Japanese folk tale strawberries under the snow. Folklore - Strawberries under the snow

About V. Markova, who is well known among orientalists, primarily Japanese scholars, as a translator and popularizer of the literary culture of Japan in Russia, prompted me to refresh my memory of a fairy tale from the collection "Strawberries under the Snow" with the same name, which, most likely, immediately you will be reminded of the images of heroes from Russian fairy tales "12 months" and "Morozko". The main character of this Japanese fairy tale, the stepdaughter of o-Chiyo, is, in general, the eternal image of a person who is unloved and unkind, but, in spite of everything, with a surprisingly kind and sympathetic heart that protects her, allows her not to lose her own "I" , his amazing gift - love.
I must say that we once shot the cartoon "Strawberry under the Snow" - in my opinion, it was made quite elegantly and with a different, "Russified" ending)))). And at the end of my post - the fairy tale itself and the cartoon based on it.

"Strawberries Under the Snow"

It happened a long time ago.
A widow lived in a village. And she had two daughters: the eldest o-Chiyo is a step-daughter, and the youngest o-Khana is her own.

The native daughter went about in smart dresses, and the stepdaughter - in tatters. Caress and pampering fell to the share of the native daughter, and mallets and menial work fell to the share of the stepdaughter. The stepdaughter carried water, and washed, and cooked dinner, and wove, and spun, and sheathed the whole house.

And my own daughter was lazy. She did not like to weave and spin, but she loved to feast on her heart's content.

Once a stepmother had a fight with a neighbor.

The neighbor began to shout:

Don't tell me, teach your own daughter better! Look how lazy and picky she is! The time will come - any groom will marry your stepdaughter, but no one will take your daughter. Your daughter, before she lifts a finger, will think three times, and then she will change her mind anyway.

The stepmother never loved her stepdaughter, and after these words she hated her so much that she decided to get out of the world.

Here comes the cold winter. The stepdaughter works in the yard, and the stepmother and o-Khana warm themselves by the hearth.

Once o-Khana got tired from the heat and said:

Oh, how hot I got! I would like to eat something cold now.

Do you want some snow?

Snow doesn't taste good, but I want something cold and tasty.

O-Khana thought, and suddenly she clapped her hands:

Strawberries, I want strawberries! I want red, ripe berries!

O-Hana was stubborn. If she wants anything, give it to her.

She raised a loud cry:

Mom, give me strawberries! Mom, give me strawberries!

O-Chiyo, O-Chiyo, come here! the stepmother called her stepdaughter.

And she was just washing clothes in the yard. She runs to the call of her stepmother, on the go she wipes her wet hands with her apron.

Her stepmother told her:

Hey you, lazybones, quickly go into the forest and collect ripe strawberries in this basket. And if you don’t pick up a full basket, don’t come back home. Understood?

But, mother, do strawberries grow in the middle of winter?

It doesn’t grow, but you remember one thing: if you come empty-handed, I won’t let you into the house.

The stepmother pushed the girl out of the door and locked the door behind her tightly. O-Chiyo stood for a while in the yard, took a basket and went to the mountains. In winter, strawberries do not grow. Yes, there is nothing to do, O-Chiyo is afraid of disobeying his stepmother.

It's quiet in the mountains. Snow falls in flakes. Around the pines, like white giants, stand.

O-Chiyo is looking for strawberries in deep snow, and she herself thinks: “It’s true, my stepmother sent me here to perish. I will never find strawberries in the snow. I'll freeze here."

The girl cried, she wanders, not understanding the road. Either he will climb, stumbling and falling, up a mountain, then he will slide into a hollow. Finally, from fatigue and cold, she fell into a snowdrift. And the snow fell thicker and thicker and soon covered a white mound above her.

Suddenly, someone called o-Chiyo by name. She raised her head. She opened her eyes. He sees: an old grandfather with a white beard is leaning over her.

Tell me, O-Chiyo, why did you come here in such a cold?

Mother sent me, ordered me to collect ripe strawberries, - the girl answered, barely moving her lips.

Doesn't she know that strawberries don't grow in winter? But don't worry, I'll help you. Come with me.

O-Chiyo got up from the ground. She suddenly felt warm and happy.

The old man walks on the snow easily, easily. O-Chiyo runs after him. And here's a miracle: just before she fell into a loose snowdrift up to her waist, and now a strong, good road is spreading in front of her.

There are ripe strawberries in the clearing, - says the old man. - Collect what you need, and go home.

She looked at O-Chiyo and couldn't believe her eyes. Large red strawberries grow in the snow. The whole glade is strewn with berries.

Oh strawberries! O-Chiyo screamed.

Suddenly he looks: the old man has disappeared somewhere, only pines are standing around.

“It can be seen that it was not a person, but a spirit - the guardian of our mountains,” O-Chiyo thought. - That's who saved me!

Thank you, grandfather! she shouted and bowed low, low.

