Content
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..3
The history of the doll……………………………………………………………..4-8
Types of dolls………………………………………………………………………………….9
Amulet dolls……………………………………………………………….9-19
Play dolls……………………………………………………………….19-22
Ritual dolls……………………………………………………………….22-36
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………37
References…………………………………………………………………………………38
Introduction
Interest in folk crafts in the modern world is growing. And this happens because once upon a time a gap, an emptiness, formed here. And now there is a great need to fill it. Our today's desire to know what a folk toy was, how it was played and what it meant, lies not only educational interest, but also a natural desire to know and remember the past of our people.
The Russian doll is considered one of the most mysterious symbols of Russia. This is not just a children's toy, it is an integral attribute of ancient rituals. Since time immemorial, craftsmen have mastered the art of making such dolls, which have absorbed all the cultural traditions and customs of Rus'.
It was believed that dolls made by hand from scrap materials had magical properties. Our ancestors believed that dolls were able to ward off evil spirits and bring happiness to the house. This is probably why these dolls were often worn as talismans.
Back in the middle of the 20th century, in almost every family - in the village and in the city - children played with rag dolls. And only since the 1960s, when industrial enterprises began to produce millions of batches of plastic toys, the tradition of making home dolls has almost died out. However, it did not disappear completely, being deposited in people's memory.
A doll is a sign of a person, his play image is a symbol. In this role, she focuses time, the history of culture, the history of the country, the people, reflecting their movement and development.
The history of the doll
Since ancient times, a rag doll has been a traditional toy of the Russian people. Playing with dolls was encouraged by adults because... By playing in them, the child learned how to run a household and acquired the image of a family. The doll was not just a toy, but a symbol of procreation, a guarantee of family happiness.
She accompanied a person from birth to death and was an indispensable attribute of any holidays. Now there are 90 types of dolls known. The folk rag doll was not just a toy, it had a certain function: it was believed that such a doll protected children’s sleep and protected the child from evil forces. Often the doll was made faceless. According to ancient beliefs, an evil spirit cannot live in a doll without a face (i.e. without a soul). Firstly, the toy was not standard even within the same street. Each family did it differently. The Ivanov dolls were different from the Petrov dolls. They bore the imprint of the mental environment of these families, their understanding of the world. Secondly, they put their love and wisdom into the toys that fathers and mothers and grandparents created for their children. The children felt this and treated their dolls and toys with care. Is it possible to throw away parental love?
Most dolls in Rus' were amulets. Dolls - amulets in Rus' trace their history back to ancient pagan times. They are made from natural materials that are brought from the forest: wood, vine, grass, straw. And this is no coincidence, because the forest is the habitat of the Russian people. Dolls made from birch wood are a talisman of family happiness. Aspen has always been considered dangerous for evil spirits, so dolls made on the basis of aspen wood are amulets for the home, driving away evil spirits from the home. The main feature of Russian folk dolls is a clean face, without a nose, mouth or eyes. Because according to ancient beliefs, it was believed that “if you do not draw a face, then evil spirits will not move in and will not bring harm to either the child or the adult.” According to legend, such a doll once saved a life by replacing a person during a sacrifice. Then the amulets began to have other “responsibilities”. Wedding lovebirds protect a young family from the evil eye, and fever dolls will drive away all illnesses.
A very significant part of them were ritual. Our ancestors lived quite cheerfully - the circle of life that takes place throughout the year was accompanied by certain actions, rituals and holidays (some of them have survived to this day), and in them one of the leading roles was always given to the doll.
In puppet games, children involuntarily learned to sew, embroider, spin, and learned the traditional art of dressing. The doll stood in direct relation to the activities of the future member of society.
The need for communication was clearly expressed in the toy. It was one of those centuries-tested means with the help of which the older generation could convey, and the younger generation could accept, preserve and pass on an important part of their accumulated life experience.
