Russian folk life. Home furnishings and utensils
Russian people: culture, traditions and customs
The Russian people are representatives of the East Slavic ethnic group, the indigenous inhabitants of Russia (110 million people - 80% of the population Russian Federation), the most numerous ethnic group in Europe. The Russian diaspora numbers about 30 million people and is concentrated in countries such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and former USSR, in the USA and EU countries. As a result of the sociological research it was found that 75% of the Russian population of Russia are followers of Orthodoxy, and a significant part of the population does not consider itself to be a member of any particular religion. National language Russian people is Russian language.
Each country and its people have their own importance in modern world, concepts are very important folk culture and the history of the nation, their formation and development. Each nation and its culture are unique in their own way, the flavor and uniqueness of each nationality should not be lost or dissolved in assimilation with other peoples, the younger generation should always remember who they really are. For Russia, which is a multinational power and home to 190 peoples, the issue of national culture is quite acute, due to the fact that throughout recent years Its erasure is especially noticeable against the background of cultures of other nationalities.
Culture and life of the Russian people
(Russian folk costume )
The first associations that arise with the concept of “Russian people” are, of course, breadth of soul and strength of spirit. But national culture formed by people, it is these character traits that have a huge impact on its formation and development.
One of the distinctive features of the Russian people has always been and is simplicity; in former times, Slavic houses and property were very often subjected to looting and complete destruction, hence the simplified attitude towards everyday issues. And of course, these trials that befell the long-suffering Russian people only strengthened their character, made them stronger and taught them to get out of any life situations with their heads held high.
Another trait that prevails in the character of the Russian ethnic group can be called kindness. The whole world is well aware of the concept of Russian hospitality, when “they feed you, give you something to drink, and put you to bed.” A unique combination of such qualities as cordiality, mercy, compassion, generosity, tolerance and, again, simplicity, very rarely found among other peoples of the world, all this is fully manifested in the very breadth of the Russian soul.
Hard work is another one of the main traits of the Russian character, although many historians in the study of the Russian people note both its love of work and enormous potential, as well as its laziness, as well as complete lack of initiative (remember Oblomov in Goncharov’s novel). But still, the efficiency and endurance of the Russian people is an indisputable fact that is difficult to argue against. And no matter how much scientists around the world want to understand the “mysterious Russian soul,” it is unlikely that any of them can do it, because it is so unique and multifaceted that its “zest” will forever remain a secret to everyone.
By the beginning of the 16th century, Christianity played a decisive role in influencing the culture and life of the Russian people. It played positive role in overcoming the harsh morals, ignorance and wild customs of ancient Russian society. In particular, the norms of Christian morality had a huge influence on family life, marriage, raising children. Is it true. theology then adhered to a dualistic view of the division of the sexes - into two opposite principles- “good” and “evil”. The latter was personified in a woman, determining her position in society and family.
U Russian peoples for a long time used to be big family, uniting relatives along direct and lateral lines. Distinctive features big peasant family was collective farming and consumption, common ownership of property by two or more independent married couples. Among the urban (posad) population, families were smaller and usually consisted of two generations of parents and children. The families of feudal lords were, as a rule, small, so the son of a feudal lord, having reached the age of 15, had to serve the sovereign and could receive both his own separate local salary and a granted estate. This contributed to early marriages and the formation of independent small families.
With the introduction of Christianity, marriages began to be formalized through a church wedding ceremony. But traditional Christian wedding ceremony(“fun”) persisted in Rus' for approximately six to seven centuries. Church rules did not stipulate any obstacles to marriage, except one: the “possession” of the bride or groom. But in real life the restrictions were quite strict, primarily in social terms, which were regulated by customs. The law did not formally prohibit a feudal lord from marrying a peasant woman, but in fact this happened very rarely, since the feudal class was a closed corporation where marriages were encouraged not just with people in their own circle, but with peers. A free man could marry a serf, but had to obtain permission from the master and pay a certain amount as agreed. Thus, both in ancient times and in the cities, marriages, basically, could only take place within one class-estate.
Divorce was very difficult. Already in early middle ages divorce (“dissolution”) was permitted only in exceptional cases. At the same time, the rights of the spouses were unequal. A husband could divorce his wife if she cheated, and communication with strangers outside the home without the permission of the spouse was equated to betrayal. IN late Middle Ages(since the 16th century) divorce was permitted with the condition that one of the spouses was tonsured a monk.
