Lesson on the spiritual foundations of the artistic culture of the Cossacks. Spiritual life of the Cossacks

Specificity Cossack culture. Culture, life and traditions of the Cossacks in the Kuban. Completed by a student of group 2M1 of the specialty "Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles" Lubsky Viktor Head, teacher Nikolaenko T.P. GBOU SPO "Novorossiysk College of Radioelectronic Instrumentation" of the Krasnodar Territory

Without the Cossacks today it is impossible to maintain public order in the Kuban, protect natural resources, military-patriotic education of the younger generation and prepare young people for military service. The role of the troops in the socio-political life of the region is also significant. Therefore, the decade of the revival of the Kuban Cossacks was an event for all Kuban.

About traditional folk culture, it is advisable to start with the history of the settlement of the Kuban, because. in this historical event the origins of the culture of the Kuban Cossacks were laid. Kuban, due to the peculiarities of historical development, is a unique region where for two centuries interacted, interpenetrated and formed into one whole elements of the cultures of South Russian, East Ukrainian and other peoples.

House building House building This is how the turluch houses were built: “Along the perimeter of the house, the Cossacks buried large and small pillars in the ground -“ plows ”and“ pods”, which were intertwined with a vine. When the frame was ready, relatives and neighbors were called for the first smear "under the fists" - clay mixed with straw was hammered into the wattle fence with fists. A week later, they made a second smear “under the fingers”, when the clay mixed with sexual clay was pressed in and smoothed out with fingers. For the third “smooth” stroke, chaff and dung (dung thoroughly mixed with straw cutting) were added to the clay.” Public buildings: Ataman rule, schools were built of brick with iron roofs. They still decorate the Kuban villages. House building - important element traditional folk culture. This is a great event in the life of every Cossack family, a collective matter. It was usually attended by, if not all, then most of the inhabitants of the "krai", "kutka", village.

House building House building Special ceremonies when laying a house. “Stubbles of domestic animal hair, feathers were thrown at the construction site, “so that everything would be done.” The womb-svolok (wooden beams on which the ceiling was laid) was raised on towels or chains, "so that the house was not empty." Ritual in the construction of housing. “A wooden cross was built into the front corner, into the wall, thus invoking God's blessing on the inhabitants of the house. After the completion of construction work, the owners arranged refreshments instead of payment (it was not supposed to be taken for help). Most of the participants were also invited to the housewarming party.

Furnishings of the hut In the great hut there was furniture made to order: a cupboard for dishes: (“slide” or “square”), a chest of drawers for linen, chests, etc. The central place in the house was the "Red Corner" - "deity". "God" was made in the form of a large kiot, consisting of one or more icons, decorated with towels, and a table - a square. Often icons and towels were decorated with paper flowers. In the "goddess" they kept objects of sacred or ritual significance: wedding candles, "pasques", as we call them in the Kuban, Easter eggs, prosvirki, records of prayers, memorial books. The interior of the Cossack hut. The interior of the Kuban dwelling was basically the same for all regions of the Kuban. The house usually had two rooms: a large (vylyka) and a small hut. In a small hut there was a stove, long wooden benches, a table (cheese).

How to decorate Towels - a traditional element of decoration of the Kuban dwelling. They were made from home-made fabrics, sheathed with lace at both ends and embroidered with a cross or satin stitch. Embroidery most often took place along the edge of the towel with a predominance of floral ornament, a vase with flowers, geometric figures, paired images of birds.

What they decorated One very common detail of the interior of the Cossack hut is photographs on the wall, traditional family heirlooms. Small photo studios appeared in the Kuban villages already in the 70s of the XIX century. Photographed on special occasions: farewell to the army, weddings, funerals.

Cossack costume. The male costume consisted of military uniform and everyday clothes. The uniform suit has gone through a difficult path of development, and it was most affected by the influence of the culture of the Caucasian peoples. Slavs and highlanders lived next door. They were not always at enmity, more often they sought mutual understanding, trade and exchange, including cultural and household. The Cossack form was established by the middle of the 19th century: black cloth Circassian, dark trousers, beshmet, hood, winter cloak, hat, boots or hats. Uniforms, horses, weapons were an integral part of the Cossack "right", i.e. equipment at your own expense. The Cossack was "celebrated" long before he went to serve. This was connected not only with the material costs of ammunition and weapons, but also with the entry of the Cossack into a new world of objects that surrounded the male warrior. Usually his father said to him: “Well, son, I married you and made you happy. Now live with your mind - I am no longer responsible for you before God.

Hat, cloak, hat. The bloody wars of the early 20th century showed the inconvenience and impracticality of the traditional Cossack uniform on the battlefield, but they put up with them while the Cossack was on guard duty. Already in 1915, during the First World War, which acutely revealed this problem, the Cossacks were allowed to replace the Circassian and beshmet with an infantry tunic, a cloak with an overcoat, and replace the hat with a cap. The traditional Cossack uniform was left as a dress uniform.

The traditional women's costume was formed by the middle of the 19th century. It consisted of a skirt and a blouse (kokhtochka) made of chintz. She could be fitted or with a peplum, but always with long sleeves, she got off with elegant buttons, braid, home-made lace. Skirts were sewn from chintz or wool, gathered at the waist for splendor.

“..Skirts were sewn from purchased material, wide, in five or six panels (shelves) on an upturned cord - uchkur. Canvas skirts in the Kuban were worn, as a rule, as underskirts, and they were called in Russian - hem, in Ukrainian, a back. Petticoats were worn under chintz, satin and other skirts, sometimes even two or three, one on top of the other. The bottom one was necessarily white.

The value of clothes in the system of material values ​​of the Cossack family was very great, beautiful clothes raised prestige, emphasized prosperity, and distinguished them from non-residents. Clothing, even festive, in the past cost the family relatively cheaply: every woman knew how to spin, and weave, and cut, and sew, embroider and weave lace.

Cossack food. The basis of the diet of the Kuban family was wheat bread, livestock products, fish farming, vegetable growing and gardening ... The most popular was borscht, which was boiled with sauerkraut, beans, meat, lard, on fasting days - with vegetable oil. Each hostess had her own unique taste of borscht. This was due not only to the diligence with which the hostesses prepared food, but also to various culinary secrets, among which was the ability to make frying. Cossacks loved dumplings, dumplings. They knew a lot about fish: they salted it, dried it, boiled it. They salted and dried fruits for the winter, cooked compotes (uzvars), jam, prepared watermelon honey, made fruit marshmallows; honey was widely used, wine was made from grapes.

In the Kuban they ate more meat and meat dishes(especially poultry, pork and lamb) than in other places in Russia. However, lard and fat were also highly valued here, since often meat products were used as a seasoning for dishes. In large undivided families, all products were run by the mother-in-law, who gave them to the “duty” daughter-in-law ... Food was cooked, as a rule, in the oven (in the winter in the house, in the kitchen, in the summer - also in the kitchen or in the summer oven in the yard): Each family had the necessary simple utensils: cast iron, bowls, bowls, frying pans, stag tongs, cups, pokers.

Family and social life. Families in the Kuban were large, which was explained by the spread of farm subsistence farming, with a constant need for workers and, to some extent, with the difficult situation of wartime. The main duty of the Cossack was military service. Each Cossack who reached the age of 18 took a military oath and was obliged to attend drill classes in the village (one month each in autumn and winter), to be trained in military camps. Upon reaching the age of 21, he entered the 4-year military service, after which he was assigned to the regiment, and until the age of 38 he had to participate in three-week camp training, have a horse and a full set of uniforms, and appear at regular drill military training. All this required a lot of time, so in the Cossack families an important role was played by a woman who ran the household, took care of the elderly, and raised the younger generation.

