Family traditions and rituals. Family traditions and rituals in Russian society

Advice for parents

« Family holidays and rituals»

In the history of the Russian people, at first they portrayed only one Rus - historically-social, forgetting family Rus, perhaps the only one in the life of the Russian people. We must correctly and fully depict our life, presenting our way of life with all its changes. Not a single foreigner will understand the delights of our family life so much: they will not warm up his imagination so much, they will not awaken such memories.

From this, our native tunes speak so sweetly about the Russian soul, about the homeland and ancestors; our epics are so generous with memories of grandfather's grief; our fairy tales delight us so much with their retellings, in our native language, Russian; this is why our games so console the youth after work; from this, at our weddings, the ardent Russian soul of generations rejoices so briskly; from this, the common world life is reflected in the superstitious beliefs of our people.

There was a grandmother's pedagogy. With her maternal instinct, an experienced eye, the grandmother first sees in the uncertain steps and babbling of the baby his character, perceives him as a Human. And carefully, gently she introduces the young creature into the world. Grandma is always there, like a good spirit at home. She will forgive and understand a lot, she will rather regret than offend. A child and a grandmother - this familiar combination was so normal for all of us that when we lost this in city apartments, we did not immediately understand the size of what was lost.

Peasant families try to early years get your child to work. Village children can do a lot: feed and milk a cow, shear sheep, dig and plant a garden, mow grass, wash, iron clothes, heat a hut.

The researchers noted that Russian peasant children were employed only at home in 85 types of work. Adults did not really need the help of children, they could do without it. However, they consciously attracted the children to work, well understanding its educative role.

Russian peasants loved to sing polyphonic songs in chorus, the song was a part of their life. To sing together - to feel like one family. There are no lonely people among those who sing. Neither holidays, nor weddings, nor seeing off young men to the army could do without tears.

There is a traditional association of family rites around the most important periods human life- birth, marriage, death. From here comes the chain of maternity, wedding, funeral rites that accompany these rites.

For example, in the family holiday “Name Day”, a spiritual birth was considered more significant than a bodily one, and from this the birthday remained invisible, and the day of an angel or name day was celebrated for life by everyone who was allowed by the state.

But now, unfortunately, many fascinating, fun, colorful elements ancient customs undeservedly forgotten. Customs, despite their general acceptance, are not something immutable. Indicative in this sense is such a family ritual as a wedding. Previously, the wedding was played like a whole performance. At present, the wedding ceremony, which is closer to the ancient one, lacks many components. So, matchmaking plays a conditional role, everything is now decided by the young, there are no sorrowful ritual lamentations.

The rituals, customs and traditions of the Russian people are rooted in distant old times. Many of them have changed significantly over time and have lost their sacred meaning. But there are some that still exist. Let's consider some of them.

calendar rites

The calendar rites of the Russian people are rooted in the days of the ancient Slavs. At that time, people cultivated the land and raised cattle, worshiped pagan idols.

Here are some of the rituals:

1. Sacrificial rites to the god Veles. He patronized pastoralists and farmers. Before sowing the crop, people went out into the field, wearing clean clothes. They decorated their heads with wreaths, they held flowers in their hands. The oldest villager began to sow and threw the first grain into the ground
2. The harvest was also timed to coincide with the festival. Absolutely all the villagers gathered near the field and sacrificed the largest animal to Veles. The men began to plow the first strip of land, while the women at that time gathered the grain and gathered it into sheaves. At the end of the harvest, they set the table with a generous treat, decorated it with flowers and ribbons.
3. Maslenitsa is a calendar rite that has survived to this day. The ancient Slavs turned to the sun god Yaril with a request to send a rich harvest. They baked pancakes, danced round dances, burned the famous Maslenitsa scarecrow
4. Forgiveness Sunday is the most important day of Shrovetide. On this day, people asked for forgiveness from relatives and relatives, and also forgave all offenses themselves. After this day, Great Lent began.

Despite the fact that Maslenitsa has lost its religious meaning, people still take part in mass festivities with pleasure, bake pancakes and enjoy the coming spring.

Christmas traditions

It is impossible not to say about the Christmas rituals, which remain relevant to this day. They are traditionally held from January 7 to January 19 in the period from Christmas to Epiphany.

The sacred rites are as follows:

1. Kolyada. Youth and children go from house to house dressed up, and the residents treat them with sweets. Now they rarely carol, but the tradition has not yet become obsolete
2. Christmas divination. Young girls and women gather in groups and arrange fortune-telling. Most often, these are rituals that allow you to find out who will become narrowed, how many children will be born in marriage, and so on.
3. And on January 6, before Christmas in Russia, they cooked compote with rice, cooked delicious pastries and slaughtered livestock. It was believed that this tradition helps to attract a rich harvest in the spring and provide the family with material well-being.

Now the Christmas rites have lost their magical sacrament and are used mainly for entertainment. Another reason to have fun in the company of girlfriends and friends is to arrange a group fortune-telling for the betrothed, dress up and carol on holidays.

Family rituals in Russia

Family rituals were given great importance. For matchmaking, wedding or baptism of newborns, special rituals were used, which were sacredly honored and observed.

Weddings, as a rule, were scheduled for a time after a successful harvest or baptism. Also, the week following the bright holiday of Easter was considered a favorable time for the ceremony. The newlyweds were married in several stages:

• Matchmaking. In order to marry the bride to the groom, all close relatives from both sides gathered together. They discussed the dowry, where the young couple would live, agreed on gifts for the wedding
• After the blessing of the parents was received, preparations for the celebration began. The bride and her bridesmaids gathered every evening and prepared a dowry: they sewed, knitted and wove clothes, bed sheets, tablecloths and other home textiles. Singing sad songs
• On the first day of the wedding, the bride said goodbye to girlhood. Girlfriends sang sad ritual songs of the Russian people, farewell laments - after all, from that moment on, the girl turned out to be in complete submission to her husband, no one knew how her family life
• According to custom, on the second day of the wedding, the newly-made husband, along with his friends, went to his mother-in-law for pancakes. They arranged a stormy feast, went to visit all the new relatives

When a child appeared in a new family, he had to be baptized. The rite of baptism was performed immediately after birth. It was necessary to choose a reliable godfather - this person bore great responsibility, almost on a par with parents, for the fate of the baby.

