Table of contents:
- Beer from Apraksin and Count Potemkin's reception at the Tauride Palace
- Kuskovo festivities and the opportunity to taste exotic fruits
- Wonderful garden of merchant Ganin: only for honest and kind
- Count Orlov's Holidays: Public Hippodrome, Gypsies and Street Fights
- Haymaking from Count Razumovsky
Video: How rich people in Russia entertained peasants and what holidays were arranged for them
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The entertainment industry is very well developed today. People know how to relax, and there are all the possibilities for this. And in the past centuries, rich people spent a lot of money on their holidays, and many of them tried to do something to entertain the common people. It is not known what prompted them to such actions - the desire to be branded as a generous and understanding person or the secret hope that ordinary people will burn with love and respect. Read how the peasants drank beer at Apraksin's, who was allowed into the garden of the merchant Ganin, and how Count Orlov treated the poor.
Beer from Apraksin and Count Potemkin's reception at the Tauride Palace
Quite often the retired nobles settled in their own luxurious estates and began to get bored. The landlord's affairs could not allay the boredom, so people tried to start new hobbies and even arrange merry holidays for the peasants. For example, Stepan Apraksin, who loved to have fun in his own circle, very often organized festivities for the serfs. Drum rolls rang out, and the people understood that they had to give up everything and immediately run to the master's house. No objections were accepted! Large barrels of wine and beer were brought out of Apraksin's cellars into the street, and the festivities began. Like it or not, but I had to drink and praise.
Count Potemkin also distinguished himself in this field, holding a sumptuous reception at the Tauride Palace. The official version was as follows: the holiday was dedicated to the capture of Ishmael in 1791. However, rumors claimed that the count did this in order to regain the lost location of the empress. This does not mean that ordinary citizens were sitting at the laid tables in the palace. There were enough invitees from the upper class: they ate, drank and admired the beautiful fountains, from which lavender water gushed. But ordinary people also tasted goodies and drank wine, since by the order of the count, tables for passers-by were set up next to the palace.
Kuskovo festivities and the opportunity to taste exotic fruits
Count Pyotr Sheremetev was also a lover of lavish festivities. At the end of the 18th century, his estate Kuskovo became a real entertainment center. All of Moscow and the surrounding regions rushed there on Thursday and Sunday from May to August. The event could be attended by both nobles and peasants, no special invitation was needed. There was only one requirement - decent clothing and dignified behavior. Sheremetyev gave permission to "have fun as anyone wants." Usually the festivities lasted for several days. An orchestra played in the garden, and a beautiful Venetian gondola floated back and forth across the pond, in which guests rode. Representatives of the upper classes were invited to home performances, because Sheremetyev had as many as three serf theaters. The common people were having fun in the garden. There, various attractions with carousels and swings were installed for them. You could play small towns or bowling pins, take part in other competitions. The count was so generous that he offered guests unprecedented exotic fruits grown in his own greenhouses.
Wonderful garden of merchant Ganin: only for honest and kind
Rich people were not the only ones involved in organizing festivities. Some of them tried to create places that could be visited at any time and enjoyed the beauty. For example, in the 18-19th century, the garden of the merchant Ganin was incredibly popular among the residents of St. Petersburg. It was open both on holidays and on weekdays. People walked in the park with pleasure, because there was something to see in it. Here fountains coexisted with miniature waterfalls, pavilions and temples were erected, ships sailed on the ponds, and cannons and figures of soldiers stood on the walls of the bastions. Biblical subjects, statues of Greek sages and at the same time pagan idols - the full vinaigrette evoked peculiar sensations. There was even a so-called menagerie filled with full-size cardboard images of rare animals. At the entrance there was a notice that only kind, honest, truthful people could visit the garden, but dogs were strictly forbidden.
Count Orlov's Holidays: Public Hippodrome, Gypsies and Street Fights
Count Alexei Orlov was also notable for his love of holidays. After his resignation and settling in Moscow, he made a lot of efforts to organize the festivities. He was a gambling and active person, so an open hippodrome was built in front of his house, where you could watch the races. Count personally participate in competitions on the Oryol trotters. He loved fistfights and was always present when they were held on the frozen Moscow River. He was very fond of gypsies and always invited them to the holidays.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Orlov estate was a favorite place for walks for many. Both nobles and peasants came there. Today the northern part of the Neskuchny Garden is located here. It was really not boring, and people walked in a crowd. Only the beggars could not get into the estate, but they also got a little attention from the count, who threw handfuls of silver coins into the crowd. Holidays were held in the summer, every Sunday. The count's orchestra played, fireworks exploded in the sky, equestrian competitions were held, interesting performances could be watched on the stage of the Green Theater, beautiful gypsy romances were heard. These Sundays were memorable for a long time, and many gladly came again and again.
Haymaking from Count Razumovsky
Count Razumovsky's holidays were no less popular among the people. The beautiful bank of the Yauza, the Razumovsky park, connected to the possessions of the neighbor Demidov, were free to visit. Cozy shady alleys, beautiful plants, magical aromas of exotic flowers and music performed by the orchestra - the atmosphere was enchanting. Guests walked for hours, tried free treats. A stylized haymaking festival was organized. The guys in folk shirts amazed at their dexterity when mowing the grass, the girls danced and sang songs. It was a real, cheerful folk holiday.
The gentlemen of the world also had their own entertainments. Not everyone knows the adult games in the secular salons of the 19th century, or what the aristocrats were having fun with.
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