Today, I' going to be telling you the story of Babushka, then a bit of History behind Babushka. Babushka is like Santa to the Russians; Babushka is what they believe in at Christmas Time. I'd also like to note that their are different versions of the Legend of Babushka, but I just shose this one.
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The Legend of
Babushka
As Retold by Mike
Lockett, The Normal Storyteller
There is a tale that has been told
throughout the years about an old Russian woman named Babushka. Old people nod their heads in
agreement as they hear parents tell their children about Babushka. Childrenï's eyes scan the face of every old
woman they pass during the winter months, trying to find this legendary person
who visits the home of every child at Christmas time.
Her story started many years ago in
a small home out in the country. She
lived alone in a small hut that stood along side a crossroads where four roads
met. Even though she lived far away from
neighbors and far away from Babushka Dolls:
any town, during the summer months Babushka was
entertained by wagons filled with hay pulled by donkeys carts loaded with
vegetables pushed by farmers, riders on horseback and strangers passing by on
foot. But, during the long Russian
winter, only the sound of the birds she fed with the blackened crusts of
wheatbread left over from her meals kept her company.
Her days were short, and her nights
were long during the winter months.
Babushka was frail and unable to cut large amounts of wood to heat her
home. In addition, she was poor and
could not afford to light up the cottage at night with expensive candles. This is why she spent much of her time in the
evenings curled up beneath her warm quilts dreaming about spring flowers and
warm sunny skies.
It was on one of those long nights
when Babushka thought she heard the tinkling of bells and sounds like those made
by travelers being carried on the cold wind.
At first, she told herself that she only heard icicles clinking on frozen
branches. But, the sounds grew
louder. She did hear the sound of bells,
but it was not the familiar sound of the bells on a troika, the traditional
Russian three-horse sleigh. Nor, did she
hear the neighing of horses or the braying of donkeys like most travelers would
use. There were voices that grew louder
as they came closer to her home, and she heard strange grunts from animals that
were unfamiliar to her ears.
She pulled back the quilts and lit
one of her precious candles and pulled her robe around her. She folded a scarf and wrapped it around her
head and then held her candle to the window.
As she scraped the frost off to see better, she was startled to hear a
knock at her door. Opening the door, she
was even more surprised to see a caravan stopped outside of her hut. Babushka saw three tall hairy beasts with
long faces. Each had long, tall legs
with padded feet at the bottom and a hump on its back. Sitting on the back of each animal sat a
richly dressed man.
The men were dressed in warm,
expensive looking fur wraps and wore crowns set with jewels over cloths that
kept the cold off their heads. The bells
she heard were attached to the reigns the men held tightly in their hands. Each of the men had a number of servants with
them, and one of these men was standing at her door trying to ask directions to
a place she had never heard of before.
Seeing Babushka's confusion, one of
the wealthy men spoke a command to the beast he rode. It knelt and allowed him to step off. "We are Kings on a long journey from a land
far to the east, the man told the confused old woman. We have seen a wondrous star in the sky and
have been following it. It is supposed
to lead us to a town where a newborn baby lies.
But, the star is blocked by clouds.
Can you tell us the way to the next village where we can find shelter for
the night?"
"Who is this child? And why are you
trying to find him?" asked Babushka.
"The child is a King, and we go to
find him and worship him, and we bring him gifts. Come with us Babushka," the man
suggested. "You will never have this
opportunity again."
But, Babushka looked at the dark
sky. She felt the cold of the winter
wind. Then, she shook her head and said,
"Perhaps tomorrow in the light of the day, when the air is warmer."But the Kings could not wait for
the old woman to make up her mind and left Babushka alone in her home listening
to the sound of the clattering bells as the animals the King called camels rode
into the night.
By morning, the tracks of the
caravan were filled with snow making Babushka wonder if her memory of the night
visitors was real or only a dream.
Still, she kept thinking about their quest to find the special
child. She had no children of her own,
no one to love and no one to love her.
The more she thought of the invitation to go with the Kings, the sadder
the old woman became.
Finally, the old woman could stand
the sadness no more. She wrapped her
warmest scarf about her head and pulled her cloak and a shawl about her
shoulders. She filled a basket with
breads and sweets and gifts for the child and left her empty home behind
forever. She walked through village
after village asking people about the special child who was a King. She told them about the visit by the Three
Wise Kings and the star they followed.
