Over the last 15 years Kyivan Valeriy Potyomkin, 56, has been spending every New Year’s Eve away from his family.
But it’s not because he’s a Scrooge who finds the festive season humbug. Quite the opposite, in fact.
For a decade-and-a-half, Potyomkin has been performing the role of Father Frost (Did Moroz in Ukrainian) – a Slavic equivalent of Santa Claus. From mid-December until early January he entertains children and adults during the New Year’s holidays.
A performance by Potyomkin costs $200, on average. It can go up to $500 if he brings along Father Frost’s granddaughter and helper, Sniguronka or Snegurochka (Snow Maiden). And even though there are at least 200 other actors in Kyiv playing Father Frost for less, Potyomkin already has orders and bookings days in advance.
“Many families whom I performed for when they were kids now invite me to (play for) their own children,” he says.
He never sticks to a script because he believes “every kid needs an individual approach.”
“Besides, children only like a sincere Father Frost who is honestly interested in them,” he said.
Father Frost is a favorite New Year’s character who during the winter holidays either personally delivers gifts to kids or leaves them under a Christmas tree. Like Santa, he’s an old man with a long white beard, but instead of Santa’s red, fur-trimmed suit, he wears a heel-length fur coat (usually blue or red in color) and a rounded fur hat.
Potyomkin says he was first invited to perform as Father Frost in a Kyiv kindergarten more than 30 years ago. It was an unexpected offer for Potyomkin, but he agreed, as Father Frost had been a favorite character of his since childhood. “The performance was a complete disaster. I recited the text prepared in advance with my voice trembling. My gown was terrible. I scared all the children then,” he recalls, smiling.
Nowadays, Potyomkin prepares carefully for each of his performances. He has several costumes, which he orders from private designers a couple months before New Year’s. The price of each gown can be up to $6,000, the actor says, adding that his attire is usually decorated with semi-precious stones and Swarovski crystals. Potyomkin says his perfectly made costume helps others to believe in the existence of Father Frost and his ability to create miracles.
The actor says that nearly two years ago, before New Year’s, on his way to a kindergarten, while dressed as Father Frost, he met a seven-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. The girl’s grandmother was sledging her down the street. “When the child saw Father Frost with her own eyes she got onto her feet to try to approach me. I’ll never forget how the child’s eyes shone with happiness at that moment. Her grandmother later told me that it was the first time the girl had made an attempt to walk,” Potyomkin said.
Potyomkin describes himself as Ukraine’s leading Father Frost, and boasts that he was awarded this title verbally in 2000 by former President Leonid Kuchma.
Since then he has performed for top Ukrainian officials and even presidents at New Year’s. This year, Potyomkin plans to wish a happy New Year’s to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk in person.
“These will be short official New Year’s congratulations at official residences,” he says. Potyomkin never had a chance to greet now ousted former President Viktor Yanukovych, although he was frequently invited to the New Year’s parties of Yanukovych-era politicians from various political parties. “When Father Frost appears in a hall, politicians start behaving like children. Some even asked me to grant them their wish of being reelected,” Potyomkin said, smiling.
Potyomkin’s biggest dream is to build a Father Frost residence where kids could visit the winter fairy character all year round.
In recent years in Ukraine, another holiday character, St. Nicholas, who also gives gifts to kids, has been becoming more popular, but Potyomkin says he is not going to quit playing his favorite character.
“I think it’s sacrilege to pretend to be a saint,” he says. “Besides, St. Nicholas gives presents only to polite children, while Father Frost gives presents and happiness to everybody. That’s why I like this character so much.”