The Orthodox Church allowed one person to marry no more than three times. The solemn wedding ceremony was usually performed only during the first marriage. A fourth marriage was strictly prohibited.
A newborn child had to be baptized in church on the eighth day after baptism in the name of the saint of that day. The rite of baptism was considered by the church to be a basic, vital rite. The unbaptized had no rights, not even the right to burial. The church forbade burying a child who died unbaptized in a cemetery. The next rite - "tonsuring" - was carried out a year after baptism. On this day, the godfather or godmother (godparents) cut a lock of the child’s hair and gave a ruble. After the tonsures, they celebrated the name day, that is, the day of the saint in whose honor the person was named (later it became known as the “day of the angel”), and the birthday. The Tsar's name day was considered an official public holiday.
All sources indicate that in the Middle Ages the role of its head was extremely great. He represented the family as a whole in all its external functions. Only he had the right to vote at meetings of residents, in the city council, and later in meetings of Konchan and Sloboda organizations. Within the family, the power of the head was practically unlimited. He controlled the property and destinies of each of its members. This even applied to the personal lives of children, whom he could marry off or marry against their will. The Church condemned him only if he drove them to suicide. The orders of the head of the family had to be carried out unquestioningly. He could apply any punishment, even physical. "Domostroy" - an encyclopedia of Russian life of the 16th century - directly indicated that the owner should hit educational purposes wife and children. For disobedience to parents, the church threatened with excommunication.
In-house family life was relatively closed for a long time. However simple women- peasant women, townspeople - did not lead a reclusive lifestyle at all. Testimonies from foreigners about the seclusion of Russian women in the chambers relate, as a rule, to the life of the feudal nobility and eminent merchants. They were rarely allowed even to go to church.
There is little information left about the daily routine of people in the Middle Ages. The working day in the family began early. Mandatory meals ordinary people there were two - lunch and dinner. At noon production activity was interrupted. After lunch, according to the old Russian habit, there was a long rest and sleep (which greatly amazed foreigners). then work began again until dinner. With the end of daylight, everyone went to bed.
With the adoption of Christianity, especially revered days became official holidays church calendar: Christmas, Easter, Annunciation, Trinity and others, as well as the seventh day of the week - Sunday. According to church rules holidays should be devoted to pious deeds and religious rites. working on holidays was considered a sin. However, the poor also worked on holidays.
Relative isolation home life diversified with receptions of guests, as well as festive ceremonies, which were held mainly during church holidays. One of the main religious processions was held for Epiphany - January 6th Art. Art. On this day, the patriarch blessed the water of the Moscow River, and the population of the city performed the Jordan ritual (washing with holy water). On holidays, street performances were also organized. Traveling artists, buffoons, are known back in Ancient Rus'. In addition to playing the harp, pipes, and songs, the performances of the buffoons included acrobatic performances, competitions with predatory animals. The buffoon troupe usually included an organ grinder, a gayer (acrobat), and a puppeteer.
Holidays, as a rule, were accompanied by public feasts - fraternities. However, popular ideas about the supposedly unrestrained drunkenness of Russians are clearly exaggerated. Only during the 5-6 major church holidays were the population allowed to brew beer, and taverns were state monopoly. The maintenance of private taverns was strictly persecuted.
Social life also included games and fun - both military and peaceful, for example, the capture of a snowy city, wrestling and fist fights, small towns, leapfrog, etc. . Among gambling games, dice became widespread, and from the 16th century, cards, brought from the West. The favorite pastime of kings and nobles was hunting.
Thus, although the life of a Russian person in the Middle Ages, although it was relatively monotonous, was far from being limited to the production and socio-political spheres, it included many aspects of everyday life, to which historians do not always pay due attention
In historical literature at the turn of the 15th - 16th centuries. rationalistic views on historical events. Some of them are explained by causal relationships caused by the activities of people themselves. Authors historical works(for example, "Tales of the Princes of Vladimir", late 15th century) sought to establish the idea of the exclusivity of the autocratic power of the Russian sovereigns as successors Kievan Rus and Byzantium. Similar ideas were expressed in chronographs - summary reviews general history, in which Russia was considered as the last link in the chain of world-historical monarchies.
