Among the Russian old-timer population (especially among the Cossacks and peasants, who early received land in possession and then as property), large (undivided) families were common in the past. Not only parents, children and grandchildren lived together and managed jointly, but also several brothers; there could also have been a sister and her primak husband, orphaned nephews and other relatives. Often a family united up to 20 or more people. The head of the family team was the father or elder brother (bolshak, elder), the manager among women and the authority among men was his wife. Intrafamily life was determined by patriarchal foundations. The church itself prescribed women unquestioning submission to their husbands. The daughters-in-law expected hard daily work in family life, they were expected to be submissive and obedient. At the same time, all family members participated in household chores; men carried out the most difficult field, forestry, and construction work. Children were also involved in family affairs.
After the abolition of serfdom and the receipt of land plots, there was a tendency towards the disintegration of large families. Settlers of the last decades of the 19th century. rarely decided to move in large numbers. At the same time, the eldest son living with his parents remained a family tradition everywhere. Families of 7-9 people were common. In Stolypin's time, small families appeared along with them - 4-6 people.
Wedding ceremonies
Weddings were usually celebrated in the fall or winter after Epiphany. The wedding ceremony consisted of several stages and took a long period of time. The godfather and godmother or the boy's parents came to marry the girl, and less often, other relatives. They sat under the mat and started a conversation allegorically: “You have a product, we have a merchant,” or “You have a chicken, we have a cockerel, let’s bring them into one barn.” If consent was given, then a series of pre-wedding meetings took place: the bride's viewing, acquaintance with the groom's household, a conspiracy (binge, hand-waving), during which they agreed on the wedding date, the size of the dowry, the size and content of the clutch - the groom's monetary contribution and the clothes that he bought for the bride (this could be a fur coat, a coat, a silk dress, boots with galoshes, etc.). Following this, preparations for the wedding took place for about a month. Throughout this period, the bride's friends gathered at her house for evenings, helped prepare gifts for the wedding and dowry: sewed, knitted lace, embroidered.
All rituals included in the wedding cycle were accompanied by songs according to the moment - sad, lyrical, majestic, comic, farewell.
The playful nature of the wedding entertainment was fully manifested the next day, when the son-in-law, and after him all those present, went “to the mother-in-law for pancakes.”
Among the Cossacks, for example, after a noisy (with throwing and smashing of plates) fun in the mother-in-law's house, they dressed up in different clothes, painted or covered their faces with canvas, and, whooping and singing, rode around the village on oxen harnessed to carts - Rydvans. We stopped by to visit our godfathers and other guests.
The wedding could last a week or more. Despite the limited number of invitees, almost everyone could attend, take part in dances, performances, and occasionally enjoy refreshments.
Collectors of folklore note the impoverishment of wedding rituals in the 20th century, the disappearance from it not only of many sad, but also of a number of playful moments. The number of participants expanded, but the wedding “roles” (except for groomsmen) were lost. Ritual song folklore has gone into the realm of history.
The rich and diverse culture of the Slavs managed to preserve most of the rituals and customs. The Russian people have always been original and have honored their traditions from time immemorial. Over time cultural heritage has undergone significant changes, but still the centuries-old connections have not been lost; in the modern world there is still a place for ancient legends and superstitions. Let's try to remember the most important customs, rituals and traditions of the Russian people.
Through me
The basis of the centuries-old culture of the Slavs has always been family, clan, and continuity of generations. The rituals and customs of the Russian people entered a person’s life from the moment of his birth. If a boy was born, he was traditionally swaddled in his father's shirt. It was believed that in this way he takes on all the necessary masculine qualities. The girl was wrapped in her mother's clothes so that she would grow up to be a good housewife. From an early age, children revered their father and unquestioningly fulfilled all his demands and wishes. The head of the family was akin to God, who gave continuation to his family.
In order for the child to receive a blessing from higher powers, not get sick and develop well, the father presented his heir to the deities. First of all, he showed the baby to Yarila, Semarglu and Svarog. The Gods of Heaven must give their protection to the baby. Then it was the turn of Mother Earth, or, as she was otherwise called, the Goddess Mokosh. The child was placed on the ground and then dipped into water.
Bratchina
If you delve into history and look for which rituals and customs of the Russian people were the most fun and populous, then the brotherhood will take one of the main places. This was not a spontaneous gathering of people and a mass celebration. They had been preparing for this ritual for months. Especially for the brotherhood, livestock was fattened and beer was brewed in large quantities. In addition, drinks included wine, mead and kvass. Each invitee had to bring a treat. The place for the holiday was chosen by all honest people. A random person could not get into the brotherhood - everyone had to receive an invitation. At the table, the most honorable places were occupied by people whose merits were valued most highly. Buffoons and singers came to entertain the feasters. The festivities could last several hours, and sometimes several weeks.
Wedding
Modern youth do not even suspect that everything wedding traditions came from ancient times. Some have undergone changes, some have remained the same as in the times of our ancestors. Of all the rituals and customs of the Russian people, weddings are considered the most exciting.
According to a long-standing tradition, it had several stages. Matchmaking, bridesmaids, collusion, pre-wedding week, hen and stag parties, wedding, gathering of the wedding train, wedding, wedding feast, trial of the newlywed, withdrawals - without these important components it is impossible to even imagine getting married in Rus'.
Despite the fact that now they treat this much more simply, some wedding customs, rituals, and proverbs of the Russian people continue to live. Who is not familiar with the expression: “You have goods, we have merchants”? It is with these words that the groom’s parents come to get married.
And the tradition of carrying a young wife into the house in his arms is associated with the desire to deceive the brownie. This is how the husband fooled the owner of the house, making it clear that he was carrying a newborn family member in his arms, and not a stranger. Vytiye can now cause horror, but previously not a single preparation for a wedding was complete without this ritual. They lamented and cried for the bride, as in our time for a dead person.
