| About Me And My Motherland |
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| This site is dedicated to my motherland Russia and to all the Russian people,who love and respect their country. Russian CHRISTMAS Thirteen days after Western Christmas, on January 7th, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates its Christmas, in accordance with the old Julian calendar. It's a day of both solemn ritual and joyous celebration After the 1917 Revolution, Christmas was banned throughout Russia, along with other religious celebrations. It wasn't until 75 years later, in 1992, that the holiday was openly observed. Today, it's once again celebrated in grand fashion, with the faithful participating in an all-night Mass in incense-filled Cathedrals amidst the company of the painted icons of Saints. Christmas is one of the most joyous traditions for the celebration of Eve comes from the Russian tradition. On the Eve of Christmas, it is traditional for all family members to gather to share a special meal. The various foods and customs surrounding this meal differed in Holy Russia from village to village and from family to family, but certain aspects remained the same. An old Russian tradition, whose roots are in the Orthodox faith, is the Christmas Eve fast and meal. The fast, typically, lasts until after the evening worship service or until the first star appears. The dinner that follows is very much a celebration, although, meat is not permitted. Kutya (kutia), a type of porridge, is the primary dish. It is very symbolic with its ingredients being various grains for hope and honey and poppy seed for happiness and peace. Once the first star has appeared in the sky, the festivities begin. Although all of the food served is strictly Lenten, it is served in an unusually festive and anticipatory manner and style. The Russians call this meal: "The Holy Supper." The family gathers around the table to honor the coming Christ Child. A white table-cloth, symbolic of Christ's swaddling clothes, covers the Table. Hay is brought forth as a reminder of the poverty of the Cave where Jesus was born. A tall white candle is place in the center of the Table, symbolic of Christ "the Light of the World." A large round loaf of Lenten bread, "pagach," symbolic of Christ the Bread of Life, is placed next to the Candle. The meal begins with the Lord's Prayer, led by the father of the family. A prayer of thanksgiving for all the blessings of the past year is said and then prayers for the good things in the coming year are offered. The head of the family greets those present with the traditional Christmas greeting: "Christ is Born!" The family members respond: "Glorify Him!" The Mother of the family blesses each person present with honey in the form of a cross on each forehead, saying: "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, may you have sweetness and many good things in life and in the new year." Following this, everyone partakes of the bread, dipping it first in honey and then in chopped garlic. Honey is symbolic of the sweetness of life, and garlic of the bitterness. The "Holy Supper" is then eaten (see below for details). After dinner, no dishes are washed and the Christmas presents are opened. Then the family goes to Church, coming home between 2 and 3 am. On the Feast of the Nativity, neighbors and family members visit each other, going from house to house , eating, drinking and singing Christmas Carols all the day long. The "Holy Supper" Christmas Eve dinner is meatless but festive. The most important ingredient is a special porridge called kutya. It is made of wheatberries or other grains which symbolize hope and immortality, and honey and poppy seeds which ensure happiness, success, and untroubled rest. A ceremony involving the blessing of the home is frequently observed. The kutya is eaten from a common dish to symbolize unity. Some families used to throw a spoonful of kutya up to the ceiling. According to tradition, if the kutya stuck, there would be a plentiful honey harvest. Traditionally, the "Holy Supper" consists of 12 different foods, symbolic of the 12 Apostles. Although there was also some variation in the foods from place to place and village to village, the following is a good summary of what was typically served. It comes to us from Elizabeth Kontras, who celebrated the Feast of the Nativity in the traditional Russian way with her babishka (Grandmother) and zeddo (Grandfather) in Monessen, Pennsylvania until their passing in the 1970-1980's. The twelve foods are: 1) Mushroom soup with zaprashka; this is often replaced with Sauerkraut soup 2) Lenten bread ("pagach") 3) Grated garlic 4) Bowl of honey 5) Baked cod 6) Fresh Apricots, Oranges, Figs and Dates 7) Nuts 8) Kidney beans (slow cooked all day) seasoned with shredded potatoes, lots