The times., 1890-04-04

think OF going to bed on the evening OF
Holy Saturday; even such as attempt 1t
find sleep to be unattainable on account
OF the general hustle and noises prevail
ing IN houses and in the streets. At 10
p. m. ,hurches begin to fill with people
of all classes, eager to assist at mathis;
no seats being provided, all stand shoul-
der to shoulder in dense crowd, the air
overladen with incense and rendered al
most suffocating es toward midnight
each one Of the worshipers lights taper
and holds it while the clergy go around
the church on the outside in a procession
and then return within the church, sing
ing the glad tidings: "Christ has risen."
These words are on the spot taken up
by the congregation, faces brighten,
friends and acquaintances push their
way through the crowd greeting each
other with the obligatory Easter kiss and
the words: "Christ has risenw to which
the other party responds: "Indeed, he
has risenw After this, conversations set
in and the congregation resolves itself
into something like a large reception,
while worshipers press forward to the
place before the altar where the priest
or bishop stands, holding out the crucifix
to kiss to each person approaching him.
People OF the lower classes of whatever
sex exchange here Easter kisses with the
priest; the monks and bishops (who are
always appointed from monks), however,
kiss the men only, but none of the wo-
men, while the parish priests kiss all who
offer to go through the ordeal.
Most people stay on in church through
early mass, which often lasts until 3 or
in the morning, since the priest has to
bless all the Easter cakes C'Kooletche'O
and the Paschal cheeses that are brought
for that very purpose to church by their
owners themselves, or by servants of
richer households. After conservation
cakes and cheeses are speedily carried
home and set up on large table, over
laden with all kinds of tempting edibles.
AS soon as the members of the family
have returned from the midnight church
services, they all sit down to "break
fast" partaking first of the Paschal cake
and cheese, and then proceeding to drink
tea and eat of such meats as had not been
tasted for the seven weeks of Lent. Poor
and rich alike keep up the observance ac-
cording to their means, and it is usually
broad daylight Of Easter Sunday when
people repair to their beds. !
Members of the old nobility, as we'll
as all such as deem themselves to belong
to what is called society, in the largest
cities generally attend Easter mathis at
some fashionable and exclusive private
church, to which people are not admitted
otherwise than by tickets; such ere, in
ST. Petersburg for instance, the churches
of the School of Law, of the Department
Of the Public Domains, the Cathedral of
the Mounted Guard, on the Liteynayo,
or the Church of the Palace of the Grand
Duke Nicholas-uncle of the present
car. All those churches are justly re-
nowned for their splendid choirs of
singers, and people go to mathis there
dies in white dresses, with bare heads,
wearing in some cases dainty white lace
caps, or even white flowers; while Off
GERS come in full dress uniforms, with
all their decorations, and civilians sport
their dress suits and white ties. Here it
is the small minority only who listen to
the service; the rest spend their time in
conversation, many remaining in the
outer halls, where they stroll talking and
showing off their toilets. Sometimes
the priest, exasperated by such lack
of reverence for the place, addresses a
sharp reprimand.
The exchange of Easter greetings ac-
companied by kisses is an almost univer-
sal custom in Russia, from which even
the higher classes can be exempt only
when residing in the capital. In fami-
lies Of noblemen all the servants come up
thus to greet their masters and their
families; grown up sons and daughters
of a landed proprietor have to illustrate
Christian humility by stopping to kiss
the poorest peasant ON their estate if he
offers to do SO on meeting them for the
first time on Easter week In cities
Easter kisses are sometimes bestowed by
young ladies of society on any one for a
consideration, for money to help some
charitable concern. In Tula, for in.
stance--a city Of some &C, 900 inhabitants,
where spent part of my childhood-the
three handsome daughters of the local
governor used to give the Easter kiss to
any one who paid them twenty-five
rubles (some $12) for it, the money going
to an orphan asylum. There are other
'-sA rs.c