RUSSIA'S "SNOW MAIDEN" TALE, a lecture by Philippa Rappoport

performed between the winter and summer solstices in which a personification of the season was erected, paraded through the town, and eventually destroyed. This presentation will examine the connection between the folktale and ritual celebrations, and will explore more broadly notions of the sacred in narrative and ritual celebration. For more programs, go to: www.jung.org
Snegurochka, or the Snow Maiden, was first published in a collection of folktales in the late 19th century. It inspired a symphony and a ballet, and continues to be one of the most popular folktales in Russia today. A visit from Snegurochka and her grandfather, Ded Moroz, is an established and cherished component of contemporary New Year celebrations.
Philippa Rappoport is a lecturer in Russian Culture at George Washington University, and a museum educator. She has a Ph.D. in Slavic folklore and linguistics from the University of Virginia, with a specialty in folktales and ritual and their connection to popular culture. She has taught Russian language and culture, comparative Russian/American folklore, and English for Speakers of Other Languages. Her presentation is based on a publication, "Sacrificing Snegurohcka" (in The Paths of Folklore: Essays in Honor of Natalie Kononenko, 2012). 
For more programs, go to: www.jung.org