The dance of the Snow Maiden
Red Square was festively decorated and colored lights twinkled illuminating the expanse of snow. From where he was, Will could admire the impressive Kremlin and the beautifully decorated Saint Basil's Cathedral for Christmas. Snowflakes danced around his face, hitting him with small icy caresses but Will didn't care, enraptured as he was by the majesty of the heart of great Russia. Joy, from his point of view, did not find that square anything different from all the others they had visited, perhaps just a little colder but the shoes of the humans who passed him were more or less always the same. At one point, Will's attention was captured by a wooden booth that sold greeting cards and other gadgets such as elegant matryoshkas and music boxes. The objects seemed to fall on the observer as they were numerous in such a narrow space, but one thing caught Will's eye, it was an antique-style music box, in shiny dark wood. At the center of the music box there was a girl with a long light blue dress, a blonde braid and a fur hat who danced among snow-covered trees on notes that seemed to flow from a clear waterfall. Without thinking about it Will decided to buy that music box. The shopkeeper with a smile complimented him, that was his best piece! It represented the legend of the Snow Maiden, the daughter of Winter and Spring who dances, creating magnificent snowflakes of various shapes around her and fascinates anyone lucky enough to see her. Every year, at Christmas, the Snow Maiden, surrounded by a whirlwind of snow, accompanies Ded Moroz to bring gifts to the children. But, at the end of each winter, the Snow Maiden must melt in order to allow the sun and spring to return. An ancient legend, which the shopkeeper's grandmother told him in the evening in front of the fire, says that many centuries ago it was always winter and cold and the Snow Maiden continued her dance enchanting shepherds and fairy-tale animals that populated the woods. The sun then launched a curse against the girl that would have caused the girl to melt as soon as she fell in love. Spring, the girl's mother, hid the girl among men. There, however, the girl fell in love with a shepherd. The Snow Maiden, who did not know what it meant to love, asked her mother to give her the opportunity to have such strong feelings. The mother, touched by that prayer, did so and as soon as the Snow Maiden declared herself to her beloved a ray of sunshine enveloped her and she melted flying in a cloud again to Ded Moroz. The warm season was thus able to return to earth.
Russian Sbiten
Against the cold and seasonal diseases there is nothing better than the typical Russian Christmas drink made with honey, jam and spices. Pour a liter of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add a cinnamon stick, 4-5 cardamom pods, 1 piece of star anise, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of black pepper, a pinch of chili pepper, an inch of fresh ginger and finally a pinch of turmeric. Add 4 tablespoons of raspberry or orange jam, preferably with little or no sugar. Let it simmer for 30 minutes, remove from heat and let it cool for ten minutes, filter, add a spoonful of honey and serve.
