Celebration of Easter at the court of Russian emperors in the 18th - late 19th centuries. How Easter is celebrated in Russia: traditions and signs Memoirs of Anatoly Buslov
Easter comes from the 19th century
The oldest Easter in the world dates back to 1821. She is a contender for entry into the Guinness Book of Records.
This culinary product may not look appetizing, but it is a real record holder, as it has survived for 189 years.
Easter was baked on Good Friday 1821 by the ancestors of 91-year-old Nancy Titman from London. What is interesting and surprising: there are no traces of mold on the family heirloom.
Englishwoman Nancy Titman says that Easter is passed down in her family from generation to generation, because it was baked by her ancestors who worked in a bakery, or rather, her great-great-great-grandfather William Skinner.
Despite the fact that the Easter looks unsightly and hard as a rock, there are still traces of the cross on it, and, as the owner of the unusual Easter says, the cupcake still smells like fresh and is stored in a special box in her own home.
Multi-ton egg
The world's largest chocolate egg, according to the Guinness Book of Records, was made in 2012 in Argentina.
Last April, in the Argentine city of San Carlos de Bariloche, at the closing of the chocolate festival, the world was presented with the largest chocolate egg. The masterpiece was of incredible size - its weight reached approximately 7,500 kilograms (of which 4 tons of chocolate), its height was 8.5 meters.
27 bakeries worked on the chocolate miracle for two weeks. Thus, Argentinean chefs broke the previous world record recorded in Belgium: the height of the sweet was 8.32 meters. Because of the heat, the chocolate began to melt, so they served it to all festival guests.
Giant Easter cakeIn Greece, on the island of Lesbos, on the eve of Easter, a giant Easter cake - tsoureki - 70 meters long was baked. Tsoureki is a traditional Easter bread, an analogue of Russian Easter cake.
Previously, the longest record-breaking bun was a 50.4-meter-long specimen.
To prepare a 70-meter long tsoureki bun, it took 150 kilograms of dough (more than a hundred eggs, 75 kilograms of flour, 22 kilograms of sugar, 20 liters of milk, 10 kilograms of brewer's yeast, three kilograms of butter).
After recording the record, the authorities of Lesvos, together with local residents, distributed a piece of “Kulich” to the poor, and sold part of it to raise money for those in need. So the whole island was fed with one cake.
Non-Work Leadership
Russia ranked first in the world in terms of the number of non-working days in 2013, according to specialists from the Hotels.com portal, having compared the number of official vacation days and days off associated with public holidays in the 40 largest countries in the world.
According to researchers, in addition to weekly days off, Russians have a total annual right to 40 non-working days, which consist of 28 days of working vacation and 12 days of weekends associated with public holidays.
Second place in the ranking for this indicator is shared by Italy and Sweden (36 days). Next come Finland, France, Norway and Brazil (35 days each). In last place in the ranking is Mexico, where people, in addition to weekly weekends, rest for only 13 days.
In terms of the number of vacation days, our country is second only to Brazil, where it is customary to vacation for 30 days. In last place in this category is China, where official working leave does not exceed five days. One day more in Thailand (6), two more in Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong (7 each).
But in terms of the number of days off associated with public holidays, Russia is far from being in the vanguard. Argentina is in first place, where they celebrate 19 days a year, Colombia is in second (18), followed by Japan and Hong Kong (16 days each), Thailand (15), Malaysia (14). They are least likely to work on holidays in Canada and Brazil (only 5 days).
RP learned how Easter was celebrated in Krasnoyarsk and the Yenisei province in the 19th century, when the traditions of this holiday had not yet been destroyed by the Bolsheviks.
A sincerely joyful holiday
Easter in Siberia was considered the main holiday of the year and they prepared for it “the rich - as he wants, and the poor - as he can.”
Men who worked in the fields or in the mines always returned home to celebrate Easter with their families. Commercial hunters were leaving the taiga.
The celebrations continued all week, from Sunday to Sunday, and even the shops were closed on these days: their owners did not intend to work, since this was considered a terrible sin. And the Easter week itself in Siberia was called Bright, Holy, Joyful or Red.
