winter in russia.—fashionable and other furs.—sleighs and sledges.—no sleigh-bells in russian cities.—official opening of the neva.—russian ice-hills.—"butter-week."—kissing at easter.—an active kissing-time.—russian stoves and baths.—effects of severe cold.—the story of the frozen nose.—how men are frozen to death.
while greatly enjoying their summer visit to st. petersburg, frank and fred regretted that they did not have the opportunity of seeing the capital in winter. they heard much about the gayety of the winter season, and wondered if their journeyings would ever bring them there at the time when the snow covered the ground and the neva was sealed with ice.
for their consolation doctor bronson told them of his winter experience of the city. his story was about as follows:
"i arrived here in the latter part of january, when the temperature was running very low. the ordinary mercury thermometer, which freezes at 39° below zero, was of no use, as the mercury would be frozen solid almost every day. spirit thermometers are the only practicable ones for northern russia, and during my stay here they marked -53° fahrenheit. this is an unusual and extreme figure, the mean winter temperature being about 18° above zero. the average summer temperature is 62°, and the extreme summer figure 99°.
"everybody wears furs or sheepskins in winter; they are donned when the frosts come, and not laid aside till the trees are budding. furs are for the rich, or those who pretend to be so, and sheepskins for the lower classes. both kinds of garments are worn with the fur or wool inside; the fur coat or cloak has a backing of cloth, while the sheepskin coat has only the skin of the animal without any cloth addition."
one of the boys asked what kinds of furs were most in use.
"nearly everything that bears the name of fur," was the reply; "but fashion rules here as everywhere else, and it often happens that a fur will be in great demand at one time and quite neglected a few years later. sable is the most expensive fur, and a coat or cloak lined with it is worth[pg 194] all the way from five hundred to five thousand dollars, depending upon the excellence of the skins. another fur, that of the black fox, is still more costly; but as it is worn only by the imperial family and the highest nobility, it does not come into our category.
fur-bearing seals.
"coats lined with astrachan (the soft wool of very young lambs) are fashionable, and bring high prices. i have known of coats of this kind selling for six or eight hundred dollars each. i took to america a cap of astrachan wool; it cost me about three dollars, and with my inexperienced eye i could not distinguish it from one that sold for ten times as much. my russian friends could readily detect the difference; but as i was buying the cap for american and not for russian use, i was quite content with my purchase."
"why is this fur or wool called 'astrachan?'" one of the youths asked.
sea-otter.
"it comes here from astrachan, at the mouth of the volga," said the doctor. "its preparation is one of the industries of central asia, for which astrachan is the great market. this fur is black, and remarkably soft and silky. the lamb is killed immediately after he sees the light, and the younger he is at the time of his death the finer and more valuable is the skin. persia supplies large quantities of this fur, and it varies from black to gray or white.
[pg 195]
the beaver.
"i mentioned the black fox as a very costly fur. the emperor has a cloak which is valued at ten thousand dollars; only an emperor or some one else with plenty of money at his command could afford such a garment. the fur of the black fox is rarely seen outside of russia, as only a small quantity of it comes to market. plenty of counterfeit fur of this kind can be found in england; it is made by dyeing the skin of the common fox, and the work is done so skilfully as to defy detection by any one not an expert in the fur trade.
the ermine.
"sea-otter, mink, marten, beaver, fur-seal, lynx, and raccoon are the furs in general use for lining garments in russia. otter, seal, and mink furs are expensive, and so is that of another animal i had almost omitted from the list, the ermine. ermine fur was formerly the badge of royalty, and in some countries it could be worn only by the members of the royal or imperial family, or by the judges in the high courts. in england you often hear the judges spoken of as 'wearers of the ermine;' the fur has been used for lining the robes of the judges, its snowy whiteness being considered an emblem of purity. the tip of the tail of the ermine is black, and in making robes the white surface is dotted at regular intervals with the black tips. where they are not sufficient for the purpose, the paws of the astrachan lamb are used instead.
the raccoon.
