The night before Christmas is very short. Brief retelling of the Night before Christmas (Gogol N.V.). General description of the story, main idea

18.07.2020

The last day before Christmas has passed. The night has come. The moon has gone to heaven. All residents of Sorochin are in anticipation of caroling. The streets are so quiet that you can hear any rustle. And then suddenly a large tuber of smoke poured out of the chimney of one house, and from it appeared a witch riding a broomstick. Nobody saw her. However, if the Sorochinsky assessor were passing by, he would immediately notice her. Since not one witch could hide from him. And in general, he knew everything, even how many pigs each had. The witch rose high into the sky, and the stars gradually began to disappear from the sky. She was the one who stole them. Gathered a large pile in my hands and finished with this case. However, suddenly something else appeared in the sky that looked like a man. From a distance, he looked exactly like a German, but up close you could see that he was completely black, thin, with a tail and a heel on his face. And only by the horns it was possible to understand that it was hell. He had the last day to walk free, because the next day, after the bells, he would run, tail between his legs, to his lair. The devil began to sneak by the month. He took it, but immediately let go, as he burned himself. Then he cooled down and grabbed the heavenly body and put it in his pocket. And then the whole world became dark. On Dikanka, no one saw how the villain stole the moon. Only the clerk noticed how the moon suddenly seemed to dance in the sky.

The devil stole a month in order to take revenge on the blacksmith, who loved to draw and painted a wall in the church, which depicted a terrible judgment, and the devil, who was put to shame. There were such thoughts in the strategy of the villain: The fact is that the rich Cossack Chub was going to the clerk at Kutya, and the blacksmith Vakula wanted to come to his daughter Oksana. The road to the clerk led through the cemetery, ravines and, in general, outside the village. And if it is so dark on the street, then it is not a fact that something will force the Cossack to leave his house. And since the blacksmith and Chub did not get along well, Vakula would not dare to go to Oksana.

The witch, seeing herself in the darkness, screamed. And the Devil quickly ran up to her and began to whisper something in her ear, thereby seducing her like a real man.

Cossack Chub went out into the street with his godfather, they talked about their own. And then they notice that there is no moon in the sky. They don't understand what's the matter, and you have to go to the deacon. They think to stay or not, but Chub says that if they don’t go, then it will not be convenient in front of the other guests of the clerk, as they may think that these two are lazy and cowards. In the end, they hit the road. At this time, Oksana, the daughter of the Cossack Chuba, was preening herself in her room. She was the most beautiful girl, according to all the lads in the whole district. Crowds ran after her, but she was adamant. And those guys slowly chose others, those who were much less spoiled than the beauty. Only the blacksmith Vakula was stubborn and, in spite of everything, continued to seek the girl. She stood and admired herself in the mirror. She spoke to herself. She told me that she was not good and did not understand what she could like about her. But then she jumped up and began to praise herself. To say that everything in her is beautiful, both herself and the clothes that her dad bought her so that the most enviable groom would marry her. Vakula watched all this through the window. And suddenly the girl saw him and screamed. She asked him what he was doing here. She began to say that all the guys are much, go to her when her father is gone, they are so bold right away. Then she asked how things were going with her chest, which Vakula forged especially for her. He replied that he took the best iron, no one has it. And when he paints it, it will generally be better than any other girl. Oksana was preening herself and spinning near the mirror. With her permission, Vakula sat down next to her and wanted to kiss her. He said that he would give everything for this girl to be his. But she behaved so impolitely that Vakula was deeply broken in his soul, because he understood that she did not feel anything for him at all. Someone knocked on the door.

Meanwhile, Chert, suffering from frost with a witch, who is also Vakula's mother, climbed through the chimney to her house. Vakula's mother, the witch Solokha, was already adult woman. She was about forty. She was not beautiful, but at the same time good-looking. And, despite her wisdom, she attracted all the most sedate Cossacks. They visited her, and the head of the village, and the clerk, and the Cossack Chub, and the Cossack Kasyan Sverbyguz. She accepted these men in such a way that not one of them knew about the existence of competitors. But most of all she liked the father of the beautiful Oksana, the Cossack Chub. He was a widower, and he had a lot of things in the household. Solokha dreamed of taking it all for herself. However, she was afraid that her son Vakula would marry Oksana, and this household would belong to him. Therefore, she did everything to scold Chub and the blacksmith as much as possible. And because of this, all the old women around said that Solokha was a witch. And came up with different stories, then they saw her tail, then something else. However, only the Sorochinsky assessor could see the witch, and he was silent, and therefore all these stories were not taken seriously. Having flown through the pipe, Solokha began to clean everything up. And the devil, while flying to the pipe, he saw Chub with a godfather, who were going to the deacon, and began to row snow in their direction, this started a snowstorm. The devil wanted Chub to go back home and scold the blacksmith. And his plan came true. As soon as the blizzard started, Chub and his godfather immediately got ready to go back home. But there was nothing to be seen around. And then the godfather went a little to the side to look for the road, and if he finds it, he must shout. And Chub, in turn, remained in the same place and was also looking for a way. But the godfather immediately saw the tavern, and, forgetting about his friend, went in there. And Chub at that time saw his house. He began to shout to his daughter to open it, but the blacksmith Vakula came out and, not realizing that it was Chub, with the question “what do you want?” threw him out the door. Chub thought that he did not come to his home. Since the blacksmith had nothing to do with him, and he would not have found his way back so soon. He knew that only the lame Levchenko, who had recently married a young wife, had a similar house. But the lame man himself is now definitely visiting the deacon. And Chub then thought that Vakula came to his young wife. The Cossack received several blows on the back and shoulder from the blacksmith and, with offended cries and threats, went to Solokha. However, the blizzard bothered him greatly.

While the devil was flying from the created snowstorm into the Solokhin pipe, a month got out of his pocket, and, taking advantage of the opportunity, returned to his place. It became light outside and the blizzard seemed to have never happened. All the youth ran out into the street with bags and began to carol. Then they went into the house of the Cossack Chub and surrounded Oksana, they showed carols, and the girl had a lot of fun. Although Vakula, despite the fact that he loved caroling, at that moment hated him. Oksana saw her friend's slippers and began to admire them. And Vakula told her that she should not be upset, he would buy her such slippers that no one else had. And then the spoiled beauty declared in front of everyone that if Vakula gets her the little laces that the queen herself wears, then she will immediately marry him.

