What is maharych in Russia, and what does moonshine still have to do with Ivan the Terrible

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

Surely everyone has heard the phrase “I’m a maharych”. This phrase is used without going into its meaning. But most often they say this when they consider themselves owed for some kind of service or help provided. Few know how such a saying arose and what transformations it went through. Read in the material what a maharych is, what the special rules of trade had to do with it, and how moonshine stills were used under Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

Magarych - what is it, a treat or a bribe?

If you turn to the "Dictionary of the Russian language" edited by Evgenieva, you can read that "magarych" means a delicious treat. But this is not just a festive table, but gratitude at the conclusion of a deal from the side of the person who made a profit. This word does not have Russian roots, but has a Turkic origin. It began to be used after trade relations with the Tatar peoples were established. Translated as waste, costs, expense. And in the dictionary of foreign words, edited by Chudinov, it says that the magarych was usually exhibited after the horse was sold profitably. Another vocabulary, etymological, edited by Max Fasmer, presents the magarych as a drink, and necessarily after a cost-effective transaction between the parties. There is a similar statement in the Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language (edited by Efremova), however, it is emphasized that any gratitude for help or service, as well as a pleasant offering for expressing joy at good events in a person's life, is called magarych.

According to linguists, such a lexeme has been used in Russia since the 16th century. So what is it? Gift, treat, or bribe? You can turn to folk art to understand what is meant. A lot of proverbs and sayings on this topic have accumulated. For example, Del is worth fifty kopecks, and magarych is worth a ruble! " Or: "Profits - in profits, and the money is free!" Vladimir Dal noted in his dictionary that most often the magarych is drunk. However, there is another note: it can be not only a drink or food, but also a bribe.

Moonshine stills, which became widespread under Ivan the Terrible

There is another interesting fact. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, people enjoyed drinking moonshine. And they produced it on a special apparatus, which was just called "magarych". The design was made in such a way that the drink was prepared for a very long time, but the result was a high-quality moonshine with a recognizable smell and taste. At the same time, each noble family could boast of first-class homemade alcohol - the traditions of home brewing were inherited, and it was strictly forbidden to reveal the secret of making the drink.

Feasts from lucky sellers

But nevertheless, if we turn to deep antiquity, then initially the maharych in Russia meant a feast that was supposed to be arranged by the seller. The buyer or his representative acted as the obligatory guest. If the person who paid for the goods accepted the invitation, then the transaction was considered final and could not be canceled. Thus, in ancient times, the maharych meant a guarantee of the fulfillment of the contract. If initially feasts in honor of successful deals were “rolled up” to express unanimity, then over time the meaning became more pragmatic. It is interesting that if during the transaction the services of a scribe were used, who reflected the contract on paper, then the magarych received him too, as a reward for his work.

Based on this, the meaning of the word is wide enough: not only a treat and a feast in honor of the deal, but also a payment for labor or even a bribe for a high-quality and quick solution to the problem. It happened that the magarych bribed persons with a judicial rank. In this case, the winner was the participant who offered the more generous reward. Matchmaking was also included in the category of transactions. When the matchmakers went to the parents of the bride's parents, they took the magarych with them. Accepted the offering - the deed is done, the parents agreed to the blessing of the marriage. The following is also interesting: what does the word "magarite" resemble? Yes, it’s the magarych. But this is what the Turkic peoples call the wedding ceremony, but literally the marriage bargaining.

Is there a magarych today and how is it happening now

The word has become so common that today even distillers under the name "Magarych" are produced. True, good deals are rarely celebrated with a feast. Everything has become much simpler: if they talk about the maharych, then they usually mean just friendly gatherings with alcohol, that is, the usual "washing" of a purchase in a circle of friends, relatives or good acquaintances. It never occurs to anyone to invite a salesperson to visit. But the most common perception is to offer the magarych as a gift (in the form of an object or money) for some kind of service.

But in old Russia, the food that was offered was still usually alcoholic beverages. And again you can turn to sayings and sayings that confirm this, for example, "It's done, since the magarych is drunk." Today, many people also believe that maharych is a synonym for alcohol. There are jokes about plumbers with whom they pay with vodka, and there is even one: "Magarych moves work, especially at plumbers." People celebrate some important life events, be it a bonus, a promotion, some kind of reward, and invite colleagues to drink to it with the words: "I’m a bastard." It is unlikely that this term will ever leave the Russian language. However, it does not matter what you call the feast. The main thing is that it is pleasant to everyone and does not harm health.

Well, later the brewing of moonshine became illegal. Like other criminal articles in the USSR, for which no one is punished today.