Agriculture in Russia.
Although the vast territories of Russia were covered with woods, agriculture was very important main occupation. Peasants plowed the fields twice a year – in spring and in autumn. Mostly wooden plow was used – with a house, with plowman steering at the back. Usually the procedure was repeated two or three times – before sole became loose enough. After that the field was harrowed. After that in autumn came time for autumn sawing (озимый сев) – this was the and of working in the field.
During the winter peasants would repair broken instruments and collect manure. In spring, when land became free from snow and dry, peasants started spring plowing (яровое поле) and while men were plowing, teenage boys spread manure. Peasants used lots of natural signs to determine the best time for sawing. When first birch started to blossom – it was ideal to saw oats. Blooming apple trees – good time for millet. When you hear the first «куку» in the forest – time to saw flax.
Before sawing, he man prepared themselves by going to the banya wearing a white shirt (чтобы без сорняков). A priest was invited to say the prayers and spread the field with holy water – best seeds were planted. After taken two steps the man would throw seeds before him – windy days were unsuitable for sawing. Wheat was considered the most demanding of oil crops – in addition to that it also wears out the sole – planting wheat was risky, but an opportunity to make a good profit.
The main crop – ray and buckwheat. Buckwheat – vary weed-resistant and loosened the sole, that’s why peasants alternated crops. Each year some plots of land were left idol (под паром). Summer – the busiest season. After plowing and fertilizing idol fields, farmers started hay-harvesting. It usually started at the end of June. Hay were usually harvesting in the morning, when grass was still wet of dew. Hay-harvesting considered of harm-activity, after harvest harvesting it was dried, plugged and finally stored in barns. Shortly after that came time for reaping. Everybody participated in reaping season. «Страда» - a Russian phrase for busy time – a hard work, continued from dawn till dusk.
The reapers would often reap a bunch of spikes in the field – it was supposed to feed the field for next year crops. Dry ears were threshed with a flail, after that straw was removed and used for fetched roofs, edit to cattle feed. Threshed grain was wracked in a pile, still contained lots of trash – straws, ears and dust. To remove those, grain was fanned in the wind. The harvest was stored safely till the next year.
Нечисть.
Cattle-breeding.
The most common – a cow and a horse.
A cow – valuable source of milk, which could turn into butter, cheese, sour cream and curd. When a cow was batched, it provided meat for the family almost for the whole year – it was salted and deposited in the cellar. Stchi, pines with meat.
A horse – firmest greatest helper. Were used for plowing, transporting harvest, after a hard day in the summertime there were taken to nice meadow with a plenty of grass. A horse was the most valuable possession and the father of the house would take care of the horse. In the family had to chose which family to sell, they would dispose a cow first.
Other animals – pigs, sheep, goats. Sheep – source of wool for felt boots, mittens, socks. Taking care for the cattle – women’s job, in the summer the lady of the house got up before dawn to milk the cow, after that the cows were led to grace under the supervision of the children or a shepherd (one shepherd in the village – animal doctors). Cattle breading had several patron saints – St Frol and Lavr (above entrance of the stables), St George. On the day of St George cattle were led out from the stable to grace (23 april).
In every house – vegetable garden, lady’s job. Carrot, turnip, onion, cucumbers, cabbage. The cabbage was pickling. Onion and garlic – in a large quantities, foreigners complained, that Russian food smell of it. Apples, plums, cherries, pears, current – jams and soft-drinks.
Weaving, spanning, making bast shoes.
Веретено – spindle прялка – spinning wheel home made – домашнее home dye.
Life in a village required each person to must a several trades: man – built houses, made furniture and agricultural instruments, women – made wove fabrics, clothes. Peasants would pursue all this occupations mostly in the winter, when free from other tasks. The father of the house would sit down and making bast shoes – they were light, comfortable and chip, but they didn’t last long. During the harvesting season a pair of bast shoes lasted about 1 week. Skilled professional could make two pairs in a day only. Making of one pair required taking back of two or four barks. Bark was soap in water, then straightened, upper layer was removed, but into thin stripes and the making process started. Quality bast shoes – water-resistant.
In addition to them – baskets, boxes, storage containers.
Peasants mostly wore clothes from flax. All parts of flax were used – it was also flayed, best seats were used for sawing, other seeds return into lean-seed oil. Spans - sopping water for three weeks, dried, combed, the resulting product was soft, fluffy combs for weaving. In a winter time young girls would get together with bringing there one distaffs. Weaving was monotonous, in a good company – much more enjoyable. Weaving was usually finished before Shrovetide. A distaff was like a special device, often a young man could make nice-decorated distaff to his fiancée.
After spinning was over, came time for weaving, weaving machine was installed in the house for a few weeks. It existed in Russia since 10th century. The result was fabric, homely fabric was a little bit grey and was left to bleach at the sun, then shirts and pants were made from it.
House.
In the 9 and 10 centuries law-cabins were very small and consisted from a living part and entrance part (сени). In the 16 and 17 century – grew bigger. Entry hall was usually small, it connected living part of the house to service parts, such as barn, shed, attics, cellar, another storage – клеть – for clothes, shoes, pottery, sometimes young married couple would occupy this room. The centre – the room with the stove.
Russian stove. The Russian word изба originated from “feed the stove”. Building of stove – a complicated task, usually accomplished by special trade professionals. A stove without chimney was more economical, smoke was a primitive disinfector. Poorer households – stoves without chimneys. The stove had many functions, such as small nitchers for keeping the food warm, drying wet clothes. A stove occupy up to a quarter of the house. Heating a stove took several hours, can stay hot for many hours. Bred, potatoes etc. The top of the stove – the warmest place in the house – for elderly and for the kids. The bogyman – behind the stove. Stove – an important thing in the fairy-tales. The lay out of all peasants houses was more or less the same – individual only in some details.
The corner opposite the mouth of the stove was considered a lady’s corner, where she kept her cooking appliances, such as – fire rake (кочерга), ухват – fork, помело - brush, wooden spade.
Close to the stove – wash-basin, which consisted of a clay jug and wooden pail for the water. In the lady’s corner walls were with shelves, all spots were carved by the father.
The best place – “red corner” located across from the stove, where icons were displayed on a special shelve, for entering the house each visitor must remove its hat and cross themselves and greet the owners. The most welcome guests were sitting in the red corner, during weddings – newly wedding couple. Man’s corner – usually the father slept on the bench and chess with his instruments – under the bench.
There were table, few benches, chests, shelves. No chairs, no begs before the 19th century. The most important item of the furniture – the table, where the whole family would get together, the table was big enough to accommodate everybody, surrounded by benches, which were also used for sleeping. All clothes – put in chests, the wealthier the family – the more chest in the house. When a girl was born, the family started collected her dowry for the wedding.
Several structures – banya, amber, well.