The ritual of showering young people with grain has survived to this day - for large families and wealth. In ancient times, bells on wedding trains were used to scare away evil spirits, but now they have been replaced by tin cans tied to the bumper of a car.
Theft and bride price are also old Russian customs. The composition of the dowry also has not undergone significant changes - feather beds, pillows, blankets are still given by parents to the bride before the wedding. True, in ancient times the girl herself had to make them with her own hands.
Yule rituals
After the establishment of Christianity in Rus', new church holidays appeared. The most beloved and long-awaited is Christmas. From January 7 to January 19, Christmas festivities took place - a favorite youth fun. All the legends, superstitions, rituals and customs of the Russian people associated with these days have survived to our time.
Young girls gathered in small groups to tell fortunes for the betrothed and find out from which end of the village to wait for the matchmakers. The most extreme way to see your chosen one was going to the bathhouse with a mirror and a candle. The danger was that it was necessary to do this alone and at the same time remove the cross from oneself.
Carols
The culture, customs and rituals of the Russian people are closely connected with the world of nature and animals. In the evenings, young people went to caroling. Dressed up in animal skins or bright costumes, they knocked on houses and begged for food from the owners with carol songs. Refusing such guests was fraught - they could easily destroy the woodpile, freeze the door, or commit other minor mischief. Carolers were treated to sweets and it was always believed that their wishes (generosity) would ensure prosperity and peace in the house for the whole year, and save the owners from illnesses and misfortunes. The custom of dressing up as animals is rooted in paganism - this way it was possible to scare away evil spirits.
Superstitions and signs for Christmas
It was believed that losing something on the eve of a holiday meant suffering losses for the whole year. Dropping or breaking a mirror means trouble. Many stars in the sky - to a great harvest. Doing handicrafts on Christmas Eve means being sick all year.
Maslenitsa
The most cheerful and delicious holiday in Rus' actually has a rather gloomy interpretation. In the old days, the dead were commemorated on these days. Actually, the burning of an effigy of Maslenitsa is a funeral, and pancakes are a treat.
This holiday is interesting because it lasts a whole week, and each day is dedicated to a separate ritual. On Monday they made a stuffed animal and rolled it on a sleigh throughout the village. On Tuesday, mummers walked throughout the village and gave performances.
A distinctive feature of this day was considered to be “bear” entertainment. The trained owners of the forest staged entire performances, depicting women in their usual activities.
On Wednesday, the main celebration began - pancakes were baked in houses. They set up tables on the streets and sold food. It was possible to taste hot tea from a samovar and eat pancakes in the open air. Also on this day it was customary to go to the mother-in-law for a treat.
Thursday was a special day when all the good guys could compete in heroic strength. Maslenitsa fist fights attracted guys, everyone wanted to show off their prowess.
On Friday, pancakes were baked at the son-in-law’s house, and it was his turn to treat all the guests. On Saturday, the daughters-in-law received guests from among their husband's relatives.
And Sunday was called “forgiveness.” It is on this day that it is customary to apologize for grievances and visit the cemetery to say goodbye to the dead. The effigy of Maslenitsa was burned and from that day on it was believed that spring had come into its own.
Ivan Kupala
The customs, legends and rituals of the Russian people associated with this holiday have been preserved to this day. Of course, many things have changed, but the basic meaning remains the same.
According to legend, on the day of the summer solstice, people tried to appease the great heavenly being so that it would give them a good harvest and ward off illness. But with the advent of Christianity, Kupala merged with the feast of John the Baptist and began to bear the name Ivan Kupala.
The most interesting thing about this holiday is that legends talk about a great miracle happening on this night. Certainly, we're talking about about the flowering of fern.
This myth has caused many people to wander through the forest at night in the hope of seeing a miracle for several centuries. It was believed that anyone who sees a fern bloom will find out where all the treasures in the world are hidden. In addition, all the herbs in the forest acquired special medicinal powers that night.
The girls wove wreaths from 12 different herbs and floated them down the river. If he drowns, expect trouble. If it floats long enough, get ready for a wedding and prosperity. To wash away all sins, one had to swim and jump over the fire.
Peter and Fevronia Day
Tradition says that Prince Peter became seriously ill and saw prophetic dream that the maiden Fevronia will help him heal. He found the girl, but she demanded that he marry her as payment. The prince gave his word and did not keep it. The illness returned, and he was forced to ask for help again. But this time he kept his promise. The family was strong and it was these Saints who became the patrons of marriage. The original Russian holiday is celebrated immediately after Ivan Kupala - July 8th. It can be compared to Western Valentine's Day. The difference is that in Russia this day is not considered a holiday for all lovers, but only married people. All future spouses dream of getting married on this day.
Saved
This is another sweet holiday whose roots go back to ancient times. Russia celebrates August 14 Honey Spas. On this day, the honeycombs are filled with a sweet delicacy and it is time to collect the viscous amber-colored liquid.
August 19 - Apple Spas. This day marks the arrival of autumn and the beginning of the harvest. People rush to church to bless the apples and taste the first fruits, since until that day it was forbidden to eat them. You need to treat all your family and friends with fruits. In addition, they bake apple pies and treat all passersby.
Nut Spas begins on August 29. From that day on, it was customary to dig potatoes, bake pies from fresh bread flour, and store nuts for the winter. Great holidays were held throughout the country - festivities were held in villages before the harvest, and fairs were held in cities. On this day, birds begin to fly to warmer climes.
Intercession
On October 14, people said goodbye to autumn and welcomed winter. It often snowed on this day, which was compared to the bride’s veil. It is on this day that it is customary to get married, because the Intercession gives love and happiness to all people in love.