of garlic, salt and pepper to taste 9) Peas 10) Parsley Potatoes (boiled new potatoes with chopped parsley and margarine) 11) Bobal'ki (small biscuits combined with sauerkraut or poppyseed with honey) 12) Red Wine It was once common practice, on Christmas Eve, for groups of people masquerading as manger animals to travel from house to house, having themselves a rousing good time, and singing songs known as kolyadki . Some kolyadki were pastoral carols to the baby Jesus, while others were homages to the ancient solar goddess Kolyada, who brings the lengthening days of sunlight through the winter. In return for their songs, the singers were offered food and coins, which they gladly accepted, moving on to the next home. Ded Moroz and yolka The origin of Santa Claus is in St. Nicholas. He was born in Asia Minor at at the Greco-Roman city of of Myra in the province of Lycia, at a time when the region was entirely Greek in origin. Due to the suppression of religion during the Soviet regime, St. Nicholas was replaced by Ded Moroz or Grandfather Frost, the Russian Spirit of Winter who brought gifts on New Year's. He is accompanied by Snyegurochka, the Snowmaiden, who helps distribute the gifts. The Christmas tree (Yolka) is yet another tradition banned during the Soviet era.To keep the custom alive, people decorated New Year's trees, instead. Since ornaments were either very costly or unavailable, family trees were trimmed with homemade decorations and fruit. Yolka comes from the word which refers to a fir tree. The custom of decorating Christmas trees was introduced to Russia by Peter the Great, after he visited Europe during the 1700's. Why January 7? In ancient times, many, mostly unreliable methods had been used to calculate the dates according to either the lunar or solar cycles. By Roman times, the calendar had become three months out with the seasons, so in 46 BC, Julius Caesar commissioned the astronomer, Sosigenes to devise a more reliable method. This, we know as the Julian Calendar and was used widely for 1500 years. The month of his birth, Caesar had named Quintilis, but the Roman Senate later re-named it Julius (July) in his honour. In those days, February had 30 days every 4 years. However, this calendar was still 11 minutes and 14 seconds longer than the solar year, so that by the year 1580, the calendar had accumulated 10 days off again. In 1582, therefore, Pope Gregory XIII corrected the difference between the sun and calendar by ordering 10 days dropped from October, the month with the least Roman Catholic Feast days. His calendar, we know as the Gregorian Calendar, which is used in almost all of the world today. Pope Gregory made further changes to keep the calendar in line, which on average is only 26.3 seconds longer than the solar year. The Gregorian Calendar is so accurate that it will take until the year 4316 to gain a whole day on the sun. That year, 1582, October 5th became October 15th and was immediately adopted in most Roman Catholic nations of Europe. Various German states kept the Julian Calendar until 1700. Britain and the American Colonies didn't change until 1752, but Russia and Turkey did not adopt the Gregorian Calendar until the early 1900's. So, January 7th by the Georgian Calendar would have been December 25th by the old Julian Calendar and is therefore why it is still Christmas Day for the Russian Orthodox Church. Many Russians will have celebrated along with the rest of us and will then celebrate again on the Orthodox date. New Year Eve instead of Christmas Few people in Russia remember, but when the communists took power in 1917 they banned the open expression of religion. While it was easy to pray at home, the Russian people were concerned about giving up their traditional Christmas celebration. But where there is a will, there is a way! They re-invented the New Year's holiday tradition to include a decorated tree, and introduced a character called "Grandfather Frost." Known as "Ded Moroz," Grandfather Frost looked very much like the western "Santa Claus" or "Pere Noel" - except he wore a blue suit. Actually, Ded Moroz was a character that existed in the pagan culture, centuries earlier. For a time, Christmas was all but forgotten. In fact, it was generally celebrated only in small villages, where the citizenry was far from the prying eyes of the Party. Today, Christmas is celebrated again, on January 7. But, to date, New Year's remains the bigger event. Russian cuisine and Russian COOKING recipes Russian cuisine is one of the most popular and widely spread in the world. French cuisine is festive and elegant, Chinese cuisine is exotic, Russian cuisine is healthy and delicious. Russian dishes are easy to cook and they do not demand much skill and special ingredients, they do not need exotic equipment and tool