O-Chiyo picked up a full basket of strawberries and ran home.

How did you find strawberries?! - the stepmother was amazed.

She thought that the hated stepdaughter was no longer alive. The stepmother grimaced and squinted in annoyance and gave her own daughter a basket of berries.

O-Khana was delighted, sat down at the very hearth and let's put handfuls of strawberries in her mouth:

Good berries! Sweeter than honey!

Come on, come on, give it to me! - the stepmother demanded, but the stepdaughter was not given a single berry.

Tired o-Chiyo crouched by the hearth and dozed off. She didn't have long to rest.

He hears someone shaking his shoulder.

Oh-chiyo, oh-chiyo! - shouts her stepmother in her ear. - Hey you, listen, o-Khana doesn't want red berries anymore, she wants blue ones. Go quickly to the mountains, collect blue strawberries.

But, mother, it's already evening in the yard, and, gosh, there are no blue strawberries in the world. Don't drive me to the mountains, mother.

Aren `t you ashamed! You are the eldest, you should take care of your little sister. You found red berries, you will find blue ones too!

She pushed her stepdaughter out into the cold without any pity, and the door slammed shut behind her.

O-Chiyo wandered into the mountains. And there was more snow in the mountains. O-Chiyo takes one step - falls to the knees, takes another - falls to the waist and cries, cries. Yes, that's enough, was it in a dream that she was picking fresh strawberries here?

It became quite dark in the forest. Somewhere, wolves howled. She hugged the tree with her hands, pressed herself against it.

O-Chiyo! - suddenly a quiet call was heard, and, out of nowhere, a familiar grandfather with a white beard appeared in front of her. As if a dark tree suddenly came to life.

Well, O-Chiyo, did your mother like red strawberries? the old man asked her kindly.

O-Chiyo's tears flowed like a stream.

Mother sent me to the mountains again. He orders to bring blue strawberries, otherwise he won’t let me go home.

Here the old man's eyes flashed with an unkind gleam.

I took pity on you, that's why I sent red berries to your stepmother, and what did this villain come up with! Okay, I'll teach her! Follow me!

The old man took long strides forward. It goes - as if it flies through the air. The girl can hardly keep up with him.

Look, O-Chiyo, here is a blue strawberry.

Indeed, all the snow around glows with blue lights. Large, beautiful blue strawberries are scattered everywhere.

She timidly plucked the first berry from O-Chiyo. Even at the bottom of the basket, it shone with a blue sheen.

O-Chiyo picked up a full basket and ran home as fast as she could. Then the mountains parted by themselves and in an instant were far behind, and in front of the girl, as if from under the ground, her home grew.

Knocked on the door o-Chiyo:

Open, mother, I found a blue strawberry.

How? Blue strawberry?! gasped the stepmother. - It can't be!

She thought the wolves had eaten her stepdaughter. And what! O-Chiyo not only returned alive and well, but also brought strawberries, which does not exist in the world. Reluctantly, the stepmother unlocked the door and could not believe her eyes:

Blue strawberries!

O-Khana snatched the basket from her sister's hands and let's eat the berries as soon as possible.

Ah, delicious! You can swallow your tongue! Blue strawberries are even sweeter than red ones. Try it too, Mom.

O-Chiyo began to dissuade her sister and stepmother:

Mother, sister, these berries are too beautiful. So they sparkle like lights. Don't eat them...

But o-Khana shouted angrily:

I ate, it’s true, in the forest to satiety, but it’s not enough for you, you want everything to go to you alone. Found the fool!

And suddenly, how it barks, barks. He sees o-Chiyo: his stepmother and o-Hana have grown sharp ears and long tails. They turned into red foxes, and so with barking, they fled to the mountains.

O-Chiyo was left alone. Eventually, she got married and lived happily ever after. She gave birth to children. They collected a lot of red, ripe berries in the forest, but in the winter time no one else found strawberries under the snow, neither red nor blue.

In folk medicine, strawberries were recommended as a remedy "for the suffering of the heart caused by unrest," as a remedy that "makes the heart cheerful." After all, the fruits of strawberries are red and have the shape of a heart.
In the old days, they thought that nature, in the form of fruits, flowers and leaves, similar to the form of human organs, tells him what diseases certain plants can cure. (N.M. Verzilin "In the footsteps of Robinson")

The fact that strawberries are connected with the heart - the organ where, according to the conclusions of the ancients, the soul is located, is directly or indirectly told by the legends and tales of many peoples of the world.

For example, the Grimm brothers, researchers of the folklore of the Romano-Germanic and Slavic peoples, have a fairy tale "Three Little Foresters"

Once in winter, when severe frosts set in and everything froze around, the mountains and valleys were covered with snow, the stepmother sewed a dress out of paper, called the girl and said: - Put on this dress, go into the forest and bring me a full basket of strawberries: I want to eat berries. Lord, why, in winter, strawberries do not grow, - said the girl, - after all, the earth is all frozen and covered with snow.

