Life and traditions of the old Cossacks. Traditions and customs of the Cossacks

COSSACK LIFE AND CUSTOMS OF THE COSSACKS:

LIFESTYLE

The current ethnic and "other" Cossacks argue and discuss about the destination modern Cossacks, and as "grandfather" Karamzin said: "To understand the purpose of a people or a country, you need to know their history well ...". But we will proceed from the fact that the past of the Cossacks, and indeed of Russia in general, is vague and controversial, then we will look into the textbooks of the Historian of the “Soviet” times: “There were tribes of Russ and Ross ... People settled in clans, a clan of plowmen-craftsmen and a clan of nomadic warriors. Over time, the clans united (warriors guarded the tillers in exchange for food), forming towns surrounded by a simple palisade or log walls of a special design to protect against raids of animals and militant tribes.
Since it is known that the Cossacks were forbidden to engage in agriculture, it turns out that, relying even on the facts of history, you come to the conclusion that the Cossacks were a militant people. In addition, at the baptism of a child (boy), the father put him on a horse, and in the lower reaches of the Don and in the Caucasus (in addition to this), a dagger or a knife in a leather sheath lit in the church was placed in the cradle of the child. It is obvious that farmers and ordinary people do not need such customs (besides, “runaway serfs”). It turns out that from birth, fathers developed in their children (as Academician Pavlov would say) a stable reflex - ALWAYS BE ARMED! Remember the seal of the Don Cossacks: "Naked Cossack on a barrel, but with weapons in both hands."
The main livelihoods of the Cossacks were hunting, fishing, cattle breeding and military booty. Farming until 1695 among the Cossacks was strictly prohibited. The entire male population was required to serve. In independent campaigns and in the composition of the troops Russian state, as "irregular" (that is, not regular - these were the Cossack units before the revolution of 1917), no more than 2/3 of the combat strength of the village or farm left, and 1/3 remained to protect their lands and replace field regiments after a three-year stay them on the trip. The Cossacks successfully coped with their task before the story was told.
The chieftain must know how many orphans are in his community, they have long been called "ataman children", they were taken care of by the whole community. The old people made sure that the orphans were not offended, the godparents watched over their morality and physical health. Especially gifted orphans and Cossacks were sent to study at public expense. The Cossacks did not have kindergartens, they were replaced by the Elders - a gathering of the old Cossacks of a farm or village. They monitored the observance of all traditions (customs) in their village and in the upbringing of children, resolved disputes and conflicts and imposed punishments.

Cossack food.

The basis of the diet of the Cossack family was wheat bread, fish, livestock and gardening products ... The most popular was borsch, which was boiled with sauerkraut, beans, meat, lard, in fast days- With vegetable oil. Each hostess had her own unique taste of borscht. This was due not only to the diligence with which the housewives cooked the food, but also to various culinary secrets, among which was the ability to make frying (pre-frying vegetables was used exclusively in Cossack families and is still used by the descendants of the Cossacks). Cossacks loved dumplings, dumplings. They knew a lot about fish: they salted it, dried it, boiled it. They salted and dried fruits for the winter, cooked compotes (uzvars), jam, prepared watermelon honey, made fruit marshmallows; honey was widely used, wine was made from grapes. The Cossacks ate more meat and meat dishes(especially poultry, pork and lamb) than other peoples of Russia. Fat and fat were highly valued, as often meat products were used as a seasoning for dishes. In large undivided families, all products were run by the mother-in-law, who gave them to the “duty” daughter-in-law ... Food was cooked, as a rule, in the oven (in the winter in the house, in the kitchen, in the summer - also in the kitchen or in the summer oven in the yard): Each family had the necessary simple utensils: cast iron, bowls, bowls, frying pans, stag tongs, cups, pokers.

Chub, crest, pot, bracket and sedentary.

The famous Cossack forelock and the obliquely planted cap are covered with a special legend. Although there were no special instructions on this matter, the Cossacks stubbornly wore forelocks and twisted their hats over their ears. The legend says that on the Don there has always been a law of personal immunity for anyone who came to seek asylum and protection from the Cossacks. “There is no extradition from the Don!” This principle has been observed for centuries, it was especially clearly manifested in the Civil War, when the entire persecuted and exterminated Russia sought refuge with the Cossacks. On the Don, they never asked a refugee where he came from, what he had done, even his name - until he himself said, they did not torture him. Sheltered, fed, protected. And woe was to the one who violated the laws of hospitality or tried to instill among the Cossacks principles and views alien to them, "to sow temptations." Such a person disappeared without a trace in the steppes. In ancient times, the Cossacks wore three well-known hairstyles. The Cherkasy Cossacks left a crest all over their clean-shaven head (similar to this modern hairstyle is called the "Iroquois"), he gave the basis for the derisive nickname of the Ukrainians. This hairstyle was worn by the Cossacks who underwent initiation, that is, the rite of initiation of a boy into a man. It is curious that among the neighbors of the Cossacks - the Persians, the very word "Cossack" means "tuft". The second rare hairstyle is the sedentary, which was worn only by warriors. Leaving one strand of hair on a shaved head is a rite dating back to ancient times. So, among the Normans, the “settler” meant a dedication to the one-eyed god Odin, it was worn by warriors - the servants of Odin, and the god himself. It is known that pagan Slavs, warriors of Svyatoslav of Kyiv, also wore sedentary people. Subsequently, the "settler" became a symbol of belonging to the military order of the Cossacks. The first two hairstyles were common among the Slavs Sabir or Severov (see Severshchina in Ukraine, Novgorod-Seversky, Seversky Donets). The Cossacks of the middle Don, Terek and Yaik cut their hair in a "bracket" when their hair was cut in a circle - the same front and back. This hairstyle was called “under the pot”, “under the watermelon peel”, etc. The custom of cutting hair singled out the Cossacks from the Khazars and, later, the Polovtsy, who wore braids. Cut hair in the rules of all ancient magics They have great power, so they were carefully hidden: they were buried in the ground, fearing that the hair would get to the enemy and he would cast spells on them that would cause damage. In all Cossack lands, the most ancient custom of the first haircut of a child has been preserved. When the boy is one year old godmother, surrounded by female relatives, but without his own mother, who is not present even at the baptism of the child, puts him on a felt mat and cuts his hair for the first time in his life. It is appropriate to note here that Cossacks wore forelocks on the left side, since it was believed that a devil is on the left of a person (who pushes for a bad (bad) deed), and an angel on the right (who inspires good). Here the Cossacks with this forelock, as it were, brush off the devil. And here ancient custom associated with hair: when the Cossacks buried a friend, most often treacherously killed, they threw strands of hair cut or torn from forelocks into the grave, which meant their oath to take revenge on the enemy without mercy. A strand torn from a forelock always meant “curse”, because, The forelock of the Cossacks meant a connection with God, and it was believed that for the forelock God during the battle would pull the Cossack into paradise. Remember, N.V. Gogol about the traitor Andrii: “Old Taras will tear out a gray tuft of hair from his chupryna and curse both the day and the hour in which he gave birth to such a son to shame himself.” However, the Cossacks, who pulled out strands of hair as a sign of a curse, knew that God forbids revenge! And so they considered themselves cursed. Deciding on revenge, they understood their doom. “I am a finished man! - the Cossack said in such cases. “And there will be no rest for me either in this or this world ...” By the way, Gogol’s Taras also died ...

Rites and holidays.

The Cossacks had various ceremonies: matchmaking, wedding, maternity, "naming", christening, seeing off for service, funerals.

Matchmaking
In each Cossack army (military community) there were somewhat different, but in general terms similar rites of matchmaking. The Kuban and Tertsy had such a custom, and the Don people had a custom in many respects similar to this. In front of the girl he liked, the Cossack lad threw his hat out the window or into the yard, and if the girl did not immediately throw the hat out into the street, in the evening he could come with his father or godfather to woo. The guests said: - Good people, do not be angry, the guy lost my hat, you didn’t find it for an hour? - They found, they found ... - the father of the bride answers, - they hung it on a fur coat, let him take it and no longer lose it. This meant that the matchmaking did not take place - the bride's parents were against it, the matchmaker could object to this, they say, the thing is not ours, we will begin to look for ours. And this meant that there was an agreement between the girl and the guy, and the groom would try to steal her. Somewhat frightened by this turn of events, the girl's father shouted: - Hey, Maryana! Come on, give me a papakha, whose is it with us! If a girl brought a hat and put it upside down (hereinafter she became the “Pawn”, in which they put money for the wedding), this meant that she agreed to go for the guy, and the parents risked embarrassment, losing their daughter and offending the future son-in-law. If the hat lay on the table upside down with the cross up, this meant that the issue of marrying a girl was not agreed upon. These are the unfortunate groom's own fantasies. - Well, guess! - strictly ordered the father or godfather to the groom. - Here you go! - Joyfully said the father of the bride. - It's your dad! Wear it to your health and don't lose any more! So the Cossacks have gone scattered, we have lost almost half a yard of these dads!