And when the baby was one year old, a cross was cut off on his crown. It was believed that this rite gives the child protection from evil spirits and evil eye.

When the child grew up, he was obliged to visit his godparents every year on Christmas Eve with refreshments. And those, in turn, presented him with presents, treated him with sweets.

Watch a video about the rituals and customs of the Russian people:

mixed rites

Separately, it is worth talking about such interesting rituals:

• Celebration of Ivan Kupala. It was believed that only from that day on it was possible to swim. Also on this day, a fern bloomed - the one who finds a flowering plant will reveal all the innermost secrets. People made bonfires and jumped over them: it was believed that a couple who jumped over the fire, holding hands, would be together until death
• From pagan times came the custom to commemorate the dead. Per memorial table there must have been a rich meal and wine

To follow the ancient traditions or not is everyone's business. But you can not build them into a cult, but pay tribute to the ancestors, their culture, the history of their country. This applies to religious practices. As for entertainment events, such as Shrovetide or the celebration of Ivan Kupala, this is another reason to have fun in the company of friends and soulmate.

It is good that such customs and rituals have survived to our times. Only it’s a pity that their very meaning has been lost. Even take wedding ones. After all, all these ransoms, blessings are just like entertainment now. But before, the bride was blameless, and they did not live together before the wedding. And now it's not like that at all.

Since ancient times, traditions and rituals have been passed down from generation to generation, but it is a pity that in our time many have lost their direct meaning. I won’t go far, I’ll take an example from my family - the sacrament of the baptism of an infant, it was the most important point every family. The child's parents were very sensitive to this ceremony, they always chose the most responsible godparents for the child, namely those who at any moment could become the child's real parents. And what about young people now, do they think about it - they baptized, took a walk and forgot about their child. And if you dig deeper, many customs and rituals have largely lost their intended purpose, and this is very sad. Thank you for bringing this very important topic to light.

Not only in Christmas time our ancestors guessed. The Slavs also celebrated St. Andrew's Day, December 13, in memory of the Apostle Andrew. It was on the night of Andrei that unmarried girls guessed at their betrothed and future family what it will be. For the betrothed: everything is simple here, they put some male thing (an ax, mittens) under the bed and waited for who would appear in a dream. And there is a lot of fortune-telling for the future family. The simplest thing: they threw an armful of hay to the ceiling, how many straws stick to it, so many people in the family will be. St. Andrew's Day is still celebrated in the southern regions of Russia, and in Ukraine and Belarus.

Every nation has its own way of life, customs, unique songs, dancing, fairy tales. Each country has favorite dishes, special traditions in table decoration and cooking. There is a lot in them that is expedient, historically conditioned, corresponding to national tastes, lifestyle, climatic conditions.

For thousands of years, this way of life and these habits have evolved, they contain the collective experience of our ancestors.

Culinary recipes, formed over the years as a result of centuries of evolution, many of them are excellent examples of the right combination of products in terms of taste, and from a physiological point of view - in terms of nutrient content.

The way of life of a people is formed under the influence of many factors - natural, historical, social, etc. To a certain extent, cultural exchange with other peoples also influences it, but other people's traditions are never mechanically borrowed, but acquire local national flavor on new soil.

Rye, oats, wheat, barley, millet have been cultivated in our country since medieval antiquity, our ancestors have long borrowed the skills of making flour, mastered the "secrets" of baking various products from fermented dough. That is why pies, pies, pancakes, pies, kulebyaki, pancakes, pancakes, etc. are essential in the food of our ancestors. "from the test - to spring holidays etc.

No less typical for Russian traditional cuisine are dishes from all kinds of cereals: various cereals, krupeniks, pancakes, oatmeal jelly, casseroles, pea-based dishes, as well as lentils.

In the more northern parts of our country, dishes made from millet are of particular importance. This tradition has deep historical roots. Once upon a time Eastern Slavs who came to these lands in the VI century AD. and lived predominantly in forest areas, millet was cultivated as the main agricultural crop.

Millet served as a raw material for making flour, cereals, brewing beer, kvass, making soups and sweet dishes. This folk tradition continues to this day. However, it should be borne in mind that millet is inferior to other cereals in its nutritional value. Therefore, it should be prepared with milk, cottage cheese, liver, pumpkin and other products.

Not only grain crops were cultivated by our ancestors. From antiquity, through the centuries, they have come down to our days and have become the main crops in our garden. ancient rome, like cabbage, beets and turnips. Most widely used in Russia sauerkraut, which was possible to save until the next harvest. Cabbage serves as an indispensable snack, seasoning for boiled potatoes and other dishes.

cabbage soup from various kinds cabbages are a well-deserved pride of our national cuisine, although they were prepared in ancient Rome, where a lot of cabbage was specially grown. It's just that many vegetable plants and recipes "migrated" from Ancient Rome through Byzantium to Russia after the adoption of Christianity in Russia. The Greeks created Russia not only writing, but also passed on a lot of their culture.

In our time, cabbage is especially widely used in cooking in the northern and central regions of Russia, in the Urals and Siberia.

Turnip in Russia before late XVIII- early 19th century was as important as the potato is today. Turnips were used everywhere and many dishes were prepared from turnips, stuffed, boiled, steamed. Turnips were used as a filling for pies, kvass was prepared from it. Gradually, from beginning to mid-nineteenth century, it was replaced by a much more productive, but much less useful potato (practically, it is an empty starch).

But the turnip contains in its composition very valuable biochemical sulfur compounds, which, when eaten regularly, are excellent immunostimulants. Now the turnip has become a rare and piece product on the Russian table - on sale for it and the price is determined not by kilograms, but by the piece.