And how will I go in a paper dress? It’s so cold in the yard that it takes my breath away, the wind will blow through me, and the prickly thorn bush will tear my dress. “What are you trying to contradict me,” said the stepmother. “Go quick and don’t dare show your face to me until you pick up a full basket of strawberries.” She gave her a piece of stale bread and said: “This is enough for you for the whole day,” and she herself thought:

“In the yard you will freeze and starve, and you will never come back.” The girl obeyed, put on a paper dress and left the house with a basket. And all around there was only snow and snowy expanses, and there was not a single green stalk to be seen. She came into the forest, she saw - there was a small hut, and three little forest men looked out of it.

She greeted them and timidly knocked on the door. They shouted: "Come in!" - and she entered the room and sat down on a bench by the stove - she wanted to warm herself and eat her piece of bread. And the little people say: “Give us a piece too.” “Good,” she answered, and broke her piece of bread in two and gave them half.

And then they ask: - Why are you in such a thin dress in the winter in the forest - Ah, - the girl answered, - I have to pick up a full basket of strawberries, and without this I can’t go home. When she ate her piece of bread, they gave her a broom and said: - Now sweep the snow at the black door of the hut. She went out, and the little men began to say to each other: "What would we give her this, because she is diligent and affectionate, and she shared her bread with us." And the first of them said: - I will give her that she will be a day getting more and more beautiful day by day.

The second said: - And I will give her what will come from her mouth, as soon as she says the word, gold pieces will fall. The third said: - And I will give her the gift that the king will appear and marry her. The girl did what the little men told her, swept the snow near the hut with a broom - and what do you think she found? Ripe strawberries! She made her way a dark red berry from under the snow. And the girl, in joy, picked up a full basket; thanked the little foresters, said goodbye to each of them by the hand and ran home, wanting to bring to her stepmother what she had ordered.

The Slavic fairy tale "Twelve Months", which is familiar to everyone, speaks of the same thing - with the difference that the girl needed to find flowers in winter.

And the Japanese fairy tale "Strawberries under the Snow", which many people know from the Russian cartoon of the same name

About what kind of strawberries the girl found in winter is a very interesting ending to the tale

Strawberries under the snow.

(Japanese tale.)

It happened a long time ago.

A widow lived in a village. And she had two daughters: the eldest, o-Chiyo, was a step-daughter, and the youngest, o-Khana, was her own.

Her own daughter went around in elegant dresses, and her stepdaughter - in rags. Caress and pampering fell to the share of the native daughter, and mallets and menial work to the share of the stepdaughter. The stepdaughter carried water, and washed, and cooked dinner, and wove, and spun, and sheathed the whole house.

And my own daughter was lazy. She did not like to weave and spin, but she loved to feast on her heart's content.

Once a stepmother had a fight with a neighbor.

The neighbor began to shout:

- Do not tell me, teach your own daughter better! Look how lazy and picky she is! The time will come - any groom will marry your stepdaughter, but no one will take your daughter. Your daughter, before she lifts a finger, will think three times, and then she will change her mind anyway.

The stepmother never loved her stepdaughter, and after these words she hated her so much that she decided to get out of the world.

Here comes the cold winter. The stepdaughter works in the yard, and the stepmother and o-Khana warm themselves by the hearth.

Once o-Khana got tired from the heat and said:

- Oh, how hot I got! I would like to eat something cold now.

- Would you like some snow?

“Snow doesn’t taste good, but I want something cold and tasty.”

O-Khana thought, and suddenly she clapped her hands:

— Strawberries, I want strawberries! I want red, ripe berries!

O-Hana was stubborn. If she wants anything, give it to her. She raised a loud cry:

- Mom, give me strawberries! Mom, give me strawberries!

“O-Chiyo, o-Chiyo, come here!” the stepmother called her stepdaughter.

And she was just washing clothes in the yard. He runs to the call of his stepmother, on the go he wipes his wet hands with an apron.

Her stepmother told her:

“Hey, you lazybones, go quickly into the forest and collect ripe strawberries in this basket. And if you don’t pick up a full basket, don’t come back home. Understood?

“But, mother, do strawberries grow in the middle of winter?”

- It doesn’t grow, but you remember one thing: if you come empty-handed, I won’t let you into the house.

The stepmother pushed the girl out the threshold and locked the door behind her tightly. She stood, stood and went to the mountains.

It's quiet in the mountains. Snow falls in flakes. Around the pines, like white giants, stand.

O-Chiyo is looking for strawberries in deep snow, and she herself thinks: “It’s true, my stepmother sent me here to perish. I will never find strawberries in the snow. I'll freeze here." The girl cried, she wanders, not understanding the road. Either he will climb, stumbling and falling, up a mountain, then he will slide into a hollow. Finally, from fatigue and cold, she fell into a snowdrift. And the snow fell thicker and thicker and soon covered a white mound above her.