Wedding.
A complex and lengthy rite, with its own strict rules. In the old days the wedding was never a show material wealth parents of the bride and groom. First of all, it was a state, spiritual and moral act, an important event in the life of the village. The ban on weddings during fasting was strictly observed. The most preferred time of the year for weddings was considered autumn, winter, when there was no field work and, moreover, this is the time of economic prosperity after harvesting. The age of 18-20 years was considered favorable for marriage. The community and the military administration could intervene in the procedure for concluding marriages. So, for example, it was not allowed to extradite girls to other villages if there were many bachelors and widowers in their own. But even within the village, young people were deprived of the right to choose. The decisive word in the choice of the bride and groom remained with the parents. Matchmakers could appear without the groom, only with his hat, so the girl did not see her betrothed until the wedding. “There are several periods in the development of a wedding: pre-wedding, which included matchmaking, handshaking, arches, parties in the house of the bride and groom; wedding and post-wedding ritual. At the end of the wedding the main role was assigned to the groom's parents: they were rolled around the village in a trough, locked in a mountain, from where they had to pay off with the help of a "quarter". The guests also got it: they "stole" chickens from them, at night they covered the windows with lime. But in all this, there was nothing offensive, senseless, not aimed at the future good of man and society. Ancient rituals outlined and consolidated new ties, imposed social obligations on people. Not only actions were filled with deep meaning, but also words, objects, clothes, tunes of songs. Young people, leaving the church, pass under three "gates". The third gate is formed from a raised towel, a symbol of family customs. After a long towel flew up over the heads of the newly married couple with a white arch, a rain of grain, small coins and sweets in pieces of paper fell on them. In front of the third gate there was a second one: two Cossacks held caps or hats taken off over the heads of the newlyweds. This is what is called - to pass under caps, which meant giving the family and all offspring legal (as we would say now) protection, all the fullness of legal rights that protected the family. And the first gate under which young people passed, immediately leaving the doors of a cathedral or church, was the gate of two naked blades. It was called "to pass under checkers". But about what the checker meant and what it was for the Cossack - next time.

COSSACK FAITH
Since ancient times, the Cossacks did not recognize either the Byzantine or the Moscow Patriarchate. They had priests, but very little is known about them, it is known that before the times of Peter the Great they were, as a rule, hereditary, but there were also those who “took a haircut”. A possessed priest (going against the Cossack honor, the will of the Circle (Rada) - the Cossacks could flog with whips). Ancient sources (foreign historians) describe evidence that there were as many churches and temples in the basins of the Don and Kuban rivers as there were not in all of ancient Rus'. Moving in whole farms or villages, the Cossacks dismantled wooden churches and transported them with them (with all the utensils), and in a new place they first assembled the temple, and then built the rest of the buildings. Many Cossacks became monks after major and significant battles (a special example is the Seat of Azov). The Cossacks chose priests from among the priests, who were many on the Don: recaptured from the captives, refugees from devastated monasteries and churches, fugitives from repressions, etc. A stripped or self-proclaimed non-ordained priest could not serve with the Cossacks. The Cossacks were deeply devoted to their Orthodox Christian faith, but at the same time they were completely religiously tolerant. Not to mention the Old Believers, of whom there were many among the Cossacks, in the Kuban Army there were Mohammedan mountaineer Cossacks, and in the Donskoy there was a large group of Buddhist Kalmyk Cossacks. Returning from their campaigns, the Cossacks gave part of the military booty to their church, and this pious custom was preserved until later, when the Cossacks of one or another village, having served their legal term in a military unit, returned home, they brought silver church vessels to the village church, the Gospel in expensive frames, icons, banners and other church items. Creating their own independent order, their own administration, their own Cossack "award" - their military law, the Cossacks, however, maintained a close connection with Russia - a religious, national, political and cultural connection. The Moscow Tsar, later the Russian Emperor, was recognized by the Cossacks as the supreme power. He was in their eyes the bearer of the state and national unity of Russia.

COSSACK CLOTHING

Ancient Cossack clothes are very ancient (this is evidenced by the statuettes found from the time of the Scythians). The costume of the Cossacks took shape over the centuries, long before the Cherkasy tribes began to be called Cossacks. First of all, this refers to the invention of the Scythians - bloomers, without which the life of a nomad - a horseman is impossible (you can’t sit on a horse in tight pants, and they will wash your legs, and fetter the rider’s movements). Over the centuries, their cut has not changed, so those bloomers that were found in ancient mounds were the same as those worn by the Cossacks in the 17-19 centuries.

Cossack right.

Marked by all historians as the main feature of the Cossack troops “on the right”, that is, equipment at their own expense, in fact, for the Cossack it made not only economic sense and placed a heavy burden on the family, but also had a deeper philosophical content. In the understanding of our ancestors, “right” is not only a set of things necessary for service, but also a special, often mystical, ritual meaning that the Cossack endowed with a hat, saber, uniform, etc. “Right” is not only military uniforms, a horse and a weapon, this is in a broad sense in general National Costume, and even more broadly - Cossack morality, everyday and economic way of life, the whole complex of objects and customs that surrounded the Cossack. The Cossack was "celebrated" long before he went to serve. This was due not only to the huge material costs of ammunition and weapons, but also to the fact that the Cossack got used to a new world of objects for him, in new world surrounding the male warrior. Usually his father said to him: - Well, son, I married you and celebrated. Now live with your mind - I am no longer responsible before God for you! As a rule, this meant that the father taught his son both the trade and everything that a grain grower needs to know, and not only collected the necessary ammunition and weapons, and the son understood that he no longer had the right to demand anything from his father. The measure is measured out to him completely. He is a cut piece and a free Cossack. Therefore, the story about the Cossack right should not begin with a story about objects, but with concepts and the inner meaning that is embedded in each concept and object. The most important and first was the concept of "serviceability". "The Cossack must be correct." Our ancestors invested a very broad meaning in the concept of serviceability. This is the clarity of the soul, the clarity of the worldview, fidelity in word and deed, physical health and neatness in appearance. A special part of the concept of "serviceability" was constant combat readiness (horse, ammunition, equipment, weapons) and a strong economy. The Cossack could be poor, but could not be faulty. It was as unthinkable as an untidy Cossack. In all conditions, the rules of personal hygiene were carefully observed. The Cossack went to the bathhouse every day, washed and changed underwear himself, washed his feet every day, washed himself, and shaved. Seniors in rank could at any time, even in peacetime, order the Cossack to undress, show the cleanliness of the body of the “underwear”. This was due not only to the requirements of the war - the neglect of personal hygiene led to the loss of fighting qualities: abrasions of the legs, diaper rash, the spread of diseases, but also with a higher spiritual meaning. The constant maintenance of oneself "in shape", as they would say now, made the Cossack constantly remember the purpose for which he came into this world - serving God through serving his Fatherland and People. Each army had its own hygiene rules adapted to local conditions. So, in deserts where there was no water, the Cossacks every three days on a campaign roasted clothes in the sun or over a fire, in the absence of water they arranged a “dry bath” - they lay naked in the fine sand and wiped themselves with a cloth in the wind. Shaved even in conditions trench warfare. In the absence of soap and hot water, they shaved in the “pig way” - the bristles that had grown on the cheeks were scorched and washed off with a wet towel. But this concerned only young and unmarried Cossacks and Cossacks of the guard, who wore only mustaches. Married Cossacks wore, as a rule, a beard. The beard was carefully trimmed and shaved. The special style of the Cossack beard was determined by the method of shaving. The Cossacks shaved with a saber. The saber was hung by the lanyard and the Cossack shaved with a blade at the combat end. Therefore, three planes were shaved: the cheeks and the neck under the chin. So they shaved until the 17th century and later, when the “straight razor” began to be included in the mandatory set of Cossack equipment, the style of the beard was preserved. The Cossack valued clothing not for its cost, but for the inner spiritual meaning that it had for him. So, he could swaddle a sick horse with a piece of trophy atlas, tear precious silk into bandages, but he kept his eyes on his uniform or tunic, Circassian coat or beshmet, no matter how dilapidated or patched they were. Of course, one of the important circumstances was the convenience of the combat suit, its "shabby". So, the scout went on a search only in old, well-worn and comfortable ichigi, and the cavalryman first wore his uniform, and only then sat in the saddle, fearing to earn from new clothes destructive rashes and abrasions. But the main thing was different. According to the beliefs of all ancient peoples, clothes are the second skin. Therefore, a Cossack, especially an Old Believer Cossack, never put on trophy clothes, especially if it was the clothes of a dead man. The wearing of trophy clothes was allowed only in case of emergency, and only after it had been carefully washed, ironed, and cleansing rites were performed over it. The Cossack was afraid not only of the possibility of getting infected through someone else's clothes, but of a special mystical danger. He was afraid that with someone else's clothes he would inherit the fate of her former owner ("the dead one will drag him to the next world") or his bad qualities. Therefore, clothes made "at home" by the mother, sisters, wife, and later, although state-owned, but bought from their own capital or taken from their captain, acquired special value for him. In ancient times, the ataman gave especially distinguished Cossacks “for a caftan”. And in Moscow, the meaning that frightened the Cossack was lost. For example, a boyar who received a “fur coat from the king’s shoulder” rejoiced at the honor, but the Cossack remembered that this “award” had another meaning: to put on someone else’s clothes or put on “foreign covers” meant entering someone else’s will, and it could be good and evil. Putting on someone else's clothes could "fall into someone else's will", that is, he would act contrary to his own understanding of good and evil, his own common sense. This is what caused the Cossack "mortal fear" - that is, fear from which he could actually die or go crazy. After all, it meant a loss of will. It should be remembered that the loss of will for the Cossack was the worst thing. And this is not imprisonment in a dungeon, not the fulfillment of some heavy vow or order, but the fear of doing something apart from one's desire, one's understanding, one's WILL. But back to clothes. The first garment was the baptismal shirt. The shirt was sewn and given by the godmother. The shirt was worn only once - at the time of the baptism of the child, and after that it was preserved and burned all its life after the death of a person, along with the first cut strand of hair and things that belonged to him personally, subject to ritual destruction (letters, underwear, bedding, etc.) . The baptismal shirt was preserved by the mother and burned by her when the Cossack son died. Sometimes a woman could not believe that her son, her blood, who always remained small for her, died in a foreign land for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland. And then the baptismal shirt was preserved until last days mother herself, with the order to put her in her mother's coffin. There, in the coffin of the mother, they put the shirts of the missing, who could not be remembered either among the dead or among the living. Not only baptismal, but also any body shirt had a ritual magical meaning: from a sick child, the shirt was “let through the water” if the disease was severe, but not contagious, and burned in a fire if it was “glottis” (diphtheria) or some other some attack, so that water and fire - pure elements - devour the disease. For a Cossack very milestone was getting the first pants. It was from this time that he began to be taught horseback riding. And in the mind of the child, getting pants was forever combined - a brilliant invention of the nomads, without which proper riding is impossible, and the first lessons of skill, without which the Cossack could not imagine his life. "The best cavalry in the world" began with these wide, homespun panties on the straps, crossed at the back, with two buttons on the belly. For a Cossack girl, pants are not only the first tackle for riding, but also recognition of his manhood. That, now indisputable circumstance, that he is already big.