In the middle of the 19th century, the Yenisei doctor and ethnographer Mikhail Krivoshapkin wrote: “The long-awaited Easter is coming. There is no holiday that a peasant would celebrate with a more solemnly clear, joyful face. We know that there is Christmas with noisy, cheerful Christmastide, but it’s not the same meeting for him, not the full, sincere, sincerely joyful greeting,” historian Ivan Savelyev quotes the RP correspondent.
The holidays began on the pre-Easter Saturday with an all-night service and continued with a solemn religious procession on Sunday, after which everyone again went to church for the morning service, which in Siberia was called “Christ’s Matins.”
During this service, it was customary to christen yourself - to congratulate each other on Easter, exchanging kisses and colored eggs, historian Irina Sirotinina tells the RP correspondent. - Eggs received as a gift from the priest were especially valued: the laity believed that they never spoiled, protected the house from misfortunes and healed from illnesses. Those who slept through Matins were punished - they were doused with water from a bucket.
Easter cakes and colored eggs
Matins turned into Liturgy, after which most parishioners left the church and waited in the courtyard while the priest blessed Easter cakes, Easter cakes and eggs. Only after this could one go home and sit down at the table.
Krasnoyarsk teacher and ethnographer Maria Krasnozhenova writes: “At Easter, even poor townsfolk always had a table, that is, wine in bottles and decanters was placed on the dining table covered with a white tablecloth; pork, lamb, veal hams; roast chicken, duck, turkey or goose; language; homemade sausages, colored eggs, cheese, rolls. And this table was not dismantled for three days.” The main dishes were, of course, Easter cakes, colored eggs and “cheese” - that’s what the Siberians called Easter. And Easter cakes were called Easter in the Yenisei province,” says Ivan Savelyev. - We started the meal, “broke our fast” with eggs, prefacing the meal with three kisses. In many Siberian families, it was customary to divide the very first egg among all family members. Even if there were 20 people in the family, they managed to cut it so that everyone got a piece.
In the poorest families, eggs were colored with onion skins or sickle grass. Those who were a little richer used sandalwood powder for this, and then decorated the eggs with colored threads and pieces of multi-colored fabrics. And wealthy townspeople entrusted this work to artists - they painted the eggs according to the customer’s taste. Vasily Surikov also had the opportunity to earn extra money: when he was orphaned, he got a job as a scribe in the provincial government, painting eggs for sale.
Easter cakes, especially in merchant families, were baked in huge sizes. Bucket shapes were in great demand. It was believed that the more magnificent and taller the Easter cake turned out, the more prosperous the year would be. The top of the Easter cake was usually brushed with beaten egg white and sprinkled with cereal colored in different colors. The largest Easter cake was considered a family one, but each family member had to bake his own, separate one. Even infants received a small Easter cake as a gift.
Skitters and giants
In Yeniseisk and Krasnoyarsk, wooden booths were tripled in size for Easter, where the common people were entertained with puppet shows. Magicians, acrobats, organ grinders, and bear trainers also performed here.
For young people, a swing was always built for the holy week. To do this, they chose the thickest logs and especially strong hemp ropes that could support the weight of several people. Next to the hanging swing, they placed a “goat” made of logs, over which they threw a long board, on which several people could sit on each side. Such swings were called skakuls.
Another popular attraction was the giant. A tall pillar was dug into the ground, and a rotating wheel was fixed on top of it. Ropes with loops at the end that did not reach the ground were tied to this wheel. The young people put one foot in this loop and pushed off the ground with the other.
When Easter was late, village boys and young men danced in circles, played burners, hide and seek, lapta, gorodki and babka. And if the snow had not yet melted, then the youth gathered in a special hut built on the outskirts of the village. There you could dance to the accordion or sing songs.
Special entertainment was provided for children on Easter,” says Irina Sirotinina. - If there was a hill nearby, then the children gathered in a group at its top and rolled colored eggs down the slope. The winner was the one whose egg rolled further than the others. If there was no slide, then a large circle was outlined on the ground, low sides were made for it, and a special wooden tray with grooves was installed on the edge. Coins and sweets were placed in this circle, and then the children rolled the eggs down the groove. It went over a coin, hit a piece of candy - take it. If you don't hit, leave the lost egg in the general circle, it will go to the one who manages to roll his egg so as to hit it.
Another entertainment for children was this simple game: you had to hit your egg against your opponent’s egg. Whose one crashed, he lost. The broken egg went to the winner.