After switching to potatoes, Russian cuisine has significantly lost its high quality. As well as after the practical rejection of Russian table horseradish, which is also an indispensable tool for health, but retaining its beneficial features no more than 12-18 hours after preparation, i.e. requiring preparation shortly before serving. Therefore, the modern store-bought "horseradish in jars" does not have such properties or the proper taste at all. So if now in Russia Russian table horseradish is served at the family table, then only on great holidays.

For some reason, the swede is not mentioned in the ancient sources, probably because before the swede was not distinguished from the turnip. These roots, once widespread in Russia, currently occupy a relatively small share in vegetable growing. They could not stand the competition with potatoes and other crops. However, the peculiar taste and smell, the possibility of various culinary uses, transportability, and storage stability make it possible to think that turnips and rutabaga should not be abandoned at present, since they give a very special taste to many dishes of Russian folk cuisine.

Of the vegetable crops that appeared in Russia later, it is impossible not to name the potato. At the very beginning of the XIX century. potatoes made a real revolution in the traditions of the Russian table, potato dishes gained wide popularity. In the spread of potatoes and its popularization, a great merit belongs to a well-known figure culture XVIII in. A.T. Bolotov, who not only developed the agricultural technique for growing potatoes, but also proposed the technology for preparing a number of dishes.

Animal products have not changed much. From time immemorial, our ancestors consumed the meat of cattle ("beef"), pigs, goats and sheep, as well as poultry - chickens, geese, ducks.

Until the 12th century horse meat was also used, but already in the 13th century. it has almost fallen into disuse, tk. The "extra" horses from the population began to be taken away by the Mongol-Tatars, who needed the horses more. In manuscripts of the XVI-XVII centuries. ("Domostroy", "Painting for the Tsar's Meals"), only separate delicacy dishes from horse meat (jelly from horse lips, boiled horse heads) are mentioned. In the future, with the development of dairy cattle breeding, milk and products derived from it were increasingly used.

Forestry was a great and essential addition to the economy of our ancestors. In the annals of the XI-XII centuries. talking about hunting grounds - "goshawks", later manuscripts mention hazel grouse, wild ducks, hares, geese and other game. Although there is no reason to believe that they were not eaten before from the most ancient times.

Forests occupy in our country huge spaces, especially in the north of the Urals and in Siberia. The use of the gifts of the forest is one of the characteristic features of Russian cuisine. In the old days, hazelnuts played an important role in nutrition. Nut butter was one of the most common fats. The kernels of nuts were crushed, a little boiling water was added, wrapped in a rag and put under oppression. The oil gradually dripped into the bowl. Nut cake was also used for food - added to cereals, eaten with milk, with cottage cheese. Crushed nuts were also used to prepare various dishes and fillings.

The forest was also a source of honey (beekeeping). From honey prepared various sweet dishes and drinks - medki. At present, only in some places in Siberia (especially in the Altai among the local non-Russian peoples) the methods of preparing these delicious drinks have been preserved.

However, from the most ancient times and before the advent of mass production of sugar, honey was the main sweet among all peoples, and on its basis even in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and ancient Rome prepared a wide variety of sweet drinks, dishes and desserts. Also, not only Russians, but all peoples who had fish at their disposal, from time immemorial ate caviar.

The very first artificially cultivated fruit tree in Russia was cherry. Under Yuri Dolgoruky, only cherries grew in Moscow.

The character of Russian folk cuisine was largely influenced by geographical features our country - an abundance of rivers, lakes, seas. It is the geographical location that explains the number of various types of fish dishes. In the diet, a lot of river fish species, as well as lake ones, were quite common. Although there were many more different fish dishes in Ancient Greece and, especially, in Ancient Rome, the creator of the foundations of the modern wealth of European cuisine. What were the culinary fantasies of Lucullus worth! (Unfortunately, his many recipe records have been lost.)

In Russian cuisine, a large assortment of products was also used for cooking. However, it is not so much the variety of products that determines the specificity of the national Russian cuisine (these products were also available to Europeans), but the methods of their processing and cooking technologies themselves. In many ways, the originality of folk dishes was determined precisely by the peculiarities of the Russian stove.

There is reason to believe that the design of the traditional Russian stove was not borrowed. She appeared in Eastern Europe as a local original type of hearth. This is indicated by the fact that among the peoples of Siberia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, the main types of ovens were open hearths, as well as an outdoor oven for baking bread or a tandoor for baking cakes. Finally, archeology provides direct evidence of this. During the excavations of Trypillia settlements in Ukraine (3rd millennium BC), not only the remains of furnaces were found, but also a clay model of the furnace, which made it possible to restore their appearance and structure. These adobe stoves can be considered the prototype of later stoves, including the Russian stove.

But the design of the samovar was borrowed by the Russians from the Persians, who in turn took it from the Arabs. (However, Russian nesting dolls were also borrowed from the Japanese in 1893, and their mass production was already established in 1896.)

But we should not try to artificially "clear" our table from dishes once borrowed from other peoples, which have long become familiar to us. These include, for example, pancakes (borrowed in the 9th century from the cuisine of the Varangians along with compotes and dried fruit broths), cutlets, meatballs, langets, steaks, escalopes, mousses, jelly, mustard, mayonnaise (borrowed from European cuisine), shish kebab and kebab (borrowed from the Crimean Tatars), dumplings (borrowed from the Mongols in the 12th century), borsch (this is the national dish of Ancient Rome, which came to Russia along with Orthodoxy from the Byzantine Greeks), ketchup (an invention of the cooks of the English navy) and others.

Many dishes that have now become traditional Russian were invented by French chefs-restaurateurs who worked in Russia in the 19th century and created the foundations of modern Russian cuisine (Lucien Olivier, Yar and others).

