Varvara Ponomareva is a historian, specialist in the history of Russian culture in the 18th - early 20th centuries. Member of the Faculty of History, Moscow State University.
Why should we be grateful to the royal family for the Christmas tree? What gifts did the imperial children receive for the New Year? Did Nicholas I like to dress up in fancy dress?
They say that Christmas trees appeared in Russia thanks to Peter the Great. In fact, although we really owe this emperor for the New Year's celebration, it was not yet the tree that we are used to.
Since 1700, according to his decree, this night is celebrated in Russia, as in Europe. The decree read:
So it was just about wreaths and all kinds of garlands.
Gift from the daughter of the Kaiser
And the first Russian holiday tree, according to the historians of everyday life, was installed in Russia in 1817. It was arranged by the Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna, the wife of the future Emperor Nicholas I and the daughter of Kaiser Frederick Wilhelm III.
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The future empress introduced this holiday, remembering her own childhood in Germany, where this custom existed from time immemorial, even pagan times.
The daughter of Alexandra Feodorovna and Nicholas I, Grand Duchess Olga, Queen of Württemberg, in her memoirs "The Dream of Youth" tells about the tradition of winter celebrations in the imperial family. New Year's holidays included Christmas, Christmastide, New Year, Epiphany.
Everyone skated, sledged, built ice towns, sewed fancy dress. Fir trees in the palace were dressed up several at once - for each family member.
Gifts were prepared and laid out on the tables. Of course, among them were a variety of toys, as well as books, outfits, jewelry, paintings and much more.
Olga Nikolaevna once received a wonderful grand piano for the New Year. The boys were waiting for military toys - soldiers, sabers and guns, as well as the uniforms of their regiments. Somehow, among other gifts, the heir of Nicholas I received from his father a bust of Emperor Peter the Great, whom he considered a role model.
The emperor loved to receive gifts from his children, made by them with their own hands, and he did not favor purchased and expensive presents. The children gave each other small souvenirs, bought with their own savings.
The courtiers were also given gifts. A special lottery was arranged for them, for which tickets were prepared in advance. Items made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory were often donated.
Games and masquerades
On the last day of the old year, as the daughter of the emperor recalled, "Metropolitan Seraphim invariably came with the monks of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, singing … wonderful doxology." Then the emperor and the empress brought them food with their own hands.
And Aleksandra Fedorovna also liked to organize the "bean king" holiday, traditional for Western Europe, on New Year's days. Its roots go back to the legend of the worship of kings to the Christ child.
A bean was baked into the pie, and whoever got it became the king of the holiday. The king chose a queen for himself, and for a short moment they controlled everything around. Grand Duchess Olga describes one of these "bean festivals" when a Chinese masquerade was held. All those present donned Chinese costumes. The emperor himself was in a tangerine attire, “with an artificial fat belly, in a pink cap, with a hanging braid on his head. He was completely unrecognizable."
Nicholas I was not at all afraid to speak in an unexpected way. For example, in May 1842, in honor of the 25th anniversary of his wedding with Alexandra Feodorovna, he staged the Tsarskoye Selo Carousel.
The word "carousel" is not used here in the sense that we are used to: it used to be called knightly "defiles", during which warriors clad in armor, moving in a circle, demonstrated their weapon skills.
Almost the entire huge family gathered for this holiday. Medieval costumes were made for everyone.
The Empress acted in the form of the Beautiful Lady, and the Emperor sported sparkling armor.
Role model
But for the royal people, the holidays were never limited to family boundaries. Rituals have always played the most important role in the existence of the institution of supreme power. The New Year's greetings ceremony in 1837 is described by the American envoy to the Russian imperial court, George Dallas (the future vice-president, after whom the capital of Texas will be named).
It was truly a magnificent sight. To congratulate the sovereign and his family, all the courtiers came to the palace, “a whole flower garden of maids of honor in rich and magnificent national costumes, chamber junkers in embroidered gold uniforms, white leggings, stockings and shoes, richly dressed dignitaries, important civil officials. Although Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was not in good health, she had to defend the entire ceremony from start to finish. Talking with the envoy, the empress remarked: "According to the established custom, I have to say hello and talk to almost four thousand people."
Many were in a hurry to follow the example of the crowned heads, and the custom of decorating the Christmas tree at Christmas gradually spread among the nobility. Christmas trees were decorated in public places - in the Nobility meetings, clubs and theaters.
It is interesting that the brainchild of the imperial family - the institutes of noble maidens - very early adopted this wonderful custom, along with all the accompanying joys: masquerades, balls, homemade gifts. By the way, the first of them, Smolny, was founded in 1764 by another German princess - Catherine the Great.
In landlord use, the Christmas tree was established throughout the second half of the 19th century. The spread of the tradition was facilitated by the daughters of the nobility, returning to their families after institutes. The theme of a magical Christmas also penetrated into consciousness thanks to music, for example, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker …
Europe will lag behind
Interestingly, Russia was even ahead of all of Europe in spreading the fashion for the Christmas tree. The tradition stepped from Germany to England only in 1848, together with Queen Victoria's German husband, Prince Albert. In that year, an engraving of the royal family gathered around a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle appeared in The Illustrated London News. And after that, the British happily picked up the new custom.
And with the numerous children of Victoria and Albert, who grew up and became related to all the royal houses of Europe, they learned about this wonderful custom everywhere.
Christmas trees began to light up all over the continent. Finally, Europe caught up with Russia.