Mikhail Lomonosov in 1761 on worldly thoughts on the eve of Easter

"The bright Resurrection of Christ draws near, the universal joy of Christendom. Then, though the Passion of the Lord is read almost without cease and many times repeated, our thoughts are already upon Holy Week: one pictures to himself pleasant and rich dishes; another wonders whether his clothes will be ready in time for the feast; another imagines how he will make merry with kinsfolk and friends; another awaits the arrival of provisions from the country; another prepares painted eggs and, doubtless, looks for an occasion to kiss the beauties, or to meet a sweetheart. At last they begin matins at midnight and sing out the liturgy before daybreak. Christ is risen! but only in the ears and on the tongue, for in the heart what place is there for it, where even the smallest chinks are all filled with worldly desires".

Mikhail Lomonosov, 1761

Illustration, 1882. The celebration of Easter in Rus', on a distant voyage, among the Northern natives, in Turkestan and in the Caucasus.