and everybody who knows how to hold a cooking knife and how to peel potatoes can cook delicious Russian dishes. A few words about Russian cooking traditions. In old Russ, grain - that is rye, barley, oats, millet and wheat - was always the main food product. Since days of old the Russian s have been known as land-tiller. That is why bread remains their major national food. Pies have always been a par of the holiday fare. The pies are customarily filled with different kinds of meat, fish, and berries. As for the groats, millet was most often used since it was the main agricultural product. They also made various kinds of kashas (cereals), round loaves, baked puddings, and krupenik. Russians have always eaten vegetables. In old times it was the turnip, cabbage, radish, and cucumbers. Since the 18th century the potato began to play an ever more important part as one of the most loved ingredients of the Russian board. The abundance of berries, mushroom, and honey in Russian cuisine is accounted for by the country's vast expanses, especially in the north. One more important thing should be mentioned for better understanding of Russian cooking traditions. Russian is an Orthodox country and all the feasts were always strictly followed. Totally there are more than 200 days in a year in which the Orthodox Christians should avoid eating meat, milk and milk products (including butter), eggs. That is why Russian cuisine widely uses vegetables, fish, berries, and mushrooms. In order to cook tasty dishes using just vegetables it is necessary to use different spice, Russians used dill, parsley, celery, later they used spidery which were delivered from other countries - pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves. Nearly all dishes include onion. Appetizers Most often Russian appetizers are rather spicy and look good enough to wet the appetite. They are served with various seasonings and condiments, such as horse-radish, kvass, garlic and piquant totmato sauces lending the dishes special punguency. Soups In Russia soups are served as the first course at dinner. In the Russian language the world "soup" was naturalsed quite late. Originally, Russian soups were called "khlebovo" or "pokhlyobka" - soup with cereals. The typical Russian soups are schi (soup with cabbage or sauerkraut)m borsch (beet and cabbage soup), rassolnik (soup with pickled cucumbers), okroshka (cold kvass soup), solyanka (soup with vegetables, pickled cucumbers, olives and bits of meat) and pohlyobka Pastry In Russian cooking bread and pastry have always been especially important. Guests were met with bread and salt. Of no lesser importance were pies - a symbol of wealth and well-being. Russian women were famous for their skills in making different sorts of cookies: blini (pancakes), kulebyakas, rasstegais, cheese cakes, spice-cakes, etc. Howere, especially popular were patties made from soudough. ICON OF KAZAN of the Birth-Giver of God In 1579 in Kazan on one of site of fire the greatest relic of Russia - icon Kazan Our Lady was wonderfully retrieved. The message about the phenomenon of an icon has scattered on all Kazan. " To take from ground " and to transfer to a temple this relic Kazan archbishop unexpectedly entrusts the ordinary to the priest Ermolai. " Married, not the friar, not archimandrite - for what to him such honour? " - many minded. But archimandrite was unshakable, beginning to see clearly great future of the elected, whose destiny now will be indissolubly coupled to this icon. The priest Ermolai (in monasticism Germogen) becomes the patriarch and in difficult for Russia the vague time will give back the life in saving of belief and native fatherland martyrly. The Kazan image All-holy Our Lady is most distributed and is honored in Russia. In each orthodox temple it is possible to see this icon, its(her) feast always gathers set of the people. This icon has appeared after 27 years after conquest Kazan tatars by king by Ivan the Terrible. The Holy Virgin Theotokos the wonderworking icon more to affirm in christian belief conversion from the local inhabitants who were not believed - to arrange to her. The Birth-Giver of God repeatedly was in dream to the devout maiden Matriona, having adjured to announce to Kazan archbishop of Jeremiah, that he has taken from ground Her icon, and thus has indicated place. When have dug out ground, have seen a shining image of the Birth-Giver of God of rather small sizes. On an icon the Birth-Giver of God and blessing baby the Christ-Savior was largly represented. Archbishop with religious procession by a course has brought an image in the nearest church in a name Saint Nicholas, and therefrom in the cathedral of the annunciation it the Birth-Giver of God showed the miracle force, having healed several ills. The icon became a main relic of city of Kazan. This image is known also by partisoipation for great events of the Russian history. 