Old Christmas postcards are exhibited in RCSC in Brest

Opening of the exhibition of reproductions of rare Christmas postcards was held at the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Brest on January 10, 2017.

The event was attended by Brest schoolchildren, our compatriots, the public of the city. The materials of the exhibition are created by the Vitebsk branch of the NGO "Russian Society" with the support of the cultural and information center "Treasures of the World" (the city of Vitebsk). The originals of postcards are in the Moscow Theological Academy, and you can see them at the annual Christmas exhibitions.

Opening the event, the director of the RCSC in Brest, Elena Maslova, said: "Today our exhibition is dedicated to the traditions that were laid down by Orthodoxy many years ago and are still being preserved. In the age of digital technology, a postcard is increasingly replaced with an electronic counterpart. But it is still the same kind what we wish our relatives, friends and colleagues. This event is a continuation of the project "Slavic Traditions”".

The clergyman of the Resurrection Cathedral of Priest Nikifor Krachko spoke about religious principles, traditions and customs of the celebration of one of the main Christian holidays - Christmas. He noted that by sharing their creativity, in this case creating Christmas postcards, people are happy with the coming holiday, thereby glorifying God.

Valentina Moiseenko, deputy chairman of the Vitebsk branch of the “Russian Society” NGO, employee of the Cultural and Information Center "Treasure of the World", a lecturer-practitioner of the Vitebsk Regional Institute for Education Development shared information about the origin and publication of the first Christmas cards in Russia. She talked about the main types and subjects of ancient Christmas postcards, the traditional images associated with the birth of Christ: the cave, the nursery, the Joseph and the Mother of God, the animals - the will (the symbol of obedience and diligence) and the donkey (the symbol of perseverance). The authors are famous Russian artists: M. Vrubel, I. Bilibin, N. Roerich, L. Bakst and others. The charitable basis of publishing was especially emphasized.

The Presidential Library portal features electronic collection "New Year and Christmas in Russia". The collection contains the main legislative acts and studies related to the celebration of the New Year and Christmas, their description in historical sources, award sheets, congratulatory letters, historical and modern calendars, pre-revolutionary and Soviet postcards.

According to the portal http://rs.gov.ru