There were definitely people who wanted to cheat,” Irina Sirotinina smiles. - The most cunning ones soaked the eggs in a lime solution in advance. This made the shell stronger, but it was impossible to tell by its appearance. Those less savvy would carve the eggs out of wood in advance and then paint them to hide the trick. If such a swindler was exposed, he could be severely beaten. But with a successful combination of circumstances, he brought home whole buckets of loot. This simple fun was not neglected at the family table, but in this case the egg was usually hit not on another egg, but on the forehead: if the egg broke, it was given to the one who offered the forehead.
Visit along the Silk Road
The ringing of bells also created a festive atmosphere. Throughout Easter week, anyone could climb the bell tower. Family people went to visit on Easter.
Many Yenisei merchants who got rich from the “gold rush” used this tradition as an opportunity to once again demonstrate their wealth, says Ivan Savelyev. - For example, one of the local nouveau riche once hired all the city cabs wholesale, and went on a visit in the first of them, ordering the others to follow. The line of carriages stretched along the entire street. And the other merchant, to spite him, went to visit easily, on foot. And in order not to get his feet dirty in the street mud, he ordered pieces of expensive silk fabric to be spread along his entire route.
The prisoners of the Krasnoyarsk prison also eagerly awaited the Holy Week. In honor of Easter, it was customary to collect donations for prisoners in order to arrange a rich festive table. Many prisoners who were supposed to be sent further along the stage paid bribes to the guards so that this would happen several days later. The same tables were set with money from philanthropists in almshouses.
The last day of Easter week, Sunday, was called Red Hill. It was believed that this was the best time to celebrate a wedding. And unmarried girls on this day had to go on a visit or for a walk. Everyone believed: if a girl stayed at home on Krasnaya Gorka, then either she would not get married at all, or her future husband would be very ugly.
The tradition of mass Easter celebrations ended when Soviet power was established in Siberia. The Bolsheviks declared: “Easter is a holiday of slaves,” and replaced it with the celebration of May Day, putting forward the slogan: “Easter is a holiday of obedience and humility. May 1 is a holiday of struggle and freedom. Choose between them." Only 70 years later the holiday began to return to the homes of Siberians.
The Easter holiday was first celebrated in St. Petersburg in 1708, and entertainment events on the eve of the holiday began to be held ten years later. At that time, the city was transformed for several days. Booths and palm bazaars took place in the squares, city residents organized mass boat trips along the canals of St. Petersburg, and decorated their houses with garlands..
Boating according to Peter's decree
In the 18th century, during the last week of Lent, “holy week,” St. Petersburg turned into a large fair. All the squares and gardens of the city were decorated with flags, folk festivals took place in the parks, and large wooden swings and slides were installed on the Champ de Mars. Peter I introduced a new tradition - boating and rope riding on the Neva and city canals.
Opposite the palace of Peter I there were boats decorated with illumination. Photo: State Hermitage Museum
On Sunday, by matins, the royal couple was already in the Church of the Holy Trinity not far from the Peter and Paul Fortress. The temple has not survived to this day. Currently there is a chapel in its place. From the temple, the royal family with courtiers and representatives of the clergy made a religious procession to Palace Square, after which the Easter celebrations in the city officially began. In the evening, workers equipped the Peter and Paul Fortress and the boats standing opposite Peter's Palace with illumination. Now on the site of this palace there is the building of the Hermitage Theater.
Elizaveta Petrovna invited courtiers to her palace, which stood on the site of the Engineers' Castle. Photo: AiF/ Yana Khvatova
On Saturday evening, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna invited noble people to her Summer Palace, on the site of which the Engineers' Castle is now located. Exactly at midnight, a cannon fired in the Peter and Paul Fortress, and the courtiers began the liturgy. During Easter week, Catherine II organized balls and audiences. At Easter, she gave the courtiers porcelain and glass eggs decorated with gilding and patterns.
From a party to a fire
In the 19th century, Easter entertainment increased even more. The newspapers published a program of festive events in the city. Not only the main buildings of the city were decorated. Before Easter, St. Petersburg residents hung colorful garlands on their homes. On Admiralty Square and the Champ de Mars, booths - street theaters - gave performances. “The main artists of the booths were Harlequin and Pierrot,” says Arkady Vasiliev. - In between their skits, the audience was made to laugh by circus performers - magicians, jugglers, acrobats. A little later, humorous scenes gave way to patriotic ones: the artists depicted the conquest of Siberia, the victory of our army over the Swedes and French, and Russian heroes.”
