Carrousels (merry-go-rounds)

Categories / Population/Urban Living
Categories / Army. Navy/Military Ceremonies, Life, and Service
CARROUSELS (MERRY-GO-ROUNDS), 1) popular amusement, device for riding at open-air festivites (also known as a “wheeling machine”). In St. Petersburg they were organised from the early 18th century on. They consisted of a series of carved wooden seats originally in the shape of horses (occasionally cradles) rotating around a fixed axle, which were ridden, possibly simulating galloping horses. Not far off there was a pole, and the “riders” competed in throwing rings onto the pole while riding. In the center there was usually an organ-grinder. Carrousels used to be powered manually by hand cranks, painted in bright colours, decorated with flags, carved figures and the like. Later the seats were made in form of boats, swans etc. In the late 19th century emerged covered two-storied carrousels, so called push-cycles (the Grand Push-Cycle, created by A.V. Nikolaev, was situated on the Field of Mars) and others. Carrousels had a balcony, with spielers and other farcical people (jokers, jesters) attracting the public with rhymes imitating folk ditties. Carrousels remained a popular amusement to the present day as an attraction in amusement parks, playgrounds, on festival sites etc. 2) Horse carrousels, military contests (hippodromes), one of court amusements, carnival imitations of a knight tournament. The first horse carrousel occurred in St. Petersburg in 1766 on the Palace Square, the last one was held in 1842 at Tsarskoe Selo. Horse carousels were notable for their particular splendour and duration (2-3 days), and followed a complicated scenario (ceremonial entry of the knights with the retinues, knights’ tournament, awarding of prizes, theatrical and musical performances, balls etc.).

References: Некрылова А. Ф. Русские народные городские праздники, увеселения и зрелища, конец XVIII - нач. XX в. 2-е изд., доп. Л., 1988. С. 147-157; Зарин А. Е. Царские развлечения и забавы за 300 лет. М., 1991; Вилинбахов Г. В. Карусели в Петербурге в 1766 г. // Эрмитажные чтения памяти Б. Б. Пиотровского. СПб., 1994. С. 19-20; Петербургские балаганы / Сост., вступ. ст., коммент. А. М. Конечного. СПб., 2000. С. 59-69.

Ю. Н. Кружнов, G.V. Kalashnikov. Nikolaev A.V.
Dvortsovaya Square/Saint Petersburg, city
The Field of Mars/Saint Petersburg, city
Некрылова А. Ф. Русские народные городские праздники, увеселения и зрелища, конец XVIII - нач. XX в. 2-е изд., доп. Л., 1988
Петербургские балаганы / Сост., вступ. ст., коммент. А. М. Конечного. СПб., 2000 1766