What does it mean to be “beaten with batogs”?
Peter the Great's decree on celebrating New Year's Eve on January 1 says the following: "And whoever is not merry on New Year's Eve shall be beaten with ‘batogs’...!" What kind of punishment was threatened to be handed out to such “gloomy” subjects?
‘Batogs’ were sticks or thick rods, which were used to beat those who were guilty of something. In the Cathedral Code of 1649 - the code of laws of the Russian state - there was a whole list of offenses, for which the punishment prescribed was beating with ‘batogs’. For example, for appearing in court with weapons, petitioning the tsar to bypass orders, deserting service and false denunciations, among countless other misdemeanors - even for failing to catch a thief.
The guilty were not only hurt, but also shamed. Executioners would sit on their feet and head and beat them on the back until the order to stop the punishment was sounded or until the ‘batog’ broke. At the same time, it was necessary to shout "Guilty!" and, in the end, bow and kiss the executioners’ legs.
