The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-27

KISSING Prorniscuously Is
One Of the Essential Cere-
monies Of This Holiday
Season IN Russia

thirty or fragrant spices, gums and other oils
in varying quantities. The ceremonies incidental to
the preparation of the myro are peculiarly impress
sve and are among the most remarkable features
of the celebration of the Easter in Russia though,
as i have said, they but once in two three
years"
An American woman, who married a Russian
nobeman, was recently visiting her old home in
America. In describing the Russian Easter cele-
brations she said:
Easter is the greatest, perhaps, of all the Rus
sian holiday seasons 1t is sort of combinations
Christmas and New Year as we understand the
days. 1t is the great Russian national festival and
this is particularly when said of the ce1ebra-
tons among the lower classes though there is moth
ing in all the Russian customs which thoroughly
shows the true democracy of the Russians"
But" said the who was listening, Il always
had an idea that in Russia there such thing
as democracy understand it.
"There never was more erroneous idea,' she said
T have found that the truest sort of democracy
lists in Russia, and by that democracy that
almost amounts to too much personal liberty. |
can perhaps best explain this by telling an Incl
dent which happened at a railway station we
were about to take the train for Moscow, where
we were going last Easter time to spend the holi
days. A distinguished army officer and his beautiful
dressed in sheepskins approached the officer. Chris
tos VoskresenH he said to the lady She turned in
stantly and kissed the peasant three times. Vo
istine voskres! she said This being translated
means Christ is risen,' and He is risen, indeed.
Thus you will see that it matters little in what
country the Easter is celebrated, the same express
sions of greeting used though in America [ i'm
agine there would be surprise. If when one was
greeted by the familiar expression Christ is risen
it were necessary to kiss whoever said it.
ITO understand this incident fully, you must re
member that an army officer is the direct repre-
sentative of the Gar himself and even had the
peasant chance to first greet the Empress in the
way he greeted the officers wife, the custom would
have been fulfilled just the same, and she would
have kissed the three times. This triple kiss
is supposed to signify the Holy Trinity and is, per-
haps the most distinguishing feature of the Russian
celebration
"In Moscow, where the national celebration of
Easter to be at its BEST the streets become
quiet very early on Easter Eve. At half past eleven
on Easter Eve last year we started for the Kremln
We gfoped up the dark staircase of the tower of
Ivan Veiki to get better view of the scene of
which we had heard so much At twelve o'clock the
tower began to tremb1e volently--the great bell
of the Assumption which weighs sixty-four TONS
and is the largest in the world, striking the
hour Instantly every bell in all the four hundred
churches of Moscow took up the ringing, joyfuly
and rapidly 1t was Easter morning, and from the
streets below we could plainly hear the great shouts
sChristos Voskresenp and Vo istine voskresr
ga hundred cannon doomed from the Tainitzky
tower and, as if lighted by magic, every spire and
dome were illuminated The Kremlin fairly blazed
circle OF light shone about every church, and
every street in Moscow became scene of indie
scribable glory of light.
CAT the same moment procession of the clergy
with bearers, all dressed in the brilliant
robes of gold and silver, with incense, choirs and
banners began the circuit of the churches walking
over branches of evergreen which had been strewn
about. The chanting of the choirs and the solemn
singing of the Easter hymn:
s'sChrst is risen,
Is risen from the dead,
made a symphony of music such as ] have
heard elsewhere on earth.
"The square about the Kren1lin became light
as day and we could see the Metropolitan in his
magnificent robes, with his train bearers his cross
of crystal, incense and great candles, walking about
the Cathedral of the Assumption. The vast crowds
which had suddenly sprung into the quiet streets
rushed into the churches. Each carried candle,
which was lighted at the altar, and each, the
candle was lighted, turned ito his neighbor, whom
he saluted with the cry of Christos Voskresen! at
the same time kissing him three times.
"We hastened through the streets to other
churches, and everywhere the short pillars, which
answer for curbstones in Moscow, there little
earthen bowls, filled with melted tallow, in which
lighted wick floating. The smoke and smell
were disagreeabe-much like the smoke and smell
of an American Fourth of July-but the scene
indescribably beautiful Everywhere around the
churches there the people with dishes of col
ored eggs, waiting to have them blessed"