Dolls - amulets in Rus' their history dates back to ancient pagan times. They are made from natural materials that are brought from the forest: wood, vine, grass, straw. And this is no coincidence, because the forest is the habitat of the Russian people. Dolls made from birch wood are a talisman of family happiness. Aspen has always been considered dangerous for evil spirits, so dolls made on the basis of aspen wood are amulets for the home, driving away evil spirits from the home. The main feature of Russian folk dolls is a clean face, without a nose, mouth or eyes. Because according to ancient beliefs, it was believed that “if you do not draw a face, then evil spirits will not move in and will not bring harm to either the child or the adult.” According to legend, such a doll once saved a life by replacing a person during a sacrifice. Then the amulets began to have other “responsibilities”. Wedding lovebirds protect a young family from the evil eye, and fever dolls will drive away all illnesses.
Since ancient times, a traditional toy in the life of the Russian village, even in the poorest peasant families, has been a rag doll. In other houses, up to a hundred of them accumulated.
Dolls were not just girls' fun. All the children played until they were 7-8 years old, while they wore shirts. But only boys began to wear portages, and girls began to wear skirts; their playing roles and the games themselves were strictly separated.
While the children were small, their mothers, grandmothers, and older sisters sewed dolls for them. From the age of five, any girl could do such a nursery rhyme.
Cloth doll- the simplest image of a female figure. A piece of cloth rolled into a “rolling pin”, a face carefully covered with a white linen rag, breasts made of smooth, tightly stuffed balls, a hair braid with a ribbon woven into it, and an outfit of colorful rags. As they got older, the girls sewed more intricate dolls, and sometimes they turned to a craftswoman, a woman, who made these dolls extremely well, and she made them to order.
The face was embroidered or drawn in with a pencil, and in earlier dolls, with charcoal. They had to attach a braid and weave a ribbon into it if they were sewing a girl, and if they were sewing a woman, then they really took apart the hairstyle. They dressed up beautifully, tying an apron and a belt over the shirt. The girls will have headscarves, the women will wear a headdress.
The child's skills were assessed by adults. The doll was considered as a standard of handicraft; teenage girls often took a cart with dolls to get-togethers along with a spinning wheel. They were used to judge the skill and taste of their owner. In puppet games, children involuntarily learned to sew, embroider, spin, and learned the traditional art of dressing.
Toys were never left on the street or scattered around the hut, but were kept in baskets, boxes, and locked in chests. They took them to the harvest and to gatherings. Dolls were allowed to be taken as guests; they were included in the dowry. They allowed the “young woman” who came to the groom’s house after the wedding to play, because people were married at the age of 14. She hid them in the attic and secretly played with them. The eldest in the house was the father-in-law, and he strictly ordered the women not to laugh at the young woman. Then these dolls were passed on to the children.
Almost all village holiday rituals were played out in puppet games. Most often, weddings are a particularly impressive, solemn and beautiful Russian folk ceremony. They took the game very seriously, maintaining the sequence of the ritual, memorizing and repeating the conversations of adults and the ritual songs they performed. To play, they gathered in groups in a hut, in a barn, or on the street in the summer. And each girl brought with her a box of dolls. There were up to twenty or more of them in the game: the bridegroom, the bride, the parents of the newlyweds, the bandage girlfriends, the cockerel girlfriends, the thousand, the carriage driver and everyone else, as expected at a real wedding. Scene after scene unfolds matchmaking, getting ready for a pilgrimage, gatherings, a bathhouse, a bachelorette party. The bride doll's hair was unraveled, and the girl who played as her friend doll began to cry. After the wedding, the doll-bride's hair was braided into two braids and styled like a woman's, she was seated at the princely table, then the newlyweds were left alone, and the doll wedding ended there.
In village dolls they preferred the female image, even in children's games, if they needed a groom or a man doll, they just took a sliver.
Like other peoples, Russians put a certain meaning into a toy. She was endowed with the magical power of fertility. That's why a toy is often a wedding attribute. Dolls dressed in red cotton rags decorated “Kulichka” and “gingerbread” (the so-called sacrificial bread in Russia).
A doll or a child was given into the hands of the bride to provide offspring for the new family. This ancient custom has turned into a comic ceremony these days. At the wedding table, an offering was made to the bride, and she had to “publicly” view it. The gift was wrapped, wrapped, and inside it was a small doll. In many Russian fairy tales, magical assistant dolls are found and help the heroes.