Vakula was in despair, he understood that the girl did not love him. And he wanted to give himself a word to forget about her, but still love won, and he began to think how he should continue to seek the girl.

Meanwhile, in Solokha's house, the devil wanted to set a condition for the witch to please him. And that if she does not agree to satisfy his passions and, as usual, reward him, then he is ready for anything, throws himself into the water, and sends his soul straight into hell.

Solokha wanted to spend this evening alone, but a sudden knock on the door aroused both her and the devil with his plans. The head knocked, shouted, open. Solokha hid the devil in a bag, and she opened it to the man, gave him a glass of vodka to drink. He said that because of the snowstorm he did not go to the deacon. And seeing her light in the window, he decided to spend the evening with Solokha. But, before he had time to finish this, they began to knock on the door again, this time it was the clerk himself, who, due to a snowstorm, lost all the guests, but he was glad, because he wanted to spend the evening with her. The head, meanwhile, also hid in a bag of coal. He began to touch the hand, then the neck of the witch, and it is not known what he would touch next time, as they knocked again. It was the Cossack Chub. The deacon was also in the bag. Chub came in, also drank a glass of vodka, and began to joke about whether Solokha had any men. Thus, she consoles her pride, because she thinks that he is her only one. And then they knock again, this time it was the son of a witch - the blacksmith Vakula. Solokha hastily put Chub into the same sack where the deacon was already sitting. But he didn’t even utter a peep when Chub put his boots, cold from the frost, right at his temples. Vakula went into the house and sat down on a bench. There was a knock on the door again, this time it was the Cossack Sverbyguz. But the bag was no longer there, and therefore Solokha took him out into the garden to ask what he wanted.

Vakula sits and thinks why he needs Oksana. He sees the bags and decides that he needs to bring himself to his senses, since he completely launched everything with his love. He decides to take these bags outside. He threw them over his shoulder, although it was hard, he endured. There was noise outside. There was a lot of caroling. All around fun. Suddenly, Vakula hears Oksana's voice and, throwing bags, all but one, the one in which the devil was, he goes to her voice. She is talking to some guy and laughing. When Vakula approached her, she began to say that he had a very small bag and began to laugh about the little boots and the wedding. The guy lost his patience, he decided to drown himself. And then, he approached the girl and said goodbye to her, she did not have time to answer, as he left. The lads shouted after him, but he said that they might see each other in the next world, but there was nothing for him to do in this. And the grandmas immediately began to mutter that the blacksmith hanged himself.

Vakula walked without realizing it. Then, having recovered a little, he decided to seek help from a healer - pot-bellied Patsyuk. When he went to his house, he saw that he was eating dumplings without the help of his hands, he simply took them out of the plate with his mouth. Vakula began to ask what to do and how to find the devil. He replied that everyone knows who the hell is behind them. After that, this Patsyuk continued to eat dumplings, which flew off the plate on their own, dipped in sour cream, and also flew into his mouth on their own. Vakula came out, and the devil came out of the bag. He thought Vakula was now in his hands. He began to say that he would do everything that the guy needed, but he needed to conclude a contract. However, the blacksmith was not stupid. He grabbed the devil by the tail, threatened him with a cross, and after that the devil became very obedient. Then the blacksmith climbed on his back and told him to fly to St. Petersburg to the queen, and felt how he was taking off. Meanwhile, Oksana was walking with her friends and thought that she was too strict with Vakula. The girl is sure that he will not exchange such a beauty for anyone. She decides that the next time he comes, she will let herself be kissed, no matter how.

They go and see the bags left by Vakula. They think that they contain a lot of sausage and meat, although they contain a head, a clerk and Chub. They decide to go for the sled and drag the bags to Oksana's home. However, while they were going after the sled, the godfather Chub came out of the tavern. I saw the sacks and wanted to pick up one, in which there was a clerk and a forelock. But the bag was heavy, so when the godfather met the Weaver, he asked him to help drag the bags to the house, in return dividing them in half. He agreed. When they went to their godfather's house, they were afraid to find his wife. Since she constantly took away everything that was acquired by her and her husband. And yet she was at home. These three people got into a fight over the bag. And the godfather's wife won by using a poker. And when the godfather and the Weaver wanted to try again to take away the booty, a forelock crawled out of the bag, followed by a clerk. Chub realized that the rest of the bags also contained men who came to Solokha. And from this he was upset, because he thought that he was the only one.

In the meantime, the girls ran up with the sled to the bags, but there was only one. They took him, the head that sat in him decided to endure everything, so long as he was not left on the street. The bag was dragged into the house, but the man began to hiccup and coughed. The girls were frightened, and Chub just arrived, took his head out of the bag, and realized that Solokha had also had him.

While Vakula was riding on the line, he was both scared and surprised at the same time. He periodically frightened him with a cross. When they arrived in Petersburg, the devil turned into a horse. There he met familiar Cossacks who were just on their way to the queen, and Vakula then asked them to take him with them. They agreed. They got into the carriage and took off.

Everything in the royal palace was very beautiful. Vakula walked and at the same time looked at everything he saw. Finally, having passed through numerous halls, they found themselves at the hall of the princess. Potemkin came out and told the Cossacks to speak as he had taught them. All of a sudden they all fell to the floor. A female voice ordered them to get up several times, but they continued to lie on the floor, saying that they would not get up and turning to her “mother”. It was Empress Catherine. She began to ask the Cossacks about life and soon asked what they wanted. And then Vakula plucked up courage and asked where he could find such slippers for his woman. The queen ordered her servants to bring the most beautiful slips of gold. They wanted to reason with her, but she did not change her mind. When they were brought, Vakula made a very beautiful compliment to the queen. Calling her feet "made of real sugar". And then he whispered the devil into his pocket to take it away and then ended up behind the barrier.

On Dikanka, meanwhile, they were arguing whether Vakula hanged himself or drowned himself. All these pandemoniums, quarrels, therefore, about the reason, and indeed the rumors about the death of the blacksmith, greatly upset Oksana. She can't sleep and realizes that she has fallen in love with a guy. And when she does not see him at the service in the church, she completely loses heart.

