Winter is the time for snow games and fun
We have all been waiting for winter for a long time, and most of all - the winter holidays, because this is a time of joy, laughter, and most importantly - real snowy fun.
You can come up with fun for every taste: making snowmen, playing snowballs, sledding, skiing or skating. You can play tag or just fool around and roll around in the snow without fear of getting dirty.
Most of all I like to play snowballs with friends and go sledding. During the holidays, we go outside together every day and immediately start playing. Someone makes a snowball first and throws it at the other. That’s when the real “battle” begins—a “snowball fight.” Then we go sledding: we find the best sledding hill not far from our yard and start going down from it. Sometimes someone may bring skis from home. Then all of us, fascinated by these “winter shoes,” take turns trying to skillfully walk at least a few steps.
On weekends my parents and I go to the skating rink. There we begin our family “marathon”: who can skate faster? Of course, dad always wins, because he is the strongest and most agile of all of us.
Winter is a wonderful time of year, which brings a lot of interesting, useful and enjoyable entertainment. In addition, my favorite holidays fall during this period - New Year and Christmas.
Winter is a time for fun snow games and fun. That's why I like it more than other seasons.
Maslenitsa skating
Maslenitsa skating took place against the backdrop of the widespread and characteristic custom of this holiday of honoring newlyweds. The parade of brides and grooms symbolically opened a new season of pre-wedding games. It is no coincidence that it was during this period that public ridicule and “punishment” took place for those who had not married in the previous year.
For skiing from the mountains, natural slopes were used - descents from hills or descents to reservoirs that were filled with water. In some Russian villages and cities they preferred to build roller coasters - reels. They were built mainly by young men: they prepared logs and installed the structures of the roller coasters, and when filling the mountains they doused each other with water. They tried to decorate the slides in various ways: they planted Christmas trees, installed lanterns and even ice sculptures.
From the mountains F. Sychkov. Source: wikipedia.org
Maslenitsa skating was carried out throughout the week. People usually rode from the mountains on matting, animal skins, armfuls of straw, threshed sheaves, straw mats, and tree stumps. In addition, special devices were made or put in order for the season - large and small sleds, sleds, benches, sledges or sleds, boats, ice boats, chunks, goats, skates; push-off sticks could serve as an auxiliary means for riding them.
When going to the mountain, the young people tried to dress up. In the Ryazan region, girls and young women, as well as children, were tied with homespun sashes and towels. Teenagers and young men went out to the mountain in polished boots, often wearing festive costumes. We rode alone, in twos or in large groups. Each rider sought to demonstrate his dexterity, dexterity, ability to control the sleigh or stay on his feet. In front of the assembled people, they tried to drive as far as possible, at greater speed, and also not to turn to the side and not fall. The peasants said: “The mountain is our daring.”
They especially closely watched the skating of girls and women, since the future flax harvest was directly dependent on their dexterity and ability to control sleds. The rolling of girls and women on the bottoms of spinning wheels had ritual and magical significance; they contributed to a good harvest of flax, and in some areas, millet. In the Vologda province, during single skating, guys on goats flew up to boats with girls and, colliding with them, tried to knock off the ice so that they would slide worse. This behavior on the hill was considered a special way of courtship, a manifestation of sympathy for the girl.
Skating together in pairs involved choosing a partner: the guy invited the girl he liked. In some places, tradition required that a guy take the same girl for rides no more than three times. Usually the girls lined up near the mountain, waiting for an invitation to ride, after which the young men climbed to the top. Sliding down on a small sled, the guy sat the girl on his lap, and she hugged his neck, while he demonstrated his ability to control the sled: drive smoothly and not roll over.
Taking the snowy town. V. Surikov. Source: wikipedia.org
Rides, as a rule, ended with a kiss. When riding in groups, large sleds were most often used. It was considered particularly daring to jump into a sleigh when it was already rolling down the mountain. A group of young people skated on their feet “yuz” or “yur”, that is, in a chain, with their arms wrapped around each other. Such skating was a test not only of personal qualities, but also of a person’s ability to act in a team.
