Video: How to hint a gentleman about feelings with a fan: ballroom etiquette in 19th century Russia
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Balls - social events that served as the main form of entertainment for the nobility - appeared in Russia in the era of Peter I and since then have enjoyed extraordinary popularity. Behavior at the ball was strictly regulated by a system of general rules, and compliance ballroom etiquette was absolutely obligatory for both ladies and gentlemen. Today, many of these requirements sound rather strange, although during mass celebrations, many would not hurt to remember the rules of conduct that do not lose their relevance today.
In Russia, balls began to be held in the 18th century, when Peter I in 1718 issued a decree on the celebration of all important events in the form of organizing assemblies. At that time, they not only danced at balls, but also played chess and checkers, drank wine, and talked. However, balls became really popular only in the 19th century.
Balls were given both on holidays and without a special occasion. The ball season began in late autumn and continued throughout the winter, with the exception of periods of fasting. The invitations to the ball were sent out at least 10 days in advance, at the height of the season - 3 weeks in advance, so that the ladies had the opportunity to prepare an outfit. It was possible to attend the ball only in a new and fashionable dress.
Ballroom dresses were open, complemented by a bud of natural or artificial flowers. Unmarried women should wear light dresses and simple jewelry; married ladies had a wider choice of colors and styles of outfits and types of jewelry. The gentlemen came in tailcoats, the military in the time of Nicholas I - in solemn uniforms.
Gloves were an obligatory accessory; they were not removed throughout the evening. An important detail of the ladies' ballroom costume was the fan, which served as a kind of communication language. If a lady wanted to hint to the gentleman about her feelings, she could point with her right hand with a closed fan to her heart, and if there were no feelings, she could make a movement with a closed fan. The fall of the fan could indicate not only the awkwardness of the lady, but also that she agreed to belong to her chosen one. And a suddenly closed fan could indicate jealousy.
It was considered indecent to openly demonstrate one's emotions, especially negative ones. At the ball, you had to smile and maintain small talk. In each dance, the conversation had its own theme, pace and mood. Thus, the “mazuric chatter” demanded shallow, but entertaining topics.
Inability to dance was considered a lack of upbringing, both for ladies and gentlemen. Ladies at balls often used special books, where they entered the names of dances and the names of the gentlemen who invited them. This was necessary in order not to forget and not promise one dance to two gentlemen - this was not only considered bad form, but could even lead to a duel. With the same gentleman it was decent to dance no more than 3 dances.
It was absolutely unacceptable for the gentlemen to get up into a dance without knowing the figures, or in strong alcoholic intoxication, to behave familiarly with a lady - to press her strongly to himself during the dance or ask her for a fan or a scarf, step on the trains of dresses, insist on more than supposedly, the number of dances. Ladies should not openly demonstrate jealousy, despondency, anger, as well as backbiting and laughing out loud.
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