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Easter is a holiday of the Radiant Resurrection of Christ. A major Christian celebration takes place in memory of sufferings, martyr death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Russia Easter was introduced at the end of the 10th century. As many others Christian holidays in Russia, Easter absorbed Christian doctrines and ancient pagan beliefs and worships. Starting as long ago as the pagan times in Russia there has been a tradition to paint eggs red. A red egg was considered to be a symbol of the sun that ancient people worshipped paying tribute to the vernal equinox and celebrating awakening of nature after winter.
The tradition of painting eggs for Easter is connected with Mary Magdalene who found out about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, came to Emperor Tiberius and presented him an egg saying: "Christ is risen!" The Emperor expressed a doubt: "It is so difficult to believe in it just as to believe that a white egg can become red!" And in that moment the egg became red. Easter egg was one of the faith doctrines and was a visible sign of resurrection from the dead.
Easter was celebrated with family, people came to their relatives and close friends and such a celebration lasted seven days, the whole Bright Week. In Easter elegant coloured eggs acted not only as a part of a ritual but also as gifts. On the Easter Sunday there was a custom of common kissing. When people went with visits at Easter, they took painted eggs with them and greeted each other saying: "Christ is risen!" and heard in reply "He is risen indeed!"; then they kissed each other three times and presented Easter eggs.
From ancient times Russian tsars presented specially prepared painted eggs to their retinue. Besides painted natural eggs, special gift souvenir eggs were being prepared for Easter. They were produced from wood, papier-mâché, porcelain, glass, stone and precious metals. In the 18th and 19th centuries at the court of the Russian emperors the Easter celebration ceremonial was also accompanied by presenting gifts: Easter eggs (mainly porcelain and glass ones), decorative vases, table sets and jewellery. Easter eggs featured miniatures with biblical scenes, views of St Petersburg and Moscow, patterns and coats of arms.
From the mid-1880s the Imperial Porcelain Factory by the order of Alexander III started producing Easter porcelain eggs with monograms of Russian Emperors. In the late 19th - early 20th centuries the Russian Emperor family was receiving by Easter about 300 porcelain eggs decorated with biblical scenes and tsars' monograms and about 5000 eggs with flower and ornamental patterns. From the end of the 18th century coloured stone started to be used in the production of Easter eggs. After carving and polishing eggs obtained golden or silver-pearl brilliance and seemed to emit light. Since there were no Easter symbols on stone eggs, they were presented not only at Easter but at Christmas, birthdays and name-days. Craftsmen of Palekh and Mstiora (ancient villages with old traditions of the Russian folk art) created lacquered miniatures on eggs from papier-mâché. The production of the famous Fabergé jewellery firm that created eggs with surprises from gold, silver and precious stones won the world recognition. Jewellery miniature eggs were very popular gifts and objects of collecting among rich Russians at the turn of the 20th century. They were used for making necklaces, pendants and bracelets that were worn during the Easter Week according to the well-established traditions. Imperial and private fabrics and works, best artists, jewellers and craftsmen took part in creating Easter souvenirs. |
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