Rides on Maslenitsa took on an unprecedented scale; It’s not for nothing that in some places Maslenitsa was called a “catal fast.” The population of the entire district took part in these skating events. They started in the middle of the day. They rode one side by side or several, along or around a settlement, usually the central one, as well as between settlements or at fairs. The youth prepared for these trips in advance. Girls and boys dressed in their best: fur coats and hats, embroidered shirts, bright sundresses made of expensive fabrics and shawls, new felt boots. The girls always whitened and blushed their faces. The guys prepared the best painted or carved sleighs for departure, covered them with carpets or fur capes, polished the horse harness, pulled out the best arches - heavy, gilded, painted, in addition, they cleaned and decorated the horses.
Mini-essay on the topic “Winter fun”
A snow-white winter has arrived. Snow covered the ground with a white fluffy blanket. The time for winter fun for children has begun.
Children take sleds, skis and go up the hill. Nastenka has already completed her descent. Her friend Andrei is preparing for the start. He skillfully controls the skateboard.
It is also very interesting for skiers. The children's cheeks turned red from the frost, speed and joy. Everyone is cheerful, laughter and cheerful squeals of joy can be heard from everywhere.
This is why children love and look forward to winter.
"Storm of the Fortress"
Before the game, you need to build two snow fortresses at a short distance from each other, or you can simply draw two circles in the snow, which will be two fortresses. Children form two teams and give them names. Let's call them Kazan and Moscow.
Then you should find the middle between the fortresses and draw a line along which the squads line up, each on its own side. Lots should be drawn, the winning team starts the game first. For example, the Moscow team lost. Then the captain of the squad shouts: “One-two-three, run to Moscow!” After which the “Muscovites” run to their fortress, and the Kazan people try to catch and harass them.
Those players who did not have time to run away and hide in the fortress go over to the enemy’s side. Now it’s the Kazan team’s turn to run, and the Moscow squad will catch up with them. The game continues until the players are on the same team.
Olga Berggolts: I wanted something cheerful, sparkling, light as snow...
1812
Eric Ehrström
December 9/21. Nizhny Novgorod. […] The frost of Nizhny Novgorod imparts extraordinary music to everything that moves. The carts on runners are almost invisible. Most everything moves on wheels. I think neither Haydn nor Beethoven could imitate the music of spinning wheels. […]
For fun, an ice slide was built for sledding - a tall wooden structure with a path made of ice frozen onto the boards. People take the sled under their arm, climb up the stairs on one side and slide down the other at full speed between the green spruce branches stuck into the snow along the slide.
But only one such slide was built in the city. I asked about the reason.
— Why do we need to make slides where we have natural ones?
And that's true. It is hardly possible to build an ice slide level with the awe-inspiring steep slopes of the Oka and Volga. Descending from such slopes, you can ride all the way to the Volga. And sometimes on such a hill the sled develops such a speed that you can drive on it on the Volga ice for a mile or more!
1832
Daria Fikelmon
February 18/March 1. The day was wonderful. We were invited to hold it in Elagin. We went there by sleigh at one o'clock in the afternoon. It was a beautiful winter day, one of those when winter puts on its festive clothes, the sky is blue and clear, the sun sparkles with pink highlights on the snow, and the breeze barely moves the light veils of the ladies.
Upon arrival in Elagin, we already found the most beautiful and elegant part of society there, as well as many young officers who were also invited here. Soon the Court arrived. The Empress, beautiful and radiant as always, brought her wonderful little crown prince. After that, everyone sat down in the sled - a rather wild royal fun, since everyone was delighted at the sight of people falling from the sled. Having made a large circle, they turned back and, at full speed, at the risk of their lives, rushed towards the ice slides erected in front of the Elagin Palace, near which a crowd of spectators had gathered.
We rode until four in the afternoon. I’m used to these strange fun, worthy of the North, where people feel the need for emotions, real or fake, to warm the blood in their veins, because this custom of going headlong down the hills is also an emotion. I felt truly satisfied that I was able to overcome the terrible fear that this monstrous entertainment instilled in me.
Skating rink on the Fontanka in St. Petersburg. 1879
1898
Sofia Tolstaya
February 1/13. She slept poorly, got up late, corrected the proofs and entered yesterday’s affairs into the account books. I overcame my laziness and went to the skating rink where Sasha and Andryusha and Misha skated, to the Patriarch's Ponds. I found everyone there and many acquaintances. Then my elders arrived: Seryozha and Tanya. We had great fun skating. The best thing was to ride with Yusha Pomerantsev. How nice, cheerful, open and talented this Yusha Pomerantsev is. I love him very much and see in him good qualities for his future.
