While the West gets ready for visits from Santa Claus, Russians will be queuing up to see ‘Ded Moroz’, or Father Frost. In one northern town, however, he’s making a list and will be checking Covid-19 vaccine passports twice.
On Sunday, officials in Veliky Ustyug, the fabled hometown of the bearded bringer of joy, warned that adults who want to tell him their wishes for the festive season will have to show a QR-code proving their immunization status, or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours. The region acts as a base for Ded Moroz, before he packs up his sleigh and embarks on a tour of more than 30 Russian cities.
Minors are still allowed to see the kindly old man without a pass, although the usual children’s excursions organized around Veliky Ustyug were cancelled this year, citing the worsening epidemiological situation.
A number of regions have introduced rules requiring attendees at mass events to show proof of vaccination, as the country grapples with weeks of rising record daily deaths. A proposed law being considered by the country’s parliament which may come into effect in February would see people require Covid passes to enter stores, cultural venues, and cafes until June 2022. The measures, which still need to be approved by lawmakers, would be among the strictest Covid measures in the world.
Earlier this month, officials in Moscow said that traditional festive celebrations around a giant Christmas tree on Red Square would be cancelled for the second year in a row, with children banned from the event and told to watch a pre-planned performance on screen at home instead.
In 2020, the capital marked a quieter holiday period, after a ban was imposed on large-scale markets and mass gatherings. Bars, restaurants, and cafes were also subject to an 11pm curfew, and attendees were required to take a coronavirus test prior to being let into public spaces and hotels.
Kremlin bans kids from Christmas celebrations
Moscow’s traditional winter holiday festivities, held under the boughs of a giant Christmas tree, have been axed for a second straight year as Russia grapples with high rates of coronavirus transmission, the Kremlin has confirmed.
Announcing the cancellation on Thursday, Elena Krylova said that “unfortunately, due to the difficult epidemiological situation and in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19, especially among minors, it was decided that the traditional children’s New Year’s performance at the State Kremlin Palace will not go ahead.”
The New Year’s spectacle will be aired at the end of December on TV without an audience and will also be available online, Krylova promised. The two-week long non-working period is Russia’s main national holiday, having replaced Christmas as a non-religious celebration in the Soviet era.
According to the chairman of the Moscow Federation of Trade Unions, the show’s format will be similar to last year, with a dramatic performance scheduled featuring actors and actresses. Mikhail Antontsev said the script of the play, called ‘The Glassblower’s Fairytale’, has already been approved.
The celebration was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Moscow marked a socially distanced Christmas and New Year, with authorities ruling a ban on large-scale markets and mass gatherings. Bars, restaurants and cafes were also subject to an 11pm curfew and attendees were required to take a coronavirus test prior to being let into public spaces and hotels.
The iconic Christmas tree event has been held since the early 1960s in the State Kremlin Palace. Prior to that, it had even held during the Great Patriotic War with Nazi Germany.
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