1612. Vague time. Russian ground is ruined and is waste. The impostors due to betraying of boyars and nobles replace one another on the Moscow throne. In Kremlin the Polish armies stand. The patriarch Germogen is let lamguish in the prison. Already widely are created the plans of complete annexation of Russia to Poland and turning into Catholic all Russianы . Everywhere anarchy and chaos are, the bands of the robbers unpunishedly plunder last for the defenceless population, everywhere famine and ruin. Only courageously defends Trinity-Sergius of Laurus, which advocates mirror second year uncountable attacks of Polish armies. And dying from famine in a dungeon the Patriarch Germogen, refusing to recognize the Polish proteges of the impostors and damned them, writes the letters with call-up to rise on protection of fatherland and belief. With considerable work Germogen sends in Nizhni Novgorod the message with call-up to rise on protection of fatherland. Other letter, too secretly, he dispatches in Kazan, asking in him to transmit a wonderworking icon of Our Lady to the one who will rise for belief orthodox... The letter of the patriarch has impressed inhabitans of Nizhni Novgorod. With the participation of Minin and prince Pozharskiy militia was formed. From all test leadss of Russian squads came to. Long shelfs Russian could not take Moscow. But the icon of Our Lady has been delivered from Kazan. With affection the warriors before Her prayed about bestowal of victory. On all Russian lands was placed strict three-day fast. And of November 4, 1612 militia took possession a fortress of an enemy - Kitai city. Kremlin was soon taken also. In memory of this great historical event of saving of Russia and end awful discords the autumn commemorating of an Icon of Kazan of the Birth-Giver of God was placed. And on Red square in 1636 was will erect the Kazan cathedral, where was set, as the relic, that icon, which headed militia. In 1709 tzar Peter the Great was praying before an Icon of Kazan of the Birth-Giver of God on the eve of the Poltava fight, and more than in 100 years, at invasion Napoleon, great Russian commander Michael Kutuzov with teardrops was praying before this sacred image and, having received assignment commanding by Russian army, has assigned to itself medalion with the шmage of an Icon of Kazan. After rout of uncountable armies Napoleon the silver, stolen by the French, was transmitted cossaks by general Platonov to the Kazan cathedral of St.-Petersburg, where the unique iconostas was made of him(it). The revered lists from the Kazan image are known in many places of Russia, and the icon heading militia of Minin and Pozharsiy, is nowadays in Bogoiavlensky Patriarchal cathedral in Moscow, as one of main sacred object of Russia. Russian BATH The history of Russian bath originates in old times. From descriptions of Greece Herodotus, it is possible to find out that the Scythians that lived in Ukraine in ancient times used bath. They established three poles inclined by the top ends to each other, and covered them with felt. Then threw into the tub put in the middle of this hut the red-hot stones. They brought hempen seeds into this felt bath and threw them on the heated stones. Strong heat rose so, by words of Herodotus, "no one Hellenic bath could be compared to it, Scythians enjoying it yelled from pleasure. Scythian women pounded on a rough stone, adding waters, pieces of cypress, cedar and incense. They covered all body with this liquid paste with a pleasant smell and when washed it off and became clean and shone". German scientist Adam Oleary in XVII century wrote, "in Russia therewere no city, no village in which there would be no steam baths.Russian may bear extreme heat. Lying on shelves of the bath, orderto beat and rub their body with hot birch besoms that I could notbear in any way. After such heat Russians became red and are poured by cold water. In the winter, having jumped out of the bath, roll in snow, tinder their body as if soap, and then again enter into the hot bath. Such change of opposite actions favours to their health ". Probably from this description Russian saying came: "What is good for Russians to the Germans is death! ". Peter the Great was an active admirer of Russian bath. When in 1703 St. Petersburg was based, he allowed for all interested persons to build baths and constructions were not undertaken any duties. As a rule Russian bath is build of logs stacked against each other, gaps between which were calked with moss. Initially baths were heated "in a black way", that is an oven was established directly in a steam room and the smoke left directly into the room. Therefore walls in such bath were smoked. This way