Christmas Traditions in Imperial Russia
by Ally Broadfield
Christmas
in Imperial Russia was celebrated with a blend of traditions from Russia’s
Christian and pre-Christian past. On Christmas Eve it was customary for groups
of people masquerading as manger animals to travel from house to house
performing and singing carols known as kolyadki. Somekolyadki were pastoral carols to the baby Jesus,
while others were homages to the ancient solar goddess Kolyada, who brought the
lengthening days of sunlight through the winter. In return for their songs, the
singers were offered food and coins before moving on to the next home. There is
a passage in Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace describing
this custom, known as mumming. Everyone participated in the mumming. In the
17th century, the tsar himself, followed by his boyars and courtiers and led by
drummers, would travel by sleigh from house to house in Moscow to sing for the
owners. Peter the Great was also known to congratulate his friends in this
manner, but he kept a list of participants and those who did not join were
punished.
Happy Christmas (pre-1917 Russian postcard)
Religious
observances surrounding Christmas also flourished in Imperial Russia. Though
the foods and customs surrounding the observance of Christmas differed
from village to village and family to family, certain aspects remained the
same. Christmas Eve was the last day of the six week Christmas fast, and for
the devout, ancient custom dictated that no one eat until the first star shone
in the sky. Hay was spread on the table and covered with a white cloth in
imitation of the manger. Dinner began with a prayer for the New Year and a
special porridge called kutya. The head of
the household would throw a spoonful outside to encourage Grandfather Frost to
spare the crops, then a spoonful was thrown up on the ceiling. The grains that
stuck foretold the number of bees there would be in summer to ensure a
plentiful honey harvest. Lastly, upon rising from the table, everyone left
some kutya in their bowls for their departed relatives.
After
the meal it was time to attend the Christmas Mass. On Christmas day, it was
customary for everyone to dress in their finest clothes and go visiting. Tables
were spread in a traditional manner with a variety of nuts and fruits, as well
as several types of special gingerbread cookies. The two-week feast known as
Russian Christmastide, or Svyatki, was celebrated after the orthodox Christmas
on January 7th through Epiphany on January 19th.
Activities during this period were more closely associated with pagan
traditions and included singing, dancing, carnivals and fortune telling.
After
the 1917 Revolution, Christmas was banned throughout Russia along with other
religious celebrations. It wasn’t until 75 years later, in 1992, that the holiday
was once again openly observed.
Bibliography:
Massie, Suzanne. The Land of the Firebird: The Beauty of Old
Russia. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1980.
Ally
Broadfield lives in Texas and is convinced her house is shrinking, possibly
because she shares it with three kids, five dogs, two cats, a rabbit, and
several reptiles. Oh, and her husband. She likes to curse in Russian and
spends most of her spare time letting dogs in and out of the house and
shuttling kids around. She writes historical romance and middle grade/young
adult fantasy. Her first book, Just a
Kiss, is coming from Entangled Publishing in January 2014.
You can find Ally on her website, Facebook, and Twitter (though
she makes no claims of using any of them properly).