Torches were lit at St. Isaac's Cathedral. Photo: Postcard On Krestovsky Island there were festivities for the poor. Cheap booths usually came here, the performers of which did not even have theatrical costumes. The celebration in the city center was intended for the more representative sections of society. However, it was wealthy St. Petersburg residents who were having so much fun that they started a fire: two booths burned down a few meters from the Admiralty.
Since then, the celebration has been completely moved to the Champ de Mars. Here, for the first time, real mechanical carousels, force-measuring attractions appeared, and bicycle riding began.
“At the end of the 19th century, mass celebrations took place on the Preobrazhensky parade ground,” says Vasiliev. “There was even a small cinema installed in one of the booths.”
The merrier Easter, the happier life
Under Alexander III, palm bazaars became widespread in St. Petersburg. The largest of them were located on Konnogvardeisky Boulevard and Malaya Konyushennaya Street. Willow branches sold at the market were decorated with garlands, paper flowers and lanterns. In addition, the stalls at the bazaar sold live animals and strange toys: a spinning glass devil, squeaky pigs, talking parrots and much more. All week, St. Petersburg residents went to visit and brought treats with them - Easter cake and Easter.
People sailed boats along the rivers and canals of the city. Photo: From personal archive On Sunday, all residents of the city were allowed to go to the belfries of churches and ring the bells. Throughout the day, bells rang throughout the city.
At night, all the temples in the city were crowded. People who did not have enough space walked with lit candles in the streets and congratulated each other on Easter. Burning torches were placed in the corners of St. Isaac's Cathedral, which was not done on any other holiday of the year.
“Easter was considered the brightest, noisiest and most joyful holiday of the year,” explains the local historian. - St. Petersburg residents were sure: the more fun they celebrated Easter, the happier their lives would be in the future. At that time there was a very popular saying: “Where the Easter cake and the dough are, that’s where we belong!” We’ll work on weekdays and go out on holidays!”
Why did people go to cemeteries more often in villages on Easter, and in big cities they organized festivities and fairs, what did kings and nobles give to their loved ones for the holiday, and how were religious processions held after the Revolution?
Director of the Center for Anthropology of Religion at the European University Alexander Panchenko talks about Easter traditions in St. Petersburg in the 18th–20th centuries.
Alexander Panchenko
Doctor of Philology, Director of the Center for Anthropology of Religion at the European University, leading researcher at the Institute of Russian Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences
How Easter was celebrated in Rus' and how city festivities were held in St. Petersburg
We do not have reliable data when exactly Easter was celebrated in Rus' for the first time, but it is clear that we are talking about the era of the spread of Christianity, that is, the second half of the 10th - early 11th centuries. Easter customs that still exist today, including Easter bread and Easter eggs, are known among many Christian peoples of Europe, so they should be considered quite ancient.
In the peasant culture of the Eastern Slavs, Passion, Easter and subsequent weeks are associated with funeral rites: this is one of the calendar periods when the boundaries between the worlds of the living dead seem to “open up”.
In modern Russian Orthodoxy, the spring memorial day is considered to be Radonitsa - Tuesday of St. Thomas Week - however, in villages various memorial rites were performed on Maundy Thursday and Easter. In big cities, these traditions were not so important: the hallmark of Easter week here were festivities and fairs.
In St. Petersburg, Easter began to be celebrated soon after the city was founded. It must be said that the festive and spectacular culture of the era of Peter I was more focused on secular and partly borrowed from Europe forms of entertainment, and not on the old church ceremony.
Easter night in St. Petersburg. From a painting by the artist S. Zhivotovsky, engraving. for “Motherland” B. Luts. Photo: Rodina magazine No. 16, 1899
In the 19th century, Easter festivities in St. Petersburg were held on the Field of Mars and Admiralty Square - where the Alexander Garden is now located. Before this, Maslenitsa festivities took place there: people rode down the slides, set up fair stalls and booths. At Easter, people no longer rode down the slides; instead, they installed swings or carousels. During Maslenitsa and Easter festivities one could see trained bears and puppet comedies.