It was not only the historical ones that expanded. but also geographical knowledge people of the Middle Ages. In connection with the complication of administrative management of the growing territory of the Russian state, the first geographic Maps("blueprints"). This was also facilitated by the development of Russian trade and diplomatic ties. Russian navigators made a great contribution to geographical discoveries in the north. By the beginning of the 16th century, they explored the White, Icy (Barents) and Kara Seas, discovered many northern lands - the Bear Islands, New Earth, Kolguev, Vygach and others. Russian Pomors were the first to penetrate into Arctic Ocean, created the first handwritten maps of the surveyed northern seas and islands. They were among the first to explore the Northern sea route around the Scandinavian Peninsula.
Some progress has been observed in the field of technical and natural scientific knowledge. Russian craftsmen learned to make quite complex mathematical calculations when constructing buildings and were familiar with the properties of basic building materials. Blocks and other construction mechanisms were used in the construction of buildings. For the extraction of salt solutions it was used deep drilling and laying pipes through which the liquid was distilled using a piston pump. In military affairs, the casting of copper cannons was mastered, and battering and throwing weapons became widespread.
In the 17th century, the role of the church in influencing the culture and life of the Russian people intensified. At the same time, state power penetrated more and more into the affairs of the church.
Infiltration purposes state power Church reform was supposed to contribute to church affairs. The tsar wanted to obtain the sanction of the church for state reforms and at the same time take measures to subordinate the church and limit its privileges and lands necessary to provide for the energetically created army of the nobility.
All-Russian church reform was carried out at the Stoglav Cathedral, named after the collection of its decrees, which consisted of one hundred chapters ("Stoglav").
In the works of the Stoglavy Council, issues of internal church order were brought to the fore, primarily related to the life and everyday life of the lower clergy, with the performance of church services by them. The flagrant vices of the clergy, the careless performance of church rituals, moreover, devoid of any uniformity - all of this aroused a negative attitude among the people towards the ministers of the church and gave rise to freethinking.
In order to stop these dangerous phenomena for the church, it was recommended to strengthen control over the lower clergy. For this purpose, a special institution of archpriests was created (the archpriest is the main priest among the priests of a given church), appointed “by royal command and with the blessing of the saint, as well as priestly elders and tenth priests.” All of them were obliged to tirelessly ensure that ordinary priests and deacons regularly performed divine services, “stood with fear and trembling” in churches, and read the Gospels, Zolotoust, and the lives of the saints.
The Council unified church rites. He officially legitimized, under penalty of anathema, the double-fingered sign of the cross and the “great hallelujah.” By the way, these decisions were later referred to by the Old Believers to justify their adherence to antiquity.
The sale of church positions, bribery, false denunciations, and extortion became so widespread in church circles that the Council of the Hundred Heads was forced to adopt a number of resolutions that somewhat limited the arbitrariness of both the highest hierarchs in relation to the ordinary clergy, and the latter in relation to the laity. From now on, taxes from churches were to be collected not by foremen who abused their position, but by zemstvo elders and tenth priests appointed in rural areas.
The listed measures and partial concessions could not, however, in any way defuse the tense situation in the country and in the church itself. The reform envisaged by the Stoglavy Council did not set as its task a deep transformation of the church structure, but only sought to strengthen it by eliminating the most blatant abuses.
With its decrees, the Stoglavy Council tried to put the stamp of churchliness on all folk life. Under pain of royal and church punishment, it was forbidden to read the so-called “renounced” and heretical books, that is, books that then made up almost all secular literature. The Church was ordered to intervene in everyday life to turn people away from barbering, from chess, from playing musical instruments, etc., to persecute buffoons, these bearers of a folk culture alien to the church.
Time for Grozny - time big changes in the field of culture. One of the most significant achievements of the 16th century was printing. The first printing house appeared in Moscow in 1553, and soon books of church content were printed here. Among the earliest printed books include the Lenten Triodion, published around 1553, and two Gospels, printed in the 50s. 16th century.
In 1563, the organization of the "sovereign Printing House" was entrusted outstanding figure in the field of book printing in Russia to Ivan Fedorov. Together with his assistant Peter Mstislavets, on March 1, 1564, he published the book “Apostle”, and the following year “The Book of Hours”. We also associate the name of Ivan Fedorov with the appearance in 1574 in Lvov of the first edition of the Russian Primer.
