Imperial Christmas

[AGRBear]

For the German-Russian,  the 11th of Nov [11 month of the year] marks the start of the Christmas Holidays.  What marks the Orthodox's start of the Christmas Holidays?

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Copyrighted material.

>>#11 Nov -  St. Martin's Day*

St. Martin is the patron of drunkards and was given the task of saving all men from falling to this danger. The Christians chose  to remember St. Martin on the same day which had been the old pre-Christian day known as Bacchus Feast Day or Vinalia.  

This is the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year and at 11 PM the Fasching king and queen are choosen.  During Fasching Celebration [period after Christmas and before Lent] the king and queen attend many balls in pursue of fun and frolic.

Although  St. Martin's symbolic bird is the raven,  it is the goose which is connected to this holiday. Probably out of necessitity, this became the a day when geese are  plucked for their down [feathers] and some are sacrificed in memory of the 4th century  French Bishop of Tours who was betrayed by the honking of geese. This  is done just in time to use the feathers for the needed pillows and father beds for the coming cold of winter. The goose fat is needed for all the baking done for the coming holidays.  The bird's feather wings were used for dusting done in preparation of the holidays guest who would be invited into a person's home.  In the olden days, the old feathers were made into quills needed for writing relatives  the holiday invitations.... Superstitions of old  about this bird is interesting.  The goose's wishbone thickness was said to forecast the weather for the coming winter.  If the bone was thick it meant a very cold winter.... The goose grease was mixed in various medical formulas. One  was / is used for the chest for a cold.

The day the feasting and drinking for the Christmas holidays begins. <<

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AGRBear

[Georgiy]

I would say that the start of the Christmas holidays for an Orthodox Christian is the Feast of Christmas itself, as we are fasting from the 28th of November (western calendar). The holiday goes on until the feast of Theophany.

[AGRBear]

GD Maria Pavlovna talks about Christmas in her book EDUCATION OF A PRINCESS pps 14-15:

"At Christmas he,"  [her father], "was particularly joyous, and Christmas was the peak of our year.  Days before, the trees would be brought out and set up.  Then the doors of the great reception ahll would be closed; then mysterious prepartations...."

"As Christmas Eve appraoched our excitement became so intense that it required all the vigilance of our nruses to keep Dmitri and me from stealing a look behind those closed doors.  To clam us they would take us  driving, but Christms lights and decoratiosn and the gay holiday spirit of the crowds that throung around our carriage in the streets only excited us the more."

"Finally the great moment came.  When we were dressed father came for us.  He led us to the doors of the closed reception hall and made a sign.  The electric lights...were snapped off, the doors thrown open.  Before our enchanted eyes appeared, in the immese dark room, the magic trees, ablaze with candles.  Our hearts tepped beating, and tremblingly we entered after our father.  He made another sigh;  the darkness vanished; along the walls appeared tabled covered with white cloths and on these tables were gifts."

There was a table with gifts for her, her brother and father...  The other tables held presents for the servants.  Each gift ws handed to the servent...

When the candles on the tree were no more, her father exploded fire-crackers within this room....

They were able to choose one present which they cold take with them to their bed....


AGRBear

[neva]

I thought all the Orthodox people celebrate Christmas at the same time but it looks like not.
I am Armenian and we celebrate on the 6th of January.

neva

[Georgiy]

Originally, Christmas and Theophany (the Baptism of Christ), were celebrated together on January 6. I expect that Christmas only became a seperate celebration at a date after the split between the monophysite Churches and the Orthodox Churches, which explains why in Armenia Christmas is on the 6th of January, and in the Orthodox Church December 25. In the Orthodox Church, Theophany is celebrated on 6 January.

[neva]

Georgiy,

Thanks for the explanation about the Christmas dates.

neva

[Angie_H]

I've tried to navigate thru the GARF site, verryyy confusing! LOL. Has there been anything announced when they would be doing the family albums and if they would be on a site like the Beinecke Library?

[Olga]

It's a bit slow.

[Madal]

Sorry but I can not understand. What "GARF" means??

[Olga]

'GARF' stands for the Russian letters that spell the State Archives of the Russian Federation.
Gosudarstvenni Arkhiv Rossiskoi Federatsii.

[Laura Mabee]

Beautifuly put Merrique!  I couldn't agree more.

Dasha

I fifth that!!  

Bob, I've been a fan of your site for years! It was one of the first sites I found when I got started. You're generosity to the public is so awesome. Your online books, albums, information is just more then I could ever ask for!!

I would also LOVE to browse GARF...*Dreamy Eyes*

[Nastya]

can people PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE post pics of the romanov's christmases or easters.

[clockworkgirl21]

Any other pics? I would just LOVE to see them.

[clockworkgirl21]

Oohh.  If they digitized their Romanov albums... I bet we'd all be in utter heaven.  I'd be willing to PAY for access.  That's rather sad but true.

Who wouldn't? I would seriously pay for access, too.  

[pinklady]

Marie does not look much like her usual self in the photo with the Christmas Tree. She looks like a different girl in my opinion.