How Easter was celebrated by nobles, peasants and clergy and what they gave each other for the holiday
While St. Petersburg residents went to Easter fairs and booths, the peasants organized their own village festivities. There they fought with eggs painted red, the main Easter color. The now forgotten but then traditional game of rolling eggs was popular among both children and adults: a small area with eggs laid out was fenced off, a groove was placed at an angle and the player’s egg was rolled from it - which eggs the player’s egg touched, he took them. In another variation, the player's egg had to reach a certain area [of the playing field].
In many places, peasants had the custom of making Christ with the dead: after the Easter service, people went to the cemetery and, turning to the graves of their relatives, said: “Christ is risen!” It was assumed that the dead heard this Easter greeting and could even respond to it.
As a rule, clergy did not participate in the festive festivities: the situation did not allow it, and they were very busy. During Easter week, they could serve prayer services in private homes, for which they were presented with various treats and money.
The nobles also attended church services and festivities. At the same time, it was customary to hold dinner parties on Easter, and to make visits during Easter week. Among the Easter gifts that rich and noble people gave each other, “models” of Easter eggs, usually made of porcelain, occupied a special place.
A continuation of this particular tradition were the eggs produced by Carl Faberge’s company for the imperial family under Alexander III and Nicholas II (a total of 54 copies were made for the royal family - approx. "Papers").
What does Easter cake symbolize and why eggs began to be used as an Easter treat?
Easter bread, called “Kulich” or “Easter”, is a fairly old Christian tradition, known among all Slavs. Apparently it is connected with church rituals, namely with artos - liturgical bread baked from leavened dough. He was consecrated in the church on Easter week. Artos looked like a large prosphora and symbolized the invisible presence of Christ.
Easter eggs are associated with the symbolism of death and rebirth: an egg looks like a “dead” object, but it can hatch into a chicken, that is, something alive. Ideas about death and rebirth are important both for the theological understanding of Easter and for popular religious culture.
In village traditions, Easter time is perceived as a period of contact with deceased people. Christian apocrypha and folklore legends tell that on Easter the dead come to earth or that sinners are released from hell.
How Easter passed after the Revolution
After the revolution, the church was separated from the state, Easter ceased to be a public holiday, and participation in church rituals became a private matter for the believer. Nobody officially forbade celebrating Easter, but it was not encouraged: in the early years, propaganda was carried out against the celebration of religious holidays, and later certain details were prohibited - for example, the ringing of bells.
Easter religious processions were not prohibited throughout the Soviet period, but not all believers decided to participate in them. Sometimes, however, the authorities could prohibit the religious procession, but this was rare.
Gavrilov, Ivan Konstantinovich (1878-1962) [Easter procession at the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg]: an open letter. - [St. Petersburg: between 1904 and 1917. Photo: exhibitions
During the Stalinist period, especially in the second half of the 1930s, most Orthodox churches were closed and priests were repressed. Therefore, believers no longer had a choice - they simply could not come to their parish church for Easter.
The situation changed somewhat in the second half of the 1940s, when government policy towards religion became more tolerant and some Orthodox churches reopened. Under Khrushchev, a new anti-religious campaign began and Easter celebrations were again tried to be limited. In the last decades of Soviet times, the celebration of Easter was also not very encouraged, but in general it was tolerated.
In the everyday life of many Soviet people, Easter was still a holiday, although it was more private than public and associated with household customs, in particular with the same Easter cakes and colored eggs.
Until 1917, Easter was considered the most important holiday in Russia. It was a great celebration for people of all ages and all classes.
A week before Easter, on the eve of Palm Sunday, Emperor Nicholas II and his family always came to Moscow to venerate the ancient shrines and participate in the ceremonial exit from the Faceted Chamber to the Chudov Monastery.
An important place among the series of obligatory procedural and ceremonial events of the Russian emperors was occupied by the procedure of the annual Christening on Easter. This ancient tradition has existed since ancient times at the royal court. Both Russian tsars and Russian emperors swore Christ. But in the second quarter of the 19th century. this tradition has undergone significant changes. The fact is that under Nicholas I, the so-called celebrations of Christ “with the peasants” became part of the practice of annual celebrations of Christ.
Vase-basket for Easter eggs from the Hermitage collection, 1786. 