In the process historical development food changed, new products appeared, ways of processing them improved. Relatively recently, potatoes and tomatoes appeared in Russia, many ocean fish have become familiar, and without them it is already impossible to imagine our table. Attempts to divide Russian cuisine into old original and modern are very conditional. It all depends on the availability of products available to the people. And who will say now that dishes with potatoes or tomatoes cannot be national Russians?

The culinary use of pineapples during the time of Catherine II and Prince Potemkin (this lover of cabbage stalks, which he did not part with and gnawed constantly) is curious. Pineapples were then chopped and fermented in barrels, like cabbage. It was one of Potemkin's favorite vodka snacks.

Our country is vast, and each region has its own local dishes. In the north they love cabbage soup, and in the south - borscht, in Siberia and the Urals there is no festive table without shaneg, and in Vologda - without fishmen, on the Don they cook fish soup with tomatoes, etc. However, there are many common dishes for all regions of our country and many common methods of their preparation.

Everything that was formed initial stage Russian culinary tradition remains unchanged to this day. The main components of the traditional Russian table: black Rye bread, which remains a favorite to this day, a variety of soups and cereals prepared almost every day, but not at all according to the same recipes as many years ago (which require a Russian oven, and even the ability to manage it), pies and others countless products made from yeast dough, without which no fun is complete, pancakes, as well as our traditional drinks - honey, kvass and vodka (although all of them are also borrowed; in particular, bread kvass was prepared in ancient Rome).

In addition, with the arrival of Orthodoxy from Byzantium in Russia, a lenten table was formed.

The main advantage of Russian cuisine is the ability to absorb and creatively refine, improve the best dishes all the peoples with whom the Russian people had to communicate on a long historical path. This is what made Russian cuisine the richest cuisine in the world. And now, not a single nation has worthy dishes that would not have analogues in Russian cuisine, but in a much better performance.

4. Traditions of receiving guests

In the seventeenth century, every self-respecting city dweller, and even more so if he was also wealthy, could not do without festive feasts, because this was part of their way of life. They began to prepare for the festive feast long before the solemn day - they cleaned and tidied up the whole house and yard in the most thorough way, everything had to be perfect by the arrival of the guests, everything had to shine like never before. Ceremonial tablecloths, dishes, towels were taken from the chests, which were so carefully stored for this day.

And the place of honor of the head of this entire responsible process, as well as for the purchase and preparation holiday events, followed by the mistress of the house.

The host also had an equally important duty - inviting guests to a feast. Moreover, depending on the status of the guest, the host either sent a servant with an invitation, or went himself. And actually the event itself looked something like this: the hostess came out to the assembled guests in a festive outfit and greeted them, bowing from the waist, and the guests answered her with a bow to the ground, followed by a kissing ceremony: the owner of the house offered the guests to honor the hostess with a kiss.

The guests in turn approached the hostess of the house and kissed her, and at the same time, according to the canons of etiquette, they held their hands behind their backs, then bowed to her again and accepted a glass of vodka from her hands. When the hostess went to a special women's table, this served as a signal for everyone to sit down and start eating. Usually the ceremonial table stood stationary, in the "red corner", that is, under the icons, near the benches fixed to the wall, sitting on which, by the way, at that time, was considered more honorable than on the side ones.

The meal itself began from the fact that the owner of the house cut off and served each invited guest a slice of bread with salt, which symbolized the hospitality and hospitality of this house, by the way, today's hospitable traditions originate from that time. As a sign of special respect or affection for one of his guests, the host of the ceremony could himself put some food from a special plate that was specially placed next to him, and, with the help of his servant, send it to the guest of honor especially, as if emphasizing his attention more given to him.

Although the tradition of welcoming guests with bread and salt has come to us since then, the order of serving dishes in those days was noticeably different from what we are used to today: first they ate pies, after a dish of meat, poultry and fish, and only at the end of the meal taken for soups.

Serving Order

When all the participants in the meal were already seated in their places, the host cut the bread into pieces and, together with salt, served each guest separately. With this action, he once again emphasized the hospitality of his home and deep respect for all those present.

At these festive feasts, there was always one more thing - the so-called oprichny dish was placed in front of the owner and the owner personally transferred the food from it into shallow containers (flat dishes) and passed it along with the servants to special guests as a sign of absolute attention to them. And when the servant conveyed this peculiar gastronomic message from his master, as a rule he said: "May you, sir, eat to your health."

If we, by some miracle, could move in time and end up in the seventeenth century, and why not, if the second miracle happened, we would be invited to such a celebration, we would be surprised at the order of serving dishes to the table. Judge for yourself, now it’s normal for us that first we eat an appetizer, after soup, and after that the second and dessert, and in those days pies were served first, then meat, poultry and fish dishes (“roast”), and only then , at the end of dinner - soups ("ear"). After resting after soups, for dessert they ate a variety of sweet snacks.

How they drank in Russia

The traditions of drinking in Russia, preserved and extant, have their roots in ancient times, and in many homes today, as in the distant past, refusing to eat and drink means offending the owners. The tradition of drinking vodka not in small sips has also come down to us and is widely practiced, as is customary, for example, in European countries, but in one gulp, immediately.

True, the attitude towards drunkenness has now changed, if today getting drunk means deviating from the accepted norms of decency, then in those days of boyar Russia, when it was considered mandatory, a non-drunk guest had to at least pretend to be one. Although it was not necessary to get drunk quickly, but to keep up with all the participants in the feast, and therefore a quick drunkenness at a party was considered indecent.

Royal feasts

Thanks to many old manuscripts that have come down to us, we are well aware of the festive and everyday table of the tsar and the boyars. And this is due to the punctuality and clarity of the performance of their duties by court servants.

The number of all kinds of dishes at royal feasts and at the feasts of rich boyars reached one hundred, and in special cases it could reach half a thousand, and they were brought to the table one by one, and precious gold and silver dishes with the rest of the dishes were held in their hands standing around the table. servants.