of heating was called "in black way". Construction of a Russian bath differed much from a Roman term. First of all Russian bath was always made of wood and has no possible luxury and excesses. All was subordinated only to one thing - to bring into a healthy state. Second, the bath had only two rooms - a waiting room in which people undressed and had a rest in breaks between calls in a steam room, and a steam room. Such baths were built without drawings - all was held in a head and art of construction of bath was handed down. The choice of the place for the bath was important for construction. Choice of the place appropriate for a bath was made with the same scrupulousness as a choice of th place for a church. In opposite to Roman terms where there were rooms with various temperatures, in Russian bath gradualness of warming up was reached by making some shelves at different height. The higher shelf was in zone with the hotter temperature. The steam room was heated up by means of an oven in which stones were stacked; from this fact the oven got name "Kamenka". Various ways of heating of water were used. In olden time people just threw the heated stones into the barrels with water. Later pig-iron boilers were fixed into ovens and were used for heating of water. Water was heated up during all time while heating of the oven and the clouds of steam rising from boiling water shrouded all steam room. A besom always was as the basic attribute of Russian bath. Bath never was held without it. There are a great variety of besoms: birch, oak and still it is a lot of others. Besom used in Russian bath is made of twigs with leaves and dried under special conditions when leaves stay green and do not peel off. Such besoms are prepared in summer time and are kept specially for bath. Just before using of a besom it is wetted in hot water and then is used for hitting of body. It improves circulation of blood and acts like massage. RUSSIAN SPIRITS Domestic Spirits They are protectors of the house and the farmstead. The most malevolent spirits are the ones that live farthest away. domovoi A well-wishing spirit of the house who helped with domestic chores. Domovoi played tricks on people only when the owners were lazy or negligent, and lived in harmony with things from the church. Appearance: An old peasant with a long gray beard; also appeared as a cat or a dog. Tricks: Stole neighbor's oats; if unhappy, was known to mess up the yard, tangle needlework, spread manure on the door, or, in extreme cases of anger, suffocate the victim. domikha, domovikha, domovichka The wife of the domovoi kikimora, shishimora A female spirit that, in some regions, was believed to be the wife of the domovoi. dvorovoi A spirit that lived in the yard, had the same appearance as domovoi, but was more evil-natured. bannik A dangerous spirit known both to protect peasants and to kill them by suffocating them or peeling their skin. bannaia, bannikha The wife of the bannik. ovinnik The most evil and dangerous of the domestic spirit, lived in the threshing barn. Also called gumennik and ryzhnyi khoziain. The Nature Spirits Manifestations of the unclean force, harmful to peasants. leshii The master of the forest and wild animals. Outside of the forest, leshii was interchangeable with the devil. Appearance: A peasant without a belt, who could vary his size and who frequently had features of the devil. The leshii could be transformed into a familiar person, a beast, a domestic animal, or a mushroom. Tricks: Could lead a peasant astray, make him sick, or tickle him to death. Was known to hide woodcutters' axes. Carried off young girls and women. lesovikha The leshii's wife. vodianoi, vodianoi ch?rt An evil and dangerous water spirit who drowned people. Appearance: A naked old man, or half-fish, half-human, covered with mire, slime, or scales, sometimes with a long beard and green hair. Features of the devil. Could be transformed into a fish. vodianikha The wife of the vodianoi. rusalka A drowned maiden or the soul of an unbaptized child, who was connected with the unclean force. Was known to steal children and entice, tickle to death, or drown passersby. Could be the vodianoi's wife or consort. Appearance: Often appeared as a woman with long hair, but the external representation was inconsistent. bereginia The river bank female spirit. polevoi The spirit of the field, who had qualities of both domovoi and leshii. poludnitsa A female spirit of the fields. lugovik The spirit of the meadows. bolotnyi The spirit of the swamps. MARRIAGE in the Orthodox Church HOLY MATRIMONY is a one of the Mysteries of the Holy Orthodox Church in which a man and woman are united by the Holy Trinity. Their conjugal union is blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ through the Church. God's grace is imparted to