Until the 1830s the monarchs consecrated Christ only with their closest retinue. Under Nicholas I, the emphasis shifted. The tradition of making Christ with the retinue was preserved, but the ceremony was supplemented by the making of Christ with ordinary people surrounding the king. This rite of christening the king with the “men” was supposed to demonstrate the inviolability of the triad “Orthodoxy - autocracy - nationality.” Apparently, the tradition of “folk” Christianization arose in the late 1830s - early 1840s, when the national component of the state ideology of the Nicholas era was clearly identified. It can be assumed that the celebration of Easter in 1839 prompted the tsar to change existing traditions.
The celebration of Easter in 1839 was especially solemn. The fact is that in the spring of 1839, on Easter Sunday, the consecration of the restored Winter Palace took place. Before Matins, a religious procession was held through the main halls. Craftsmen gathered in the White Hall to restore the palace over the course of a year. The solemn procession moved between long rows of artisans, mostly bearded men in caftans. After the religious procession, a rich “breaking of the fast” for 3,000 people was organized for the artisans. But the usual Christening of the king and his retinue did not take place that night. Why, we can only guess...
But a few days later, during the separation of the guards guards in the Mikhailovsky Manege, Nicholas I, according to tradition, kissed all the generals and guards officers. During evening prayer, the Empress kissed the ladies, as usual. Perhaps it was then that the king conceived the idea of baptizing Christ “with the men.” At least, it is known for sure that in the 1840s. he baptized with hundreds of people. Not only with his retinue, but also with his servants and Cossack guards. After such mass celebrations of Christ, his cheek turned black. Moreover, Nikolai Pavlovich not only made Christ himself, but also taught his children to do so. A precedent has been set. And over time, the precedent turned into a tradition that survived until 1917.
Christening of Nicholas I with cadets
During the “folk” celebrations of Christ, scandals also occurred. The French artist O. Vernet conveys one of the palace stories from the time of Nicholas I, associated with the practice of Christ-giving.
Easter eggs with monograms of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna. 1880-1890s Easter and eggs on a platter. Porcelain. IPE. 1880s
The tradition of Christian celebrations with servants and guards was preserved under Alexander II. One of the memoirists mentions that “the rite of Christhood, strictly observed at the Court for a long time, was extremely tedious for Their Majesties. However, on the fourth day of the holiday (the 15th), the Emperor felt so relieved that he celebrated Christ with the sergeants, sergeants and some other lower ranks of those units of the guard, which His Majesty was considered the chief of.”
Sketch by K. Krasovsky, 1882
Under Alexander III, the practice of “popular” christening expanded. Along with the servants and guards, the tsar began to christen himself with the volost elders and Old Believers. This fit well into the emphatically popular image of the king-peacemaker.
Easter was one of the favorite holidays in the family of Emperor Nicholas II. Here is what Robert Massey writes about Russian Easter in his book “Nicholas and Alexandra”:
The royal family usually celebrated Easter in Livadia. Although this holiday in imperial Russia was tiring for the empress, it brought her a lot of joy. The Empress did not spare her strength, which she gathered little by little. The Resurrection of Christ was the main event of the year, even more important than Christmas. Joy and tenderness were visible on faces everywhere. All over Russia on the holy night, churches were full of believers who, holding lit candles in their hands, listened to the Easter service. Shortly before midnight, the religious procession began, led by a priest, bishop or metropolitan. The parishioners followed him like a river of fire. Returning to the temple doors, they recreated the scene when Christ's disciples discovered that the stone that covered the burial cave had been rolled away. Looking inside and making sure that the temple was empty, the priest turned his face to those gathered and enthusiastically exclaimed: “Christ is Risen!” And the parishioners, with eyes shining with joy, answered loudly: “Truly He is Risen!” In different parts of Russia - in front of St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square, on the steps of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, in small churches in the most remote villages - Russian people - both princes and commoners - laughed and cried with happiness.
The Tsar sometimes spent Easter itself in Livadia, where a parade was held on the occasion of the holiday. After the parade, Nicholas II participated in the Christening ceremony with the lower ranks and with all the people serving the Court. The royal celebration of Christ usually lasted three days, during which the Emperor managed to exchange kisses with 10,000 people.
This tradition continued unchanged even during the First World War. Each soldier who shared Christ with the Tsar was sure to receive a gift - a painted porcelain egg with the royal monogram - they were stocked up in advance.