There are also special rituals for this holiday. For the first time, women lit a fire in the stove, symbolizing warmth and comfort in the house. Branches or logs of fruit trees had to be used for these purposes. This way it was possible to ensure a good harvest for the next year.
The hostess baked pancakes and Pokrovsky loaf. This bread had to be treated to neighbors, and the leftovers had to be hidden until Lent.
Also on this day one could ask the Mother of God for protection for children. The woman stood with the icon on the bench and read a prayer over her family. All the children knelt down.
Young girls and boys were having get-togethers. It was believed that the Mother of God gave protection to everyone who got married on this day.
You can learn more about all the traditions in the Basics training course. religious cultures and secular ethics (ORKSE). The customs and rituals of the Russian people are revealed there with maximum accuracy and described in accordance with historical facts.
Traditions are not only what distinguishes one people from another, but also what can unite the most different people. Family traditions of the Russian people are the most interesting part of history and culture Russian state, which introduces us to the experiences of our ancestors. Let's begin with family traditions Russia has never done without the science of genealogy: it was a shame not to know the pedigree, and the most offensive nickname was considered “Ivan, who does not remember kinship.” Drawing up a detailed pedigree, your family tree, was an integral part of the traditions of every family. When cameras appeared, people began to compile and then store family albums. This custom has successfully survived to this day - probably most people have old albums with photo cards dear to my heart relatives who may have already passed away. By the way, honoring the memory of one’s relatives and remembering those who have left this world are also part of the original Russian traditions, as is constant care for elderly parents. A long-standing Russian tradition can also be called the transfer of things that belonged to distant (and not so distant) ancestors to their descendants. For example, a great-grandmother's box or a great-grandfather's watch are family heirlooms that are kept long years in a secluded corner of the house. The history of things becomes not only the property of an individual family, but also the history of the people and the entire Motherland as a whole. There is also a wonderful custom of naming a child after one of the family members (there are so-called " family names"). In addition, the assignment of a patronymic is considered our unique tradition. When a baby is born, he immediately receives part of the family name according to the “nickname” of his father. The patronymic distinguishes a person from his namesake, sheds light on the relationship (son-father) and expresses respect.
Calling someone by their patronymic means being polite to them. The name can also be given according to church books, calendars, in honor of the saint who is honored on the child’s birthday. But family traditions, examples of which are practically impossible to find nowadays, are ancient professional dynasties (that is, when all family members were engaged in one type of activity). Entire dynasties of hereditary bakers, confectioners, military men, shoemakers, carpenters, priests, and artists are known. And now I would like to take it apart family rituals, which became mandatory and have survived to this day practically without changing their traditions. Namely:
1. - traditions of the wedding ceremony
2. - traditions of the rite of birth of a baby into the world
3. - traditions of the funeral rite, so:
1) Wedding traditions
The wedding can be seen and heard from afar. It is difficult to find a more colorful and cheerful ritual in which there would be so much joy and rejoicing. This is no coincidence, because the triumph of love is celebrated, the beginning new family. Even these days, when everything most often comes down to just a visit to the registry office, several memorable places and feast, this holiday attracts everyone's attention with its very elegance. And if it contains elements of an ancient folk wedding ceremony, then it completely becomes an action.
Nowadays, among the pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding rituals, only the wedding ones are the most famous. But the interest in traditions is great - and now we hear old songs of greatness and jokes. But how did this sparkling action take place before, with all the rules observed - from agreements and hand-waving to the prince’s table and allotments?
The bride was supposed to cry as soon as matchmakers appeared in the house. By this she demonstrated her love for her father’s house, for her parents. A few days before the marriage, the groom's parents go to the bride's parents for a hand-waving ceremony. And again she laments about how bad it will be for her on the other side. Before the wedding itself there is a bachelorette party. The groom arrives with gifts; everyone except the bride is having fun, not paying attention special attention to her cry. Marriage day is the most solemn. The bride, who continues to lament, is prepared for the wedding; the groom is also dressed in his best and protected at the same time. Guests arrive at the bride’s house, a talkative groom and groom arrive and “buy” a place at the table. After long negotiations, spiced with jokes and jokes, they go to church: the groom separately, the bride separately. After the wedding, the bride stops crying: the job is done. The newlyweds are taken to the groom's house, where the groom's parents are already waiting for them: the father with the icon and the mother with the icon and bread and salt. On the second day - the “princely table” in the groom’s house. The third day is a family day, as well as a meeting of the bride with neighbors. And finally, the father-in-law calls his son-in-law and relatives to his place, the young woman says goodbye to her parents; diverts (wedding officials) take the newlyweds to their home. At this point, the wedding ceremony is considered completed. Agreements When the matchmaker resolves the matter, i.e. agree with the bride's relatives on what conditions the bride will be given away, with what dowry and withdrawal; they also agree on what time to come to the bride's house for "arrangements." It should be noted that agreements, or drinking, or a word, are always given in the bride’s house. When the brides getting married come to the house, a lot of people - neighbors - come at that time. The arrangements (or drinking) are very short-lived: they drink tea and wine, have a snack, take a scarf and ring from the bride, and then the matchmakers leave. The people and girl friends remain. The bride is brought and seated in the front corner, at the table, where she must cry and lament. During the entire time that the “arranged” match has been made, her relatives do not force her to do anything until the wedding.