She carried treats and small gifts
with her, so children would not run away when she tried to look closely at them
and see if they were the special child she sought.
The years have passed, and old
Babushka probably doesn't even realize that the baby grew up long ago. She still runs fast along the crowded streets
and over the country fields tired and out of breath trying to catch up with the
Three Wise Kings and find the special child.
She only stops at Christmas Eve as she searches through every nursery
looking for the child that is Christ the Lord.
She has a special
fondness for babies. She bends over
their cradles, looks closely at each child before dropping a
tear on their pillow when she sees the Christ Child is not there. She gives each child she finds a small
present and a piece of candy from her basket or apron pocket before hobbling
away to continue searching for the Christ Child.
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A family member
Due to the ongoing housing shortage but also as a tribute to tradition, quite often in Russia several generations live together in the same house and
babushkas play a very significant role in such extended families.
There is a conventional assumption that all
babushkas, regardless of age, social position and ideology, are perfect at cooking, enjoy taking care of their grandchildren and have a dacha where they spend the whole summer growing vegetables, making
kompots and preparing tasty jams to be eaten on long winter evenings. However stereotypical the assumption, it still proves true more often than not.
Another distinction of all
babushkas is a certain emotionalism and a permanent desire to stuff their relatives in general and grandchildren in particular to the bursting point. Whenever a
babushka sees her grandson or granddaughter after a short separation she is usually horrified at how her loved one has thinned down and become pale and is all too eager to wine and dine the poor child and make it better.
When a new baby appears in the family, the newly-minted granny immediately shows her willingness to take care of the baby for one clear reason:
“she knows best.” It is no good trying to argue with her, it is just one of those things
babushkas always do in Russia!
An aged person
The word
babushka also denotes any elderly woman, taking no notice of family connections.
Babushkas in Russia seem to represent a totally independent part of society - they know everything and are good at giving a piece of advice whether you’ve asked for it or not.
It is considered to be a display of good breeding to assist the elderly in the street. To carry a heavy bag, for example, for her, or give them your seat on public transporters like busses. Children are taught from a very early age to respect
babushkas and do their best to help them. Still, Russian
babushkas have never lacked self-confidence and are ready to remind you of the rules if you fail to toe the line yourself.
Babushkas in proverbs
Babushkas play such an important role in Russian society that it is not surprising at all that they are mentioned in a number of proverbs, sayings and other examples of oral folk arts.
One example is the proverb,
“There you have it, Granny, the Yury's Day,” referring to a promise that is not kept. The
“Yury’s Day” is the Russian name for each of the two feasts of Saint George celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church on 6 May and 9 December. The Law Code of 1497 established a two-week period around Yury's Day (a week before the feast and a week after) as the only times of the year when Russian serfs were free to move from one landowner to another. Sometimes, and unfortunately quite often, they were denied this right even on these dates, giving rise to the proverb.
Another well-known proverb in Russia goes like this:
“Even your grandma wouldn't know whether it'll rain or snow,” meaning that an outcome or a result is uncertain or unpredictable.
Still another example is as follows:
“The one to whom the granny tells fortunes, lives a happy life.” It is advisable to use the proverb when talking about a lucky person.
There are more proverbs and sayings that refer to
babushkas, but these are the most famous and frequently used, illustrating the irreplaceability of
babushkas in the Russian language and culture as well as in the lives of Russian citizens, whether consciously or subconsciously.
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I hope you enjoyed that! Soon, we'll have another Christmas Story to tell! You can recommend some bellow as a comment!
-Just Grace
I hope everyone has a very safe, great and Happy New Year. All the best for the New Year!
Her story started many years ago in
a small home out in the country. She
lived alone in a small hut that stood along side a crossroads where four roads
met. Even though she lived far away from
neighbors and far away from Babushka Dolls:
There is a conventional assumption that all babushkas, regardless of age, social position and ideology, are perfect at cooking, enjoy taking care of their grandchildren and have a dacha where they spend the whole summer growing vegetables, making kompots and preparing tasty jams to be eaten on long winter evenings. However stereotypical the assumption, it still proves true more often than not.