The birth of 5-7 children in a Cossack family was common. Some women have given birth more than once. The Cossacks loved children and were happy to have both a boy and a girl. But the boy was more happy: in addition to the traditional interest in the birth of a son, the successor of the family, purely practical interests were mixed in here - for the future Cossack, the warrior, the community gave out allotments of land. Children were early involved in labor, from the age of 5-7 they performed feasible work. Father and grandfather taught their sons and grandsons labor skills, survival in dangerous conditions, stamina and endurance. Mothers and grandmothers taught their daughters and granddaughters the ability to love and take care of the family, prudent housekeeping.

Peasant-Cossack pedagogy has always followed worldly precepts, which have been based for centuries on the ideals of strict kindness and obedience, exacting trust, conscientious justice, moral dignity and diligence in work. In a Cossack family, father and mother, grandfather and grandmother, taught the main thing - the ability to live wisely. The elderly were especially respected in the family. They acted as guardians of customs, played a big role in public opinion and Cossack self-government.

Cossack families worked tirelessly. Field work was especially difficult in the time of trouble - harvesting. They worked from dawn to dusk, the whole family moved to the field to live, the mother-in-law or the eldest daughter-in-law was engaged in household chores. In winter, from early morning until late at night, women spun, wove, sewed. Men in the winter were engaged in all kinds of repairs and repairs to buildings, tools, vehicles, their duty was to care for horses and cattle.

The Cossacks knew how not only to work, but also to have a good rest. Sunday and holidays working was considered a sin. In the morning the whole family went to church, a kind of place of spiritual communication. The traditional form of communication was "conversations", "streets", "gatherings". Married and elderly people whiled away the time at the "conversations". Here they discussed current affairs, shared memories, and sang songs.

Young people preferred the "street" in summer or "gatherings" in winter. On the "street" acquaintances were made, songs were learned and performed, songs and dances were combined with games. "Gatherings" were arranged with the onset of cold weather in the homes of girls or young spouses. The same "street" companies gathered here. At the "gatherings" the girls crumpled and combed hemp, spun, knitted, embroidered. The work was accompanied by songs. With the arrival of the guys, dancing and games began.

Wedding, maternity, naming, christening, seeing off for service, funeral. A wedding is a complex and lengthy ceremony, with its own strict rules. In the old days, a wedding was never a display of the material wealth of the parents of the bride and groom. First of all, it was a state, spiritual and moral act, an important event in the life of the village. The ban on weddings during fasting was strictly observed. Rites and holidays. There were various rituals in the Kuban: Autumn and winter were considered the most preferred time of the year for weddings, when there was no field work and, moreover, this is the time of economic prosperity after harvesting. The age of years was considered favorable for marriage. The community and the military administration could intervene in the procedure for concluding marriages. So, for example, it was not allowed to extradite girls to other villages if there were many bachelors and widowers in their own. But even within the village, young people were deprived of the right to choose. The decisive word in the choice of the bride and groom remained with the parents. Matchmakers could appear without the groom, only with his hat, so the girl did not see her betrothed until the wedding. merry people

“There are several periods in the development of a wedding: pre-wedding, which included matchmaking, handshaking, arches, parties in the house of the bride and groom; wedding and post-wedding ritual. At the end of the wedding, the main role was assigned to the groom's parents: they were rolled around the village in a trough, locked in a mountain, from where they had to pay off with the help of a "quarter". The guests also got it: they "stole" chickens from them, at night they covered the windows with lime. “But in all this, there was nothing offensive, senseless, not aimed at the future good of man and society.

“But in all this, there was nothing offensive, senseless, not aimed at the future good of man and society. Ancient rituals outlined and consolidated new ties, imposed social obligations on people. deep meaning not only actions were filled, but also words, objects, clothes, tunes of songs. As throughout Russia, calendar holidays were honored and widely celebrated in the Kuban: Christmas, New Year, Maslenitsa, Easter, Trinity.

Easter People considered Easter a special event and celebration. This is also evidenced by the names of the holiday - “Vylyk day”, Bright Sunday. It is necessary to start about this holiday with Great Lent. After all, it is he who is preparing for Easter, a period of spiritual and physical purification. Great Lent lasted seven weeks, and each week had its own name. The last two were especially important: Palm and Passion. After them followed Easter - a bright and solemn holiday of renewal. On this day, they tried to put on everything new. Even the sun, they noticed, rejoices, changes, plays with new colors. The table was also updated, ritual food was prepared in advance. they dyed eggs, baked paska, roasted a pig. Eggs were painted in different colors: red - blood, fire, sun; blue - sky, water; green - grass, vegetation. In some villages, a geometric pattern was applied to the eggs - "pisanki". Ritual paska bread was a real work of art. They tried to make it tall, the “head” was decorated with cones, flowers, figurines of birds, crosses, smeared with egg white, sprinkled with colored millet.

Easter Easter "still life" is a wonderful illustration of the mythological ideas of our ancestors: Paska is a tree of life, a pig is a symbol of fertility, an egg is the beginning of life, Vital energy. Returning from the church, after consecrating the ceremonial food, they washed themselves with water, in which there was a red "dye" in order to be beautiful and healthy. They broke the fast with eggs and paska. They were also presented to the poor, exchanged with relatives and neighbors.

The playful, entertaining side of the holiday was very rich: driving round dances, playing with eggs, swings and carousels were arranged in each village. By the way, swinging had a ritual meaning - it was supposed to stimulate the growth of all living things. Easter ended with Krasnaya Gorka, or Seeing Off, a week after Easter Sunday. This is "parents' day", commemoration of the dead. Attitude towards ancestors is an indicator of the moral state of society, the conscience of people. In the Kuban, ancestors have always been treated with deep respect. On this day, the whole village went to the cemetery, knitted scarves and towels on crosses, arranged a funeral feast, distributed food and sweets “for a memorial”.

Oral colloquial Kuban speech is a valuable and interesting element of folk traditional culture. It is interesting in that it is a mixture of the languages ​​of two kindred peoples - Russian and Ukrainian, plus borrowed words from the languages ​​​​of the highlanders, a juicy, colorful fusion that corresponds to the temperament and spirit of the people. The entire population of the Kuban villages, who spoke two closely related Slavic languages ​​- Russian and Ukrainian, easily acquired the linguistic features of both languages, and without difficulty, many Kubans switched from one language to another in conversation, taking into account the situation. Chernomorians in conversation with Russians, especially with urban people, began to use the Russian language. In communication with the villagers, with neighbors, acquaintances, relatives, they “balakali”, i.e. spoke the local Kuban dialect. At the same time, the language of the Lineians was full of Ukrainian words and expressions. When asked what language the Kuban Cossacks speak, Russian or Ukrainian, many answered: “In our Cossack! in Cuban.

Speech Kuban Cossacks sprinkled with sayings, proverbs, phraseological units. The Dictionary of Phraseological Dialects of the Kuban was published by the Armavir Pedagogical Institute. It contains more than a thousand phraseological units of the type: bai duzhe (doesn't care), sleeps and kurei bachit (sleeps lightly), bisova nivira (not believing in anything), beat baidyki (loose), etc. They reflect national specifics language, its identity. Phraseology - a stable phrase, captures the rich historical experience of the people, reflects ideas associated with labor activity, life and culture of people. The correct, appropriate use of phraseological units gives speech a unique originality, special expressiveness and accuracy.

Folk crafts and crafts are an important part of traditional folk culture. The Kuban land was famous for its craftsmen, gifted people. When making any thing, the folk craftsman thought about its practical purpose, but did not forget about beauty. From simple materials - wood, metal, stone, clay - were created true works art. Pottery is a typical small-scale peasant craft. Every Kuban family had the necessary pottery: makitras, rags, bowls, bowls, etc. In the work of the potter, a special place was occupied by the manufacture of a jug. The creation of this beautiful form was not available to everyone; skill and skill were required to make it. If the vessel breathes, keeping the water cool even in extreme heat, then the master has put a piece of his soul into simple dishes.