Under the influence of the church, such a unique work as “Domostroy” was created, which was already noted above, the final edition of which belonged to Archpriest Sylvester. "Domostroy" is a code of morality and life rules, intended for the wealthy urban population. It is permeated with sermons of humility and unquestioning submission to authorities, and in the family - obedience to the householder.
For the increased needs of the Russian state, literate people were needed. At the Council of the Stoglavy, convened in 1551, the question of taking measures to spread education among the population was raised. The clergy were offered to open schools to teach children to read and write. Children were educated, as a rule, in monasteries. In addition, home schooling was common among rich people.
The intense struggle with numerous external and internal enemies contributed to the emergence of a vast war in Russia. historical literature the central theme of which was the question of the growth and development of the Russian state. The most significant monument of historical thought of the period under review was the chronicle vaults.
One of the major historical works of this time is the Face (i.e. illustrated) chronicle: it consisted of 20 thousand pages and chalked 10 thousand beautifully executed miniatures, giving a visual idea of different sides Russian life. This code was compiled in the 50-60s of the 16th century with the participation of Tsar Ivan, Alexei Alexei Adashev and Ivan Viskovaty.
The achievements in the field of architecture were especially significant in the late 15th and 16th centuries. In 1553-54, the Church of John the Baptist was built in the village of Dyakovo (not far from the village of Kolomenskoye), exceptional in the originality of its decorative decoration and architectural design. An unsurpassed masterpiece of Russian architecture is the Church of the Intercession on the Moat (St. Basil's Church), erected in 1561. This cathedral was built to commemorate the conquest of Kazan.
“Oral folk art” - Lyrics are a type of literature in which the author expresses his feelings. (c) Maksimova G.G. Russian language teacher, State Educational Institution Secondary School No. 156, 2007. Folklore of the peoples of Russia. Ed. N.I. Kravtsova. Content: Oral Language, Oral poetic creativity. Folklore genres. Any folk art(dancing, music, wood carving, etc.).
“Russian folk art” - Proverbs and sayings (compiled. Fundamental question: How are moral qualities reflected in Russian folk art? What are nursery rhymes? Didactic tasks: Authors of the project: Kudryavtseva Anastasia Nikolaevna Popova Irina Vyacheslavovna. The work of children to discuss the task of each in the group. – Lesson 5.
“Life of the Russian people” - Autumn. EXCELLENCE on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Haymaking. Winter. Project. Fortune telling about one of the most ancient rituals of the Russian people. Spring. Director of the school “OPPORTUNITY” in Dubna, Moscow region, Ignatovich Svetlana Nikolaevna. Spinning. Picking berries and mushrooms.
“Russian traditions” - Target: Russians folk traditions. Results of our work. What traditions did our ancestors have in the fall? Photo report. Decoration of a Russian hut. Carols Maslenitsa. Large table Samovar Long benches Homespun rugs Russian stove. Spring traditions. Winter traditions. Traditions. We learned a lot about the life of our ancestors and tried to tell you.
“Russian epics” - Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets and Alyosha Popovich. Alyosha Popovich and the beautiful girl. Avdotya-Ryazanochka. Volga Vseslavevich. Heroes of Russian epics. Svyatogor and Ilya Muromets. Volga and Mikula Selyaninovich. Dobrynya spares Fun from the serpent. Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the Robber. Svyatogor. Sadko and the Tsar of the Sea. Svyatogor and the blacksmith of fate.
“Russian Writers” - Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak. Pavel Petrovich Bazhov. Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky. Anna Andreevna Akhmatova. Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky. Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva. Nikolai Nikolaevich Nosov. Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov. Agnia Lvovna Barto.