Fathers! - the old people sitting on the Maidan clasped their hands. - Grigory Antipych, you, in any way, in your pants!
- And then! I'm already big! - proudly answered the little one.
- Long! - the old people are heating up the situation.
- With pockets! - the owner of new pants gilds the pill.
- And with pockets! - old people agree. - Not otherwise than your father will marry you in the fall!

Bloomers or trousers were considered “real pants”, but even for “little” clothes, the Cossack girl demanded and still requires stripes of stripes. What is it - lampas? Where did they come from? Why did the Bolsheviks fight with them, as they say, with fire and sword. By order of the Donburo, for wearing stripes, as well as for wearing epaulettes, royal awards, caps, uniforms, for the word “Cossack”, “village”, etc., they were supposed to be shot on the spot. Lampas were carved on the feet of the Cossacks by the punishers of Lenin, Sverdlov and Trotsky, who had previously gouged out their eyes and nailed shoulder straps with nails. In the jargon of the punishers, the “colonel”, for example, was called the “crutch”, because his shoulder strap without stars was nailed to the victim’s shoulder with a railway crutch, the shoulder straps of the captain, centurion, cornet were nailed with nails or stole according to the number of stars. So our shoulder straps and our stars, our stripes are stained with the blood of the victims of the revolution and the genocide that followed it. So what did the lampas mean? Why did the proletarian dictatorship and totalitarianism that gave birth to them hate them so much? There is a legend according to which stripes appeared in the 16th century ... The Tsar of Moscow granted the Cossacks a reward for the fact that they alone stopped the Tatar and Nogai invasion of Rus', scattering the enemies in the steppe, own lives shielding the kingdom of Moscow from destruction. The tsar granted the Cossacks bread, gun supplies and cloth... The cloth was of two colors: a lot of blue and little scarlet, since the scarlet English paint was in short supply in Rus'. If the blue cloth was enough for everyone, then about the scarlet it turned out to be a difficulty on the Cossack duvan. The Cossacks turned to the Moscow official - the ordering clerk: - How to divide? The clerk advised to allocate red cloth for the ataman's caftan. They obeyed. Allocated. How to share the rest? - Dress up the heroes in red! - advised the deacon. We don't have heroes here! - answered the Cossacks. - We are all heroes here - otherwise we will not survive. The deacon was confused. Then the Cossacks divided the cloth according to their conscience, in fairness, that is, equally. Two palms and a quarter. They dismantled long ribbons, completely unsuitable for sewing any clothes, and the clerk complained: - They ruined the cloth. To which the Cossacks replied: - It was ruined in your Moscow brains! And in our Cossacks, maybe our justice will be in our descendants! We shared it honestly, according to our conscience, therefore, the God of our justice will not let us go into oblivion. This is a legend, but in confirmation of it on vintage drawings we see Cossacks in trousers, to which ribbons are arbitrarily sewn - a sign of democracy, circular justice. Lampas were legalized by the tsarist government as a symbol of the fact that their owner did not pay taxes to the treasury. The right to stripes and bands had, for example, the nobles. But in no army, in no class, stripes did not become part of the national costume, like ours, the Cossacks. Scarlet stripes and scarlet band are among the Donets and Siberians, raspberry - among the Urals and Semirechensk, blue - among the Orenburgers, yellow - among the Transbaikalians, Yakuts, Daurians-Amurs, Astrakhans. Only the guards regiments did not wear stripes, but ordinary Cossacks and even guards regiments, returning home, sewed them on. The Civil War gave birth to a cut-in lampas and a sewn-on epaulette as a sign that a person decided to die, but not change given word and your decision. Tightly sewn shoulder straps that cannot be torn off, or shoulder straps drawn out of poverty chemical pencil on the tunic - a Cossack invention that existed in the Great Patriotic War. Lampas, not sewn on top of trousers, but "cut" into the seam, have been preserved by the Cossacks to this day. Even now you can meet an old man, especially from the Old Believers, who is dressed with all the rules of old-fashioned clothing adopted according to custom, where each stitch of the needle is significant and covered with ritual. Here comes such an old man from the steam room, wringing out his beard with his hand. Resting. Now, on his naked body, bullet, shrapnel, and even saber scars are especially visible. The Cossacks stopped the blood with a special composition: they chewed the web with gunpowder and lubricated fresh small wounds with this composition. In the absence of cobwebs (which are pure protein and have fantastic healing properties), larger wounds were simply sprinkled with gunpowder for disinfection. From gunpowder, the scar turned blue ... On another old man, such hieroglyphs are drawn that a lump rolls up to the throat. The rest of the body is clean. The Cossacks never disfigured their own body, created in the image and likeness of God, with a tattoo. In general, in the old days, people were afraid of any marks on the body, even moles were considered a devilish obsession, because, say, in the guard with large birthmarks did not take on the body. Recovering his breath, the old man puts on the cross. The Cossacks took off the cross in the bath. There was both an ancient mystical meaning and a purely worldly interest: the Cossacks never wore a cross on a chain, but only on a silk or gaitan woven from a harsh thread, which, naturally, would get wet in a bath. An amulet was worn over the cross. If an old man put on an amulet, it means that he is not a local, he came to friends, relatives or on business and is afraid to die on the road. The amulet is sewn from a flap of a father's or mother's shirt. It is flat, like a pillow, it has two compartments, like in a wallet. In one - the earth from the father's court or, as they said, from the native ashes (which was not an artistic image, but precisely indicated where the earth was taken from, but more on that in the chapter "Death and Burial"), in the other - a sprig of wormwood. Having put on a cross and be sure to cross himself, the old man puts on a long white shirt and underpants, underpants, on the right side of the underpants a buttoned purse is sewn, here (“if you put it further away, you will take it closer”) the acquired rubles are hidden by labor sweat and corns. The harem pants worn over the linen "sneakers" are pulled over at the waist with a long thin rawhide strap - a gashnik. The wallet is pressed by this strap to the stomach “in a poultice”. This wallet is called a "stash". What the expression “hide in a stash” means, all of Russia knows, but only the Cossacks know where it is. The time is not far off when several strong, stubborn old men met in the bazaars, who could bargain for a long time and beat hands. Sometimes, having quite agreed, they lifted up their tunics, lowered their bloomers and began to unwind the gas caps, but then again some previously unaccounted for terms of the deal arose, and the swearing and handshaking began again - now with bloomers lowered onto boots, in the radiance of snow-white spodniki . This could go on for hours, the Cossack women passing by only burst out laughing and turned away, looking at the cockereling old men, who continued to haggle in completely broken voices. This went on until some old woman in a scarf black to the eyes grabbed a lump of dirt and threw it at the old people. Then they immediately gasped! Sometimes they even squatted, trying to cover their underpants with a tunic, and, to the laughter of the Cossacks, they hurriedly pulled on their trousers and fastened them. But the bargaining did not stop, and after a while the old men again stood in their pants down. But in general, the passion for trade, freedom in clothing public opinion censured. Both were considered a sin, such as gambling, cock, goose and ram fights ... The main clothes of male Cossacks were uniforms. was happening military reform - the military uniform changed - the costume of the villagers inevitably changed. In general, this applies not only to the Cossacks, but also to the entire folk costume, which it would be wrong to perceive as something once and for all accepted, unchanged and influenced by fashion. True, changes in the costume of the stanitsa took place much more slowly than in the military uniform, in addition, there were changes and details that did not take root in the villages ... In addition, any fashionable innovation inevitably underwent a change in the village performance, and having taken root, existed for a long time. For example, in the army it has long been canceled and forgotten, and the old people in the villages continue to wear clothes, including new-sewn ones, according to the patterns that were familiar to them. In what uniforms they served in their youth, they died in such uniforms in old age. So, in the photographs of the times of the First World War and even post-revolutionary ones, one can see old people in the uniforms of the Russian-Turkish war, and in the post-war and current costumes adopted on the Don, uniforms and tunics of the beginning of the century are easily read. However, the common features inherent in the Cossack costume can be traced like a red thread in Cossack clothing from ancient times to the present day. ...But back to the old man in the bathhouse. Here he was dressed in wide cloth trousers. Over the centuries, they have changed their cut slightly and have never been “slip-on” - you can’t sit on a horse in tight pants. In "Notes of a Cossack Officer" Kvitka tells how an officer who joined the Cossack regiment from the guards hussars felt sorry for the Cossacks because they were soaring in cloth trousers. He himself was dressed in thin chakchirs and was languishing from the heat. So, if he had put on Cossack trousers, after putting on clean underpants, he would have understood that the Cossacks felt much better than he, the officer who pityed them. Spacious cloth trousers played the role of a kind of thermos, and linen underwear (always clean) did not allow the legs to sweat and wear out in the cloth on the saddle. Having tied up