"the fur you see most frequently in russia in the winter season is that of the raccoon. i bought a coat lined with this fur when i arrived in st. petersburg, and paid the equivalent of eighty dollars for it. i did not recognize the skin as that of a compatriot, and was only aware of its origin when informed by a russian friend. a fur-dealer in new york afterwards told me that half a million raccoon-skins are sent annually to london, and nearly all of them find their way to russia.
"another animal whose fur comes from america to russia is that odoriferous creature, the skunk. a friend of mine bought a coat of this[pg 196] kind under the impression that the fur grew on the back of a young bear. in cold weather, and out-of-doors, it was all right, and no one could have known the difference; but when the weather grew warm, and a thaw made the atmosphere moist, my friend's coat was not a pleasant article of wear. i believe he sold it to the manager of a glue factory, whose nose had lost its sensitiveness through his peculiar occupation.
"so much for the materials, and now for the garment. a russian shooba, or cloak, extends from the head to the heels of the wearer; the sleeves cover the finger-tips, or very nearly so, and the collar, when turned up, will completely encircle and conceal the head. the head-covering is a cap of the pattern you see often in pictures, and once called in america the 'pork-pie.' the coat is excellent for riding purposes. one can walk a short distance in such a garment, but it is really inconvenient for a promenade.
"but as everybody who can afford to ride does so, the awkwardness of the shooba is of little consequence. the streets abound in sledges, and you may be whisked here, there, and everywhere at a very rapid rate for a reasonable price. the streets are far gayer in winter than in summer, for the reason that there are so many more vehicles in motion, and i know of no more active spectacle than the nevski on a clear day in january."
"the bells on the sleighs must make a merry tinkling," said one of the boys, with a smile.
"quite wrong," said the doctor, returning the smile, "as there are no bells at all."
"no bells on the sleighs!" was the surprised reply. "then the law is not like ours in america?"
"exactly the reverse," answered the doctor. "in the united states we require them, and in russia they forbid them. we argue that unless bells are worn on the horses the approach of a sleigh could not be perceived; the russians argue that in the confusion caused by the sound of bells one could not hear the warning shout of the driver, and would be[pg 197] liable to be run over. both are right; sleighs are not sufficiently numerous with us to cause confusion, while in russia their great numbers would certainly bring about the result the russians dread.
"but it is in the cities and towns only," the doctor continued, "that the bell is forbidden. on the country roads any one travelling in a post-carriage carries bells on the duga—the yoke above the neck of the shaft-horse—but he must remove them before entering a town. most of these bells are made at valdai, a town on the road from st. petersburg to moscow, and the place of their origin is preserved in some of the sleighing songs of the country.
"balls, parties, receptions, dances, dinners, theatricals, operas, anything and everything belonging to fashionable life, can be found in st. petersburg in winter. any one with introductions can be as gay as he wishes, and it is a wonder to a quiet and ease-loving man that the russians can survive this sort of thing year after year. a fashionable russian rarely gets to bed before two or three o'clock in the morning; it is true he may sleep late, but if he has any official engagements his hours of slumber will be few. a winter in st. petersburg is a heavy drain on one's vital forces, and also upon the pocket. living is dear, and it is well said that this city is the most costly capital of europe, with the possible exception of madrid.
"the neva freezes near the end of october or early in november, and remains frozen until may. nobody is allowed to venture on the ice until it has been officially declared that the river is frozen over; and in the spring, when the ice melts, the official declaration is necessary before a single boat can put out from shore, or even be launched. when the river is opened there is an elaborate ceremony, and a part of the performance includes taking a glass of water from the river and presenting it to the emperor. his majesty drinks the water and fills the glass with gold coin. it was observed that the size of the glass increased annually, until it assumed the proportions of a respectable flower-vase. the imperial stomach could not hold so much water at once, and the imperial purse objected to the price. a compromise was effected by fixing a certain sum to be paid, instead of filling the glass with gold.
"skating and riding on the ice have a prominent place in the amusements of russia in winter. coasting on artificial ice-hills is also a standard sport, in which all classes of people take part. it is especially in order during 'butter-week' and the easter festivities, and is one of the winter sights of all cities in the empire."