Suddenly, someone called o-Chiyo by name. She raised her head. She opened her eyes. He sees: an old grandfather with a white beard is leaning over her.

“Tell me, O-Chiyo, why did you come here in such a cold weather?”

“Mother sent me, ordered me to collect ripe strawberries,” the girl answered, barely moving her lips.

“But doesn’t she know that strawberries don’t grow in winter?” But don't worry, I'll help you. Come with me.

O-Chiyo got up from the ground. She suddenly felt warm and happy.

“There are ripe strawberries in the clearing,” says the old man. "Get what you need and go home."

She looked at O-Chiyo and couldn't believe her eyes. Large red strawberries grow in the snow. The whole glade is strewn with berries.

— Oh, strawberries! O-Chiyo screamed. Suddenly he looks: the old man has disappeared somewhere, only pines are standing around.

“It can be seen that it was not a person, but a spirit - the guardian of our mountains,” thought O-Chiyo. "That's who saved me!"

- Thank you, grandfather! she shouted and bowed low, low.

O-Chiyo picked up a full basket of strawberries and ran home.

How did you find strawberries? the stepmother wondered.

She thought that the hated stepdaughter was no longer alive. The stepmother grimaced and squinted in annoyance and gave her own daughter a basket of berries.

O-Khana was delighted, sat down at the very hearth and let's put handfuls of strawberries in her mouth:

- Nice berries! Sweeter than honey!

- Come on, come on, give it to me! the stepmother demanded, but the stepdaughter was not given a single berry.

Tired o-Chiyo crouched by the hearth and dozed off. She didn't have long to rest.

She hears someone shaking her shoulder.

“Oh-Chiyo, oh-Chiyo!” her stepmother screams in her ear. “Hey, you, listen, o-Khana doesn’t want red berries anymore, she wants blue ones. Go quickly to the mountains, collect blue strawberries.

“But, mother, it’s already evening in the yard, and there are no blue strawberries in the world. Don't drive me to the mountains, mother.

- Aren `t you ashamed! You are the eldest, you should take care of your little sister. You found red berries, you will find blue ones too!

She pushed her stepdaughter out into the cold without any pity, and the door slammed shut behind her.

O-Chiyo wandered into the mountains. And there was more snow in the mountains. Takes one step o-Chiyo - falls down to the waist and cries, cries. Yes, that's enough, was it in a dream that she was picking fresh strawberries here?

It became quite dark in the forest. Somewhere, wolves howled. She hugged the tree with her hands, pressed herself against it.

— O-Chiyo! - suddenly a quiet call was heard, and, out of nowhere, a familiar grandfather with a white beard appeared in front of her. As if a dark tree suddenly came to life. “Well, O-Chiyo, did your mother like red strawberries?” the old man asked her kindly.

O-Chiyo's tears flowed like a stream.

“Mother sent me to the mountains again. He orders to bring blue strawberries, otherwise he won’t let me go home.

Here the old man's eyes flashed with an unkind gleam.

- I took pity on you, that's why I sent red berries to your stepmother, and this villain came up with something! Okay, I'll teach her! Follow me!

The old man took long strides forward. It goes - as if it flies through the air. The girl can hardly keep up with him.

“Look, O-Chiyo, here is a blue strawberry.

Indeed, all the snow around glows with blue lights. Large, beautiful blue strawberries are scattered everywhere.

She timidly plucked the first berry from O-Chiyo. Even at the bottom of the basket, it shone with a blue sheen.

Knocked on the door o-Chiyo:

- Open, mother, I found a blue strawberry.

- How? Blue strawberry?! gasped the stepmother. - It can't be!

- Blue strawberries!

O-Khana snatched the basket from her sister's hands and let's eat the berries as soon as possible.

— Ah, delicious! You can swallow your tongue! Blue strawberries are even sweeter than red ones. Try it too, Mom.

O-Chiyo began to dissuade her sister and stepmother:

- Mother, sister, these berries are too beautiful. So they sparkle like lights. Don't eat them...

But o-Khana shouted angrily:

- I ate, it’s true, in the forest to satiety, but it’s not enough for you, you want everything to go to you alone! Found the fool!

And suddenly, how it barks, barks. He sees o-Chiyo: his stepmother and o-Hana have grown sharp ears and long tails. They turned into red foxes and so with barking and fled to the mountains.

O-Chiyo was left alone. Over time, she got married and lived happily. She gave birth to children. They collected a lot of red, ripe berries in the forest, but in winter no one else found strawberries under the snow - neither red nor blue.

The Slavs believed that the spirit of the earth was contained in strawberries - therefore, many diseases can be treated with this berry and immunity can be maintained. "Whoever eats a handful of strawberries in the summer will not get sick in the winter." Vedic scriptures call immunity - Ojas - "life force" and believe that the place of its localization is the heart ...