his bloomers with a damper, the old man pulled on a spacious tunic. She is the daughter of a Russian shirt and the sister of a Caucasian beshmet. Probably, that is why the white, originally “gymnastic shirt”, worn before under the uniform, took root, because it is flesh from the flesh of a peasant shirt, and even earlier - Slavic. Having girded himself with an old belt with a simple buckle about one peg, the Cossack threw on arkhaluk - quilted clothes with a standing collar. Here is what V. Dahl wrote about these clothes: “ar-kalyk (Tatars) prm. through the saddle. From the same word (arch (Tatars) - ridge, back) in the meaning of a half-caftan, came out arkhaluk - a coat, a kind of homemade chekmenka, mostly non-woven, quilted. These are very old clothes. Our grandfathers sewed it already in the form of outerwear, they were satin and silk. Most likely, a quilted jacket was born from the arkhaluk, the famous Russian padded jacket, originally worn only under an overcoat, like an arkhaluk under a caftan. And the ancient caftan itself with an open chest, without a collar, gave rise to a suit for at least two large regions. The Don Cossacks and the Urals wore them since ancient times, in the 19th century they received a uniform caftan, buttoned tightly, on loops and hooks end-to-end, and the Cossacks of the Caucasian troops sewed gazyry-bandoliers to an ancient caftan without a collar, and the famous Circassian turned out. So the postulate that, having come to the Caucasus, the Cossacks borrowed Caucasian clothes, is very controversial. With the same success it can be said that the Caucasians borrowed the clothes brought by the Cossacks and still wear them without changing the cut. And in fact, no one borrowed anything from anyone! Ancestors of the Cossacks and modern Caucasian peoples, living side by side since ancient times, together they went through the same phases of the development of martial art, for the sake of which the military costume changed. So, with the invention firearms and the advent of rifle formations, such as archers or musketeers, there was a need for a measured charge. That is, during the battle there was no time to measure the gunpowder, it was necessary to pour the required portion into the barrel as quickly as possible, hammer a bullet, pour gunpowder from the powder flask onto the shelf and shoot. And such a capacity with a pre-measured charge appeared. It can be seen both on Russian and on foreign old engravings and popular prints - these are wooden “chargers” that dangled from the archers on a shoulder strap. But if the chargers suited the infantry, then the cavalrymen were not suitable. While driving, such a charger could not be caught by hand, therefore special mounts were invented that held the "chargers" tightly, and the chargers themselves turned into the current gazyri. By the way, the bandolier worn by infantrymen on the belt was uncomfortable for the Cossack, and therefore, in the so-called steppe Cossack troops, the bandolier was worn on a sling over the left shoulder so that the clip could be easily pulled out with the right hand. The Cossacks traditionally, unlike the regular cavalry, wore a rifle over their right shoulder ... Hat and cap. Headwear is a very special part of any folk costume. And among the Cossacks, the hat and cap are fanned with so many legends, historical traditions and signs, so merged with the fate of the Cossack that even three quarters of a century of genocide of storytelling, exile, which destroyed the entire Cossack way of life, led to the desolation of the earth, to oblivion - customs, could not destroy Cossack hat and cap. The cap was, is and will be the subject of reverence, worship and pride of the Cossack. Peter I was struck by one Cossack performance, which the unkindness of the Cossacks turned into an anecdote, as a result of which we were supposedly "graciously" granted a coat of arms - a naked drunkard on a barrel with a saber in his hands and a hat on his head. Say, a Cossack can drink everything except a pouch, a hat and checkers. Indeed, in the royal taverns it was forbidden to take a saber, a hat and a pectoral cross as a pledge. But this happened for other, much more ancient and serious reasons. The Middle Ages is the time of symbols, and these three details: a cross, a hat and a checker (or even earlier a saber) made up special symbols and therefore inviolable. The pectoral cross is a symbol of the fact that its owner is a Christian. Cossacks, entering the service in the Soviet army, did not have the right to wear a cross on their chest, and therefore, in order not to be left without a cross, they heated it red-hot and applied it to their breasts. Whoever saw this, how hot copper burns hissing skin to the bone, was speechless. They were ready to attribute a “psychic article” to the soldier, since it was difficult to imagine that in the “epoch of the full-scale construction of communism” a different worldview could be maintained. The Cossack soldiers did this not to show their patience or oppose themselves to the authorities. In their Old Believer worldview there was an exact, unquestioned cliché: he who removed the cross is doomed. If you like, they did it out of fear. Just don't confuse this fear with cowardice. This is the highest fear - the fear of God - the fear of losing your soul, and in modern terms, the fear of ceasing to be a person and a person. The second most important symbol of the Cossacks is a hat, because a Cossack could give it away only with his head. Throughout Rus', it was an extensive deadly insult for a married woman to “bluff” her - to tear off her headscarf. Remember, it was for this crime that the merchant Kalashnikov killed the guardsman Kiribeevich. When punished with whips, the executioner first of all tore off the scarf from the criminal. It was a great shame for a married woman to appear not only in front of guests, but even in front of own husband without a warrior. For a man, for a Cossack, a hat knocked off or torn off his head was such a deadly insult. This attitude to the hat, to the papakha, has remained so in the Caucasus among the Cossacks and mountain peoples. The hat knocked off his head was a challenge to a duel. Thrown "on the ground" meant that in the upcoming dispute he stakes his head, "answers with his head", that is, the price of losing is life. Only in the Cossack circle, Esaulets could remind that it was necessary to speak before the Circle, baring his head. He could also snatch the hat from the hands of the speaker and put it on his head, which meant: the speaker is deprived of the word. Everyone took off their hats in the church without exception. Even a policeman, flying into a church in pursuit of a thief, had to take off his hat. So what did the hat symbolize, what did it mean? First of all, his belonging to the Cossacks. By the way, this appointment of a cap or hat is preserved today. Lampas were not worn recent years thirty or forty, and caps, no one knows where embroidered, have always existed. The hat played a very important role in civil life Cossack, and in the family. She was a symbol of the legal rights of the head of the family, the head of the family. She had a special place in the decoration of the Cossack hut. By the number of caps in the hallway, one could judge how many Cossacks lived in this house, how many were united in a family. Caps or hats without cockades formally belonged to Cossacks of non-combatant ages. But this custom was almost never observed, perhaps because the Cossacks wanted to appear older, and the old people - younger! It was possible to check the guess about the number of men in the house by entering the room, where checkers hung on the carpet - a symbol of Cossack adulthood, full rights and the presence of a land allotment. The cap of a killed or deceased Cossack was taken home. The Cossack, who brought the terrible news of the death of his son, husband, father, bared his head, dismounted from his horse at the gates of an orphaned house, took out a shot or chopped cap from a saddle bag and silently passed by relatives dumbfounded with grief into the upper room, where he put a headdress on a shelf in front of icon. This meant that there was no longer a protector in the house, that the protection of this family was entrusted to God and Christians. On memorial days and Parents' Saturday a pile of wine was placed in front of the cap and covered with a piece of bread. In the morning, bread was brightened for sparrows, and wine was splashed into the fire of the hearth or poured into the river with a memorial prayer. When the owner was not at home, the old man or chieftain, having entered the room and crossed himself, sat down without invitation, saying to the hostess: “Run away, call your own ...”. In the widow's house, where there was a cap under the icon, neither the old man nor the ataman dared to cross the threshold of the room without permission, they spoke quietly and addressed the widow either by name and patronymic, or affectionately: Katenka, Egorovna-darling ... If a woman went out again married, then her new spouse after the wedding, he removed the cap of the former owner. Secretly, alone, he carried his cap to the river and lowered it into the water with the words: “Forgive me, comrade, but do not be angry, not by a mortal sin, but by honor I took your wife for myself, and your children under my protection ... Let it be rest in peace to you, and heavenly peace to your soul ... ”But in general, the hat was an object of worship not by chance. An icon was often sewn onto an old hat, or some sacred relic was sewn into the lining, therefore, in the steppe, in war, on a campaign, a Cossack put on some hill, on a mound or on a saber stuck in the ground, a hat and prayed for the hat shining on her forehead scapular. After the split that took place in Russia (it should be remembered that many Cossacks were Old Believers, that is, they did not recognize Nikon’s reforms), a tradition appeared to sew up Old Believer images in a hat, under a cockade or above it. In the Soviet army, Cossack soldiers secretly sewed up icons (often paper ones bought from a nearby church) into their hats or caps. At the same time, they could be non-believers, but the tradition was preserved. The law adopted in the Russian army on sewing awards for mass heroism on the cap further increased the value of the headdress. So it was possible to see brass badges “For Courage”, “For Shipka”, etc. on almost all Cossack hats.

