Customs of the Pomors. Traditions of Pomors

Tea drinking in Rus' has long been perceived as something more than an ordinary meal or sitting at the table. The traditions of tea drinking, rooted in Russia, involve, first of all, the opportunity to drink tea in pleasant company and have a heart-to-heart conversation.

As a rule, a tea feast lasts several hours, with guests having a leisurely, casual conversation. Among the people, drinking tea for a long time remained a symbol of prosperity and wealth, and the familiar expression “give a tip” meant a manifestation of special generosity. It was only in the 18th century that tea finally entered Russian life and became a truly national drink, without which it is simply impossible to imagine the daily life of a Russian person. The famous expression “to drive tea,” which appeared in the 19th century, very aptly reflected the passion of Russian people for tea drinking.

Tea was especially popular among merchants, which gave rise to new customs. Pomors have preserved memories of one of these customs, which was that “the next day after the blessing, the groom came to the bride with gifts; he brought a head of sugar, a pound of tea and a wide variety of sweets - sweets, nuts, gingerbread, and all this was in quite large quantities and in whole bags; This was done because during the pre-wedding period the bride invited her friends to stay with her and help prepare the dowry: all small things, starting with handkerchiefs and napkins, had to be marked with new initials - with the groom’s surname. After this, the groom became his own person in the bride’s house.”

The mansion of the Vysotsky tea producers,

created by architect R.I. Klein in 1900

Fragments of the “Royal Rose” tea packaging

Since tea firmly entered the life of the Pomor, tea drinking has become an important component of his life. In Pomorie, not a single family celebration or friendly meeting is complete without tea. Intimate gatherings take place over tea, the most important news is discussed, people exchange opinions, argue, have fun, make business deals and simply relax.

As Zaikova Lyudmila Alekseevna, a resident of Sumlya, recalls, they drink tea on average six to seven times a day: at breakfast before work, at second breakfast, during light snacks, finish off lunch with tea, drink it for an afternoon snack with sweets, and also enjoy evening tea with the family , not to mention tea drinking as a separate form of feast.

The main thing in Pomeranian tea drinking is the atmosphere of sincerity, fun, peace and joy. It is not for nothing that tea has firmly established itself as a drink that warms not only the body, but also the soul. Pomors also say the following proverbs: “Where there is tea, there is paradise under the spruce tree,” “If you drink tea, you will live to be a hundred years old,” “Drink tea, you will forget your melancholy.”

It is well known that tea came to Russia from the East. But the Pomors had their own tea: from leaves, fruits, and roots of herbs, collected, dried and prepared in a huge assortment for various purposes - medicinal and tonic.

Our ancestors were not as spoiled by the delights of the tea industry as their descendants, and drank mainly Chinese black tea.

Tea trading company, which was founded in 1849 Kalonymous Zeev Wulf Vysotsky, Throughout its activities, it was distinguished by its exceptional trading culture, advanced technical equipment of its factory, unsurpassed quality of products, in a word, it had an impeccable reputation. The trade mark of the partnership was a boat with a raised sail; V. Vysotsky and Co. was the official supplier of the Russian Imperial Court, and controlled a third of the country’s tea market.

The company of the merchant Vysotsky, thanks to the remarkable organizational skills and commercial flair of its founder and owner, quickly gained momentum. Wulf carefully studied all the nuances of the tea business and delved into any subtleties of the business. Contemporaries repeatedly noted both his high competence and education, as well as his general culture of doing business.

Having gained entrepreneurial freedom, Vysotsky was able to dictate his terms to the market, thanks to which in 1903 the company's fixed capital doubled again, amounting to 6 million rubles, and net profit approached 630 thousand rubles, increasing annually at the fastest rate in the industry. Soon "V. Vysotsky and Co. becomes one of the monopolists, controlling 35% of the tea market of the Russian Empire.

In Pomorie, industrialists also brought tea from the partnership "V. Vysotsky and Co." Fragments of the "Tsar's Rose" tea packaging were preserved in the "Pomorskaya Gornitsa" museum. Sumsky Posad.

Taisiya Afanasyevna Evtyukova, 89 years old, a black woman, talked about the ritual of brewing tea: “It is recommended to prepare boiling water in samovars. When the water boils, place a teapot on the burner. Next, add the tea leaves in the required amount at the rate of 0.5-0.75 g per serving and pour boiling water over about 1/3 of the kettle. Cover for 5 minutes with a lid and a napkin so that the teapot spout remains open, otherwise the tea will steam and change its taste. Then add boiling water to the top of the kettle and stir. The draft slows down, and the samovar slowly brings the water to a boil, brewing tea efficiently.”

The main attribute of traditional Pomeranian tea drinking is the samovar. The appearance and size of samovars were very diverse - they were produced for several glasses and even several buckets. People immediately appreciated the advantage of the samovar: there was no need to light the stove to heat water.

Firewood, charcoal or even pine cones were used to light the samovar. Largely thanks to the samovar, the tradition of the Russian tea ceremony as a leisurely and relaxing pastime was formed. A samovar is a symbol of comfort, home warmth; it is a living creature, the real owner of the house.

Serafima Nikolaevna Usharovich recalls that, first of all, the tea table was covered with a tablecloth only on holidays - for special occasions, and everyday tea parties were at an ordinary table in the kitchen, which was not covered with anything. The samovar was always assigned the role of a silent interlocutor at the table. He always stands in the center of the table, kind - in his image, in the roundness of his shape. He good-naturedly puffs on smoke and gurgles with boiling water.

Since tea in those days was not cheap, it was very important, in addition to the ability to brew delicious tea, the equally important ability to “not drink tea,” i.e. pour it so that each of those present at the tea party receives their own portion of tea of the same strength, and plus the hostess would not allow a large consumption of dry tea leaves. Only the hostess herself poured tea, and only in case of emergency this action was entrusted to the eldest of the daughters, which corresponded to the unwritten rule - tea should always be poured by the same person, who was well acquainted with this matter.

They drank tea from porcelain dishes, making sure not to top up 1-2 cm from the edge of the cup, which was considered good manners. In merchant families, it was allowed to serve cups of hot tea on deep saucers, from which they drank it with sugar or jam, holding the saucer in the palm of their hand with a special, ostentatious chic. Tea from a samovar is usually drunk with a bite, that is, sugar is served separately.

According to the Pomeranian tradition of drinking tea, several types of snacks are served at the table, the first of which is hearty dishes. Here we are mainly talking about pies, kulebyaki and pancakes. The fillings for them can be very diverse: meat, cabbage, fish, and eggs. The purpose of these dishes is to feed the guests who have just arrived at your table. The actual snacks are also served on the table - various sandwiches, cold cuts and cheeses, pates, caviar. These dishes are good because they do not distract from the conversation, serve as a good snack and do not get cold. After a pause, sweet dishes appear on the table - pastries, honey, various types of jam, or pancakes with sweet fillings, fresh fruits and berries. Baked milk was always on the table. Lyudmila Alekseevna Zaikova recalls that “during the Great Patriotic War, life was difficult, and her mother baked alabashniki - pancakes made from black flour, adding grated potatoes.”

Now, while quickly brewing tea bags, we are surprised by the Eastern philosophers who considered it a drink of harmony and wisdom. We, unlike our ancestors who turned tea drinking into a ritual of relaxation and communication, simply absorb the liquid without enjoying the process itself. Try to follow the tea tradition of the Pomors, and soulful gatherings at the same table will become a good tradition in your home.

L. Makarshina, p. Sumsky Posad

Bibliography

Bernshtam, T.A. Russian folk culture of Pomerania in the 19th and early 20th centuries. : ethnographer. essays / T.A. Bernshtam; USSR Academy of Sciences; Institute of Ethnography named after. N.N. Miklouho-Maclay; Rep. ed.: K.V. Chistov. – L.: Nauka, 1983. – 231 p.

Gemp, K.P. Tale of the White Sea / K.P. Gemp. – Arkhangelsk: North-West. book publishing house, 1983. – 237 p.

Maksimov, S.V. Year in the North / S.V. Maksimov. – Arkhangelsk: North-West. book publishing house, 1984.

Nikolskaya, R.F. Karelian cuisine / R.F. Nikolskaya. – Petrozavodsk: Karelia, 1989.

Cheremukhina, L.A. Northern cuisine / L.A. Cheremukhin. – Arkhangelsk: AVF-book, 2008.

Its customs, rituals, and special signs can tell a lot about the characteristic features of any people. Let's talk a little about them.

The Pomeranian tradition of not throwing garbage into the river or the sea is well known.

Pomors also had special treatment for fishing areas. On each hut - a hut on the sea or river, where a family or several families lived and hunted in the summer - there was a cross “for prey” - so that the fish could be caught better. Anyone passing by must pray. During the summer fishing, when families “sat” on the tone, any passer-by was greeted by the hostesses and fed to their fullest. Treating a random person is a blessing; it was not only a manifestation of hospitality, but also a spell of good luck and prosperity.

When making a purchase or sale, a “replenishment” was passed from hand to hand - some thing (“egg”, “fish tooth knife”, hat), symbolically sealing the deal.

Special rituals were dedicated to the departure of hunters to the dangerous hunting industry. In the church they ordered a prayer service “for health”, baked it and gave them special food “uzhna” and “mother-in-law”. The presence of a special name and its connection with tribal traditions (“mother-in-law” baked by the mother-in-law) most likely indicates the ritual meaning attached to this food.

Memories of the hunting industry are preserved in lullabies: in return for cradling a baby, a cat is promised “a white squirrel for a hat, a sesame egg for a toy.” A sea animal was called sesame, and a baby seal was called squirrel.

The most vivid and expressive stories are dedicated to the Dog Creek in Varzuga. It has long been very popular among residents of the Tersky Coast. It is located approximately three kilometers from Varzuga. Interestingly, the system of worshiping the spring is very similar to the rituals in the Mari pagan prayer groves. About a kilometer from Sobachy Creek you still can’t talk or laugh; you can only go there in the first half of the day...

There was a custom, as soon as the ice drift began, to go ashore and fire from guns. During spawning, salmon were protected from rest. When the fish went to spawn, the oarlocks of the boat were wrapped in a rag so as not to scare the fish. In the summer we tried not to hunt, saving them until they grew up.

sign. The cross was positioned so that the person praying, facing the inscription on the cross, thereby turned his face to the east, and the ends of the crossbar indicated the direction of north and south.

The Pomors will take an unusually rich catch, miraculously survive the storm - and in gratitude to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker they give up the cross.

In Pomorie, votive crosses are common (in local terms, “treasured”, “votive”, “promised”). They were placed by vow after returning from the sea or after an illness near houses, on the seashore, near Tonsky huts (see color insert). One of the crosses has been preserved in Nizhnyaya Zolotitsa near the house of A.M. Kaplunova. After returning from the sea, we went to Solovki as a vow.

The calendar, which Pomors usually took with them when fishing or on the road, was a tetrahedral, hexagonal wooden or bone block up to half a meter long. On it, simple days and holidays were marked with lines and notches. Holidays had symbolic designations. For example, the days of the solstices were indicated by the high and low sun. The day when the cold rolls back to the north - by sleighs, the arrival of birds - by birds, mermaids - by trees, the day of cattle pasture - by horses. The days dedicated to Mother Earth contained the ancient symbol of the Earth, which came to us from antiquity - a cross in a circle. Among the signs of old calendars there are many signs related to the personal life of the owner. A number of characters are not deciphered (see color tab).

The life and customs of the Pomors are reflected in various proverbs, for example:

Anyone who has never been to the sea has not prayed enough to God.

Lent - sit on the reins by the sea.

A horse and a man are an age-old disgrace (to be disgraced is to suffer, to experience great difficulties associated with being away from home), a woman and a cow are an age-old brownie.

Among the Pomors and Sami, it is a common custom to name rivers, lakes, toni and islands after the names of people who drowned in or near these bodies of water.

The clumsy, growling fish, resembling a flattened toad, emitting a terrible roar when hooked on a hook, was dried and placed under the bed when someone fell ill from the “stabbing.”

Pomors-Old Believers did not drink alcohol at all.

The age-old custom of the Pomors is not to offend orphans whose fathers were destroyed by the sea. Of all the acts of the funeral rite, we note the insufficiently known custom of placing a stone and a broom in the red corner of God after death. Then this broom is burned.

Sign: if after the wedding the newlyweds go to a wedding feast under a fur (“fur coat”) blanket, their life will be comfortable.

In Pomorie, an embroidered neckerchief is the first gift from the bride to the groom; it is called “the groom’s scarf.”

There is a custom of smearing matchmakers with clay in case of refusal.

If the pearls that a woman wears begin to fade, they say that illness awaits her. The pearl itself becomes ill and goes out. There were people in Pomorie who were able to “treat pearls.”

No one touches the food until the elder, grandfather or father, gives a sign to do so - knocking with a spoon on the edge of the bowl or countertop. We finished the meal the same way.

The fisherman on duty was pouring fish soup into bowls. The fish was served separately on a wooden tray. They began to slurp fish soup and “carry” fish at a sign from the foreman; he tapped the edge of the tabletop with a spoon.

The Pomeranian calendar exists in various signs. It was believed that “salmon trips” took place on calendar holidays. “That’s how the hikes were. Here's to the Ivanovo campaign. Then to Petrovsky, then to Ilyinsky, then to Makovey on July 14, then to Transfiguration on August 19. And then there will be a campaign to the Third Savior, then to the Mother of God, Sdvizhensky, to Ivan the Theologian, then the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Mikhailovsky campaign, the last campaign - the Mitreevsky on November 9. Unfortunately, the sea is not closed, the men are fishing.”

The existence of Pomeranian magic is noted. During the first sweep, silver money was thrown into the sea for cod and herring. During a storm, oil was poured into the sea. After the ice drift, we washed our faces with water from the sea. Another person had to do the washing. It was called bathing chair / bathing place. According to the recollections of Zolotiche residents, many had Marfa Kryukova as their bathing godmother.

When going to sea, they took kulebyaka (kulebyaka - fish pie) with them for good fishing. On the day of farewell, a loaf of bread and a salt shaker were placed on the table, which were left until the next day. To the fishermen on the sinking, so as not to die, their wives gave sea sand with them. On Monday it was impossible to go to sea. There was a ban on pregnant women participating in the farewell ceremony. If a Pomor died, then his name was given to the newborn “to prolong the family line.” It was best to start fishing secretly. For a good catch, they took a sea lion fang with them.

Among the characters of lower mythology, the images of the goblin and the merman stand out. The forest witch, according to the ideas of the people of Zolotich, has no eyebrows, and the face of the goblin is not visible. He can take the form of a relative. A talisman against the devil - a rowan branch.

Pomeranian Side

Features of the Pomor culture “The Pomors are the steel of the Russian land” Count S. Yu. Witte. Based on materials from Website © "Pomor Community" Compiled by Bolshakov S.V.

Pomors are a distinctive self-name (ethnonym) of the indigenous ethnic community of the European North of Russia (Pomerania). The ethnonym Pomors arose no later than the 12th century on the southwestern (Pomeranian) coast of the White Sea, and during the centuries. spread far to the south and east from its place of origin. The ethnogenesis of the Pomors was determined by the fusion of the cultures of the proto-Pomorian, predominantly Finno-Ugric (Chud) tribes of the White Sea region and the first ancient Russian colonists who actively populated the territories of Zavolochye. In centuries Pomorie was a colony of Veliky Novgorod. In centuries Pomorie was the name given to a vast economic and administrative region along the shores of the White Sea, Lake Onega and the river. Onega, Northern Dvina, Mezen, Pinega, Pechora, Kama and Vyatka, up to the Urals. By the beginning of the 16th century. Pomorie annexed Moscow. In the 17th century, in the 22 counties of Pomerania, the bulk of the population were free “black-growing” peasants. In the 19th century, Pomorie also began to be called the Russian North, the European north of Russia, etc.

Subsequently, the term Pomorie began to blur, the ethnonym “Pomors” began to be replaced by the impersonal term “northerners,” however, despite the active processes of assimilation of Pomors into the Great Russian ethnic group (the ethnonym Great Russians arose in the 19th century), the Pomors have retained their ethnic (national) identity to this day. This fact, in particular, is confirmed by the data of the 2002 All-Russian Population Census, where Pomors indicated their ethnicity in the “nationality” column (census registry code 208 “nationality – Pomor”). The signs of the ethnic community of Pomors are: ethnic (national) self-awareness and self-name (ethnonym) “Pomors”, common historical territory (Pomorie), common culture of Pomerania, common language (Pomeranian “speaking”), ethnic (national) character, ethnic religious worldview ( Pomeranian Ancient Orthodox Church), the commonality of the traditional economy and other factors.

The culture of Pomerania is unique and significantly different from the culture of the peoples of central Russia. This is largely dictated by kinship with the cultures of the peoples of the northern countries. In Pomerania, the most expedient and artistically significant forms were developed - tented churches that reached great heights. The eight-sided pyramid - “tent”, placed on an octagonal “cage”, turned out to be stable both when the building settles and against strong winds. These temples did not belong to the Byzantine tradition. The highest church hierarchy looked at them with disapproval. But the people continued to build in their own way. The “wooden top” tent buildings not only lasted for centuries in Pomerania, but also created a new tradition, became a favorite form of national architecture, switched to stone buildings and proudly rose above Moscow itself.

Yozy (or azy) is a fence made of inclined poles characteristic of the Pomeranian culture, which was not used anywhere in Russia except Pomerania. It is curious that the same fences are common in Scandinavia, which indicates the common origins of our northern cultures. Pomors used yozas to fence pastures to protect livestock from forest animals. Unlike the Great Russians, the Pomors did not enclose their houses with fences or high fences, since theft never happened in Pomerania. When leaving the house, the Pomor placed a “fence” at the door - a stick, a batozhk, or a broom, and this was enough to prevent any of the neighbors from entering the hut until the “owners came home.” Pomors never kept chain dogs to protect their homes.

Pomeranian customs Much about the characteristic features of any people can be told by its customs, rituals, and special signs. The Pomeranian tradition of not throwing garbage into the river or the sea is well known. Pomors also had special treatment for fishing areas. On each hut - a hut on the sea or river, where a family or several families lived and hunted in the summer - there was a cross “for catch” - so that the fish could be caught better.

During the summer fishing, when families “sat” on the tone, any passer-by was greeted by the hostesses and fed to their fullest. Treating a random person is a blessing; it was not only a manifestation of hospitality, but also a spell of good luck and prosperity. When making a purchase or sale, some thing was passed from hand to hand (“an egg”, “a fish tooth knife”, a hat), symbolically sealing the deal. Special rituals were dedicated to the departure of hunters to the dangerous hunting industry. In the church they ordered a prayer service “for health”, baked it and gave them special food “uzhnu” and “technique”. The presence of a special name and its connection with tribal traditions (the “technician” was baked by the mother-in-law) most likely indicates the ritual meaning attached to this food. Memories of the hunting industry are preserved in lullabies: in return for cradling a baby, a cat is promised “a white squirrel for a hat, a sesame egg for a toy.” Sesame was the name given to a sea animal, and squirrels were a baby seal.

Various information about the life of Pomors is conveyed to us by a large group of toponyms, which are based on the word cross. Behind each of them there are some events, tragic or joyful: vows given in a difficult hour of life. The cross was usually cut from logs, and when installed, it was oriented strictly to the cardinal points, regardless of whether it was a votive cross or simply a nautical sign. The cross was positioned so that the person praying, facing the inscription on the cross, thereby turned his face to the east, and the ends of the crossbar indicated the direction of north and south. The Pomors will take an unusually rich catch, miraculously survive the storm - and in gratitude to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker they give up the cross. In Pomerania, votive crosses are common (in local terms - cherished, reciprocal, promised). They were placed by vow after returning from the sea or after illness near houses, on the seashore, near Don huts.

The calendar, which the Pomors usually took with them when fishing or on the road, was a tetrahedral, hexagonal wooden or bone block up to half a meter long. On it, simple days and holidays were marked with lines and notches. Holidays had symbolic designations. For example, the days of the solstices were indicated by the high and low sun. The day when the cold rolls back to the north - by sleigh, the arrival of birds - by bird.

