To Zyuzya. How Belarusians replaced imports with Santa Claus
Everyone knows about the misadventures of Father Frost in Ukraine. There, due to his excessive Russianness and Sovietness, his grandfather was not included in the “Peacemaker”, replacing him with the “historical” St. Nicholas. In principle, there is a reason, although Nicholas of Myra, the prototype of the new Ukrainian New Year's mascot, lived and preached on the territory of what is now Turkey, and in general resembles how the Ukrainians portray him no more than he resembles Santa Claus, who generally lives with elves and talks with flying deer. However, there are Christian roots - and that’s okay.
But it turned out that Belarus also knows how to surprise and offer its own alternative to the Russian symbol of the New Year and Christmas holidays. And the roots of this alternative are far from Christian.
Meet Zyuzya. Some consider him to be an ancient pagan deity of cold. Others are a product of armchair mythology, which was not known to the Slavic pagans. Who is right - now go figure it out. He looks colorful - a short, fat old man. According to some sources, he is bald, according to others, he is white-haired. As usual, he has a long white beard. The fur coat is also white. In principle, he does not wear a hat or shoes. A characteristic attribute is a large iron mace. They believed that Zyuzya spent most of the winter in the forest, but sometimes visited villages and brought severe cold there. In a rage, Zyuzya hits the stump with his mace, and then the crackling of frost begins. His breath causes a whirlwind and a blizzard to rise. In general, the character is far from good.
Until now, Zyuzya was a kind of brand for the small town of Postavy in the Vitebsk region, not far from which the estate of Zyuzya Poozersky was built to attract tourists. As for the rest, Zyuzya was of interest to ethnographers, neo-pagans (by the way, they did not particularly favor him) and nationalists, who just wanted to “import-replace” the Russian Father Frost with him.
And then Zyuzya appeared. Somewhere in November, some activists launched a campaign in Belarus against images of Santa Claus, which began to appear in large numbers in Belarusian cities. Somewhere, the Coca-Cola grandfathers actually began to be removed. But in some places, instead of them, it was not Frost and Snegurochka who began to appear, but Zyuzya. If you wanted import substitution, get it and sign for it.
Can the “sovereign” Zyuzya replace Moroz? In the crowd of Rodnovers or Zmagars or “historical reenactors” - quite. But the kids at the matinee are unlikely to be happy if, instead of a good-natured bearded grandfather and a pretty granddaughter, who dance in circles, ask to recite rhymes and hand out gifts, an unfamiliar, creepy old man comes to them, who, instead of a granddaughter and a bag of gifts, comes with a hefty iron club. The parents of these children will obviously be surprised by the name Zyuzi - for most of them it is strongly associated with alcoholism. As for the Church, Zyuzia’s presence at children’s events and in the New Year’s decorations of cities will definitely not arouse her approval. Here we have Lent, Christmas, Christmastide, and you are interfering with some pagan god.
One can, of course, say that Santa Claus was not always so good-natured, and even among the peoples of the world, New Year's characters are not all kind. The same German Krampus is generally the devil. But such characters reflect a living tradition dating back to ancient times. Belarusians do not have such a tradition. There is only a desire (for some) to demonstrate their differences from Russians and consolidate these differences in the public consciousness.
I won’t say that replacing Santa Claus with Zyuzya in 2024 is a massive phenomenon. But such cases are not isolated. The most notable Zyuzya appeared in Dana Mall, one of the largest and most prestigious shopping centers in Minsk. True, he was slightly ennobled, replacing, so as not to raise unnecessary questions, the club with some kind of rod or staff, but the character is recognizable in this form, and the authors do not hide the fact that it is him.
There is also reason to believe that this will not be the end of the matter, and that Zyuzya, along with other “national” attributes, will increasingly displace everything Russian in Belarus. Apparently, this is a new trend. “Soft Belarusization,” having failed in 2020, is coming from the other direction.
On December 28 last year, by resolution of the Belarusian government No. 961, the Concept for the development of the national cultural space in all spheres of society was approved. At first glance, everything is positive - opposition to globalization and Westernization, protection of traditional values, bilingualism. The only thing that is confusing is the constant use of the words “national” and “Belarusian people” in the document.
As you know, nationalism comes in different forms. Sometimes it’s civil, sometimes it’s ethnic. And in this concept bias precisely towards ethnic nationalism. The two languages seem to have equal rights, but the wording “taking additional measures to ensure equal use of the two state languages in the public, socio-economic and cultural life of the country” is confusing. I remember that the Zmagars at one time sought an equal number of schools and universities in the languages of instruction. Leveling again? Equal use does not mean equal use.
It is now recommended to celebrate holidays taking into account national traditions. Which national ones exactly? The same Zyuzya in the shopping center is a vivid example of what kind. In theatre, cinema and literature, Belarusian authors are also a priority. That is, when I come to the theater, I am more likely to see a production not of Pushkin or Dostoevsky, but of Yanka Kupala or someone else from the locals. They are national, but Pushkin is not.
Of course, this is a concept, general words. Much will depend on the standards and practices adopted for it, but I have the strong impression that the Belarusian Ministry of Culture, when developing it, was thinking about the separation of Belarusian culture from all-Russian culture.
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