Blacksmithing Blacksmithing has been practiced in the Kuban since ancient times. Every sixth Cossack was a professional blacksmith. The ability to forge one's own horses, carts, weapons and, above all, all household utensils, was considered as natural as cultivating the land. By the end of the 19th century, blacksmithing centers were formed. In the village of Staroshcherbinovskaya, for example, blacksmiths made plows, winnowers and harrows. They were in great demand in Stavropol and in the Don region. In the village of Imeretinskaya, agricultural tools were also made, and in small village forges they forged what they could: axes, horseshoes, pitchforks, shovels. The mastery of artistic forging also deserves mention. In the Kuban, it was called that - "forging". This fine and highly artistic processing of metal was used in the forging of gratings, visors, fences, gates; flowers, leaves, animal figurines were forged for decoration. Masterpieces of the blacksmith craft of that time are found on the buildings of the 19th - early 20th centuries in the villages and cities of the Kuban.

Weaving Eyewitnesses and writers of everyday life singled out weaving from all folk crafts. Weaving provided material for clothing and home decoration. From the age of 7-9, in a Cossack family, girls were accustomed to weaving and spinning. Before reaching adulthood, they had time to prepare for themselves a dowry of several tens of meters of linen: towels, tablecloths, shirts. The raw materials for weaving were mainly hemp and sheep's wool. The inability to weave was considered a great disadvantage in women. The indispensable items of the Kuban dwelling were mills “looms, spinning wheels, combs for making threads, beeches - barrels for bleaching canvas. In a number of villages, canvas was woven not only for their families, but also specifically for sale.

Our ancestors knew how to make household utensils of openwork weaving in the Slavic style. Weaved cradles, tables and chairs, baskets, baskets, yard fences - wattle from reeds, willows, reeds. In the village of Maryanskaya, this craft has been preserved to this day. In the markets of Krasnodar, you can see products for every taste of bread bins, whatnots, furniture sets, decorative wall panels.

Cultural heritage Russian society in the course of the transformation, it faced complex moral, political, and economic problems that could not be solved without the help of the humanities. People are worried about the future, but at the same time they will never run out of interest in the past, in their history. Deepening into history returns to people once lost values. Without historical knowledge there can be no truly spiritual growth.

Cultural heritage Mankind has accumulated innumerable riches of spiritual values ​​throughout its history, among which one of the priorities is culture. Cultural values ​​are truly miraculous gift- they are aimed at the ideological and spiritual elevation of man. The development of culture was determined by the traditions of the literary and spiritual life of peoples. This was manifested in the development of the education system, cultural and educational institutions, publishing, the emergence of Kuban literature, science, art. A certain impact on it was exerted by the policy of the government of the military administration and the church. First of all, this concerned the Cossack population of the Kuban.

(Lecture course of discipline)

PREFACE TO THE THEORETICAL
(LECTURE) COURSE

Cossacks- a very interesting and complex ethno-social and ethno-psycho-cultural phenomenon, known for a long time historical period. This is a community of people, distinguished by its original traditional culture, philosophy and a complex of unique artistic and aesthetic features. Despite the numerous definitions of the concept of "Cossacks", available in modern times, a single and unequivocally accepted by all does not exist due to the many conflicting theories about the genesis and evolutionary transformations in the formation of the Cossack people. Nevertheless, the prevailing generalized image of the Cossack in domestic and world culture is recognizable.
aim of this work is the identification and articulation of the most essential, invariant and vital components sociocultural phenomenon of the Cossacks in the current conditions of its revival, characterizing the Cossacks as a traditionally oriented, socially healthy, economically organized and creatively active category of citizens with a high spiritual and moral potential for development in the intercultural space of peoples modern Russia. As the most important moral and ethical component of the life of the Cossacks, it should be called mainly Orthodox religion , which is basic and consolidating spiritual determinant which allows to preserve the way of everyday Cossack culture, relationships in the family, Orthodox upbringing of children, along with the introduction of ritual features of a specific Cossack ethnic culture into the system of Christian values. It is symbolic that many representatives of the Cossack families became prominent figures in the Russian Orthodox Church and glorified as saints.
The Cossacks are also a generally recognized highly organized military-patriotic class, thanks to which the effective protection of the borders of the state was historically carried out. The original military culture of the Russian Cossacks can rightly be described as traditional the culture of a warrior - a patriot, a defender of faith, the Fatherland, national and cultural heritage. We consider it necessary to emphasize: in the category of "Cossacks" all Cossacks should be united as a single, integral social organism, bearing in mind its historically established spiritual and moral foundations, features of everyday culture, the specifics of dialects, customs, national psychological and moral and aesthetic properties . Despite the existing objective difficulties in the identification and self-realization of modern Cossacks, it is important that its valuable qualities - spiritual orientation, patriotism, love of freedom, the ability to self-organize, high economic culture and social service, combined with high educational motivation and originality of aesthetic culture, find a promising embodiment in creative transformations of Russian society.

Chapter 1. HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL EVOLUTION OF THE COSSACKS

Origin concepts

Currently, there are many concepts about the origin of the Cossacks. As one of the most authoritative is the theory of a famous domestic scientist L.N. Gumilyov who considered the Cossacks subethnos of the Great Russian ethnos. Sub-ethnos Gumilyov defined as "a taxonomic unit within an ethnos as a visible whole that does not violate its unity". In other words, it is a community that has the characteristics of a people, but at the same time is firmly connected with the main ethnic group. As a significant factor in the theory
L.N. Gumilyov, there is a close connection between the ethnos and subethnos with its native landscape, which significantly affects the specifics, originality and methods of economic culture. The valleys of the great rivers of the steppe zone of the Don, Dnieper, Volga, Yaik, Terek, Kuban are objectively considered the ancestral landscape for the Cossacks. In antiquity, according to the researcher of the Cossacks V.E. Shambarov, the past steppe peoples were pastoralists who created permanent settlements suitable for human habitation, livestock breeding and caring for them in the difficult winter period. For reasons of expediency, they were built not in the middle of the bare steppe, but near rivers, the valleys of which were covered with dense forests and shrubs which is confirmed by archaeological excavations. Scythian cities were discovered on the Dnieper, their capital was located near Zaporozhye, and the Roxolans wintered in towns on the Lower Don (roxolans- from lat. Rhoxolani, ancient Greek Ροξολάνοι, from the Alanian roxs alan / ruxs alan "bright Alan") is an Iranian-speaking Sarmatian-Alanian tribe that roamed from the 2nd century BC. BC e. 1 floor I millennium AD e. in the lands of the Northern Black Sea and the Danube region). But the Eurasian steppes were also a “torn road”, along which, being in a state of constant military confrontation, new peoples came. River valleys, islands, floodplains, swamps covered with thickets were a natural shelter where some of the vanquished could escape. The strongest, most enduring and freedom-loving could survive in such conditions. Thanks to this "natural" selection, in the process of historical and cultural evolution, ancient roots Cossacks. It is advisable to consider a theory that is not based on the position that the Cossacks are part of the sub-ethnos of the Great Russian ethnos.