After the arrangements, every day the bride sits down at the table and cries, wailing. Almost all the time, the friends sew a trousseau - underwear and dresses. Handshake at the appointed time, three or four days before marriage, there is handshake. The matchmaker or the matchmaker with the groom's father and mother, accompanied by relatives, go or go to the bride's father and mother's house for a feast - for a hand shake. Those who come at the invitation of the owner sit at a table covered with a tablecloth. There is a pie-bend and salt on it on a plate. The matchmaker takes the right hands of the matchmakers (father of the groom and father of the bride) and joins them hand in hand, taking a pie from the table, circles it around the hands of the matchmakers, saying three times: “The job is done, strengthened with bread and salt, forever and ever.” He breaks the cake over his hands, and then gives one half to the groom's father, and the other to the bride's father. After breaking the cake, matchmakers sometimes measure whose half is larger - the right or left (the right is the groom's, and the left is the bride's). There is a sign: if half is more, then he has more strength, happiness, health, longevity and wealth. The broken pie should be kept by the bride and groom until the wedding day, and after the wedding, the newlyweds should eat it first of all, but the groom should eat the bride's half, and the bride should eat the groom's half. After breaking the pie, the matchmakers sit down at the table and the meal begins. During the breaking of the pie, the bride is brought under a scarf and seated on a bench, while her friends stand or sit near her. After the hand-wrap, the groom visits the bride every day. The bride meets the groom, treats him to tea, sits at the table, and the groom brings gifts and snacks, gifts: nuts, gingerbread and candies. All such visits by the groom to the bride are called “visits”, “kisses” and “visits”. This is how the groom’s visits continue until the bachelorette party, in which the celebration surpasses all visits, because this is the last day of the girl’s life. A bachelorette party happens on the last day or evening before the wedding. Friends come to the bride's bachelorette party, even relatives and friends from other villages come. Before the groom and other guests, a matchmaker arrives from the groom with a chest or box containing various gifts for the bride, as well as gifts for friends, children and other spectators who came to watch the bachelorette party. The bride meets the groom dressed in best dress. Girls sing songs. At the end of the bachelorette party, the groom leaves with his guests, and the people disperse.
The newlyweds, both before the first table after marriage, and the princes, so as not to whet their appetite, are fed separately, which is called “feeding the newlyweds separately.” Guests who have had a good time at the prince’s table often turn to the newlyweds and say: “It’s bitter, very bitter!” They ask: “Can’t it be sweetened?” The newlyweds should stand up, bow, kiss crosswise, and say: “Eat, now it’s sweet!” The guests finish their glass or shot and say: “Now it’s very sweet,” and then they come up to the newlyweds and kiss them. Thus, at the prince’s table all that is heard is “bitter,” and therefore there is no end to the kisses. Guest spouses, not content with “sweetening” the newlyweds, ask the husband for the word “bitter” to his wife, the wife to her husband, and also “sweeten” them - they kiss. A lot of strangers come to the prince’s table to see. For poor owners, when there is one table after marriage, but there is no princely table, all ceremonies and customs take place at the first table after marriage, as at the princely table. Third day: Very few of the new relatives remain on the third day. The third day looks like a family holiday. In the morning, the young woman is forced to cook and bake pancakes, which she serves from the stove to the table. After lunch, in the evening, girls, young women and boys gather to sit with the newlyweds. Young people sing songs and get excited different games and dance. At this evening meeting, the newlywed meets her neighbors and treats them to pancakes, pies, gingerbread cookies and nuts. The so-called withdrawals usually take place a week after the wedding.
The wife's parents are the husband's (son-in-law's) father-in-law and mother-in-law. The wife's brother is her husband's (his son-in-law) brother-in-law. And the wife's sister is a sister-in-law. Therefore, the same person is a son-in-law - father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law. A daughter-in-law, who is also a daughter-in-law, is a son’s wife in relation to the son’s parents. Daughter-in-law - from the word son: “son” - “son”. A daughter-in-law is also called a brother's wife. The wives of two brothers are also daughters-in-law to each other. Thus, a woman can be a daughter-in-law in relation to her father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Aunt (aunt, auntie) - sister of father or mother. Uncle is the brother of father or mother. Depending on this, they speak about him, as well as about the aunt, with the clarification: “paternal uncle”, “maternal uncle”. Often the younger ones call the older ones uncle, regardless of relationship. The stepmother is not the children's natural mother, but the father's second wife. The husband's children from his first marriage are stepsons and stepdaughters to his stepmother. Stepfather is not the natural father, the maternal father, the mother's second husband. The stepfather's children from his first marriage are stepsons and stepdaughters. Brother-in-law, he's a Shuryag, Shuryaga - brother wives. Brother-in-law is the husband's brother. A brother-in-law and sister-in-law are for a wife what a brother-in-law and sister-in-law are for a husband. Sister-in-law is the husband's sister. In some places this is also the name given to the brother's wife. The sister-in-law usually points out the young one and commands her. Hence the word sister-in-law itself - from “zlovka”. A sister-in-law is the wife's sister, and her husband is a brother-in-law. Two men married to sisters are also called brothers-in-law. This relationship was considered not very reliable, so they said: “Two brothers are like a bear, two brothers-in-law are like jelly.” Yatrova (aka Yatrovitsa) is the brother-in-law’s wife. But that’s also the name of my brother-in-law’s wife. A brother's wife is also a brother-in-law in relation to her brother-in-law and sister-in-law. And the wives of brothers are also yagprovi among themselves. Kum, Kuma - godfathers and mother. They are spiritually related not only to each other, but also to the parents and relatives of their godson. That is, nepotism is not blood, but spiritual kinship. There are other degrees of kinship among the Russian people, more distant, about which they say that this is “the seventh (or tenth) water in jelly.” Sometimes in a large family they themselves have a hard time figuring out who is related to whom, and here derivatives of the word their own come to the rescue: in-laws, in-laws, in-laws. Wedding superstitions: When crowns are put on the newlyweds and the priest says: “God’s servant so-and-so is getting married,” then the latter should cross himself and say quietly: “I, God’s servant (name), am getting married, but my illnesses are not getting married.” People believe that if those getting married have some kind of illness and get married with them, then they will never be cured.
