Josef Stalin stood firmly against anything remotely associated with the church, but as his daughter grew up, he could not shelter her from the celebration of Christmas for long. During WWII, Stalin's daughter attended an event at a European embassy in her Father's on her Father's behalf, and returned home with a wonderful liking for the Christmas decorations inside the embassy, especially the Christmas trees. So Stalin devised his own holiday, celebrating the New Year where great things would be in store for the working class of Russia. He created a Santa-like character named Ded Moroz, and encouraged that trees be brought in to be decorated in celebration of Russia's great new society.
“Snegurochka” is a Russian folktale character who is the daughter of Spring and Frost. She is now often depicted as a snow maiden and helper to Ded Moroz. One folktale tells how she wishes she was able to love a young shepherd named Lel; so her mother gives her the mortal ability to love. She falls in love with Lel, but her heart warms with love and she melts away.
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