The chieftain wore a special high hat that did not belong to him, as well as a caftan of a special cut made of expensive material. The hat was a sign of his chieftainship and belonged to the Cossack society. The customs that speak of the high role of the cap in the civil life of the Cossacks have survived to this day. During the election of the ataman, each candidate or each speaker, leaving the circle, takes off his hat. If there are several candidates, then all of them sit without hats when nominated. In fact, the custom of baring one's head means humility and obedience, bringing one's will into submission to the will of another (the one in the hat). All the other Cossacks of the circle sat in headdresses. But as soon as the ataman was chosen, the roles changed. The chieftain solemnly put on the chieftain's hat, and all the Cossacks, without exception, took off their hats. From that moment on, the will of the ataman was recognized over their heads.

THE UPPER SECTION IS COMPILED FROM ALMAZOV'S WORKS

Men's suit - consisted of military uniform and everyday clothes. Uniform passed hard way development, and it was most affected by the influence of the culture of neighboring peoples. They were not always at enmity, more often they sought mutual understanding, trade and exchange, including cultural and household. The Cossack form was established by the middle of the 19th century: Don sample - chekmen, gray-blue trousers with a red stripe (4-5 centimeters wide), boots or shoes (nagovitsy), hood, winter chekmen or bekesha, cap or hat; Kuban sample - Circassian coat made of black cloth, dark trousers, beshmet, hood, winter cloak or bekesha, hat or truncated hat (kubanka), boots or chabotki. According to the beliefs of the ancients, clothes echo the skin, so ethnic Cossacks never wore someone else's clothes without performing cleansing rites, and even more so the clothes of the dead (all the clothes of the killed Cossack were burned so that their negative energy would not be transferred to another wearer, but the headdresses were preserved - their placed under the icons in military temples or in the house). The clothes sewn by the mother or wife were most valued. Atamans, rewarding their Cossacks, gave them material for the “right”. Uniforms, horses, weapons were an integral part of the Cossack "right", i.e. equipment at your own expense. The Cossack was "celebrated" long before he went to serve. This was connected not only with the material costs of ammunition and weapons, but also with the entry of the Cossack into a new world of objects that surrounded the male warrior. Usually his father said to him: “Well, son, I married you and made you. Now live with your mind - I am no longer responsible for you before God. The bloody wars of the early 20th century showed the inconvenience and impracticality of the traditional military uniform on the battlefield, but they put up with them while the Cossack was on guard duty. Nevertheless, since 1915, the traditional Cossack uniform has become exclusively ceremonial, from 1915-1946. it was either banned up to - execution for the lampas, then again allowed; and since 1946 it was finally forbidden to wear it. Only at the end of the 80s of the 20th century did the Cossack national costume begin to revive from oblivion.

Women's costume - formed by the middle of the XIX century. It consisted of a skirt and a blouse (kokhtochka) made of chintz. She could be fitted or with a peplum, but always with long sleeve, got off with elegant buttons, braid, home-made lace. Skirts were sewn from chintz or wool, gathered at the waist for splendor.
“..Skirts were sewn from purchased material, wide, in five or six panels (shelves) on an upturned cord - “uchkur”. Canvas skirts in the Kuban were worn, as a rule, as "lower" ones, and they were called in Russian - hem, in Ukrainian "spidnitsa". Petticoats were worn under chintz, satin and other skirts, sometimes even two or three, one on top of the other, the lowest was necessarily white. The value of clothing in the system of material values ​​of the Cossack family was very great: beautiful clothes raised prestige, emphasized wealth, and distinguished them from non-residents. Clothing, even festive, in the past cost the family relatively cheaply: every woman knew how to spin, and weave, and cut, and sew, embroider and weave lace.

In the history of Russia, the Cossacks have become a unique phenomenon. They represent a certain society, which at one time allowed a powerful empire to grow to a huge size and gain a foothold in new lands, which later became full-fledged parts of a great country.

What are the origins of the term "Cossacks"? It is not known for certain. On this account, there are only many hypotheses, each of which deserves attention. Another question, the answer to which has not yet been received by researchers of the Cossacks, is whether this society is a separate ethnic group or can it be considered part of the Russian people.

The emergence of the Cossacks

The first mention of brave warriors was found in the annals of the 14th century. These were reports of how the fighters stabbed one of the slave traders in Sudak. They were Zaporizhian Cossacks. There is also a chronicle dated 1444. It mentions the Ryazan Cossacks, who fought along with the inhabitants of Ryazan and Moscow against the Tatar prince Mustafa.

Already in these first sources the duality of the Cossacks is shown. This term meant both free peoples who lived on the outskirts of the territory of Russia, and service people who were part of the border troops or city guards.

Resettlement of the Cossacks

The southern outskirts of Russia were mastered, as a rule, by runaway peasants and people who were looking for better share. Among them were those who were not friendly with the law. Other people who could not sit still joined them.

The Cossacks formed squads, placing chosen chieftains at the head of their troops. They fought either on the side of their neighbors or against them. Thus, the Zaporozhian Sich was formed. In 1860, the Cossacks began to move to the Kuban. In the same period, the All-Great Don Army was formed.

Somewhat later, the Russian tsars began to restore order in these territories. The reason for this was the participation of the Cossacks in the uprisings by Peter I, this region was included in the Russian Empire. By his decree, the king ordered its inhabitants to serve in the army. Thus, the Cossacks appeared as a kind of troops.

History of the Cossacks

Rus', and later the Russian Empire, has always sought to expand its borders. Sometimes this was done for hunting grounds. Sometimes the reason for this was the land. Sometimes the expansion of borders was a necessity of self-defense (for example, as in the case of the Caucasus and Crimea). But be that as it may, Cossacks were certainly present in parts of the selected troops. They subsequently settled in the conquered lands. The Cossacks cultivated the fields and built villages. At the same time, they defended the territories from neighbors who were dissatisfied with such an annexation of Russia or simply did not want to coexist peacefully with it.

The Cossacks lived in peace with the locals of the conquered lands. Sometimes they even adopted some traditions and customs from them. In particular, cuisine and music, language and clothing were borrowed. All this led to the fact that the customs and traditions of the Cossacks of various regions of Russia began to seriously differ from each other. Representatives of this society currently wear different clothes. Their voices and songs also differ. The most striking example of this is the traditions and customs of the Kuban Cossacks. They quickly adopted some elements of clothing from the highlanders. Among them are a hat, a Circassian and a cloak. Thus, the traditions and customs of the Kuban Cossacks acquired the features of the peoples of the Caucasus. This was the reason for the emergence of a unique cultural phenomenon. Caucasian motifs began to be heard in the songs and music of the Kuban Cossacks. There are many examples of this. So, it is very similar to the mountain Cossack lezginka.

At the end of the 17th century brave warriors gradually began to transform into the elite of the Russian army. This process ended in the 19th century. However, the system, built up over the years, collapsed after October revolution. Some Cossacks joined the movement of the Whites. Others accepted the power of the Bolsheviks.

Today Cossacks live in many regions of our country. They are united in various communities and take an active part in the life of the state. In places densely populated by representatives of this society, children can learn the customs and traditions of the Cossacks. Photo and video materials allow young people to be reminded that their ancestors gave their lives to defend the Fatherland.

mentality

The Cossacks have always been considered a wayward, warlike and proud people (sometimes unnecessarily). That is why they constantly did not stop friction with their neighbors, as well as with fellow countrymen who did not belong to their class. However, these qualities are very good for combat. That is why militancy and pride were welcomed within the communities. The character of the women was also strong enough. After all, the whole household was kept on them when the men left to fight.

It is worth noting that a person cannot consider himself a member of this community if he does not know and does not adhere to the customs and traditions of the Cossacks.

Merciless to enemies, these warriors have always been complacent, hospitable and generous in their environment. Many customs and traditions of the Cossacks are very well described in Sholokhov's Quiet Don. This is respect for elders, love for a woman and for the native land, as well as a desire for freedom. All these are the values ​​without which it is impossible to imagine these brave warriors.

The character of the Cossack has always been ambivalent. Sometimes this person is funny, playful and cheerful. And sometimes - unusually silent, sad and impregnable. The explanation for this is quite simple. On the one hand, these people, who constantly looked into the eyes of death, did not miss even the slightest joy that fell to their lot. On the other hand, they have always been poets and philosophers in their souls. The Cossacks often indulged in reflections. These were thoughts about the vanity of existence, about the eternal, and also about the inevitability of the end of life's journey.

The basis for the formation of these societies is the 10 commandments of Christ. Adults have always taught children to follow them. Also always in this environment strictly adhered to the folk customs and traditions of the Cossacks. They were considered a vital and everyday necessity in every family. Violation or non-observance of any custom and tradition has always been condemned by all living in a village, village or farm.

There are a lot of similar rules and principles. And gradually in their list there were some changes. So, some customs and traditions came to replace the disappeared ones. Time filtered them and left only those that most fully reflected the cultural characteristics of this society.

Briefly, the traditions and customs of the Cossacks can be formulated as follows:

• Respect for the older generation.
• Honoring guests.
• Respect for a woman (wife, sister, mother).

