(_From Dr. Granville's Travels._)
Early one day in November, a kind young friend, the son of Mr. Anderson,
the oldest English merchant in St. Petersburgh, whose attentions to me
were unremitting, put a finely embossed card into my hands, on which was
printed, in Russian characters, the following invitation, literally
translated:--
"Ivan Ivanovitch and Prascovia Constantinova Ivanoff humbly request
the favour of your attendance on the marriage ceremony of their
daughter Anna Ivanowna with Nicholai Demetrivich Borissow, and to the
dinner-table, this November the 13th day, in the year 1827, at two
o'clock in the afternoon."
On the embossed border of the card, delicately edged with rose colour,
the emblematic figure of Hymen was represented on the one side, standing
under a palm-tree, between the sleeping dogs of fidelity, and inviting
from the other side the figures of the bride and bridegroom. I learned
that the parties were wealthy Russian hemp-commission agents, and most
excellent people; and as such an invitation promised to afford me an
opportunity of witnessing the church marriage ceremony, of which I had
read so many dissimilar accounts, I gladly accepted it. At two, the
friends of the parties assembled from all quarters in the winter
church of the _Annunciation_, in the Vassileiostrow, where a great
concourse of people had already collected round the choristers or
chanters, who, in the most delightful manner imaginable, and in the fuga
style, were singing hymns, mixing with skilful combination the sopranos
and bass voices. We beguiled half an hour in listening to their strains,
waiting for the arrival of the bride. In the meantime I surveyed the
picturesque groups of people that kept gradually forming in various
parts of the church, where the kaftaned Russian, with his well-caressed
beard, mixed with the throng of young and good-looking females. Some of
the latter, dressed in the fashion of the country, their heads profusely
ornamented with gold and embroidered veils; and others, according to the
more attractive garb of the French, presented a striking contrast to
many of the assembled men, whom I understood to belong to the class of
Russian merchants, but who wore neither the kaftan nor the beard. Their
smooth and shaven faces, with the general style of dress common to most
of the European nations, scarcely permitted their being distinguished
from several English merchants present, who had been invited on the
occasion. The officiating priest, decked in his rich church vestments,
accompanied by the deacon advanced from the sanctuary towards the door
of entrance into the church, and there received the pair about to be
made happy, to whom he delivered a lighted taper, making, at the same
time, the sign of the cross thrice on their foreheads, and conducted
them to the upper part of the nave. Incense was scattered before them,
while maids, splendidly attired, walked between the paranymphy, or
bridegroom and bride. The Greek church requires not the presence of
either of the parents of the bride on such an occasion. Is it to spare
them the pain of voluntarily surrendering every authority over their
child to one who is a stranger to her blood? I stood by the side of the
table on which were deposited the rings, and before which the priest
halted at the conclusion of a litany, wherein the choristers assisted,
and from which he pronounced, in a loud and impressive voice, the
following prayer, his face being turned towards the sanctuary, and the
bride and bridegroom placed immediately behind him, holding their
lighted tapers:--
"O Eternal God! thou who didst collect together the scattered atoms by
wonderous union, and didst join them by an indissoluble tie, who didst
bless Isaac and Rebecca, and made them heirs of thy promise; give thy
blessing unto these thy servants, and guide them in every good work: for
thou art the merciful God, the lover of mankind, and to thee we offer up
our praise, now and for ever, even unto ages of ages."
The import of this beautiful invocation was at the time, interpreted to
me by a friend well acquainted with the whole service and office of
espousals, the language of which he assured me was all equally
impressive. The priest, next turning round to the couple, blessed them,
and taking the rings from the table, gave one to each, beginning with
the man, and proclaiming aloud that they stood betrothed, "now and for
ever, even unto ages of ages," which declaration he repeated thrice to
them, while they mutually exchanged the rings an equal number of times.
The rings were now again surrendered to the priest, who crossed the
forehead of the couple with them, and put them on the fore-finger
of the right hand of each; and turning to the sanctuary, read another
impressive part of the service, in which an allusion is made to all the
circumstances in the Holy Testament, where a ring is mentioned as the
pledge of union, honour, and power; and prayed the Lord "to bless the
espousals of thy servants, Anna Ivanowna and Nicholai Demetrivich, and
confirm them in thy holy union; for thou in the beginning didst create
them, male and female, and appointed the woman for a help to the man,
and for the succession of mankind. Let thine angel go before them to
guide them all the days of their life." The priest now taking hold of
the hands of both parties, led them forward and caused them to stand on
a silken carpet, which lay spread before them. The congregation usually
watch this moment with intense curiosity, for it is augured that the
party who steps first on the rich brocade will have the mastery over
the other through life. In the present case, our fair bride secured
possession of this prospective privilege with modest forwardness. Two
silver imperial crowns were next produced by a layman, which the priest
took, and first blessing the bridegroom, placed one of them on his head,
while the other, destined for the bride, was merely held over her head
by a friend, lest its admirable superstructure, raised by Charles, the
most fashionable perruquier of the capital, employed on this occasion,
should be disturbed. That famed artist had successfully blended the
spotless flower, emblematic of innocence, with the rich tresses of the
bride, which were farther embellished by a splended tiara of large
diamonds. Her white satin robe, from the hands of Mademoiselle Louise,
gracefully penciling the contours of her bust, was gathered around her
waist by a zone studded with precious stones, which fastened to her
side a _bouquet_ of white flowers. The common cup being now brought to
the priest, he blessed it, and gave it to the bridegroom, who took a sip
from its contents thrice, and transferred it to her who was to be his
mate, for a repetition of the same ceremony. After a short pause, and
some prayers from the responser, in which the choristers joined with
musical notes, the priest took the bride and bridegroom by the hand,
the friends holding their crowns, and walked with them round the desk
thrice, having both their right hands fast in his, from west to east,
saying--
"Exult, O Isaiah! for a virgin has conceived and brought forth a son,
Emanuel, God and man; the East is his name. Him do we magnify, and call
the virgin blessed!"