Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Pascha at the court of Tzar Nicholas II

a rather decent & readible machine-English text:  (with many historic photos)- "Easter at the Court of Emperor Nicholas II"

Category: The end days of old Russia.

Russian language original text with these photos: article found on Internet Sobor
 http://internetsobor.org/istoriia/istoriia/paskha-pri-dvore-imperatora-nikolaia-ii

Easter at the court of Emperor Nicholas II

Author: Vera nun incl. April 22, 2015. Posted in History (Views: 25)
Blogs St. Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II used to recover the episodes Easter celebrations at the court of the last Russian Emperor. In the records of 1894, we see the Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich in one of his happiest Easter weeks, when the heir to the Russian throne with a brilliant retinue came to Coburg ask for the hand of Alice of Hesse.




"On the eve of Easter on Holy Saturday went four Aunt Ella (Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna), Alix (Alice of Hesse), Sandro (Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich) and I buy all sorts of nonsense to hide in the eggs. Although the rain did not stop pouring a lot of fun and laughed ... At 5 o'clock courier arrived with precious letters from home, with the order and wonderful presents for Alix from Papa and Mama and Easter eggs. Much joy they brought us both. "


In the early years of the reign of the young emperor with his wife on an established ceremonial midnight on Easter procession was headed by a lush motorcade on the state rooms of the Winter Palace to the Great Church, making all the required rituals solemn service. He often personally participated in the removal of the Shroud. At dawn, when the liturgy royal family gathered for an Easter meal with Easter cakes, Easter colored eggs and a magnificent Malachite Room adjoining the Emperor's private chambers. Tsar Nicholas wrote in his diary: "We went to bed at about 4 am, when the dawn was already breaking ... At 11.30 hours began Easter greeting to all people in the Malachite; nearly 500 people were eggs. " In the days that followed lasted congratulations, Easter greeting, distribution of gifts to relatives, court officials, retinue, and palace servants, whose number reached thousands of people. Years passed ...

In 1913, to commemorate the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty, the royal couple and their five children celebrated Easter in the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo.


The king, who was present on the night worship with their children, recalled: "The procession with the marvelous sunrise, I was very reminiscent of Moscow Cathedral of the Assumption and the same service. Children colored eggs with the officers of the yacht ... gifted with each other in the afternoon ... Alex was in the church for the first time and at the end of matins Anastasia (youngest daughter) came home. The service was grand and wonderful in our beautiful charming church. "

During the war, the Emperor celebrated Easter away from his family in the military headquarters in Mogilev, from the staff attends Easter service. On Good Saturday, he wrote in his diary: "Got Easter eggs from dear Alix and children .... About the regimental church in the birch grove I exchanged Easter greetings with the Cossacks and the lower ranks of all the parts in Moghilev - only 860 people. " Easter egg - that symbolic gift reddened with the blood of the Savior - was no longer mediated symbol It acquired special significance at the front, where the blood was flowing soldiers. And in light holiday Resurrection it became the hope of salvation and atonement personal act of courage and self-sacrifice. Easter war years the royal family spends at the front and in hospitals, greetings with soldiers and giving presents to them.
Strict Easter eggs of the war years are simple and plain decoration. If in previous years was manufactured 4000 - 5000 porcelain eggs for Easter 1915, he was presented a copy of 10131. Most of them were decorated with monograms Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and heir Alexei Nikolaevich.

During the First World War, there were also eggs with monograms king's daughter and sister of the Empress, the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. All of them were engaged in charitable activities, caring for the wounded and, of course, made them gifts at Easter. At this time in the statements Porcelain Factory has a new address: delivery to the infirmary. During the war, began to make special white eggs with a red cross and the date under it - for presentation to the wounded. In 1916, it was made of 2000 eggs. In the same year, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna commissioned a series of Easter eggs decorated with a red cross and a rich decor. She raised her Easter gift to thousands of wounded soldiers.

The soldiers at the front were given a day of Easter red eggs with a printed image of St George Cross fourth degree, called the soldiers, as it was awarded to the lower ranks - soldiers, sailors, non-commissioned officers. They were made in factories MS Kuznetsova. Was released as Easter card with a picture of Emperor Nicholas II in field uniform handing a soldier a red Easter egg. Easter 1917 the imperial family met in prison in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, where, on the orders of AF Kerensky, communication was limited to members of the family meetings at the table, significantly reduced the number of people who attended a worship service and shared the Passover meal of the royal family. In Easter Sunday Alexandra "gave them porcelain eggs remaining from earlier stocks. A total of 135 people. "

Sadder still was the last Easter in the life of the imperial family in the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, where on the night of July 17, 1918, they were shot by the Bolsheviks. Tsar Nicholas II wrote about the frosty, overcast Easter 1918 .: "At the request of Botkin (Romanov family doctor) to us let the priest and deacon at 8:00. They performed matins quickly and well; It was a great comfort to pray even in such a situation and to hear "Christ is Risen" ... In the morning we exchanged Easter greetings with each other over tea and ate cake and red eggs, Easter could not get it. " 
Sadness and fatigue, mental anguish and despair is no longer allowed the royal family until her tragic death. But until the last minute the Emperor and Empress, overcoming grief, sought to "seek solace in prayer and do not doubt God's love and mercy."
The first Faberge egg
 

    No comments:

    Post a Comment

    Guest comments MAYBE can be made by email.
    joannahigginbotham@runbox.com

    Anonymous comments will not be published. Daniel will not see unpublished comments. If you have a message for him, you need to contact him directly.
    oregdan@hotmail.com