There are 11 presentations in total
Izba
Slides: 19 Words: 969 Sounds: 0 Effects: 0Izba. In steppe regions rich in clay, huts (huts) were built instead of huts. In the depths of the hut there was a hearth made of stones. This structure was maintained long time. Since the 15th century, stoves with pipes have become widespread. But, mainly, among princes, boyars, merchants, etc. and only in cities. Some of these huts have survived to this day. Floors in peasant hut they were earthen, that is, the earth was simply trampled down. The floors were made from logs split in half; in rich houses, from planks. The floors were laid along the hut from the entrance. As already mentioned, the hut had no windows as such. The hut was installed directly on the ground or on poles. - Izba.pptx
Russian hut
Slides: 10 Words: 589 Sounds: 0 Effects: 0Russian hut. A hut on the territory of the museum in the Intercession Monastery in Suzdal. IZBA, Russian log house; heated living space in the house. Construction of a hut. The construction of a house for a peasant was significant event. During construction, the location of the house was important. General form huts A kind of hallway was often attached to the hut - a canopy about 2 m wide. The canopy was also used in other ways. The cage served as a summer bedroom, a year-round storage room, and in winter - a kind of “refrigerator”. Inner space huts Furniture, utensils and decoration of a Russian hut. The main decoration of houses were icons. - Russian hut.ppt
Houses in Rus'
Slides: 53 Words: 8000 Sounds: 0 Effects: 2Educational - Toolkit"traditional life in a Russian house." Home page. Traditional life in a Russian house. Exit. Construction began with the felling of forests and a settlement - a “village” - appeared on the cleared land. It didn't take a day or two to build. First it was necessary to develop the site. They prepared the land for arable land, cut down, and uprooted the forest. They chopped it down, not sawed it: it was believed that the tree would be better preserved this way. This was the experience of centuries-old wooden construction. Back. Table. IZBA is a wooden (log) log residential building. The log house consisted of “crowns”. From the ground to the roof, about 20 such “crowns” had to be collected. - Houses in Russia.ppt
Russian life
Slides: 38 Words: 297 Sounds: 0 Effects: 0Russian hut. Life of Russian people. Museum "Canavino at the turn of the century". Russian proverbs (explain): Do you like to ride:…… You hurry:….. As you sow, then……. Measure seven times:…. It’s time for business:….. The hut is not red with corners:…… Russian stove. Items of Russian everyday life. Millstone. Pots, jars, bowls. Samovars, jugs, krinkas... Babi kut. Dishes. The setting of the hut. Riddles: There are four legs under the roof, There is soup and spoons on the roof. Table. The bull stands with his barrel akimbo, hissing and boiling, telling everyone to drink tea. Samovar. He walks and walks, but does not enter the hut. Door. The boundaries are wooden and the fields are glass. Window. In the hut there is a hut, in the hut there is a pipe. - Russian everyday life.ppt
Life of the Russian people
Slides: 10 Words: 342 Sounds: 0 Effects: 33Project. Photographs of household items, costumes, and production tools are also presented. Winter. Fortune telling about one of the most ancient rituals of the Russian people. Fortune telling most often took place on Christmas, Epiphany and St. Basil's Day. Nativity. Spring. Annunciation The holiday of the Annunciation is one of the most revered for the Russian people. SOWING about the rules and stages of sowing grain. Summer. Haymaking. Autumn. Picking berries and mushrooms. EXCELLENCE on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Spinning. Tree Origins and roots of the Russian people Traditions and rituals of the Russian people. - Life of the Russian people.ppt
Culture and life of Rus'
Slides: 77 Words: 2942 Sounds: 0 Effects: 187Culture and life of Ancient Rus'. Europeans called Rus' “Gradariki” - a country of cities. Medieval cities were centers of culture. The largest in Europe were Kyiv, Novgorod, Galich. Behind the fortress walls, crafts developed around 70 years ago. Many goods were for sale. Urban development. Torzhok. 16th century engraving. Plan of Kyiv in the middle of the 12th century. As a rule, the Golden Gate was built at the entrance. Scientists find many inscriptions on the walls and birch bark. Golden Gate in Vladimir. Reconstruction. Typical view of boyar mansions. Most of the buildings of Kievan Rus were wooden. - Culture and life of Russia.ppt
Russian national cuisine
Slides: 15 Words: 921 Sounds: 0 Effects: 0Russian National cuisine. Old Russian cuisine IX-XVI centuries.1. Old Russian cuisine of the 9th-16th centuries.2. Cuisine of the Moscow state of the 17th century. Cuisine of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great XVIII era V. St. Petersburg cuisine late 18th century - 60s years XIX V. All-Russian national cuisine 60s of the XIX - early XX centuries. Modern cuisine from 1917 to the present 1. The main place on the Russian table, especially on the national table, was and is occupied by bread. Soups remained of primary importance in the history of Russian cuisine. The spoon has always been the main cutlery of Russians. Modern cuisine from 1917 to the present 2. - Russian national cuisine.ppt