Vakula raced astride the line very quickly. He ended up near his house. The devil wanted to leave, but Vakula took the whip and hit the villain a couple of times, who himself wanted to teach the blacksmith a lesson, and in the end he himself was fooled. The guy went into the house, Solokha was not there. He went to bed and slept until noon. He was upset because he was not present at the service. He thought that the Almighty punished him in this way, for the fact that Vakula contacted the devil. The guy promised that he would whole year atone for this sin. Then he dressed in his best. I took a belt and a hat, and, of course, little boots, and went to the forelock. Chub did not expect to see him. Vakula fell in front of his feet and began to ask for forgiveness for everything, said that let him hit him, that the forelock did not do much and three times. Vakula gave him a belt and a hat as a gift. The blacksmith then asked for his daughter's hand in marriage. He, remembering the unfaithful Solokha, agreed and said that he called the matchmakers.

Oksana left. She was glad that the blacksmith was alive. Vakula gave her little slippers, but she did not accept them, because she said that she loved him even without the slippers. She hesitated. And the boy and girl kissed.

They got married, they had children. Vakula painted the whole house with colorful paints. And in the church he drew a devil burning in hell, and insanely nasty that everyone spat when they passed.

The story "The Night Before Christmas" was written by N.V. Gogol in 1830 - 1832. The first edition of the work was published in 1832 in the printing house of A. Plushard. The story is included in the famous cycle of the writer "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka". In The Night Before Christmas, Gogol humorously portrayed the poeticized rural life on a holiday, revolving the plot around the love story of the blacksmith Vakula and the daughter of a wealthy Cossack Oksana.

main characters

Vakula- a blacksmith, "a strong man and a kid anywhere", in his spare time he was engaged in "painting", was in love with Oksana and flew to St. Petersburg on the line to get the tsarina's slippers for her.

Oksana- the daughter of the Cossack Chub, beloved of Vakula, she "was not yet seventeen years old", "she was capricious, like a beauty."

Heck- Disliked Vakula because he painted him in a bad light, took the blacksmith to St. Petersburg.

Other characters

Forelock- a rich Cossack, widower, Oksana's father.

Solokha- the witch, the mother of Vakula, "had no more than forty years of age."

Pot-bellied Patsyuk- a healer, a former Cossack who has been living in Dikanka for many years.

Head, clerk, godmother Panas, Empress Catherine.

In Dikanka, a clear winter night came before Christmas. Suddenly, a witch on a broom flew out of the chimney of one of the huts and, rising to the sky, began to collect stars in her sleeve.

On the other hand, a devil appeared in the sky. He hid the moon in his pocket, and the surroundings immediately became dark. The devil did this so that the Cossack Chub would be too lazy to walk in the dark and stay at home, and therefore the blacksmith Vakula could not come to his daughter Oksana. So the devil wanted to take revenge on the blacksmith, who painted him ashamed in the picture with the Last Judgment.

Chub, together with Panas, waiting for a "good drink" at the deacon's, leave the Cossack's hut and see that the moon has disappeared from the sky, and it has become completely dark on the street. After hesitating, they still decide to continue on their way.

While Chub left, Oksana, who was left alone at home, admired herself in front of the mirror. Behind this case, Vakula, who came to her, finds the girl. The blacksmith turns to Oksana with gentle speeches, but she only laughs and mocks him. Annoyed, Vakula decides that the girl does not love him.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and the blacksmith went to open it.

The frost increased, so the devil and the witch went down through the chimney to her hut. The witch was none other than Vakula's mother, Solokha. She knew how to charm men in such a way that many Cossacks of the village went to her, while not one of them knew about her rivals. Among all the admirers, Solokha singled out the rich Cossack Chub.

Meanwhile, when the devil was descending into the chimney, he noticed Chub and made a strong snowstorm, thus trying to bring him home.

And indeed - not seeing anything because of the snowstorm, Chub decided to go back and he and his godfather went in different directions. Having reached his hut, the Cossack knocked, but, hearing Vakula's indignant cry, he decided that this was not his house, and changed his voice. Not recognizing Chub in the newcomer, the blacksmith beat the Cossack. Then Chub, reasoning that if Vakula was here, then he was not at home, he went to Solokha.

While the devil was flying out of the chimney and back, the moon flew out of the "ladunka" hanging on its side and rose into the sky. “Everything lit up. Blizzards like never before." Crowds of caroling lads and girls with sacks appeared in the street.

The girls hurried to Chub's house. Oksana noticed new slippers on one of the girls and felt sad that she had no one to get a beautiful new thing. Then Vakula himself volunteered to get "such little laces as a rare lady wears." Jokingly, Oksana said that only those worn by the queen herself would suit her, and if the blacksmith got them, she would marry him.

A hefty head suddenly comes to Solokha, who was sitting with the devil. While the woman was opening the doors, the unclean man hid in a sack. The head had only time to drink a glass of vodka and say that because of the snowstorm he did not get to the deacon, when there was another knock on the door - it was the deacon himself. Solokha hid her head in the second bag. However, the conversation between the woman and the deacon was soon interrupted - the Cossack Chub came to Solokha. The hostess hid the clerk in the third sack, and soon Chub, who did not want to see Vakula, who came to his mother, turned out to be in the same sack.

While Solokha went to the next visitor, the blacksmith takes away all three bags and, saddened by Oksana's bullying, does not even notice their weight.

On the street, Vakula meets carolers. Oksana, laughing, again repeats her condition in front of everyone. Frustrated, Vakula threw the bags on the ground and, taking the smallest one with him, said goodbye to everyone and ran away.

Vakula decides to go to the local healer - Pot-bellied Patsyuk - "he, they say, knows all the devils and will do whatever he wants." Having caught Patsyuk eating first dumplings, and after dumplings, which themselves flew into the owner's mouth, Vakula asks him how to find the devil in order to ask him for help. To this the sorcerer replied to him: "He does not need to go far, who has the devil behind him." Frightened by a quick dumpling flying into his mouth, Vakula runs away from Patsyuk.

Hearing the words of the blacksmith, the devil immediately jumped out of the bag and offered to conclude a contract, signing it with blood. However, Vakula grabbed the devil by the tail. Baptizing the unclean, the blacksmith saddled him and forced him to take him to St. Petersburg to the queen.

Oksana notices the bags left by Vakula and offers to pick them up. While the girls were fetching the sled, the sack with Chub and the clerk was carried away by the godfather who had left the tavern. During a quarrel between Panas and his wife over the contents of the bag, Chub and the clerk crawled out of it, explaining that they decided to joke like that.

