The decree on assemblies issued by Peter the Great was a turning point in the life of the urban population, especially in the sphere of entertainment. In November 1718, women first gained the right to participate in public gatherings. The entrance to the assembly was to be open to all people who had the opportunity to dress appropriately, only servants and peasants were not allowed. Culture under Peter 1 was equated with important business, official and state aspects.
Background
Peter 1 believed that not only business should be conducted reasonably, but also entertainment should be arranged in the same way. Even the sovereign sent the rest to the reconstruction of Russia. He believed that public interests are much more important than personal ones.
The Tsar wanted to put Russia's culture on a par with European states. A great influence was exerted by the presence of Peter the Great among foreigners, frequent travels in Europe. In an effort to make Russia look like a modern European state, the emperor introduced new reforms relating to service and leisure. And his reforms, as you know, were mandatory for all, without exception.
What is an assembly?
“Assembly” is the French word for a range of actions and events. Firstly, it is entertainment and fun, and secondly, the solution and discussion of various business issues, including national importance. In a short time, the assemblies under Peter 1 became a tradition and went down in history. After his death, they changed somewhat, but still enjoyed popularity in society.
Mandatory conditions
The decree of Peter 1 on assemblies that came out included a list of requirements:
- inform about the upcoming assembly in writing;
- specify the gender of the guests (either men alone or representatives of both sexes may be present);
- the event should begin no earlier than four to five hours;
- The assembly must be completed no later than midnight;
- the owner should not meet, escort or regale his guests, his duties include only providing free space for dancing, eating and drinking on the tables, as well as games that he invites his guests to play.
Following these rules, everyone could join the general fun.
Church attitude
The culture of the era of Peter 1 required the approval of spiritual ministers. The emperor was sure that without the permission of the church his decree on assemblies would not pass. He knew that people feel sacred fear towards the king, as to a god on earth, but he understood that the fear of hell and the fall of the immortal soul is stronger. And therefore, in order to change the traditional rejection of dances, he attracts black clergy to social events . According to his decree, in the Synod from 1723, assemblies were established in Moscow monasteries. And on December 29 of that year, the first assembly of the archimandrite of the Donskoy Monastery took place. It was arranged for the president of the Synod, the archbishops of Moscow monasteries, the archbishop of Novgorod Theodosius, officials of the synod office, as well as for the archbishop of Krutitsky Leonid and others. They remained dissatisfied with this action, but basically the assemblies had a positive response.
Assemblies under Peter 1
According to custom, four large rooms were freed from furniture for this purpose. The first is for dancing, the next is for conversations, the other is for men who smoked tobacco, drank wine, and the latter for drafts or chess. If the house is not so large as to free four rooms at once, then all the actions took place in one room. However, this was very inconvenient for many reasons. It was believed that the sounds of dancing, talking, smells of tobacco and alcohol are inappropriate in ladies' society.
Tradition
Assemblies under Peter 1 gave all the courtiers in turn. Sometimes the king independently decided from whom everyone should gather next time. The day and time of the assembly were disclosed by court heralds, it was notified of drum fractions and announcements that were posted at each intersection. In his decree, Peter 1 briefly described the main points of the celebrations. All decently dressed people could attend the event, but not the servants and peasants. Among the guests there were nobles, officials, wealthy merchants, clergy, artisans and even ordinary sailors. Married men without fail took their wives and adult daughters with them.
According to established tradition, the owner of the house could choose the queen of the ball from young girls. After the selection, he handed her a living rose. At the end of the event, the queen passed this rose to some gentleman. This meant that the next assembly should be held in his house.
Musical accompaniment
Often at such meetings, a brass band played, which consisted of trumpets, oboes, timpani, bassoons and horns. Sometimes violins joined them. The dances of the inhabitants of Russia were taught by captured officers from Sweden or residents of a German settlement. The process of teaching dance art was very slow.
At first, brass music played in the assemblies, but in 1721 the Duke of Holstein brought a small string orchestra to the capital, which immediately gained popularity among the public. Since then, their own musicians began to appear, instruments for which were imported specially from abroad. All this was very expensive, but the nobles were ready for such expenses, because the tsar awarded the most quick boyars.
Dancing
As for the dances, at first it was the usual bows and squats to the music, but later on in the assemblies the minuet and polonaise began to dance. Movements became smoother, and dances more elegant.
The second half of the event was more fun and lively, including allemand, counter-dance and English, which were especially loved by young people. They chose the first pair, which was supposed to come up with new pa, and the rest repeated after it. Different people were the first in turn, and therefore this kind of fun could go on for a very long time.