In 1874, by order of the Moscow Old Believers of the “priestly persuasion,” the Tyulin brothers, famous icon painters from Mstera, painted images on Easter eggs to greet high-ranking persons. The eggs were carved from wood. Each of them consisted of two halves, the inside was gilded with matte gold, the outside was painted with bright crimson paint. The egg was very light, extremely elegant and polished like a mirror. The number of these eggs for each Easter for the imperial family was strictly determined: the emperor and empress received 40-50 eggs, the grand dukes - 3, and the grand duchesses - 2. Moscow architect A.S. also took part in the painting. Kaminsky, who in 1890 painted the backs of porcelain eggs with “paintings of saints.”
Porcelain eggs were often hanging with a through hole through which a ribbon with a bow at the bottom and a loop at the top was threaded for hanging under the icon case. “Bankers” were hired especially for this work from among the needy widows and daughters of former factory employees. The rather high payment for their labor was considered as Easter charity. In 1799, 254 eggs were produced at the Imperial Porcelain Factory, and 960 in 1802. At the beginning of the 20th century, the same factory employed approximately 30 people, including apprentices, to produce 3,308 eggs per year. By Easter 1914, 3,991 porcelain eggs were produced, in 1916 - 15,365 pieces.
At the end of the 19th century, papier-mâché Easter eggs were made at the Lukutin factory near Moscow, now the famous Fedoskino factory of lacquer miniature painting. Along with religious subjects, the masters of the Lukutin factory often depicted Orthodox cathedrals and temples on Easter eggs.
The details of the procedure for mass christenings are reconstructed during the reign of Nicholas II, who reproduced the traditions of the reign of his father. In his diaries, he also recorded the “working volumes” of Christ-giving.
As a rule, the procedure of christening took the king from two to four days. On April 3, 1895, he recorded that in several receptions he christened “with the military authorities and lower ranks” of “his” company of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, which stood guard on Easter night at the Anichkov Palace. This took an hour of the king's precious time. The next day he celebrated Christ with the “hunting rangers,” and on April 5, the celebration of Christ took place with the Old Believers.
Since 1896, Nicholas II has clearly recorded the “volume of work done.” March 23 - 288 people. He does not indicate the social status of the people, but apparently it was a retinue, since the Christening took place after the Grand Exit ceremony in the Winter Palace. On March 24, he celebrated Christ “with all the people” in the Malachite Hall, and “almost 500 people received eggs.” By “all people” the king meant the court servants. On March 26, a “big celebration of Christ” took place in the Concert Hall with personal security - “with all the sergeants, sergeants and Easter guards.”
The empress also took part in the celebration of Christ. It should be noted that this was a physically difficult procedure. The guard soldiers were specifically warned not to cut their mustaches and beards, so as not to stab the king while kissing. Nevertheless, after the ceremony of Christ, the king’s cheek and the queen’s hand became swollen from countless “pricks” from mustaches and beards. But this is a feature of the “profession”... On March 27, the last celebration of Christ took place with the volost elders and schismatics, i.e., representatives of the people. Thus, in 1896, on three days, the tsar consecrated Christ to at least a thousand of his subjects.
Nicholas II congratulates the ranks of the Leningrad Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment on Easter. 1900s.
Over time, the number of people with whom the king shared Christ increased. On March 28, 1904, Nicholas II consecrated Christ with 280 members of his retinue in the Great Church of the Winter Palace. On the same day, the first “great celebration of Christ” took place (730 people) with the court servants. The next day, the second “great celebration of Christ” took place in the Concert Hall with the lower ranks of security (720 people). Thus, on Easter 1904, Nicholas II was christened three times with 1,730 people.
Great Church of the Winter Palace, watercolor by E. Gau
In 1905, the procession of Christ took three days. On April 17, Nicholas II celebrated Christ for an hour with court servants (almost 600 people). The next day, in the Great Gallery of the Winter Palace, “Christ was celebrated with the retinue, the military authorities and the military. textbook wound up." On the same day, the king celebrated Christ with his guard (960 people in total). On April 19, the celebration of Christ took place with the Old Believers. That is, at least the king kissed 1,600 people three times.