The girls took the remaining bag to Oksana. At this time, Chub returned home and, finding an embarrassed head in a bag, was outraged by Solokha's cunning.

Having flown to Petersburg, the devil turned into a horse, and then, at the behest of Vakula, decreased and hid in his pocket. The blacksmith finds familiar Cossacks, and with the help of the unclean gets the consent to go with them to the queen.

In the palace of the Cossacks, Potemkin met Vakula, and then the queen herself. When Catherine asked the Cossacks with what request they came to her, the blacksmith immediately fell at the feet of the queen, asking for his wife the same beautiful little laces as hers. Catherine was amused by his innocence, and she ordered to bring the most expensive shoes with gold. Praising the legs of the queen, the blacksmith, pushed by the Cossacks, stepped back and the devil instantly transferred him already “behind the barrier”.

At that time, rumors were already circulating in Dikanka that Vakula had either drowned or hanged himself. Hearing about this, Oksana was very upset - after all, he loved her, and now, perhaps, he left the village forever or disappeared altogether. Vakula did not appear even after mass.

The blacksmith got back even faster, and, after weighing the devil three blows with a twig, let him go. Entering the house, Vakula immediately fell asleep and slept until mass. Waking up, the blacksmith took with him the queen's shoes for Oksana and a hat and belt for Chub, and went to the Cossack. After her father agreed to the matchmaking, the embarrassed girl said that she was ready to marry Vakula "and without little laces."

Having married, the blacksmith painted over his entire hut, and in the church he depicted the devil in hell - "so nasty that everyone spat when they passed by."

Conclusion

In the story "The Night Before Christmas" Gogol reveals the theme of folk life, depicting a number of typical rural characters - the dexterous and strong blacksmith Vakula, the beautiful and narcissistic Oksana, the stupid and rich Chuba, the cunning Solokha and others. Introducing mythical characters (witch, devil, healer) into the narrative, the author brings the plot of the work closer to the fairy tale, thus intertwining the techniques of realism and romanticism in the story.

Brief retelling"Nights before Christmas" describes the main plot of the work, but for a better understanding of the story, we advise you to familiarize yourself with its full version.

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This story is included in the cycle "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka", which became the first book published under his own name by the great writer. Of all that he created, "The Night Before Christmas", a summary, or annotation, which is given below, according to Pushkin, is the most striking example of real gaiety without affectation and stiffness.

Despite its comparatively small length, The Night Before Christmas is extremely dense with characters, although not all of them are of equal importance to the development of the plot.

The heroes of the story can be divided into main and secondary.

Some go through the story from beginning to end, others appear only once, but they add a touch of good humor to this Christmas tale filled with the scent of Little Russia.

The list of main characters includes:

Vakula - a strong man and a kid anywhere, a poor young blacksmith and an amateur artist who earns money by painting huts, fences, chests, dishes, and also decorating the Dikanka temple with icons and wall paintings for free.
Oksana - the first beauty of Dikanka, confident in her own irresistibility, a proud and capricious girl, with whom Vakula is unrequitedly and hopelessly in love.
The rich Cossack Chub, the father of Oksana, a widower who does not like the poor, but proud and rebellious blacksmith, who dared to lay eyes on his only daughter.
Solohu is the mother of Vakula, a woman of forty in the prime of her life, a witch who is very popular with local respectable men. Solokha has views of Chuba and, wanting to prevent her son from marrying Oksana, deliberately quarrels Vakula with her father.
The devil, who has “love chickens” with a witch and who fiercely hates her son Vakula for the icons and paintings he painted that shame evil spirits.
Pot-bellied Patsyuk, a retired Zaporizhzhya Cossack, who has been living in Dikanka for many years and is known as an experienced healer, as well as a person who knows the dark forces.

The rest of the characters: the clerk, the godfather Panas, the godfather's wife, the head (in modern terms, the head of the village administration) of Dikanka, as well as the Cossacks, Queen Catherine II and others, serve as an addition to the group of main characters.

Together they create an exciting storyline story, which the young Gogol wrote almost 200 years ago.

Note! The book was published in 1832 and has been a hit with readers ever since. Russians of all ages read and re-read it with pleasure, from middle school to retirement.

annotation

The book tells about what happened once in the Poltava village of Dikanka. This semi-fairytale story, which gives a vivid and lively description of the life and customs of the Ukrainian peasantry in the last third of the 18th century, opens the second book of Evenings .... It is more convenient to retell the story in chapters, briefly outlining their content.

Dark night

On a cold and clear night before Christmas, a witch on a broom flew up into the sky through the chimney of her hut. At the same time, there was also a devil who was supposed to return to hell with the dawn, since on this holiday it is forbidden for evil spirits to walk around the wide world.

The devil planned to steal the moon in order to prevent Chub from going with his godfather to the deacon's for a housewarming party and a festive evening meal. The devil knew that in this case the girl would be at home alone, and Vakula would come to her to declare her love.

But if her father does not go to the clerk, the blacksmith will not succeed. The idea was a success and, putting the month into a bag hanging over his shoulder, the devil flew up to the witch and began to whisper pleasantries in her ear.

Chub, together with the godfather, leaves the house, and suddenly they notice that there are no stars or a moon in the sky. Kum offers to return.

Chub, who himself thought about this, out of stubbornness decides to act contrary to smart advice and at all costs get to the deacon.

Kumu does not care, he is ready to go, and he and Chub set off on their journey in complete darkness.

Left alone, Oksana dresses up and talks to herself in front of the mirror. Flirty, the girl says that she is not at all as good as they say about her, but, after thinking, she decides that it is a miracle how good.

The blacksmith watches her through the window of the hut, then enters. Vakula asks permission to sit next to her on a bench, then dares to ask for a kiss, but receives a sharp refusal.

Oksana is waiting for the girls with the guys to come to her, and they all go caroling together. The upset guy understands that Oksana does not need him at all.

Cherevichki

A blizzard breaks out outside, Chub and godfather lose their way and decide to return. Kum turns into a tavern - a tavern, and Chub knocks on the door of his hut.

Vakula opens the door for him, and Chub thinks that he made a mistake and ended up in Levchenko's house, which was similar to his hut, who was also going to the deacon and who left a young wife at home.

Chub comes to the conclusion that Vakula is visiting his wife while her husband is not at home. The Cossack changes his voice, pretending to be a caroler.

The blacksmith beats him up and pushes him out of his own hut. Chub realizes that, since Levchenko has a blacksmith, Solokha is now alone, and decides to visit her.