Free Cossacks

According to the arguments put forward, the Cossacks represent an original Slavic tribe, an autonomous people's organism, which has the same right as the Great Russians and Ukrainians to consider themselves special Slavic people. The ancestors of the Cossacks, in accordance with the arguments
Sh. N. Balinov, are the indigenous inhabitants of the East of Europe, i.e. modern Cossack Lands. East Europe is geographically divided into two bands: forest and steppe(in the north there is still a tundra strip, and in the south - mountainous). The indigenous inhabitants of the steppe zone in the East of Europe have long been Cossack ancestors, information about which dates back to an era that was far ahead of the emergence of the Muscovite kingdom. When in the East of Europe they establish their dominion goths(II Art.), The Black Sea-Azov coast is mastered by the Slavic peoples - antes. Historical and archaeological research proves that already in the first half of the 6th century these Slavic-antskytribes owned the Don basin and advanced to the shores of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov.
From the beginning of the 7th century on the territory of the modern Cossack Lands, the state of the Avaro-Huns is created, which includes the Slavic Antes. Since that period, the Slavic Antes are no longer mentioned in historical documents, since their tribal name "dissolves" into the state-political name - Avaro Huns . From the middle of the 7th century (642), according to the available scientific facts, the existence of the Slavic people is established - Russ, located in the steppe zone. In the lower reaches of the Volga and on the Don, new steppe conquerors create the Khazar state, in which the Rus and Slavic Antes live on the Don, Donets, Lower Volga, on the Terek, in the Kuban. In the Khazar Empire, the Rus were so numerous that Arab writers call the Khazar state Russian-Khazar. and the Black Sea Russian. The main centers of the Rus were: in the Don region (Cossackia), the city of Russia (Artana, Tanais, later renamed Azov, after the Polovtsian Khan Azuf) and Matarkha (Tmutarakan) at the mouth of the Kuban. The Rus themselves were distinguished by a warlike spirit, took an active part in trading activities Khazar state, achieved significant cultural development, being exposed to two cultures - Arabic and Byzantine.
The Arab geographer Masudi, who visited the Azov Region in the 10th century, writes: “between the large and famous rivers flowing into the Pontus (Black) Sea, there is one called Tanais (Don) that comes from the north. Its shores are inhabited numerous people Slavic and other peoples. Thus, the strong and warlike Slavic people of Russia inhabited the territory of modern Cossack Lands from ancient times and, from the middle of the 7th century, was part of the Khazar Empire. Later - from the 9th century, under the onslaught of new Asian conquerors , Hungarians, Torks and Pechenegs, the disintegration of the Khazar Empire and the separation of its outskirts began: the Dnieper region - later the Kiev state, and the Middle Volga region - Kama Bulgaria. The Ruses of the Podonsko-Priazovskie still continued to remain part of the Khazar Empire. Kama Bulgaria (in the middle reaches of the Volga and along the Kama), which was under the influence Arab culture, already in the first half of the IX century. accepted Islam. Russia Podonsko-Priazovskaya (Cossackia) - Alans and Cossacks - at about the same time became Christian; therefore, it became Christian much earlier than Kievan Rus. The baptism of Rus by Grand Duke Vladimir, as is known, took place in 988). Rus Podonsko - Azov became Christian before Kievan Rus, testifies the patriarch Photius and the Charter of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Philosopher (836 - 911) about the rank of metropolitans
churches, where the built Russian church is indicated at 61 places.
Thus, on the territory of the Cossacks, the Slavic-Russian people take root, with a distinctive ethnic culture and the Christian religion. The relatively unified Slavic tribe of the Rus in the middle of the 9th century, under the influence of various factors, was divided: Kama Bulgaria, where the Turkic element prevailed, separated from the core of the Khazar Empire, fell under the rule of the Turks and, as already mentioned, converted to Islam. Russia Podneprovskaya - the ancestors of the Zaporozhians - also separated from the center of Khazaria, fell under the rule of combatants Rurik - Askold and Dira, and then, in 882, the son of Rurik, Igor, with his tutor Oleg, lays the foundations Kievan grand ducal dynasty. In this period, III-Azov-Podon Rus continues to be part of the surviving core of the Khazar Empire. This also explains the fact that since that time in the Russian chronicles there is no mention of the Slavic-Russian population of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov and the Don region. The Slavic-Russian people continued to live as part of the surviving core of the Khazar Empire on their own ancient land, only having lost contact and constant communication with the rest of the separated parts of the Slavic - Russ of the Dnieper region. As a result of the campaign of Svyatoslav, the son of Igor (after the short reign of his wife, Olga) in 943, the Khazar Empire was defeated in the Don and Azov regions and a part of its territorial core was introduced - Cossacks- into the Russian (Kyiv) state, under the name Tmutarakan Principality. By this entry, the previously interrupted connection between the Rus of the Azov-Podnoska and the Rus of the Dnieper was restored.
After the murder by the Pechenegs in 972 of Svyatoslav, his sons - Oleg, Yaropolk and Vladimir - began a struggle for power. After the death of Oleg, this struggle became even more fierce between the remaining two brothers - Yaropolk and Vladimir. The first relied in his struggle on the forces of the steppe zone, and the second resorted to the help of hired Varangian forces. The superiority of forces and means was on the side of Prince. Yaropolk, and only his death made it possible for Vladimir, who remained the only heir to the power of Svyatoslav, to unite power over the entire Russian (Kyiv) state in his hands. Prince Vladimir conquered the Crimea, which became part of the Tmutarakan principality, given to them, in turn, later in
in inheritance to his son Mstislav. Acceptance of Christianity in the last quarter of the X century. Kievan Rus under Vladimir the Baptist was the basis of religious, cultural and state unity. Before this event, Russia of the Azov-Podonsk region had already been Christian for more than a century.
Thus, as a result of successful military operations Kyiv princes and the adoption of Christianity by Kievan Rus, the connection of the Slavs of Eastern Europe under the leadership of the Kyiv Grand Duke was restored. new conquerors appear in the steppe zone - Cumans, which again "cut off" the Tmutarakan principality from Kyiv state, and the connection between them is interrupted again. Therefore, in the Russian chronicles, from the end of the 11th century, the story of the Tmutarakan principality is no longer being conducted, despite the fact that its population and cities continued to develop. The Tmutarakan principality lost its status only as a special principality of the Kievan state. Torn off from the center, left to itself, it came even closer to Turkic peoples, but at the same time retaining its Slavic face, its Christian religion and ethnic culture. In accordance with the above concept, it was from the moment of separation in the middle of the XI century. Tmutarakan principality from Kievan Rus, the formation of that a special Slavic people, the direct descendants of which are modern Cossacks . On the territory of Kazakin, as part of the Khazar Empire for hundreds of years, and then, as part of the Tmutarakan principality, for a long historical period lived
two nationalities share a common life: the Slavic-Russians and the Turkic-Kazakhs, who had an identical folk life, related ethnopsychology,
subjected to the same influence of one, Byzantine culture, which developed in the same spiritual and psychological atmosphere, and from the middle of the IX century. professing the common Christian faith.
Having passed the difficult path of centuries of cohabitation in the same territory, in common natural conditions, experiencing the same military and political events, the formed people of the Tmutarakan principality was the ancestor of the modern Don Cossacks , which, in turn, served as the source of the formation of other Cossack Troops, with the exception of the current Kuban Chernomortsy, the descendants of the Cossacks. Cossack historians give their explanations for the absence of mention in the Russian chronicles about the Slavs of the Tmutarakan principality: under the influence of those military-political events that took place then in the East of Europe, due to the onset (after the death in 1054 of Prince Yaroslav), a long period of internecine wars of princes - differentiation began with respect to a single Slavic people in the East of Europe and ways of their settlement were outlined. For example, a little earlier "part of the Alans and Cherkasy (kasogi or kasagi) Svyatoslav, after a successful campaign against Khazaria, moved to the Dnieper, where they, together with other Turko-Tatar tribes who later arrived, mixed with the local Slavic-Russian population, having mastered its language, formed a special nationality, giving it their ethnic name Cherkasov(black hoods). From these Cherkasy, the Dnieper Cossacks with Zaporozhye were then created.
At this time, the main "cells" were outlined, from which those people's state organisms were subsequently formed, which
subsequently they will be called South-Western Rus, North-Eastern Rus, and separately from them, South-Eastern Rus (Cossackia).
The population of these state organisms, due to the rupture of communication, falls into various geographical, economic and living conditions; their life and development takes place in a different spiritual and psychological atmosphere. In Eastern Russia, a wide stream begins to pour Finnish ethnoculture; the integration of the Turkic element is intensifying in South-Eastern Russia (Cossacks); people who are called in moments, Kazakhs, Cherkasy, Kabars(they are all identical) is completely mixed with the population of Tmutarakan. Thus, a complete break occurs between the individual parts of the Slavic-Russians of the East of Europe and, which is natural for North-Eastern Russia, and, consequently, for Russian chroniclers, South-Eastern Russia (Cossackia) becomes "the land of the unknown." But after more than a hundred years, namely from 1147, Russian chroniclers again mention the Slavic population of the Tmutarakan principality, but they call it not Slavic-Russians, but "wanderers" . These "wanderers", according to the Russian chronicle - and this is the former Slavic-Russian population of the Tmutarakan principality - live on the same territory of the Slavic-Russians, representing an already established people, persistent, capable of resisting foreign influence, which gave them the opportunity and under the dominion of the Polovtsians to maintain their Slavic type, language, their Christian religion. These “wanderers” had their own cities, churches, even agriculture existed, which completely contradicts the assumption of some historians who derived this name from the word "to roam"(i.e., "wanderers", according to their version, were stray people, homeless wanderers who accidentally wandered into the Don). This approach is refuted by the famous Russian historian P.V. Golubovsky, who writes: “Rodniki is a community developed from the remnants of the Podonsk population, due to the historical and ethnographic conditions in which this population was placed ... Brodniki lived in the eastern part of the steppe - in the Don region and along the shores of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov; they professed Orthodoxy and
participated in the enterprises of the Polovtsians. The scientist reasonably claims that roamers are the Slavic-Russian population of the Tmutarakan principality.
Cossack historians explain the name "roamers", established for the population of the Tmutarakan principality, as follows: in those days, any Slavic-Russian population and its army were part of one or another Russian principality; the Slavic-Russian population of the Tmutarakan principality was not part of any principality, and its army helped and fought with whomever it wanted, and in this sense it was "wandering". The researcher of the Cossacks, I.F. Bykadorov, writes that the new nation, the wanderers, was formed from the mixing of the Rus with the Turkic tribes. This name, which is not ethnic, and everyday and professional, could be given because, obviously, “they made a kind of craft out of war, like medieval Swiss or landsknechts, and participated in wars on the side of various sovereigns because of material benefits -“ wandered ”from one to to another. Another explanation is also possible: roamers were entrusted with the protection of fords on the Don and along other rivers. Brodniki, being part of Polovtsian state, participating in wars with them, often acting independently, distinguished by their special social and military structure, administration, had their own army and became widely known in Europe. They were such a serious organized force that they appeared in the first quarter of the XIII century. in the East of Europe, new nomadic conquerors - Mongols- Established good relationships with them. During the first Mongol invasion, in the Battle of Kalka in 1223, the Brodnitsa army under the leadership of their governor Plaskini , fought against the Polovtsians and Russian princes on the side of the Mongols. Therefore, it is quite natural that "wanderers" throughout the whole
the time of the rule of the Mongols in the East of Europe until the end of the XIV century,
being in good standing with the Mongols, they retained their people's social order, their religion, their military organization and broad national autonomy in complete inviolability.
If we take into account the certain political system that existed among the Mongols not to interfere in the inner life of the already conquered people and complete religious tolerance, then it is logical to assume that the roamers under the Mongols retained their national face in complete inviolability, internal organization his folk life. Brodniks fell under the protection of this Mongolian political system, since from the very beginning of the appearance of the Mongols they were their faithful allies. Therefore, they took full advantage of all the "favors" provided by this Mongol system and kept in full inviolability ethnocultural and ethnopsychological autonomy : the former internal structure of people's life, administration, organization, economic activity, life and enjoyed complete freedom of religion. In 1261, a podonskaya diocese .During the period of Mongol rule in the East of Europe (1240-1400), in the state system of the Golden Horde, the population of North-Eastern Russia (Muscovy), being agricultural, played the role of a supplier of material resources to the conquerors (Mongols); Bukharians, Khivans, Kama Bulgarians performed the functions of a trading class, estate; and the peoples of the steppe zone, including wanderers , were
for the Mongols necessary armed force , along with themselves
Mongols being the source of military power of the Golden Horde.
Brodniki were free from tribute and taxes, subordinated directly to the Khan of the Golden Horde, retained their national face, ethnocultural identity in complete inviolability. Their duty included the constant combat readiness of the cavalry. military class, within itself, the population of the Don region was a free and free people. The fact that the Slavic population of the Tmutarakan principality (Podon region), without disappearing, lived as part of the Golden Horde and during its stay under its rule acquired its popular name "kalyak" , testifies an extract from an ancient chronicle in the chapel on the Lubyanka, in honor of the icon of the Mother of God, The extract reads:
“There, on the upper reaches of the Don, the people of the Christian military rank
living, calling Cossacks , in joy meeting him (Great Book. Dmitry Donskoy ) with removed icons and congratulating him from the crosses.

