Christmas Eve (Gogol) facts for kids
Christmas Eve is a fun and magical story by Nikolai Gogol. It's part of his book called Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, which came out in 1832. The Russian title, Noch pered Rozhdestvom, simply means "The Night Before Christmas".
Plot Summary
The story begins in the snowy village of Dikanka, Ukraine. On Christmas Eve, a witch flies through the night sky. The devil also appears and steals the moon, hiding it in his pocket! No one in the village seems to notice. Since it's Christmas Eve, the devil can cause trouble. He wants to get back at Vakula, the village blacksmith. Vakula paints religious pictures in the church, which the devil doesn't like.
In the village lives a Cossack named Choub. His daughter, Oksana, is very beautiful. All the young boys like her, but the blacksmith Vakula loves her most. Choub goes out with his cousin Panas to a party. They suddenly notice the moon is gone. Meanwhile, Vakula tries to win Oksana's heart. She tells him that his mother, Solokha, is a witch.
A snowstorm starts, caused by the devil. Choub and his cousin get lost. His cousin finds a tavern. Choub ends up at his own house. But Vakula, who is visiting Oksana, answers the door. Choub is confused and thinks he's at the wrong house. Vakula sends him away.
When Vakula returns to Oksana, she gives him a challenge. She says she will only marry him if he brings her the slippers of the Tsaritsa. While they talk, Vakula's mother, Solokha, is at home with the devil. Someone knocks, so she hides the devil in a coal sack. More visitors arrive, and Solokha hides them all in sacks. She hides the Mayor, the sexton, and even Choub himself! The sexton and Choub end up in the same sack.
Vakula comes home and sees the sacks. He thinks they are just coal. He carries them to his forge, but they are very heavy. He thinks he has lost his strength. He believes it's because Oksana doesn't love him. He meets Oksana again, and she teases him. He runs off, feeling sad.
Vakula decides he must get the Tsaritsa's slippers. He goes to Puzaty Patsyuk, a local Zaporozhian Cossack. People believe Patsyuk works with the devil. Vakula asks him how to find the devil. Patsyuk is eating magical varenyky that fly into his mouth. Patsyuk tells Vakula that what he seeks is already on his back. Vakula doesn't understand until he puts down the sacks. The devil then hops onto Vakula's back!
Vakula tricks the devil into thinking he will obey him. Then, Vakula grabs the devil's tail. He threatens to use the sign of the cross unless the devil helps him. The devil is scared of the cross. He agrees to take Vakula to St. Petersburg. They fly through the sky, leaving the sacks behind.
Back in the village, people start taking the sacks. They are surprised to find men inside them! Meanwhile, Vakula arrives in St. Petersburg. He is amazed by the city. The devil, who shrinks into Vakula's pocket, takes him into the palace. There, Vakula meets some Zaporozhian Cossacks. They are meeting Catherine the Great, the Tsaritsa. When she greets them, Vakula asks her for her slippers. He praises them, and she finds it amusing. She agrees to give them to him.
Meanwhile, Oksana realizes she truly loves Vakula. She becomes upset that he is gone. She is very happy when he returns. She agrees to marry him, even before he shows her the slippers. They get married. The story ends with a bishop passing their beautifully painted house. Inside the church, Vakula has painted a new picture. It shows the devil in hell. Villagers spit on it, and women show it to their children. They say, "Look what a kaka (poophead)!"
Adaptations
- Vakula the Smith (1874 opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
- Christmas Eve (1874 opera by Mykola Lysenko)
- Cherevichki (1887 opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a revised version of his Vakula the Smith)
- Christmas Eve (1895 opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov)
- The Night Before Christmas (1913 film)
- The Night Before Christmas (1951 film)
- The Night Before Christmas (1961 film)
- The Night Before Christmas (1997 film)