Original entry and comments on

The beautiful Japanese fairy tale "Strawberries under the Snow" is a variant of the beloved Russian fairy tale "Twelve Months", only here the evil stepmother sent her stepdaughter to the forest in a cold and harsh winter for a basket of ripe strawberries.

In this fairy tale, one old man helped a sweet girl, who immediately realized that he had a very kind and sympathetic soul in front of him, always helping all people and repaying good for good.

When the girl came home and brought a whole basket of strawberries, the stepmother's daughter also wanted to go to the forest, but since she was an evil person, she got what she deserved from the forest old man, who turned her and her stepmother into two dogs that ran far into the mountains, so that no one sees their shame.

It happened a long time ago.

A widow lived in a village. And she had two daughters: the eldest, o-Chiyo, is a step-daughter, and the youngest, o-Khana, is her own.

The native daughter went about in smart dresses, and the stepdaughter - in tatters. Caress and pampering fell to the share of the native daughter, and mallets and menial work to the share of the stepdaughter. The stepdaughter carried water, and washed, and cooked dinner, and wove, and spun, and sheathed the whole house.

And my own daughter was lazy. She did not like to weave and spin, but she loved to feast on her heart's content.

Once a stepmother had a fight with a neighbor.

The neighbor began to shout:

The stepmother never loved her stepdaughter, and after these words she hated her so much that she decided to get out of the world.

Here comes the cold winter. The stepdaughter works in the yard, and the stepmother and o-Khana warm themselves by the hearth.

Once o-Khana got tired from the heat and said:

Oh, how hot I got! I would like to eat something cold now.

Do you want some snow?

Snow doesn't taste good, but I want something cold and tasty.

O-Khana thought, and suddenly she clapped her hands:

Strawberries, I want strawberries! I want red, ripe berries!

O-Hana was stubborn. If she wants anything, give it to her. She raised a loud cry:

Mom, give me strawberries! Mom, give me strawberries!

O-Chiyo, O-Chiyo, come here! the stepmother called her stepdaughter.

And she was just washing clothes in the yard. He runs to the call of his stepmother, on the go he wipes his wet hands with an apron.

Her stepmother told her:

Hey, you lazybones, go quickly into the forest and collect ripe strawberries in this basket. And if you don’t pick up a full basket, don’t come back home. Understood?

But, mother, do strawberries grow in the middle of winter?

It doesn’t grow, but you remember one thing: if you come empty-handed, I won’t let you into the house.

The stepmother pushed the girl out the threshold and locked the door behind her tightly. She stood, stood and went to the mountains.

It's quiet in the mountains. Snow falls in flakes. Around the pines, like white giants, stand.

Suddenly, someone called o-Chiyo by name. She raised her head. She opened her eyes. He sees: an old grandfather with a white beard is leaning over her.

Tell me, O-Chiyo, why did you come here in such a cold?

Mother sent me, ordered me to collect ripe strawberries, - the girl answered, barely moving her lips.

Doesn't she know that strawberries don't grow in winter? But don't worry, I'll help you. Come with me.

O-Chiyo got up from the ground. She suddenly felt warm and happy.

There are ripe strawberries in the clearing, - says the old man. - Collect what you need, and go home.

She looked at O-Chiyo and couldn't believe her eyes. Large red strawberries grow in the snow. The whole glade is strewn with berries.

Oh strawberries! O-Chiyo screamed. Suddenly he looks: the old man has disappeared somewhere, only pines are standing around.

“It can be seen that it was not a person, but a spirit - the guardian of our mountains,” O-Chiyo thought. - That's who saved me!

Thank you, grandfather! she shouted and bowed low, low.

O-Chiyo picked up a full basket of strawberries and ran home.

How did you find strawberries?! - the stepmother was amazed.

She thought that the hated stepdaughter was no longer alive. The stepmother grimaced and squinted in annoyance and gave her own daughter a basket of berries.

O-Khana was delighted, sat down at the very hearth and let's put handfuls of strawberries in her mouth:

Good berries! Sweeter than honey!

Come on, come on, give it to me! - the stepmother demanded, but the stepdaughter was not given a single berry.

Tired o-Chiyo crouched by the hearth and dozed off. She didn't have long to rest.

She hears someone shaking her shoulder.

Oh-chiyo, oh-chiyo! - shouts her stepmother in her ear. - Hey, you, listen, o-Khana doesn't want red berries anymore, she wants blue ones. Go quickly to the mountains, collect blue strawberries.

But, mother, it's already evening in the yard, and, gosh, there are no blue strawberries in the world. Don't drive me to the mountains, mother.

Aren `t you ashamed! You are the eldest, you should take care of your little sister. You found red berries, you will find blue ones too!

She pushed her stepdaughter out into the cold without any pity, and the door slammed shut behind her.