L.D. Fedoseeva
Candidate of Historical Sciences
Associate Professor of the Department Patriotic history, Deputy Dean for Teaching and Educational Work
Adyghe State University

At the stage of resettlement of the Black Sea Cossacks, its original culture is formed, which absorbed the traditions of the material and spiritual life of the peoples inhabiting this region. This was reflected in the formation of the education system, educational institutions, Kuban literature and art. The ethnic community of the region was formed on the basis of the synthesis of the culture of the Slavic tribes living on the territory of Ukraine, neighboring peoples - Belarusians, Moldavians, Bulgarians, Greeks. Each nation brought its own national background to the Kuban land. The culture of the Cossacks is very rich and unique.

The Chernomorians were distinguished by their religiosity and adherence to the Orthodox religion. The motto of the Black Sea people was the struggle for faith. They went to the Kuban to protect the Russian borders from people of a different faith.

Orthodoxy was the spiritual basis of the life of the Black Sea people. Moving to the Kuban, the Cossacks also brought with them a camp church, which G.A. Potemkin presented to them. But the Black Sea people in the Kuban did not have priests, so it was decided to train the clergy in their midst. For this, the most decent people who were not associated with military service were involved. The Cossack clergy was organized. “The Synod, by order of Empress Catherine II, by decree of March 4, 1794, decided to classify Chernomoria as part of the Theodosian diocese and gave general instructions on the structure of churches and the organization of the clergy.”1 The bishop monitored the number of churches so that they were not in excess. A. Golovaty decided to acquire the closest spiritual authorities. They became his relative Roman Porokhnya. Churches were being built. By 1799, 16 churches had already been built in the Kuban and 9 were under completion.

A military cathedral was founded in Yekaterinodar. “The beginning of this, one might say, was laid by Catherine II. By a letter dated March 2, 1794, addressed to Koshevoi Chepega, Count Platon Zubov informed that the Empress had donated 3,000 rubles and rich church utensils for the construction of a temple in Yekaterinodar. 2 The church was supposed to be five-domed with an iron roof. The forest was brought from the Volga, so the cathedral came out expensive. Construction was completed in 1802. Catherine's Church, built in 1814, had a more modest appearance.

An important monument of the XVIII century. was the Catherine-Lebyazhy Monastery - the first Black Sea monastery, established at the numerous requests of the Cossacks by the Decree of Catherine II of July 24, 1794. , arrange a monastic hermitage, in which the elderly and wounded in the war, the Cossacks, according to their charitable desire, could take advantage of a calm life in monasticism ... "3 As a result of this Decree, the Synod was ordered to take concrete steps to found a monastery. It was a whole complex, including a belfry, numerous household and church buildings. It was built without a single iron fixture. A rich iconostasis was installed in the cathedral, Nikofor, Cheusov and Ivan Seleznev worked on it. This cathedral flaunted on the Kuban land for more than 70 years and was dismantled in 1879 due to dilapidation.

With a large gathering of ordinary people and military foremen on September 21, 1849, on the day of St. Demetrius of Rostov the Wonderworker, the first female Orthodox monastery was opened in the Black Sea coast - Mary Magdalene Hermitage. Founded at the request of the chief ataman G.A. Raspil. The nuns were engaged in charity, a school for girls was opened at the monastery. The monastery existed until 1917. This is how the Cossacks satisfied their religious needs.

Choral singing was traditional in the family rituals of the Cossacks. A special place was occupied by military singing and musical choirs in 1811-1917. Along with works of spiritual content, the singing choir performed a large number of Russian and Ukrainian folk songs in the arrangement of local Kuban musical figures.