"how do they make these ice-hills?" fred asked.
[pg 198]
russian ice-hills.
"a scaffold is raised to the height of thirty or forty feet, the posts being set in holes drilled in the frozen earth or pavement, and fixed in their places by pouring water around them. in a few minutes the water is converted into ice and the post is immovable. on one side of the[pg 199] scaffold there are steps for ascending it, and generally there is a track at the side for drawing up the sleds. the other side slopes off very steeply at the start; then it becomes more gentle, and finally extends a considerable distance on a level.
"blocks of ice are laid on the slope; water is poured over them to be converted into ice and make a smooth surface; and when the slide is completed and opened it is thronged by patrons. it takes away one's breath at first when he is pitched over the edge of the slope and finds himself rushing with a speed surpassing that of a railway-train. the impetus gained in the first part of the descent is sufficient to carry the sled a long distance on the level. i tried the slide two or three times, and think if i had been ten or twenty years younger i should have enjoyed it very much."
"where do they put up these ice-hills?" frank inquired.
"several are erected in admiralty square," said the doctor, "and others in various other squares and along the bank of the river. they are frequently arranged so that the level part of the slide is over the ice of the neva, and care is taken that the track shall be smooth as glass. there are usually two of these hills side by side, the slides being in opposite directions.
[pg 200]
"those i speak of are for the general public. smaller slides are in the court-yards of private houses, and there are imitations of them in many summer-houses, where polished wood takes the place of ice. one of the slides in the imperial palace is of mahogany, which has been polished till it shines like a finely finished bureau or wardrobe.
soldiers off duty—butter-week.
"the time to see st. petersburg in all its winter glory is during 'maslinitza,' or 'butter-week,' which ushers in the 'great fast' preceding easter. the whole population is engaged in enjoying itself. blinni, or pancakes, are the favorite articles of food, and thousands of digestions are upset by the enormous quantities of these things that are devoured. they are made of flour and butter, fried in butter, and eaten with butter-sauce. butter and other fatty foods are in order through the week; and from a sanitary point of view this great consumption of grease, followed by seven weeks of fasting, leads to frightful results. statistics show that the mortality rate is largely increased at this time of the year, and certainly it is not to be wondered at. rich and poor alike give themselves up to butter, and the only difference is that the rich have the best qualities of the article, and sometimes a greater quantity.
"the rich people sometimes have blinni parties during the festive season. i once attended one of these affairs at the invitation of a russian friend. when we met in the parlors i was surprised that so few were present, as i had dined there before and knew he could accommodate twice the number. but i saw the reason when the word was given that the pancakes were ready and our host led the way.
"we were not taken to the dining-room but to the kitchen, and then[pg 201] it was explained that blinni parties are given in the kitchen, and no more people are invited than the place can accommodate. the blinni are eaten on the spot, as fast as they are cooked, and it is a prime object to have them hot from the griddle. we had a very jolly time there, but for several days my stomach was like an embryo vesuvius in consequence of making a whole meal of this rich food. think of an entire dinner of buckwheat-cakes or fried 'turnovers,' the stuff that dreams are made of."
the easter kiss—agreeable.
one of the boys wished to know about the easter kissing for which russia is famous.
the easter kiss—in the family.
"well, it is one of the sights of russia, with agreeable and disagreeable features. it is not literally the case that everybody kisses everybody else, but that statement is not so very far out of the way after all. i passed through one easter, and it was quite enough for a lifetime. i was kissed by men and women almost innumerable. if the kissing could have been confined to the young and pretty women, or even to the comely ones of middle or advanced life, i should have borne the infliction patiently; but when i was obliged to receive the salutation from men, of all ages and all conditions of cleanliness, or its reverse, it was too much for comfort. all russia kisses all the rest of russia at easter, and any foreigner who may be here at the time is treated like a subject of the czar. the old adage that 'kissing goes by favor' is entirely set aside; custom makes it well-nigh universal."
the easter kiss—difficult.
"when does the ceremony begin, and how long is it kept up?" said one of the youths.
the easter kiss—disagreeable.