When the bride is brought into the father-in-law's house, he and the mother-in-law meet the newlyweds at the gate; The first of them hands the newlywed a bottle of wine or beer, and the last one slowly puts a pie in the newlywed’s bosom and throws hops at her feet. The newlyweds must eat the pie in half before the wedding table, at the “special place.” This is done so that they live their whole lives well-fed, in love and harmony, and the hops fall under their feet so that they live happily forever. “Both at the first table and at the prince’s, the newlyweds must intertwine their legs or cross their legs - so that a cat does not run between them, otherwise the young people will live in disagreement, like a cat and a dog.”
2) Traditions of the rite of birth of a baby into the world.
Shortly before giving birth, they especially tried to hide the day and hour of birth. Even the birth prayer was hidden in a hat and only then taken to the priest in the church.
Our ancestors believed: birth, like death, violates the invisible border between the worlds of the dead and the living. Therefore, such a dangerous business had no business happening near human habitation. Among many peoples, the woman in labor retired to the forest or tundra so as not to harm anyone. And the Slavs usually gave birth not in the house, but in another room, most often in a well-heated bathhouse. The family said goodbye to the mother in labor, realizing the danger to which her life was exposed. The woman in labor was placed near the washstand and given a sash tied to the beam of the bed in her hand to help her hold on. During the entire period of childbirth, wedding or baptism candles were lit in front of the holy icons.
In order for the mother’s body to open up better and release the child, the woman’s hair was unbraided, doors and chests were opened in the hut, knots were untied, and locks were opened. Undoubtedly, it helped psychologically.
The expectant mother was usually helped by an elderly woman, a grandmother-midwife, experienced in such matters. An indispensable condition was that she herself had healthy children, preferably boys.
In addition, the husband was often present during the birth. Now this custom is returning to us as an experiment borrowed from abroad. Meanwhile, the Slavs did not see anything unusual in having a strong, reliable, beloved and loving person next to a suffering, frightened woman.
The mother's husband was given special role during childbirth: first of all, he had to remove the boot from his wife’s right foot and let her drink, then untie the belt, and then press his knee to the back of the woman in labor to speed up the birth.
Our ancestors also had a custom similar to the so-called couvade of the peoples of Oceania: the husband often screamed and moaned instead of the wife. For what?! By doing this, the husband attracted the possible attention of evil forces, distracting them from the woman in labor!
After safe birth the grandmother-midwife buried the child's place in the corner of the hut or in the yard.
Immediately after birth, the mother touched the baby’s mouth with her heel and said: “I carried it myself, I brought it myself, I repaired it myself.” This was done so that the child would grow up calm. Immediately after this, the midwife cut the umbilical cord, tied it and sealed the hernia by biting the navel 3 times and spitting 3 times over the left shoulder. If it was a boy, the umbilical cord was cut on an ax or arrow so that he would grow up to be a hunter and a craftsman. If a girl is on a spindle, so that she grows up as a needlewoman. The navel was tied with linen thread woven with the hair of the mother and father. “Tie” - in Old Russian “to tie”; This is where “midwives” and “midwives” come from.
After the hernia was healed, the baby was washed, saying: “Grow - as high as a beam and as thick as a stove!” They usually put an egg or some kind of glass thing in the water for the boy, and only glass for the girl. Sometimes silver was placed in barely heated water, so as not to burn, for purification and so that the child would grow up rich. To prevent the baby from being jinxed, they washed it the first time in water slightly whitened with milk, then “for wealth” they placed it on an inside out sheepskin coat. While washing the baby, the midwife “straightened his limbs” - straightened the head, which is usually soft as wax. It largely depended on her skill what kind of child the child should be: round-headed, long-faced, or even a freak. After washing the baby, they swaddled him in a long narrow swaddling blanket and a headband. If they were afraid that the baby would be restless, they swaddled him in his father's ports. To make the baby grow beautiful and handsome, they covered him with green material. At first, the baby was left “free,” and he would lie somewhere on a bench until he became restless, screamed, and “begged for unsteadiness.” Zybka is an oval box made of bast, with a bottom made of thin planks, which my father had to make. If the birth took place in a hut, then the baby was handed to the father first, and he laid him in the hut, as if thereby acknowledging his paternity.
The day after the birth, neighbors and acquaintances came to the happy mother with congratulations and brought her various sweets “for her tooth.” After a week, and sometimes already on the third day, the postpartum woman returned to her household duties - but only after performing a cleansing ritual known as “washing of hands.” If a young mother had to go to work in the field, then the care of the newborn was entrusted to the “caretaker” of the household - an old woman, and most often - a little girl-sister.
3) Funeral rite.
The most ancient of family rites is considered to be funeral. For condition analysis funeral tradition and the genre of narration, the Starorussky district was chosen as the place of the most ancient settlement of the Slavs in this territory and Okulovsky, settled by the Novgorodians somewhat later, but located in the central part of the Novgorod region.
Researchers of funeral and memorial rituals of the 19th-20th centuries. have repeatedly noted certain discrepancies between the religious and folk interpretation of death, the relationship between the body and soul of the deceased, the roads to afterworld and ideas about it, attitude towards the cult of ancestors. The Christian interpretation of death as a blessing on the path to the “kingdom of heaven” was opposed by the popular idea of it as a “villain,” a hostile force. Funeral rites Eastern Slavs included several main points: actions before death and during death; washing and dressing the deceased and placing him in the coffin; removal from home; funeral service in the church (if it took place), burial, wake. Thus, with all the regional differences in the funeral and memorial rituals of the Eastern Slavs, three main stages were identified in it: pre-funeral, funeral and memorial, each of which, in addition to the practical one, could have another meaning. Thus, the procedure for washing the deceased, in addition to being hygienic, also had a sacred, magical orientation.
