Why in the Land of Soviets girls began to be called Dazdrapers, and the team became higher than the family

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

At the end of the revolution, life turned upside down not only in pro-government circles. A total eradication of centuries-old traditions began with the simultaneous introduction of completely new communist orders. The Soviet era still resounds in the names of streets, districts and cities. And some of the foundations that were relevant at that time are seen today as outlandish.

New names of Soviet children and intricate abbreviations

Children born in the new Soviet era were now called strange, in the eyes of a modern person, names. The most extensive ground for such innovations was offered by authoritative leaders, revolutionary leaders and heroes from the people. Atmospheric names, as a rule, were composed according to the first letters of the first name and surname, from several surnames, and sometimes it was an abbreviated slogan or a reflection of the achievements of Soviet society. So in the USSR there were Marlens (Marx + Lenin), Nineli (Lenin in reverse reading), Leniors (LENin and the October Revolution) and even Luigi, deciphered by the new culture as "Lenin Died Ideas Alive".

The name Kim glorified the communist international youth, and the Vector meant the slogan "The Great Communism TOR rises." In a similar way, a number of names were formed: Krasarm (in honor of the Red Army), Renat (a) (components - Revolution, Science, Labor), Revdit (child of the revolution) and, of course, Gertrude, glorifying the heroes of labor. The achievements of Soviet sciences were reflected in the names Electrification, Drezin, Traktorina, Elina (electrification with industrialization). The children were also named after the discovered chemical elements and minerals: Tungsten, Radium, Helium.

Man is a comrade to man

The revolution abolished all estate-class laws. Order number one even canceled the honorary appeal to army officers. Instead of the usual tsarist regimes, completely new titles, insignia and awards appeared. Before the February events, no one knew about the Hero of Socialist Labor, the leader of production, the Stakhanovite. Newspaper editorials from now on proclaimed the indefatigable workers of the miner Stakhanov, the milkmaid Nilova, the tractor operator Angelina, a man with a capital letter.

Until recently, the usual appeals "lady" / "young lady" and their male counterparts were reduced to a single "comrade" for all. This tradition has long been ridiculed from abroad by emigrants from the intelligentsia. The newspeak of the revolutionary era, replete with innovations and abbreviations, is widely reflected in the literary legacy. Perhaps one of the brightest works in this context is Bulgakov's Heart of a Dog. The first word of the protagonist Sharikov “abyrvalg” was nothing more than a distorted “Glavryba”.

Religious Weekend Avoidance and Revolutionary Holidays

In tsarist Russia, Sunday was always an official day off. But in the spring of 1929, the Bolsheviks approved a five-day plan - a working week with one, fifth, day to rest. And two years later, republican institutions and enterprises (with the exception of service ones) were transferred to a six-day period. Regardless of the days of the week, a single weekend was introduced for all - on the 6th, 12th, 18th, 24th, 30th of the month. So they achieved the abolition of the objectionable Sunday, associated with the Christian traditions of the weekend, and with it from the non-working Friday in the Muslim environment.

An important milestone in the upbringing of the socialist spirit in society was the new calendar of holidays. The usual religious holidays were replaced by revolutionary holidays. The first and foremost was, of course, the Day of the Great October Socialist Revolution, celebrated on November 7. This day was followed by May Day, dedicated to the solidarity of workers, Women's Day on March 8. Only the New Year was devoid of political coloring. But here, too, there were some nuances: from the second half of the 1920s, the New Year tree fell under the ban. This tradition was associated with Christmas motives, which was unacceptable in the new society.

The dates revered at the state level were accompanied by a new form of celebration - mass processions with banners, flags, banners and portraits of the leaders. These events demonstrated the support of the Communist Party and the state as a whole by the common people. The celebration of the anniversaries of the October Revolution was additionally accompanied by military parades. Long columns of military equipment and marching troops reminded of the military might and victorious strength of the Soviet state. Since the beginning of the 30s, sports theatrical performances have been staged on the Red Square in Moscow on holiday weekends. One of the most popular performances was “If tomorrow is war”.

The new character of family holidays and Soviet leisure

After the establishment of the power of the Soviets in Russia, the nature of family events also changed. In 1925, the traditional marriage in the form of a wedding was replaced by an official ceremony at the registry office. The wedding march was the "Internationale", and the first gift to the spouses from the state was Karl Marx's "Capital". The rite of baptism was replaced by the so-called Octobrins, which were also called stars or red christenings. The dedication of newborns to Christ was banned, and an alternative was the dedication to the October Revolution with a five-pointed star instead of a cross. The concept of the family gave way to the newly-minted collective, which raised the person of the future, the general rose above the private, and the life of each citizen was regulated by the relevant organizations.

The new Soviet man spent his leisure time in workers' clubs and parks of culture and recreation. In 1928, the Moscow park named after Maxim Gorky was opened, and with it the alley of the shock workers of the socialist labor, where busts of the best workers of the capital's factories were installed. In 1936, an impressive statue of "Girl with an Oar" appeared here, numerous copies of which later appeared throughout the country. According to legend, the model of the sculptor was a simple athlete Vera Voloshina, a student at the Institute of Physical Education in Moscow.

At the same time, post-revolutionary sentiments in society developed under the strong influence of propaganda. So, For a long time the red commissars determined the fashion and customs of socialist society.