These briefly described traditions and customs of the Cossacks serve as a kind of domestic laws for them. Let's get acquainted with some of these dogmas in more detail.

Relationship with parents

Honoring the older generation has always been for the Cossacks not only a custom, but also an internal need. It manifested itself in the care of a son or daughter about their parents, as well as about the godmother and godfather. In the meantime, when this duty was fully fulfilled, the commemoration was considered, which celebrated on the fortieth day after the departure of loved ones to another world.

The task of the godmother was to help parents prepare the Cossack girl for married life. She taught her to work, thrift, needlework and housekeeping.

Main responsibility godfather was the preparation of the little Cossack for service. At the same time, the demand from him was greater than from his own father.

And the customs of the Cossacks are such that the authority of mother and father for young people was considered indisputable. They honored their parents so much that without their blessing they did not make decisions on the most important matters and did not start any work. This custom has survived to this day.

Disobedience to parents was considered a great sin. No decision to start a family was made without their consent. And when studying the traditions and customs of the Ural Cossacks, the fact is revealed that parents, as a rule, chose the bride for their son themselves. Moreover, the spouses very rarely parted. In the Cossack environment, divorces were not accepted.

Respect, restraint and courtesy have always taken place in the relationship of young people with their parents. When studying the traditions and customs of the Cossacks in the Kuban, you can find out that the children always addressed their mother and father only with “You”.

Seniority, which was a natural necessity Everyday life, firmly held related and family bonds helping youth in the formation of character.

Describing the customs and traditions of the Cossacks of the Don, Sholokhov tells his reader that Pantelei Prokofievich, the father of the protagonist of the novel Quiet Don, could punish his son Grigory, despite the fact that he was quite an adult and thousands of people were under his command.

Relationships with elders

The Cossacks always showed respect for the past years. Young people have always respected their elders. She paid tribute to people who have endured many hardships and are no longer able to fend for themselves because of the onset of infirmity. At the same time, the younger ones always showed restraint towards older people. They cared for the elderly and were always ready to help them. In addition, the customs of the Cossacks required the observance of certain norms of etiquette. So, when a person appeared, everyone got up. The one who was in uniform put his hand to the visor of the headdress. Young people without uniform took off their hats and bowed.

In the presence of a person who is older, it was not allowed to smoke and sit. It was also impossible to talk (without his permission), and even more obscenely expressed.

Considering even briefly the traditions and customs of the Kuban Cossacks, one can note the fact that even in circulation they very rarely pronounced “old” or “grandfather”. Basically, the affectionate words "father" or "father" were used.

Respect for elders was instilled in the child from the very beginning. early age. There was a similar gradation between children. The elder sister was especially respected. Throughout her later life, the younger ones called her "nanny". After all, the eldest daughter always replaced her mother, who was busy with housework.

Attitude towards guests

The man who entered the light was considered by the Cossacks to be God's messenger. At the same time, the most welcome and dear guest is a stranger who has come a long way from distant places and needs shelter, care and rest.

The Cossacks were contemptuous of those who did not show due respect to the wanderer. Regardless of how old the guest is, he was certainly given the best place to relax and have a meal. It was considered indecent for three days to ask this person about the purpose of his arrival. Even the old people gave up their place to the young if it was a guest.

According to the customs of the Cossacks, they never took food with them if they were traveling on business. After all, in any village, village or farm, they always had close or distant relatives, godfathers, matchmakers or just colleagues who would certainly meet, feed and give lodging for the night. That is why it was not in the tradition of the Cossacks to stay at the inn. The only exception was the arrival in the city to visit the fairs. By the way, this custom has survived to this day, and Cossack hospitality has not changed much.

In the traditions of the representatives of this society, there has always been extraordinary honesty. It was even believed that anyone could leave money right on the street without fear that they would be stolen.

Cossack and woman

In family life, the relationship that existed between wife and husband was determined by the Christian teaching, which says: "Let the husband's wife be afraid." At the same time, the couple always adhered to the age-old traditions of the Cossacks. And they said that it is unsuitable for a man to interfere in the affairs of a woman, and vice versa. All family duties were strictly regulated by life itself.

Whatever character a woman has, she should be treated with respect. After all, it is the future of the people. The customs of the Cossacks did not allow the presence of a woman at the training camp, even in order to resolve personal issues. Ataman, godfather, elder brother or father interceded for her.

Among the Cossacks, women enjoyed such respect and reverence that it was not even necessary to give them the rights of a man.

It was considered a great shame for the fairer sex to appear in public with an uncovered head. Cossack women were not allowed to cut their hair or wear men's clothing. In public, the husband and wife showed restraint with some elements of alienation.

Behavior at home

Another feature characteristic of the temper of the Cossacks. Warriors perceived their clothing as a second skin. They kept her, like her body, neat and clean. At the same time, the Cossack never wore clothes from someone else's shoulder.

These people were very fond of communication and a feast. They were not against drinking, but they never got drunk. With pleasure, the Cossacks sang songs and danced. Vodka was never poured at the table. To each sitting it was brought on a tray. Those who had enough "surplus" were simply bypassed or sent to sleep.

Among Cossack customs There were other features of life. All of them are generated by the existing conditions of life. For example, a Cossack never appeared on the street arm in arm with his wife. And this could also be explained by caring for a woman. Indeed, in the battles, the Cossacks suffered losses, which were sometimes significant. And to imagine that a man will walk down the street in an embrace with his wife, and a young Cossack woman who has lost her husband will meet them, is simply impossible. What will happen in the widow's heart? For the same reason, the Cossack never appeared on the street with a child in his arms.

For a long period, men's conversations were present in the customs of brave warriors. They were festivities without women. In the same way, the Cossacks gathered without men. When they celebrated something together (weddings, name days or christenings), they sat on opposite sides of the table. This was necessary so that the drunk Cossack would not show liberties to someone else's wife, while others would not use their weapons.

Before the matchmakers went to the bride's house, the groom threw his stick into her yard. Such a custom was among the Terek Cossacks and partly among the Kuban.

In those communities that lived in the Urals, the parents of the bride did not prepare a dowry. The groom's father paid the so-called masonry before the wedding.

In the customs of the Cossacks was participation in wedding ceremonies only married men and married women. Separate parties were held for young people in the groom's house and in the bride's house. Moreover, unmarried Cossacks and unmarried Cossacks gathered before the wedding. Such a custom indicated concern for the moral foundations of young people.

The cult of gifts and gifts was also very popular among the Cossacks. Without them, not a single man returned from long campaigns. The Cossacks never went without a gift to visit.

Cossack horse

In the customs of the Ural warriors, it was not customary to go to war on a mare. The Terek Cossacks, when they left the house, mounted a horse, which was saddled and led by their mother, sister or wife. These women then met the man. After that, the horse was unsaddled and made sure that the animal cooled down before it was sent to the feeder and swill.

The customs of the Kuban Cossacks were somewhat different. The wife brought the horse for the warrior, who at the same time kept the bridle in the hem of the dress. She passed the reins to her husband, and only after that he hugged and kissed his wife, children, and sometimes grandchildren. Then the Cossack got into the saddle and, taking off his hat, was baptized. He stood up on his stirrups to look once more at the cozy and clean white hut, at The Cherry Orchard and a front garden with flowers. After that, the warrior put on a hat and rode to the gathering place.

The cult of the horse was also in the traditions Don Cossacks. The customs and customs that developed in these communities formed the basis of some signs and beliefs. So, the Cossack, even before the service, already determined its outcome by his horse. If the animal urinated, then it was believed that there would be trouble. The warrior will either be wounded or captured. A horse's bowel movement was considered a good sign. He said that the Cossack would return home safe and sound.

There are many interesting things in the traditions and customs of the Don Cossacks. For example, the main fear for a warrior was considered to be dropping his hat at the moment when he leaves the house. A similar sign said that the Cossack would be killed.

The Don Cossacks had traditions and customs that allowed them to check which horse would bring them good luck on a campaign. To do this, it was necessary to perform a special ritual. With the advent of spring, seeing the first swallow, the Cossack had to close his eyes and roll over over the left side. After that, it was necessary to look under the heel of the left boot. On the ground there should have been a hair in the suit of the horse that must be chosen for the campaign.

When the Cossack was escorted to last way, then a war horse, covered with a black saddle, immediately followed his coffin. The owner's combat weapon was strapped to the animal's saddle. And only after the horse were relatives of the deceased.

Since ancient times, the Don Cossacks have had a custom: when going on a campaign, take some of their native land with them. Moreover, you need to dial it only from certain places: either near the church, or at the grave of your parents, or in the courtyard of your house. The earth before the campaign was sewn into a bag, which the Cossack hung on his chest near pectoral cross. Also, these Cossacks, going to war, certainly said goodbye to the Don. At the same time, they, according to tradition, were joking. However, such actions cannot be attributed to frivolous acts. Deep feelings were hidden behind the jokes of the Cossacks.

The social composition of the Cossacks

1. Philistines - residents of castles-fortresses and towns that bordered on the Wild Field. Some of them in the spring went to the southern steppes to fisheries, where they surrendered before hunting, fishing, beekeeping. they were called vіdkhіdniki. In autumn they returned home, paying a tenth of their own production to the elders.

Some of the survivors eventually did not return home for the winter. They began to unite in communities, detachments and build in different parts Wild Field fortification (battle).

2. Natives of the boyars who did not have letters of commendation for their possessions. They formed the prosperous part of the Cossacks and the Cossack administration - the foreman.