In 1811, a military singing choir appeared among the Black Sea people. Its creation is associated with the name of K.V. Rossinsky. In his written petition to the military office dated August 2, 1810, in particular, it is said: “For the most magnificent worship at the local cathedral church, it is necessary to have a singing choir, for the maintenance of which at least a thousand rubles should be allocated annually, to which income church essence insufficient. Wouldn’t it be pleasing to the military office to assign this amount from the military revenues ... ”4 Realizing the need for a choir to perform religious chants, increase the emotional impact on believers, and artistic decoration of the cult, the office granted the request of K.V. Rossinsky. Leading position in creative activity military choirs were engaged in the promotion of church music. The main office place of the collective was the cathedral, where the choir accompanied the church rites with its singing. Initiatives in the field of collecting and studying the Kuban Cossack folklore are also associated with the Military Choir.

The first conductor of the choir was the nobleman Konstantin Grechinsky. And he stayed in this position until 1815. Further, this choir was led by G. Pantyukhov, M. Lebedev, F. Dunin, G. Kontsevich, Ya. Taranenko. The value of the singing choir soon began to go beyond the Black Sea coast. Prince M.S. spoke well of him. Vorontsov. And in 1861. the choir received a good assessment from Emperor Alexander II.

At the initiative of Ataman F.Ya. Bursak, another choir was created - the Military Musical Choir. “On December 22, 1811, Emperor Alexander I issued a decree on the institution of wind music in the Black Sea Cossack army of 24 musicians.”5 This choir contributed to the development of military applied music. She accompanied the Cossacks in military campaigns, brought up courage and patriotism. For a long time the orchestra was led by Pavel Rodionenko. P.P. Krivonosov held this position from 1844 to 1852. In one year, he trained up to 200 trumpeters, drummers and buglers for the Cossack units. Various factors contributed to the development of collective singing and instrumental performance. Firstly, the wealth of folk-song creativity. Secondly, the singing experience of collective performance, which has developed in everyday life and during the period of military service. Thirdly, the beauty of southern nature. And, finally, the free life of the Black Sea Cossacks.

All of the above influenced the formation of the original spiritual culture of the Cossacks, which absorbed the traditions and cultural experience of the peoples inhabiting the Kuban.

Notes:

1. Shcherbina F.A. History of the Kuban Cossack army: in 2 volumes. V.2. - Krasnodar, 1992. - S. 587.
2. Ratushnyak V.N. History of the Kuban. - Krasnodar, 2000. - S. 192.
3. See: Razdolsky S.A. Black Sea Ekaterino-Lyabyazhskaya Nikolaev desert // Sat. works of teachers of the humanities. - Krasnodar, 1994; Kiyashko I.I. Catherine-Labyazhskaya St. Nicholas Hermitage // Kuban collection. T. 15. - Ekaterinodar, 1910.
4. State Archive of the Krasnodar Territory. F.250, Op. 2, D. 189.
5. Trekhbratov B.A. New history of Kuban. - Krasnodar, 2001. - P.83.

Report of Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk, Chairman of the Synodal Committee for Cooperation with the Cossacks
Third All-Russian information and training seminar "Spiritual and moral values ​​of the Cossacks and their identification in educational environment: the experience of the Rostov region.

We have gathered on the eve of a special date, the 700th anniversary of the birth of St. St. Sergius Radonezh. And we turn to the example of the life of the monk, his image as an ideal of serving God, the Fatherland and the people, in order to establish himself in relation to the moral ideals of raising Cossack children and youth, the spiritual growth of all Cossacks.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia noted: “The words of St. Sergius of Radonezh, conveyed to us by pious tradition, now sound like a spiritual testament of the saint: “We will be saved by love and unity.” This admonition is especially relevant today. We, the heirs of Holy Russia, living in different states, but having a common faith, history, and culture, are called by God to a high responsibility for preserving the priceless treasure of the Orthodox tradition, adopted by us from our ancestors. We are called by deed and by life itself to show “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3), resisting the strife of this world.”

These words are especially close to the Cossacks, since the Cossacks in the history of Russia have always played a special role - they inhabited the outskirts of the country, protecting its borders. Coming to new lands, the Cossacks brought with them agriculture, and for communal life - the cross and the Gospel. The Cossacks built both fortresses and temples, Orthodox traditions were sacredly kept in the Cossack villages, passed down from generation to generation. Cossack historian of the XIX century Pudavov V.V. characterizes the way of life of the people of the free period of Cossack history in this way: “Imbued with a high sense of Christianity, this life lay in a continuous ebullient struggle and, wearing a bloody crown of martyrdom, always remained a triumphant victor for the glory of the faith of Christ and the kingdom of Russia. The first words of the battle motto, embroidered in gold on the banners of the Cossacks, were - "For the faith ...". The Cossack devoted his entire life to serving the Faith without a trace. But if at the beginning of its life it was an active, active form - with a weapon in its hands, then later, if it managed to live up to old age and not perish on the battlefield, he devoted himself to truly spiritual service. As a rule, the path of an aged Cossack, “crossing the Maidan”, lay in this case in the monastery, where he was cleansed from the consequences of the “bloody fishery” by spiritual exploits.

The Cossack's way of life is based, first of all, on the Orthodox faith and love for the Fatherland. That is why the Cossacks were the backbone of the state, the backbone of national life. The most important ideology of the Cossacks is love for the Fatherland, this is the protection of state foundations, the unity and integrity of the country, the preservation of its true sovereignty.

This means that the Cossacks must have a clear sense of belonging to the Church, because there is no Orthodoxy without the Church. If the Cossack belongs to the Church, then this means that he is Orthodox in the full sense of the word. To be Orthodox means not only to stand in uniform outside the temple and guard it. To be a Cossack means to be in the church with your heart, it means to accept everything that happens in the Church with an open heart, as His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said.

One cannot be a Cossack and not partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. You can't be a Cossack and not confess. You can't be a Cossack and live in an unmarried marriage.

It is necessary by joint efforts to implement in the Cossack environment an important principle of the formation of the Cossack community: “a Cossack without Faith is not a Cossack”, which is based on traditional domestic values.

The churching of the Cossacks today is a vital issue. It depends on this whether the Cossacks will play an important role in the life of the country, the people, the Church, or will gradually degrade and disappear. Belonging to the Church is not only a matter of religious choice, it is a matter of whether or not to be Cossacks. Only under the condition of belonging to the Church, when the spiritual values ​​of Orthodoxy, the Orthodox way of life become the values ​​and way of life of the Cossacks - only in this case, the Cossacks will be able to survive in the conditions of a colossal diversity of views, beliefs, confrontation in modern world when people are divided on many positions - political, economic, class, cultural, linguistic, religious. And there is no other force that can unite the Cossacks.

According to the doctor of pedagogical sciences, a Cossack, Sergei Nikolaevich Lukash, “the ideal of selfless service to the Fatherland, formed in the Cossack environment, stemmed, first of all, from the Orthodox ideal of serving God in Christ. It is fundamentally important, therefore, to unite the efforts of the church and school in the development of the meanings and values ​​of the Cossack culture among students. This unity should not be based on a mechanistic, unsystematic approach, expressed in one-time actions of the school and the church. It should grow out of the traditions of the Cossack community and Russian catholicity, life together children and adults united by the noble goal of reviving the Cossacks and their culture.

Developing the "Program of traditional spiritual and moral education, development and socialization of students in the Cossack cadet corps", we determined that "the modern Cossack educational ideal is a highly moral, creative, competent, responsible and socially active citizen of Russia, preparing to serve the Fatherland in the military and civilian fields , rooted in the Orthodox Faith, Cossack culture, the traditions of the Cossack military, labor and public service.

The Cossack is a warrior of the spirit. His upbringing and lifestyle form a special way of the Cossack soul. The Cossack is able to easily overcome fear, despondency, life and military difficulties, greed and power. He is honest, smart, brave, hardworking, purposeful, selfless. The meaning of his life is in service. And for a Cossack, according to the word of Christ, “there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends” (John 15:13).

