Creativity Competition of St Petersburg Students: The History of the Christmas Tree in the Hermitage
1 October - 1 December 2005

A word about the children's creative work competition called "The History of the Christmas Tree"

During the period running from 1 October through 1 December 2005, many schools in St Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast will take part in a children's creative work competition organized on the initiative of the State Hermitage's Volunteer Service. This competition is part of a wide-ranging holiday season program which staff in various departments of the State Hermitage is preparing.

Subject of the competition
The competition is devoted to the history of celebrating Christmas-New Year's in Russia and, in particular, to the appearance in our country of the main symbol of the winter holidays, the Christmas tree. This choice of subject has not been arbitrary. The organizers of the competition have set a number of important tasks for themselves: to encourage the students' interest in the history, traditions and culture of our country; to help the kids become better acquainted with the work of various departments of the State Hermitage; and also to draw their attention to the issue of preserving the cultural heritage.

A new museum exhibition
In order to attain these objectives, a concept was developed which includes, in addition to the children's creative work competition, a whole complex of the most varied activities. In the future there are plans to use the results of the competition to create a museum exhibition in Ropsha.
The schoolchildren can take a most active part in the creation of a museum devoted to the history of celebrating New Year's. This museum should become not only a place for exhibiting children's works, but also an active center for encouraging creativity among children.

Why has Ropsha been chosen?
The selection of Ropsha as the location for the future museum has its reasons. The appearance of the Christmas tree in Russia is inseparably linked with the name of one of the owners of the Ropsha estate, Empress Alexandra Fedorovna (nee, Princess Charlotte of Prussia), the wife of Emperor Nicholas I.

"Alexandra Fedorovna brought to the tsarist family from her native Germany the tradition of gentle family holidays for children. On Christmas Eve, an entire pine forest grew in one of the halls of the palace. Each member of the family and some close friends found presents under a Christmas tree. The small children received toys; the older ones got books, dresses and objects in silver; the adults were given precious knick-knacks and sometimes even got pieces of furniture." (quotation from N. V. Yukhneva, E.D. Yukhneva, The German Route. A Guidebook from the Series St. Petersburg at the Crossroads of Cultures, St Petersburg, 2003).

In no small degree, the selection of Ropsha as the site for the future museum has been facilitated by the fact that the Ropsha estate itself was given to Alexandra Fedorovna by Nicholas I as a New Year's present. This happened 180 years ago, on the New Year's eve from 31 December to 1 January 1826. "I present the deed to the farmsteads of Ropsha and Kipen, with all the villages belonging to them, to My Beloved spouse Alexandra Fedorovna" (quoted from the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire).

Gifts made by children
One of the principles of child-rearing in the imperial family was to teach them the value of work. On Christmas and New Year's, Emperor Nicholas I only accepted presents which were made by his children with their own hands. Alexandra Fedorovna brought into the family the tradition of home-made gifts.

The Empress spent her childhood in Koenigsberg (present-day Kaliningrad) in Eastern Prussia, where the Prussian royal family was forced to settle after being driven away by Napoleon. This was a complex time in the life of the royal family, which was in exile. They lived in extreme need and at times they lacked even the most essential things. But Charlotte remembered all her life how as children they created home-made decorations and flower "treasures" as gifts for their mother, Queen Louise.

Children's contribution to the preservation of the cultural heritage
The organizers of the children's creative work competition give great importance to the possibility of making a contribution to inculcating in the children a respect for the history and traditions of our country, as well as a solicitous attitude towards monuments of architecture and art. Nowadays the Ropsha estate, which is a unique monument of architecture, is in a deplorable state. The creation of a new museum and center of children's creative work in Ropsha will help draw attention to the issue of the estate's dilapidation. It is very important that every participant in the competition feel that he or she is not only participating in the organization of a New Year's holiday in the State Hermitage, but also is making a contribution to the rebirth of a unique monument of architecture.