The attitude towards the deceased has always been ambivalent. They were afraid of him and therefore sought to facilitate the deceased’s transition to another world, as well as to protect themselves with the help of various magical actions from possible negative consequences when coming into contact with him.
Signs and predictions that foreshadowed the death of a specific person or someone close were similar among the East Slavic peoples. They were interpreted as the beginning of a new period of time in the human life cycle - “the magic of the first day.” Still harbingers of death loved one consider the unusual behavior of domestic animals, birds, broken mirror, throwing out a flower by a houseplant that never blooms, a bird hitting the window, creaking beams, furniture, etc.
The death of a person was perceived as the relocation of the soul to another space - to the afterlife. It was believed that the souls of an adult and a child are different. Death in Russian folklore tradition was perceived as an enemy. This was also preserved in the texts recorded in the late 70s - mid 80s. In lamentations, death is called a “villain,” a “murderer,” who does not make concessions and does not listen to pleas and requests. The dead sleep, remaining human (the dead man is calm person), however, if the deceased had his eyes open, they were closed and placed over the eyelids copper nickels. It is quite possible that this was also connected with a kind of ransom from death, for it was believed that the deceased was looking out for one of the living people or even animals remaining in the house, wanting to take them with him. In such cases they usually said: “If he looks, he will see someone.” Coins (nickels) were then left in the coffin. It is interesting that ransom in this ritual was manifested in other ways, for example, if the body of a drowned person could not be found for a long time, then there was a custom of throwing silver money into the water to ransom him from the water.
At the funeral of those who did not manage to get married funeral rite in certain ways it was combined with a wedding. Ukrainians buried a girl as a bride, and a guy as a groom. The girl's head was decorated with flowers and ribbons. Both the guy and the girl were put on a metal ring on their right hand, but this was not done in relation to married man and a married woman. Among the Ukrainians of Primorye, in such a case, a flower was pinned to a guy’s hat or chest. Both the boy and the girl were carried to the cemetery by young guys who had right hand scarves were tied, like at a wedding among the elders. Other elements of the wedding ceremony were also used, in particular, something like a wedding procession was organized with all the characters of the wedding celebration: matchmaker, groomsmen, boyars, etc. In a number of Russian regions, people were buried in specially stored wedding attire and married women. This custom was also found in the Far East.
At the cemetery, the towels were untied and the coffin was lowered onto them into the grave. Then one towel was hung on a cross built on the grave, the others were given to the funeral workers. Leaving a towel - a symbol of the path, the road - served as a protective action. Before the coffin was lowered into the grave, relatives threw a penny there (in former times, silver), this meant that they bought themselves a place next to the deceased, and everyone else threw copper, and said: “Here’s your share - don’t ask for more.” . In essence, this can be considered as a payoff. However, it was believed that the deceased needed the money in order to pay for transportation across a river or lake in the next world. It is known that the image of a river and a crossing in folklore is traditional not only for Russian, but also for world culture.
In modern funeral rites, the contours of the old, still pagan rite, however, it is also noticeable that the magical content of the ritual action has largely been erased. The traditional funeral rite was always accompanied by lamentations (crying). In the Novgorod region, they sometimes say about chanting “cry out loud”, and in the Starorussky region they say “voice”, “stunning”. One can note a clear decline in the tradition of chanting from the 70s to the 90s. In the mid-90s, cries were recorded less and less often. Lamentations do not have a stable text. In them big role plays the improvisational principle and, consequently, the poetic abilities of the mourners themselves.
In lamentations, death was called a villain, the coffin was called a domina or domina, the road was a long path, a path of no return. Neighbors or relatives washed the dead with plain water and soap, dried them with a towel, and believed that washing would forgive sins. They thanked the washwoman and gave her what they could. The people who washed the deceased dressed him. Clothes were prepared in advance. They were sure to be buried in the clothes that the deceased had bequeathed, fulfilling the will of the deceased. The deceased was given soft shoes, most often slippers. The deceased goes there to live, so he must look good.
Before the deceased was placed in the coffin, he was placed on a bench, and a sheet of homespun linen was spread under him. While the deceased was lying in the house, an icon was placed in the coffin; at the cemetery, it was taken from the coffin and brought home. On the day of the funeral, people were scattered along the road fir branches so that the deceased walks along a clean road (spruce is a clean tree), then the branches are burned. The body was carried out of the house in their arms, feet first. The deceased was carried to the cemetery - carrying was considered more respectful.
The coffin was carried even number Human. The relatives followed the coffin, and then everyone else. The grave was dug on the day of the funeral, but it was not done by relatives. The coffin was lowered into the grave on towels, and then they were left in the pit (grave). The funeral meal depended on fasting. Lenten food was supposed to be prepared during Lent. After the funeral, they wore mourning clothes for forty days: a black dress, a black scarf. It was believed that the soul of the deceased remained in the house for forty days. The ninth, twentieth, fortieth days, six months, and a year were celebrated with commemorations.
Rituals and customs that are practiced throughout each separate family– an amazing, unique and very powerful tool in terms of educating the younger generation.
A family that does not have its own customs is, fortunately, very rare.
Perhaps not everyone will be able to immediately list all the traditions existing in his family, but if he thinks a little, he will probably name several very special moments of life that are inherent specifically to his family.
Even the manner of saying hello in the morning or inviting relatives to the table is different in different families. Someone says: “Hello”, someone says: “ Good morning!”, and for some people it is customary to wake up and silently kiss their household members on the cheek.