When the devil and the witch, frozen, return to her house through the chimney, the moon slips out of the bag and takes off into the sky. It immediately becomes light, and young people go out into the street to carol. To Oksana, as she expected, a crowd of boys and girls comes.

On one of her friends, Odarka, the girl notices new shoes and, continuing to flirt, says that Odarka is very lucky, since someone gave her such wonderful shoes, but no one gives her, Oksana, such gifts.

Vakula promises to give her beloved the best little slippers. The beauty declares that if the blacksmith brings her the queen's slippers, she will marry him. Everyone laughs at the unlucky lover.

Bags

Solokha, convinced that her cavaliers are now at the deacon's party, is amiable with the devil and suddenly hears a knock on the door and the voice of the head. She goes to open it, and meanwhile the devil hides in one of the sacks standing by the wall of the hut.

Before the head had time to take a glass of vodka from the hands of the witch, a knock was heard again - the clerk came to visit, who canceled his banquet due to darkness and a snowstorm. The head, not wanting to lose its authority by meeting with the clerk in such a piquant situation, asks his mistress to hide him and climbs into the largest bag.

The courtesy of the clerk is interrupted by the knocking and voice of Chub, and he also goes to the sack. But Chub is also unlucky - an upset Vakula returns after him. The frightened Chub hides in the bag where the clerk is already sitting. Entering the house, the guy notices the bags and decides to take them to the forge.

The sacks are heavy, but the blacksmith thinks that it only seems to him and that the heaviness in his soul is to blame for everything.

Going out into the street, the blacksmith sees a crowd of girls and lads, and among them Oksana, who, laughing, reminds him of her promise to become his wife if he gets the queen's little shoes.

Throwing big bags on the snow, Vakula puts the bag with the devil on his back and goes, not knowing where.

Realizing that he will not be able to forget the cruel Oksana, he thinks that it is better to part with his life than to suffer like this.

In response to the question of the met friends, where is he going, the lover says goodbye to them. Hearing this, the idle gossip is going to tell the whole village that the blacksmith hanged himself.

After cooling in the cold, the young man changes his mind. Vakula decides to call on evil spirits for help and goes for advice to Pot-bellied Patsyuk. Opening the door of his hut, he sees the owner, who is sitting on the floor with his legs crossed in Turkish style.

There are two bowls in front of him, one with sour cream, the other with dumplings, and Patsyuk, without touching his hands, directs the dumplings into the sour cream with his eyes, then opens his mouth, where the dumpling flies by itself. Vakula opens his mouth in surprise, and one of the dumplings falls into it.

Frightened, wiping his lips, because the Christmas fast has not yet ended, when it is forbidden to eat meat and dairy dishes, the blacksmith asks Patsyuk how he can find his way to hell.

Patsyuk replies that the one who has the devil behind his back does not need to go anywhere. The blacksmith does not understand that Patsyuk means the bag with which he came.

Understanding nothing, Vakula runs out of Patsyuk's hut and lowers the sack to the ground.

The devil jumps out of the bag, sits on the blacksmith's shoulders and begins to persuade him to sell his soul, promising in exchange to fulfill all his desires.

Self-control returns to the guy, he pretends that he wants to reach into his pocket for a nail in order to pierce his finger and sign a contract with blood. He himself, having contrived, grabs the devil by the tail, pulls him off his back and raises his hand to cross him. The frightened devil begs him not to do this, and Vakula agrees if the devil will take him to St. Petersburg and help him see the queen.

Oksana and her friends find the bags left by Vakula and think that there are various goodies he collected at carols. Realizing that they will not be able to carry such a burden, they follow the sled.

The godfather walking along the road also finds bags and wants to take them to the tavern in order to exchange them for a drink, but changes his mind, and together with the weaver, whom he met along the way, drags one of them, where Chub is sitting, to his home. There they are met by the godfather's wife and rushes at her husband and neighbor, intending to take the contents of the bag for herself.

During the fight, Chub crawls out of there and pretends that he deliberately climbed into the bag to play a trick on the neighbors.

They climb into the bag, hoping to find a piglet there, but they find a deacon. The astonished Chub understands that Solokha does not bestow her favor on him alone.

The girls who returned with the sled find only one bag on the road and take it to Chub's house to share the treat they believe is in it.

Hearing the hiccups of the head from the bag, they scream in fright and, rushing out of the door, stumble upon the incoming Chub. Having learned that the girls found a bag on the road in which someone is sitting, Chub comes up and sees a head coming out of the bag.

Confused Chub and head, not knowing what to say, exchange phrases about the weather and about the best way to clean boots. The head leaves, and Chub is finally disappointed in Solokha.

Oksana

Vakula arrives in St. Petersburg on horseback and joins the delegation of the Cossacks, who have an appointment with the queen.

During the reception, Catherine asks the Cossacks what they want.

Without hesitation, Vakula decides to take advantage of the moment and declares that he would like to receive the little laces that the queen wears on her beautiful slender legs.

Amazed and moved by the ingenuous naivety of the compliment, the empress gives him a pair of shoes, and the blacksmith flies back.

Meanwhile, the inhabitants of Dikanka, confident that the blacksmith committed suicide, are arguing about whether he hanged himself or drowned himself.

Oksana hears these conversations, she feels sorry for the guy, she repents that she was so cold with him, and understands that she loves him. On Christmas morning, a festive service is held in the church, everyone pays attention to the absence of Vakula and is finally convinced that he is not alive.

Having returned from St. Petersburg, Vakula lets go of the devil, giving him three blows with a stick, and falls asleep. Waking up, he realizes that he overslept the church service.

Next week, the blacksmith is going to confess his sins, but for now, the smart one is going to Chub with gifts to woo Oksana, taking with him little slippers.

Chub reconciles with him and agrees to accept the matchmaking, and Oksana says that she does not need little slippers - she already loves Vakula.

A few years later, a bishop passed through Dikanka, and, seeing a young woman standing with a child near a white hut painted with patterns and flowers, he asked whose house it was so elegant.

"Blacksmith Vakula!" - answered the young woman, who was Oksana. So happily ends the story "The Night Before Christmas", a summary of which was outlined above.

Variations of "The Night Before Christmas"

Such a wonderful fairy tale plot could not but serve as a source of inspiration for many authors working in various genres.