"it begins at midnight, as the clock sounds the hour of twelve and ushers in the easter day. a little before midnight the whole of russia[pg 202] goes to church. the emperor and all his family assemble in the imperial chapel, and every church and chapel in the empire is filled. as the clock begins striking the hour the whole congregation is wrapped in silence; at the last stroke of the bell the doors of the sanctuary of the church are thrown open and the waiting priests come forth.
"'christus voskress' ('christ is risen') is intoned by the priests, and the song is taken up by the choir, to be followed by the response, 'christus voskress ihs mortvui' ('christ is risen from the dead'). the priests walk through the congregation repeating the words and swinging their censers.
"the beginning of the chant is the signal for the kissing. friends and acquaintances are generally standing together, and each kisses every other one of the group. those who have the slightest possible acquaintance kiss each other, and at each and every kiss the two phrases i have given are repeated. at the same instant that the signal is given by the opening of the doors of the sanctuary, the churches are illuminated both inside and out, every bell is rung, and the pealing of cannon and the flashing of rockets show how much the festival is a national one.
"the kissing is continued through the night and all the next day, and even for several days all relatives, friends, and acquaintances salute each other with chritus voskress and a kiss; every isvoshchik, porter, dustman—in fact every peasant of every name and kind kisses every other peasant he has ever known, and a great many whom he never saw before. clerks in the public offices kiss each other, officers and soldiers of the army salute in the same way, the general kissing all his subordinate officers, the colonel of a regiment kissing all the officers beneath him, and also a deputation of the soldiers, while the captain and lieutenants kiss all the soldiers of their companies. the same order is observed in the navy and in all the official ranks, and the number of osculations in the empire in that one day of the year is quite beyond the power of calculation."
"are the emperor and empress subject to the same rule as other people?" was the very natural inquiry which followed.
the emperor's easter kiss.
"certainly," was the reply; "the ceremony is closely connected with the religion of the country, and as the emperor is the head of the church, he could not possibly secure exemption from this ancient custom. the emperor and empress must salute all the members of the imperial family as a matter of course, and also all the court officials and attendants; and after this ceremony is over the empress must give her hand to be kissed by every officer above the rank of colonel who has the right of attendance at court. the emperor kisses all his officers on parade, and also a delegation of soldiers selected as representatives of the army. the military[pg 203] parades for the imperial kiss last several days, as it would be impossible to go through the ceremonial with all the regiments around st. petersburg in a single revolution of the earth.
"easter makes an end of the long fast of seven weeks, which has been kept by all faithful members of the church with great rigor. the lower classes refrain even from fish during the first and last weeks of the fast, and also on wednesdays and fridays of the other five. it is no wonder[pg 204] that they precede it with the festivities of 'butter-week,' so that the recollection of the good time they have had will be a consolation during the fast. with the kissing of easter begins a period of feasting, both in eating and drinking, which is by no means famous for its moderation. many of the mujiks are sadly intoxicated before the setting of the sun at easter, and they are by no means the only persons who exhibit the effects of too liberal potations."
from easter and its kisses the conversation wandered to other subjects. fred asked how the houses were kept warm in the intense cold of a russian winter.
peasant girl in winter dress.
"some of the more modern buildings of st. petersburg and moscow," said the doctor, "are warmed by furnaces not unlike those used in america. but the true peitchka, or russian stove, is of brick, and is generally built so as to form the common centre of three or four rooms and warm them all at once. in the huts of the peasants the top of the stove is utilized as a bed, and it is usually large enough for three or four persons to lie there with comparative comfort."
"do they keep the fire going there all the time during the winter?"
"not exactly," was the reply, "though in a certain sense they do. every morning the fire is kindled in the stove, which resembles an enormous[pg 205] oven, and is kept burning for several hours. when it has burned down to a bed of coals, so that no more carbonic gas can be evolved, the chimney is closed, and port-holes near the top of the stove are opened into the room or rooms. the hot air comes out and warms the apartments, and there is enough of it to keep a good heat for twelve or fifteen hours.