The life and customs of the Pomors are reflected in various proverbs, for example: Whoever has not been to the sea has not had his fill of God. Lent - sit on the reins by the sea. A horse and a man are an age-old disgrace [to be disgraced is to suffer, to experience great difficulties associated with being away from home], a woman and a cow are an age-old brownie.

Among the Pomors and Sami, it is a common custom to name rivers, lakes, toni and islands after the names of people who drowned in or near these bodies of water. The clumsy, growling fish, resembling a flattened toad, emitting a terrible roar when hooked on a hook, was dried and placed under the bed when someone fell ill from the “stabbing.” Pomors-Old Believers did not drink alcohol at all. The age-old custom of the Pomors is not to offend orphans whose fathers were destroyed by the sea. Of all the acts of the funeral rite, we note the insufficiently known custom of placing a stone and a broom in the red corner of God after death. Then this broom is burned. Sign: if after the wedding the newlyweds go to a wedding feast under a fur (“fur coat”) blanket, their life will be comfortable. In Pomorie, an embroidered neck scarf is the first gift from the bride to the groom - it is called “the groom’s scarf.” There is a custom of smearing matchmakers with clay in case of refusal. If the pearls that a woman wears begin to fade, they say that illness awaits her. The pearl itself becomes ill and goes out. There were people in Pomerania who were able to treat pearls.

There has always been a respectful attitude towards bread. Previously, in Pomorie you would not meet children with a piece of bread. Someone jumped out of the feast, finishing chewing a piece - a father or grandfather: “Where did you go to eat, sit down,” and even say to the offender: “You will sit for an hour.” And he sits there, not daring to object. They cut the bread only while standing. “They didn’t cut the bread when I was sitting.” No one touches food until the elder, grandfather or father, gives a sign to do so - tapping a spoon on the edge of the bowl or countertop. We finished the meal the same way. The cook, the fisherman on duty, poured fish soup into bowls. The fish was served separately on a wooden tray. They began to slurp fish soup and “carry” fish at a sign from the foreman; he tapped the edge of the tabletop with a spoon.

Pomeranian New Year September was the most festive month for the Pomors: it was the time of the end of field work for the black-sown Pomorie, the time of industrial fishermen returning from the sea and the beginning of the autumn Pomor trade. When the reformer Tsar Peter I moved the start of the New Year from September 14 (September 1, Old Style) to January 1, the Pomors, who did not recognize most of the Tsar’s reforms, refused to keep the calendar according to the new calendar. True Pomors still adhere to this tradition and celebrate their New Year in September. In Russia, of all the peoples, only the Pomors have preserved the tradition of celebrating the New Year with a holiday and the Margaritinskaya Armenian. That’s why the holiday is called Pomeranian New Year. In 2006, the Pomors celebrated the onset of the 7515th new summer according to their calendar. Thus, if in Russia they traditionally celebrate the New Year twice (in January - new and old), then about the Pomeranian capital we can say this: “here the New Year is three times a year!” By the way, the Russian Orthodox Church also still has not recognized Peter’s calendar reform, and in all liturgical books “the order of the new summer remains the same.”

The heart of the fair It is curious that back in the 90s of the 20th century, the authorities of Arkhangelsk tried to revive the Margaritino trade, but to no avail. They did not know that the “main fair” of Pomerania could not be revived without the New Year holiday associated with it since ancient times. As a result, until the end of the 20th century, Arkhangelsk remained a “city without a fair.” But the desire of the indigenous residents of Arkhangelsk to return the trade traditions taken from them was great, so six years ago the townspeople, at the prompting of the Pomeranian elders, restored New Year - their traditional autumn festival of the harvest, trade and charity, “the heart of the Pomeranian fair”. Figuratively speaking, before they managed to revive the Margaritinskaya Yarmonka, the “reanimators” had to start its “heart” - otherwise nothing would work. That is why the “main fair of the Arkhangelsk region” celebrates the fifth anniversary of its revival in 2006, and the Pomeranian New Year, which has been associated with it since ancient times, is already six years old.

Sign for business During the Pomeranian New Year in 2006 in Arkhangelsk, the Pomors will again, according to ancient custom, march in a fiery procession of Pomors to Ozhey (pilots) from the gates of Gostiny Dvor and light a special fire on the waves of the Northern Dvina on a raft - the unique Pomeranian Margaritinsky lighthouse (there is more of this custom none of the nations in the world have). The floating lighthouse is a symbolic image of the trading heart of the Margaritinskaya Yarmonka, the Sea Trade Port of Arkhangelsk and a symbol of Pomeranian happiness. If the Lighthouse flares up immediately and burns hot and bright, Arkhangelsk entrepreneurs will have success in the coming year. If it doesn’t light up for a long time or goes out, the Arkhangelsk business, and all Arkhangelsk residents, will face major problems. The oldest Arkhangelsk pilots light the Lighthouse. Then, according to tradition, a salute from the city cannon sounds, and the Pomeranian fireworks begin - an ancient Arkhangelsk tradition that is several centuries old. It is worth emphasizing that lighting a fire for the New Year and fireworks is not an invention of modern scriptwriters and directors, not a festive remake like many Russian cities suffer today, but an ancient tradition of the capital of Pomerania. For example, fireworks for the New Year, organized during the Margaritinskaya Fair, is a native Arkhangelsk custom, because the first New Year's fireworks and fireworks in Russia were launched in Arkhangelsk three centuries ago.

Arkhangelsk is the birthplace of fireworks! If you are asked which city in Russia is the birthplace of domestic New Year's fireworks, you can safely answer - Arkhangelsk. Yes, it was not Moscow or St. Petersburg, but the trading sea city on the Northern Dvina that laid the foundation for the Russian tradition of celebrating the New Year with fireworks, fireworks and other “fiery fun”. Few people know that it was here in Arkhangelsk in 1693 that Peter I first saluted in honor of the New Year! “Excuse me,” one of the readers may object, “There are historical facts. For example, it is known that Peter I visited Arkhangelsk three times, but not in winter, but during summer navigation! What New Year's fireworks are you talking about? However, let's remember another historical fact: in 1693, the New Year in Russia (New Year) was celebrated not in winter, but in autumn, on September 14. And it was at this time that young Peter I visited the capital of Pomerania for the first time in his life. In Arkhangelsk, Peter celebrated the New Year, which then began on September 14 (1st Old Style), writes academician Alexander Morozov about this event. – There was a solemn service, a salute from cannons and small weapons, from a yacht and foreign ships.

Brooms and granadas It is curious that during the Margaritinsky fair, which traditionally began in Arkhangelsk with the September New Year, Peter I, according to overseas custom, organized the first New Year's fireworks in Russia at Cape Purnavolok - “brooms and granadas were released on the Aglitsky Bridge.” The mentioned “Aglitsky Bridge” is one of three sea piers (there were also Galansk and Russkaya bridges), located right next to the Arkhangelsk Gostiny Dvors. The English pier was the northernmost of the three, and was located approximately in the place where the entrance to the Pur-navolok hotel in Arkhangelsk is located today. It was a wide wooden platform on larch piles, protruding from the shore several tens of meters towards the Northern Dvina. It is worth noting that this pier was built by the British even before the founding of Arkhangelsk in the mid-16th century.

Fireworks over the Dvina It is not difficult to imagine an enchanting picture - on the high English pier, in the light of mica lanterns and torchlights, you can see the figure of young Peter, who is trying to light the “broom” given to him by the Hamburg merchants - a newfangled rocket in Europe for the production of fireworks. Finally, he succeeds and, to the joyful cries of the townspeople crowded on the shore and floating in boats, the first New Year's rocket in Russia soars into the dark September sky. A deafening roar is heard and over the white towers of the Arkhangelsk Gostiny Dvor, over the ship piers and the masts of foreign ships, the first New Year's fireworks in Russia scatter with crackling noise and smoke. It is possible that it was in Arkhangelsk, which amazed the young Tsar with its foreign spirit, that Peter first decided to organize the New Year in the European style throughout Russia. It is no coincidence that six years later he issues a corresponding decree on the country’s transition to the European calendar and orders fireworks and fireworks to be held everywhere.

Pomeranian sayings Every hut has its own rattles, every hut has its own rattle, every village has its own way of life, and everywhere everything is ours - Pomeranian. You can’t go to sea in a cracked karbasa, and you can’t live in a wind-blown hut. They judge the farm by the yard and poveti” (povet – hayloft, a building for storing various things for commercial, agricultural and household purposes). If you don’t eat three-shoes, you won’t be able to handle it at work. There is no fish more stupid than the lumpfish, but it knows how to dress up. Both joy and sorrow will be lost - all from the sea. The Barents Sea was called Pomeranians, the Pomors settled there. The sea hardens both the body and the heart. The cold winds of the Pomor are no joy. You will leave the platoon with reason, but without intelligence you will fall to the bottom. Fear at sea teaches you to think, fear takes away your understanding. Pomor is strong through his father's science, his friends and his work. To plow the sea - there is no peace for your hands. The hour of death comes at sea, but one is drawn to lie in the ground forever.

Musical traditions In the White Sea region, metal bells spread quickly and widely and acquired the significance of a musical instrument no less than a signaling instrument. There were no folk musical instruments here: rattling, plucked, and bowed, common in Novgorod, Pskov, Moscow, the Dnieper, the Volga and the upper Podvina. Pomors knew only whistles, whistling and shepherd's horns.

Clothing and footwear National Pomeranian clothing is in many ways similar or completely identical to the clothing of the Komi and Nenets peoples. The functional and aesthetic features of the clothing of our northern neighbors are dictated by climatic conditions and the similarity of cultures of the indigenous Finno-Ugric peoples of the North. The main materials for its production were the skins of fur-bearing and sea animals, livestock and the hair of domestic animals. The very living and working conditions of the Pomors made demands on clothing and footwear for increased strength, “windproofness” and “waterproofness.” The things themselves tell the best story about themselves. Here are the main ones: Shoe covers - men's work and fishing shoes made of leather. These are soft leather boots with long (knee or thigh) tops. They were sewn on a straight block, i.e. without distinguishing between the right and left boots. The soft leather sole was sewn to the boot with drap, after which the boot was turned inside out. If the shoe covers reached the thigh, the boot was secured to the leg with straps, and the edge of the shoe cover was tied to the belt;

Malitsa - outer clothing for men and women made from deer fur or the skins of young seals. Made with fur inside; Sovik - outerwear made of deer fur with a round hood, cut with the fur facing out. In cold weather, the sovik was dressed over the malitsa. Stockings - shanks with double heels and soles;

Buzurunka is a shirt, tightly knitted from thick wool, elongated, covering the lower back, collar “neck”, long sleeve “at the wrist”, that is, at the cuff. Plain or patterned brown wool; Sleeveless vest - made of seal skin, fur facing out, fabric lining. The fastening is in the front, from the throat to the bottom, the buttons are wooden or bone, both are homemade, the loops are corded. Doesn’t get wet – “The rain rolls down on her like tears”; A “shell” on the head is a hat, usually fur, but sometimes leather with fur, and cloth with fur with a fur trim around the face to the beard;

Skufika - a winter hat made of cloth, quilted. Usually worn by guys; Scabs are leather shoes reminiscent of modern slippers. They were made from a single piece of leather without a separate sole. They tied it to the leg with a strap. Summer shoes with and without fabric lining; Hat – slap in the face – double-sided fur fawn hat with long ears.

The northern lands were among the few regions of Rus' where salt was mined. Written sources that have reached us indicate that salt production in Zavolochye was well established. Thus, the Solovetsky Monastery had about 50 brewhouses, which employed up to 800 permanent and about 300 temporary hired workers. Salt workers of the Dvina land and the Vologda region produced up to pounds of salt per year and for more than two hundred years supplied many regions of the Moscow state with this product.

One of the oldest crafts in Pomerania was tar smoking. Already in the second half of the 14th century, resin was sold on the estates of Novgorod boyars on the Vaga. Vazhskaya resin becomes the subject of overseas trade, first by the Novgorodians, and then by Muscovite Rus'. The resin was used to lubricate shoes, skis, wheels, in shipbuilding, rope production, and tanning. High demands were placed on its quality. An important role in the economy of Zavolochye was played by mica fishing, which developed especially intensively in the 15th century. Mica was used for windows and lanterns. Due to the growth in the number of churches and monasteries, the need for external lanterns used during religious processions has increased. Mica was also used to decorate the carriages of kings and rich nobles. Russian mica was considered the best in the world and was known in Western Europe and Asia under the name “muscovite”. It was very expensive: its price ranged from 15 to 150 rubles per pood. “Mica,” Kielburger reported in 1674 in his essay on Russian trade, “is mined between Arkhangelsk and the seashore near Vaygach on a sea ledge and opens up in the rocky high mountains. Everything that is more than one arshin in length and width belongs to the royal monopoly and cannot be openly sold by any private individual.”

Such an unusual trade as pearl fishing has also gained wide scope in Pomorie. Pearl shells were mined at the mouths of small rivers: Solza and Syuzma on the Letny Coast, Varzuga and Ponoye on the Tersky Coast, as well as in the Kolech region. From the obtained pearls, local court kissers selected the tenth, best grain “for the great sovereign.” These “sovereign” pearls were sent to Kola, and from there to Moscow. And from Varzuga the pearls went to the patriarchal treasury. An unusual love for pearls arose in Pomorie, and from here spread throughout Rus', in all layers of society. They were thickly showered with dresses and caftans, hats and shoes. Zavolochye is also the birthplace of mining in Russia. In the work of Marco Polo, which describes Ancient Rus' and its inhabitants, you can read: “this is not a trading country, but they have a lot of expensive furs... They have a lot of silver ores, they mine a lot of silver.” Mister Veliky Novgorod received tribute from Zavolochye in furs and silver. There is an opinion that it was only Trans-Kama silver from the mysterious Ugra and Great Permia. At the same time, we have information that in the 12th century in Rus' there was a search for silver and copper, iron was mined, and grindstone was processed. Ore miners, “diggers,” set up quarries, forges, and made metal tools and tools: axes, knives, anchors.

The Chud tribes on the territory of Zavolochye possessed the skills of metal production, which is confirmed by the “Chud mines” - primitive smelting furnaces. As a hypothesis, it can be suggested that these peoples introduced the first Russian inhabitants to mining or, at least, aroused interest in it. There is information that Ivan the Terrible sent ore miners to Novaya Zemlya. In Pomorie there were experienced mining specialists: “diggers” and “miners”, “smelters” with their equipment, “gear” for smelting metals. Subsequently, Pomorie supplied experienced craftsmen to the nascent metallurgical industry of the Urals and Siberia. Let us also note that “earth blood” - the first Ukhta oil - was delivered in barrels to Moscow to illuminate the streets of the capital back in the time of Ivan the Terrible. And one of the first silver coins of Russia was minted in Pomorie, in Arkhangelsk. Since the mid-16th century, iron mining and smelting have developed greatly in Zavolochye. Meadow, lake and swamp ores were mined on the “iron fields”, and the “diggers” were Vazhan, Dvinyan, Pinezhan and Mezen residents. One of the first ironworks in Russia was the enterprise founded in 1648 on Vaga near Shenkursk by foreigners Marcelius and Akema.

Pomerania abundantly supplied the internal regions of the state with the products of its local industry, among which the most important place belonged to fish (especially salmon), salt, lard and skins of sea animals and furs; Almost all of the state's foreign trade was concentrated in Pomerania; Pomorie served as the main connecting link between European Russia and Siberia in trade terms.

Already by the 17th century, the turnover of the Arkhangelsk Fair reached three million rubles. And if we take into account that the population of the entire Russian state by the beginning of the 17th century did not exceed 12 million people, and the entire state income in 1724 was 8 million rubles, then the fair turnover of Pomerania can be considered a very large contribution to the development of the Russian economy. At this time, Kholmogory became the most populated region of the Dvina land. Here, river and sea shipbuilding, sawmilling and flour milling, tar smoking, carpentry were greatly developed, bone carving craft was born, there were rope, spinning and weaving enterprises, forges and mechanics.

Here is a list of goods that were traded in Kholmogory, placed in a charter of 1588 by the Dvina tselovalnik (collector of taxes and duties): honey, wax, caviar, oil, lard, copper, tin, lead, “soft goods” (furs of sable, marten, beaver , squirrels, hare), velvet, satin, silk, cloth, dress, cotton paper, incense, incense, pepper, etc. Nonresident merchants were obliged to stay only at the Kholmogory Gostiny Dvor and trade there. From the same letter we learn that English, Dutch (Brabantian) and Spanish “Germans” traded in Kholmogory.

Since time immemorial, the main occupation of the population of the Pomeranian North has been animal husbandry and fishing. On the seashores and along the banks of rivers, fish tanks were scattered everywhere, from which most of the population of this vast region fed. Each salmon pit, each fishing camp - “skey” or hunting plot had its own indigenous owners, who could sell their possessions, mortgage them entirely or in shares, rent them out and bequeath them to their descendants or monasteries.

The main document that protected the rights of private owners and owners of Pomeranian fishing and hunting industries was the Code of Law of 1589, written by the “secular” judges of the Dvina volosts of Pomorie. It differed significantly from the Russian Code of Laws of 1550, since it did not contain the norms of serfdom and was aimed at free (black-growing) peasants and industrialists. Pomeranian quitrent lands from Vaga to Kola, which once belonged to the Novgorod boyars (until the annexation of Pomorie to Moscow), became the property of the Grand Duke of Moscow in the 15th century. But essentially the Pomeranian peasants remained the owners of fisheries and animals, who paid tax (tithe) to the state and disposed of fishing areas at their own discretion. This continued until the end of the 16th century, until one of the capital’s officials thought that such a taxation system was not effective enough.

Prototype of quotas By decree from Moscow at the end of the 16th century, a system of so-called “farms” was introduced into marine fisheries, which allowed merchants to purchase the rights to the entire production of industrialists for money. However, instead of the expected replenishment of the sovereign's treasury, the exact opposite happened: almost all of the tax-farm quotas were purchased by wealthy foreign merchants, who immediately took possession of all the rights to trade in sea animal lard (blub). Moscow merchants, who had previously bought blubber from Pomeranian industrialists, found themselves in a very difficult situation. Therefore, in 1646, they submitted a petition to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, in which they complained about foreigners that they “bought off the blubber so that your sovereign’s people and all the Pomeranian industrialists would not sell this lard past them to other Germans and Russian people, but would take it for themselves at half price, at a third and a quarter of the price, and as a result the Kolmogorsk people and all of Pomorie... became poor and scattered apart. And your sovereign patrimony, the city of Arkhangelsk and Kolmogorsk district and all of Pomorie, is emptying.”

Reading this petition, you involuntarily begin to compare the situation described in it with what is happening today in the Russian fishing industry (with the only difference that instead of a tax farming system, fish auctions and a quota distribution system appear). The disastrous result of the bureaucratic innovations led to the fact that the petition gained force, and already in the same 1646, the ruinous farm-outs for Pomeranian farms were urgently replaced by the previous tithe tax.

Monopoly "company". Under Peter I, the duty from the Pomeranian population was levied “for the tenth thousand of cod fish at 16 rubles, and for cod lard (liver - Author) for the tenth pood at 15 altyns.” In January 1703, Tsar Peter I issued a Decree according to which all fisheries for “blubber, walruses and other sea animals and lard” were given to a monopoly company headed by A.D. Menshikov and the Shafirov brothers. The decree prohibited fishermen and industrialists from trading in commercial catch other than the specified “kumpany”, and by decree of June 10, 1703, it was given the rights to own commercial fishing grounds, which had previously been owned by Pomeranian industrialists. As historian A. A. Morozov writes, “Company clerks in Arkhangelsk Stepan Okulov and merchant Nikita Krylov, taking advantage of monopoly rights, mercilessly pressed industrialists, forcing them to sell their catch (especially cod) at an extremely low price and almost immediately resold it at exorbitant prices on ships . Some “mercenaries” extracted up to a % profit in this way.” However, the predatory activities of Menshikov’s company did not bring the desired economic return for the state, and treasury revenues, contrary to Peter’s expectations, sharply decreased. From 1717 to 1720, the company produced only 3,400 barrels of cod liver, and 9,391 pounds of dried cod. According to historian S.F. Ogorodnikov, this is much less than was released by free Pomeranian industrialists in 1700 alone.