Works on the theme of "Nights ..." began to appear several years after the publication of the book, and the process continues to this day.

Here is what the list of these works looks like:

Opera "Blacksmith Vakula", composed by P.I. Tchaikovsky in 1874, in the second edition (1887) called "Cherevichki", under which it was preserved in history.
The opera The Night Before Christmas written by N. Rimsky-Korsakov in 1887.
Silent film The Night Before Christmas, staged in 1913 by director Vladislav Starevich.
1951 animated film of the same name.
Film-opera "Cherevichki" 1944.
"Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka" 1961 is the most famous feature film directed by Alexander Rou.
TV musical "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka" 2002.

Note! This proves that even a small work written by a brilliant author can become a real masterpiece.

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Summing up

"Evenings ..." deservedly entered the golden list of works of Russian literature created in the century before last.

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Retelling plan

1. The appearance of the devil.
2. The story of the blacksmith Vakula.
3. A conversation between the arrogant Oksana and the enamored Vakula.
4. Chub, Oksana's father, goes to visit Solokha.
5. Oksana promises Vakula to marry him if he brings her the little laces worn by the queen herself.
6. Solokha hides unlucky boyfriends (devil, head, clerk, Chuba) in coal sacks.
7. Vakula sits on the devil and flies on it to Petersburg.
8. The villagers will find out who was in the bags.
9. Vakula, having reached the capital, goes to the tsarina for a reception together with the Cossacks and receives the empress's slippers.
10. Oksana is sad about the absence of Vakula and feels that she is in love.
11. Vakula, returning, woo Oksana.
12. The life of Vakula and Oksana.

retelling

“The last day before Christmas has passed. Winter, clear night has come. Through the chimney of one of the huts, along with smoke, riding a broomstick, a witch rose up. From the opposite side, a speck appeared, which stretched out and turned out to be just a devil. He had the last night left when he could still "roam around the wide world and learn the sins of good people." The devil crept up to the moon to drag it away, and after several unsuccessful attempts, he nevertheless grabbed it, put it in his pocket and flew on.

The blacksmith Vakula was known as the best painter in Dikanka. “The blacksmith was a God-fearing man and often painted images of saints... But the triumph of his art was one picture painted on the church wall in the right vestibule, in which he depicted Saint Peter on the day of the Last Judgment, with the keys in his hands, expelling an evil spirit from hell ; the frightened devil rushed about in all directions, foreseeing his death, and the previously imprisoned sinners beat and chased him with whips, logs, and anything else. Since then, the devil swore revenge on the blacksmith. He decided to steal a month for this, hoping that old Chub in such darkness would not go to visit the deacon, whose acquaintances would gather at kutya. “And the blacksmith, who has long been at odds with him, will never dare to go to his daughter in his presence, despite his strength.” The devil, meanwhile, was building "love chickens" for the witch.

Chub with godfather Panas left the door of his hut. Seeing that there was no moon in the sky, he began to doubt whether it was worth going to the deacon. But, having quarreled and consulted with the godfather, he decided to go, and "two godfathers set off on the road."

Meanwhile, Oksana, Chub's daughter, who was considered the best girl both on this and that side of Dikanka and "was capricious, like a beauty", left alone, could not stop admiring herself in the mirror: "Oh, how beautiful! Miracle! What joy I will bring to the one whom I will be the wife! How my husband will admire me! He won't remember himself! He'll kiss me to death!"

While Oksana was praising her appearance, Vakula entered the hut, who was unconsciously in love with her: “If the king called me and said:“ Blacksmith Vakula, ask me for everything that is best in my kingdom, I will give everything to you. you will make a golden smithy, and you will begin to forge with silver hammers. haughty with Vakula. She is bored with the blacksmith, and she is waiting for the girls with the boys to have fun on Christmas night.

The witch, freezing, went down through the air right into the pipe. The devil followed her, and "both found themselves in a spacious stove between the pots." Then Solokha got out of the oven, dusted herself off, and no one could have thought that she had just been flying on a broomstick.

The mother of the blacksmith Vakula, who was no more than forty years old, was “neither good nor bad in herself ... However, she was so able to charm the most sedate Cossacks to herself that the head, and the clerk Osip Nikiforovich, and the Cossack Korniy went to her Chub, and the Cossack Kasyan Sverbyguz. And, to her credit, she knew how to deal with them skillfully. It never occurred to any of them that he had a rival.” But Solokha was the friendliest of all with the Cossack Chub, because he was reputed to be rich on the farm. And so that her son Vakula “didn’t drive up to his daughter and didn’t have time to clean everything up for himself,” she tried to quarrel her son with Chub as often as possible. There were various stories and tales on the farm that Solokha was a witch.

Solokha, like a good housewife, began to clean up and put everything in its place, but she did not touch the bags that stood by the stove. The devil, when he flew into the chimney, saw Chub with his godfather and decided to start a snowstorm so that Chub would come back and find the blacksmith at his house. Indeed, getting lost in a snowstorm, Chub and godfather began to look for a way back. Kum came across a tavern and forgot everything. Chub saw his hut and began to call his daughter. But, having heard the voice of Vakula, he decided that he had stumbled upon someone else's hut. Not wanting to admit that he, Chub, was lost, he said that he had come to carol. Vakula, not recognizing Chub, beat him up and kicked him out. Chub decided to go to Solokha, because he realized that she was now alone.

At that moment, the stolen month flew out of the devil. “Everything lit up. The blizzards were gone... Crowds of lads and girls showed up with sacks.” The carolers burst into Chub's hut with noise and laughter. Oksana noticed beautiful shorts on one girl and immediately wanted her to be no worse. Vakula volunteered to get "such slippers as a rare pannochka wears." To which the beauty replied: “Yes, be all of you witnesses: if the blacksmith Vakula brings the same laces that the queen wears, then here is my word that I will marry him the same hour.” The girls took away the "capricious beauty" with them, and the blacksmith "thought only of Oksana." Meanwhile, the devil grew soft at Solokha. Suddenly, a head voice was heard. Solokha ran to open the door, and the nimble devil climbed into the sack lying by the stove. Before the head had time to say a word, the voice of the deacon was heard. Solokha, at the request of the head, hid it in a coal sack. The clerk had just begun to look after Solokha, when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Fearing that he would be found at Solokha, the clerk also asked him to hide it, which the witch did, pouring coal from another bag. Chub entered the house. Not long in coming and returned Vakula. Solokha, frightened, herself gave a sign to Chub to climb into the very bag in which the deacon was already sitting.