"the port-holes must be carefully closed during the combustion of the wood, in order to prevent the escape of poisonous gas. sometimes they are opened when there is still some flame burning. a russian will instantly detect the presence of this gas, and open a window or rush into the open air, but strangers, in their ignorance, are occasionally overpowered by it.
"several instances are on record of strangers losing their lives by ougar, as the russians call this poisonous gas from the stove. among them, some twenty years ago, was the son of a persian ambassador, who was smothered in one of the principal hotels of moscow. when a person is overpowered by ougar, and found insensible, he is carried out-of-doors and rolled in the snow—a severe but efficacious remedy.
"then, too, the cold is excluded by means of double or triple windows, little cones of paper filled with salt being placed between the windows to absorb whatever moisture collects there. russian houses are very poorly ventilated, and frequently, on entering from the open air, you are almost stifled by the foul atmosphere that seems to strike you in the face like a pugilist.
"it is probably the condition of the air in which they live, combined with late hours and the exactions of fashionable life, that gives such an aspect of paleness to nearly all the russian women above the peasant class. a fresh, ruddy complexion, such as one sees almost universally throughout england, and quite generally in america, is almost unknown among russian ladies. if the emperor would issue a decree requiring the houses of the empire to be properly ventilated, he would confer a blessing on his faithful subjects, and save or prolong thousands of lives.
"the peasants sometimes use their stoves for baths," said the doctor, to the great surprise of his youthful auditors.
"how is that possible?" one of them asked. "do they fill the stove with water the same as they would a bath-tub?"
"not exactly," the doctor answered, smilingly. "you know the character of the russian bath as we find it in new york and other american cities?"
"certainly," was the reply. "it is a room filled with steam, and with[pg 206] a series of benches on which you lie and are heated, the highest bench being hottest of all."
a bath in the east.
"the russian bath of the best class here," said doctor bronson, "is arranged in the same way. the more primitive bath is simply a room with benches, and a fire on a pile of hot stones. water is thrown over the stones and converted into steam, and the finishing touch is to mount to the topmost bench while an attendant deluges the stones with water and raises a cloud that threatens to scald you. the most profuse perspiration is the result, and the bath is no doubt a great sanitary institution.[pg 207] the turkish bath is much like the russian, hot, dry air taking the place of steam.
"taken properly, the russian bath has no bad effects, and is beneficial in rheumatism, gout, certain forms of neuralgia, and several other diseases. it is a wonderful restorative when you have been shaken up in carriages on russian roads, and an excellent thing after a journey of any kind. every good russian considers it his duty to bathe once a week, but he does not always adhere to the rule.
"in every village there is a bath-house which is the general property of the villagers, and maintained by popular contribution. when a peasant has no bath-house he creeps into his stove, bakes himself on the hot ashes, and after perspiring freely crawls out and is drenched with water. nearly every private house has its bath, which is generally in a small building in the yard, rather than in the dwelling-house. in all the large cities there are numerous bathing establishments, some of them fitted up in gorgeous style, while others are of the plainest and cheapest sort. the russians are quite gregarious in their bathing habits, and think no more of taking a bath in the presence of each other than of dining in a restaurant."
"is it true that the russians finish a bath by having iced water poured over them, or by taking a plunge into it?"
"it is the custom to close the pores of the skin by means of cold, but not ice-cold water. the attendant begins the work of the bath by throwing water over you, first warm, then hot, then hotter, and then hottest. this drenching is followed by the steaming process and a gentle flogging with birchen rods or switches to stimulate perspiration. then you are soaped and scrubbed, the scrubbing being performed usually with birchen shavings, which are thoroughly and vigorously applied.
"after this you are again drenched with buckets of water, beginning with warm and going on a descending scale to cold, so that there shall be no shock to the system. men have rushed from the bath into a snow-bank, but this is not the custom; the peasants frequently leave the bath to take a swim in the river, but only in mild weather. no doubt there have been cases of bathing voluntarily through the ice or in iced water, but you must search far and wide to find them."
frank remarked that he thought one should exercise great care in going into the open air in winter after taking a bath. doctor bronson explained that this was the reason of the drenching with cold water, so that the pores of the skin would be closed and the chances of taking cold greatly reduced.