At first my children were embarrassed that I was skating, especially the boys; but seeing how I skated unnoticed and easily, they seemed to calm down, and Andryusha even walked one lap with me. […]
Leo Tolstoy skating in Khamovniki. 1898 Moscow. Photo: archive of the State Museum of L.N. Tolstoy, Moscow
1905
Tatyana Naydenova
December 12/25. It was terrible, they were shooting all night again at the Red Gate, and maybe somewhere else. It turns out that the representative of the monarchist party, Prince Shcherbatov, mainly advised taking extreme measures. […] I don’t know what’s good and what’s bad, I can’t make out anything. And the sun is shining, the weather is so wonderful, children in the garden are sledding down the mountain, everyone is laughing, you forget yourself - and suddenly a shot. […]
December 31, 1905/January 13, 1906. It’s too late now. We just returned from Seversky an hour ago. I took the diary to the village, but I didn’t want to write anything. We had a fun time, forgot about the strike, laughed for no apparent reason, rode on the sledge, sledding down the mountain, and skiing. Then we went to Kolomna, bought all sorts of things there and in the evening we organized a Christmas tree for the Seversky children.
1912
Sergei Prokofiev
December 29, 1912/January 11, 1913. […] I went to the skating rink. Yesterday's charmer flashed and disappeared. But there was Vera Alpers. I approached her nicely and began with some kind of compliment. But she again declined the explanation, just like her brother. Vera said that if I do not explain my negligence, we should get acquainted. I said that it was in her power, but that she took the sin on her soul. Laughing, I invited her to say goodbye for the last time, so as not to bow again. She said she doesn't say that. I replied that that's exactly what she was saying. And said goodbye.
1914
Natalya Mirotvorskaya
November 21/December 4. […] Every day at four o’clock in the evening we go for a walk. Let's take a sled and rush into the field to ride on an improvised mountain. The mountain is high, with ledges. When you rush, you jump, snow flies like dust into your eyes - but you don’t care! You pull the sled and roll again. Things don't happen without mischief. You push the sled, it turns over, and you fly as fast as you can into the snow.
I remembered that last year we rode in the evening. I ran into a post dug into the ground. She killed herself terribly. They grabbed it, but there were no glasses on my nose (I wore glasses then). They searched and searched, but did not find it. They searched on the next and third day - without results. Then they found out by chance that some boy found them. The glasses were intact. They gave him 15 kopecks. He gave it.
1917
Yuri Bukin
January 11/24. […] This winter I skated on the skating rink at the women's gymnasium. One day while riding, I saw that my sister was sitting with this girl, whose name was Lida Krasnikova; To get to know her better, I started throwing snow at her and Vera. Then Vera called me over and introduced me to Lida. From then on we fell in love with each other.
I often met Lida at the skating rink, talked with her, and in general we were very friendly. […]
1919
Lidiya Avilova
5th of March. Yesterday I was on Myasnitskaya, Kuznetsky, and Gazetny. Oh, what a sight this is! Myasnitskaya in the kind of snowdrifts in which our ancestors could dive in their carts. And Petrovka! All those shop windows boarded up! And everywhere, everywhere, sleds, sleds, sleds rustle and creak... A tram service car with a lit lantern slowly crawled by, as if in a funeral procession. Yellow fire under the bright radiant sun. Several cars rattled, plunging heavily into potholes. Motorcycles rushed by like angry insects, with whistles, gunshots, and crackling noises...
And again the creaking and rustling of sleds in the snow, the creaking of steps, quiet voices... Something that had not been heard on the streets before...
1922
Nikolay Orlov
February 7. Berlin. White snow and not a black evening. Not like Blok. The moon appears in the snowy haze. I carry her on a sled - skipping and walking, as necessary. The alley is deserted. Snow-covered bushes bristle here and there in disarray. It's like a real forest. And the snow is real, and the moon is real. No Berlin. Berlin is missing. Snow. Bushes. We are children. Yes, somewhere there seems to be a light. There, I think, is our quiet fireplace and our sincere friends. But it turns out that all this is completely unreal. And we don’t have a fireplace. And no friends. Snow and emptiness. And we wander without shelter - today Grozny, tomorrow Moscow, and then Berlin. And we puzzle over the problems of the world.
And the world doesn't care about us. And so that's it. That's it. Funny, really. And creepy. […]
1923
Mikhail Prishvin
December 19th. Nikola Winter. Soft powder. Something caressed the soul - what is it? This road, covered with ice, reminded me of a child’s ice mountain, how I once sledded along it, rolled in the snow, scratched the ice with a nail, climbed and flew down again. Often a smell brings you back to this paradise, but you rarely determine the moment of perception by smell.
1924
Anatoly Starodubov
February 10. Sunday. Severe frost and cold. The weather is grey. During the day it was 6 below zero. I went to see Kota Filippovsky. We showed each other collections. They played the tricky fool. I met Vova and went to the skating rink with him. I saw people skiing from the mountain in the Bishop's Garden. Several times the skiers exchanged words. Very interesting. […]
Day off in the Rostokinsky town of Metrostroy. Moscow. 1937
1926
Olga Berggolts
October 24. I will never forget yesterday... It was good! […]
The evening thickened and turned blue, the snow, filled with blue and the light of lanterns, worried and called... Our guys weren’t in the house lighting... We went out, and Tolka said: “Let’s go back home...” But I didn’t want to go into a stuffy room... So we wandered around paths between the trees in front of the house skylight. The paths were slick and the snow was fluffy. We started playing in the snow... Alright! Some kind of riot gripped me: I threw snow with some kind of ecstasy...
Then, when Tolya was climbing through the crack of the gate, I threw snow in his face, and we threw snow again; I ran away from him, every minute risking falling, he caught up with me, and we laughed and laughed... When he caught me and squeezed me in his arms and I saw his face close, flushed, wet, I thought that now he would kiss me... But Tolya turned out to be decent, more decent than me, and, despite the terrible closeness, there was nothing to fear... We never performed in the house enlightenment...
...And when I arrived outside the outpost, laughter poured out from everywhere, loud, cheerful, they threw snow, rode on sleds...
And there was so much laughter and joy that evening that I didn’t miss Genk or anyone... I wanted something cheerful, sparkling, light as snow... […]
1935
Oleg (Chinar) Chernevsky
18th of Febuary. We woke up at 9.15. We had breakfast. We played dominoes. Chinar and dad went skiing. Ch[inar] went skiing for the first time. We rode down small mountains. They fell often. But it's good. Mom also went for a ride. We rode around the yard and across the field. We went to watch the ski jumping, the largest jump was 16 m 10 cm. “At home” the chess pieces of the Botvinnik - Shpilman and Ryumin - Capablanca games were arranged. Interesting games. We had lunch. We started playing dominoes. We've arrived; Polishchuk with his wife and children and Zoya’s friend Klara with them. We arrived and immediately went skiing. They brought three more pairs of skis. Ch[inar], Gela, Isolda and Elizaveta Vasilievna went to the skating rink. Ch[inar] was skating on Zoya's hockey skates. Sprained my leg. Ch[inar] and Gela went skiing a little near the house. Zoya returned with Clara and Konstantin Efremych. Ch[inar] got his feet wet. Zoya and Clara went to the skating rink. Sun. Nick spoke with Const. Efr. Ch[inar], Gela, An[nna] An[dreevna], Elizave. You. and Isolde were skiing in the moonlight. Chinar was made at home by a Russian. The battery is exhausted.
Ski race for a healthy lifestyle on Tverskaya Street in Moscow. 1926
1939
Mikhail Saksin
Jan. 7. Saturday. Woke up at 10 o'clock. I was walking. I made a strap for one ski. I was skiing on one ski. Ate flatbread. I was walking. I rode off the shaft on a boat. Ole finished drawing the invitation. I went to Mityushka and looked at his new magazine “Technology for Youth”. Had lunch. I visited Olya. I went to Victor and played checkers with him. I was visiting Aunt Nastya. I went to the skating rink with Uncle Kolya, I rented skates. I was drinking tea at Aunt Nastya’s, when Shura, the cook, made everyone laugh with his stories. I read “Stories about Border Guards.” Went to bed at 12 o'clock […]
1940
Eleonora Dobrochaeva
Jan. 7. Eh, Misha, Misha! I knew that he didn’t like me, so why is it so hard now, so painful?