Particular surname In 1721, Peter I, convinced that Menshikov’s company had failed, decided to give the trades “to the company of merchant people, so that those trades could multiply the distribution of the sovereign’s profits.” The first to respond to Peter’s call was “guest” Matvey Evreinov. He turned to the Commerce Board with a proposal to give all Pomeranian fisheries “to him and his children from the beginning of 1722 into eternal possession.” Moreover, under the same monopoly conditions that Menshikov used. In his address, the “guest” behaved on a truly “oligarchic scale.” In particular, he insisted on the introduction of the most severe sanctions against the Pomors if they traded in marine catch outside his family company: “None of the industrialists would sell any walrus fat and blubber skins, walrus bones and dry cod past the company to anyone else, - wrote Matvey Evreinov, “and especially by themselves or through anyone else they did not dare to release overseas and to other places under fear of cruel punishment.” Even advisers from Peter’s Commerce Collegium were puzzled by such demands and wrote in their certificate that in the northern rivers and in the seas there is so much fish that “will be enough to supply all of Europe” and “it would be a sin against the nation to give such a treasure to a particular family.” As a result, Evreinov received rights to Pomor fisheries for a period of “only” 30 years. True, after a few months it became clear that the “guest” could not organize the production of fish and sea animals, so Peter had to urgently cancel all the privileges given to him.

Helped Norway At the beginning of the 18th century, Pomeranian fishing and hunting industries reached their greatest development thanks to trade with Norway. Since the 15th century, Norway has been a northern province of Denmark, whose population lived rather poorly. And if it were not for trade with the Pomors, the Norwegian economy in those days could have been given up. Today Russia buys fish from the Norwegians and eats not Pomeranian, but Norwegian salmon. And in 1774, in Finnmarken off the coast of Norway, 1,300 Pomors were hunting on 244 ships. Moreover, Pomeranian industrialists, according to the report of the Danish governor Fieldsted, “caught more fish than the subjects of the Danish king.” As historian A.A. writes Zhilinsky, “the Pomors spread their maritime and fishing crafts not only to all corners of the White Sea and the Arctic Ocean: on Novaya Zemlya, on the Kara Sea, on Murman, the Kanin Peninsula, Grumant (Spitsbergen), but even throughout Northern Norway and themselves taught navigation and the trades of the Norwegians."

Useful Pomors The Danish official Jens Rathke, who visited the Norwegian city of Tromso, bordering Russia, at the beginning of the 19th century, wrote the following: “Free trade here, as in other places, gives good results. Unfortunately, the consumption of vodka and tobacco among the population here is increasing and only the Pomors, who supply the population with flour, conduct useful trade here...” As a result, according to Zhilinsky, thanks to trade with Pomerania, “Finnmarken,” which was a remote province until 1813, began to quickly flourish. The development of its marine fisheries is receiving the closest attention of the Norwegian government. In the second half of the 19th century, Finnmarken became completely unrecognizable.” In Russia, from the end of the 19th century and throughout the entire last 20th century, there has been a sharp drop in returns from traditional maritime fisheries, Pomor trade is completely destroyed and the traditional way of life of the Pomors is disintegrating. The reason for this, according to the historian Zhilinsky, is a complete lack of understanding on the part of the Russian government of the importance and capabilities of the Pomeranian fisheries in the north of Russia. Unfortunately, today, a century later, we have to admit that this misunderstanding and incompetence of officials have not disappeared.

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Pomeranian (Mezen) rituals and customs.

Russian rituals have many common or similar elements throughout Russia, but the traditions of northern peasants still differ from those of central and southern Russia. Even on the territory of the Mezen district, there are many differences in certain customs.
This happened because Mezen and Vashka were populated differently. Ethnological expeditions in our area discovered Mesolithic sites, the “Chud city” of the 2nd-1st millennium BC; A Finnish-speaking population lived here. Our lands were Russian
populated later - in the XII-XVII centuries, and from the north, the Mezen region - by Slavs - descendants of the Novgorodians, crowding out the numerous people - the "Chud of Zavolotsk". The Upper Mezen with its main tributary, the Vashka, was inhabited by the "Permyans" ("Permyaks"), and in the 13th - 14th centuries by the Komi people. Then the region was controlled by the Rostov-Suzdal authorities, and later by the Moscow authorities. Hence, according to historians, significant differences arose in folk art, rituals and traditions between the two areas of Russian settlement in the Mezen River basin: Mezen (lower reaches of the river) and Leshukonsky, as well as within Leshukonia: in the middle reaches of the Mezen River and in the river area Vashka. “The difference between the folk culture of the upper and lower Mezen caught my eye. The difference is literally in everything: singing, repertoire, rituals, even in the patterns on knitted things. Leshukon patterns contain an ancient symbol - the swastika, the roots of which go back to ancient India. Such a difference can be explained by the nature of the colonization of the region: the lower reaches of the Mezen are closer to the Novgorod culture, the upper reaches of the Mezen were subjected to Rostov-Suzdal colonization, in addition, the influence of the Komi-Zyryans turned out to be very strong there, who introduced their substrate into the culture of the upper Mezen. Local residents themselves tried to explain the difference with a proverb: a little across the river - the people are completely different.
The Mezen region found itself on the route that from ancient times connected the East European Plain with the North Asian Plain. First it was used by the Novgorodians, then by the Rostovites, and after the fall of Novgorod, the Moscow princes used it to subjugate Ugra, conquer Kazan and develop the Kama. Until the 18th century it remained the most important artery through which almost the entire movement of Russian industrialists went to the sable fisheries. But after the conquests of Peter the Great, the Northern Territory somewhat lost its commercial and economic importance. And therefore, some of the isolation of Mezen after the decline in the economic importance of the North contributed to the “conservation” of ancient life, spiritual and material cultures

Andrey Lednev:

The connection between cartography and the testimony of our great-grandmothers is undeniable: the maps were compiled according to the descriptions of local residents (geodeses at that time could not sweep and measure such open spaces). So, old maps are a visualization of the stories of local residents: discrepancies with modern names on maps and even the location of settlements are not a mistake of cartographers, this is a document that reveals what our historians did not have time to retouch to suit modern realities.

Pay attention to Remezov’s maps compiled before the 18th century (in the photo album “Pomorie - ..."): we are still looking for the grave of Avvakumovsky Fedor near Mezen, but we need to look just above Leshukonsky at the mouth of the Ezhuga, where Remezov showed Okladnikov Sloboda 17 -th century (downstream Lampozhnya, and not vice versa). It was already in the 18th century that salary workers (tax officers) moved closer to Kuznetskaya Sloboda.
This, by the way, explains the mysterious position of the mysterious Sloboda between Lampas (Lampozhnya) and Mezen on numerous European maps of the 16th-18th centuries: Lampozhnya is where it should be - near the mouth of the Mezen; Sloboda, which was indeed Okladnikova, but was located upstream at the mouth of the Ezhuga until the 18th century, and the county town of Mezen upstream at the confluence of the Vashka and Mezen rivers (near Leshukonskoye) until the 18th century. Let's not forget the city of Yugri on the site of Chuchepaly (it is still shown on maps of the 16th century).
Well, it’s clear why the Streams are shown in the Atlas of 1745: they were not hidden.
More about the Atlas of 1745: the best European forces were thrown into its compilation - the cartographer Delisle and the mathematician Euler (the latter developed new principles of projective geometry while working on the Atlas of the Russian Empire of 1745). The reason for such close attention to the Atlas of 1745 is clear: this was the first experience of Europeans independently compiling maps of the territory of Muscovy and Russia (before that they had only redrawn them from our maps).
An example of different names for the same settlements: the village of Dorogorskoye swallowed up four villages: Popiralovo (priest's plowshare (arable land) - monastic harvest (Monastyrshchina), Petukhovo, Bor and Dorogaya Gora. All that remained was where the church stood. In 1710, censuses - Popiralovo and Dorogorskoye, although in the Atlas of 1824 (in my opinion) the settlement of Bor is indicated in the place of Dorogorskoye, which is not included in any census.
Conclusion: for cartographers since the 18th century, only the settlement in which the church stood was considered and indicated on the map. No church (in the frame) - no for the authorities and the settlement. This is for Ruchi: the presence of the Ignatievsky monastery (in frame) and a courtyard in Ruchi served as the basis for indicating on the map the settlement of Ruchi on the site of the Ignatievsky monastery. Confirmation of this: the settlement of Chasovenka at the mouth of Kuloya in the Atlas of 1745.
Regarding the reliability of the Atlas of the Russian Empire of 1745:

The atlas began to be created under Peter and by his decree. The first version of the Atlas, compiled by Kirilov in 1734, was destroyed “due to its inaccuracies” (380 printing boards prepared for printing were burned), discovered by Miller. Therefore, the Atlas of 1745 is the pride of Russian cartography, revived under the leadership of the European (German) “precise” school of cartography.
Probably, this Atlas included what the Germans missed when correcting the Atlas:
1. Koida on the sailing directions of the Pomors of the 18th century (I placed their contents in my classmates in the group “Mezensky Region...” in the topic “Explanatory Dictionary of the Pomor Speak”) is called Kedov (and the Kedovka Malaya and Bolshaya rivers are in the Atlas of 1745);
2. The village of Bogoroditskoye was probably the name of Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa before the well-known events of 1743-1744. for the destruction of the monasteries of the Old Believers of the Winter Coast, Pyoza and Izhma Pechora. Just as clear. that Zolotitsa began to be called Nizhnyaya Zolotitsa. In addition, the village of Bogoroditskoye is shown on earlier maps of Europeans;
3. The same reason why there was only one courtyard left in Ruchi in 1745 (it’s strange that it remained (or maybe it was rebuilt within a year), because the Velikopozhensky and Pezsky monasteries were completely burned, and the Anufrievsky monastery was also completely destroyed) .

By the way, this Atlas also shows the Chapel at the mouth of the Kuloy, from where the miraculous icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands was delivered to Kuznetskaya Sloboda. So far I have found from the downloaded “Mezen and Pustozersky districts” from the German version of the “Atlas of the Russian Empire” of 1745. It shows Ruchi as a settlement, and Megra and Maida as river mouths, and Nizha as Nizhnyaya Perezhna:
http://history-maps.ru/pictures/max/0/551.jpg

There is also information about the location of the district town of Mezen on the site of Leshukonskoye, at the confluence of the Udora (Vashki) and Mezen rivers.
Yes, in our famous Atlas of the Russian Empire of 1745 (the photo has been hanging in the photo album “Documents” of our group since May 28, 2009) - the pride of Russian cartography before perestroika (in the 90s it became known about Remezov’s maps - Soviet historians did not remember them for 100 years ) the picture is completely similar (the Germans drew for themselves from our Atlas): Streams are like a settlement there - the picture is the same, only the names are in Russian.

Alexander Khudoverov:

The streams have been inhabited since 1733, there is only one family of Old Believer Yuriev, his other brothers still live in Zolotitsa. Therefore, the yard did not remain, but a new one was built. Both Zolotitsa existed back in the 16th century, and the name (I looked it up now) was because of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The punitive forces in 1745 were not in Zolotitsy, or in Ruchi, or even in the Ignatievsky monastery, since everyone who lived here in the 1717 census was recorded as schismatics. And the expeditions of 1743-44. concerned only the HIDDEN schismatics who had not yet enrolled in the salary. 1745 I'm confused by the authenticity. The village of Bogorodskoye instead of Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa. The 1745 census points to Nizhnyaya and Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa, where the Yuryevs’ ancestors were found, but Bogorodsky is not even nearby. It is possible that the data from this census were used to create the map, in which case Ruchii emerges as a village with ONE yard - unlikely. Perhaps the Ignatievsky monastery was reflected here as a settlement... For some reason, there is no Koydy, not even a river.
...I’m preparing material, but for the first time Megra, as a village, is only on the map of 1824, and Ruchi - even later.

1. Some predictions were published in the so-called “Oracles” - books of fate and represented a form of fortune telling, the essence of which is to choose a specific question and obtain one of the possible answers to it. This is a fairly well-known method of fortune telling, in which a person randomly selects the page on which the answer to his question is located. - Natalya Drannikova.
2. No matter how much I communicate with grannies, almost all of them remember that in their childhood they read, talked, and talked about how:
1. The whole earth will be covered with iron ropes
2. The water will burn
3. Iron birds will fly in the sky
4. The red rooster will burn all of Russia (Bolsheviks or summer 2010?)
5. and many other repeating things...
The question is - was this really predicted or written somewhere? - Alexander Khudoverov.
3. But the gates of the path do not praise.
4. But are spruce branches scattered after the coffin is removed only in the North? And the floor, it seems, needs to be washed right away for someone who didn’t go to the cemetery to see him off and is preparing dinner. - And wash according to the rules: Along the floorboards from the front corner to the doors. One day I had to do it myself...
5. And in Central Russia after Ilya you can’t swim, because... the horse "went into the river".
6. We also “went to watch” the wedding! There was a whole ceremony of getting ready for this event. They walked from several people to the campaign. Mostly they looked out the windows. Apparently they were not curtained on purpose...
7. And my mother always tells me that only a mother can teach conspiracies to her daughter, and then secretly, without telling everyone: in every family they are their own, special. Other people's conspiracies may not help, but only harm. They say that the person who speaks gives the power of HIMSELF to the patient, so it is better to write this in individual correspondence. And the most important thing: you need to learn the spell or rewrite it on paper YOURSELF, only then will it help...
8. And after the relatives have left, the floors in the house are not washed that day.
9. And I often spin around (3 times) between students with the same names - I make a wish; But you can’t tell it to anyone, otherwise it won’t come true...
10. You can’t go to the bathhouse late at night!!! But we, city dwellers, at the dacha, on the contrary, go late. Mom always scolds!!!
11. In Leshukonsky, tractor sleighs blocked the road, also with a ransom. And in Mezen, on the second day of the wedding, pancakes were stolen.
12. Driving in circles - A.D. Grigoriev describes this custom in his diaries: Driving in circles; in every Mezen village of the late 19th century. This tradition was of great importance not so much as a decoration for the holiday, but as the preservation of customary law and regulation of village life. Firstly, families were united in a single circle (the general unity of the village). Secondly, it also determined the procedure for regulating inter-family relations: the antiquity of the family’s origin is important, and therefore knowledge of the rules of life of the village, and not the amount of gold and silver in the pocket and the government position held. The second point is very important for control by local residents of the activities of those arriving and appointed statesmen: his wife and daughters “drag their tail” and there is nothing offensive in this: it makes it clear to them that they were put here to guard the interests of these particular residents as an integral part of the state, and not vice versa. In general, common law - This is a long but important topic in its own right.
13. Memories of the hunting industry are preserved in lullabies: in return for cradling a baby, a cat is promised “a white squirrel for a hat, a sesame egg for a toy.” A sea animal was called sesame, and a baby seal was called squirrel.
14. Unlike the Great Russian tradition, the Pomors did not place crosses on their graves. A large carved cross of “all the dead” with religious inscriptions was placed in the middle of the cemetery or at its entrance. One of these inscriptions on a large cross that has not survived to this day in the village of Kuloi (Pinezhsky district) read: “Here is the door behind which the secret becomes clear, you enter it, and it will open, not just what it seems, but what is.” (pomorland.narod.ru)
15. In Pomorie they are reviving the tradition of their chronology. The holiday falls on September 13/14. Last year we celebrated the year 7514. On the holiday there is a rite of passage into the “plover”. The youngest teenager is taken to sea on a ship. Comment from one of the relatives of such a “plover” - “Isn’t it a pity!? It’s a little pathetic. You grow and grow and then you give it away! But you have to become a man someday!”
But the beginning of the holiday is always traditional - “leading circles.” The custom of “leading circles” by women is a traditional song and choreographic form: in a line of three, holding the ends of the scarves connecting the rows, to the accompaniment of a drawn-out lyrical song, a round dance procession moves along the central street, making circle to the end of the village, without changing the order of the procession. "In the old days, they went by last name - says hereditary Kimzhan woman E.G. Repitskaya - the order was by last name: the first were the Payusovs, the second were the Safonovs, the third were the Semitskys.... Now we have already done this we don’t adhere to.... Previously it was more honorable..... The Deryagina family was very rich. But for some reason they were said to be dragging their tails! The Deryagins, the last family to settle in Kimzha, were the last to carry their tail, although they were very rich and very famous."
16. They don’t lend money in the evening (they won’t save money), even family members (for small expenses) should only be given in the morning.
17. If a cat lies on the stove - it means frost.
18. If your pocket is empty on New Year’s Day, you will spend the whole year in poverty. And to prevent this from happening, put some money in your pocket when you celebrate the New Year.
19. If a newborn or baby pees in your arms. You should go out to his wedding!
20. And they don’t take out the trash late in the evening and at night.
21. When you come to someone else’s house and are afraid to sleep there, you must say: “Housewife, take a nap. Housewife, love me.” And you will sleep well.
22. The cat washes itself with its paw and washes the guests.
23. Babies were not shown to women with brown eyes - They will be smacked.
24. My cousin, being a married woman, cooked funeral rice porridge for the first time in Kozmogorodsky. I was worried - I didn’t want to make a fool of myself in front of the grannies, but it turned out as expected - grain by grain, crumbly. I’ve seen lamentation more than once, but I especially remember how my aunt (I didn’t even suspect that she could do that) lamented at her husband’s funeral. It was a traditional “Crying” with the right words and intonations, it’s unlikely that she was taught this specifically, I think she remembered it the same way from someone and there was no need to hire a Crying Lady, although it is known that they resorted to the help of outsiders if they themselves did not know how, because like it's a whole ritual.
25. At the funeral dinner they ate soup from one bowl. There should also be porridge (rice?) and thick jelly. Previously, no one overtook a funeral procession - a bad omen.
26. There were special “Mourners” at the funeral.
27. Don't wash before traveling - you'll wash off the road.
28. The knife fell on the floor - a man will come. A spoon or fork has fallen - wait for the woman. If you are not expecting uninvited guests, tap this fallen object on the floor before you pick it up...
29. Leaving unwashed dishes or uncleaned garbage will cause the devils to start
30. Sharp objects (knives, forks, hatchets) are not given as gifts. And if they give it, they take a symbolic fee for it, at least 1 kopeck.
31. From oprikos
(CONSPIRACY)
From the point of view. Well, that means you take clean water, bring it, as if unstarted, into a jar or some kind of container, take a sharp knife and that means it’s detected, well, a spell is made on the water. First, they seem to cross, cross three times, and then it means:
Lessons, touches,
slide down, fall down
from God's servant Julia,
they came from the sack,
go there and
to the old owner,
to the hostess
into stumps, into roots,
into the forest trees,
to the marten, to the fox,
under the right pellet,
which words she spoke,
which I didn’t agree on,
all the words are landing.
which words she spoke,
which I didn’t agree on,
all the words are landing.
which words she spoke,
that I didn’t finish, stop all the words.

