Ivan Shmelev on Christmas: poetry of childlike faith and lost world Introduction: Christmas as the quintessence of "Holy Russia" For Ivan Sergeyevich Shmelev (1873–1950), Christmas was not just a religious holiday, but a central event of the cosmos, the heart of the national and personal cosmos. As one of the deepest Orthodox writers of the Russian emigration, Shmelev created in his prose an idealized, but piercingly authentic image of pre-revolutionary Russia, where Christmas was the main act of the annual renewal of the world, the connecting thread between God, nature, family, and people. His descriptions of the holiday are not an ethnographic sketch, but a theological and artistic study of the essence of Orthodoxy through the prism of childlike perception. Origins: autobiographical myth in "The Year of the Lord" The canonical image of Christmas in Shmelev is given in the peak of his creativity — the novel-chronicle "The Year of the Lord" (1927–1948). The book is built as a cycle, where the annual cycle of Orthodox holidays is understood through the memories of a little boy, Vanya. The key part is dedicated to "Festivals." Here Shmelev realized his main creative principle: to show how faith organizes the entire way of life, permeates everyday life, transforming it into being. The structure of the Christmas myth in Shmelev: from fasting to the holidayShmelev describes not one day, but an entire liturgical and everyday cycle, where spiritual and material things are inseparable. Christmas fasting (Philip's fast): This is not a time of deprivation, but a period of joyful anticipation, "a bright hunger." Domestic activities (slaughtering meat, fishing, baking) are sanctified by the goal of decently welcoming Christmas. Even strict restrictions in food are perceived by a child as part of the general, meaningful preparation. Christmas Eve: The culmination of anticipation. Shmelev masterfully conveys the feeling of increasing holiness. The whole day is special: no work is ... Read more