Costumes of St. Nicholas - a wizard raising children

Costumes for the New Year are increasingly of interest not only to representatives of the event industry, but also to private clients who want to maximize the magic time - childhood, because a child remains a child only as long as he believes in a fairy tale and fairy-tale characters. The winter season of celebrations begins on December 19 - St. Nicholas Day.

The story of the appearance of the holiday and the character

A few centuries ago, Christmas was more often celebrated in families, and children were congratulated on this particular holiday, and not on the New Year. The costume of St. Nicholas, in the form as we see it now, did not yet exist, but there were separate attributes - clothes resembling the appearance of a priest, and a staff. According to legend, St. Nicholas of Myra, who lived during the Roman Empire, became the prototype. He remained in the memory of people for his kindness, generosity, and also that he always came to the aid of those in need. On December 6, in the 4th century (and the year is not important here), according to the old style, he died, and since then it has been customary to celebrate the feast of "Winter Nicholas" on this day. The new style is December 19th.

Holiday Legend

The costume of St. Nicholas is often worn by cultural workers - groups of artists who, on this day or on the eve, show a performance where the best qualities of a clergyman are revealed and an interesting story is illustrated. A gray-haired old man with a long beard helped a poor man with his daughters. Since there was no money to buy the dowry for the children, the girls could fall into slavery. Their father asked the higher powers for help, and Saint Nicholas once visited the house, looked out the window at a small candle, and the eldest daughter found a rich groom who took her in marriage without a dowry. On the second night, the wizard also looked out the window, and the next day the middle daughter found a treasure, after which she successfully married. On the third night, Saint Nicholas did not see the light in the house, and decided to look through the smoker. At this time, the youngest daughter was hanging clean socks on a rope by the hearth of the fireplace, and several gold coins, issued from the wizard's hands, fell into them. And after a while, the youngest married successfully and was happy.

How was the image formed?

The image of the Wonderworker, familiar to our generation, reminds Santa Claus only with certain elements of his image:

·       long gray beard;

·       a hat;

·       a staff (although this element is not always used by the character).

If an adult New Year's costume of Santa Claus or Santa Claus is often presented in a red fur coat, and even a short one, with a belt and a cap, then Saint Nicholas is a completely different costume: it is of light shades with characteristic silver or gold embroidery. Often the character is dressed in a long, snow-white, straight-cut silk shirt or robe, which resembles a robe, and additionally its frame is decorated with blue. In many ways, the image is similar to the priest during the festive service in the temple.

In some garments, a wide, long, straight-sleeved shirt is decorated with a quilted cuff, which also depicts Christian elements and symbols. They are repeated on the belt, which is made of brocade with lurex, which adds shine and beauty to it. Completing the look and warming (do not forget that snow often falls on December 19 and temperatures are below zero) an exquisite vest made of the same brocade, which uses a golden curly ribbon to trim such elements:

·       neck;

·       sides;

·       hem;

·       armhole sleeves.

The entire surplice is decorated with a belt, where the priority designs are monograms and crosses.

Red or blue?

Since the costume of St. Nicholas is largely tied precisely to religious motives, then traditionally, in addition to the white color of the shirt as a symbol of purity, vests and surplice of 2 shades are used:

·       blue;

·       red.

These colors in the attire of clergymen are the main ones for decoration during festive services. Plus, in both the first and second versions, the embroidery is done in golden and silver shades, which emphasizes the noble character of the character.

Headdress

It is not a hat, a cap, or a crown that adorns the head, but a miter. This is the traditional religious head decoration. A hat in a suit of small height, made of dense jacquard, which shimmers under the influence of light rays, and its lining is made of light satin. The accessory is crowned with an embroidered cross as a symbol of faith. To complete the look, a golden border in the form of a patch is used, which visually forms a slightly raised miter shape.

Hero's shoes and accessories

The character appears in winter boots, and as a rule, special attention is not paid to the shoes. But the hands are closed. And if you want to buy a St. Nicholas costume, take a closer look at the models that additionally include snow-white gloves. We emphasize that this is a tradition from Catholicism: the hands of the Pope are always crowned with such a perfectly clean accessory.

Many New Year's costumes for male characters have a staff. One of the best Ukrainian manufacturers offers options with a staff with a very interesting, but understandable finish. This is a golden monogram, which at the same time resembles a ram's horn, both a symbol of abundance and a "fantastic month" - a symbol of rejuvenation. At the same time, on the very surface of the monograms there are individual curls that indicate the cyclical nature of life and partially means the eternity of life, however, spiritual and with the right behavior.

What is Saint Nicholas doing?

The sale of carnival costumes has gone far ahead, offering clothing for characters, with which they can transform into wizards, not only on the eve of January 1. It is this mythical image that acts as a kind of motivator for children. Parents often say: "If you misbehave, then instead of a gift for December 19, you will get a willow or a small coal under the pillow, and other children will get sweets and toys." Children try to study well, not indulge, help adults in order to get their well-deserved prize under the pillow.

If you decide to fully organize a fabulous morning for your child, then you should buy a St. Nicholas costume and ask a friend to change into it, so that when the kid wakes up, he sees the wizard and forever remembers that he came to him. Of course, you can reincarnate into him yourself, but then you need to think about how to explain your absence to the child. Another option is to order services from a professional event agency, or to rent a carnival costume, but it is still better when these are clothes, especially for such a respected wizard, yours or loved ones.

Despite the fact that often the wizard does not personally appear in front of the child, he comes to visit at matinees, lights the main trees of kindergartens, schools, cities and even the country with a wave of his magic staff. The elder can be seen in his residences, which are set in parks and squares. Children come to visit to do something (or even everything) and list:

·       recite poetry;

·       sometimes even talk about what exactly they behaved badly;

·       take a picture;

·       receive a memorable gift.

Saint Nicholas is a magician who motivates children to behave as best they can. And even as they get older, many are still looking for something sweet or cute under the pillow. And if you want to perform in themed performances or congratulate other children in this way, then the catalog will allow you to choose clothes of different styles, sizes, made of high-quality fabrics and with hand-made finishing.