All words come to rest.<сплевывает три раза через левое плечо>
Well, in general, this conspiracy is done three times, the water is closed<закрывает банку крышкой>, let’s say, drink this water, wash your face, well, don’t wipe yourself, let’s say. In the bathhouse, sometimes you pour this water on yourself, let’s say, with any utensils, and the touch goes away.
32. A transmission from Malye Korel recalled the custom of turning the cup upside down when finishing drinking tea.
33. Pomors are reserved, taciturn. Loud speech among Pomors is a rare phenomenon and a sign of extreme irritation.
34. Sit on the path.
Before the road we always prayed. But after the hustle and bustle of getting ready, it’s not easy to gather thoughts together, so to calm down a little, we sat down for a minute.
I love our Orthodox custom;
It has a secret meaning and there is a clear hint in it;
No wonder he is revered by his fathers,
We keep the offering in a family environment;
When someone is ready to hit the road,
He will sit down in reverent silence,
Focus on yourself
And, protected by a parting cross,
He will surrender himself and his dear neighbors to God,
And there he starts off on the road more energetically. (Peter Andr. Vyazemsky)
35. After Ilya’s day, swimming was not allowed? - Yes, the deer’s hooves got wet - the water gradually became cold
36. Previously, when a wedding was “played,” uninvited people went to watch the wedding. The women came into the house, and the young people treated them (they carried a tray with glasses, not empty ones.)
37. Even in Korely, Uem children still block the way for the wedding train. In Dorogorskoye, I remember, they placed a log across the road and under no circumstances was it possible to go around it - they paid off with candies and “potions”.
38. Always asking for a loan of salt is BAD. Of course, you can give, but never return (take back). If you take salt, you will wash your own tears.
39. Salt crumbles - to a quarrel...
40. Are ancient customs and rituals preserved in the North? I remember that they used to bury Mezen in the first half of the day and after lunch they “didn’t disturb” the dead in the cemetery. (Start “for the repose”)
41. In order not to be afraid of the deceased, when saying goodbye you had to touch his feet.
42. As for the conspiracy from the Oprykos, she was a witness. Indeed, a metal knife is used to baptize water in a cup. Only Epiphany water is taken for greater benefit.
43. You cannot give money to a stranger, just put it on the table, otherwise through it he will take away your strength and luck. More money for you all!!!
44. A transmission from Malye Korel recalled the custom of turning the cup upside down when finishing drinking tea.
45. Any task must be completed on Sunday. If you leave the job, seven people will come and confuse you.
46. To find out how a young man will treat his wife, quietly slip a cat at his feet - he will caress him - he will be affectionate, but he will stomp him away.... (pin.)
47. Pinezhan women have a pin in their belt as a talisman.
48. When some small but necessary thing, or a document, or something like that was lost in the house, after an unsuccessful search, my mother began to say: “Damn, damn, damn, (Or: Brownie, brownie... ) play and give it back!” What we were looking for was sure to be found, and in the place where we had searched repeatedly and unsuccessfully.
49. My nephew once served on the Kola Peninsula. One day he got sick and ended up in the hospital. The professor who was advising him, having learned that the guy was from Pinega, called him nothing more than “Pinega hiccupman.” There is such a rumor that in Pinega they can easily “induce hiccups,” i.e. I'll spoil it. - Tatyana Druzhinina (Shumilova) (pin.)
50. In our village we hung a swing on the Easter egg; I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else. - (pin.)
51. IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING, BUY IT, DON’T TELL UNTIL YOU’VE DONE IT OR BUY IT - OTHERWISE GOD WILL LAUGH AND IT WILL NOT WORK OUT (pin.)
52. DO NOT GO TO THE BARN AFTER DINNER?
AFTER BIRTH, AN UNBAPTIZED CHILD IS NOT LEFT ALONE IN THE BATH.
A COW WITH BARE LEGS AND WITHOUT A HEADDRESS WILL NOT BE KICKED OUT OR RUBBED
WHEN YOU COME TO A SOMEONE ELSE'S PLACE OR TO A FOREST HUT TO SPEND THE NIGHT, YOU NEED TO ASK THE HOUSEHOLD
AND YOU GO TO THE FOREST TO GET MUSHROOMS AND BERRIES - YOU NEED TO ASK THE FOREST FRATE TO HELP PICK UP, AND WHEN YOU GO OUT, THANK HIM FOR THE MUSHROOMS AND BERRIES. (pin.)
53. You can’t take out the trash in the evening (pin.)
54. I remember that we were forbidden to swim after August 2 (Ilya’s day passes and we can no longer go into the rivers), and in the bathhouse after 24.00 obderikhs are in charge, so we have to wash before 24.00! - Natalya Semyonova. (pin.)
55. -And this is the last sheaf, in the old days it was left on the field, and it was called “beard”. They curled their beards - also songs - this definitely exists in the north, in the Mezen region... And they celebrated harvest - it was a holiday, a harvest festival." (Tatyana Vasilyeva, folklorist: t/k "Pomorie")
56. Pomors-Old Believers did not drink alcohol at all.
The age-old custom of the Pomors is not to offend orphans whose fathers were destroyed by the sea. Of all the acts of the funeral rite, we note the insufficiently known custom of placing a stone and a broom in the red corner of God after death. Then this broom is burned.
57. Among the Pomors and Sami, it is a common custom to name rivers, lakes, toni and islands after the names of people who drowned in or near these bodies of water.
58. The Pomeranian tradition of not throwing garbage into the river or the sea is well known.
Pomors also had special treatment for fishing areas. On each hut - a hut on the sea or river, where a family or several families lived and hunted in the summer - there was a cross “for catch” - so that the fish could be caught better. Anyone passing by must pray. During the summer fishing, when families “sat” on the tone, any passer-by was greeted by the hostesses and fed to their fullest. Treating a random person is a blessing; it was not only a sign of hospitality, but also a spell of good luck and prosperity. (pomorland.narod.ru)
59. I’ll tell you about one Pomeranian custom.
16 years ago I went to my mother-in-law’s funeral near Arkhangelsk. She was an amazing, kind woman. She never called me anything other than Zina-darling. I truly loved her. Her death was very difficult for me. I couldn’t look at her portrait without tears. At the cemetery, when they buried the grave, our closest relatives were called into the enclosure by my mother’s cousin from the village of Ryushenga. She said that we should let mom go home, make her path easier, and not keep her soul on a leash. She gave us all a quarter of a piece of bread with salt and said: “Each of you needs to dig a small niche on the side of the grave mound. Turn to your mother, saying: “Mom, you have your own home, here is bread and salt for you, don’t bother us,” and bury a piece of bread in this niche,” which is what we all did. Came back home. They commemorated me. I cried a lot. Tears simply flowed from my eyes involuntarily. But these were already different tears—tears of relief and light sadness. I'm still crying now. I never dreamed about my mother. I don't perceive her as gone. I mentally consult with her. I think about how she would look at this or that action of mine. - Zinaida Pogrebnaya (Kusheva)
60. In 1964, in the village of Rikasikha, Primorsky district, my husband’s grandmother Kusheva (Bagretsrva) Anna Fedorovna was buried. She was originally from the village of Lyavlya. At the funeral dinner they ate with new spoons. (Forks are not used at funerals. Then all these spoons were distributed. Many years have passed. No, no, an old funeral spoon will end up at dinner. You will involuntarily remember your grandmother during the meal and remember her with a kind word. I have not observed this custom once. A very good custom. - Zinaida Pogrebnaya (Kusheva)
61. On Ivan Day (Ivan Kupala), more than once as a child I went with my grandmother to pick up (usually birch in the north) brooms. Made for each family member with flowers. The bathhouse was always heated, everyone steamed, and on the same day these brooms were taken to the river and thrown into the water. There was a sign - if the broom floats, it means that everything will be fine this year. If he drowns right away, he will probably die or be very sick. In my life, I drowned once right away, and it came true. After Ivan Day, people were allowed to swim and prepare brooms for the winter. - A. Bunyak (Prokshina)
62. To find out how a young man will treat his wife: quietly slip a cat at his feet - he will caress him - he will be affectionate, but he will stomp him away. (pin.)
63. IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING, BUY SOMETHING, DON’T TALK UNTIL YOU’VE DONE IT OR BUY IT, OTHERWISE GOD WILL LAUGH AND IT WILL NOT WORK OUT. (pin.)
64. DO NOT GO TO THE BARN AFTER DINNER?
65. AFTER BIRTH, AN UNBAPTIZED CHILD IS NOT LEFT ALONE IN THE BATH.
66. A COW WITH BARE LEGS AND WITHOUT A HEADDRESS IS NOT KICKED OUT AND DOES NOT DRESS
67. WHEN YOU COME TO A SOMEONE PLACE OR A FOREST HUT TO SPEND THE NIGHT, YOU NEED TO ASK THE HOUSEHOLD
AND YOU GO TO THE FOREST TO GET MUSHROOMS AND BERRIES, YOU NEED TO ASK THE FOREST FRATE TO HELP PICK UP, AND WHEN COMING OUT, THANK HIM FOR THE MUSHROOMS AND BERRIES. (pin.)
68. On Christmastide, my grandmother and I told fortunes. Without advertising. In general, everything was closed. The wax was poured. They burned the paper and then looked at the shadow against the background of the stove, arguing heatedly about who saw what. They baked all sorts of goodies, including roe deer. We played cards. They made coffee in a samovar. We received guests who were in darkness every day. They played tricks with their peers and made them mischievous. And they never did anything bad. Great-aunt Anna was a witch, a healer, whatever... She treated me with spells and rituals, including me once or twice. There has never been religious fanaticism in my family, although they held the faith firmly, but without chatter. They didn’t stick out at all. Never discussed. - Sergei Kotkin.
69. Don’t go to the SEA ON MONDAY - and we didn’t even go out to the RIVER for firewood that day... - Kolya Taranin.
70. In 1964, in the village of Rikasikha, Primorsky district, my husband’s grandmother Kusheva (Bagretsrva) Anna Fedorovna was buried. She was originally from the village of Lyavlya. At the funeral dinner they ate with new spoons. (They don’t use forks at funerals. Then all these spoons were distributed. Many years have passed. No, no, an old funeral spoon will end up at dinner. You will involuntarily remember your grandmother during the meal and remember it with a kind word. I have not observed this custom once. A very good custom. - Zinaida Pogrebnaya (Kusheva).
71. Bath hospitality: The wanderer-guest, who came from the unclean space of the outer world, had to wash himself and cleanse himself from the filth of the road. For the traveler, the bathhouse turned into a vessel filled with dead and living water, after washing with which he dies and is reborn as a new, “clean” person. (northern)
72. “You can’t settle where there used to be roads. They dragged the dead there - they will wonder” (Finn-Ugric.)
73. In the Olonets province, during the celebration of Maslenitsa, “a real battle is organized, known under the innocent name of “ball games.” This game consists of the following: on the last day of Maslenitsa, boys and family men from several outlying villages converge somewhere on level ground (most often on a river), divide into two crowds, about thirty people each, and designate places to which they should drive ball (usually the players stand against the middle of the village, and one party must drive the ball down the river, the other up)... The extraordinary excitement of this Russian “lawn tennis” is explained by the fact that losing a game of ball is considered a great humiliation: the losers are ridiculed and teased for a whole year , calling them Kilovniks” is a very offensive and humiliating nickname, denoting the height of contempt. The ritual “football” match, which ended in a fist fight, was based on the opposition of the “top” and “bottom” of the river, which determined the “hostile” nature of the relations between the residents of the upper and lower ends of the village, between villages located in the upper and lower reaches of the river (“upper” and “estuaries”). “The “hostility” of the river top and bottom was embodied not only in effective, but also in verbal duels, which included mutual insults, ridicule, and humiliation.”
74. Grandmother always had a stocking with ash in her stove. If someone has a sore throat, then a “hot water bottle” is always ready... - N. (Filippova) Tatti
75. On the seventh day a broom is not used,
Don't take a steam bath,
An unclean spirit is not washed away,
Afterwards they don’t call Udilena:
“Mother Rye Udilena,
Comb the straw - the gold of the hair,
Season the ears with mash and molasses...”
N. Klyuev. 1919: 251
76. Many churches, from the foundation of which settlements began, were placed in places where a log launched into the water floated (an ancient custom - drawing lots, known among the peoples of Northern Europe). Another functional synonym for a broom - a wreath is known as a means for fortune telling about the fate of the Trinity (E L. Berezovich)
77. On Maundy Thursday during Holy Week they performed a ritual “calling out” to the dead. “On this day, early in the morning, they burned straw and called out to the dead” (Stoglav, 1890, p. 193). Then the housewives called the cattle by name into the chimney. But on the same day they “called out” Moroz, inviting him to a meal and asking him not to destroy the harvest.
78. Killing the dead beyond measure was not very welcome. The sea had to take its toll, either literally or figuratively. And the sea was not reproached for this. There was a case when the mother cursed God. - S. Kotkin.
79.
MARCH 1 - YARILIN DAY

March began with Yarilin's days.

Yarilo is the pagan sun god of the ancient Slavs.

From Yarila the earth heated up - “got furious”.

After Epiphany, the gypsies sell their fur coats, and wait for frosts on Athanasius the bug-eyed, Fyodor the tyrant (tyrone) and Maremyana the kikimora.

In medieval Rus', the New Year was celebrated on this day, and the tradition of not working on March 1 was preserved until the 19th century.

If from the first days spring is wild and unscrupulous, it will deceive. Believe her, check herself.

On this day they said: “Yarila - with a pitchfork,” that is, Yarilo lifted winter onto his pitchfork - the sun's rays - and began to drive it away.
People said: “Yarilo has risen, take hold of the pitchfork, man.”

Yarilo was not only the god of the sun, but also the god of fertility, and therefore pregnant women on this day tried to bask in the sun in order to gain strength to bear a child.
And the midwives melted the midday snow in the house, washed themselves with melt water and washed their hands in order to become clean and receive the child.

On this day, if snow fell at night, mothers sent their children to lay a path to the well and bridges on the pond and river.
They believed that this would bring happiness to the house and give health to the children.

From this day on, Yarilin’s girls’ round dances began.

They prayed to “drive away evil spirits” and also “ransomed” themselves from illnesses and misfortunes.
The “ransom” custom dates back to pre-Christian times, when it was supposed to give a sacrifice to the god Veles. To this day it has been preserved in Kupala ritual actions.

The ransom was carried out with the help of a silver object (coins, spoons, etc.) - from a metal endowed since ancient times with the ability to expel evil spirits that send illnesses and troubles.
However, other things were also used, even the most mundane.
The “ransom” item was supposed to be left with special spell words at a cemetery, crossroads, or simply on the road.

That is why there was a strict ban on lifting anything from the ground, and especially in the listed places.
Otherwise, you can become a “transfer-soul,” that is, take upon yourself what the owner of the thing bought off.
In some places, this prohibition even extended to household items, pieces of food, etc. that accidentally fell into the hut.

When Christianity took root in Rus', they began to pray to the Monk Marufa for the “drive away of evil spirits.”
In memory of the fact that the suicide of Judas falls on this date, popular culture has formed a number of restrictions not only for this day, but for all times:

– do not take salt from the salt shaker with your fingers;
– do not dip a piece of bread into the salt shaker;
– do not place the spoon “bottom up” (which is only possible at the funeral table);
– do not seat 13 people at the table. - (N. Kordumova)
80. MARCH 2 - FEDOR TIRON. MAREMYANA KIKIMORA,

END OF WINTER WEDDING WEEKS.

In Rus', this day had a double name - after the names of the saints whose memory was celebrated on March 2.
These are the great martyr Theodore Tiron, who lived at the beginning of the 4th century, and the righteous Mariamne, sister of the Apostle Philip.
Tyrone (warrior) refused to sacrifice to idols, for which he was thrown into prison to starve and was severely tortured.
He was burned at the stake for his faith in Christ in 306.

He is revered as the protector of people living according to the Commandments of God.

As often happens, the Russian people “turned” Tyrone into a tyrant, who came to his senses in time and began to protect the people.
They prayed to him to find stolen things and escaped slaves.

But they knew how to find stolen things with the help of special fortune telling.
So, when they wanted to find out the name of the thief, they took a sieve, stuck scissors into it, inserted their index fingers into the rings of the scissors and held the sieve suspended, while pronouncing the names of the suspects.
If the sieve turned when a name was mentioned, it was a sign that this particular person had stolen the famous thing.

The Russian people generally imagined Maremyana as a kikimora, and not an earthly woman.
On the other hand, it was to the holy righteous Maremyana that the people turned with a request to protect them from the tricks of the kikimora.
Kikimora, in the opinion of the peasants, most harmed the women who were engaged in spinning and weaving: she loved to tangle the yarn with them and unwind the balls, breaking the yarn.

People have a special story about the origin of kikimoras:
“The evil spirit lives in this world by itself. Damned, she is not related to anyone: she has neither a brother nor a sister.
She has neither a birth father nor a birth mother, she has neither a yard nor a field, but she makes her way, homeless, where there is day, where there is night.
She, the unclean one, looks without greetings, without joy, at good people: she would destroy and ruin everything, she would do everything for evil, she would stir up everything with peace.
Among them there are young fellows, playful. And even those young fellows pretend to be non-human and like a snake.
They, young fellows, fly across the sky, like a snake; they walk around the hut, well done, like human beings.
They fly across the sky, look at the red girls, walk around the hut, and dry the red girls.
If he falls in love with the red maiden-soul, he, the accursed one, will burn like a fiery serpent, he, the unclean one, will illuminate the dense oak trees.
He, the villain, flies across the sky like a ball of fire; scatters on the ground with flammable fire, in the red maiden’s mansion he becomes a young man of indescribable beauty.
He dries and chills the red maiden to the point of languor. Is it from this unclean force that a girl gives birth to an unholy child?
Out of anguish and sadness, the hearts of the father and mother are torn that the red maiden has given birth to an unnatural child.
They swear and scold the unlucky child with a great oath: he should not live in this world, he should not be like a man, he would burn forever in boiling tar, in an unquenchable fire.
Since that oath, that cursed child, without pore, without time, disappears from the mother’s womb.
And he, the accursed one, is carried away by the unclean, distant lands to the thirtieth kingdom.
And there, exactly seven weeks later, the cursed child is called Kikimora.
Kikimora lives and grows with a magician in the stone mountains.
He waters and pampers Kikimora with copper dew, soars in the bathhouse with a silk broom, and scratches his head with a golden comb.
From morning to evening, Kikimora is entertained by the bayun cat, telling her overseas fairy tales about the entire human race.
From evening until midnight, the magician plays brilliant games, amuses Kikimora with either a blind goat or blind man's buff.
From midnight until broad daylight, Kikimora is rocked in a crystal cradle.
Exactly seven years later, Kikimora grows up.
She's a thin, dark-haired Kikimora, but her head is as small as a thimble, and her body is barely recognizable as a straw.
Kikimora sees far away in the sky, rather he runs on the damp ground.
Kikimora doesn’t try for a whole century; she wanders around summer and winter without clothes or shoes.
No one sees Kikimora either in the middle of a white day or in the middle of a dark night.
She, Kikimora, knows all the cities with their suburbs, all the villages with their little villages; She, Kikimora, knows about the entire human race, about all the grave sins.
Kikimora makes friends with magicians and witches.
Evil on the mind keeps people honest.
As the years end, when the time comes for the law, Kikimora runs out from behind the stone mountains into the wide world to the evil magicians of science.
And even those magicians are cunning, malicious people; They send Kikimora to good people for destruction.
Kikimora enters the hut without anyone knowing, she settles behind the stove without anyone knowing.
Kikimora knocks and rattles from morning to evening, from evening to midnight Kikimora whistles and hisses in all corners and on the counter.
From midnight until broad daylight, he spins hemp tow, twists hemp yarn, and warps silk warp.

At dawn, she, Kikimora, assembles oak tables, sets up maple benches, and lays damask benches for a slovenly feast, for uninvited guests.
Nothing is to her heart, Kikimora: and that stove is not in the right place, and that table is in the wrong corner, and that bench is not on the wall.
Kikimora builds the stove in his own way, sets up the table in an elegant way, and decorates the bench with cufflinks.
She survives, Kikimora, the owner himself, she, the accursed one, plagues every human race.
And even after that, she, the crafty one, stirs up the world of the baptized: whether a passer-by is walking down the street, and then she throws a stone at his feet, or whether a townsman is going to the market to sell, and then she throws a stone at his head.
Since that disaster, the great houses of the townspeople are empty, the courtyards are overgrown with grass and ants.”
On Maremyana, at dawn, conspiracies against kikimoras are pronounced.
To expel kikimoras from home, conspiracies must be pronounced not only on March 2, but also on March 17 - on the day that is called Kikimoras.

On the same day, the girls also told fortunes - they went out into the street and looked: if a woman is walking, it means that the one who is telling fortunes will get married this year.

What is the weather like on this day, so be it in the summer.
The crow begins to build a nest on Fyodor.

Folk omens prohibit looking at the sky in the evening, since seeing a falling star can mean serious illness and even death.

On this day, it was necessary to wash kitchen utensils with a solution containing a tincture of fern roots.
Sweep the path in front of the house from the porch to the well, or intersection.
Throw away, breaking, dishes with cracks and chips, burn old clothes and other rubbish, go around the house with a torch.

Continuation of Maslenitsa week:
Wednesday - GOODS. On this day, the son-in-law came to his mother-in-law for pancakes.
In addition to the son-in-law, the mother-in-law invited other guests.