Valor is based on the high spiritual and moral qualities of the Cossack, on his fortitude, which he takes in the Orthodox faith. That is why the Cossacks say about themselves: "The mother of the Cossack is the Orthodox faith, and the checker is the sister."

There is no Cossack without valor, fortitude, spiritual purity and the Orthodox faith. This has always stood and is now being revived in its former glory and new force Cossacks".

I urge everyone who is not familiar with the program to study the document (posted on the SKVK website in the methodological materials section) and continue work on the implementation of the concept and program of traditional spiritual and moral development, education and socialization of students in the Cossack cadet corps.

It is gratifying that many Cossack confessors are present at the seminar today. On you, fathers, lies a great pastoral work. Since it is often necessary to make difficult decisions to overcome splits in the Cossack environment, to admonish that part of the Cossacks that has come off their Orthodox roots. The clergy, supporting and strengthening the foundations of the Orthodox faith among the Cossacks, contribute to the preservation and reproduction of the best qualities of the Cossacks, such as devotion to the Fatherland, readiness and ability to defend its borders, fidelity to duty, diligence, strengthening family foundations. In order to effectively carry out his ministry in the Cossack environment, the priest must know and understand the traditions and customs of the Cossacks, navigate the special mentality of the Cossacks, and be aware of the Cossack affairs. And that means you need to learn.

I would like to address the Cossack chieftains present in the hall. It is necessary to pay special attention to the religious education of the commanders of the Cossack formations. Unfortunately, among the chieftains and Cossack commanders, the level of knowledge in the field of Orthodox dogma, as well as the degree of their personal participation in the liturgical life of the Church, is far from ideal. But the ataman has always been an example for the army.

Without religious enlightenment at all levels, the revival of the true Cossacks is impossible. It is from the education system built and filled with Orthodox content that the revival of Cossack culture and Cossack traditions, and the Cossacks themselves, as such, depends.

Another topical issue is the full-fledged training of specialists in teaching the Fundamentals Orthodox culture and doctrinal disciplines in the Cossack educational organizations need to be addressed purposefully, with the support of the dioceses and state and municipal authorities. It is important to pay great attention to the problems of professional training of teachers to work with young Cossacks and, in particular, the problems of Orthodox education of teachers.

It is necessary to solve all these problems together. To rely on historical heritage, spiritual and moral traditions, modern Cossacks managed to prepare a worthy replacement, to maintain unity and valor, expressed in patriotic service to the Fatherland and the Church. So that the Cossacks are always able to defend the borders of the Fatherland, as well as the inner life of our state, preserving the unity of the people and the integrity of the country, serving the true sovereignty of historical Russia.

God bless you all and strengthen you in the Orthodox faith!

The traditional spiritual culture of the Kuban Cossacks is rich and complex. In many ways, rituals and customs are associated with both Orthodoxy and the military way of life.

The Christian holidays of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker enjoy special respect among the Cossacks.

Holy Mother of God has long been considered the protector of the Russian land, and Pokrov Mother of God was a symbol of her intercession and help.

Therefore, the feast of the Intercession among the Cossacks is considered the most important.

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker - the patron saint of all wanderers - accompanied the Cossacks on military campaigns.

Christianity came to the Kuban land with Andrew the First-Called, 40 years after the birth of Jesus Christ. An interesting fact is that in the Kuban the feast of the Nativity of Christ began to be celebrated 1000 years earlier than in Kyiv.

Christmas time was celebrated approximately the same throughout the Kuban land. In the villages and farms, a ban on work was introduced and observed quite strictly. People went to visit each other, rode sleighs, organized youth festivities. In many villages, fisticuffs, the so-called "cams", were popular. In the Kuban, a whole layer of proverbs, sayings and riddles associated with fisticuffs has formed. The fist fighter highly valued not only strength: "A heroic hand once beats," but also speed and dexterity: "That's not a Cossack, sho requisitions, but one that sho wriggled out." The decisive role was assigned to the courage and bravery of the fighters: “The fight loves courage”, “Tiki crayfish climb back”. Great importance was attached to the observance of the rules of the battle: "Not the right one, who is stronger, but the one who is more honest." Usually, fisticuffs were fought "in fairness", while a clear violation of the rules for conducting a fight or provoking a fight was condemned: "Whoever starts a fight, he is more likely to be beaten."

During the fistfight, the Cossacks mastered the methods of collective interaction in the conduct of the battle. The effectiveness of this approach was expressed in the saying: "The herd and the father are good bits."

One of the techniques of fistfighting, associated with the group actions of the fighters, was reflected in the riddle: "The boys began to line up, they were not ordered to pass." The answer is wattle. Wattle here is associated with the "wall" - a special construction of fist fighters, in which they are in a fighting stance, located in one line and becoming close to each other.

It should be noted that fisticuffs did not carry much aggressiveness towards the opponent. After the end of the battle, a joint feast was usually arranged, during which the participants discussed the course of the battle, the methods of wrestling, and characterized the fighters according to their abilities. This contributed to the clarification of individual moments and the analysis of the entire collective duel. Discussed the shortcomings noticed and tactical successes.

So, after the festivities at Christmas, the whole family usually sat down at the table. They tried to make the table plentiful, Be sure to prepare kutya - crumbly porridge made from wheat or rice with dried fruits; straw was placed under the bowl so that good harvest.

On Christmas morning, boys, youths, and young men went from house to house and sang "Your Christmas, Christ our God" and "Many Years." In some villages they walked with a nativity scene or made a Christmas star with a candle inserted inside, and so went around the houses.

Christmas Eve ended Christmas time. Everyone sat down to supper. The owner went out onto the porch and said, throwing up a spoonful of kutya: "Frost, Frost, come to us with kutya, but don't freeze our calves, lambs, foals." It was believed that in this way pets would be reliably protected from the cold.

Kutya - a funeral meal - appeared on Epiphany Christmas Eve not by chance. Thus, it was as if they commemorated the outgoing, dying year and dead ancestors. It was believed that if at the turning points of the year the souls of the deceased ancestors were properly appeased, they would help ensure a good harvest and family well-being in the coming year ...

The one who sneezed during dinner was considered lucky, and he was presented with something. Then everyone went out into the yard and beat on the fence with shovels, brooms, fired from guns.

The central action of the Feast of Epiphany was the blessing of water and the rites associated with Epiphany water. The blessing of water took place on the river at dawn. Jordan was made on the river: a hole in the shape of a cross was cut down. An ice cross was also installed here, which was poured with red beet kvass. They came here with a procession, holy water.

The great consecration of water happens only at Epiphany, once a year. Consecrated water is called agiasma (Christmas) in the church. Holy water is kept throughout the year. As they say Orthodox priests, on this day, even tap water or from any natural source has the same spiritual effect ...

Throughout the Christmas time, but especially on the night of Christmas, New Year and Epiphany, the girls wondered, trying to find out if they would get married this year, what kind of husband, mother-in-law would be.

Baptism ended the Christmas fun.

Widely and cheerfully saw off the winter on Maslenitsa. This holiday was very popular in the villages, cities and towns and lasted all week, which was popularly called oil. The first day is the Maslenitsa meeting, the second is the knitting of stocks, and from Thursday the forgiveness days begin, ending with the forgiveness Sunday. This week, everyone went to visit each other, rolled from the icy mountains, burned stuffed animals.

Mandatory dishes were dumplings with cottage cheese, pancakes and scrambled eggs or eggs. The noodle shop was popular. The supper on the last day of Maslenitsa was especially plentiful - the next day it began great post which lasted seven weeks. Lent is a period of physical and spiritual cleansing before the Light Christ's Resurrection before Easter. In the Kuban, this holiday was called "Vylyk Day".

Easter is a bright and solemn holiday of renewal. On this day, they tried to put on everything new. Even the sun rejoices, plays with new colors.