them to live together in His love, mutually fulfilling and perfecting each other.The Mystery of marriage of the Holy Orthodox Church is steeped in ritual and symbolism. Each of the acts has special meaning and significance. The rings The rings are blessed by the priest who takes them in his hand and, making the sign of the cross over the heads of bride and groom, says: "The servant of God ...is betrothed to the maid of God ... in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."The couple then exchange the rings, taking the bride's ring and placing it on the groom's finger and vice-versa. The rings, of course, are the symbol of betrothal and their exchange signifies that in married life the weaknesses of the one partner will be compensated for by the strength of the other, the imperfections of one by the perfections of the other. By themselves, the newly-betrothed are incomplete: together they are made perfect. Thus the exchange of rings gives expression to the fact that the spouses in marriage will constantly be complementing each other. Each will be enriched by the union. The candles The Wedding service begins immediately following the Betrothal Service. The bride and groom are handed candles which they hold throughout the service. The candles are like the lamps of the five wise maidens of the Bible, who because they had enough oil in them, were able to receive the Bridegroom, Christ, when He came in the darkness of the night. The candles symbolize the spiritual willingness of the couple to receive Christ, Who will bless them through this Mystery. The joining of the right hands The right hand of the bride and groom are joined when the priest reads the prayer that beseeches God to "join these thy servants, unite them in one mind and one flesh." The hands are kept joined throughout the service to symbolize the "oneness" of the couple The crowning The service of the Crowning, which follows, is the climax of the Wedding service. The crowns are signs of the glory and honor with which God crowns them during the Mystery. The groom and the bride are crowned as the king and queen of their own little kingdom, the home - domestic church, which they will rule with fear of God,wisdom,justice and integrity.When the crowning takes place the priest, taking the crowns and holding them above the couple, says:"The servants of God, (names), are crowned in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The crowns used in the Orthodox wedding service refer to the crowns of martyrdom since every true marriage involves immeasurable self-sacrifice on both sides. The common cup The service of crowning is followed by the reading of the Epistle and the Gospel. The Gospel reading describes the marriage at Cana of Galilee which was attended and blessed by our Lord and Saviour Christ, and for which He reserved His first miracle. There He converted the water into better wine and give of it to the newlyweds, in remembrance of this blessing, wine is given the couple. This is the "common cup" of better life denoting the mutual sharing of joy and sorrow, the token of a life of harmony. The drinking of wine from the common cup serves to impress upon the couple that from that moment on they will share everything in life, joys as well as sorrows, and that they are to "bear one another's burdens." Their joys will be doubled and their sorrows halved because they will be shared. The walk The priest then leads the bride and groom in a circle around the table on which are placed the Gospel and the Cross, the one containing the Word of God, the other being the symbol of our redemption by our Saviour Jesus Christ. The husband and wife are taking their first steps as a married couple, and the Church, in the person of the priest, leads them in the way they must walk. The way is symbolized by the circle at the center of which are the Gospel and the Cross of our Lord. This expresses the fact that the way of Christian living is a perfect orbit around the center of life, who is Jesus Christ our Lord.During this walk around the table a hymn its sung to the Holy Martyrs reminding the newly married couple of the sacrificial love they are to have for each other in marriage - a love that seeks not its own but is willing to sacrifice its all for the one loved. The blessing The couple return to their places and the priest, blessing the groom, says, "Be thou magnified, O bridegroom, as Abraham, and blessed as Isaac, and increased as Jacob, walking in peace and working in righteousness the commandments of God." And blessing the bride he says, "And thou, O bride, be thou magnified as Sarah, and glad as Rebecca, and do thou increase like unto Rachael, rejoicing in thine own husband, fulfilling the conditions of the law; for so it is well pleasing unto God." WOMEN IN RUSSIAN HISTORY In the l8th