Folk costume
Slides: 6 Words: 21 Sounds: 1 Effects: 16Tula folk costume. Kursk folk costume. Oryol folk costume with a poneva and a red apron. Tambov folk costume with a top. Voronezh folk costume with poneva. Nizhny Novgorod folk costume. - Folk costume.pps
National costumes
Slides: 6 Words: 115 Sounds: 0 Effects: 0National costumes. National men's costume. In the past, the Kyrgyz costume had territorial differences associated with the settlement of tribes. Women's national costume. Conclusion. We met the Kyrgyz national costumes. We learned the names of women's and men's hats. All costumes are beautifully decorated with ornaments. - National costumes.ppt
Russian folk costume
Slides: 16 Words: 444 Sounds: 0 Effects: 9Russian folk costume. The soul of the people is reflected in clothes. Russian costume surprises with its diversity. Each pattern and cut has its own story. By clothing you can learn about the traditions and customs of your people. Peasants sewed clothes from simple fabrics - linen, wool. A boyar costume could weigh 15-20 kg. In Rus', the main clothing for women was a sundress and a shirt with embroidery. They put a soul warmer on top. If the sleeves were lowered, then it was impossible to do any work. Hence the expression - doing it carelessly. Sundresses could be different color: red, blue, brown... At that time, only natural dyes were used for fabric. - Russian folk costume.pps
Finnish clothing
Slides: 10 Words: 221 Sounds: 0 Effects: 25Folk clothing Finns. Folk clothing - the result of the creativity of many generations - is integral part cultural heritage Finns. The clothes differed in composition, method of wearing, cut, material, color scheme, ornament. Local peculiarities existed in each county, and initially in a separate church parish (Kirchspiel). On turn of the 19th century– In the 20th century, Finnish folk clothing fell out of use almost everywhere. Folk clothing of the Finns of the Vyborg province. -
The book “Life of the Russian People” was published a century and a half ago. By this time, the name of the author of this enormous work was already known in the scientific and cultural circles of Russia. Alexander Vlasievich Tereshchenko (1806–1865) was a tireless archaeologist and ethnographer who studied the antiquity of his native country. He researched the history of nomads Black Sea steppes, led numerous excavations. His works “Essays on the Novorossiysk Territory”, “On burial grounds, embankments and stone women in the Ekaterinoslav and Tauride provinces”, “The experience of reviewing the life of dignitaries...” and many others were a significant contribution to the knowledge of the past of Rus'.
The appearance of “Life of the Russian People” in 1847–1848. brought the scientist well-deserved popularity. Both before and after the publication of this monograph, many serious and talented works By this issue. It is enough to name “The Russian people: their customs, rituals, legends, superstitions and poetry” by M. Zabylin, “Tales of the Russian people” by I. Sakharov, “Wandering Russia for Christ’s sake” by S. Maksimov, “On the beliefs, superstitions and prejudices of the Russian people” V. Dahl... But the seven parts-volumes of A. Tereshchenko significantly surpass all of the listed and many other works both in volume and in the thoroughness of the research.
In fact, delve into the content of only the first part of “Life of the Russian People.” It fully and vividly reveals the concept and essence of nationality, gives detailed description the dwellings in which our ancestors lived, tells about their way of life, tells about housekeeping and clothing. Not forgotten musical culture- It is unthinkable to imagine a Russian person without her. Sincere songs and round dances, dance melodies, original musical instruments such as horns, harps, pipes, etc. - the author talks about all this knowledgeably.
We flatter ourselves with the hope that readers will wait for the publication of the remaining six, no less interesting, parts of this extraordinary book.
The second part contains over 600 pages. It is entirely dedicated to weddings in all their diversity due to the immensity of the Russian state. This is truly an encyclopedia of marriage! The third part describes the rites of baptism, funeral, and wake. Here we also get acquainted with the chronology, with Demetrius Saturday, about in a deep sense which many today no longer know. Part four is devoted to fun, games, and round dances. And in the next, fifth, it is difficult to tear yourself away from the fascinating story about the meeting of the red spring, the celebration of Krasnaya Gorka, Ivan Kupala, about how the gatherings, brothers and sisters coped, how they celebrated Indian summer... The penultimate part is devoted mainly to a description of the celebration of Easter and Trinity in Rus' , and the last, seventh - Christmastide and Maslenitsa.
We are publishing the first part of the most popular in its time and never before reprinted unique study. Of course, some of the author’s statements may seem naive or outdated to a modern reader, but let’s not forget that this work was written many years ago.