3. Peasantry. With the advent of Lithuanian and Polish feudal lords to the Ukrainian lands, the exploitation of the peasants increased significantly, and with the creation of estates, their mass enslavement. One of the forms of struggle was the mass escapes of peasants to the steppe, where they joined the ranks of the Cossacks.

Economic activity of the Cossacks

At first, the Cossacks conducted economic activities, which were seasonal in nature and did not need outbuildings, settlements.

These were various trades:

beekeeping;

Fishing.

Subsequently, winter quarters (Cossack farms), which consisted of two or three houses and outbuildings, appeared in places that were the safest from attacks by the Tatars, in the places of fishing.

Sometimes such a farm had a mill or a smithy.

The owner of the winter hut could be anyone who wanted to.

In winter quarters, only personal or hired labor was used.

In addition to crafts, the occupations of the Cossacks were:

field cultivation,

cattle breeding,

gardening,

Popular craft industries:

shipbuilding (building "seagulls"),

production of gunpowder and ammunition (bullets, cores, etc.),

blacksmithing and the like.

The Cossacks did not disdain trade either - they sold the products of their activities and booty, bought bread, clothes, weapons.

The position of the Cossacks

The social composition of the Cossacks was not homogeneous.

1. There was a prosperous Cossacks, owners of large farms.

2. Numerous Cossack hoards.

There was no serfdom, hired and personal labor was practiced.

Adoption to the Zaporozhian Sich

The conditions for acceptance into the Sich were:

Knowledge of the Ukrainian language;

Orthodox faith;

Weapon proficiency.

The Sich Cossack was supposed to:

Adhere to the traditions of society and an oath of allegiance to it;

Be unmarried.

Family Cossacks were not allowed in the Sich.

They lived outside the territory of the Sich, on farms; their occupations were agriculture, cattle breeding, crafts, trade.

The Cossacks valued fidelity to the law and society above all else.

For violation of the customs of the Zaporizhzhya Sich, the Cossacks were tried and severely punished, in particular:

Theft was punishable by death;

If someone killed a comrade, then they buried him alive together with the dead man in the ground;

For drinking alcohol during the campaign could be sentenced to murder;

The Cossacks were severely punished if he brought a woman to the Sich.

There was no place in the Sich society for treason, cowardice, meanness, and fraud.

The heaviest punishment for the Cossack was his expulsion in disgrace from the Sich.

Cossacks were fearless warriors who treated death with contempt, did not know fear in battles with the enemy, heroically defended their native land.

Nationality of the Cossacks

The solidarity and friendship of the sons of different peoples is growing in the Sich - the Sich brotherhood.

In addition to the Ukrainians, who made up the vast majority, there were many Russians and Belarusians, Jews, Lithuanians and Poles, immigrants from the South Slavic lands.

The Italians and the French, even the Tatars and Arabs, came to the Sich.

Life of the Cossacks

In the Sich, the Cossacks took care of physical training and military prowess.

We swam every morning, regardless of the season.

In the morning, the Cossacks petitioned for housekeeping, combat training.

Cossack clothes

Until the middle of the 17th century. Cossack clothing was varied.

Ordinary Cossacks dressed simply: shirts, trousers, inferior scrolls and hats.

They also wore raincoats (kobenyaki).

Subsequently, typical Cossack clothing appeared: a long caftan (caftan), girdled with a soft belt, to which a saber is attached on the left side, a hat trimmed with fur, the bottom hung a little.

A noble Cossack over a caftan wore a wide kireya, lined with fur, sometimes with a rich collar. The ceremonial clothes of the Cossacks were rich and luxurious.

Appearance of the Cossacks

The Cossacks shaved their heads and left only one forelock above their forehead - a herring that his Cossack put behind his ear.

The mustache was not cut, but smeared with something and twisted up to the eyes. If someone grew a very long mustache, then they twisted it and laid it right behind the ears. It was a special pride of the Cossacks.

There were tables in each kuren, and around them there were benches on which the Cossacks sat.

The cooks poured food into large wooden bowls and placed them on each table, and next to the food, all kinds of drinks were in large buckets, on which wooden scoops were hung. The chieftain sat down in the first place, the Cossacks around the table and began to eat.

Cossack dishes:

black grouse, tripe, dumplings, fish, pork head to hell, noodles, buckwheat and millet porridge, rye bread, wheat cakes, milk.

Black grouse was called dough made from rye flour, diluted with milk or water with honey.

From the Tatars, the Cossacks adopted the use of garlic and onions.

After dinner, the Cossacks bowed to the ataman, to each other and thanked the cooks.

The chieftain left the table and threw money into the box. All the Cossacks did the same: the cook got the money and used it to buy food at the market on the second day.

Cooks cooked food in separate huts in copper or iron cauldrons.

The Cossacks were famous for fun, jokes, ridicule.

They especially liked to invent surnames for their comrades.

Schools were created in the Sich at the churches.

1. It is known about 6 schools that existed in the Sich.

2. Two schools specialized in physical and military training.

3. There was a school that trained scribes, military clerks, heads of palankas and kurens.

4. Was alone in the Sich School of Music(school of vocal music and church singing). It was led by "chitak and scribbler" (as it is written in the documents of that time) Mikhail Kathisma.

The schools trained readers and singers for churches, trained trumpeters, trumpeters, dovbishivs.

A group of performers-actresses was created at the school, who staged a crib folk puppet drama. They also organized various celebrations and carnivals during the holidays and in honor of the return of the Cossacks from military campaigns.

Kobzars in the Sich

Kobzars also lived in the Setch. It is known from historical sources that the kobzar went on campaigns, composed songs and thoughts.

Many kobza players visited the Crimea and Turkey. Nobody touched the musicians, the borders were open for them. Therefore, folk singers from Ukraine could be found in Cafes and Istanbul. It was they who brought news of the slaves to their homeland, created thoughts about the prisoners, their horrific torments in a foreign land. The Lament of the Slaves, the thoughts The Flight of the Slaves and the Death of the Cossacks in Azov have come down to us.

Kobzars were officially part of the Zaporizhian Army and, together with Dovbishes, trumpeters and other performers of the halyards, Cossack regimental music. Such warriors wore a bandura next to a spear and a saber. They created many songs and thoughts during their campaigns.

Cossacks who lost their sight in battles or in captivity, but were musically and poetically gifted, also became bandura players.

Kobzars enjoyed great honor in the army and among the people.

Church in the life of the Cossacks

The Sich Church became the center of the spiritual life of the Cossacks. The Zaporozhian Cossacks were deeply religious people.

There were about 60 churches within the Liberties of the Zaporozhye Host.

The Cossacks constantly attended services, read the Bible, and when they returned from a campaign with trophies, they gave a significant part of them to the church.

In each kuren there were icons - rich, beautifully decorated, luxurious candlesticks and lamps hung in front of them. During the reading of the Gospel in the church, the Cossacks kept their sabers at the ready, as a sign that they were ready to defend the Orthodox faith at any moment.

Each Cossack, dying, unsubscribed to the church an icon, an ingot of gold and silver, money, and the like.

Questions for intermediate certification

What ethnic groups participated in the formation of the Cossacks?

Cossacks are Russified Eastern people(Khazars, Cherkasy, Kasogi)
Cossacks are Turks (or their descendants). The roots of the Cossacks can be traced back to the pre-Slavic era in the "South Russian" and Black Sea steppes - in the vast Turkic empires located in this territory, which subsequently underwent an assimilation process from the side of the later Slavic component. Also, scientists often indicate the kinship of the etymology of the term "Cossack" with the Turkic word qazaq (qazaq, kazakh), meaning a free nomad.
Cossacks are Slavs who settled in the XV century. empty lands of the "Wild Field"

Give the main points of view on the question of the origin of the word "Cossack". Tell us about the main interpretations of the word Cossack.

There are several theories about the origin of the word "Cossack". For example, from the Mongolian language, where "ko" is armor, protection; "zah" - border; thus, the "Cossack" is the defender of the border. Also, from the Turkish-Tatar, the word meant - a free tramp who does not have a stake or a yard (robber). Or the word came from the Kosogs, a people who lived in the Caucasus. But the most rational of the main theories is considered to be the Turkic theory, which says that a Cossack is a free and free man, a warrior who does not obey anyone, who carries out military border service, always ready for battle.

In a broad sense, the word "Cossack" meant a person belonging to the Cossack estate and having special rights and obligations, as well as a representative of the military estate in the Slavic settlements of the southern regions of Russia and Ukraine.

Reveal the main theories of the origin of the Cossacks.

There are several hypotheses about how the Cossacks appeared, and who are their ancestors: the Eastern hypothesis and the Slavic hypothesis. There is an opinion that the Cossacks arose through the merger of Kasogs and Brodniks after the Mongol-Tatar invasion.

Kasogs (kasakhs, kasaks) are an ancient Circassian people who inhabited the territory of the lower Kuban in the 10th-14th centuries.

Brodniki is a people of Turkic-Slavic origin, formed in the lower reaches of the Don in the 12th century (then a border region of Kievan Rus).

