Let’s face it, you can’t have Дед Мороз without his шуба. How have I even come this whole week talking about Дед Мороз without mentioning his splendid шуба.  Even before the посох (staff) you absolutely must have a long (as opposed to Santa Claus’ short coat) шуба. Oh and a бородa (beard).

In Russia, Grandfather Frost’s coat will either be:

шуба красного цвета

или (or)

шуба синего цвета

Some other types of шуба might find around, but not necessarily on Дед Мороз are:

I was in Greece last summer and they were selling шубы everywhere, the signs advertising them were even in Russian.  You don’t even need a fur coat in Greece.  But then again, Russians love their fur coats, I’m sure they’d wear them in Greece too, maybe as a swimsuit cover.

But I’m not much into animal fur.  This is my favorite kind of шуба:

Селедка под шубой

And now you’re thinking, “Hey! That’s not a fur coat!!!!” Yeah, I’m sorry to confuse you.  Шуба can also just mean a thick coating of something. This actually a delicious Russian dish translated as “Herring under a coat”  The ‘coat’ is made of beets and mayonnaise and underneath is a mix of potato, pickles, herring and it is очень вкусно! So if you just adore me and your were wanting to get me a шуба for Christmas, luckily for your pocketbook, this is really the only kind of шуба that I like.