Magic from Veliky Ustyug: a story of saved children’s letters and a thawed heart presented at the National Centre RUSSIA
On 21 December, guests of the National Centre RUSSIA had a unique opportunity not only to meet the country’s main winter wizard — Ded Moroz from Veliky Ustyug — but also to help him recover missing New Year letters sent by children from across Russia. A warm and instructive theatrical production based on the legend of the well-known fairy-tale character from the Vologda region continued the programme of the "Winter Wizards" festival.
At the beginning of the performance, Ded Moroz invited everyone into his cosy workshop to show how preparations for the holiday were in full swing. There, guests encountered the wizard’s loyal helpers — the fidgety Bunny and the phlegmatic Snowman — who were rushing around the stage in panic after discovering that all the children’s letters with their cherished wishes had been stolen.
"Ca-tas-tro-phe! The letters! All the letters! How could we let this happen?" Bunny cried out in despair, while Snowman echoed mournfully: "Trouble. Thieves. Robbery."
Ded Moroz’s appearance only confirmed the scale of the disaster:
"My friends, adults and children, I am very glad to see you, but misfortune has struck. I invited you to visit, wanted to show how cheerfully my helpers and I prepare for the holiday, but now there is nothing joyful in our preparations. You probably already know that the letters are lost — or rather, stolen. This is a calamity! A disgrace! Without these letters, I will not be able to make a single gift."
The clue came in the form of a letter delivered in the beak of the Firebird. It had been written by a girl named Katya, who did not ask for a toy, but simply for a meeting with Ded Moroz. The wizard’s intuition suggested that Katya would help find the missing letters — and so it proved. The girl recalled seeing a gloomy local Clockmaker carrying a large sack with an envelope bearing a drawn snowman sticking out.
The path to the Clockmaker’s tower led through a dense forest, where the audience helped the characters choose the correct trail. In the tall tower they encountered a lonely, embittered old man. His plan was simple: to steal the letters, turn back the clock hands, and cancel the holiday forever.
Realising that force and persuasion would not work, Ded Moroz’s team decided to melt the Clockmaker’s icy resolve through the warmth of memories. The turning point came with a question from Katya, addressed straight to the old man’s heart:
"Dear Clockmaker… My mum says that once, long ago, you were little too. What did you ask Ded Moroz for?"
This simple question prompted the Clockmaker to confess a long-held childhood grievance: the only time in his life he had written a letter to Ded Moroz, he never received a reply.
"So it was you?" the main winter wizard exclaimed, embracing the old man. It turned out that in all his long life, Ded Moroz had failed to fulfil just one wish — because the letter had been caught in the rain and the ink had run. "I have been looking for that boy ever since, to find out what he wanted. Forgive me, Clockmaker," Ded Moroz added warmly.
The Clockmaker realised that he had been remembered all these years and that the mistake was sincerely regretted — and his heart, bound by the ice of old resentment, finally thawed.
"I truly want all children’s wishes to come true, and for them not to stop believing in miracles, as I once did. Take the letters. And also… I would very much like to spend this New Year with you," he said, joining the friendly company.
The "Winter Wizards" festival is organised by the National Centre RUSSIA with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. The theatrical performances for Moscow residents and guests of the capital will conclude next week. On Saturday, 27 December, audiences will see two productions — based on the legends of Tol Babai from the Udmurt Republic and Ded Moroz from the Ryazan region. The final performance on 28 December will present a story based on the legend of Kysh Babai from the Republic of Tatarstan.
Event photobank
Participants discussed the contribution of regional authors and small publishing houses to Russian science and shared their experience of engaging with non-fiction literature.
Guests of the National Centre RUSSIA took part in a workshop on festive table setting in the "a la russe" style.
While preparing for their debut, the children did not simply memorise texts, but also learned how to bring them to life and find their own individual style.
