day of the New Year, she and Grandfather Frost return to Russia and visit children, bringing them gifts and helping them to make their dreams come true, as they did for the woodcutter and his wife.

Babushka - The Gift Giver

During the communist era, many religious traditions were suppressed.  Before the Russian Revolution, a figure called Babushka would bring gifts for the children. (Babushka means Grand Mother in Russian)

According to the legends, Babushka is a grandmother, who was to busy to accompany the Three Wise Men to visit Baby Jesus Christ. When Babushka felt guilty of her deed, she took a basket full of gifts and set out on her own to find Baby Jesus. However, due to her refusal to accompany the Three Wise Men, she failed to find the Christ Child, having arrived too late to find him at the Manger.

According to tradition, she still roams the countryside searching for the Christ Child and visits the homes of children during the Christmas season, leaving presents as she goes. Although Babushka never completely disappeared, today is has been replaced primarily by Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden: Snegurochka.

In this re-telling by Sandra Ann Horn, Babushka actually finds the Christ Child. “Babushka sets out to find the child, bringing a warm shawl and other presents. Along the way, she meets several people in need and generously gives away her gifts. Imagine her surprise when she reaches the stable and sees the baby wrapped in her shawl with the other presents nearby.”

New Take on a Russian Tradition

New Take on a Russian Tradition

A favorite Russian Christmas Eve Traditions is  “ The Holy Supper." The family gathers around the table to honor the coming Christ Child. A white table-cloth, symbolic of Christ's swaddling clothes, covers the Table. Hay is brought in as a reminder of the poverty of the stable  where Jesus was born. 


A tall white candle is placed in the center of the Table, symbolizing Christ as "the Light of the World." A large round loaf of Lenten bread, "pagach," symbolic of Christ the Bread of Life, is placed next to the Candle. For our take on this Russian tradition, we have a gold tray in the center of our dining room table, on it is a white cloth doily, a single candle stick with a white candle and a miniature bale of hay. 


This is just one example of the many ways you can incorporate your child’s heritage and your own to create your own family tradition. 

Getting Started with Adoption

Adoptions can be accomplished with a variety of help. Adoption agencies, attorneys who specialize in adoption, even unlicensed facilitators work with adoptive parents around the world. In order to assure the best chance of success and the least number of problems, adoptive parents must have guidance in choosing who they will entrust with helping them to build their family.


There are guides available to benefit parents when making this choice. Should you choose an agency or an attorney? Do you want to try to locate a birth mother on your own? Do you want to hire a facilitator? In order to make the right choice, you really need to figure out if the entity you are considering can accomplish what you want. It won't help you if you are working with an agency that only processes international adoptions if you want to adopt from the US.


There are some simple questions a prospective parent can ask in order to determine if the agency provides the services that the adoptive parent needs. [See below]. At the end of the day, though, it's really about whether the adoptive parents feel comfortable with the agency they have chosen, based on what is important to them.


Sample questions:

1. Do you have a specialty, and if so, what is it?
2. On average, how many children each year do you place from the program I am interested in?
3. What are the steps necessary to work with your agency?
4. Will you be doing my home study? If not, will you assist me in locating an appropriate service provider?
5. What is the average time to adoption in the program I am interested in, and what are the variables that may affect that time?
6. Can you provide me with an estimated total cost for the adoption that I am interested in?
7. What do those fees include? What do they exclude?
8. Do you have a contract I have to sign? What are its provisions?
9. For international programs, do you have staff in the country where I will adopt?
10. What are the travel requirements?

There are adoption guides available with lengthy lists of questions for interviewing agencies and attorneys. Beacon House recommends that you talk at length with the people at the agency to determine if you are comfortable, rather than just conducting an interview.