Customs and rituals have come to us from time immemorial, but to this day they play a huge role in people’s lives, influence their characters, and sometimes even change their destinies.
There is a family - there is a custom
Family customs, rituals and traditions are the mental stock that yesterday’s children most often take with them into their adult lives.
Customs unite people, make them more tolerant of each other, give them a “shoulder feeling”, that is, support, and teach them mutual respect. 
Joint events also contribute to the formation of trust, bring people together, lay the foundation of family in children, and develop norms of behavior.
The basis of all existing ritual processes is work activity people, religion, way of life, ways to relax.
Customs are designed to teach people good things. They have a huge impact on the moral, social, labor and everyday appearance of a person, perform an educational function, also introduce them to the foundations of their native people, and develop patriotism.
All family rituals and customs can be divided into several groups:
casual or ordinary– these include family greetings, food culture, manner of communication, etc.;
– include traditions of planning, organizing and holding holidays;
Sunday-weekends- these are the customs that are accepted in the family on weekends (joint cleaning, Sunday pie, visiting relatives, receiving guests at home, drinking tea, watching films, theater - whatever);
mourning– funeral and memorial rites;
solemn family– traditions of celebrating big family anniversaries;
economic– these include shopping, harvesting, caring for pets, etc.;
household– housework, division of household responsibilities;
calendar– creation and observance of a set of rules for conducting various calendar events.
On their wedding day, many young couples want their guests to new family not only children were born, but also family traditions.
And this is a very correct wish - a family that has its own traditions is always stronger, in which people are more attached to each other and to home.
Therefore, if your family does not yet have clear, recognizable and unique traditions, try to correct the situation as soon as possible and be sure to come up with several customs that will be strictly observed and can be passed on from generation to generation.
The most common family traditions
Within a family, customs and rituals can be both generally accepted and unique, which cannot be found in any other home.
Here is a small list of the most different traditions, any of which anyone can take note of. The main thing in a custom is that all participants in the process follow it with pleasure.
1. Cooking a family favorite dish together - once a week or a month, for example. Baking together is considered a particularly pleasant and good tradition. It unites generations, gives joy and inspiration.
2. Cleaning, rearranging furniture, putting the local area in order and other household and economic activities in which all family members could take part.
3. Annual creation of collages from the family photo archive.
4. Cultural leisure activities - Sunday cinemas, performances, concerts, exhibitions, fairs, etc.
5. The custom of spending holidays in an extraordinary way, for example: meeting them on a train/bus, going on a trip, going out into nature, preparing an unusual menu.
6. Unnoticedly throw small gifts to your family and friends. 
7. Organize themed evenings - board games, reading humorous stories, solving crossword puzzles, songs and dances.
8. Family quests – they bring you closer together, relax you and give you positive emotions.
9. Night picnics, sleeping in a tent, fishing...
10. Traditions of celebrating the New Year in a new place every time.
11. Obligatory Christmas lunch with kutya.
12. Baking Easter cakes.
13. Observance of memorial days.
14. Introduction of special greetings and farewells.
15. Harvest festival (after the harvest itself, of course).
16. Family dinners are classics and therefore are a proven custom that can build trusting and warm relationships in the family.
The list can go on for a long time. All traditions, apparently, are divided into generally accepted and consciously cultivated in the family.
She's like little secret– unites people around him, makes them hold tightly to each other, appreciate and respect their neighbors. Do you have one?
Rituals passed down from generation to generation, which served to preserve identity, had great pedagogical potential. national culture and upbringing and had a clear ethnic specificity. They were constant companions throughout a person’s life, accompanying him from birth to death and had the most significant influence on the formation of personality, the development of his moral and aesthetic attitudes.
The group of rituals associated with the birth of children and the first year of a child’s life constitutes a special area of the culture of motherhood and childhood, which reflects the rational and magical views of people and the foundations of their worldview. Many elements of this culture, having arisen in the most distant times, survived until the 20th century; its traditions intertwined pre-Christian and Christian ritual actions, supplemented by the fruits of the people's religious imagination.
Already at the very beginning of creating a family - at the wedding - everyone around the young people emphasized the importance of childbearing. Many ritual magical rites are associated with the wish for a family to have many children (“Children are the grace of God”, “One son is not a son, two sons are half a son, three sons are a son”).
Let's get acquainted with some traditional views of peasants on a woman - a future mother. While carrying a child, the life of the expectant mother changed little; she did the same work as before, she was not exempted from hard labor. How could they make life a little easier for a woman giving birth for the first time?
Great importance was attached to various magical actions and superstitions, as well as religious precepts. There were, for example, prohibitions on sitting on a stone - childbirth would be difficult, walking over a rocker - the child would be hunchbacked, pushing a cat or dog - the child would have “canine old age”, etc. They were afraid of damage, the evil eye, and even the kidnapping and substitution of an unborn child by evil spirits; To prevent this from happening, it was necessary to regularly read prayers, be baptized, and take communion. In the last days before giving birth, women repented and received communion in the hope of help during the birth of the saints. It was recommended to pray to certain saints: for the birth of boys - to Saint John the Warrior, girls - to Mary of Egypt.
The birth of boys was considered preferable, because the girl had to prepare a dowry, and when she got married, she went to her husband’s family, and therefore there was no need to count on her help in old age. The preference for boys was also supported by economic reasons: “A boy is born - for help, a girl - for fun,” “Raising a girl is something to pour into a leaky barrel.”
The beginning of labor was carefully hidden; outsiders were not supposed to know about it in order to avoid the evil eye and damage, and generally difficult childbirth. For the sake of a woman’s successful release from pregnancy, various magical means were used; all the knots on the clothes of all household members were untied, all the doors, stove dampers, cabinets, and chests were opened. The woman crawled under the table, under the arch, between her husband’s legs under certain sentences. Such imitative magic was supposed to facilitate an easy birth.
