Why do they say that children are "found in cabbage", and Who are the cabbage

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Cabbage is a vegetable that has been grown in Russia since ancient times, is respected, and unusually tasty dishes are prepared from it. It was the basic garden crop that helped the peasants survive during the long, cold winters. Cabbage contains vitamins, fiber, trace elements, and this was very important for maintaining the health of adults and children. Although in ancient times they did not know about the chemical composition of cabbage, but the beneficial effect of the vegetable on the work of the body was revealed by the peasants empirically. Cabbage was fermented in many different ways and kept fresh in cold cellars. And they often talked about newborn babies that they were found in cabbage. I wonder why?

She harvested cabbage - gave birth to a child ahead of schedule

Sometimes, wanting to calm down a nervous and impressionable pregnant woman, they tell her that everything will be fine, that in ancient times women gave birth to children in the field, and nothing. Yes, this happened, especially often during the cabbage harvest. This was because weddings were often played after the Nativity Lent, and after 9 months, children appeared in families. You can count, and you get just the end of September-October, the time for picking cabbage.

In Russia, this vegetable was harvested exclusively by women. And the process was not very easy, rather even very difficult. Therefore, premature births very often occurred on the field. Hence, most likely, the joke occurred that the child was found in the cabbage. Fortunately, women today do not have to test their bodies in this way.

Healing cabbage, useful during childbirth

There is another version why they talk about babies found in cabbage. In old Russia, this vegetable was often used for childbirth. How it happened: often women gave birth in baths, which were heated in black. Not everyone was ready to use the sheets to prepare the birthplace, because according to some beliefs, they had to be burned after the baby was born. It was an expensive, unaffordable luxury for a peasant family. Therefore, instead of cloth, they used clean cabbage leaves. They were placed on a bench, and they served as a sheet. In addition, cabbage was considered healing, because it looks so much like a fruit, and when it is harvested, chopped, the process resembles cutting the umbilical cord.

It was believed that cabbage gives the child and his mother additional strength, taken from the mother earth. During childbirth, there were minor troubles. For example, a child could be slightly injured. Then, in order for the hematoma to dissolve faster, they took a cabbage leaf and tied it to the damaged area. By the way, in folk medicine, this method is still practiced.

They got to know each other at a skit, got married, and gave birth to cabbage

There was a strict agricultural calendar in Russia. for example, cabbage was planted on the day of St. Irene (and this is May 18), and it was harvested from September 27. That is, the beginning fell on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, and it was necessary to finish the cleaning on Sergei's skit, that is, on October 8. When the entire crop was harvested, skits or cabbage were spent - this was the name of the popular economic holidays in Russia. Their meaning was that the owners of the land invited boys and girls to process the harvested cabbage.

The girls were engaged in shredding this vegetable, and the guys were carrying heavy bags. In addition, their task was to entertain the girls, so that the work is all the easier and more fun. Therefore, ditties were always sung at the skit, jokes were poured, laughter was heard. After the cabbage was leavened, the workers were invited to the festive table, dances, round dances, and games began. On these holidays, on skits, they very often met, that is, couples formed, which later became a family. And children were born in them. Therefore, when they talked about the baby found in the cabbage, they meant these festive skits. There is one more subtle point - some guys and girls, taking advantage of the festive atmosphere and general turmoil, sinned by hiding in a secluded place. Children were born out of wedlock, they were called kapustnichki and joked that they were found among the cabbage leaves.

Why did they say that the child was found in cabbage and how it helped to protect him from troubles and diseases

In Russia, they were very afraid of various evil spirits, they believed that it was evil spirits who sent damage to children, diseases and even took their lives. In those days, child mortality was much higher than today, and in order to deceive the evil spirits, parents tried, relatively speaking, to devalue the baby. It was necessary to instill in the spirits that the child was a stranger, that there was nothing to do with him at all. For this, the rumor was spread that this child was found in cabbage. There was another way to lead evil spirits and evil, envious people. This is an old rite of the so-called named parents.

They spent it like this: the child was placed on the road, while the parents were hiding, for example, in the bushes or behind the trees. It was necessary to wait until some passer-by saw the baby. The man had to take him in his arms. After that, the parents went out of their hiding place, took the newborn from a stranger, but when they acted as if it was not their child, but some unfortunate orphan. The one who found the child received the status of the named father or mother. If it was really a stranger, he just moved on to himself. But if someone familiar, for example, a neighbor, found the baby, then she was responsible for raising the baby (within reasonable limits, of course). Moreover, if something happened to the real parents, then the named father or mother had to take the orphaned child to his family.

So most often newborns in Russia were found in cabbage, or they were brought by a stork. A baby could also be found among the heads of cabbage in Italy and France. But, for example, in England children are compared to letters and they say that they get into the house in the bag of a postman. In Australia, a newborn is hiding in a kangaroo bag. In Georgia, a child is brought by proud and strong eagles. How many countries, so many incredible places where babies are found.

By the way, not all Russian products are popular with foreigners. For some, they literally scare. So, Alexander Dumas, traveling to Russia, fell in love with these Russian dishes.