They prepared a festive treat, fried a pig, baked Easter cakes, “paski”.

Eggs were painted in different colors: red symbolized blood, fire, sun, blue - sky, water, green - grass, vegetation. In some villages, a geometric pattern was applied - Easter eggs. And the ceremonial bread - "Paska" - was a real work of art. They tried to make it high, the “head” was decorated with cones, flowers, bird figurines, crosses, smeared with egg white, sprinkled with colored millet.

Easter "still life" was an excellent illustration of the mythological ideas of our ancestors: bread - the tree of life, a pig - a symbol of fertility, an egg - the beginning of life, vital energy.

Returning from the church after the consecration of the ceremonial food, they washed themselves with water, in which there was a red "krashenka" in order to be beautiful and healthy. They broke the fast with an egg and a paska. They were also presented to the poor, exchanged with relatives and neighbors.

The playful, entertaining side of the holiday was very rich: driving round dances, playing with eggs, swings and carousels were arranged in each village. Swinging had ritual significance - it was supposed to stimulate the growth of all living things.

Easter ended with Krasnaya Gorka, or Seeing Off, a week after Easter Sunday. It was "parents' day", commemoration of the dead.

Attitude towards ancestors is an indicator of the moral state of society, people. In the Kuban, ancestors have always been treated with deep respect. On this day, the whole village went to the cemetery, knitted scarves and towels on crosses, arranged a funeral feast, distributed food and sweets “for a memorial”.

Cossacks are characterized by generosity, honesty, disinterestedness, constancy in friendship, love of freedom, respect for elders, simplicity, hospitality,

Moderation and inventiveness in everyday life.

Life and service in the border zone proceeded in constant danger from the neighbors, which made it necessary to always be ready to repel an enemy attack.

Therefore, the Cossack must be brave, strong, dexterous, enduring, good at cold and firearms.

A life full of dangers developed in people a strong character, fearlessness, resourcefulness, and the ability to adapt to the environment.

The men went to fishing and field work with weapons. Girls and women could also own firearms and bladed weapons.

Therefore, often the whole family could defend their home and property with weapons in their hands.

The families of the Cossacks were strong and friendly. The basis for the formation of the moral foundations of the Cossack family was the 10 commandments of Christ. From an early age, children were taught: do not steal, do not fornicate, do not kill, do not envy and forgive offenders, work conscientiously, do not offend orphans and widows, help the poor, take care of your children and parents, protect the Fatherland from enemies.

But first of all, strengthen the Orthodox faith: go to church, observe fasts, cleanse your soul from sins through repentance, pray to the only God Jesus Christ.

If someone can do something, then we can't - we are Cossacks.

It turns out a kind of unwritten house laws:

respect for elders;

respect for a woman (mother, sister, wife);

respect for the guest.

Very strictly, along with the commandments of the Lord, traditions were observed,

customs, beliefs, which were the vital necessity of the Cossack family. Non-observance or violation of them was condemned by all residents of the village, village or farm.

Over time, some customs and traditions disappeared, but those that most fully reflect the everyday and cultural characteristics of the Cossacks remained, preserved in the memory of the people and passed down from generation to generation.

Kuban, due to the peculiarities of its historical development, is a unique region where elements of the cultures of South Russian, Ukrainian and local peoples interacted for centuries, formed into one whole.

SETTLEMENTS. Dwellings. Most of the modern Cossack settlements of the Kuban arose at the end of the 18th and during the 19th centuries. in the development of new lands. The northern and northwestern parts of the region were populated mainly by the Ukrainian population. The Cossacks located their kurens on the banks of the steppe rivers, which were built up with straight wide streets with central square and a church in the middle. The village was surrounded by a moat and an earthen rampart.

Since 1842 kurens began to be called villages, as in other Cossack troops of Russia.

Huts were built in the Ukrainian or South Russian tradition. They were adobe or adobe with hipped roofs covered with reeds or straw. Almost every hut had a Russian stove and a “red” corner with an icon under a towel. Pictures hung on the walls - traditional relics Cossack families with stories, seeing off and serving in the army, weddings, christenings, and other holidays.

FAMILY AND PUBLIC LIFE. At the beginning of the settlement of the Kuban, single Cossacks prevailed.

During the first half of the 19th century, the government took a number of measures to resettle the female population in the Cossack villages - widows, girls, families with a large number women. Family life gradually improved.

Due to the specific way of life, the Cossack families were large.

The main duty of the Cossack was military service. Each Cossack had a horse, a true friend. They say that a Cossack and a horse are one.

Indeed, the father put the child in the saddle from the very early age. Sometimes the child did not even know how to walk, but he held on tight in the saddle. Therefore, by the age of 18, a young Cossack always took part in Cossack races, which served as an initiation into adulthood. The Kuban Cossacks were natural cavalrymen. Much attention was paid to the care of the horse, his feeding. There are many sayings that reflect the attitude of a Cossack to a horse: “Everything can be given to a comrade, except for a war horse”, “A horse is your life, it is your death, it is your happiness.”

Therefore, participation for a young Cossack in the village races became a real holiday.

Equestrian competitions were usually held in the square. This area was kept in perfect order. Even in the mud, they did not wash it away with wheels and drove past the courtyards with which it was surrounded on three sides: on the fourth it was closed by a river cliff.

So, the square is full of people: soon the first race. Here are the Cossacks rushing past the machines, stuffed animals, a tourniquet, a clay head, their naked sabers glisten in the sun. Each successful blow is accompanied by an approving rumble of the crowd, closely watching the riders ...

According to custom, the horses were saddled at the porch of the house. The mother in turn gave the equipment and the rein, supported the stirrup and gave the whip, as was done at the farewell to the father.

Arriving at the place of the races, checking the girths, picking up the skirts of the beshmet, at the sign of the sergeant-major, the Cossack took off from the place in a quarry and tied the reins. The horse, with his ears flattened, walked as if on a cord. Then the Cossack threw out his body on the move, hit his socks on the ground on the left side and easily flew to the right, fought back and again found himself on the left. It seems that someone's invisible huge hand is playing the ball, having chosen this rushing long-maned horse for fun. Faces flash past, cries of approval rise and fall, hats fly up. The last throw - and the Cossack flops down on the pillow, swaying, unties the reins.

At least 30 Cossacks usually went to the prize race. Closer to the coastline, people came up with handkerchiefs wrapped in money and various gifts. Glancing modestly, clutching knots with intricately embroidered pouches for those dear to the heart, the girls are waiting for the arrival. When the Cossacks go in a circle, each one will throw a handkerchief to the chosen rider. Shame on him who fails to catch the handkerchief of his beloved! Then bad fame will follow that Cossack on the heels. The girls will taunt the loser, and the offended girl's father will have the right to send the matchmakers away...

The jumps are over. The decision of the chieftain and elected officials to reward the Cossack was announced. For the shown dashing in equestrian competitions, the Cossack was awarded 25 rubles, he was assigned the first Cossack rank of junior officer. The ataman, taking off his hat, with a dagger, ripped off the galloons on the top and handed it to the winner.

Equestrian competitions were a demonstration of the readiness of the Cossacks for military campaigns and battles.

This type is currently sports competitions called jigging. In the dictionary of S. Ozhegov we read: “Jigitovka is a variety of complex exercises on a galloping horse, which originally existed among Caucasian highlanders and Cossacks.

At the celebration dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Kuban Cossack army, along with adult Cossacks, teenagers also participated in horse riding. There are known cases of participation in open competitions along with men of female Cossacks, who won prizes.

Due to its aesthetic beauty and sports entertainment, the dzhigitovka of the Kuban Cossacks has become widely known not only in Russia, but also abroad. Dzhigitovka is a kind of phenomenon of traditional Cossack culture, a real art of riding, when the rider merges with the horse, playing with every muscle of the trained body. This is an effective means of physical education and moral and psychological training of the Cossacks. This is significant component historically developed culture of the Cossacks.