An electronic fund of the Presidential Library opens Christmastime traditions

“There is no such people who has so much fun on Christmas holidays like our Russian, which, thanks to God, has not yet become foreign. It will be its own as long, as it will be inspirited by the people’s feeling,” — Alexander Tereshchenko writes in his book entitled A way of life of the Russian people. Christmastide of 1848, an electronic copy of which is available in the Presidential Library stock.

One of the most colorful and popular among the people holiday — Christmas —traditionally lasts from the 6th to the 19th of January: “from the star and up to the water,” that is, from the appearance of the first star on Christmas eve and up to the Epiphany consecration of water.

There are the electronic copies of books in the Presidential Library stock which tell about traditional entertaining, many of which have never faded through the years and still remain popular.

Ivan Bozheryanov in his fundamental research of How the Russian people celebrated and still celebrate Christmas, New Year, Epiphany and the Cheesefare week (1894) before getting to a description of the Russian customs makes a sightseeing trip into the Christmas traditions of the European peoples. “The celebration of Christmas as is has probably come to us from Greece or from the southwest, — he supposes, — since in ancient Greeks, when an old year was converting to a new, men danced in women’s clothes, and women — in men’s. Gothic Christmas amusements were conducted in the presence of the emperor in person.”

In Holland, there was such a custom: the watchman during 8 days before Christmas and 8 days after, “announcing in the morning, what time is it, advised a population to eat for breakfast a porridge with the raisins and a honey.” In England, it was necessary to bow to the apple trees at Christmas, asking that way a rich harvest to come, and to burn special candles all night long, preventing them from fading — otherwise, there will be trouble. The British danced and sang on the streets during the Christmas holidays for several days in a row.

Both Bozheyanov and Tereshchenko pointed out a special mood inherent in Russian Christmas, which is shown “in a joyful conversation, cordial reception, beautiful clothes and in decorated house, where the songs sound, — according to an electronic copy of A way of life of the Russian people. Christmastide. — The girls’ experiences are even deeper. Each one thinks how to uncover her future, to find out about her husband-to-be, and whether she will be happy with him or not.”

Fortune telling and prediction of future is one of the most popular Christmas traditions. People pass from one generation to another the ways to find out their destinies: using a mirror, a melted wax, a comb, or by throwing the shoes. In Tereshchenko’s book, there is such a version of fortune telling: “In the villages the girls are practicing sorcery: about a midnight they go out to the yard and from where the dog barked, from that side should expect future husbands to come.”

The same book tells that girls especially like to tell fortunes with a help of bread figures. Before the New Year’s (according to the old style on January 13), after dinner, each girl sculpts from the remaining piece of bread an image or a figure that she wants; then they collect all the figures and put them on the threshold of the house. After that they call some kind of dog and let it to the figures: “Whoever’s figure it will grab first, that girl will get married.”

Everyone celebrate Christmas, but mostly it was a youth holiday. For the amusements guys and girls were preparing in advance masks of animals and birds, clown costumes. They were getting dressed, as they wanted, and caroling with jokes: walked around the houses, sang majestic, ceremonial songs, danced, greeted the hosts.

The main goal of caroling is a wish for happiness and wealth. For example, in the Tver province people performed such a holy Christmas carol, promising the house owners a good harvest:

Here is Christmas Carol

On Christmas Eve.

Give us a cow

With a battered head.

We wish God would give

The owners of this house

A rye as thick as blackberries,

Aplenty rye,

And so on.

Alexander Tereshchenko mentions in his research another wonderful tradition: “During the days of Christmas Caroling people were forgiving any old hatreds, settling down and beginning a new friendship. There were hospitality everywhere, exchanging with gifts and invitations to parties and dinners.”

Our ancestors wisely believed that “in the Christmas day any vanities asleep,” and in addition, that “a summer is for taking care, while a winter is for partying.”