Guest Requirements
Peter 1 summarized in his decree on assemblies the requirements for guests whom they were obliged to adhere to in order to attend such events. The list looks like this:
- the guest must be thoroughly washed and clean;
- men must be carefully shaved;
- before the assembly you can’t eat up and even less come drunk;
- you need to be neat and richly dressed, but not too much, because this is the privilege of the ladies;
- women are allowed to use cosmetics, but in moderation, they should also be kind, graceful and cheerful;
- you can’t eat up, so that the stomach does not interfere with dancing in full force;
- you must be cheerful and sociable, smile warmly and have conversations with others, you can’t be isolated and stay at a distance;
- when you enter the house for the first time, you need to familiarize yourself with the layout and arrangement of the rooms, especially note the location of the restrooms;
- wine is allowed to drink plenty, while holding his legs, when they stop holding, then you need to drink the drink while sitting, and if he asks for a lying person, then he is not allowed to serve;
- to the one who does not know his measure, the king recommends relying on his comrades;
- those who have drunk should be laid separately from the rest in order to avoid unpleasant embarrassment;
- a guest who feels sick should immediately go to the restroom so as not to spoil the rest of the party;
- single men or those who showed up without spouses were forbidden to look at the ladies;
- it was not allowed to dissolve hands during dancing, it was strictly punished;
- while singing, it was not recommended to join the general fun for people who lacked musical ear;
- it was recalled that a woman was best conquered by music and sweet voice;
- having met a noble person at the assembly, including the tsar, it was not allowed to hang out and try to help, especially when drunk.
An active participant in the assemblies was Peter 1. The age in which he lived was characterized by the development of culture, a new direction in music and dance, as well as costumes and fun.
The participation of Peter 1 in assemblies
During his celebrations or those attended by the king, he actively participated in all activities. He walked through the halls, occasionally joining various companies and participating in their conversations. If he was in a good mood, then it was impossible to find more fun and talkative. The activities of Peter 1 in assemblies came down not only to conversations. He loved dancing and in this art was a master and entertainer. Very often cavaliers could not exactly repeat his movements. What Peter 1 was during the dances, all his close associates knew, and rumors even circulated between his choreographers about his well-developed movements.
The dances were opened, as a rule, by the empress with her husband, Duke of Holstein or Prince Menshikov. Catherine in this case was a match for her husband. When they were dancing in pairs, they managed to make as many as three circles, while the remaining pairs only finished the first. However, the Empress only danced in this way with Peter the Great, with the other partners she led herself more carelessly and preferred a simple step to a gallop. Anyone present could invite one of the princesses to the dance, and therefore it was they who did not know the rest.
Over time, Peter's assemblies took root, the situation on them became more and more relaxed. Gradually, the old boyars ceased to condemn the open neckline of young ladies. There was a new tradition of kissing women after the dance, not on the pen, but on the lips, which pleased the gentlemen very much.
Celebrations of Peter 1
The assemblies under Peter 1 were predominantly a winter form of entertainment. In the summer, the Tsar held his celebrations in the gardens or on the banks of the Neva. He was very fond of holidays in the fresh air, he celebrated his name day in the summer garden. The day of the “glorious Victoria,” or the Poltava victory, was also celebrated here. Peter 1 appreciated the traditions and on this day celebrated the exploits of the soldiers. The holiday began in the afternoon, at about five in the evening. By that time, the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments were built on a large lawn so that the tsar could bring wine or beer in wooden bowls with his own hand.
The guests who were invited had to get to their destination by water along the Neva. Further, according to tradition, the empress and her daughters met on the shore, the guest was supposed to take a glass of wine from her hands, further fun also happened strictly according to plan.
The sovereign was addicted to solemn processions, he loved allegorical processions and masquerades, and therefore arranged them at every opportunity. The most famous among them is a five-day masquerade. It was held in Moscow in 1722 and was timed to the signing of the Nishtat Peace Treaty. A couple of days before the celebration, the king personally examined all the costumes of the participants. If he did not like something, then he was forced to redo outfits. Masks were a prerequisite. History remembers the case when during a masquerade in 1724, senators sat without removing their masks from their faces. The activity of Peter 1 in relation to these requirements was absurd, but fully consistent with the spirit of that time.
People gradually got involved in new traditions, learned dances, changed clothes, even started doing business in a new way. Despite the fact that it was incredibly expensive and tiring, gradually masquerades flowed into everyday life and occupied a huge niche in it, becoming a habit.
Under Peter 1, Russia flourished and resembled European states with their dances, orchestras and balls.
Assembly after the death of the sovereign
After the death of the king, the assemblies and other celebrations changed greatly. They became amusement only for the upper strata of society. Assemblies, balls, masquerades were organized only for high society. The lower layers arranged dances for themselves.
Culture under Peter 1 was as important as official, state affairs. The death of Peter the Great ceased to exist in the assemblies, later Peter 2 tried to restore them, but nothing came of it, and in 1728 they completely ceased to exist. However, they did not completely disappear, but degenerated into balls and gave rise to a secular life.
Under Peter 1, Russia knew many reforms related to leisure and entertainment. Some of them influenced the course of history and survived to this day.