How children were raised in Russia: why do girls need a father's shirt, who is Kriksa and what a 10-year-old child could do

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

Today, expectant mothers are under the supervision of doctors, attend antenatal clinics, voraciously read Dr. Spock and other literature on raising babies. After the birth of the long-awaited miracle, women try to follow all the recommendations, and when the child grows up a little, they take him to "development", looking for the best kindergartens and schools. How was it before?

Birth, and why the girls were swaddled in their father's shirt

Modern pediatricians and child psychologists argue that the most important period in a child's life is from birth to a year. The same opinion was held in ancient Russia, only in addition to proper care and close attention to the health of the baby, they attached great importance to various rituals so that the evil spirits could not harm the newborn.

For example, today very few people firmly swaddle babies, as they did 20-30 years ago. And in ancient times, swaddling was watched closely, believing that it would save the child from improper development. At the same time, only old rags were used for the diapers, it is best that these were the clothes of the parents. In many areas, it was believed that a father's shirt would be perfect. The child wrapped in it was protected from evil forces. Therefore, both boys and girls were swaddled in clean, but shabby (and, therefore, soft) clothes.

But this was not done everywhere. In some areas it was allowed to use a men's shirt only for a boy, and a women's shirt only for a girl. They said that if you break this rule, the girl will be barren, and the boy will be weak and stupid.

The first bath as a guarantee of happiness, and what was added to the water and for what purpose

Both today and before, mothers took the first bath of their newborn very seriously. Modern mothers buy various accessories for this, disinfect them, prepare a place where everything will happen, heat the water (according to doctors, it should not be hotter than 37 degrees). Decoctions are made from a string, chamomile in order to avoid allergic reactions and make the delicate skin even smoother. In general, the event is uniquely important and exciting, but it hardly carries any special meaning.

In old Russia, it was considered differently - the future of the child could depend on how the first bathing proceeds. In order for the baby to grow up rich, silver coins were placed in the water. So that he never lacks food and the necessary things, they could put a piece of bread, an egg, some kind of glassware in the water. Taking care of the appearance and wishing their child a delicate white skin, the parents washed him in fresh milk.

What is kriksa and how the cradle protected from evil spirits

In Russia, the baby slept in a cradle, not in a crib. It was believed that since the bed is on the floor, evil spirits can steal a newborn. Therefore, the cradle was hung from the ceiling, thereby protecting the baby from evil spirits. Before putting the baby in the cradle for the first time, the name of the cat was called. He had to "absorb" all the sorrows and problems that could threaten the baby. To prevent evil spirits from doing their dirty work, scissors or a knife were placed under the mattress. And so that the child slept sweetly and calmly, they used sleep-grass and pork cartilage.

But sometimes even all these tricks did not help, and the child would start crying, often wake up. Then they said that these were the tricks of the Kriks. According to legend, it was a nasty and evil creature, which could be fought by reading conspiracies. "Kriksa, kriksa, leave home, go to a dark forest, to a high mountain, leave our baby alone." Not only the cricket could bother the child, there was also the so-called unsteady. He frightened and tormented the newborn. To prevent the cradle from interfering with the calmness of the baby, it was forbidden to swing the empty cradle, and if the baby was taken out, then the cradle was covered with a blanket.

How they fed, taught to walk, and what it means to "cut the bonds"

The newborn was fed exclusively with breast milk. If the mother did not do this, she took upon herself the sin, because she broke the magical bond between herself and the baby. Moreover, it was believed that even if for some terrible reason the child died, he could still appear at night for a long time to taste breast milk.

They taught to walk in the same way as now. They also made a kind of walker out of leather straps and ropes. If by the year the baby still did not comprehend the art of walking, it was necessary to cut the fetters. According to legend, it was they who did not allow the child to walk. To do this, it was necessary to put the child on a bench, after which the father had to take scissors or two splinters and make a movement that imitated cutting the ropes between the legs of a son or daughter. Then it was necessary to tell the child that he can walk, because the puto is cut.

What did the boys and girls teach, and who are the pestuns

Children in Old Russia were taught early to work, they became full-fledged workers at the age of 7. The worst "compliment" was to say about the boy that he was only able to drive money, and about the girl - that she was a "bad guy." The fathers took the boys with them to the fields, where they helped to take away the manure, removed the hard clods of earth so that they would not interfere with the work with the plow. Little workers harrowed the fields, and when they were 9 years old, they already knew how to shoot a bow well, set traps for ducks. By the age of ten, they were engaged in fishing with might and main, catching gophers.

Girls started doing homework at the age of six. They were taught to spin, take care of poultry, at the age of 7 they began to embroider beautifully, and when the little worker turned ten, she already knew how to milk a cow, take care of younger brothers and sisters, thoroughly wash floors and dishes, iron clothes, and do laundry.

When the twelfth birthday came, the girls had the right to become a nanny, the so-called pestun. It was not just a job, but a paid job. Pestunya was usually hired during the season, when there was no one to stay with the children. The cost of services could reach 5 rubles. Sometimes they paid with food and things, for example, they could pour a few pounds of flour, or give out a large cut for sewing a dress, pay with apples and potatoes. When the need for pestun was no longer needed, the owners made a large pie with cabbage and presented it to the little nanny with the words "take the pie, and the nanny is out the door."

This may seem wild to some, but the so-called surrogate motherhood has existed since ancient times. The first mention of him dates back to the days of Plutarch.