Merry Christmas! (again)
Yes, Merry Christmas to one and all, as today, January 7, is technically the Russian Orthodox Christmas (which is NOT the epiphany, as I thought, its just still Christmas because of the calendar change in 1917).
I managed to forget this until about 4 pm yesterday when a new Russian acquaintance, Zhenia called and invited me to go to a Christmas eve service with her somewhere. We went to Kropotkinskaia, where the huge cathedral, Christ the Savior is. That is where the state was having its official service, attended by Mayor Luzhkov and the Patriarch, Alexei II. We decided not to deal with that hassle, and walked to a church in the neighborhood that was built in the beginning of the 1700s. I don't have pictures yet, but I'll try and take some soon because the church was beautiful. The outside was actually quite non-descript building in the neo-classical style. But the church was not stripped of its icons and frescoes during the Soviet era because the inside looked original. I love smaller churches like that, because even though I am not a religious person, I consider myself a spiritual one, and for me, Russian churches really bring that out in me. In addition to the regular icons, iconostasis, etc., they had brought fir trees into the church and they lined the walls (very close to some of the candle offering stands!). We stayed for the midnight service, which was beautiful.
In Russian Orthodoxy, services are unlike anything Protestant, or even Catholic church goers in the states are generally accustomed to. This particular service began with the reading (almost singing/chanting, really) of the liturgy, which was almost impossible for me to understand. While this was happening, people came in and out of the church (as there is no sitting, only standing), lit candles at their preferred icons, and even engaged in consultation with the main priest off to the side in the main area of the church. Then began a different part of the liturgy which involved the choir singing in response to the priest. The choir was only 5 or six people, so every voice could be heard, and the responses that they sang were almost ethereal. Twice the congregation also sang prayers in response. It was simply amazing to stand there and listen, even if I could really understand (Zhenia explained that part of it is still in Old Church Slavonic), and to think. People of all ages were there, children with their parents, people my age, and people who no doubt remember the war.
It was just.....very nice.
In other news, I have managed to squander away my federally sanctioned respite from the archives by staying up until 2 or 3 am, sometimes closer to 4am, and sleeping until noon! Not my typical morning person behavior! I've been reading, sometimes going out, etc. A few nights ago I went with Brooke to a friend of hers to watch a movie. The movie ended up being "The Ring." God what a bad movie - of course that didn't prevent it from scaring the sh** out of me that particular night. But if you haven't seen it - don't - the ending is really lame. But I borrowed the book "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer from her friend Vika, and I'm currently caught up in a fatefully disatrous Everest expedition in 1996. Don't worry, I feel no desire to go climb a mountain such as that!
Today I went to Izmailovskii Park (not the souvenir market of the same name) - where during the summer they have an amusement park, but during the winter you can ice skate or rent cross country skis. I didn't ski today, but I'm going next weekend. Depending on the weather this weekend, there will be a snowshoe attempt. Its supposed to be in the 40s on Sunday! I dragged those dang snow shoes with them and we don't really have enough snow yet! Argh!
