Orthodox Easter

Research Status: Basic Last Updated: 2025-12-07 Diary Coverage: Up to 1873-05-03

The Eastern Orthodox celebration of Easter, which occurs on a different date from Catholic/Protestant Easter due to calendar differences between the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

1873 Orthodox Easter Week

Marie observes the Russian Orthodox Holy Week and Easter in Nice:

• April 14-19, 1873: Semaine Sainte (Holy Week)
• April 18, 1873: Good Friday - Marie attends the plachtchanitsa ceremony (Holy Shroud) where she has a vivid vision of the Duke's face
• April 19, 1873: Holy Saturday - Midnight Easter mass at 11 PM
• April 20, 1873: Easter Sunday (Pâques) - Marie receives visitors and wears new Italian straw hat

Religious Observances

During Holy Week, Marie attends church services morning and evening. She reflects on her faith, noting she believes in God, Christ, and the Virgin Mary, though questions some Orthodox rituals she finds "blind and senseless."

Plachtchanitsa Ceremony

On Good Friday, Marie experiences a powerful mystical moment during the veneration of the plachtchanitsa (embroidered cloth representing Christ's shroud). She takes a daisy from near the holy shroud and uses it for divination about her future with the Duke.

2025-12-07T17:00:00 RSR: The Orthodox Easter season of 1873 is spiritually significant for Marie, combining traditional Russian religious observance with her romantic yearnings expressed through prayer and mystical experiences.