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Russian Easter

© Anna Gruverman

May 5th, 2002 -- imagine: You awake to a sound you have been longing to hear for the past five months of winter -- a tinkling just above your window, a drizzle over the glass. The sun shines brightly and blinds you as it is reflected off the snow. And as you look outside, you notice that there is a grayness where the ground used to be pure white. The snow is starting to melt, and the drizzle is the first sign of a Russian spring: ice melting off the roofs.

There would be crowds outside each church, crowds in the streets, and everywhere you go people you’ve never even seen before would give you three kisses and the traditional Easter greeting: “Christ is risen!” (Christos voskres!). You, of course, would reply in kind: “Truly risen!” (Voistinu voskres!).

For centuries, Easter has been one of Russia’s favorite holidays. It is celebrated most usually with the whole family -- to the “seventh root,” as it is common to say. Families in Russia tend to be very close, cousins growing up as though they were siblings (in fact, cousins are called brother and sister in the Russian language) and great-grandparents taking care of the littlest members as though they were their own. Thus the house would be full, everyone making last preparations in the kitchen while the children paint the eggs. According to legend, when Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus she had with her a basket of eggs to serve as a repast; when she arrived at the tomb and uncovered the eggs, the pure white shells had miraculously taken on a rainbow of colors. The tradition is continued in Russia today. However, egg-painting has been carried on to a higher level. Pictures and intricate designs have been a must ever since the arrival of Faberge.

The Faberge family originated in France, but the Protestant family fled after the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685. Eventually, they settled in Russia. Peter Carl Faberge was born in 1846. Volunteering at the Hermitage, he visited often a treasury which stored all of the precious objects of the Russian czars, including ancient legendary artifacts. Here he acquired his love for the work of the goldsmith, hiring a local artisan, Michael Perchin, to assist him in experiments with gold and enamel. Through careful examination of past works of art, the two learned and were eventually able to replicate techniques of ancient masters. Their efforts were so remarkable that even the Tsar could not distinguish between the original piece and Faberge’s copy. The Faberge eggs began in 1884 with an Easter egg made by order of Tsar Alexander III as a gift to his wife, Marie Feodorovna. This first creation was two-layered masterpiece, with an outside shell of enameled white platinum which opened to reveal a smaller egg, which, in turn, opened to display a golden chicken and a jeweled replica of the Imperial crown. Soon after, Faberge became the Supplier to the Imperial Court. It was agreed that he would make an egg for the Empress every year, that each egg would contain a surprise and that the surprise would be kept secret until Easter morning.

Russian Orthodox church	an Icon	Hand-painted eggs	Eggs by Faberge	Eggs by Faberge
Eggs by Faberge	Eggs by Faberge	Eggs by Faberge

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