On Lakomki, on Wednesday, mothers-in-law invited their sons-in-law to pancakes, and for the amusement of their beloved son-in-law they called all their relatives.
In Tula, mothers-in-law also bake pancakes, pancakes and cottage cheese for their son-in-law.
In Nerekhta there is a congress of girls, young and old, from the villages, where they, in festive dresses, ride separately from the men. The mocking Russian people composed several songs about the thoughtfulness of a mother-in-law when treating her son-in-law.
These songs are sung in the evening by single people, with different personifications.
Here, a dressed-up bear plays various farces, “how the mother-in-law baked pancakes about her son-in-law, how the mother-in-law’s head hurts, how the son-in-law was so daring and said thank you to his mother-in-law.”
From the book “Tales of the Russian People, Collected by Ivan Petrovich Sakharov”:

YARILO - WITH Plow-Harrow

They say that on this day you can see the emergence of hives butterflies.

They revered the bunting bird - its crop is yellowish, its ridge is greenish. She was known as the herald of speedy warmth.
The little bunting bird announced the coming of spring with its cheerful chirping.
On this day, Yarilo took up the plow and harrow, checking whether they were ready for spring.
From that day on, the blacksmiths had more work to do - the peasants brought them working tools to repair.

On this day there was no shelter for the snow from Yarila, he drowned it, sparing no effort.
People used to say: “A lot of snow means a lot of bread; a lot of water - a lot of grass”, “If it blows snow, there will be more bread; the water will spill and there will be hay.”

On this day, oatmeal cookies were baked - oatmeal cookies.

Oatmeal
400 g oat flour, 400 g wheat flour, 250 ml. warmed milk, 300 g sugar, 1 tablespoon potato flour, 2 teaspoons soda, 200 g butter, stir, roll out, cut out “cookies” with a large glass, bake.

Thursday - “Walk-four” or “Wide Thursday”.
Maslenitsa festivities reach their climax.
A Maslenitsa train (also known in the Western European carnival) is organized, traveling around the entire village led by the hero of the occasion.
In honor of Perun, fist fights take place all day, which at the end of the celebration for that day culminate in the capture of the snowy town.
From the book “Tales of the Russian People Collected by Ivan Petrovich Sakharov”:

On Wide Thursday, Maslenitsa revelry begins: riding through the streets, various rituals and fist fights.
In Pereslavl-Zalessky, Yuryev Polsky and Vladimir, they carry a man through the streets.
A huge sleigh is chosen for the train, a post is placed in the middle, a wheel is tied to the post, a man is placed on the wheel with wine and rolls.
Behind this sleigh is a train with people singing and playing.

In the old days, in Zaraysk, a tree decorated with rags and bells was carried on a sleigh, accompanied by people.
In Arkhangelsk, butchers used to transport a bull around the city on a huge sleigh, to which a train with people was attached.

In Yaroslavl, carolers begin singing Kolyada on Thursday.
There, factory workers go from house to house with tambourines, horns and balalaikas to congratulate them on the holiday: “Order, sir owner, to sing Carol.”
For carol songs, carolers are treated to beer and rewarded with money.

In Solvychegodsk, beer is brewed with the help of the world.
Bratchina, a riotous people, gathers at a designated place to drink beer and sing songs.

In Siberia, Maslenitsa is carried around on several sleighs, on which a ship with sails and gear is arranged.
Here people, a bear and an honest Maslenitsa sit down.
A sleigh harnessed to 20 horses carries Maslenitsa through the streets, accompanied by a train of singers and jesters.

Fist fights begin in the morning and continue until the evening.
First, they start fighting one on one, one on one, and then it’s wall to wall.
All ages used to take part in fist fights; but now they find rare champions and only boys remind them of the old fun.

In the 18th century, Moscow saw three royal entertainments at Maslenitsa.
In 1722, after the Peace of Neustadt, the Great Peter equipped the Maslenitsa train from Vsesvyatsky village through the Tver Gate directly to the Kremlin.
The celebration lasted four days.
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna opened Maslenitsa in the village of Pokrovskoye. Empress Catherine II, after her coronation, celebrated a three-day masquerade on the city streets at Maslenitsa.

This day is popularly called after the apostles Archippus and Philemon.

Folk signs for this day:

On Fedot there is a snow drift - to the late grass.

If you meet a white hare in the forest on this day, more snow will definitely fall.

A seagull flew by - soon the ice will go.

On March 4, the orphans and the poor were welcomed in peasant houses, the beggars were joyfully received, and they were treated to glory.
It was believed that the more good deeds you do on this day, the better.

They baked a loaf, dedicated it to the sun, and then gave a piece to everyone at home, neighbors, and the beggar brethren who always came to the house to eat.
The remaining bread crumbs were thrown behind the back.
They believed: if you throw the bread and salt back, you’ll have bread in the fall.

People have the following sayings about the art of baking bread:

Once the bread is in the oven, do not sit on the oven, it will spoil.

If there is a golik (broom) under the oven or a frog sitting, then the bread will spoil.

When one loaf is taken out before the others and cut, all the loaves will spoil.

Don't make bread at dinner, there won't be an argument.

When the sun has set, no new rugs are repaired, poverty prevails.

When the bread is baking, do not sweep the hut: you will sweep it with ergot.

When placing the bread in the oven, raise the hem, saying: “Rise higher!”

Start cutting the loaf of bread from the head (from the edge, which has “protruded” a little).

“From ancient times, the loaf came to us,” writes V. Pobochny in one of his books.
- In the old days it was called a skullcap.
In pagan times it was considered a sacred pie.

IN AND. Dahl mentions the ancient wedding rite of a caravan. Nowadays, loaf began to be prepared from cottage cheese, noodles, cabbage, and millet.
Maslenitsa:

Friday - "mother-in-law's evening"

From the book “Tales of the Russian People, Collected by Ivan Petrovich Sakharov”:

On mother-in-law's evenings, sons-in-law treat their mothers-in-law to pancakes.
Invitations can be honorary, with all relatives, for lunch, or simply for one dinner.
In the old days, the son-in-law was obliged to personally invite his mother-in-law in the evening, and then, in the morning, send elegant invitees.
The more people were invited, the more honors the mother-in-law received.
A friend or matchmaker was invited to such elegant calls and received gifts from both sides for their efforts.
83. MARCH 5 - LION RIDER, CORNELIUS

Already by this time, early thawed patches appeared in the fields, they said: “No matter how angry the blizzard is, everything will blow in the spring.”

This day is popularly named after the Monk Leo, a bishop in the city of Catana in Sicily.
Since the Sicilian saint was far from the Russian people, the peasants renamed him Leo the Roller, and organized rides from the mountains on this day.
It was believed that whoever slides further will prolong his happiness.
They said: “Winter is coming to an end - hurry up and ride your sleds to your heart’s content.”
The chances of dying, according to popular belief, increase significantly for those who fall ill on March 5, the day of remembrance of St. Cornelius of Pskov-Pechersk.
Probably, the reason for the occurrence of bad omens associated with this particular day was the tragic fate of Cornelius himself, who was killed by Ivan the Terrible at the gates of the Pskov-Pechersk monastery.

If on this day the chicken drinks some water at the doorstep, then spring will be friendly and warm.

At this time there are winds: “Khariton’s wife was walking under the fence, she found seven hundred shirts, the wind blew and blew all the shirts.”

Since ancient times there has been a legend in Rus' that one should not look at falling stars from the sky at Leo Katansky:
“A bad omen will fall on the soul of the one who envies a falling star - it portends bad things.”
Those who disdain old signs, seeing a falling star, say: “The maniac has flown.” Shooting stars were called maniacs.
In ancient times these stars were known as the white paths. This is how they are recorded in our chronicles under the year 1385.
Among the villagers, the fall of stars was considered ominous; they dissuade him with the words: “Amen! Scatter!"
In some places they were revered as spirits who visited women in the absence of their husbands.

It was believed that if anyone gets sick on this day, he will either be ill for a long time or die.
They placed a piece of bread under the armpits of such a patient and noted: if the bread dries up by morning, the patient will certainly die.

On this day it was necessary to secretly take fire (coals) from the forge and carry it to the field.
This fire cemented the union of the earth and the plow-harrow, warmed future shoots, and gave fertility to the earth.

Maslenitsa:

Saturday - sister-in-law's get-togethers

Let's start with the fact that a "sister-in-law" is her husband's sister. Where did this name come from? Maybe from the word evil?
After all, she always noticed too many negative traits in her brother’s wife, and sometimes did not hide her dislike for her? Well, this has happened... (but not always).
So, on this Saturday, young daughters-in-law received their relatives (the wives of sons were daughters-in-law for the mother of their husbands, that is, they came not from here, from their village, for example, but from God knows where - this was customary in some places before: " Do not marry your own, locals").
84. MARCH 6 - TIMOFEY VESNOVEY

This day is named among the people by the name of the Monk Timothy, who asceticised in the desert called Symbols, in Asia Minor, at Mount Olympia.
Even in his youth, he made it a rule to never look at a woman’s face. Timothy had the gift of healing and power over evil spirits.
However, it was important to the Russian people that it was this day that defined spring.

Spring is coming, the herald of warm days.

If the first thunder strikes with a north wind - it means a cold spring, with an east wind - dry and warm, with a south wind - a warm one.

In the spring it blows warmly, warming the elderly.

Spring welcomes you with warmth.

Sap flow begins in maples and birches.

It was believed that whatever the weather was like on this day, such would be the spring.

Warm winds began to blow on Timothy, and therefore they said:
“I wish I could live until Vesnovey, but winter isn’t terrible there,” “Timofey Vesnovey is already warm at the door,” “No matter how angry the blizzard is at Timofey Vesnovey, spring still blows.”

On this day they said: “The spring is blowing and warming the old,” because the old people got off the stove, moved to the rubble, looked to see if spring would be good, and had conversations among themselves, remembering funny stories.

Both old and young loved the so-called boring fairy tales, familiar to us all from childhood:

“Once upon a time there were two brothers, two brothers - a sandpiper and a crane. They cut a haystack and placed it among the fields. Shouldn’t we tell the fairy tale again from the end?”

“Once upon a time there was an old man, the old man had a well, and in the well there was a dace fish, and that’s the end of the fairy tale.”

“Once upon a time there was a king, the king had a courtyard, there was a stake on the darra, and a sponge on the stake; Shouldn’t I say it from the beginning?”

“Should I tell you a fairy tale about a white bull?” - "Tell".
- “You tell me, and I’ll tell you, and should I tell you a fairy tale about a white bull?” - "Tell".
- “You tell me, and I’ll tell you, what will we have, how long will it be!” Should I tell you a fairy tale about a white bull?

“Should I tell you a boring tale?” - "Tell".
- “You say: tell me, I say: tell me; Shall I tell you a boring tale?”
- "No need". - “You say: no need, I say: no need; Shall I tell you a boring tale?” - etc.

Maslenitsa:

Sunday - farewell, kissing day, forgiven day.
M. Zabylin’s book “The Russian People” tells how, at the beginning of the 17th century, the foreigner Margeret observed the following picture: if during the year the Russians offended each other in some way, then, having met on “Forgiveness Sunday,” they would certainly greet each other with a kiss , and one of them said: “Forgive me, perhaps.”
The second one answered: “God will forgive you.” The offense was forgotten.
For the same purpose, on Forgiveness Sunday they went to the cemetery, left pancakes on the graves, prayed, and worshiped the ashes of their relatives.
Maslenitsa was also called Cheese Week and was the last week before Lent.
The most important day of Maslenitsa week was Sunday - the prayer before the beginning of Lent.
The main episode of the last day was the “farewell to Maslenitsa,” often accompanied by the lighting of bonfires.

In Russia, for this day they made a stuffed Winter from straw or rags, usually dressed it in women's clothing, carried it through the entire village, sometimes placing the stuffed animal on a wheel stuck on top of a pole. Having left the village, the scarecrow was either drowned in an ice hole, or burned, or simply torn into pieces, and the remaining straw was scattered across the field.
Sometimes, instead of a doll, a living “Maslenitsa” was carried around the village: a smartly dressed girl or woman, an old woman or even an old drunkard in rags.
Then, amid shouts and hoots, they were taken out of the village and dropped there or dumped in the snow (“held Maslenitsa”).
It should be noted here that the concept of the “Effigy of Maslenitsa” is somewhat erroneous, since in reality the effigy of Winter was made, rolled, seen off and burned, but since this action took place on Maslenitsa (that is, a holiday), the effigy is very often mistakenly called Maslenitsa, although this is not true.
Where scarecrows were not made, the ritual of “farewell to Maslenitsa” consisted mainly of lighting community bonfires on a hill behind the village or near the river.

In addition to firewood, they threw all sorts of old things into the fires - bast shoes, harrows, purses, brooms, barrels and other unnecessary things, previously collected by children throughout the village, and sometimes stolen specifically for this.
Sometimes they burned a wheel in a fire, a symbol of the sun associated with the approaching spring; it was often put on a pole stuck in the middle of the fire.

Among the Western and Southern Slavs, the Russian “Maslenitsa” corresponded to Zapust, Mensopust, Pust and some other characters - stuffed animals, whose “seeing off” ended the Maslenitsa week.
In the central regions of Russia, “farewell to Maslenitsa” was accompanied by the removal of fast food, symbolizing Maslenitsa, from the cultural space.
Therefore, in bonfires they actually sometimes burned the remains of pancakes and butter, and poured milk into it, but more often they simply told the children that all the quick meals were burned in the bonfire (“the milk burned and flew to Rostov”).
Some customs were addressed to children and were supposed to frighten them and force them to obey: in the Nizhny Novgorod region, on the last Sunday of Maslenitsa week, a pole was installed in the center of the village, onto which a man with a broom climbed and, pretending to beat someone, shouted: “Don’t ask.” milk, pancakes, scrambled eggs.” (N. Kordumova)
85. MARCH 7 - MAURITIUS, Athanasius

Why the martyr Mauritius, who lived in the 4th century, was associated in the minds of the Russian people with the arrival of rooks, no one can explain.
Nevertheless, it was believed that starlings, rooks and swallows fly home to Mauritius.
The early arrival of rooks and swallows means early spring. And people also said: “Early swallows mean a happy year.”

The Russian people loved swallows very much, and therefore they composed many proverbs and sayings about them:

If a swallow flies under a cow, then that (cow) will be milked with blood.

Swallows dart low in the rain.

Swallows fly high - towards the bucket.

A swallow flies into the window - to the dead man.

Whoever destroys a swallow's nest will have freckles.

Whoever washes his face with milk at the first swallow will be white.

In Mauritius, the first work began on the field and in the garden, where manure was transported - while the road was strong and it was still possible to drive up to the field.
Manure was a faithful helper for peasants in the fields. They said about him:

Put the manure thickly - the barn will not be empty.

The manure will deceive God himself and give a harvest in a lean year.

I brought a bunch of manure - and I don’t bother God (I don’t bother him).

There is manure in the field, a cartload of bread in the barn.

Manure should not be plowed during the new moon, but only during the last quarter.

During the full moon, manure cannot be transported across the fields - it will choke the weeds.

On this day it was necessary to secretly take the land from under the first spring plow and also secretly put it in the hut.
It was believed that if everything was done correctly, all the bugs would leave the house.

On this day, early peas and cabbage are sown, which such “premature” sowing protects from attack by caterpillars during the period when heads of cabbage are setting.

A spell for good plant growth in the garden and field:

“I will wash (name) with the morning dew at dawn and outline myself with my ring finger and say:
“You are the morning dawn, and you, the evening dawn, fall on my rye, etc., so that it grows like a tall forest, like a thick oak.”
Be, my words, strong and molding.”

No matter how angry winter is, it will still submit to spring.

On this day they ate “black fish soup” - a soup in which meat was boiled in cucumber brine mixed with various spices and roots.

Maslenitsa:

Farewell to Maslenitsa ended on the first day of Lent - Clean Monday, which was considered a day of cleansing from sin and savory food.
Men usually “rinsed their teeth”, i.e. they drank vodka in abundance, supposedly in order to rinse the remnants of the meager food out of their mouths; in some places, fist fights, etc. were organized to “shake out the pancakes.”
On Clean Monday they always washed in the bathhouse, and the women washed the dishes and “steamed” the dairy utensils, cleaning them from fat and remnants of the milk.
86. MARCH 8 - SOUR GIRLS

On this day, now Women's Day, in Rus' the girls... were sour, and there was nothing surprising in that: if they didn’t have a wedding before Maslenitsa, then now they had to wait until the summer.
To those girls who did not manage to get married, their fathers and mothers said: “Get your chests away, girl, close your outfits.
If the wedding is not celebrated before Shrovetide, sit until late spring, until the first spring round dances.”
However, the sour girls did not waste time and spoke all sorts of sentences to attract suitors.
To do this, they guarded the appearance of the young moon and, seeing it, spun on their right heel, saying: “Young moon, hover around me with suitors, just as I hover around you.”

And also, unnoticed by everyone, they swept dirty linen from the street into the hut and swept it into the front corner, where no one would see it, saying:
“I’m driving young people into my hut, not thieves, come to me suitors from other people’s yards.”

They started the dough, put it in the oven, and when it began to sour, they took a thimble, scooped out the batter three times and drank it with the sentence:
“Just as dough lies in place in the heart, so thoughts about the servant of God (name) would lie in the zealous heart of the servant of God (name).”

And after the gatherings, they went out the gate, collected snow into the hem of their sundress, shoveled it, sorted it out and threw it on the ground, saying:
“I’ll field, I’ll plant millet on the girl’s braid; Where is my fiancé, there, little dog, howl, let out your little voice.”

On the same day they determined how quickly the snow would melt.
It was believed that if a straw placed on the surface of the snow fell through a snowdrift, then within a month the snow would melt away.

On this day there were special signs about magpies.

They said: “From this day on, he won’t see forty guests, the matchmaker won’t fly ahead to the house,”

“A magpie in the forest took to its nest,”

“It’s time for the magpies to go into the forest, and for the black grouse to sing.”

And they also said about magpies:

A magpie jumps at a patient's house - to recovery.

The magpie doesn't tickle for nothing - either to guests or to news.

A magpie climbs under the eaves - towards the blizzard.

It must be said that magpies were not particularly favored in Rus' - just like the crow, owl and eagle owl.
It was believed that if a magpie screamed on the roof of a house, then there would be a dead person in the house.

In Moscow there was a legend about a magpie that supposedly betrayed the boyar Kuchka.
It is known that our capital was founded on the site of the murder of Kuchka, and when he, wanting to hide from his pursuers, hid under a bush, the magpie gave him away with its chirping.
Since then, magpies have been banished from Moscow forever.

People also said that Marina Mnishek, the wife of the impostor Dimitri, was a witch, and when they killed her, she allegedly turned into a magpie and flew out the window of her mansion.
This is why all magpies are cursed.
Although there is another version of the curse of the magpies - supposedly they were cursed by one pious old man because one of the representatives of this tribe took away the last piece of his cheese.

From March 8 to March 15, the return of cold weather is possible: the month of March loves to play tricks, is proud of the frost and sits on its nose.
87. There was a custom, as soon as the ice drift began, to go ashore and fire from guns. During spawning, salmon were protected from rest. When the fish went to spawn, the oarlocks of the boat were wrapped in a rag so as not to scare the fish. In the summer we tried not to hunt, saving them until they grew up.

The Pomeranian calendar exists in various signs. It was believed that “salmon trips” took place on calendar holidays. “That’s how the hikes were. Here's to the Ivanovo campaign. Then to Petrovsky, then to Ilyinsky, then to Makovey on July 14, then to Transfiguration on August 19. And then there will be a campaign to the Third Savior, then to the Mother of God, Sdvizhensky, to Ivan the Theologian, then the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Mikhailovsky campaign, the last campaign - the Mitreevsky on November 9. After all, the sea is not closed, the men are fishing.”

