The Museum of the History of the City of Kyiv has once again pleasantly surprised its visitors. This time, with a festive Christmas and New Year's exhibition. The exhibition recreates the atmosphere of the old Kyiv of the early twentieth century during Christmas and New Year, where folk traditions were combined with fashionable European trends. So visitors can travel through time to the most interesting locations of the pre-holiday city.
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Immediately from the entrance, we find ourselves on a snowy street. The work of the decorators is beyond praise. It seems that even the air is becoming frosty. In the center is the frozen Termenus fountain and the ice rink.
Usually, wealthy citizens celebrated Christmas in the family circle, and New Year's Eve in the Nobility or Merchant's Assembly at masquerade balls. Later, the tradition of celebrating New Year's Eve in a restaurant began. The Grand Hotel and Continental hotels were the first to offer this service. The hall was decorated with tropical plants, electric lights on the Christmas tree, and live music until 4 a.m. attracted visitors.
But let's get back to the museum. The Christmas journey begins at the home of the townspeople, who have decorated a Christmas tree in the living room and set a festive table. On the table is a family dinner set, glasses from the Sheremetyev Museum collection decorated with coats of arms. On the serving table is a silver tea set with coats of arms, photo albums. Next to it is a women's boudoir where the hostess used to dress up and rest. There is an exquisite dressing table, a writing set, perfumes for the body and fur (fur coats, capes, stoles), an ostrich feather fan, jewelry, and other trinkets. On the left is the children's room: a crib, a wardrobe with masquerade and festive costumes, toys, a miniature kerosene lamp, a set of cubes, etc. By the way, the Christmas tree was decorated mostly with homemade toys and sweets - nuts and candies.
They prepared for the holiday in advance. Fashionistas sought to update their wardrobes, emphasizing their exclusivity and status. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were 44 shops selling ready-to-wear women's clothing from Europe (27 of them in Podil). Private tailoring workshops were cheaper, so they were in demand. Tailors had plenty of work. In the 1900s, there were about 300 workshops for sewing women's and children's clothing and the same number for men's clothing. “Viennese chic“, ‘Favorite’, ‘Ladies’ tailor from Paris” - these were the names of the tailor shops in Kyiv in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The exhibition recreates a fashion designer's workshop. There are original patterns, French fashion magazines, a cash register, and a mannequin wearing a dress of that period with a cape, hats, and sewing accessories. On the wall is a picture-sized Diploma of the National Academy of Senior Tailors of Paris on admission to full membership in the Academy. And, of course, there is an indispensable assistant and feeder on the table - a Singer machine and a certificate of purchase. Such an expensive purchase ensured that the family would not be in poverty. There were always enough customers, and by 1911 there were 6 shops in the city selling Singer sewing machines, including on credit (it is nice that the materials for the exhibition were provided by the Borys Paton State Polytechnic Museum, among other cultural institutions).
What a festive Kyiv is without cozy gatherings with family or friends over a cup of coffee and goodies! As early as the second half of the nineteenth century, the townspeople had a tradition of drinking coffee outside their homes. On the eve of the winter holidays, they liked to visit numerous coffee and pastry shops - Georges, François, Semadeni, and later Marquis - to enjoy cakes or buy gifts for Christmas, relax, or solve business issues and exchange news. At that time, Kyiv was famous for its dry jam, gingerbread, pastille, and other local desserts. For example, caramel in a 5-pound tin (1 pound = 0.45 kg) cost 1 ruble, and the same in a tin with views of Kyiv cost 1.25 rubles. A pound of apple marmalade cost 40 kopecks, and a pound of chocolate cost 1.5 rubles.
At the same time, there were other ways to spend leisure time, such as going to the theater or ice skating. Theaters prepared a special holiday repertoire, which was reported in local newspapers. Until 1907, there was no permanent Ukrainian theater in the city. An important event in the national and cultural life of Kyiv was the staging of Mykola Lysenko's opera “Christmas Night” at the City Theater (on the site of the current National Opera of Ukraine) in the winter of 1874 (directed by M. Starytskyi, ethnographer P. Chubynskyi, costumes from the collection of V. Tarnovskyi). The townspeople also visited Krutikov's Circus, a spectacular and sporting institution of the city.
In the museum's exhibition, a gallant gentleman in a tailcoat and top hat and a graceful lady in an exquisite silk dress, an elegant hat, and bright jewelry that harmoniously and interestingly convey the era are hurrying to the theater. Behind them in the windows you can see a theater dressing room and a fragment from the play Taras Bulba. The walls are decorated with postcards depicting the streets of Kyiv, photos of actors of that time, personal belongings of M. Zankovetska, theater tickets, librettos, performance programs, posters, and announcements.
And nearby there is a street lamp, a bench, and a forgotten sled. Both adults and children appreciated street entertainment in winter. In particular, the skating rink was a favorite pastime. An orchestra usually played there, and desserts and champagne were served. Special clothes were bought for skating, and going to the skating rink was regarded as a social occasion. In the 1890s, the townspeople used to go skating on the lake in the Meringa estate (now Ivan Franko Square), and later on an artificial lake in the Chateau de Fleur garden (now the territory of the Dynamo Stadium and around it). Skates were rented or bought. Specialized shops offered Snow Maiden, Nurmis, Jacquemus, or Primus (collapsible skates for beginners, “which are impossible to fall on”). An advertisement in the newspaper “Kyivian” of January 1, 1901: “Theater-concert at the Chateau de Fleur. The ice rink is open. A military band plays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.”
New Year's visits to relatives, colleagues, and bosses were traditional in Kyiv's everyday life, and later this was replaced by the tradition of exchanging greeting cards. Postcards were perceived as a work of artistic miniature, a festive gift with a unique greeting. It is worth noting that the holiday post office was very busy. For example, in 1900, Kyiv residents received 600 thousand Christmas and New Year's cards, while the population of Kyiv was only 260 thousand.
Diana Popova, Director General of the Museum of the History of Kyiv, emphasized at the opening of the exhibition: “Today, the approach of winter holidays is especially painful and touching for every Ukrainian, because for the third year in a row we will celebrate Christmas and New Year in the context of a full-scale war with Russia. But even in times of the most difficult trials - worrying about our loved ones at the front, worrying about our children under constant shelling, and experiencing constant stress from the pain of loss - it is important for us to keep faith in the Christmas miracle, in the victory of light over darkness, in people and humanity. That is why we continue to introduce our guests to history and Ukrainian traditions, to give fairy-tale moments to children and distract them from sad thoughts. With electricity or by candlelight, the spirit of Christmas will come to the Museum.”
Join us. Let's meet on the streets of pre-Christmas Kyiv of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Today, our thoughts are with those who are fighting for Ukraine's victory. But despite all the challenges of wartime, we want to feel the holiday, family warmth and cozy atmosphere.