Peasant feast

But the traditions of feasting and eating were also not so rich strata of society, and were not only among the rich and noble members of society.

Representatives of almost all segments of the population considered it obligatory to gather at the banquet table on the occasion of all significant events in life, be it weddings, christenings, name days, meetings, seeing off, commemoration, folk and church holidays ...

And of course, this tradition has come down to us almost unchanged.

Russian hospitality

Everyone knows about Russian hospitality and it has always been so.

As for food, if guests come to the house of a Russian person and find the family at dinner, they will certainly be invited to the table and seated at it, and the guest is unlikely to have the opportunity to refuse this.

Solemn dinners and feasts in honor of the reception of foreign guests were arranged with particular breadth and scope, they were designed to demonstrate not only the material capabilities of the royal hosts (who had thoroughly robbed their own people), but also the breadth and hospitality of the Russian soul.

5. Traditions of the Russian Orthodox holiday feast

The Orthodox festive feast has kept many traditions, customs and rituals for a long time. characteristic feature Orthodox holidays was that they were family holidays. All family members and close relatives gathered at the table. Table etiquette was very restrained and strict. They sat decorously at the table, and they tried to conduct serious and kind conversations. revelry and drunkenness, especially in fast days were considered a great sin. As St. Theodore of Edessa wrote, “Spend the holiday not in wine drinking, but in the renewal of the mind and spiritual purity. Filling the womb with food, you will anger the One to whom the holiday is dedicated.

An obligatory element of the holiday is prayer. It is believed that food prepared with prayer always succeeds, and prayers before and after eating food and others addressed to God, the Most Holy Trinity, the Most Holy Theotokos, the Holy Cross, will bring health, peace and joy.

The Orthodox festive table is characterized by traditional dishes corresponding to the celebrated holiday. For many holidays, strictly defined ritual dishes were intended, and often they were prepared only once a year. They knew in advance and waited for the stuffed piglet, goose or turkey, honey or poppy seed cake, lush and ruddy pancakes, colored eggs and Easter cakes to be on the table ...

Celebrated Orthodox holidays plentiful and rich table. Both wealthy and poor families put on the table all the best that was in the house. Especially for the holidays, a variety of products were purchased in advance and stored in home pantries.

Gourmet dishes were prepared for the festive table, adhering to the rule: “A man eats at home, and he regales himself at a party,” and the housewives tried to show off culinary skills. The assortment of appetizers and dishes, especially cold ones, was varied and wide. folk traditions often prescribed for which holiday how many of them should be. Most of the food and drinks were immediately put on the table. It was considered obligatory to try all the dishes that were on the table.

Much attention was paid to the decoration of the festive table. It was covered with a beautiful, as a rule, embroidered or snow-white tablecloth and served with the best dishes and cutlery, decorated with flowers, green sprigs, paper ribbons, garlands. Candles were an indispensable attribute of the festive table, which gave the feast a special solemnity and symbolized the religious nature of the holiday.

The traditions and customs of the festive feast have changed and been updated over the centuries. Each generation sought to preserve both the ancient pagan traditions and the Orthodox, and to bring something of their own. And modern generations are no exception to this rule.

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 acquaints us with the experience of our ancestors. Let's start with the fact that the family traditions of Russia have never done without the science of genealogy: it was a shame not to know the genealogy, and the most offensive nickname was considered "Ivan, who does not remember kinship." Drawing up a detailed genealogy, your family tree was an integral part of the traditions of each family. When cameras appeared, people began to compile and then store family albums. This custom has successfully come down to our days - probably, most of them have old albums with photographs of relatives dear to their hearts, perhaps already deceased. By the way, to honor the memory of your relatives, to commemorate those who left this world, also belong to the original Russian traditions, as well as constant care for elderly parents. The transfer of things belonging to distant (and not so) ancestors to their descendants can also be called a long-standing Russian tradition. For example, great-grandmother's box or great-grandfather's watch are family heirlooms that are kept for many years in a secluded corner of the house. The history of things becomes not only the property of a single family, but also the history of the people and the entire Motherland as a whole. There is also a wonderful custom to name a child after one of the family members (there are so-called "family names"). In addition, our unique tradition is the assignment of a patronymic. When a baby is born, he immediately receives a part of the name of the family by the "nickname" of his father. The patronymic distinguishes a person from the namesake, sheds light on kinship (son-father) and expresses respect.

To call someone by their patronymic means to be 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 not found at present, are old professional dynasties (that is, when all family members were engaged in one kind of activity). Whole dynasties of hereditary bakers, confectioners, military men, shoemakers, carpenters, priests, artists are known. And now I would like to analyze the family rituals that have become 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) Traditions of the wedding ceremony

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 jubilation. This is not accidental, because the triumph of love is celebrated, the beginning new family. Even today, when everything comes down most often to just visiting the registry office, several memorable places and a feast, this holiday attracts everyone's attention with its very elegance. And if it contains elements of an old folk wedding ceremony, then it becomes an action at all.

Now, of the pre-wedding, actual wedding and post-wedding ceremonies, only wedding ceremonies are best known. But the interest in traditions is great - and now we hear old laudatory songs, jokes. But how did this sparkling action take place before, in compliance with all the rules - from collusions and rubbing 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 handshake. And again she wails about how bad it will be for her on the wrong side. Before the wedding - a bachelorette party. The groom arrives with gifts; everyone except the bride is having fun, not paying much attention to her crying. The day of marriage is the most solemn. The bride who continues to lament is prepared for the crown, the groom is also dressed in the best and at the same time guarded. Guests gather in the bride's house, a talkative friend arrives with the groom, "redeems" a place at the table. After long negotiations, flavored with jokes, jokes, they go to church: the groom separately, the bride separately. After the wedding, the bride stops crying: the deed 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 her neighbors. And, finally, the father-in-law calls his son-in-law with his relatives, the young woman says goodbye to her parents; diversion (wedding ranks) take the newlyweds to their home. On this, the wedding ceremony is considered completed. Conspiracies When the matchmaker decides the matter, i.e. agree with the bride's relatives on what conditions the bride is given away, with what dowry and conclusion, - they also agree at what time to come to the bride's house for "conspiracies". It should be noted that collusions, or drinking, or a word, are always given in the bride's house. When the brides who are wooing come to the house, then at that time a lot of people - neighbors - come. Conspiracies (or drinking) are very short: they drink tea and wine, have a snack, take a handkerchief and a 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. At all the time when the "conspiracy" is betrothed, until the wedding, her relatives do not force her to do anything.