Pomeranian New Year
September was the most festive month for the Pomors: it was the time of the end of field work for the black-plowed Pomerania, the time of industrial fishermen returning from the sea and the beginning of the autumn Pomor trade. When the reformer Tsar Peter I moved the start of the New Year from September 14 (September 1, Old Style) to January 1, the Pomors, who did not recognize most of the Tsar’s reforms, refused to keep the calendar according to the new calendar. True Pomors still adhere to this tradition and celebrate their New Year in September. In Russia, of all the peoples, only the Pomors have preserved the tradition of celebrating the New Year with a holiday and the Margaritinsky Fair. That’s why the holiday is called Pomeranian New Year. In 2006, the Pomors celebrated the onset of the 7515th new summer according to their calendar. Thus, if in Russia they traditionally celebrate the New Year twice (in January - new and old), then about the Pomeranian capital we can say this: “here the New Year is three times a year!” By the way, the Russian Orthodox Church also still has not recognized Peter’s calendar reform, and in all liturgical books “the order of the new summer remains the same.”
The villages of the Leshukonsky district are also characterized by ritual cookies - Kozulki, which depicted various animals - goats, cows, bulls, horses, etc. The roe was baked on the second day of Christmas. According to custom, the girls baked them. Single guys came to their house, girls gave kozulki to the guys they liked. In the evening, the guys, getting ready for parties, boasted about the collected kozulki, by which they judged the skill of the future housewives.
On Mezen, such a ritual cookie-shangi is known. “These are round, medium-sized flat cakes that were supposed to be baked during many ritual celebrations, including the New Year... In the house where people gathered for New Year’s
youth party, each girl brought with her homemade cookies, including shangi, ten pieces each... With the first baked shangi, the girl needs to run around the village; Whoever meets first needs to ask for their name. My husband will have the same name.

Pomeranian love spell

In the Khvalynsk Sea there is an island called Bel. Bel island Buelan. On that island the stone is grey. On that stone stands an iron mortar, on that iron mortar stands an iron chair, on that iron chair sits an iron woman, and she has an iron spinning wheel, and she has iron spindles; she spins iron; and the teeth and eyes are iron, and she is all covered in iron. And next to that iron mortar stands a golden mortar, and on that golden mortar stands a golden chair, and on a golden chair sits a golden maiden; and her teeth are gold, and she is all in gold, and her spinning wheel is gold, and her spindles are gold; spins a golden kuzhel. A woman sits on a golden chair, spins gold, and with a golden needle and golden thread sews the fate of God's servant (name) to the fate, to the lot of God's servant (name). Be strong words, in God's peace. Amen.

To evoke a fair Wind, among the Pomors, it was customary to whistle. This is accepted all over the world, and is probably associated with Sympathetic Magic - Whistling of the wind in gear.
Women from coastal Pomeranian villages went out to the sea in the evening to pray for the wind not to be angry,” and helped their loved ones who were at sea. Standing facing the east, they in a melodious voice addressed the desired eastern Wind with a request to “pull” and promised him to “cook porridge and bake pancakes.” It is not for nothing that they say that people are divided into the living, the dead and those at sea.

My name is Fekla, now Fekla Lenkina. When I got married, I was so happy. And how could he not be happy? She grabbed the most rude guy, and the accordion player too.
Well, assholes, I was tired of passion with him at first. Like a kaka party - his name is. And when he started playing, well, my beloved neighbors and girlfriends, more than one friend is spinning around him, and he’s happy to tease and play around. How do I feel? Well, I think, wait a minute, Lenyushka-darling!
Once they invited us, as I remember right now, to the Assumption, to a festivities, to Valdushki. Let's go. As always, there was a feast: we drank beer, ate pies, ate fishmongers, the wash began to play, it touched the soul. The ladies sing, and they go dancing, and then they go for a walk, and go around the village. Well, next to him Ulka Petkina has settled down on his right hand and is looking into his mouth. And he, what a villain, glares and grins at Ulka (and at home everyone is Feklusha, and Feklusha). Wow, such a snake! So I’d dig out his little feet, and I’d pull out her little feet!
So what to do? I went to Petrukha, he was looking at me in the girls. I joined him: let’s go eat, and when the square dance started playing, I went with him in pairs and wrote out the eight. Ulka, lo and behold, to Petka, she suddenly forgot about the language. Yeah, I think... But no, Manka Gankina is already sticking around, and he’s also ordering the music. “Lord,” I think. - I couldn’t stand Ganka since childhood! He was a very lip-smacking little man." Then I became sad: “If they start to attract little women, and I am their men, what will they think of me?”
Suddenly, it was as if someone had given me an idea. I decided to lure the Devil. So what? The main thing is that the wives won’t pull out their hair, but they’ll think about it, sometimes. I began to call the Devil: “Devil, my dear, come, help. And he’s right there. He's as easy to spot as the devil on a barn. I sang almost the entire party and danced with him (He’s such a dark-haired, fidgety, cunning-eyed, roguish devil, just like the Devil is). And I keep watching so that the horns and tail don’t come out, then they’ll immediately guess and laugh.
So what do you think, ladies? He looks, but I’m not standing alone, I’m not propping up the pillars, I’m dancing and singing, I’m not leaving the circle. He passed the accordion to someone - and to me. I said again: “Little devil, my dear, let go!” Good Damn, the accommodating one got caught, didn’t twist him, and let him go.
Since then, whether at home or visiting, everyone is together, Onot plays, and I have my right hand, no one interferes (he himself does not greet anyone). So I taught my own a lesson. And my advice to you is: - keep the man with you, I would like to tie him by his skirt. And every little woman will figure out with her own mind how to get a man away from such a misfortune.

Somehow I had to swim along the fast current of the Piega (a northern river). Everywhere you look, along the banks of the village you can see that from the upper reaches of Letopola and from Veshkoma, and even further down. The villages themselves are higher up, but closer to the river there are bathhouses. They ran up and froze in their special circle. Why did it happen? Bathhouses were always built next to houses.
In the old days they say: there were bathhouses near the houses, but they started running at night, which means that after heating, they ran to the river. Most of the bathhouses were heated in black, they knew it was hot. The owners will wash themselves, go home, and then they too will go to the baths and go for a swim: they will splash around, dive in, and by morning, lo and behold, they will return to their place.
The bathhouses went to the river like this for a long time, and, apparently, they got tired of it. At first, Manka’s bathhouse was left standing by the river, so what’s that? Manka is a basky woman, a fighter, and she herself is not averse to taking a steam bath and taking a dip in the river to gain some more beauty. And there other baths followed. Those who have already started racing are the ones who are smarter and get ahead, but those who are slow, wrecks, grumble to themselves, falling behind: “What the hell, we can do it in an amicable way.”
The next morning the owners came out and looked, but the bathhouses had scattered over the hillock and froze, standing there marveling at each other...
From then on, everything remained that way.

After the stove was knocked down in the hut, it was heated and the cat was steamed in it (or simply placed in the stove). The meaning of the custom is the same as when letting a cat into a new home: Whoever washes first in the new stove will soon die!

After washing in the bathhouse, they “took water from the heater” three times, that is, they passed it through the pebbles that made up the roof of the stove. They then doused themselves with this water and drank it so that they “didn’t have to take lessons”: i.e. Diseases, damage.

Sick infants were hovered with the dog so that the disease would spread to the animal. The dog was then killed, because she was already considered a carrier of the disease.

“In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Yegoriy descends from heaven from heaven three hundred golden-striped bows, three hundred golden-feathered arrows and shoots and shoots from the servant of God (the name of the rivers) lessons, cuts, hernias, bath evil spirits and gives it to the black beast to the bear on the ridge: “And carry the black beast, the bear, into the dark forests, and trample, black beast, bear, into the quicksand swamps, so that there will be no more forever, neither in day nor in night. Forever and ever. Amen."

When steaming a broom:
“A big broom is a brother, a big stone is a brother, a big fire is a brother, a servant of God (name of the rivers) is bigger than you. Go into nine holes, and out of the tenth hole.” - And at the same time they hit themselves in the heel.

Believe it or not, kindness has settled in our village. At first, she only entered the last hut, to Mitya the Tsar. He suddenly became so kind, cheerful and affectionate. Well, his young woman shines like the summer sun. And then, like a blanket, it enveloped everyone at once. Well, women, as one, began to take care of their men.
Here the men were getting ready to go to the forest, and who were the wives: Manka - Gankila is carrying a sheepskin coat, so that he doesn’t freeze, which means he’s sitting on a horse. And Marya - Pashkin’s sheepskin coat with a cavity, the shtob and her legs did not freeze. Anna-Pepelukha boasts to her friends: “I’ve already taken three caftans from the stove and served all the bitterness to my own.”
The women laugh. “In winter, it’s not very easy to keep kaftans warm, it’s just too much from the stove. All the way, apparently, your Grishka will run and darn to the firewood without freezing.”
- And..., little ladies, look, it’s Grishka’s kauraya who’s a coward, it seems. Well, yes, Yevonna is. The haul is plump, the forest is so good, all the logs are one to one, and it’s early to blow.
Anya jumped out, one plateau on her and to her husband: “Grishenka, my dear!” And he said to her: “You won’t believe it, Anyukha, the ax is swinging on its own, the trees are falling where they need to be, so that it’s easier to cut down the branches, but they fall into the wood themselves! Eh, dear, go to the forest another time, beauty!
At this point the rest of the men began to drive up. And we’re tired, we can’t see it. How not to be happy? The wives greet everyone, they are kind, they smile, they help unharness the horses, they themselves are dressed up, they tell everyone the news. Even the old woman herself is happy.
It was getting dark... The moon rose and illuminated everything around with a kind light.

Trading woman

Have you heard, I suppose, how the women from Uyma and Zaostrovye were pushing the Dvina, so that they could be closer to the city? Senya-Malina already spoke about this... So, as it is, the coastline to Zaostrovye is not one and a half hundred miles away, but closer. Well, that means it’s closer to the bazaar.
Since ancient times, the islands have been as they are, engaged in trade. They stock up on all sorts of goods - potatoes, carrots, radishes, beets, you can’t count everything, and they go to the market early in the morning - this is to occupy a better place and sell it at a higher price.
In the morning, as soon as it’s light, they put the goods in the karbasa, already washed and cooked, and the milk is fresh, fresh from the morning, and they row the oars and sing songs.
Yes, Mother Dvina is not always affectionate and quiet. Once she got angry somehow, Moryana dispersed, and the waves above the karbas rose and foamed. The wave of karbas is overwhelming, it seems as if they have already begun to drown. The women jumped up from their seats, screaming, worried - the shore is far away, it’s impossible to reach it by swimming, and the goods are terrible, what a pity, after all, these little hands were attached to it.
Marya shouts: “Save the bastards, but I’ll manage somehow!” She had milk in her sticks. How the wives began to pray to Nikola: “For Christ’s sake, save us, save us, my dear, don’t let us perish!” Women can pray painfully and desperately, and according to Russian custom, they will swear earnestly: “I will bow forty times, I will go to church, I will light candles, I will pray away all my sins, I will fast on myself...”. And what do you think? God, apparently, heard their prayer. The wave around them is still going wild, foaming, swirling like a funnel, and they, you hear, were lifted, as if by a feather, and carried towards the shore. Lo and behold, some women swam out. It’s okay that they’re wet, they’ve landed at the pier, and let’s carry the goods. There is no time to unwind, you still have to spend the whole day trading.

Mythological stories and legends of the Russian North.

ANCESTOR CULT AND BELIEF OF THE OTHER WORLD

No. 1. After the deceased, the floor is washed only in one direction, towards the doors. They kept saying: “There is no mistress, there is no mistress.” So that she doesn't come. By the way, you can put an ax and a knife under the pillow, or on the threshold. Bread and salt under the dead man’s right armpit: “Drink and eat, don’t scare us.” My son died, I left a bottle of vodka at the cemetery, I think I’ll pick it up on the way back. I'm going back, it's already dark. He sits in a cotton robe: “So why didn’t you take the bottle?” (Arkhangelsk region, Kargopol district, Khotenovo, 1989).

No. 2. My husband carried fodder and spent the night in the same village. So he arrived in this village, but he had not been in the house where he spent the night for a long time. I knocked. The woman opened the door and made the bed. The old woman and grandfather are sleeping. She began to feed the child. He thought it was his daughter-in-law.
In the morning we woke up, the grandfather and the old woman asked: “Who opened the door for you?” - “Daughter-in-law.” - "She died!" - they answer. - “She did this to me,” that is, the bed. They were afraid that the child would be strangled, it wasn’t forty days yet, so she came. “We have to do something,” the elders ran in. So it was (Arkhangelsk region, Kargopol district, Khotenovo, Malshinskaya, 1989).

No. 3. Our stone was large, and in that stone there were footsteps trodden in it. Like rain, we ran there. Each one had its own lunotska, they were like that, they washed themselves. One girl, her mother died, she had a trace, from her, from her mother’s, and she washed herself. We splashed around, but there were no more sentences (Arkhangelsk region, Kargopol district, Khotenovo, 1989).

No. 4. I was only sixteen, seventeen years old. We had 6 children. I went to sleep in the attic. The stairs were high. And I see a boy walking, covered with a sheet. There was only his face. And bang at me, and dashingly [Dashingly - very quickly] I took off. This was my betrothed. I should have asked why I came. And my father later said, it was your betrothed. And three days later he died [the betrothed], which is why it was closed (Arkhangelsk region, Velegodsky district, 1982).

No. 5. The fortune teller came to change the night, for two nights. I stayed at Maria Aksyutova's hut. We already begged her, tell us about the cattle, and about my husband - he was in the war. We talked at night in the barn with the owner. I went with my mother. And she [the fortune teller] calls. The hoarse old man, between the stables, did not appear, only his voice. And the fortune teller spits: “You can’t go further than saliva.” And he throws bread - gifts. “I came, I brought gifts” - a piece in each corner. And they tied her hands, like this, behind her back: “As I have no will, neither does he.” He says: “Well, now ask.” There was no way to feed the cattle. Me: “How can I feed the cattle?” “You will feed the cattle, I love cattle,” I repeated each word twice. “The little girl will be happy.” - And then he says: “Sabbath.” It's all true. Each person has his own owner. And about my husband he said that he was alive. Then I always asked him for something (Arkhangelsk region, Kargopol district, Khotenovo, 1989

No. 6. I had a cow; And I was milking, and a head with a beard appeared and said: “It’s gone.” And the cow recovered. The head is like my father-in-law's. And I had previously wondered about my husband; he had schizophrenia for 23 years. Sing that head, that big mouth. And so: “ay, ay, ay.” He [the husband] ran for three and a half years. Then I stopped running and sat. And then he came running to me seven times a day, he was sick (Arkhangelsk region, Kargopol district, Khotenovo, 1989).

No. 7. I lived in Pinega. I was a girl and worked as a teacher at school. And there was nowhere to live. I found an old woman and she let me in. She said: “If you help, we’ll live.” So they lived, neither together nor separately. Half of the house is mine. At the beginning of December, 3 or 5, Ekaterina, her sister, came to see her. In the evening I had to go to my house, get ready for lessons, there was only one lamp left with the old lady, because my sister had arrived. And I went to bed. The door was closed with a hook. And it seems like I haven’t fallen asleep yet. Suddenly I heard: the doors opened, closed, someone was walking through the newspapers, and the newspapers were spread on the floor. Someone comes up to the table and starts to step like that. No one is visible. I put my hands behind my head like this. Nasal sounds appeared: “U-U”, And it came to me, to my face. Back, back. Jump on my feet. And immediately there was such a heavy feeling on my legs. Rolls, rolls under the arms. I think I'll ask now, for better or for worse? And he: “Hutto, hutto!” - “Is it really for worse?” - Clear: “To Hutt.” I jumped up, pushed the door, and the door was on a hook. She ran to the old women: “Grandma, someone came there, and the door was on the hook.” - “God bless you, get on your toes.” And then he says: “There will be something this year.” And in September our grandfather died. He was really bad. Grandma came to spend the night with me. He came to my door and said in a voice like this: “I’m dying.” We ran quickly, but he didn’t get up, he was already lying there dead. There is some kind of power. This is how heavy it is, something is pressing. Grandmother says: “He came to you with a parade.” I ask: “Why me?” - “It was apparently beneficial for him to come and say at that moment” (Arkhangelsk region, Kargopol district, Kononovo, 1989).

No. 8. In our family, one daughter-in-law’s grandfather was Mitri, such a sorcerer, amen, what a sorcerer! Everyone went to see him. He lived in a winter hut [Zimovka is an extension to a hut, adapted for living in winter] in the summer with us, and we are in a large hut. Well, our older brother was married to their Dunka. They lived and began to share. The family is big. The brother and daughter-in-law built a house and separated. He, this sorcerer, had two cows in our yard, and they stood here. And we had four cows. Here they come. Here he is, the sorcerer, teaching Dunku that, like this and that, you will walk like this, this is what you need to do. Take it from the middle post near the garden in the yard, put some earth on it and take it to your yard, there to a new place. And my dad took a peek. He says: “It’s not all right for Dunka to leave.” So she came, dug up at the post and laid it up. And we had a ramp [Ramp is a gentle slope made of logs along which hay was transported on horses]. And my dad is sitting at the congress. Then he said: “I said: “Dunya, what are you doing?” - “Oh, father, Uncle Mitriy ordered the land here, so I’m taking it.” - “Bring it, bring it,” says the father, “you will remember me.” It’s not that our cow didn’t leave our yard - dad joked [To make a joke - cast a spell, cast a spell] - but Mitriev’s cow didn’t leave. This is how in the evening we have to force the cattle [to place the cattle in the barn], all the cattle are trampling around our yard. And the father sits and says: “What else can you do to take away your countrymen?” She, Dunka, breaks down in tears. Mom asked father, then he did something, they stopped walking (Arkhangelsk region, Kargopol district, Khotenovo, Malshinskaya, 1989).

CURSED AND EXCHANGED

(about people who have visited the unreal world)

No. 9. There was an incident. The mother cursed her, scolded her daughter in every possible way, and sent her on a hike: “The devil will carry you.” Well, that's it, the girl disappeared. The girl walked around for a year, and then she came. The cross had grown into the dolon [Dolon - palm (arm)], it was on the neck, she was holding on to it, that’s why she remained alive. And they, the damned ones, are not supposed to cut out the backbone (Arkhangelsk region, Mezensky district, Kizhma, 1986).

No. 10. The girl was found by a Tikhvin man, near the forest. I wandered for a year. Her dress was already bursting. He brought me to the village council, and they asked: “What did you eat?” She says: “I ate unblessed bread in any hut.” The bread should be closed at night: “Lord bless.” We need to lay out a tablecloth. Apparently she has been cursed by her mother. I walked around for a whole year, wearing a fox (Arkhangelsk region, Kargopol district, Khotenovo, 1989).

No. 11. Previously, when we were young, we listened [Listen - wondered about marriage, usually at a crossroads. If fortune tellers hear a sound reminiscent of the ringing of bells, they believe that there will be a wedding; if there is a knock, then this is a harbinger of misfortune, illness, death] yes kudesili [Kudesit - they told fortunes]. Once they say who will take a stone out of the baina to brag [for a bet to show off his prowess]. One went, put his hand into the heater, and there he was grabbed. He tells him: “Take me in marriage, I’ll let you go, but if you don’t take me, I won’t give you peace.” The next day he came to the baina and said: “Whoever is here, come out.” And to him: “Go to your mother, take the cross, and the belt, and bring the shirt.” He took it and threw a cross over it, and it turned out to be such a beauty.
They celebrated the wedding and went to her parents. There the mother rocks the child in a shaky state. She came: “Hello, mom.” She says: “What a mother I am to you, I’ve been pumping for twenty years.” She gave birth to her and left the child in bainy, and he was exchanged. The girl says: “Give me the baby.” She took it and pounded it on the table, and it turned out to be a golik [Golik - a broom made of twigs without leaves]. Such children are called “exchanged” (Arkhangelsk region, Pinega river basin, Kushkopala, 1984).

No. 12. Once it happened, we went to the forest. The girl runs and roars, following her mother into the forest, she doesn’t want to stay and wait. They left her at the dissolutions [Dissolution is a type of cart], they said: “The devil won’t take it!” Gone. Then they came - there was no girl. The cross and shoes were left, but the girls were not. They begged and begged - no. And then I started wearing it. The boy saw through the window, grandfather was carrying it on the chucks [On the chucks - on the shoulders, on the backs], and he was threatening me with his finger. Leshat [Leshak - swear, scold, mentioning the name of the goblin] is not allowed in the forest (Arkhangelsk region, Mezen district, Kimzha, 1986).