[pg 208]
"it is quite a shock to the system," said the doctor, "to pass from in doors to out, or from out doors to in, during the russian winter. the houses are generally heated to about 70° fahrenheit; with the thermometer at zero, or possibly ten, twenty, or more degrees below, it is like stepping from a furnace to a refrigerator, or vice versa. but the natives do not seem to mind it. i have often seen a mujik rise from his couch on the top of the stove, and after tightening his belt and putting on his boots and cap, mount the box of a sleigh and drive for two or three hours in a temperature far below zero."
"i have read somewhere," said fred, "about the danger of losing one's ears and nose by frost, and that it is the custom in st. petersburg and moscow to warn any one that he is being frozen. did you ever see a case of the kind?"
russian street scene in winter.
"it is a strange circumstance," replied the doctor, "that nearly every tourist who has been in russia, even for only a week or so, claims to have seen a crowd running after a man or woman, calling out 'noss! noss!'[pg 209] and when the victim did not understand, seizing him or her and rubbing the nose violently with snow.
"one writer tells it as occurring to a french actress; another, to an english ambassador; another, to an american politician; and in each case the story is varied to give it a semblance of truth. i was in moscow and st. petersburg during january and february; and though constantly watching to see somebody's nose pulled, was doomed to disappointment. i asked my russian friends about it, and none of them was wiser than i. one said it might happen once in a great while, but it was safe to conclude that everybody knew enough to take care of his own nose."
frank asked how one could tell when his nose was freezing, or how observe the freezing of another's.
"the nose and ears become numb and turn white," was the reply, "and that indicates the beginning of the freezing. when this is the condition nothing but a vigorous rubbing to restore the circulation will prevent the loss of those organs. it is for protection from the frost that the russians keep their faces wrapped in furs; and if a man has any doubt about the condition of his facial attachments he will touch them occasionally to make sure. when you pinch your nose and do not feel the pinch, it is time to rub with snow, promptly and with energy.
"severe cold is very inconvenient for the wearer of a mustache, as he speedily gathers a great quantity of ice there by the congelation of the moisture of his breath. a man's beard becomes a frozen mass in a little while. beard and furs frequently freeze together, and render a sudden turn of the head a matter of great annoyance. ladies find their veils stiffening into something like wire gauze when the thermometer runs low. they disdain the bonnet of london or paris, and sensibly enclose their head in hoods lined with fur, and having capes descending well into the neck.
"horses become white in a short time, no matter what may be their real color, from the formation of frost all over their bodies. their breath suggests steam more than anything else, and the long hairs around their noses are turned into icy spikes. in the severest weather pigeons have been seen to fall to the ground paralyzed with the cold, but it is quite likely that their flights were forced, and the birds were half frozen before taking wing."
frank asked if it often happened that people were frozen to death in these russian winters.
"occurrences of this kind probably take place every year," was the reply, "but from all i have been able to learn i believe the number is[pg 210] exaggerated. in many cases it is the fault of the frozen ones themselves; they have been rendered insensible or careless by stimulants, and gone to sleep in the open air. the tendency to sleep when one is exposed to severe cold should be resisted, as it is very likely to be the sleep of death.
lost in a snow-storm.
"there is a story of two travellers who saw a third in trouble; one of them proposed to go to the relief of the man in distress, but the other refused, saying he would not stir out of their sleigh. the first went and relieved the sufferer; his exertions set the blood rushing through his veins and saved him from injury by the cold, while the one who refused to render aid was frozen to death.
"it is a curious fact," said the doctor, in closing his remarks upon the russian winter, "that foreigners coming here do not feel the cold at first. they walk the streets in the same clothing they would wear in london or paris, and laugh at the russians wrapping themselves in furs. at the same time the russians laugh at them and predict that if they stay in the country for another season they will change their ways. a stranger does not feel the cold the first winter as sensibly as do the russians, but in every succeeding season of frost he is fully sensitive to it, and vies with the natives in constant use of his furs."