After the arrangements, every day the bride sits down at the table and cries, wailing. Girlfriends almost all the time at the "conspiracy" sew a dowry - linen and dresses. Hand-beating at the appointed time, three or four days before the marriage, there is hand-beating. A matchmaker or a matchmaker with the father and mother of the groom, accompanied by relatives, go or go to the father and mother of the bride to the house for feasting - for handshaking. Those who came at the invitation of the host sit down at a table covered with a tablecloth. On it are a folded pie and salt on a plate. The matchmaker takes the right hands of the matchmakers (the father of the groom and the father of the bride) and joins them hand in hand, taking a pie from the table, wraps it around the hands of the matchmakers, saying three times: "The deed is done, strengthened with bread and salt, forever and ever." He breaks the cake over his hands, and then gives one half to the father of the groom, and the other to the father of the bride. After breaking the cake, the matchmakers sometimes measure whose half is larger - the right or left (the right one is the groom, and the left one is the bride). There is a sign: if half is larger, then that one has more strength, happiness, health, longevity and wealth. The broken cake should be kept by the bride and groom until the day of marriage, and after the wedding, the newlyweds should eat it, first of all, but the groom should eat half of the bride, and the bride - the groom. After the pie is broken, the matchmakers sit down at the table, and the feast begins. During the breaking of the cake, the bride is brought under a scarf and seated on a bench, while her friends stand near her or sit. After the handshake, the groom visits the bride every day. The bride meets the groom, treats her with tea, sits at the table, and the groom brings gifts and snacks, goodies: nuts, gingerbread and sweets. All such visits by the groom to the bride are called "visiting", "kissing" and "seeing". This is how the visits of the groom continue until the bachelorette party, in which the triumph surpasses all visits, because this is the last day of maiden life. The bachelorette party happens on the last day or evening before the wedding. Friends come to the bride for a bachelorette party, even relatives and friends from other villages come. Before the groom and other guests, the matchmaker arrives from the groom with a chest or box, which contains various gifts for the bride, as well as gifts for girlfriends, children and other spectators who came to see the bachelorette party. The bride meets the groom dressed in her 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 the marriage, and the princes, so as not to arouse their appetite, are fed separately, which is called "feeding the young in a special place." Spoiled guests at the prince's table often turn to the newlyweds and say: "Bitter, very bitter!", They ask: "Can't you sweeten it?" The newlyweds should stand up, bow, kiss crosswise, say: "Eat, now it's sweet!" Guests finish drinking from a glass or a glass and say: “Now it’s very sweet,” and then they come up to the newlyweds and kiss them. Thus, at the prince's table, only "bitter" is heard, and therefore there is no end to kisses. The guests-spouses, not content with "sweetening" the newlyweds, ask for the word "bitterly" the husband to his wife, the wife to her husband, and also "sweeten" - they kiss. A lot of strangers come to see the prince's table. For poor hosts, 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 a prince. 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 dinner, in the evening, girls, young women and boys are going to sit with the newlyweds. Young people sing songs different games and they dance. At this evening meeting, the newlywed gets to know the neighbors and treats them: pancakes, pies, gingerbread and nuts. Otvodina so-called otvodina are usually a week after the wedding.

The wife's parents are father-in-law and mother-in-law to her husband (son-in-law). The wife's brother is her brother-in-law to her husband (his son-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. The daughter-in-law, she is also the daughter-in-law, is the son's wife in relation to the son's parents. Daughter-in-law - from the word son: "sons" - "son". A brother's wife is also called a daughter-in-law. The wives of two brothers are also daughters-in-law among themselves. 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, aunt) - the sister of the father or mother. An uncle is the brother of the father or mother. Depending on this, they say about him, like about an aunt, with a clarification: "paternal uncle", "maternal uncle". Often, the younger ones are called the elder's uncle, regardless of kinship. stepmother - no own mother children, the second wife of his father. Husband's children from his first marriage - stepmother's stepsons and stepdaughters. A stepfather is not a father, a father by mother, the second husband of the mother. To the stepfather, his wife's children from his first marriage are stepsons and stepdaughters. Shurin, he is Shuryak, Shuryaga - brother wives. Brother-in-law is the husband's brother. A brother-in-law and a sister-in-law are to a wife what brother-in-law and sister-in-law are to a husband. The sister-in-law is the sister of the husband. In some places, the brother's wife is also called that. The sister-in-law usually points out the young, commands her. Hence the very word sister-in-law - from "zlovka". The sister-in-law is the sister of the wife, and her husband is the brother-in-law. Two men married to sisters are also called brother-in-laws. This relationship was considered not very reliable, so they said: "Two brothers - for a bear, two brothers-in-law - for jelly." Yatrov (aka Yatrovitsa) is the wife of a brother-in-law. But that's the name of the brother-in-law's wife. The brother's wife in relation to the brother-in-law and the sister-in-law is also a yatrov. And the wives of brothers among themselves are also Yagprovi. Kum, Kum - godfathers and mother. They are in spiritual kinship not only among themselves, but also in relation to the parents and relatives of their godson. That is, nepotism is not blood, but spiritual kinship. There are other degrees of kinship in the Russian people, more distant, about which they say that this is "the seventh (or tenth) water on jelly." Sometimes in a large family they themselves have difficulty sorting out who is brought to whom by whom, and here derivatives from the word their own come to the rescue: in-laws, in-laws, in-laws. Wedding superstitions: When crowns are put on the spouses and the priest says: "God's servant such and such is getting married," then the latter should be baptized and say quietly: "I, the servant of God (name), get married, but my illnesses do not get married." The people believe that if the spouses have some kind of illness and are married to them, then they will never be cured.