No. 13. Once the grandmother and grandfather gave their granddaughter to the devil. They attacked her and she disappeared. They went to church to make a will [testament - vow, testament]. Then the wind rose, and in the canopy [Canopy - 1) a bed with a drawn curtain - canopy; 2) type of fishing tackle] the girl has formed. They washed her in the bathhouse with fright [Fright - from fright, in order to get rid of the nervous shock caused by fear], and she said: “Grandfather carried me on his shoulders, carried me past the house and did not let me go. They treated us to Porato [Porato - a lot, in large quantities] I didn’t eat, yes,” - otherwise even if you eat a berry, you won’t return home. They say: “You didn’t take anything from us, we’ll throw you back home.” The girl was bad then, thin, cern. This grandfather carried her on his shoulders for ten days (Arkhangelsk region, Mezen district, Ust-Peza, 1986).

FOLK DEMONOLOGY

Brownie and yard

No. 14. The woman was telling. I’m sitting, pressing my back to the stove. This little man came in, a little off the floor, and said: “In three days the war will end.” The war ended three days later. It was probably a brownie (Arkhangelsk region, Pinega river basin, Shardomen, 1984).

No. 15. And at the cattle station everything is modoveyko [Modoveiko is one of the names of the brownie: domoveyko? modoveyko] place, which is bad. My sister’s daughter is coming down from the attic, and sees an old woman in red boots and a red fur coat coming down. The beard is narrow and long. And then the house burned down. He already prophesied [Broadcast - predict, broadcast]. After all, he is small, with a beard (Arkhangelsk region, Pinega river basin, Priluk, 1985).

No. 16. The brownie lives underground. One woman saw him - he was so small, black, furry, crawling out from under the floor, he didn’t look like a person, like a weasel. He will go to bed with his head at the threshold. The brownie will press if there is a double bruise, they say the brownie bit - this is in front of the deceased (Arkhangelsk region, Pinega river basin, Shardomen, 1984).

No. 17. The brownie lives underground, under the threshold, in the attic, shaggy, like a goblin, he breathes, licks people’s hair (Arkhangelsk region, Pinega river basin, Shardomen, 1984).

No. 18. Grandfather’s brownie is pressing. My son once fell asleep, and he dreamed of a dog gnawing his face. He screamed, “Mom! Mother!" - I say what’s wrong with you, and he: “Well, I dreamed.” I told him: “Nothing, nothing, sleep.” He lay down, and again he dreamed the same thing. And then they went into the forest, and they shot him because of a girl. This is what a bad dream is (Arkhangelsk region, Pinega river basin, Nemnyuga, 1984).

No. 19. I’m lying on the stove, as if my grandfather was climbing. He climbs, stood on the bench, got up to attack, grabbed me by these places, by the stems [stems - shins of legs], I roared, they couldn’t roar out loud, then suddenly everything fell off - and that’s it (Arkhangelsk region, Pinega river basin , Nemnyuga, 1984).

No. 20. It’s time for a man to die, my night fell like a stone, all wet. It started running across the floor like a horse. Domoveyko pressed. You need to ask: “Grandfather and housewife, tell me, is it for good or ill?” He will blow in your ear, for better or worse (Arkhangelsk region, Mezensky district, Zherd, 1986).

No. 21. The brownie once squeezed me out. He’ll fall like that, and you can’t breathe, you can’t lift a finger. Some say it touches. It sometimes happens that if he is naked, naked, like a person, it presses for bad, but if he is furry, like a cat, it presses for good. And I... He crushed me, it was a long time ago, he leaned on me, I can’t breathe, and I hear him say: “This is how hard it will be for you to live, this is how hard it will be” (Arkhangelsk region, river basin. Pinega, Zasurye, 1985).

No. 22. Martos is biting some bruises. If it bites you on your butt, nowhere else, it’s not good. Nowhere did I trust [to trust - to get injured, bruised], so that it turns blue [bruise]. Martos, of course. If the stain is from yourself, it’s for worse. The martos will eat me. It’s possible, this is grandpa. Don't know. Grandfather, they said, would bite him (Arkhangelsk region, Mezensky district, Lampozhnya, 1986).

No. 23. Mardos bit, if to himself, then to trouble, and from himself, then to good. They say that the brownie took a bite. What kind of blue appears, they say, the house-grandfather bit. You don’t feel it and it doesn’t hurt. This is Martos. I was lying down one day, and there was pressure on me, and I see: the little hand is very thin. But it turns out that I had to ask my grandfather when I went to bed (Arkhangelsk region, Mezensky district, Zakokurye, 1986).
No. 24. Let's go son and daughter-in-law to a new home. I took bread, salt, grains, went in: “Grandfather-housewife, take my children, warm them up, put them on shoes, dress them, instruct them in good deeds” - I walked around the corners.
They buy it, get a cow and say: “Grandfather the housewife, let our Belonyushka go to the farmstead.” A piece of bread will be surrounded above her head and fed to her so that she can walk.
They gave us a lamb, made a flock, but didn’t ask the housewife. The sheep is not standing, if you turn away a little, it will jump out. And he keeps following the cow. At night the cow lies down, and the sheep still lies on the cow. And the venison had hair (like that of a deer), but it didn’t grow. The old ladies said they don’t like brownies, other than wool. They didn’t ask the housewife. (arch., mez., Zherd, 1986)
No. 25. There is a brownie grandfather. When you move to a new house, you have to ask. You bow: “Grandfather Brownie!” Let me go!” If you don’t ask, saying so will frighten you. At night he walks around the house, you can smell him walking, but you can’t see him. If you leave, you won’t call grandpa, so he’ll cry. “Let’s go - you’ll call - Grandfather-tempted, come with me.” And if you don’t call, someone will howl. (arch., pin., Kevrola, 1984)
No. 26. There was a case with me. Marya Petrovna and I lived in the same house. Marya Petrovna's sister-in-law was married to Podrezov, he was a commissar in the village. He was drowned during the revolution, the whites must have. Our upper hut was not completed. Mom went to light the stove, I stayed with the child. Suddenly our floorboard clicked, I got scared and was afraid to roar. I said: “Mom!” It disappeared. Ignatius was found later. And my wife was dragged out of bed all night, it worried us all, it foreshadowed, and so it foreshadowed. In general, this is unfortunately. (Arch., pin., Kevrola, 1984)
No. 27. In the house, the housewife cried once when everyone left and he was left alone. The cow is spreading, the housewife is asking: “Spit in four corners and say three times: “Grandfather-housewife, love my little calf, sing, feed, lead, don’t rely on me, the hostess.” (arch., mes., Ust -Peza, 1986)
No. 28. Sometimes it’s like that. If the house-grandfather loves the owner, he will twist his braid back and braid it, and you don’t dare untangle this braid. He braided it himself, and he will unravel it himself. And if you unravel it, he might look at it either way, maybe it’s good, maybe it’s bad.
Among the brownies, they used to say that no matter how many people there are in the house, the brownie has the same family: husband, wife and children. (arch., pin., Zasurye, 1985)
No. 29. My sister told me. Wherever you lie, the brownie always excites me. As if the dog was jumping on this place, on my throat. And one day an old woman came to her, took a placet, hugged her. She says: “Where are you from?” “I,” she says, “came from a new house.” This house mucil showed her death. She died soon. And there is also a brownie on the parade ground, howling. This is not good after all. I cried because two of my brothers were killed.
And when you enter a new house, you call, “Grandfather-Modoveyushka, give water to my little sheep, sing God’s steam to my little sheep, sing and feed sweetly, lead smoothly, lay down softly.” Don’t say anything yourself, don’t give me your wife, call the children, give me health.” Also, they say, sometimes it’s not a brownie, but a weasel. He is in the yard and on the street - everywhere. (arch., pin., Island, 1985)
No. 30. Domoveyushko is in the house. My dad wanted to sell the horse, but we were sleeping, and in the lower yard he was howling: oooh, he feels sorry for the horse. The brother hung his head down, and there he was sitting on the horse’s mane like a swallow, braiding a braid like a cat like that. He loves and keeps braiding his hair. I kept weaving and cutting. Tata said, forty angels flew, they flew and fell. Whoever fell where, ended up there. To the house - like a housekeeper, to the bathhouse - like a baennik, to the forest - like a forest one. If he doesn’t like livestock, he curls his fur on his leg. Brownie, he is the owner. In Poveti, he, Vasya, his son, the house-elf, probably survived. FROM PETSKY SOSCOCYTE, YES IT PRESSURES. EVEN THOUGH HE WAS PLAYING AN ICON UNDER THE PILLOW, HE STILL DIED. HE, DOMOVEYKO, LIKE A KOTKO, LOOKS LIKE A KOTKO. I HAVE HEARD THE SUCH STORIES ABOUT HIM. (ARCH., MEZ., UST-PEZA, 1986)
No. 31. After all, the grandfather is a brownie, he’s a weasel, such an animal. The ears are black. She doesn’t like cattle, she just curls her mane. But I didn’t like gray sheep. As if 12 hours had passed, everything seemed to pass away. He climbs on his back and races. This was the brownie, the weasel. (arch., mez., Zherd, 1986)
No. 32. The weasel is a housewife, a white animal, if it doesn’t belong in the yard, then the beast will be bad, the weasel will do it. Grandfather-bear, clearly, is a weasel. They used to say when they asked to go into the yard: “Grandfather-bear, let our little cow in!” The weasel walks, woolles, scares (arch., pin., Letopala, 1984)
No. 33. Grandfather-housewife, such an animal, ran white like a yaggon. The tail is long, low on the legs. It no longer concerns the person. Sometimes it happens that all the sheep are tied together with one rope. They say then that grandfather doesn’t like the sheep in the barn. The hay will fall on the legs of the sheep, on the calves, they say, grandfather did not like it.
When a nest is built before spring, it takes wool from the horse. Be sure to take a sweaty one, it’s better to make a nest. (architect, mez., Kimzha, 1986)

No. 34.. Grandfather-Mordoveyushko, I brought you a two-hoofed animal, feed it smoothly, lay the place softly, lie down on the edge, roll it into the middle. Don’t offend yourself and don’t give it to your children.” (architect, pin., Verkola, 1984)
No. 35. Grandfather-domozhirushko, love my little beast, love with your dear affection, stroke with your golden little paw" (arch., mez., Lampozhnya, 1984)

Reviews

Good evening, Nina.
I read the work again. I never cease to be amazed at the breadth of your knowledge. This topic interests me.
I read and compared, most of the customs and rituals are still preserved in our area (Udmurtia). True, the majority are in rural areas. The city is somehow moving away from this.
Nina, could you answer what the origin of the name Lampozhnya is? I was recently asked this question, and I found on the Internet that this was the harvest, or meadow, that belonged to Evlampius.
Questions asking me to explain the meaning of a particular word are often asked, and I am often interested in getting to the truth.
Recently I became interested in the topic “Nickname Folklore”. I found so much interesting material. And mainly this is the north and Siberia.
What do you do? What new things can you recommend?
Good luck.

Valya, hello! I welcome your interest in the Mezen topic. In contact, Mikhail Nasonov is engaged in Lampmaking

MOSCOW STATE SOCIAL UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL INFORMATICS

Abstract on ethnology.

Topic: "Pomors"

Moscow, 2002

Plan

1. Brief history of Pomorye…………………………………………………….…………………………………..1

2. Cultural traditions and customs of the Pomors…………………………………....…………………..2

2.1. Pomors…….……………………………………………………………………………….2

2.2. Contacts with the West……………………………..………………………….………………………….2

2.3. Travelers and traders……………………………………………………………………………………….3

2.4. Fishing of Pomors…………………………………………………….……………………………………...4

2.5. Customs related to fishing and water…………………………….……………….6

2.6. Rooks of the Pomors……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7

2.7. Panka - wooden doll of Pomors………………………………………….………………………..9

2.8. Dwelling of the Pomors……………………………………………………………………………………………………………9

2.9. Toponyms of Pomerania…………………………………………………………………………………………..10

2.10. Language features……………………………………………………..……………………………16

3. Pomors now…………………………………………………………………………………………………………17

Brief history of Pomerania .

The Belomorsky district is located in the northeastern part of the Republic of Karelia. The border of the region in the east runs along the White Sea.

Situated at the mouths of numerous rivers flowing into the White Sea, the settlements - the city of Belomorsk, the villages of Sumsky Posad, Shueretskoye, Nyukhcha and others - have a centuries-old history.

Even before the Slavs, Finno-Ugric peoples moved to the Russian North from the Urals and the Volga-Oka interfluve (for the Novgorodians, the collective name for these peoples is Chud Zavolotskaya); em - on the banks of the rivers Vaga, Emtsa and the adjacent part of the Northern Dvina; pin - to the banks of Pinega; all (Vepsians) - to the southern coast of Lake Onega; men ("white-eyed chud") - in the lower reaches of the Northern Dvina, on the banks of the Mezen River and the eastern shores of the White Sea; Yugra - to the delta of the Northern Dvina; the Sami - to the shores of the lakes of Karelia and the northwestern coast of the White Sea. Some of the peoples of Chud Zavolotskaya, pressed by the Novgorod-Ushkuinians, moved accordingly: yem - to Finland, pin - to the tributary of the Mezen - Vashka, men - to the Izhma River (Izhemtsy are still different from the Komi-Zyryans). The assimilation of the Slavs and the above-mentioned peoples occurred in the 10th-16th centuries.

More than 5,000 years ago, the Sami (Lapps, Finns in Swedish) were the first to populate Pomorie after the glacier disappeared. It was probably their ancestors who left rock paintings of animals and the life of Stone Age people on the eastern shore of Lake Onega, on the banks of the Vyg River, on the western shore of the White Sea and Kiy Island. Their ritual stone labyrinths have been preserved on the White Sea islands.

The first Slavs - residents of Novgorod and the northeastern principalities - appeared on the White Sea shores back in the 9th century. Since the 14th century written sources record permanent Russian settlements on the western coast of the White Sea, and the region itself receives the name “Pomorye”. Gradually, a special group of Russian-speaking population was formed in Pomorie. The Russians who settled the coastal territories, unlike the inhabitants of central Russia, practically did not engage in agriculture. “Pomor”, “Pomeranian” - this is how, starting from the 16th century, they began to call people living on the western coast of the White Sea and conducting marine fishing. Later they began to live near the Barents Sea. Now they live in the coastal areas of modern Arkhangelsk and Murmansk regions.

Moving forward and settling in unfamiliar lands, they set up fortified graveyards - towns with garrisons. The churchyard usually became the administrative center of the surrounding villages; parish churches were built near it and cemeteries were created. Under the protection of fortified settlements, the Pomors build a boat fleet.

From the 14th century, the growing Principality of Moscow began to wage an energetic and intelligent struggle to annex the Pomeranian lands, especially after an unsuccessful attempt to seize the Dvina land by force in 1397. The center of the struggle was the Principality of Belozersk, which became dependent on Moscow under Ivan Kalita. Monasteries began to be built in Belozerye - in 1397 Kirillov, in 1398 - Ferapontov, then Voskresensky-Cherepovetsky and many others. Monasteries, being faithful conductors of the policies of Moscow princes and tsars, were at the same time centers of education, art and crafts.

Novgorodians created the monasteries of the Archangel Michael (now Arkhangelsk) in the 12th century, then Nikolo-Korelsky at the mouth of the Dvina (Severodvinsk), Antoniyevo-Siysky on the Northern Dvina near the stone fortress of Orletsy, Spaso-Prilutsky (14th century) in Vologda and others.

After the capture of Veliky Novgorod by Ivan III, Pomerania became the sovereign's property and was forced to pay rent in money and furs to the Moscow state. At the end of the 15th century, the troops of Ivan III completed the conquest of the Russian North.

Cultural traditions and customs of Pomors.

Contacts with the West have been commonplace for Pomors since ancient times. Wittingly or unwittingly, connections with Western countries, knowledge of European orders and communication with Europeans supported democratic traditions and even, to some extent, substantiated their existence. The proximity of the Russian North to the Scandinavian countries has long played a major role in spiritual life. One of the most striking examples of interaction between the Pomors and the West is the proximity and cooperation of two peoples - the Pomors and the “Norwegians” - at sea. The completely unique special relationship between the Russians and Norway, it would seem, was based on differences alone, since the “Norwegians” did not understand the unsettled nature of Northern Russian life, the irrationality in the behavior of the Pomors during a storm at sea (they tried to be washed ashore), the Pomors did not rushed to surround their northern mind with European comfort and amazed the Norwegians with their attitude to the land and to faith. The Pomors were wanderers, and the Norwegians were rational users of the sea, but it was not for nothing that they began to be called “Russians of Scandinavia”: “the Russophilism of the Norwegians, reaching the point of their “Russianism,” is absolutely consonant with the counter “Norwegophilism” (Normanism) of the Russian soul. ... The originality of the North Russian maritime culture lay in the fact that in it the generic image of the mother of the damp earth was transferred to the originally alien area of the sea space ... "

Pomors have long been distinguished by a special religious feeling, completely different from that of the peasants - they combined love of freedom and humility, mysticism and practicality, a passion for knowledge, Westernism and a spontaneous feeling of a living connection with God. Writer Mikhail Prishvin, during his trip to the North, was surprised to learn that “until now Russian sailors do not take into account the scientific description of the Arctic Ocean. They have their own sailing directions... the description of the sailing directions by the Pomors is almost a work of fiction. On one side is reason, on the other is faith. While signs are visible on the shore, the Pomor reads one side of the book; when the signs disappear and a storm is about to break the ship, the Pomor turns the pages and turns to Nikolai Ugodnik...”

“The sea is our field,” the Pomors used to say. Local residents went to Murman and Novaya Zemlya to catch fish and sea animals on homemade ships, reached the shores of Norway, and stopped on islands in the White, Barents and Kara Seas. Thus, the Pomors played a special role in the development of northern sea routes and the development of shipbuilding. The famous Russian admiral Litke aptly dubbed them “Eternal Sailors.”

Known as conquerors of the seas, successful fishermen, skilled shipbuilders, the inhabitants of the western coast of the White Sea were also “trading people”. In the markets of Novgorod, Moscow, in the port cities of Norway and Sweden, one could find goods from Pomerania: fish, salt boiled from sea water, valuable walrus tusks, mica. For a long time, settlements on the coast were the possessions of the Solovetsky Monastery, which had a great influence on the development of the region.

Life associated with the sea and sea fishing seasons left its mark on the culture of the Pomors. Their residential and commercial buildings, clothing, economic calendar, customs, rituals and even speech - everything has its own characteristics. A unique psychological type of person has also developed here - the Pomor, accustomed to harsh climatic conditions, to a changeable sea fraught with danger. The courage, enterprise, and openness of the Pomors were noted by many travelers and researchers.

"Tersky Coast" is the traditional name of the southern coast of the Kola Peninsula. Permanent commercial fishing settlements of Russian Pomors appeared here in the 14th century. Over the centuries, they have created a unique system of management and interaction with the harsh nature of the White Sea. Pomors are a distinctive ethnic group. Much in their traditions echoes the customs of the neighboring Finno-Ugric peoples of the North - the Sami and Karelians.

Pomor fishery.

The peculiarity of fishing (sea hunting and gathering) allowed the Pomors to use the landscape inherited from the ancient Finno-Ugric peoples practically without changes.

One of the species for many Pomeranian villages at the beginning of the century was cod, or otherwise “Murmansk” fishery. Pomors from many coastal villages and hamlets attended it. In the spring, huge schools of fish moved from the Atlantic to Murman. Fishing arose in Murman in the middle of the 16th century. At the beginning of the season, cod was caught off the coast of the Motka Peninsula, which received a new name - Rybachy. In July-August, the fishery moved east, to Teriberka. People involved in fishing and hunting at sea were called “industrialists,” regardless of who they were: “owners” (owners of ships and camps) or their employees. The industrialists who went to Murman were called “Murman workers”. Only rich Pomors and monasteries could start a fishing camp on Murman. Ordinary Murmansk workers received everything they needed from the “owners” and worked in the fields, usually for 1/12 of the cost of the extracted products.

We set off at the beginning of March. Cod fishing was carried out by artels. Four people worked on the ship - "shnyak"; one (usually a teenager, often a woman among the Kolyans) worked on the shore: he cooked food, cleaned the gear of mud and prepared it for the next launch at sea, and prepared firewood. For fishing in the sea, a very long tackle (several miles) was used - a longline. This is a rope with many branches - strings with hooks at the ends, on which bait, most often capelin, was attached. The longline was taken out on shnyaku 6 or 12 hours after launch, when the sea water ebbed. On the shore the fish were being cut; The liver was removed to render the fat, and the remaining entrails were thrown away. While it was cold, all the fish went to drying - hung on poles, laid out on stones, and when it warmed up, they were put in skeys and sprinkled with salt.

