Hot historical top ten: top 10 fairground fun in Russia

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

Buffoons, a nativity scene, Petrushka, a booth - that's what the Russian people are merry about. Here it is - a colorful and noisy fair. This is both a place of festivities and a stage on which an action unfolds beyond the control of any director. At the fair, shops and goods changed, but the entertainment traditionally remained the same.

Round dance

It was this simple dance that was one of the most ancient ways of amusement at fairgrounds. A large number of people have always participated in round dances. This fun was necessarily accompanied by singing and music. However, round dances were not only entertaining, but also sacred in nature, and were somewhat akin to a ritual. So, in Russia there were military round dances, love, fruitful, labor, maternity, family and many others. Round dances began, as a rule, to songs "typesetting", and ended with "collapsible" ones. The round dance was accompanied by the play of actors, who later became the first buffoons. Thanks to round dances, lead singers also appeared.

Dances

They say about the Russian dance that it broke the circle of the round dance. Dance at Slavic fairs was a kind of competition in which young guys could compete with each other in prowess and agility. There is an opinion that this is at all the training of a warrior, which is comparable to the training of a sambist. For example, the Russian squat is the ability to hit the opponent with his foot in any position. The winner of the dance was determined by the people who gathered to watch the event. As a rule, they “voted” with shouts for the quickest young man, who could also show unusual and beautiful movements.

Buffoons

Buffoons have always occupied a special place at fairs. According to historical written sources, buffoons first appeared in the 11th century, becoming the progenitors of the first professional theater actors, although, in fact, buffoons were already the very actors. As a rule, buffoons were people without a roof over their heads, wandering around the world from fair to fair. Traditionally, buffoons were engaged in acting and jokes, which aroused the anger of the authorities and the church. So, in the royal charter of 1648 it is said that.

Balagan

This fair entertainment appeared quite late, but quickly gained wide popularity, both among the common people and among the more noble classes. Remarkable is the fact that the first folk theaters were called by such an unpleasant name in Russia. They played in the booths of buffoons, who entertained the fair onlookers not only with jokes and songs, but also with theatrical action on a special platform. Most of them even had their own owner. By the richness of the decoration and design of the booth, one could judge the well-being of its owner.

Nativity scene

The first puppet theater called the nativity scene appeared at fairs only with the spread of Christianity in Russia. All performances were shown to people in a box with a cut out wall and bottom, and doll figures were strung on wooden pins. The nativity scene was known in all Slavic lands. The most popular motives of Vertep were biblical motives. Every story told in the nativity scene was simple and instructive. All characters and actions were clear to every visitor to the fair. The traditional participants in the den were: a man, a devil, a priest, a shepherd, the Mother of God, a donkey, a bull, a baby and Tsar Herod.

Bear dances and performances

Where in Russia without bears. And this is not at all a myth created by foreigners. Bear dances and bear performances were indeed widespread in Russia and were very popular. As a rule, bear performances did not differ in variety, but they were accompanied by caustic jokes of the bear, who amused the audience no less than the bear himself. The animals performed a series of simple movements, showing how a woman ties a scarf, how a man puts on trousers, how a mother-in-law treats his son-in-law, etc. Such primitive parodies of people caused special fun among the fair audience.

Raek

Another very popular and unusual entertainment at the fairs was the paradise, which came to the Russian land from Western Europe. A rajok is a large box, often located on wheels and made in the form of a small hut. There was a handle on one of the side walls, and lenses on the other two. Through one of them, onlookers could look into the paradise. When the owner began to rotate the handle, inside, behind the lens, there was a change of pictures. These images could be very different: landscapes of overseas regions, drawings of unseen animals, pictures in fairy tales. At the same time, the owner of such a "TV" can be considered the forerunner of the DJ, since he used to say various jokes and jokes during the demonstration.

Puppet show with Petrushka

Parsley has always been the protagonist of fairground amusements. The first mention of it dates back to 1630. Adam Olearia, secretary of the Holstein embassy, wrote about comedians who arrange for finger puppets. Parsley is always a hunchbacked, nosed, pugnacious, mischievous and noisy joker who spoke in a hoarse, squeaky voice. According to the plot of the performance, Petrushka wooed, got a job, got drunk and got into a variety of funny situations. Prince Dolgoruky, seeing the presentation of parsley in 1813, wrote:.

Fist fights

Fistfights were often held at fairs, for which Russia was famous since ancient times. Such fights were not only fun, but also a competition. All interested men took part in them, regardless of age and position in society. In fist fights, despite the apparent simplicity, there was a rigid system of rules, non-observance of which led to an early end of the fight. It was possible to beat the enemy only with fists. The most common types of fist fighting were: one on one, wall to wall, or, which in fact was not a fist fight at all, but an independent Russian single combat, which resembled a fight with throws and grabs. In such battles, men showed their daring and strength, ingenuity and agility, and it was also believed that fist fights, which came over the days of routine worries.

Boot on a pole

This simple game was especially popular among young daring men who wanted to impress red girls. Having paid only a copper, every young man or man who was willing and confident in his abilities could try to climb a wooden pole dug into the ground. At the top of such a pillar were new boots - a special value in those days. If the daring man got to the top, he could rightfully take his prize. However, usually the pillar was so high that only a few got to the boots. But such a hero, along with the boots, received the girls' favor.

It is worth noting that the tradition of fairs and fairground festivities in the valley to this day. Moreover, fairs are held not only in Russia. For example, the interest of tourists is attracted by the annual apple fair in the Swedish village of Kivik, the main highlight of which is incredible apple paintings.