The blacksmith was "quite out of sorts." Looking around the hut, he fixed his eyes on the sacks: “Why are these sacks lying here? It's time to get them out of here. Through this foolish love, I have gone completely silly. Tomorrow is a holiday, and there is still all sorts of rubbish in the hut. Take them to the forge!" The sacks seemed very heavy, but Vakula shouldered everything and left the hut. Hearing the voice of Oksana among the carolers, Vakula threw bags on the ground and wandered off as if spellbound, "with a small bag on his shoulders, along with a crowd of lads who followed the crowd of girls." Oksana again began to laugh at the blacksmith, so much so that out of grief he decided to drown himself. I said goodbye to everyone and ran away. And when he stopped to take a breath, he decided: “I’ll try another remedy, I’ll go to the Cossack Pot-bellied Patsyuk. He, they say, knows all the devils and will do whatever he wants. I’ll go, because the soul will still have to disappear!” Vakula asked Patsyuk to show him the way to hell. To which he replied indifferently: "He does not need to go far, who has the devil behind him." Vakula was struck by how Patsyuk ate dumplings. They themselves dipped into sour cream and went to his mouth. One even smeared the blacksmith's lips with sour cream. The pious blacksmith, in order not to accumulate sin, since it was impossible to eat meat that night, ran out of the hut.

The devil, meanwhile, jumped out of the bag and sat astride Vakula's neck, whispering in his ear: “I am your friend, I will do everything for a comrade and friend! I'll give you as much money as you want ... Oksana will be ours today. The blacksmith agreed. The devil began to "gallop on the blacksmith's neck" for joy. Then Vakula grabbed him by the tail and "created a cross." The devil is quiet as a lamb. “Here the blacksmith, not letting go of his tail, jumped on him and raised his hand for the sign of the cross.” The devil begged, asking to be released. To which Vakula said: "Take me this very hour on your own ... to Petersburg, straight to the queen."

The girls, having stumbled upon Vakula's bags, decided to take them to Oksana's house in order to see what the blacksmith had carolled. But since the bags were heavy, we decided to go for a sled. In the meantime, the godfather came across the bags, and soon the weaver Shapuvalenko came up. Rejoiced at the find, they dragged the sacks to the godfather's house in the hope that the godfather's wife would not be at home. This grumpy, greedy and pugnacious woman beat her husband, and then complained about him to her comrades, selflessly talking about "the outrageousness of her husband and the beatings she suffered from him." But the wife was inopportunely at home and noticed the bags. A quarrel ensued, turning into a fight, until Chub got out of the bag, followed by the clerk. “Here you go! oh yes Solokha! put in a sack... That's it, I see, she has a hut full of sacks... Now I know everything: she had two people in each sack... So much for Solokha! Chub exclaimed.

The girls, having returned, did not find one bag. Putting another on a sled, they rushed across the creaky snow and carried it into the hut. But suddenly they were frightened, because the bag began to hiccup and cough. At this time, Chub came, and the secret of another bag was revealed. “And the head got in there too,” Chub said to himself in bewilderment, measuring him from head to toe, “Look how! .. Eh! ..” - he could not say anything more.

Let's go back to Vakula. He had already flown on horseback to Petersburg. “The devil, flying over the barrier, turned into a horse, and the blacksmith saw himself on a dashing runner in the middle of the street.” Finding himself in Petersburg, Vakula was afraid to immediately go to the queen. He ordered the devil to lead him to the Cossacks he knew, who were passing through Dikanka in the autumn.

By the way, the Cossacks were going to the queen. At the instigation of the devil, they agreed to take Vakula with them. He was amazed by the beauty and magnificence of the palace. “What a ladder,” the blacksmith whispered to himself, “it’s a pity to trample under foot. What decorations! Here, they say, fairy tales lie! what the hell are they lying! my god, what a railing! What job! here one piece of iron costs fifty rubles! The blacksmith timidly followed the Cossacks and admired the beauty, gold and luxury that surrounded him. A few minutes later a man came in, accompanied by a whole retinue, who turned out to be "Potemkin himself." Following the ladies of the court, the empress appeared. Vakula did not see anything, only stretched out on the floor after the Cossacks.

At the end of the conversation, Catherine thoughtfully asked: “What do you want?” Here the blacksmith again fell to the ground and began to ask for his favorite little shoes: “My God, what if my wife put on such little shoes!” The empress laughed, and everyone laughed: “Really, I really like this innocence ...” Vakula’s request was fulfilled, and, stepping back, he bent down to his pocket and said quietly: “Get me out of here as soon as possible!” - and suddenly found himself behind a barrier.

A rumor went around Dikanka that Vakula had drowned. Oksana was embarrassed when she heard about this, but did not quite believe it: she knew that the blacksmith was devout enough to decide to destroy his soul. All night the maiden did not sleep, tossed about, thought everything, and by morning she fell head over heels in love with the blacksmith. Chub remained indifferent to the fate of Vakula, since he could not forget Solokha's perfidy, and kept scolding her.

Morning has come. All the people gathered in the church. “On every face, wherever you look, a holiday was visible. The head licked his lips, imagining how he would break his fast with sausage; the girls were thinking about how they would play with the lads on the ice; the old women whispered prayers more earnestly than ever... Only Oksana stood as if not herself: she prayed and did not pray... But Oksana was not alone in thinking about the blacksmith. All the laity noticed that the holiday is not a holiday: as if something is missing. The clerk was hoarse after sitting in the sack, and the visiting chorister sang differently than Vakula used to sing Our Father.

Vakula found himself near his hut at the time when the rooster crowed. He gave the devil three blows with a twig, and he "started to run." "So, instead of tricking, seducing and fooling others, the enemy of the human race was himself fooled."

Vakula slept until dinner, got up, dressed smartly, took a new belt, hat, whip and went to Chub. Vakul pulled the slippers out of the scarf, fell at the feet of the surprised Cossack Chub and asked him not to be angry with him for the past: “Have mercy, father! don't be angry! here's a whip for you: strike as much as your heart desires, I surrender myself ... ”He began to beg to give Oksana for him. And then Oksana screamed, crossing the threshold and seeing Vakula. "Not! No! I don’t need slippers,” she said, waving her hands and not taking her eyes off him, “I don’t need slippers…” Then she didn’t finish and blushed.

