Human attempts to improve themselves date back centuries. The ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods to pay off their debts at the beginning of each year. Medieval knights vowed to reaffirm their commitment to chivalry at the end of Christmas, and we make New Year’s resolutions. Well, “we” doesn’t really include I. I don’t make New Years resolutions. For one thing, I think they are grossly overrated. Do you know what the success rate of New Years resolutions is? Less than 20%! Also, you need to remember to do them, which is not easy in the excitement of the shopping season; and then you have to remember tracing in them, as if what you are testing is your memory.
In any case, I am still influenced by the customs of my motherland Russia, where people do not make resolutions, they follow them. wishes. What is the difference? Wishing is a humble thing, while declaring that you will live differently next year is quite presumptuous. First, assume that you have control over your life, something that Never assume. How we do it? We have lived revolutions, wars perestroikasand Mr. Putin. No, cross out my last statement; Russia still has Mr. Putin!
Regardless, despite my aversion to New Years resolutions, I have a warm place for the New Years in my heart. It’s a centerpiece for Russian celebrations, and many attributes of American Christmas somehow migrated into our culture to make the New Year festive: a fir tree, a red star, and a bearded man with gifts. Of course, in our country these symbols lost their religious meaning. The fir tree no longer evokes the Christian faith, but symbolizes the New Year. The star at the top does not remind of Bethlehem, but of the Soviet Revolution, and Santa Claus became Ded Moroz (Father Frost), although unlike Santa, he comes with his granddaughter. Snegurochka – a pretty woman in a bright blue coat and spiky ornament kokoshnik (traditional woman’s headdress).
Also like Christmas, the New Year is the best holiday for children and is accompanied by sweets, gifts and New Year plays. The latter take place in theaters, concert halls and open-air amphitheaters. Your usual scenario is this:
Ded Moroz Y Snegurochka They travel from the North Pole to our cities and towns. They are in a hurry: children need their gifts and, most importantly, Ded Moroz Y Snegurochka must turn on the yelkas (fir trees), intertwined by rows of unlit bulbs. If they are late, the new year will never come and, although no child knows what that would mean, everyone understands that this would be a catastrophe. As the show goes on, Ded Moroz Y Snegurochka part ways, and both face countless obstacles and villains from Russian folk tales. The story is impressive and full of suspense. Willpower Ded Moroz Y Snegurochka find us? Will the gifts be delivered? Will they turn on the yelka on time?
My most memorable New Years performance took place when I was five years old and my grandfather took me for a walk to the nearest park. It was a clear winter day. Snow-covered trees, benches, and ice cream stands gleamed in the freezing northern sun, and small snow-capped waterfalls descended through the majestic pines. However, the reason we went there was not the beautiful scenery, but rather a beer stand located in the middle of the park and well staffed by rowdy men even in the winter. Actually, Grandpa did not plan to take I There, he dropped me off in a small playground next to the stall, where children made snowmen, built snow fortresses, or had snowball fights.
Unfortunately, he did not pay attention to the fact that what By day, the playground was sparsely populated: many children had moved into a nearby amphitheater, which was decorated with tinsel and a large fir tree. I was soon heading there too, just in time for a winter’s tale to begin. I had never seen a play live before, I was so fascinated that after it ended, without my grandfather noticing, I followed the actors to another amphitheater (there were several in the park) and followed them for possibly several hours. – Never get bored with repetition and never think about my grandfather.
When the last show ended, the sun was setting and blue shadows were spreading across the snowy ground. The children and their parents started to leave and I finally realized that my grandfather was no longer around. This was terrifying in itself, but to make matters worse, I suddenly felt chilled. Tears began to roll down my cheeks, and a lump in my throat felt a hit of panic down my weak legs. I was alone in the darkening park with no hope of finding my grandfather and no one around to help me.
However, a New Year’s story, unlike real life, always ends well. A passerby who heard an announcement about a lost five-year-old girl over the park loudspeakers took pity on me and led me to the entrance of the park, while berating me for being alone in the park and telling me that my grandfather would do it “want teach you a lesson! “
In truth, the only thing my anxious grandfather, who by that time had lost all his beer-induced happiness, said to me was, “Don’t tell anyone. Especially your grandmother! “- which I accepted very willingly, because that meant that no one would punish me for my bad behavior.
That was a long time ago, and yet every time the New Year rolls around, I remember that winter day in the park. I even included it in my memoirs, which Really I want to publish next year. Oh what the heck, maybe this time I’ll make a New Years resolution too. A very small one, to be a better person. How hard can it be?
