This happened a very, very long time ago. There lived a rich man in a village. He had money and all kinds of goods, apparently and invisible. And everything would have been fine if that rich man had not been a miser the likes of which the world has never seen.
One day, on New Year’s Eve, a gray-haired wanderer knocked on his house.
“Let me warm up,” he asked. “I’m cold, and I’m hungry.” Let me spend the night.
— To spend the night? — the rich man got angry. “It’s not proper for me to let any tramps into the house, especially before the New Year.” Everyone knows: whoever enters your house first will remain so for the whole year. All I needed was a beggar! Go away, old man!
The rich man called his servants. They grabbed sticks, beat the wanderer, and then pushed him out of the gate.
The old man sighed and wandered on. He sees a house standing on the edge of the village - a shack like a shack. The wanderer knocked:
- Let me in, good people, for the night. Don't let it freeze. An old man and an old woman opened the door to the wanderer; they were decrepit, almost decrepit, they had been living in the world for almost a hundred years.
“Come in and warm yourself,” they say, “just don’t judge us: we are very poor.” There is nothing to treat you with.
The stranger entered the house and looked around. “That’s poverty,” he thinks.
And the old people are at it again:
- Forgive us, it’s very unattractive and poor here. Maybe it’s better for you to go to the rich man, they’re probably preparing a great New Year’s treat today!
“They treated me to sticks and swearing in that house,” answered the wanderer. “Let me stay with you, I see that you live together.”
“What’s true is true,” the old men smiled. “No money doesn’t matter, but we help each other in everything, it’s just a pity that we’ve become old.”
— New Year will come soon. Let’s drink tea,” the old woman began to fuss.
She brought boiling water and poured it out for everyone. The guest drank tea and said:
“Now it’s time for me to treat you too.” Bring, old man, brushwood, and you, old woman, bring a pot, and a bigger one.
The old people were surprised: what was the wanderer up to, what was he going to cook? But they didn’t argue; they did everything as he ordered.
The wanderer lit a fire, set the pot down, ran his hand over it, and lo and behold, there was rice and red beans in the pot! Yes, so much - all the way to the top!
The old people jumped up, their eyes widened, they could not utter words.
“Sit down, try my treat,” the wanderer laughed. “You will look at me later.”
The old people ate to their fill, thanked the guest and went to bed.
The next morning we got up and there was no stranger.
“Listen, old woman,” says the old man, “this was not an ordinary wanderer.” I think that the God of the New Year himself came to us.
- Well, we made it! — the old woman clasped her hands. “We ate rice with the deity himself!”
The old people marveled and went to the shrine to pray that the New Year would be no worse than the old one. As soon as they approached, the goddess sparkled and began to shine. Lo and behold, yesterday’s guest is sitting on it, smiling welcomingly.
“I congratulate you on the New Year,” he says. “You didn’t recognize me just now, but I am the God of the New Year.”
“Forgive us for greeting you with poverty,” the old men began to apologize.
“Not by poverty, but by warmth and kindness,” answered the deity. “I really liked it with you.” Know that I come to people to punish the evil and to protect the good. I decided to fulfill any of your wishes. Tell me what you want to get from me.
“What are you saying, God of the New Year,” the old men waved their hands, “we don’t need anything!”
- Nothing at all? - the deity was surprised.
“Absolutely,” nodded the old man and the old woman. “Everything is fine with us, but our health is not enough: our legs can’t walk at all.”
“I know how to thank you,” said the God of the New Year. “I will give you back your youth.” Live happily and joyfully.
He called the old woman, put his hand on her head, and at that very moment the decrepit old woman turned into a young girl, stately and with a pretty face. The deity called the old man, and lo and behold, there was a young man standing next to the beauty, his hair pitch black, his eyes shining with merriment. The guy and the girl laughed, looking at each other. And then they turned to the goddess - there was no old man. Gone as if it never happened.
The news of the miraculous transformation spread throughout the village. The rich man found out and got angry:
“Can’t you, you scoundrels, understand that it wasn’t a beggar who came to us, but the God of the New Year himself?” he began to scold the servants. “Go wherever you want, but at least get this old man out of the ground and bring him here!”
The servants ran through the surrounding forests and villages; they could not find the old man anywhere. Suddenly they see him sitting under a large tree, resting.
“Mister God of the New Year, welcome to visit us,” the servants began to invite him. “Our master will be very glad to see you.”
“Okay, so be it, I’ll go see your master,” the deity agreed. “True, my sides are still bruised.”
As soon as the God of the New Year entered the rich man’s house, the owner threw himself at his feet.
“I’m sorry,” he says, “that I didn’t let you spend the night, I didn’t know that you were a deity.” And now, since you have come, quickly rejuvenate me, and my wife too.
“Okay,” the deity grinned. “Call everyone who is in the house.”
The rich man rejoiced, gathered his household, and did not forget his servants.
The God of the New Year stroked the rich man and his wife on the head and they began to cover themselves with fur until they turned into large monkeys. The monkeys shouted: “kya, kya, kya!” - and ran away to the mountains. And the rich man’s servants were turned into mice by the deity. The mice ran into the corners.
The rich man's house was empty. The God of the New Year went to the poor and said:
- There are no more owners in that house. Go there and live. I allow you to take the cattle and fields that previously belonged to the rich man. Work hard and live in harmony.
He said and disappeared. The poor moved to the rich man's house. Only here’s the problem: monkeys began to come running from the mountains at night and scream angrily.
The deity is tired of listening to the rich man and his wife swear like monkeys. He lit a fire on the gravel path. Monkeys came running, sat down in front of the house, burned their backsides. They got scared, screamed and ran away.
The poor began to live calmly and happily. And since then, the monkeys’ butts have remained red, as if burned.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru