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

M E: !: :: e !: :: !: =: =: !:
A 5sslgIA means Russia and the countries
lNgGk\k non which come under the control of the
tE:T1N2ESA Greek, or Eastern, Church-Easter
j H. 9TI@l is not only great religious event,
4 fk\'A but, through the changes of time,
EJ has come to be great national
Astiva1. This years celebration promises to be pc
jculiar1y sad because of the
tI Lent-as it is understood by the people of the
lWest-lasts for six weeks from Ash Wednesday,
or forty days In the calendar of the Russian
Church it lasts for weeks and, owing to the
differences between the Gregoran method of COM
\ f)uting time and that still in in the Russian
Il Church, the Lenten will end this year
II April Ia week later than the Easter Day it is
feebrated in the United States and elsewhere where
III khe Gregorian calendar is in In Russia they
fall Lent "The Great Fast" and during the Great
FAST no animal food may be eaten No fish food
/ sven, may be eaten except during the first four
weeks of the season. and among the lower classes
The fast is strictly observed.
+ There is no mi careme in Russia, but Palm Sum
Mayor what is called Palm Sunday in the Western
bChurch-is the nearest approach to any holiday
seen during the Lenten In Russia this
Sunday is called Willow Day, and on Willow Eve
The evening preceding the Willow Day-the first
duty of everyone who appears upon the streets is
70 buy sprig of willow. If the spring comes early,
one may buy this sprig with the catkins. This,
though, depends upon the Easter season, for when
he Easter comes late in the year, then the spring
-.omes early and willows in Russia-ike the willows
the world overcome when the first breath of the
spring makes them show their fur to those who
would buy-as everyone buys in Moscow Will
ow Eve
On the streets on this evening may be seen ped
dlers with their trays filled with Easter eggs, toy
balloons and everything that might appeal to the
Ehildren. In Russia as in the Teutonic countries,
Easter is planned for the childrens entertainment,
as we'll as for the religious ceremony of the elders
priest of the Russian Church, who has lived for
the greater part of his life in Russia, but who has
come to America to minister to his people, told the
other day of of the ceremonies of Passion
Week. He said:
Every two or three years the Church prepares
the myro or holy chrism This is sacred oil used
for amounting children in baptism, the consecration
of churches, and the ceremony of the coronation
of the Emperor and Empress
Down to a few years ago this holy oil was pre-
pared only at Kef and at Moscow. 1t may be pre-
pared elsewhere now-I do not know. The
mony takes place in the Sacrsty of the Patrarchs,
and the Metropolitan in person lights the fire. pours
into the caldron the first gallon of oil and begins
to read the gospel.
"This ceremony begins on the Monday morning
preceding Easter, and 1 remember going into the
church in Moscow during the year of the corona
ton of the Gar while this ceremony was in prog
ress The Sacristy of the Patriarchs is great hall
filled with the most marvellous decorations. At the
north end under a great canopy of gi1ded wood,
there was a stove of porcelain On this stove
placed two tremendous caldrons of silver, lined with
} gold each weighing two hundred pounds. NUM-
Der of priests were grouped about these cadrons,
and six deacons in black robes, trimmed with sill
yer, were stirring the oil with long silver ladies'
For three days and nights this ceremony is kept
up the oil is constantly stirred by the deacons and
monks while the priests read the gospels aloud
There was large vase in the center of the hall 1t
was made of silver, richly ornamented with gold
and was presented to the Sacristy by the Empress
Catherine II. Into this vase after the myro is
boiled for the required time the holy oil is poured
to be blessed On the Thursday before Easter
there was great procession of all the Church dig
nitaries, and the oil was carried the Church of
the Assumption from the Sacristy of the Patri
archs Then the Metropolitan, assisted by number
of archbshops, said Mass the Metropolitan pouring
from the alabaster few drops of the sacred oil into
The mvro, blessed it, and the holy chrism taken
hack to the Sacristy to be divided and sent away.
."The alabaster, SO called in memory of the ala
baster box of ointment, broken by Mary the
Saviour, is small copper bottle, covered with
X {mother-of-pearl, and originally filled with oil
brought from Constantinople when Christianity was
introduced into Russia. Each time the myro is pre-
oared a few drops of this oil is poured in and the
abaster is again filed that after centuries there
still remains minute portion of the original oil.
"The myro which watched in the making and
blessing consisted of about thousand pounds OF
olive oil forty gallons of white Lisbon wine and