Imperial Christmas

[Belochka]

It is my understanding that GARF is in the process of digitalizing their archives and have completed thousands so far. Of the Romanov albums, I must follow up of their status. Joanna

What wonderful news! We can all now hope to benefit from the wisdom of GARF's modernization.

I'm sure that subscriptions to access these files, will help both the user and GARF in the long run.  

[Sunny]

Joanna, what great news! Dasha, it is quite wonderful to find such a company of kindred souls, on a subject that leaves most yawning   Bob, your generous spirit
is lovely, and it is great to have you back. Wish some savvy individual would reproduce one of Alexandra's treasured ornaments. With all the bunk marketed for Christmas, that would be a real treasure.

Warm regards to all,

Sunny

[Alice]

Regarding Christmas Cards: did the IF exchange them? If so, did the cards depict artwork, or did they have photos of the IF on them? (I've seen cards from the Windsors, with a black and white photograph of the senders on the front).

[BobAtchison]

Those photo albums are really amazing - you look through them and all of a sudden you see a picture of an obscure corner of a room in the AP you have never seen before.  Or you might suddenly see a reappearing character in the photographs you don't know.

It would be great if they get that project done - it will really help the restoration of the AP.

Sunny, Belochka, Joanna, Lanie, Merrique, Pravoslavnaya, Annie, Amy, JaneEyre - eveyone here - it is such a pleasure to have met you all through the forum!  This is the only place I know of in the world were we can all come together and discuss these obsure things about the Romanovs and Russian history.  I wish we had put it up years ago....

Bob

[Georgiy]

I should imagine that they prepared for Christmas in the normal Orthodox manner of a 40 day fast (that is a strictly vegan diet - though the Christmas fast allows for fish on certain days), confession, Communion, and increased prayers and spiritual preparation for the feast, which is one of the 12 feasts of the church (and over and above the 12 is of course Easter).
They would have attended the Royal Hours on Christmas Eve, gone to the All Night Vigil, and then on Christmas morning gone to the Liturgy, probably having Communion. Then they would have broken the fast and enjoyed a sumptuous Christmas dinner. Probably in the evening back to Church for the Vigil in honour of the mother of God, then on Boxing Day to the Liturgy in honour of the Mother of God. Following Christmas there is no fasting until after the feast of Theophany.

[Pravoslavnaya]

I should imagine that they prepared for Christmas in the normal Orthodox manner of a 40 day fast (that is a strictly vegan diet - though the Christmas fast allows for fish on certain days), confession, Communion, and increased prayers and spiritual preparation for the feast, which is one of the 12 feasts of the church (and over and above the 12 is of course Easter).
 They would have attended the Royal Hours on Christmas Eve, gone to the All Night Vigil, and then on Christmas morning gone to the Liturgy, probably having Communion. Then they would have broken the fast and enjoyed a sumptuous Christmas dinner. Probably in the evening back to Church for the Vigil in honour of the mother of God, then on Boxing Day to the Liturgy in honour of the Mother of God. Following Christmas there is no fasting until after the feast of Theophany.

My dear Georgiy - many thanks for pointing this out.  The preparation for Christmas in the Orthodox tradition, after all, truly involves body and soul.  One finds peppered in the diaries of the Royal Martyrs comments like 'I went to Confession today';  'Had Communion'; 'Saw the Vladimirskaya Icon of the Mother of God', and during the Nativity Fast there might have been just a comment that the fast had begun -- nothing so rigorous as the Great Fast for Lent.  

[Robert_Hall]

As it happens, I will be in St. Petersburg this Jan. I wonder if the ROC observes either or both calendar days for Christmas now? Here, in SF some Orthodox churcches observe both dates, mainly for convienence. Also, in some Eastern European countries, the OCs are doing the same.
Best,
Robert

[Merrique]

Those photo albums are really amazing - you look through them and all of a sudden you see a picture of an obscure corner of a room in the AP you have never seen before.  Or you might suddenly see a reappearing character in the photographs you don't know.

It would be great if they get that project done - it will really help the restoration of the AP.

Sunny, Belochka, Joanna, Lanie, Merrique, Pravoslavnaya, Annie, Amy, JaneEyre - eveyone here - it is such a pleasure to have met you all through the forum!  This is the only place I know of in the world were we can all come together and discuss these obsure things about the Romanovs and Russian history.  I wish we had put it up years ago....

Bob

Bob,I for one would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart.It was your love of the Romanovs and Russian History that put this wonderful website on the web for everyone to visit,learn,and enjoy.You share everything you have seen and learned about these subjects with us and I am very grateful for it.

Starting this forum has been a really great thing for all of us I think.Where else can we get together,discuss this wonderful family and the history of Russia.This forum enables all of us to learn and grow together.Maybe it would have been a good idea to put it up years ago.But the way I see it better late than never.

Again,I say thank you Bob and Rob for creating such a wonderful place for all of us to enjoy!

[JaneEyre5381]

Bob,I for one would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart.It was your love of the Romanovs and Russian History that put this wonderful website on the web for everyone to visit,learn,and enjoy.You share everything you have seen and learned about these subjects with us and I am very grateful for it.

Starting this forum has been a really great thing for all of us I think.Where else can we get together,discuss this wonderful family and the history of Russia.This forum enables all of us to learn and grow together.Maybe it would have been a good idea to put it up years ago.But the way I see it better late than never.

Again,I say thank you Bob and Rob for creating such a wonderful place for all of us to enjoy!

Beautifuly put Merrique!  I couldn't agree more.

Dasha

[Val289]

Beautifuly put Merrique!  I couldn't agree more.

Dasha

I'll second that

[Belochka]

Thanks Bob and Rob,

This is a magnificent and unique forum where so many of us have come regularily together because of our appreciation of Russian history, Russian cutural issues and so much more.

Some of us have connected very nicely in a friendly and cordial manner. The opportunity to chat with historians, or just with individuals from many backgrounds and countries, freely, without reserve has given me a reason to come back to visit this Palace as often as I can.

We are all enriched by this opportunity.

Spasibo vam!

[olga]

Beautifuly put Merrique!  I couldn't agree more.

I'll fourth that!  

[Georgiy]

Robert,
The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7 according to the western Calendar (which is December 25 on the Julian Calendar). I would imagine the only places you would find a church celebrating on December 25 would be non-Orthodox Churches. Some Orthodox countries such as Greece changed to the western calendar in the 1920s, but the Russian Church uses the old calendar, even if the secular calendar is the western one.

[AGRBear]

Since the German Christmas is a "big deal" and since most of the ancestors of the Imperial Family were German/Germanic,  I assume that most of the old German traditions, such as the decorated tree, etc. continued from the time of Tsarina Cath. II "the Great".

Was there anything about the German Christmas that would have been omitted due to the Russian Church's traditions?

Does anyone have anything from their diaries which mention any particular Christmas?

AGRBear

[Robert_Hall]

Thank you, Georiy.
I have been to Bulgaria a few times and they have changed to the westren calendar as well.
Best,
Robert