The «ceremonial» side of the public life of the merchants of the Vologda province in the second half of the XIX century

Despite the fact that the history of the Russian merchants has been of great interest to researchers for more than two decades, there are still little studied aspects in this area, including the «ceremonial» side of the public life of representatives of the merchant class. This area of research activity seems very promising, as it can significantly complement the sociocultural portrait of the merchant class. The purpose of this paper is to recreate the picture of the participation of the merchants of the Vologda province in festive and solemn events as an important part of public life in the second half of the XIX century. Based on the «Vologda Provincial Gazette» for 1861-1899, using the methods of formalizing and systematizing historical data, such components of the «ceremonial» side of the public life of the local merchants as the celebration of important dates related to the Romanov House; accompanying members of the imperial family who visited the province; participation in official events organized by the Governor; Clubs membership were identified. The published materials indicate that the merchants took an active part in local celebrations dedicated to the events from the life of merchants, as well as provided significant financial support to the related various charitable initiatives. The most important events of the provincial authorities could not do without representatives of the merchant class. Besides, in the second half of the XIX century, the general urban leisure space for a wide range of people, including merchants, began to take shape. These aspects nevertheless allow us to outline the main facets of the «ceremonial» side of the public life of the merchants of the Vologda province in the second half of the XIX century and set directions for further research.