In addition to Murmansk cod, Belomorka herring was traditionally caught off the coast of the White Sea. It was actively used by the Pomors on their own farms (including for livestock feed!), and was also sold to Arkhangelsk industrialists.

The Pomors had a very special relationship with water. And it is no coincidence - the entire life of the village depended on salmon fishing and pearl mining. It is known that both salmon and pearl shell can live only in perfectly clean water. Therefore, it was in the interests of the Pomors to preserve their river. And even now the water in it is surprisingly clear.

In Varzuga, fishing was based on salmon entering the river, in Kashkarantsy - on herring and cod. In Kuzomen, both industries coexisted. In some years, from Kuzomeni and Kashkarantsev they went to the hummock - to hunt sea animals on the ice in the vicinity of the "throat" of the White Sea.

Customs related to fishing and water.

There was a very complex fishing system associated with the life cycles of salmon entering Varzuga, sea fish and sea animals.

The custom of seeing off the river during ice drift, words when crossing a stream, crosses of gratitude for pearls, worship of springs and many other customs testify to this “cult of water.” Water was worshiped, water fed and healed... So, for example, it is already a tradition not to throw garbage into the river or the sea.

Fishing places were also given special treatment. On each hut - a hut on the sea or river, where a family or several families lived and hunted in the summer - there was a cross “for catch” - so that the fish could be caught better. Anyone passing by must pray. During the summer fishing, when families “sat” on the tone, any passer-by was greeted by the hostesses and fed to their fullest. Treating a random person is a blessing; it was not only a manifestation of hospitality, but also a spell of good luck and prosperity.

Tonya is a holy place, you need to come there with a pure soul. The guests said in the entryway: “Lord, bless!” They were answered: “Amen!” And only then should you enter.

Special rituals are dedicated to the departure of hunters to the dangerous hunting industry. In the church they ordered a prayer service “for health”, baked it and gave them special food “uzhna” and “mother-in-law”. The presence of a special name and its connection with tribal traditions (“mother-in-law” baked by the mother-in-law) most likely indicates the ritual meaning attached to this food.

About a kilometer from Sobachy Creek you still can’t talk or laugh; you can only go there in the first half of the day...

The road to the spring is well-groomed, there are bridges across the forest rivers, that is, the condition of the spring is monitored. It is considered indecent to go there in large crowds, and the group should consist of no more than two or three people. The spring itself is a small lake with underwater springs. There is a small wooden floor in front of it to make it convenient to scoop up water. Nearby there is a cross of those healed (the man promised to put up a cross in case of recovery) and a stand with ladles hanging on it.

Interestingly, the source also performs a fortune-telling function. By how strongly the springs flowed, the visitor learned about his health and the health of his loved ones.

There were keys in all the villages. Previously, they only drank from the spring. They took laundry from the well. Old people don’t drink from wells even now.

Rooks of the Pomors.

As already mentioned, the entire culture of the Pomors is connected with the sea. Pomors built ships. Rooks - sea and river vessels of Ancient Rus' - are mentioned in chronicles along with ships.

Slavic boats reached a length of twenty and a width of three meters. The boat was controlled using one oar located along the side in the stern. Occasionally a sail was used. The “rammed” boats were distinguished by their low weight and draft, allowing passage through rapids. To pull them through the portages, the boats were equipped with rollers and wheels. The fresco, preserved from the beginning of the 9th century, depicts a Russian boat moving on wheels with an unfurled sail. “Indeed, both by land and by sea.”

The northern boats were somewhat different from the eastern ones. Initially, the Pomors built two types of boats: “overseas” - commercial, on which long voyages were made to the Baltic and the North Sea, and “ordinary” - for sailing in the White Sea. Both types of ships were flat-bottomed, but differed in the size and contours of the hull, as well as sailing equipment. “Ordinary” boats were built, like the eastern ones, from a single tree trunk and extended with sides, but they differed from the eastern ones in that they had a solid deck that did not allow water inside the vessel. The shallow draft made it possible to get close to unexplored shores. When sailing in ice, they did not need special harbors to shelter from storms or spend the winter.

In difficult circumstances, the Pomors pulled the boats onto the ice or onto the shore. “Overseas” boats in the XIII - XV centuries reached a length of twenty-five and a width of eight meters.

Panka is a wooden doll of Pomors.

Panka is one of the rare wooden dolls of Russian Pomors. Carved from a single piece of wood, the static, gloomy and expressive figurine, reminiscent of pagan idols, is associated with the pre-Christian beliefs of the ancient Slavs. In northern Russian villages, punka was preserved until the beginning of the 20th century as a children's play doll.

Dwelling of the Pomors.

Let's look at what the Pomors' houses were like using the example of an ordinary peasant's estate: Tretyakov's house-yard from the village of Gar, 19th century. In such houses, the living part is very small. As a rule, there is one large room in which the stove is located, and from there there is a passage to the “kitchen”. In one room they ate, slept, and received guests. They usually slept on a bench, which was located almost along the entire perimeter of the room. Less often - on the stove, when there was no heating. The fact is that the smoke, when firing a large adobe stove, rose under the high vaulted ceiling, fell onto the raven shelves running along the perimeter of the entire hut, and then was drawn out through the carved smoker on the roof. This is called heating in black, which is why the hut is called black or chicken. The houses had very narrow windows. This was done so that it would not be cold. Pieces of transparent ice were inserted into such narrow windows. It melted and formed a strong connection with the logs.

The front, living part of the house on a high basement is connected by a vestibule to a massive two-story courtyard. On the first floor there was a barn for livestock, and on the second floor they stored hay, household equipment, spun yarn, sewed clothes, and ground grain. Opposite the house is a barn, built, like the house, without nails. A hole was cut in the front door especially for the cat so that she could enter without hindrance to catch mice.

The way of life and traditions of this sea people are unique and very interesting. It was the tradition of the Pomors to use available natural materials, primarily wood, for their household needs. The Pomeranian world was almost completely devoid of metal products. For example, the famous Assumption Church of the 17th century in Varzuga was made by master Clement without a single nail, without a single iron bracket.

Toponyms of Pomerania.

In Pomorie there are a lot of toponyms that owe their formation to the Pomors. Let's look at some of them.

On Cape Budrach in Kandalaksha Bay, an ivy-shaped plant, called budra among the Pomors, still grows. In the 17th century, the Khibiny tundras were called Budrinsky, probably after this plant.

One of the capes in the Vnta Bay of Lake Bolshaya Imandra is named Risnyark, in Russian - Vichany navolok (from the Russian word vitsa). In the basin of the same lake there is the Risyok River, its name is translated into Russian as Vichanaya. On the southern shore of Motovsky Bay there is a small sponge called Vichany. But what does this name mean? Probably, in this sponge there should be some kind of thickets, which the Pomors would call Wichans.

In the old days, the planks in the hulls of Pomeranian ships were not joined with nails, but rather with stitches - processed juniper roots (to “sewing” large boats they used stitches from the trunks of young fir trees up to two meters high, but such boats were sewn at large shipyards like Solovetskaya). Now the origin of the names Vichany Povolok, Vichany Sponge, as well as Vichany Lake and Vichany Stream is clear.

The Pomors called juniper heather. Nine toponyms commemorate this shrub. Names based on the word veres indicate that near rivers and lakes, on dams and islands, good material for building ships grows in the lips: near Lake Kolvitskoye there are Veres-guba, Veres-tundra, Veres-navolok; Veresovaya Bay - a bay on the Tulome River; On the shore of Lake Gremyakhi between the Tuloma and Kola rivers stands Mount Veresuaive - Veresovaya Peak.

The Pomors noticed that especially good raspberries ripened on the slopes of one of the raspberries near Kolvitskaya Bay in Kandalaksha Bay - and they named this raspberry Raspberry Hill. The cloudberry-rich swamp became Cloudberry.

And the toponymy of the Kola Peninsula has numerical names. If you sail by boat from the village of Kandalakshi towards the Straits, then just halfway you will meet two ludas - Big and Small Polovinnitsy. The toponym Polovinnitsy (sometimes these luds are called that), like a road sign, notified the Pomors that they had passed halfway. And this was especially important when the main mover of the carbass and the boat was an oar, and with a fair wind, a sail. The meaning of the toponym will be well understood by anyone who has at least once had to row twenty kilometers against the wind.

The Half Mountain, standing on the left bank of the Voronya River, the Half Stream - a tributary of the Chavanga, the Half Lake from the Varzuga River system, probably received names similar to the Polovinnitsy Luds: they were located halfway through a certain path of the first names.

The numeral one is found quite rarely in toponyms (and even then not in its pure form). An example is the name of the toni Odinchakha near Kandalaksha. They say that on this tone only the first sighting was with a good catch, and with repeated sightings the net came empty. Thus, the toponym warned: swords net once, but if you want to catch fish again, wait.

Or maybe the reason for the appearance of the toponym lies not in this. At the bottom of the Odinchikha sponge there are several large stones, which the Pomors called Odintsy. Perhaps these stones gave the name to the sponge. And the toponym is, as it were, a warning: the net could get caught on the stones - single ones.

The Chuda River, which flows into Lake Umbozero, flows out of a cascade of lakes called the First, Second and Third Miracles, or Chudozero. In the Iokangsky Bay, two islands are named - First Osushnaya and Second Osushnaya (the word Osushnaya Pomory meant islands connected to the mainland at low tide).

Peter I, on one of his trips along the White Sea (1684), on his way to the Solovetsky Monastery, was caught in a strong storm. The ship was shaking so much that everyone on it considered themselves dead. Only the skill and dexterity of the dead pilot saved the ship. Peter, in gratitude, gave the gift to the pilot and cut down the cross with his own hands and erected it. At the same time, Peter I cut down a cross in Solovki on the occasion of a successful arrival.

The Pomors will take an unusually rich catch, miraculously survive the storm - and in gratitude to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker they give up the cross.

Crosses according to vows were installed either in the place near which the event took place, or in another, but in such a way that everyone could see it. This is how crosses appeared on the tops of mountains, on forests and islands, sometimes nameless. And with the advent of the cross, a mountain, an island, a sponge became Cross. This is how one of the high mountains opposite Kandalaksha got its name. Indeed, this Krestovaya Mountain is clearly visible from all sides: from the sea, from the surrounding mountains, from Kandalaksha. Cross names can be found both along the coast of the peninsula and inside it. For example, the Sami name for the isthmus in Ekostrovskaya Imandra Rystkutsket translated into Russian means Cross Isthmus.

There are several types of toponyms with a cross as the base. There are Krestovye Islands, Krestovaya Tundra, Krestovaya Bay, several Krestovsky Capes, Krestovsky Stream, and Krestovskaya Mountain.

The name of the cape lying between Nokuevsky Bay and Savikha Bay not far from Cape Vzglavye is interesting. It's called St. John's Crosses. There are no traces of crosses on this cape. F.P. Litke, describing the Lapland coast in 1822-1823, no longer found them. However, the toponym indicates that there were crosses here, and Litke confirms that “there used to be many crosses here.”

In the scribal books, Alai Mikhalkov described in great detail all the lands, fields, meadows, rivers, rivers and streams. In the inventory of Pechenga Bay, he reports that “on the river on Knyazhaya... beavers strike.” The list of graves of the Pechenga churchyard mentions Prince Lake. In Lake Ekostrovskaya Imandra, one of the lips is called Knyazhaya lip, and along it is called Knyazhiy (Knyazhoy) portage. The strait connecting Lake Babinskaya Imandra with Lake Ekostrovskaya Imandra is again called Knyazhaya Salma.

The Kongasuy stream flows into Lake Babinskaya Imandra - in Russian, Princely Stream. To some extent, the origin of all these names depends on the word prince. Either in these places there were fishing grounds belonging to some prince, or he visited these places. And it is not at all necessary that this person should be a prince; it is important that he was from the “gentlemen”, possessed wealth and had a squad.

There is an ancient legend about the origin of the name Knyazhaya Bay in Kandalaksha Bay, recorded in 1565 by the Dutch merchant Salingen.

According to the legend, the Swedes who came to the White Sea were forced to hide from the Russians on the island of Kuzovo in the Kem Bay in a camp that was named in connection with this German, and the island - German Kuzovo. Driven to despair, the Swedes tried to escape through the Kandalaksha Bay in cloudy weather and heavy rain, but they were overtaken by the Russian princes and destroyed in a small sponge between Kovda and Kandalaksha. In honor of the victory of the Russian princes over the Swedes, the bay was named Prince's Bay.

A significant group of toponyms comes from the Pomeranian dialect of the Russian language. In previous chapters we met with them quite often. In this chapter we would like to look at individual Pomeranian words that denote some geographical concepts and parts of the relief. By necks, Pomors usually designated a part of the lake at the source of the river or a body of water at the mouth. And to clarify, every source of a river or stream, and in some cases the mouth, is also a neck.

The Kolvitsa River originates from a bay called Zasheyek, that is, Source. The village of Zasheyka, which stands near the source of the Niva, was given its name by the Zasheichnaya Bay of Lake Ekostrovskaya Imandra, on the shore of which the village stands, and the lip was named after the neck of the Niva River.

The Taibola station, located 78 kilometers south of Murmansk, as well as the Taibola rapids on the Voronya River above the confluence of the Umba River, contain in their names the ancient Pomeranian word taibola, meaning an isthmus between lakes, along which one could either drive a reindeer sled, or dragging a boat, carbass, shnyaku. This word was borrowed by the Pomors from the Finnish and Karelian languages, where taipale and taival are translated as road, path. For example, the Taibola rapids on the Voronya River could be bypassed by boat or carbass only by land, by portage. The toponym Taibola tells us about this. Many Taibola are scattered along the coast of the peninsula: Malaya Pitkulya Bay, lying near Kandalaksha, is connected to Bolshaya Pitkulya Bay by an isthmus - Taibola. The Northern and Letnyaya (Southern) Bays of the Ryashkov Island in Kandalaksha Bay are also connected to each other by Taibola.

The last name has not yet had time to grow into a microtoponym, although old people often called the isthmus Taibola on Ryashkovo. In microtoponyms, the Pomeranian term suzemok, meaning dense coniferous forest, is quite widely used.

The Pomeranian term luda usually denotes small islands, usually treeless or with sparse vegetation, in combination with a certain word (Krestovaya luda, Kiberenskie ludas, Sedlovataya luda, etc.) or simply Luda, Ludka (Ludka island at the entrance to Western Nokuevskaya Bay, the island of Ludka at the mouth of the Varzuga).

Stones standing separately in the water, near the shore, are called sprouts by Pomors, and stones somewhat distant from the shore are called baklyshas. But small granite islands are often denoted by baklyshas. The term sprout lives only in microtoponymy, the term baklysh has entered toponymy: the island of Baklysh at the entrance to Poryu Bay, the three islands of Baklysh at the entrance to Ryndu Bay. The cormorants on which cormorants liked to perch are called cormorants, or cormorants. And this word is found in toponymy: the island of Cormorant, or Baklanets, near the mouth of Voronya, part of the group of islets of Voronya Ludka.

Pomors called small lakes lambins. During the course of the book, we have already encountered this term several times in combination with other words. However, it can also be used independently. For example, the Kalozhnaya River from the Pirengi River system passes through a lake called Lambina.

Pomors call small pebbles arstnik, but this name applies only to pebbles no larger than a walnut. This term is rare in toponymy. An example is the name of the small sponge Areshnya, or Areshnya-lukht, in Vochelambina Bay of Lake Ekostrovskaya Imandra.

And the pebbles are larger than areshnik. name is chevruy, or chevray. Cape Chevruy, separating the lips of Sayda and Olenya in the Kola Bay, and Cape Chevray, jutting into the sea at the eastern end of the Kildinsky Strait, indicate by their names the presence of large pebbles here.

To designate the south, the Pomors widely used the word summer. The north was designated by the word winter. The use of the word summer as southern should not be confused with its other meaning - summer camp. For example, Lake Letneye, connected by a stream to Notozero, clearly got its name as a lake of summer camps. Also, in Letnaya Bay, which lies to the west of the mouth of Kharlovka, the first names were probably only in the summer.

But the Summer Bays on the islands of Velyachiy and Ryashkov and the Letniy (Karelian) coast in Kandalaksha Bay are named after their position.

As we have mentioned more than once, the names of objects appeared in different ways. Some were translated from another language, that is, tracings, others, on the contrary, were used without translation in another language (for example, Lake Yavr, River Yok. If you translate these names, you get Lake Lake, River Reka). In addition, many names such as Stream, Lake, etc. have been assigned to objects that are very far from such names.

Several lakes and rivers are named Buttermilk. The Pomors called the steep cliff that way. In this case, lakes and rivers are located near a good landmark - the buttermilk or, as the Pomors would say, under the buttermilk. And this word is not yet a toponym, just like the name of one of the rivers flowing around Pakhta, and the other flowing out of Lake Pakhta.

Among the Pomors and Sami, it is a common custom to name rivers, lakes, toni and islands after the names of people who drowned in or near these bodies of water. For example, between the Small and Big Berezov Islands in Kandalaksha Bay lies a small corga, named Borisova due to the fact that here the old Pomeranian Boris Artamonovich Polezhaev died in a boat while going to catch herring.

Pomors now.

One of the museums of Pomeranian culture is located in the village of Umba. It has existed for 10 years and is located in a wooden house that looks like a Russian manor from the 19th century. Many rarities are donated to the museum by local residents. What is there: fishing gear and household items, festive costumes, and the famous Terek pearls, distinguished by their high quality and richness of color. It is no coincidence that the pearls obtained in Kuzomen and Varzuga were delivered by the Pomors to the royal chambers and the patriarchal court. The museum's collection includes Pomeranian skis, which, unlike modern ones, did not need to be lubricated and rolled in any weather, or Terek pearls and a dictionary of the most common Sami words compiled in the last century by the Pomor Zaborshchikov.

This year, a new nationality appeared in the alphabetical reference book approved specifically for the population census - Pomor. And if before you could only feel like a Pomor, now you can wear this proud title completely officially. The individual nationality code is 208. Number one is Russian. In total, there are more than 800 nationalities on the list. Moreover, not only ordinary residents of the Arkhangelsk region are confused, but also today’s colleagues of the most famous Pomor in Russia, Mikhailo Lomonosov. Pavel Zhuravlev - Head of the Science Department of PSU “Most of our scientists believe that Pomor is not an ethnic group, but a subethnic group. Although, from the point of view of self-awareness, the Pomors did not call themselves either Russians or Norwegians, but Pomors.” On the one hand, nationality, whatever it may be, today is not indicated or taken into account anywhere except in census documents. But, on the other hand, belonging to small nations means additional fish quotas and the right to special payments for the use of natural resources.

And in conclusion, I would like to quote the opinion of a historian.

Since the 16th century, the Russian North has been called “Pomerania”. Its territory included lands lying in the basins of the Northern Dvina, Sukhona, Onega, Mezen, Pechora, but also Kama and Vyatka rivers. Pomeranian volosts were independent at one time. But, starting with the rise of Moscow and the creation of a centralized Russian state, “with good and evil, force and kindness,” as historian S. F. Platonov put it, “Moscow gathered Northern Rus'.” The assumption of the director of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician V.M. Kotlyakov, is not without foundation: “And if republican and other traditions had not been brutally suppressed in the 16th - 11th centuries by Moscow, who knows, maybe together with the Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians we would have the fourth East Slavic nation - the North Russians..."

Indeed, almost all the signs of a nation were present: a common territory with access to the sea (Pomerania); the common economic life of Pomeranian counties, volosts and cities; special character traits, psychological and spiritual appearance of Pomors; originality of northern culture. The North Russian language was taking shape, from which we inherited local dialects, dialects and adverbs, which became the subject of careful study by philologists, dialectologists and ethnologists.

It is quite possible that the title of the Russian tsars would sound like this: “Great Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke of all Great and Lesser and White and Northern Russia, autocrat and so on, so on, so on.” But this did not happen. Pomors are a subethnic group.

Terebikhin N. M. Sacred geography of the Russian North (religious and mythological space of North Russian culture). Arkhangelsk, 1993. S. 155, 161.

Prishvin M. Behind the magic kolobok. Petrozavodsk, 1987. pp. 334-335.