Time has passed. The bishop was passing through Dikanka, but he saw the most painted hut. Here Oksana lived with Vakula and the child. And in the church, on the wall, the blacksmith painted the devil in hell, so nasty that the women frightened the crying children with it.

Very short content (in a nutshell)

The devil stole the month from the sky, and it became dark. He did this so that the blacksmith Vakula could not find his way to his beloved Oksana. After that, the Devil flew into the pipe to the blacksmith's mother, the witch Solokha. When he flew through the tube, the moon jumped out and took its place in the sky. As soon as the devil began to communicate with Solokha, there was a knock, and the witch quickly hid him in a bag.The village head came, followed by the clerk, then the rich Cossack Chub, Oksana's father. She hid them all in bags. The last to come was Vakula's son, who did not like the bags in the house and decided to take them out. On the way, he met Oksana, who was walking and caroling with her friends. Before that, she jokingly told him that if he brought her royal shoes, she would marry him, and now, at a meeting, she reminded the blacksmith of them. He drops the bags, except for the one with the devil, and goes to Patsyuk, the local sorcerer. In the meantime, the sacks are taken apart by the godfather and Oksana, from where, with surprise, they get important people in the village. Vakula comes to Patsyuk and asks for help to find the devil, but then he realizes that the devil is in his bag. He forces him to go to St. Petersburg to the queen, where he begs her to give him her little boots. Oksana, realizing that she loves the blacksmith, regrets that she behaved this way. Vakula, returning, gives her the slippers, and Chuba asks Oksana's hand from her father. He agrees, the young people get married, and soon they have a child.

Summary (detailed)

The very last pre-Christmas evening was coming to an end, there was a gradually increasing frost on the street, it became cooler than in the morning. And then suddenly a witch appeared above one of the village huts, flying straight out of the chimney. She flew over the houses and at the same time collected stars in the sleeves of her clothes, which were scattered across the winter sky.No one had time to see her, because the time for carols had not yet come. The village youth was just about to leave their huts. And the devil flew towards the witch, who wanted to sneak up on the moon to steal it. The demon himself had long been angry with Vakula, the village blacksmith, who was the best painter on the Dikanka farm. This God-fearing man loved to paint pictures. One of them depicted the scene of the Last Judgment, where the devil was expelled from hell. It depicted sinners who, according to legend, beat him with everything that came to hand, chasing him with whips. From the very time this picture appeared, the devil decided to take revenge on Vakula. So he had only one night left when he could freely walk around the world. The demon planned to steal a clear month so that it would become dark on the earth, and then he could detain a Cossack named Chub. Then the blacksmith Vakula, who was very fond of his daughter, the beautiful Oksana, could not find his way to his house.

The devil's plan was a success, and as soon as he managed to hide the stolen month in his pocket, it became very dark all over the world, so it was impossible to find the way anywhere. Even the flying witch, when she saw herself in pitch darkness, screamed in fright. Right there, just in time, the thief of the month drove up to her like a small demon - the devil began to whisper pleasant words in her ear, which all women, even witches, would love to hear.

At the same time, the godfather and the Cossack Chub stood on the threshold of the clerk's house and decided whether they should go to visit the kutya in such darkness. They did not want to seem lazy in front of each other, and after some more thought, they nevertheless decided to set off.

Only one girl remained in the house - she was the daughter of the respected Cossack Chub in the village. She stood in front of the mirror and preened herself in anticipation of her girlfriends. With pleasure and great love, the girl examines her reflection, and she really likes it. Just then the blacksmith Vakula came. He long time looks and can not stop admiring this proud beauty, but the girl meets him coldly. They began to talk, but suddenly they heard a knock on the door. Vakula, very angry, is going to drive away the one who knocks, but sees at the door Oksana's father himself - Chub, who, having gone astray, decided to return to his home. When he hears Vakula's voice, he thinks that he has confused his house with the hut of the famous Cossack Levchenko. Changing his voice, he answers the blacksmith that he came to carol, to which he drove the owner of the house away. Chub decided to visit the witch Solokha, Vakula's mother, but at that time the devil was visiting her and playing with her. When the demon flew as usual through the pipe into the hut to this woman, he accidentally dropped the stolen month.

The moon, taking advantage of this, rose smoothly into the sky, and it became light around. The raging blizzard had subsided by this time, and noisy and cheerful youth poured into all the streets. Girlfriends came for Oksana. The girl noticed on one of them brand new little laces, embroidered with gold, and in front of everyone she announced very loudly that she would marry Vakula if he brought her those in which the queen herself walks. The blacksmith, very upset by these words, goes to his house.

At the same time, another guest, a village head, appears in Solokha's hut. The devil immediately hides the coal bag. The mistress of the house always willingly welcomed the very respected Cossacks in the village, but they themselves had no idea that each of them had a rival. She was the friendliest with the widower Chub. Solokha had serious plans for him - to take possession of all his wealth. She was jealous of her son for Oksana, as she was afraid that he might become the owner of Chub's property before her, so she often quarreled with Vakula's father. As soon as the head shook off the snow from his clothes, there was a knock on Solokha's door again - it was a clerk. So, one by one, all these boyfriends hid in coal bags that stood in the corner of the hut. Everyone was afraid to even move. Vakula's son came after them, and when he saw several bags, he thought that it was his mother who had collected the garbage, then he decided that he needed to throw it away.

On his way, he met girls, among whom was his Oksana. Throwing all the big bags onto the snowy road, he, with one small one over his shoulders, catches up with the proud beauty. But she laughs at him again, and the guy decides to go to the hole and drown himself, because he is not able to fulfill Oksana's request. Entering the house of a Cossack named Patsyuk, about whom there were rumors that he was connected with the devil himself, Vakula meets a devil at his house who wants to get his soul. They sign a contract, according to which the devil will take him to the queen, in which he will ask for slippers for his Oksana.

The path to the Empress was long. Having met her, the blacksmith receives the coveted slippers and brings them to Dikanka. Everyone on the farm thought that the guy still drowned himself on Christmas night, but Oksana felt sorry for him most of all, who realized that no one else could fulfill her desires and whims. She does not sleep at night and understands that she loves this blacksmith very much. When he returned to the village and came to ask the girl's hand from her father, she replied that she agreed to become his wife without these little shoes. The young people got married, and then Vakula painted his hut very beautifully with paints, everyone walked and admired.