When from the crown the young woman is brought into the house to the father-in-law, he and the mother-in-law meet the newlyweds at the gate; the first of them gives the young man a vial of wine or beer in his hands, and the last one slowly puts the newlywed pie in her bosom and throws hops under her feet. The newlyweds should eat the pie in half in front of the wedding table, on the "mansion". This is done so that they live their whole lives full, in love and harmony, and hops crumble under their feet so that they live a century of fun. "Both at the first table, and at the prince, the newlyweds must twist their legs or cross their legs - so that a cat does not run between them, otherwise the young will disagree, like a cat with a dog."

2) Traditions of the rite of birth of a baby into the world.

Shortly before the birth, the day and hour of birth were especially tried to hide. Even the maternity prayer was hidden in a hat and only then taken to the priest in the church.

Our ancestors believed that birth, like death, breaks the invisible boundary between the worlds of the dead and the living. Therefore, such dangerous business there was nothing to happen near human dwellings. Among many peoples, a woman in labor retired to the forest or to the 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, realizing the danger to which her life was exposed. The puerperal was laid near the washstand and given a sash tied to a beam of platy in her hand to hold on. During all the time of childbirth, wedding or baptismal candles were lit in front of the holy icons.

In order for the mother's body to better open up and release the child, the woman's hair was untwisted, doors and chests were opened in the hut, knots were untied, and locks were opened. Undoubtedly, it helped psychologically.

The expectant mother was usually assisted by an elderly woman, a 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 childbirth. 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 husband of the puerperal was assigned a special role during childbirth: first of all, he had to remove the boot from his wife’s right leg and let her drink, then untie the belt, and then press the 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 kuvada of the peoples of Oceania: the husband often screamed and moaned instead of his wife. Why?! By this, the husband aroused the possible attention of evil forces, distracting them from the woman in labor!

After a successful birth, the midwife instilled children'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 wore it myself, I brought it myself, I repaired it myself." This was done so that the child grew up calm. Immediately after this, the midwife cut the umbilical cord, tied it and spoke to the hernia, 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 handle or an arrow so that he would grow up as a hunter and artisan. If the girl is on a spindle, so that she grows up as a needlewoman. They tied the navel with a linen thread woven with the hair of the mother and father. "Tie" - in Old Russian "twist"; that's where the "midwives", "midwives" come from.

After the hernia was spoken, the baby was washed, saying: “Grow up - from a beam of height and an oven - thickness!” Usually an egg or some kind of glass thing was put into the water for a boy, and only a glass one for a girl. Sometimes silver was put into the barely heated water, so as not to burn, for purification and so that the child would grow up rich. So that the baby would not be jinxed, they washed it for the first time in water, slightly whitened with milk, then “for wealth” they put it on an inside-out sheepskin coat. Washing the baby, the midwife "straightened his limbs" - corrected the head, which is usually soft as wax. In many ways, it depended on her ability to be a child: round-headed, long-faced, or generally ugly. After washing the baby, they swaddled him in a long narrow sling and headband. If they were afraid that the baby would be restless, they swaddled him in his father's ports. In order for the baby to grow beautiful and comely, they covered him with a green cloth. At first, the baby was left "free", and he lay somewhere on the bench until he got worried, screamed and "asked for fluctuations." Zybka is an oval box made of bast, with a bottom made of thin boards, which the father had to make. If the birth took place in a hut, then the baby was handed over to the father first, and he laid him on the shank, as if thereby recognizing his paternity.

The next day after the birth, neighbors and acquaintances came to the happy mother with congratulations and brought her various sweets “by the tooth”. A week later, and sometimes already on the third day, the puerperal returned to her household duties - but only after performing a cleansing ceremony known as "washing hands." If a young mother had to go to work in the field, then the care of the newborn was entrusted to the "nursery" from the home - the old woman, and most often - the little sister girl.

3) Funeral rite.

Funeral is considered the most ancient of family rites. For condition analysis funeral tradition and the genre of the reckoning were chosen by the Starorussky district as the place of the most ancient settlement Slavs in this territory and Okulovsky, settled by Novgorodians a little later, but located in the central part of the Novgorod region.

Researchers of funeral and memorial rites of the XIX-XX centuries. more than once noted certain discrepancies between the religious and folk interpretation of death, the relationship between the body and soul of the deceased, the road to afterworld and ideas about it, attitude to the cult of ancestors. The Christian interpretation of death as a blessing on the way to the "kingdom of heaven" was opposed by the popular idea of ​​it as a "villain", a hostile force. The funeral and memorial rite among the Eastern Slavs included several main points: actions before death and at the time of death; washing and dressing the deceased and placing him in the coffin; removal from the house; funeral service in the church (if it was performed), burial, commemoration. Thus, with all the regional differences in the funeral and memorial rituals of the Eastern Slavs, three main stages were distinguished in it: pre-burial, funeral and memorial, each of which, in addition to practical, could have a different meaning. Thus, the procedure for washing the deceased, in addition to hygiene, had a sacred, magical orientation.

The attitude towards the dead has always been ambivalent. They were afraid of him and therefore sought to facilitate the transition to another world for the deceased, as well as to protect themselves with the help of various magical actions from possible negative consequences when in contact with him.