century the Russian Empress Catherine II [Great] had the nerve to assert that women in Russia possessed more freedom than women in other European countries. Was it really so? On the other hand a French abbot who lived in Russia said outright in his book that in his opinion Russian women were slaves of their husbands. If this was the case, then when did this slavery begin? Russian peasant life acknowledged the equality and high value of women. There the wife was called a man's "companion and friend for life." Family was the basis for material and moral well-being - according to the old saying, "God helps a bachelor and the wife helps her husband." Working together was what sustained the peasant family: the work a woman did was highly valued and indeed it was thought that family prosperity to a very large extent depended on how skillfully she managed the household. … What qualities were appreciated in a woman? First of all, she should be physically healthy. … She did a full day of housework and in summer many women helped their husbands in the fields. …In the opinions of historians, Russian peasant women had every bit as much strength and endurance as men did. The family division of labor had existed for centuries. … As they used to say, the husband threshes the wheat and the wife bakes the bread. The men did all the basic farming work, and tended the horses and did the carpentry and cut up the firewood and brought in the hay. It was considered shameful for a man to do women's work. Even a boy who fetched water might be made fun of. … Women's responsibility was the home: preparing food, cleaning and ironing, looking after children, and bringing in buckets of water. They also tended the family's vegetable garden and the smaller livestock. In extended families living together under one roof, relations were strictly regulated in a hierarchy of submission and and division of labor which even into the 20th century, especially in Siberia, preserved patriarchal values. In these large undivided families there was collective ownership of property and money, and both work and consumption were shared. The oldest man (father or oldest brother) was head of household - the "bolshak" governing the whole of family life. He represented the family in the commune, controlled all household spending, and exercised patriarchal authority over all family members. … Family property was distributed according to his wishes, hence the sons, fearing to lost their shares, obeyed their father. Inside the home the woman was in charge, the "bolshukha," who managed the family funds and supplies, and kept order and assigned tasks to the women and taught the youngest daughter-in-law to cook. In the absence of a male head of household, the woman replaced him and the sons submitted to their mother. But on the father's death, his rights and responsibilities passed to his eldest son, and less often to a brother. In the home, the oldest son was second to the "bolshak" in authority and his wife was first assistant to her mother-in-law and first among the other daughters-in-law. Women's tasks in the home were assigned according to their place in themhierarchy. … The mother-in-law taught the young bride to cook and if she was a mean mother-in-law, she made fun of her. The actual meal preparation was done only by the "bolshukha" while the young brides worked outside in the garden and tended the animals. At times of festivities the woman spun and wove, so to speak, for her family and washed their things, and the youngest bride also had to bathe the old folks. In these big families in general, life was hard on the youngest daughter-in-law, and this is reflected in peasant lore, in the pre-wedding songs that girls sang, with anxiety and tears at giving up their childhood homes for an unfamiliar and even alien one where the young bride was often looked on as a servant-gift to do the work. … At a young age girls learned to do the various jobs of the household - to wash dishes and floors (at age six or seven) and tend poultry and other family animals. At eight or nine she was taught to weave. Girls watered gardens and helped fetch water and milk the cows, and they looked after the little children. Yet, even with these chores, before marriage they were relatively free of responsibility. In spring and summer they were outdoors with friends, they sang and went dancing and on excursions. Relations among young people were rather free and unconstrained, but girls tried to avoid sexual relations with boys since a girl's fate, especially in marriage, largely depended on her reputation. Rubbing tar on her gate was enough to tarnish it. If the tarring culprit was caught and turned out to be a slanderer, he himself was tarred and led naked through the village. |
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