Father Frost passes Russia by a Christmas train. He will travel up to 13,000 kilometers to visit children in their hometowns.

photo: Archives/Father Frost passes Russia by a Christmas train. He will travel up to 13,000 kilometers to visit children in their hometowns.

Ded Moroz, the Russian Santa, also known as 'Father Frost,' will travel around 13,000 kilometers to visit children on a customized train by the Russian Railways. "I will travel more than 13,000 kilometers and visit 36 cities so that people all over Russia will feel the coming approach of the New Year. Everyone can come to meet me and take part in our New Year’s fairy tale," said the All-Russian Father Frost. The ceremonial presentation of the customized Christmas train was held at Kazan Station in Moscow with the All-Russian Father Frost from Veliky Ustyug, the Deputy Managing Director of Russian Railways Dmitry Pegov, and the Governor of the Vologda Region Oleg Kuvshinnikov taking part.

The Christmas train will depart from Veliky Ustyug and travel around Russia for 41 days. The itinerary includes stops in Vologda, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Izhevsk, Kazan, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd, and other cities. The planned destination is at Veliky Ustyug on the Orthodox New Year, which takes place on 31 December according to the old Julian calendar used in Russia before 1918 but gets celebrated on 13 January under the Gregorian calendar.

Father Frost's mobile home is a customized, festive train with Christmas decorations that features carriages for games and quests, a reception room, and a restaurant car, etc.

Every child in one of these cities will have a chance to enjoy the holiday activities such as sending postcards and possibly receiving a gift from the jolly man. The unique mobile gift shop car, which is part of the train, will offer merchandise, souvenirs, and sweets from Russia’s North.  One of the options is also a chance to enjoy the restaurant car, where chefs will craft unique northern dishes based on Father Frost’s recipes.

"This is Russia’s largest social project during the Christmas and New Year holidays. It will enable thousands of children and their parents to see and experience Santa Claus life and immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a winter fairy tale. We agreed with Ded Moroz and Russian Railways, that if the project proves very popular, we will organize a similar train next year right from Santa Claus’s birthday on 18 November so that he can visit even more of Russia’s regions across the country," said Oleg Kuvshinnikov.

More details about the train and ticket purchases for one of the children’s magical sessions will be posted soon on the Russian Railways’ website.

"The Santa Claus train will be at the railway stations in the cities during the day when festive events will take place. Everyone will be able to meet the train and take pictures, and those who buy tickets will be able to attend a separate festive program inside the mobile residence and talk to Santa Claus," said Dmitry Pegov.