Signs and predictions that foreshadowed the death of a particular 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 life cycle of a person - "the magic of the first day." Still the harbingers of death loved one consider the extraordinary behavior of domestic animals, birds, broken mirror, ejection of a flower by a houseplant that never blooms, a bird beating out the window, creaking of 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 perceived as an enemy. This was 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, does not heed prayers and requests. The dead sleeps, remaining a man (the dead - calm person), however, if the deceased's eyes were open, they were closed and copper nickels were placed over the eyelids. 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 for one of the living people or even animals left in the house, wanting to take them with him. In such cases, they usually said: "He looks - he will watch someone." Coins (pyataks) were then left in the coffin. Interestingly, the ransom in this rite also manifested itself in a different way, for example, if the body of a drowned person could not be found for a long time, then there was a custom to throw silver money into the water in order to redeem it from the water.

At the funeral of those who did not have time to marry, the funeral rite was, in certain respects, combined with the wedding ceremony. Among Ukrainians, a girl was buried as a bride, and a guy as a groom. The head of the girl 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 a 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 handkerchiefs were tied, as at the wedding of the elders. Other elements of the wedding ceremony were also used, in particular, something like a wedding procession was arranged with all the characters of the wedding celebration: matchmaker, friends, boyars, etc. In a number of Russian regions, they were buried in a specially kept wedding dress and married women. This custom was also found in the Far East.

At the cemetery, towels were untied, and the coffin was lowered into the grave on them. Then one towel was hung on the cross erected on the grave, the others were given to the funeral directors. Leaving the towel - a symbol of the path, the road - performed a protective action. Before the coffin was lowered into the grave, relatives threw a penny there (in the old days, silver), which meant that they bought themselves a place next to the deceased, and everyone else threw copper, while saying: "Here's your share - don't ask for more" . In fact, this can be seen as a ransom. However, it was believed that the deceased needed the money in order to pay for transportation across a river or lake to the next world. It is known that the image of the river and the crossing in the folklore consciousness is traditional not only for Russian, but also for world culture.

In the modern funeral rite, the contours of the old, still pagan rite are visible, but it is also noticeable that the magical content of the ritual action has largely been erased. Traditional funeral rite always accompanied by laments (weeping). In the Novgorod region, they sometimes say about the prichet "to cry at the voice", and in the Starorussky district they say "voice", "silence". One can note a clear decline in the tradition of pricheti from the 70s to the 90s. In the mid-1990s, cries were recorded less and less frequently. Lamentations do not have a stable text. In them, the improvisational principle and, consequently, the poetic abilities of the mourners themselves play an important role.

In lamentations, death was called a villain, the coffin was called a domina or domina, the road was a long, irrevocable path. The dead were washed by neighbors or relatives with plain water and soap, wiped with a towel, they believed that sins were forgiven for washing. They thanked the washing lady and gave her what they could. The people who washed the deceased dressed the deceased. The clothes were prepared in advance. They were necessarily buried in the clothes that the deceased bequeathed, fulfilling the will of the deceased. The deceased was put on soft shoes, most often slippers. The dead man goes there to live, so he must look good.

Until the position of the deceased in the coffin, he was placed on a bench, a sheet of self-woven linen was spread under him. While the deceased was lying in the house, an icon was placed in the coffin, it was taken from the coffin to the cemetery and brought home. On the day of the funeral, spruce branches were scattered along the road so that the deceased would walk along a clean road (spruce is a clean tree), then the branches were burned. The body was carried out of the house on hands, feet first. The deceased was carried to the cemetery - it was considered more respectful to carry.

coffin carried even number human. Relatives followed the coffin, and then everyone else. The grave was dug on the day of the funeral, but it was not the relatives who did it. The coffin was lowered into the grave on towels, and then they were left in the pit (grave). The memorial meal depended on the fast. Lenten food was to be prepared for fasting. After the funeral, mourning clothes were worn for forty days: black dress, black scarf. It was believed that the soul of the deceased is in the house for forty days. They celebrated the ninth, twentieth, fortieth days, half a year, a year with a wake.

Traditions are not only what distinguishes one people from another, but also what can unite a wide variety of people. The family traditions of the Russian people are the most interesting part of the history and culture of the Russian state, which introduces us to the experience of our ancestors.

Let's start with the fact that the family traditions of Russia have never done without the science of genealogy: it was a shame not to know the genealogy, and the most offensive nickname was considered "Ivan, who does not remember kinship." Drawing up a detailed genealogy, your family tree was an integral part of the traditions of each family. When cameras appeared, people began to compile and then store family albums. This custom has successfully come down to our days - probably, most of them have old albums with photographs of relatives dear to their hearts, perhaps already deceased. By the way, to honor the memory of your relatives, to commemorate those who left this world, also belong to the original Russian traditions, as well as constant care for elderly parents.

The transfer of things belonging to distant (and not so) ancestors to their descendants can also be called a long-standing Russian tradition. For example, great-grandmother's box or great-grandfather's watch are family heirlooms that are kept for many years in a secluded corner of the house ... The history of things becomes not only the property of a single family, but also the history of the people and the entire Motherland as a whole.
There is also a wonderful custom to name a child after one of the family members (there are so-called "family names"). In addition, our unique tradition is the assignment of a patronymic. When a baby is born, he immediately receives a part of the name of the clan according to the “nickname” of his father. The patronymic distinguishes a person from the namesake, sheds light on kinship (son-father) and expresses respect. To call someone by their patronymic means to be 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 not found at present, are old professional dynasties (that is, when all family members were engaged in one kind of activity). Whole dynasties of hereditary bakers, confectioners, military men, shoemakers, carpenters, priests, artists are known.

And, of course, the most beloved are family holidays, because the traditions of the old Russian feast are still strong in us. In Russia, they prepared ahead of time for the reception of guests, carefully cleaning not only the house, but also the yard. All incoming guests were greeted with bread and salt, then the hostess came out, bowed to everyone from the waist, and the guests answered her in the same way. Then everyone sat down at a common table, sang songs in unison, and the hosts treated everyone to their dishes (porridge, cabbage soup, fish, game, fish, berries, honey) ... It is worth noting that tablecloths, towels and dishes stored in chests were used to set the table and buffets for special occasions. It is curious that many modern housewives observe some customs from ancient times ...
Author: Rimma Sokolova