Old spelling and punctuation have been brought to the norms of the modern Russian language. The author's style has been preserved whenever possible.
Translations of foreign words, expressions and quotes, as well as some editorial explanations, are given in angle brackets. At the end of the book there is short dictionary rare and ancient words.
Time has no power over books beloved by the people, especially those in which the people themselves are the hero. Long life- already in the next edition - is destined for this wonderful work.
Alexander CHISTYAKOV
Preface
Foreigners looked at our morals and way of life mostly out of curiosity; but we are obliged to look at all this not out of curiosity alone, but as the history of people’s life, their spirit and life, and draw from them touching examples of good nature, hospitality, goodness<го>true devotion to one’s homeland, fatherland, Orthodoxy and autocracy. If foreign observers were surprised at many things and praised, and more condemned, then we must not forget that they looked at us superficially, with prejudice and without studying our people, therefore they fell into great delusions, often reached strange conclusions, moved from one extreme to another in such a way that one writer presented it as praiseworthy and beautiful, then another found the same thing vicious and ridiculous; What one copied from stories, the other supplemented with his own unrealistic interpretations and always directed them in a bad direction. Re-reading descriptions, narratives and legends on many European languages, you constantly read, and not without a smile, that all foreign writers seem to have agreed once and for all to blaspheme and scold us, and this passion is so permeated in their writings that there is not a single book that does not exclaim in the name of Russia: “Barbaric Muscovy! The land is wild, the people in it are schismatic and have completely apostatized from the pure Catholic faith.”- Anyone familiar with the history of their fatherland knows that these inscriptions on our ancestors expired from their inflexibility to submit to the yoke of Catholic preachers and their supreme representative, who, together with them and frivolous writers, also called us “lost children”, “rejected children from God”, “sheep without a shepherd”, and therefore unable to inherit the kingdom of heaven and enjoy the blessings of this life. - Such complaints are the consequences of passions, not truth; movements of fanatical thoughts, and not the purity of the Gospel; Such slanderous proclamations refer to the honor of our ancestors, and not to their dishonor: they defended their right and property and wisely endured all the condemnations that fell on the heads of our detractors.
Leaving human passions, which we attribute to the concepts of the century, it is delightful for us to remember that the life of our ancestors, not bound by the conditions of multilateral education, poured out from their heartfelt sensations, flowed out of the nature of their homeland, and this reminds us of the patriarchal simplicity that is so alive in their actions that as if it were in all of us. Whoever wants to explore the life of a people must go back to their youth and gradually descend through the stages of change of all their ages. Then the world of our ancestors will not be lifeless and dead for us: it will appear stronger to our imagination, with all its quirks and concepts; then we will see all sides of the picture: harsh and proud, warlike and peaceful, unhappy and triumphant, sad and virtuous; on it we will see our ancestors crowned with glory, and our heart will beat faster!
For a long time I had the intention of depicting the life of our Rus', but I was always stopped by the thought: the work is beyond my strength. This thought - indeed a fair one - took away from me all hope of ever starting; but reasoning that a weak acquaintance, as accurate as possible, should not be blamed - I decided to draw it in "Life of the Russian People". It is not without timidity that I introduce him to my compatriots. If they find him worthy of their attention, then I will rejoice with them. I confess, making a loving presentation "Life of the Russian people" I was further strengthened by the hope that talented people would develop this work over time, which, due to the scarcity of information collected, was divided into VII parts, and in them was placed:
In Parts I–I. Nationality. P. Housing. III. Housekeeping. IV. Outfit. V. Lifestyle. VI. Music.
In Part II - Weddings.
In parts III–I. Timing. II. Baptism. III. Funeral. IV. Wake. V. Dmitrievskaya Saturday.
In Part IV - Fun: I. Games. II. Round dances.
In Part V - Common folk rituals: I. First of March. P. Meeting spring. III. Red hill. IV. Radunitsa. V. Smell. VI. Cuckoo. VII. Kupalo. VIII. Yarilo. IX. Reapings. X. Indian summer. XI. Brothers.
In Part VI. - I. Ritual holidays. II. Week wai. III. Easter. IK Mermaid Week. V. Semik. VI. Trinity day. VII First of April. VIII. May Day.
In Part VII–I. Christmas time. II. Maslenitsa.