But there is still no single point of view on the exact formation of the Cossacks. Some historians are inclined to believe that, for example, the original Cossack communities consisted of Tatars, which were then joined by Russian elements. Others suggest that the Khazars, having mixed with the Slavs, made up the Brodniks, who were not only the predecessors of the Cossacks, but also their direct ancestors. The first mention of such Cossacks dates back to 1493, when the Cherkasy governor Bogdan Fedorovich Glinsky, nicknamed "Mamai", having formed border Cossack detachments in Cherkassy, ​​captured the Turkish fortress of Ochakov.

According to other points of view, the Cossacks were originally from the Slavs. As a result of the processes of merging genetic ties between the Turan (Siberian) tribes of the Scythian people Kos-Saka (or Ka-Saka), the Azov Slavs with a mixture of Tanaits (Dontsov) in the North. In the Caucasus and on the Don, a mixed Slavic-Turanian type of people appeared, divided into many tribes. It was from this confusion that the original name "Cossack" came from, which was of Turkic origin and meant "guard" or vice versa - "robber". The first memories of such Cossacks date back to 1489.

Describe the life and way of life of the first Cossacks. The first Cossack settlements and economy.

The features of Cossack life are the principles of community and mutual assistance. Complete equality has always reigned among the Cossacks. The Cossack community was both economic and military. At its head was the Circle, that is, the meeting of all the Cossacks, at which everything was decided important questions. The circle belonged to the highest judicial power. The circle chose the military foreman of the ataman, his assistant Yesaul clerk (clerk). Ataman had unlimited power during a war or a campaign. He must take care of the Cossacks and understand them. The spiritual life of the Cossacks was led by their clergy, which was also elected and elected by the Cossacks from among the most literate and religious people. Not a single thing began or ended without prayer. A characteristic feature of the Cossack behavior and character was the need to show kindness and service. It was believed that it was better to get along than to be in debt, because. debt was considered worse than bondage. Among the Cossacks, drunkenness was despised, as well as deceit, and not only in deed, but also in word, since a Cossack must always keep his word. The man in the Cossack society belonged to the leading role. He was a protector, a breadwinner, he was obliged to maintain the order of the Cossack life and way of life. With all this, they strictly adhered to the rule that the wife does not interfere in men's affairs, and the husband should not be interested in women's affairs. But still, the woman among the Cossacks was subject to protection and respect, since she was the successor of the family and the future of the people lies with her. The Cossacks are hospitable people, therefore in their culture the guest was considered to be God's messenger, they showed special respect for him, and the most important was the guest from distant lands and unfamiliar places. Any Cossack could consider himself a Cossack, and he was considered a Cossack only if he tried to observe the customs and traditions of the Cossacks. All Cossack traditions and customs were based on one basis - the ten commandments of Christ. In addition to the Lord's commandments, the Cossacks also sacredly observed purely vital ones, that is, those that were required by everyday necessity. Mandatory was a respectful attitude towards elders, towards any woman and honoring any guest.

Economy.

The basis of the material security and well-being of the Cossacks was agriculture. The land was the property of the yurt of the village. This land was divided into three parts. The first part was intended for grazing livestock. The second part was intended for hayfields. On the third part, bread was grown. The village was engaged in vegetable growing and cattle breeding. Also, the Cossacks were engaged in fishing, beekeeping, viticulture and tobacco growing.

The first settlements of the Cossacks were spread along the lower reaches of the Don. The town of Razdorsky is considered the first center of the Cossack Don. The ataman's point was originally located here, everything about military campaigns was decided here. Then the center of the Cossacks was transferred to the town of Monastyrsky and finally to Cherkasy. The Cossacks lived in 10-20 families, and everything that everyone had was divided equally and did everything together. The first Cossacks were not connected with horses and were not equestrian warriors, they used small vessels more and traveled along the rivers to enemy settlements and robbed them

Describing the Yaik Cossacks, contemporaries wrote: “The Uralian is not great in stature, but he is dense, broad in the shoulders; in general, these people are beautiful, healthy, lively, businesslike and hospitable. In battle they are brave, in campaigns they are hardy. The Urals are not afraid of frosts, because the frost “strengthens”; they are not afraid of heat either - steam does not break bones; and even less water and dampness, because from childhood they got used to fishing.”

Cossacks lived in villages. Housing was crowded. Houses were built of wood or adobe (a mixture of earth and straw). In houses, depending on wealth, there were from one to five rooms.

Unlike the Don Cossack kurens, houses of the Yaik Cossacks were on the same level and functionally subordinated to the continental climate. Houses, as a rule, consisted of two halves, separated by cold passages. The kitchen had a large Russian stove. Over the entrance, from the stove to the wall, stretched the floor. In the winter they slept on them, in the summer they kept clothes Under the armor, in the corner, a wooden bed-bed, a clothes hanger on the wall, wide benches and a table along the walls. In the XVIII-XIX centuries, houses became richer. In the front corner was a goddess, laden with icons. All houses had a samovar. There was also a cellar for storing potatoes, vegetables, pickles (later).

There was a room for rest and reception of guests. The walls (later) were pasted over with wallpaper, they had paintings, portraits, letters, weapons. Many houses had yellow floors and blue ceilings. Flowers and birds were painted on the stove (and even on the ceiling). In the XVIII-XIX centuries, Dutch ovens appeared in Cossack houses, in the upper rooms - in the corner, near the door. The Dutch woman often had cornices and decorations. There were wardrobes and chests of drawers. There are flowers in pots on the windows; table and chairs. In the front, "red" corner, there is a goddess with icons and a lamp.

They heated houses with firewood, straw, weeds, dung (mixed with straw and dried manure) - depending on the place of housing (near the forest or in the steppe). Houses were lit with tallow candles or kerosene lamps.

The courtyard was quite large and was divided into two parts. In the front there was a house, one or two barns, a barn. In the back are rooms for livestock and fodder. The whole courtyard was surrounded by a strong fence with wooden gates and was often partially or completely closed from above, which is very important in stormy winters. All families had baths, which were built near a river or lake in the garden.

The dishes were mostly earthenware or wood. The Cossacks brought metal and porcelain dishes from campaigns or bought them from merchants, as well as carpets.

The food was simple: cabbage soup, meat, milk, fish. Despite the fact that the Cossacks caught a lot of "red fish" - beluga, stellate sturgeon, sturgeon, they ate little of it, and sold more. They ate simple fish.

On holidays, they prepared a plentiful treat - fried poultry, scrambled eggs, milk noodles, cereals, pickles, fried fish and fish soup, pies, kissels, compotes. Meat pies, jellies, aspics, sweet pies, muffins, fruits, and vegetables were additionally prepared for receiving guests and for weddings. In Lent, the food was modest, without animal food. On a hike they took wheat bread with baked eggs - “kokurki”, dried meat, fish.

The clothes were simple. The Cossacks preferred to wear military clothes (since they introduced the uniform). They wore a cap or hat (in winter) on their heads.

Later, when life on Yaik settled down and got back on track, most of the Cossacks had families. Families tend to be large. The head of the family was the oldest Cossack. They entered into marriage early: boys from the age of 18, girls - at the age of 16. Weddings were usually held in winter and lasted for several days.
The girls were not given a dowry; on the contrary, the groom had, by agreement, to give the bride's parents a "masonry", that is, financial assistance, from 50 to 200 rubles, depending on the state. This custom has been carried on since the time when there were more Cossacks than brides.

Children grew up helping their parents from an early age, from the age of 10 they helped herd cattle and fish. Children were more often given the name of the saint who was celebrated a week before birth, so common Russian names in the Urals were not common.

The Cossacks were in charge: weaved, sewed sundresses, knitted, washed, boiled. The cattle were usually taken care of by men. In the summer, young people were fond of games, round dances, and chants. The girls were modest and shy: their favorite pastime was “sinchik”, or the first ice on which you can slide in smart boots.

Preparing for military service started from childhood, by the time of the call the young Cossack was already a good rider, wielded weapons. Before being drafted, he went through military training in training camps. Seeing off to the service is solemn. Before leaving, the Cossack went around his relatives, and on the day of the performance, everyone gathered in his house. After the treat, the parents blessed their son. In the yard, the brother or father brought the horse to the young Cossack, the young Cossack bowed to the horse, asking him not to betray him in battle and on the campaign. Then he said goodbye to everyone and left.

The Urals sent the service not in turn, but as “help”, which they considered more profitable for themselves, because the poor Cossack could get better. The military administration annually made a monetary layout, how much was due for each Cossack of “helpers” (to contribute), it also collected them and issued them to those who entered the hunting service, “hunters”. Those who went to the army regiments received less, about 200 rubles, and more to the guards squadron, for example, 250 rubles. If a Cossack, due to poverty, cannot contribute helpers, he remains in the “netchik” (debtor), and after 2 or 3 years, when this “netchik” money accumulates behind him, he is credited directly to the service, and all the accumulated arrears are deducted from his help .

However, not a single Cossack, being of service age, that is, between 21 and 35 years old, could constantly pay off the service; he had to serve at least one year. Wealthy Cossacks entered the Ural training hundred, where they served for one year, on their grub and apartment, and all the rest went to the regiments for 3 years. These are the so-called mandatory, must serve.

In the case of the call of the entire army, all Cossacks capable of carrying weapons rose.

Old people enjoyed special honor in the villages and farms. They were, as a rule, well-deserved in battles, Cossacks who survived in many alterations. The old people were the keepers Cossack traditions and the "conscience" of the Cossacks.

Ensemble "Cossack Duke" artistic director Igor Sokurenko tel. 8 917 554 22 84 [email protected]