Yesterday I finally found out that he likes Tanya. But I suspected it. Yesterday I was still completely calm about this, but today... why can’t I make sure I don’t like him? Why?!!?!!! […]
We arrived at the skating rink at half past seven. We rode around and went to warm up. Suddenly, Misha appeared on the path connecting the heated vehicle with the skating rink. He was without a coat, in an ordinary suit, with a cigarette in his mouth. Seeing us, he turned 180 towards us, but we passed without noticing anyone.
We were warming up, warming up, when suddenly he came. We went for a ride and came to warm up. Tanya asked me what time it was, and since I didn’t know, she wanted to look. Misha immediately lost his temper, found out, ran and said. […]
Misha! Whoever reads this, do not be alarmed: this is written not in blood, but in ink. Misha skates great. On the ice, he came up to me and said slightly with contempt: “You skate great, but you fall like a classic!” […]
Tankers go to the front. 12/31/1941 Photo: Alexander Kapustyansky / RIA Novosti
1942
Isaac Mintz
February 6. [ ...] After the report, Comrade told me. Makhanov, deputy head of the Propaganda Directorate of the Central Committee, about some scenes from the life of heroic Leningrad. Several children were playing snowballs in the park. Suddenly artillery shelling began. The six-year-old girl stopped, wrinkled her face in pain and, looking up, said with a sigh:
- Hiding again.
A comrade who observed this scene asked:
- From whom, from the Germans? Will you run to the bomb shelter?
- No, from my mother. […]
Alexander Rezyapkin
15th of November. Coming out of my dugout in the morning, I was amazed at the abundance of snow that had fallen overnight. Centuries-old spruce and pine trees stood as if in silver. Soldiers floundered around their dugouts, playing snowballs, enjoying this natural phenomenon. The huge Lake Velispo, covered with snow, looked like a huge white field. There was a slight frost, and there was crystal purity in the air. […]
1944
Grigory Elantsev
January 2. Warm. We play snowballs with the little kids. They also live in the bunker: signalmen from Katyushas. It was the German who hit the Katyushas. But they are very mobile: the area where the Katyushas are parked is shelled, and they leave. […]
Happy 1945!
1946
Alexandra Mikhaleva
January 26. Saturday. Twelve o'clock at night. Came back from work. I feel good. The fresh, frosty air dispelled fatigue and encouraged me. Winter is in full swing. Beautiful, frosty Russian winter. For the first time after a three-year separation - in my native element. How I missed our winter in Germany. As a child, I loved the snowy winter, sledding, skiing, playing snowballs, and “making a snow woman.” What a pity that childhood passed so quickly!
For company!
1947
Marina Dobrynina
December 30th. […] On the street we ran around like crazy and played snowballs. A policeman stopped us: “You can’t behave in front of the embassy.” We walked along Mokhovaya. At the metro we said goodbye.
After this evening I feel very good. I felt that Sasha was attracted to me, but his modesty and excessive shyness were getting in the way. Rolka, his best friend, gives him away. […]
Angel Gutierrez
1st of January. We celebrated the New Year in full force at Valya Chernikov's dacha. A.M. Lobanov was with us. He was cheerful and joked. There is a forest all around, everything is covered in snow - beauty! We celebrated New Year in the forest. It was snowing, we decorated a wonderful small Christmas tree with lights, drank champagne under the snow-covered tree, and then rolled through the snowdrifts and played snowballs. We had fun like children! […]
1967
S.E.
April 9. Sunday. On Saturday, instead of production, they sawed wood. Everyone came, Arkasha Kolegov brought “Friendship”, and the work progressed. It was good and fun, as always when we are together. I played snowballs with Kolya Chirkov and Misha Eldetsev. I threw well, Kolya barely dodged and couldn’t hit me. Only at the end, because of my mistake, did he hit me. I teased him: “Here, you won’t hit it!” He laughed back.
I kept looking at him while I was sawing, but only so that he wouldn’t see. […]
The publication was prepared by M.A. Melnichenko at the expense of a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project N19-18-00221).
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