Video: How the Romanovs taught Russians to celebrate the New Year: the game of spillikins and the lottery from the sovereign
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
New Year and Christmas traditions, thanks to which Russia now rests from work for a whole week, appeared in our country not so long ago. In time immemorial, this holiday was celebrated in the spring, then, after the baptism of Rus, the Byzantine calendar came to us, the New Year was celebrated on September 1 according to it. Since 1700, by decree of Peter I, this holiday is celebrated in Russia, as in other European countries, on January 1. However, the tradition of putting a whole coniferous tree in the house and decorating it was brought to us by another member of the royal family.
If we recall the decree of the reformer tsar literally, then it said “in front of the gates to make some decorations from the trees and branches of pine, spruce and juniper” - that is, it was only about wreaths and decorations from spruce branches. It is possible that at first the subjects were not too happy to have fun, unusual traditions do not always take root immediately on new soil, but the royal family itself has always shown an example of how to have fun. By the way, this was not only in Russia. For example, New Year's entertainment and decorations came to England even later, only with Prince Albert - the beloved husband of Queen Victoria, then ordinary Englishmen began to gradually adopt German customs.
In Russia, Catherine II was a big lover of New Year's fun. Semyon Poroshin, one of the tutors of Grand Duke Paul, described in his memoirs that the games took place in the audience room, which was called the Throne Hall. It was here that entertainments for the courtiers were arranged, in which "Her Majesty herself deigned to be and dance in all games." The favorite game of that time was Russian spillikins (wooden or bone sticks that had to be pulled out of the heap without hitting others). Another merry fun was called “armhandling”: “when they stood in a circle with a long ribbon and some walked in a circle and beat others on the hands …”. And the first real holiday tree in Russia was installed only in 1817. It was arranged by the Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna, the wife of the future Emperor Nicholas I. Such a tradition has existed in Germany for a very long time, and with the light hand of the daughter of Frederick Wilhelm III, it has taken root in our country. First, the home tree was arranged in the Anichkov Palace, where the young family lived until December 1826, and then in the Winter Palace.
New Year's holidays in Russia in the 19th century included Christmas, Christmastide, New Years and Epiphany. The royal family these days happily forgot about worries and had fun: in the palace they skated, sledged, built ice towns, sewed masquerade costumes. Several trees were installed (from five to ten, in different rooms), but candles were lit on them only twice - on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day, and then the trees were removed. In the rooms next to the Christmas trees, gifts were laid out on the tables. By the way, the idea that magic creatures give their children also appeared later, in the 18th-19th centuries, everything was more "transparent" in this matter.
A large Christmas tree for the royal family and the nearest retinue was usually arranged in the empress's chambers and in the neighboring halls - the Concert and Rotunda. After the all-night vigil in front of the closed doors, “all the children fought and pushed among themselves, including the Tsars, who would be the first to enter the coveted hall. The Empress herself led everyone to the designated table and gave gifts … then they entered another room, where a large, long table was prepared, decorated with various fine porcelain things from the imperial … manufactory. Here a lottery was played out between the entire retinue, the sovereign usually shouted out a card, the winner approached Her Majesty and received his gift - (from the memoirs of the maid of honor of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Baroness MP Fredericks)
At first, the Christmas trees were decorated only with candles. They began to hang toys and sweets on them only at the end of the 19th century. At first, Christmas decorations were made of cardboard, and then, around 1900 in St. Petersburg, in Gebgardt's store (on Nevsky, 88), and at Petto's (on Karavannaya, 16), they began to sell real New Year's toys: “… beads, snow and cupids made of non-flammable cotton wool, monkeys, flags, gold leaf, glass balls, bonbonnieres, diamond powder, sparklers, incendiary strings, indoor fireworks. The glass balls familiar to us were first of German production, but then they began to be made in Russia.
By the way, the tradition of staging the Nutcracker for Christmas has existed in Russia since 1892, when PI Tchaikovsky's ballet was first shown at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. In the 20th century, Ekaterina Maksimova and Vladimir Vasiliev became the most famous couple who played the main roles in it: “They met. Wave and stone …"
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