Childbirth most often took place in a bathhouse, even for Russian queens in the 16th–17th centuries. retired in due time to the soap bar.
The attitude of others towards a woman who gave birth to a child was ambivalent. On the one hand, according to the canons of the Orthodox Church, she seemed sinful, becoming a source of “defilement,” but on the other hand, she herself could suffer from damage and the evil eye.
During the first week, the young mother was considered especially dangerous, so during this time she was kept either in the same bathhouse or in a hut behind a partition. The woman in labor was washed in a bathhouse or oven (where there were no bathhouses) to restore health and cleanse herself from postpartum impurity. Forced isolation also brought undoubted practical benefits to the health of the woman in labor, forcing village women who did not usually have the opportunity, and were not inclined to lie for long periods of time and do nothing, to rest and gain strength. Since it was believed that childbirth had desecrated the house, a priest was invited to ritually cleanse it and read a special prayer. Partial purification was accomplished by infant baptism; only after this could the woman have meals with the whole family and do household chores; but still she was not allowed to knead dough, milk a cow, or plant anything in the garden. Only after prayer in church on the fortieth day was she considered cleansed, her neighbors resumed contact with her, and she could again carry out all household chores.
To preserve the child’s health, tested folk remedies: herbs, ablutions, but this was often not enough. The main means of protection were those recommended by the church: prayers, holy water, incense, making the sign of the sign of the cross at night, and teaching grown children to cross themselves. Along with warming and rubbing in case of a cold, church remedies were also mandatory; they were given exceptional importance. By virtue of various reasons(unsanitary conditions, insufficient supervision of children, parents’ ignorance of effective methods of treatment) infant mortality was high and was accepted by people humbly: “God gave. God took.”
Along with church instructions, various magical actions were carried out, for example, a child who had not fallen asleep for a long time was carried into a chicken coop and the necessary conspiracies were whispered there. You couldn't rock an empty cradle - the baby would get a headache, you couldn't look at the sleeping person - you'd lose sleep.
But the main thing in the child’s life was the tender care of his mother, who affectionately called him “my beloved child,” “my welcome guest,” and tried to protect him with spells. Since ancient times, people have known maternal conspiracies, the roots of which go back to the pre-Christian era. There is no mention of God or angels in them; their characters (the Magi, the flying serpent, Koschei the Yadun) seem to recreate the pagan idea of the world around them. For a mother, a conspiracy is an attempt to protect her child from the evil spirits that await a person at every tag.
The child was usually placed in the cradle after baptism, it was sprinkled with holy water, and fumigated with incense. And before that, he was either in the bathhouse or in a nook of the hut with his mother. For the first time, the baby was washed immediately after birth, immediately bathed and “whitened” - the midwife gently hovered him in a cool room. Tools (an axe, a scythe, etc.) were placed near the newborn boy so that he would grow up to be a craftsman.
Mothers fed children breast milk At 1.5–2 years, 5–6 weeks after birth, they began to feed them with liquid porridge or bread. Chewed black bread, wrapped in a rag, served as a pacifier for the child; He also had a horn - a cow horn with a stretched nipple of a cow's udder. Feeding the child was dictated by necessity, since the mother was busy working in the fields and forests.
The godfather bought a cross for the baby and thereby introduced him to the veneration of the Lord, prayer, and observance of Christian rituals.
Naming – important point in a child's life. Usually he was given the name of the saint (according to the month), to whose memory this or the coming days is dedicated. It was believed that the saint would be a guardian angel, the heavenly intercessor of man.
Together with Christian name the baby was usually given a non-baptismal, protective name, a nickname that was supposed to protect him from evil. After all, knowing the name, dashing people or dark forces could cause harm to a person. They were called by someone else's name, hiding the real one. Russian people had such names, along with those given at baptism, until the end of the 17th century. The protective name was used in everyday life. And often only after the death of a person it turned out that in fact his name was not that at all. In the old days they believed that evil addressed to a false name would not affect a person whose name was different.
Usually only the closest relatives knew the baptismal name, but the protective name was on everyone’s lips. Few people know that at baptism Tsarevich Dmitry, killed in Uglich, was named Uar, and the boyar Khitrovo, the famous statesman XVII century, who bore the name Bogdan all his life, was named Job at baptism.
At times the protective name seemed to challenge evil spirits. In documents of the 15th century. Ivashka, the Devil’s son, is mentioned, and a woman’s address to “her husband and Mr. Scoundrel” is also recorded. First, Smirny, Spider, Villain, Bad - such names could not only be heard, but also found in business papers.
The end of the child's first year of life was his first haircut, which was also accompanied by various rituals. This time was also considered the end of the first period of childhood - infancy.
It is clear that family rituals, observed by people for centuries, also performed certain pedagogical functions– through them, knowledge about the economic responsibilities of family members, rules of behavior in marriage, pedagogy of motherhood, moral standards, etc. was passed on to the younger generation. But such a transfer was carried out not by edifications, not by teachings, but by a clear example of the behavior of adults, which did not require any explanation. Children simply adopted certain patterns of behavior, participating in the performance of rituals, while mastering a whole layer of spiritual ethnoculture.
Other family rituals, such as funerals, were also preserved among the people for a long time. Despite its sad tone, it also reinforced in the little person a sense of belonging to his clan, an inextricable connection with a large circle of relatives, and taught him to sympathize with the grief of others.
It doesn’t matter whether rituals were associated with a joyful or sad family event, what matters is what they affected emotional world children, developed them spiritually, taught them to rejoice, and brought a feeling of unity with loved ones.