O-Chiyo wandered into the mountains. And there was more snow in the mountains. Takes one step o-Chiyo - falls to the waist and cries, cries. Yes, that's enough, was it in a dream that she was picking fresh strawberries here?

It became quite dark in the forest. Somewhere, wolves howled. She hugged the tree with her hands, pressed herself against it.

O-Chiyo! - suddenly a quiet call was heard, and, out of nowhere, a familiar grandfather with a white beard appeared in front of her. As if a dark tree suddenly came to life. - Well, O-Chiyo, did your mother like red strawberries? the old man asked her kindly.

O-Chiyo's tears flowed like a stream.

Mother sent me to the mountains again. He orders to bring blue strawberries, otherwise he won’t let me go home.

Here the old man's eyes flashed with an unkind gleam.

I took pity on you, that's why I sent red berries to your stepmother, and what did this villain come up with! Okay, I'll teach her! Follow me!

The old man took long strides forward. It goes - as if it flies through the air. The girl can hardly keep up with him.

Look, O-Chiyo, here is a blue strawberry.

Indeed, all the snow around glows with blue lights. Large, beautiful blue strawberries are scattered everywhere.

She timidly plucked the first berry from O-Chiyo. Even at the bottom of the basket, it shone with a blue sheen.

Knocked on the door o-Chiyo:

Open, mother, I found a blue strawberry.

How? Blue strawberry?! gasped the stepmother. - It can't be!

Blue strawberries!

O-Khana snatched the basket from her sister's hands and let's eat the berries as soon as possible.

Ah, delicious! You can swallow your tongue! Blue strawberries are even sweeter than red ones. Try it too, Mom.

O-Chiyo began to dissuade her sister and stepmother:

Mother, sister, these berries are too beautiful. So they sparkle like lights. Don't eat them...

But o-Khana shouted angrily:

I ate, right, in the forest to satiety, but it’s not enough for you, you want everything to go to you alone! Found the fool!

And suddenly, how it barks, barks. He sees o-Chiyo: his stepmother and o-Hana have grown sharp ears and long tails. They turned into red foxes and so with barking and fled to the mountains.

O-Chiyo was left alone. Eventually she got married and lived happily. She gave birth to children. They collected a lot of red, ripe berries in the forest, but in winter no one else found strawberries under the snow - neither red nor blue.

It happened a long time ago.

A widow lived in a village. And she had two daughters: the eldest o-Chiyo is a step-daughter, and the youngest o-Khana is her own.

And my own daughter was lazy. She did not like to weave and spin, but she loved to feast on her heart's content.

Once a stepmother had a fight with a neighbor.

The neighbor began to shout:

The stepmother never loved her stepdaughter, and after these words she hated her so much that she decided to get out of the world.

Here comes the cold winter. The stepdaughter works in the yard, and the stepmother and o-Khana warm themselves by the hearth.

Once o-Khana got tired from the heat and said:

Oh, how hot I got! I would like to eat something cold now.

Do you want some snow?

Snow doesn't taste good, but I want something cold and tasty.

O-Khana thought, and suddenly she clapped her hands:

Strawberries, I want strawberries! I want red, ripe berries!

O-Hana was stubborn. If she wants anything, give it to her.

She raised a loud cry:

Mom, give me strawberries! Mom, give me strawberries!

O-Chiyo, O-Chiyo, come here! the stepmother called her stepdaughter.

And she was just washing clothes in the yard. She runs to the call of her stepmother, on the go she wipes her wet hands with her apron.

Her stepmother told her:

Hey you, lazybones, quickly go into the forest and collect ripe strawberries in this basket. And if you don’t pick up a full basket, don’t come back home. Understood?

But, mother, do strawberries grow in the middle of winter?

It doesn’t grow, but you remember one thing: if you come empty-handed, I won’t let you into the house.

It's quiet in the mountains. Snow falls in flakes. Around the pines, like white giants, stand.

O-Chiyo is looking for strawberries in deep snow, and she herself thinks: “It’s true, my stepmother sent me here to perish. I will never find strawberries in the snow. I'll freeze here."

Suddenly, someone called o-Chiyo by name. She raised her head. She opened her eyes. He sees: an old grandfather with a white beard is leaning over her.

Tell me, O-Chiyo, why did you come here in such a cold?

Mother sent me, ordered me to collect ripe strawberries, - the girl answered, barely moving her lips.

Doesn't she know that strawberries don't grow in winter? But don't worry, I'll help you. Come with me.

O-Chiyo got up from the ground. She suddenly felt warm and happy.

There are ripe strawberries in the clearing, - says the old man. - Collect what you need, and go home.

She looked at O-Chiyo and couldn't believe her eyes. Large red strawberries grow in the snow. The whole glade is strewn with berries.

Oh strawberries! O-Chiyo screamed.

Suddenly he looks: the old man has disappeared somewhere, only pines are standing around.

“It can be seen that it was not a person, but a spirit - the guardian of our mountains,” O-Chiyo thought. - That's who saved me!