In 1906, the procedure of christening took place in the Great Catherine Palace. By this time, a certain order of Christhood had developed. The first “great consecration of Christ” took place with the court servants and officials of the Ministry of the Imperial Household (April 2, 1906 - “more than 600 people”). It should be noted that the king “worked” like an automaton: in 1 hour 45 minutes more than 600 people. Consequently, the procedure for individual Christening (three times a kiss and exchange of Easter eggs) took a little more than twenty seconds.
Eggs with monograms v.kn. Elizaveta Fedorovna
The second “great consecration of Christ” took place with the retinue, superiors and lower ranks of the guard (April 3, 1906 - 850 people). A special feature of this year, when the fire of the first Russian revolution was burning throughout the country, was that Christening with the people did not take place for reasons of the personal safety of the tsar, since at that time terrorists began a targeted hunt for him.
However, when the situation began to stabilize, there was a return to the traditional practice of christening. In 1907, Nicholas II took Christ for four days. On the first day - with servants (April 22 - 700 people); on the second day - with the retinue and officers of the Life Guards Ulan Regiment sponsored by the Empress (Empress Alexandra Feodorovna also participated in this ceremony, she distributed Easter eggs).
On the third day, the tsar made Christ “with the military authorities and the lower ranks” of the guard (April 24 - almost 700 people). And on April 25, the final celebration of Christ took place with schismatics and volost elders. It is noteworthy that Nicholas II noted the figures only for mass Christian celebrations and never indicated the number of Old Believers and volost elders. It is safe to assume that there were no more than two or three dozen of them. But sharing Christ with them is a very important part of the holiday, since it symbolized the unity of the king and the people, as well as the religious unity of the country.
Christening of Emperor Nicholas II with members of the crew of the yacht "Standard". Livadia. After 1909
In 1913, the three-day celebration of Christ took place according to the standard pattern. With servants - 720 people; with the retinue, superiors and lower ranks - 915 people and with the Old Believers and volost elders of the “three local districts”. The last phrase is also noteworthy. Consequently, the volost elders were “selected” close to the imperial residence, and, apparently, they are the same people, tested many times.
Christening of Emperor Nicholas II with Convoy officers
The royal family spent the spring of 1914 in the Crimea, in Livadia. Despite the isolation from the capital, the procedure for the celebration of Christ on Easter remained unchanged. On April 6, after Matins, the Tsar “christened himself with everyone in the church.” With everyone - this is with a retinue. After mass we went to break our fast in the dining room. We went to bed at 3 am. In the afternoon, the first “great celebration of Christ” began - 512 people.
Tsar's children at the White Flower festival, Livadia 1912
The next day, the second large Christening took place with security - 920 people. The procedure lasted an hour, i.e. it took no more than 15 seconds for each person. In order to ensure such speed, the lower ranks stood in formation closely behind each other, and the king worked like a clock with memorized movements. It was hard work for him.
Face: Jesus Christ
In 1915, the Easter service was served in the Fedorovsky Cathedral of Tsarskoye Selo; during the religious procession, the cathedral was beautifully illuminated with sparklers. On the morning of March 22, the celebration of Christ began in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoe Selo with all the courtiers; it lasted an hour and a half.
Interior decoration of the church of the Alexander Palace, photograph from the 1930s
The next day, March 23, Nicholas II was christened in the Great Palace of Tsarskoe Selo with his retinue, the district authorities and the lower ranks of the reserve battalions of the patronage units. Among them there were many wounded and those recovering from their wounds. On March 24, the Tsar had his last celebration of Christ with the Old Believers and volost elders.
In April 1916, Nicholas II celebrated Easter outside his family for the first time. Since he had been the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army since August 1915 and a lot of things had fallen on him, by Easter at Headquarters he did not have the traditional gift eggs for his wife and children. There were enough porcelain eggs for the retinue. The king reported the problem to his wife, and she immediately replied that she was sending Easter cards and the eggs she had selected, and even “wrote” who should get which egg.
Even after the abdication of Nicholas II in 1917, the tradition of the birth of Christ was preserved. In April 1917, the royal family lived under arrest in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoe Selo. On the morning after the Easter celebration, before breakfast, citizen Romanov said Christ with all the employees of the Alexander Palace (135 people), and Alexandra Feodorovna distributed porcelain eggs preserved from previous stocks. It was the last Christening of the last imperial family.
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