Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Fascinated by the name of   this Christmas celebrity,  I have chosen a Slavic version of Santa Claus for today's Christmas Countdown Character. D is for Ded Moroz ... Ded Moroz  can be translated as "Old Man Frost"  or Father Frost who is like a Russian Santa Claus. Traditionally shown as a tall and slender older gentleman, Ded Moroz  has a long  white beard, and is usually dressed in winter colours, red or icy blue. Most images also show him carrying a long staff. Ded Moroz delivers gifts on New Year's Eve rather than on Christmas Eve due to the shifting of this tradition to the more secular holiday during Soviet times. While both tundra and forest reindeer are plentiful in Russia and Siberia, his  preferred mode of transport is " troika", drawn by three powerful white horses, representing the three months of Winter.   And no rosy cheeked matronly Mrs Claus for Ded Moroz, he is accompanied by his  ...

Today it was a hard decision whether to put the spotlight on Balthazar, one of the Three Wise Men or to focus on a more obscure Christmas character... Basil of Caesarea?  St Basil - watercolour, ink, pencil - Wilma Simmons B is for St. Basil ...   Most likely very few other than those with a Greek heritage would know of St Basil's connection with Christmas. Basil was a  4th century Greek bishop of Caesarea, an area of what is now known as modern Turkey. He was an intellectual theologian and writer, but better known for his care of the poor and underprivileged. Basil, from a fairly wealthy family himself, gave away all of his own material possessions to the needy. This act in itself qualifies him as demonstrating the true spirit of Christmas, but there are other aspects of his story which suggests that he might be the Greek traditional version of Santa Claus. On St Basil's Day ( 1 January),  children receive gifts from St. Basil. . It is also a custom to serve...

Each year, it has been my custom to create a blog Advent calendar with a  post a day in December until Christmas Day. Last year, the very popular Christmas Countdown of Christmas cake can probably not be equalled, but here is the first of 25 - the ABC of Christmas characters.  ( Aren't there 26 letters in the alphabet, I hear you ask ... yes, perhaps there will be a bonus letter on one of the days). To make this even more interesting, I will create 25 sketches to accompany the story behind each of the characters of Christmas 2016. The Little Drummer Boy -  watercolour, ink , pencil - Wilma Simmons  A is for Aaron ... who ? This is the name given to the Little Drummer Boy in the 1968 animated film, based on the Christmas carol. The Little Drummer Boy is the story of a poor orphan boy who had no gift to give to the Christ Child, so he played his drum, with Mary's approval. Delighted with the drummer's music, the Baby Jesus smiled. The Christmas carol, first entitl...