Thank you, grandfather! she shouted and bowed low, low.

O-Chiyo picked up a full basket of strawberries and ran home.

How did you find strawberries?! - the stepmother was amazed.

She thought that the hated stepdaughter was no longer alive. The stepmother grimaced and squinted in annoyance and gave her own daughter a basket of berries.

O-Khana was delighted, sat down at the very hearth and let's put handfuls of strawberries in her mouth:

Good berries! Sweeter than honey!

Come on, come on, give it to me! - the stepmother demanded, but the stepdaughter was not given a single berry.

Tired o-Chiyo crouched by the hearth and dozed off. She didn't have long to rest.

He hears someone shaking his shoulder.

Oh-chiyo, oh-chiyo! - shouts her stepmother in her ear. - Hey you, listen, o-Khana doesn't want red berries anymore, she wants blue ones. Go quickly to the mountains, collect blue strawberries.

But, mother, it's already evening in the yard, and, gosh, there are no blue strawberries in the world. Don't drive me to the mountains, mother.

Aren `t you ashamed! You are the eldest, you should take care of your little sister. You found red berries, you will find blue ones too!

She pushed her stepdaughter out into the cold without any pity, and the door slammed shut behind her.

It became quite dark in the forest. Somewhere, wolves howled. She hugged the tree with her hands, pressed herself against it.

O-Chiyo! - suddenly a quiet call was heard, and, out of nowhere, a familiar grandfather with a white beard appeared in front of her. As if a dark tree suddenly came to life.

Well, O-Chiyo, did your mother like red strawberries? the old man asked her kindly.

O-Chiyo's tears flowed like a stream.

Mother sent me to the mountains again. He orders to bring blue strawberries, otherwise he won’t let me go home.

Here the old man's eyes flashed with an unkind gleam.

I took pity on you, that's why I sent red berries to your stepmother, and what did this villain come up with! Okay, I'll teach her! Follow me!

The old man took long strides forward. It goes - as if it flies through the air. The girl can hardly keep up with him.

Look, O-Chiyo, here is a blue strawberry.

Indeed, all the snow around glows with blue lights. Large, beautiful blue strawberries are scattered everywhere.

She timidly plucked the first berry from O-Chiyo. Even at the bottom of the basket, it shone with a blue sheen.

Knocked on the door o-Chiyo:

Open, mother, I found a blue strawberry.

How? Blue strawberry?! gasped the stepmother. - It can't be!

Blue strawberries!

O-Khana snatched the basket from her sister's hands and let's eat the berries as soon as possible.

Ah, delicious! You can swallow your tongue! Blue strawberries are even sweeter than red ones. Try it too, Mom.

O-Chiyo began to dissuade her sister and stepmother:

Mother, sister, these berries are too beautiful. So they sparkle like lights. Don't eat them...

But o-Khana shouted angrily:

I ate, it’s true, in the forest to satiety, but it’s not enough for you, you want everything to go to you alone. Found the fool!

And suddenly, how it barks, barks. He sees o-Chiyo: his stepmother and o-Hana have grown sharp ears and long tails. They turned into red foxes, and so with barking, they fled to the mountains.

It happened a long time ago.

A widow lived in a village. And she had two daughters: the eldest, o-Chiyo, was a step-daughter, and the youngest, o-Khana, was her own.

And my own daughter was lazy. She did not like to weave and spin, but she loved to feast on her heart's content.

Once a stepmother had a fight with a neighbor.

The neighbor began to shout:

The stepmother never loved her stepdaughter, and after these words she hated her so much that she decided to get out of the world.

Here comes the cold winter. The stepdaughter works in the yard, and the stepmother and o-Khana warm themselves by the hearth.

Once o-Khana got tired from the heat and said:

- Oh, how hot I got. I would like to eat something cold now.

- Would you like some snow?

- Snow is not tasty, but I want something cold and tasty.

O-Khana thought, and suddenly she clapped her hands:

- Strawberries, I want strawberries! I want red, ripe berries!

O-Hana was stubborn. If she wants anything, give it to her. She raised a loud cry:

- Mom, give me strawberries! Mom, give me strawberries!

“O-Chiyo, o-Chiyo, come here!” the stepmother called her stepdaughter.

And she was just washing clothes in the yard. He runs to the call of his stepmother, on the go he wipes his wet hands with an apron.

Her stepmother told her:

- Hey you, lazybones, quickly go into the forest and collect ripe strawberries in this basket. And if you don’t pick up a full basket, don’t come back home. Understood?

- But, mother, do strawberries grow in the middle of winter?

- It doesn’t grow, but you remember one thing: if you come empty-handed, I won’t let you into the house.

It's quiet in the mountains. Snow falls in flakes. Around the pines, like white giants, stand.

O-Chiyo is looking for strawberries in deep snow, and she herself thinks: “It’s true, my stepmother sent me here to perish. I will never find strawberries in the snow. I'll freeze here." The girl began to cry, wandering, not understanding the road. Either he will climb, stumbling and falling, up a mountain, then he will slide into a hollow. Finally, from fatigue and cold, she fell into a snowdrift. And the snow fell thicker and thicker and soon covered her with a white mound.

Suddenly, someone called o-Chiyo by name. She raised her head. She opened her eyes. He sees: an old grandfather with a white beard is leaning over her.

“Tell me, O-Chiyo, why did you come here in such a cold weather?”

“Mother sent me, told me to pick up ripe strawberries,” the girl answered, barely moving her lips.

“But doesn’t she know that strawberries don’t grow in winter?” But don't worry, I'll help you. Come with me.

O-Chiyo got up from the ground. She suddenly felt warm and happy.

The old man walks on the snow easily, easily. O-Chiyo runs after him. And what a marvel: just before she fell into a loose snowdrift up to her waist, and now a strong, good road is spreading before her.

“There are ripe strawberries in the clearing,” says the old man. “Get what you need and go home.”

She looked at O-Chiyo and couldn't believe her eyes. Large red strawberries grow in the snow. The whole glade is strewn with berries.

- Oh, strawberries! O-Chiyo screamed.

Suddenly he looks: the old man has disappeared somewhere, only pines are standing around.

“It can be seen that it was not a person, but a spirit - the guardian of our mountains,” thought O-Chiyo. “That’s who saved me!”

- Thank you, grandfather! she shouted and bowed low, low.

O-Chiyo picked up a full basket of strawberries and ran home.

How did you find strawberries? - the stepmother was amazed.

She thought that the hated stepdaughter was no longer alive. The stepmother grimaced and squinted in annoyance and gave her own daughter a basket of berries.

O-Khana was delighted, sat down at the very hearth and let's put handfuls of strawberries in her mouth:

- Nice berries! Sweeter than honey!

- Come on, come on, give it to me! - the stepmother demanded, but the stepdaughter was not given a single berry.

Tired o-Chiyo crouched by the hearth and dozed off. She didn't have long to rest.

He hears someone shaking his shoulder.

– Oh-Chiyo, oh-Chiyo! her stepmother screams in her ear. - Hey you, listen, o-Khana doesn't want red berries anymore, she wants blue ones. Go quickly to the mountains, collect blue strawberries.

“But, mother, it’s already evening in the yard, and there are no blue strawberries in the world.” Don't drive me to the mountains, mother.

- Aren `t you ashamed! You're the eldest, you have to take care of your little sister. You found red berries, you will find blue ones too!

She pushed her stepdaughter out into the cold without any pity, and the door behind her slammed shut.

O-Chiyo wandered into the mountains. And there was more snow in the mountains. O-Chiyo takes one step and falls to the knee, takes another step and falls to the waist and cries, cries. Yes, that's enough, was it in a dream that she was picking fresh strawberries here?

It became quite dark in the forest. Somewhere, wolves howled. She hugged the tree with her hands, pressed herself against it.

– O-Chiyo! - suddenly a quiet call was heard, and, out of nowhere, a familiar grandfather with a white beard appeared in front of her. As if a dark tree suddenly came to life.

“Well, O-Chiyo, did your mother like red strawberries?” the old man asked her kindly.

O-Chiyo's tears flowed like a stream.

“Mother sent me to the mountains again. He orders to bring blue strawberries, otherwise he won’t let me go home.

Here the old man's eyes flashed with an unkind gleam.

- I took pity on you, that's why I sent red berries to your stepmother, and this villain came up with something! Well, well, I'll teach her a lesson! Follow me!

The old man took long strides forward. It goes - as if it flies through the air. The girl can hardly keep up with him.

“Look, O-Chiyo, here is a blue strawberry.

Indeed, all the snow around glows with blue lights. Large, beautiful blue strawberries are scattered everywhere.

She timidly plucked the first berry from O-Chiyo. Even at the bottom of the basket, it shone with a blue sheen.

Knocked on the door o-Chiyo:

- Open, mother, I found a blue strawberry.

- How? Blue strawberry?! gasped the stepmother. - It can't be!

- Blue strawberries!

O-Khana snatched the basket from her sister's hands and let's eat the berries as soon as possible.

- Oh, delicious! You can swallow your tongue! Blue strawberries are even sweeter than red ones. Try it too, Mom.

O-Chiyo began to dissuade her sister and stepmother:

- Mother, sister, these berries are too beautiful. So they sparkle like lights. Don't eat them...

But o-Khana shouted angrily:

- I ate, it’s true, in the forest to satiety, but it’s not enough for you, you want everything to go to you alone! Found the fool!

And suddenly, how it barks, barks. He sees o-Chiyo: his stepmother and o-Hana have grown sharp ears and long tails. They turned into red foxes, and so with barking, they fled to the mountains.

Retelling by V. Markova.