Of course, ritual dolls cannot be considered children's toys. After all, a traditional rag doll is faceless. The face, as a rule, was not marked and remained white. In the villages they explained this simply by the inability to paint a face beautifully, and there were no such paints. But the meaning is much deeper. A doll without a face was considered an inanimate object, inaccessible to the instillation of evil, unkind forces into it, and therefore harmless to the child. She was supposed to bring him prosperity, health, joy. This is a miracle: from several rags, without arms, without legs, without a designated face, the character of the doll was conveyed. The doll had many faces, she could laugh and cry.
The very image of a village rag doll is close to folklore: “White-faced, busty and with a braid, of course, and dressed up anywhere.” Here the beauty of the girl materialized in a doll that corresponded to the symbol - the beautiful image of girlhood.
Using the same techniques, amulets were also made from rags. These are twelve “Likhodeya dolls”: “Ogneya”, “Ledea”, “Shaking”, etc., personifying, according to popular belief, Herod’s daughters. Usually such dolls hung in the hut near the stove, protecting the owners from illness.
The dolls from the northern provinces wear a traditional sundress and a solid kokoshnik, trimmed with a mesh underneath made of white and transparent beads, continuing the tradition of pearl trims.
And the costumes of the peasant women of the Ryazan province are characterized by a riot of colors. The doll is dressed in a traditional poneva with stitching, which is always richly decorated, in a shirt with embroidered sleeves, and always a female “magpie” headdress with an embroidered headdress and a beaded headdress at the back of the headdress.
Types of dolls
According to their purpose, dolls are divided into three large groups: amulets, play and ritual dolls.
2.1 Dolls - amulets
A talisman is an amulet or a magic spell that saves a person from various dangers, as well as an object on which the spell is cast and which is worn on the body as a talisman.
God's Eye
This is the most ancient protective doll of our ancestors - the Eye of God, or God's Eye. The cruciform composition expresses the idea of spreading the forces of good or protective forces to all four cardinal directions.
The “Eye of God” is placed above the entrance door to the house, room, above the child’s bed, in a place that is clearly visible to the person entering. The bright and unexpected image of the amulet attracts the attention of the person entering, who forgets about the bad intentions towards the owners of the house.
It was previously believed that if Kuvatka hangs over a child’s crib, then it drives away this evil force.
Two weeks before the birth of the child, the expectant mother placed such a doll as a talisman in the cradle. When the parents went to the field to work and the child was left alone in the house, he looked at these little dolls and played calmly.
It is known that doll dresses were sewn for a reason, but with meaning. Firstly, the outfit always had to contain the color red - the color of the sun, warmth, health, joy. And they also believed that it had a protective effect: it protected against the evil eye and injuries. The embroidered pattern that once decorated the doll's outfit was also not accidental. Each of its elements had a magical meaning, and the pattern in the doll’s face was supposed to protect the child. As a rule, these toys were small in size and all of different colors, this developed the baby’s vision.
An Angel doll was made as a name day gift. This is a simple, but very cute doll - a talisman that existed in many provinces of Russia. It was made using ancient traditional technology, with only scraps of light fabric, scissors and thread on hand. This doll is made from four squares of fabric. The largest square is used to make the head and body, two identical smaller ones are used for the wings and a very small one is used for the halo.
Bereginya is a symbol of the feminine principle. According to popular beliefs, which go back to the pagan times of Ancient Rus', this amulet is endowed with its power if certain conditions are met during its manufacture.
Bereginya cannot be pricked with a needle (by sewing the flaps together), and her face cannot be drawn. If the amulet is intended for a small child, then the fabric is not cut with scissors, but torn by hand. The uniqueness of Beregini's production lies in the fact that the flaps from which it consists are connected to each other using knots and threads.
There were also amulets for every time of day. Day and night - two little angels: one is made of dark fabric, the other is made of light. They are connected by a two-color thread and are inseparable; During the day, one was placed in front, and at night, the other.
Another “shifter” was called the Baba Wench. It was used for a game during which a peasant girl learned how the traditional clothing of a girl and a married woman differed.
Exactly a year was given to the amulet, which was called “12 fevers”. It was made in the form of 12 figurines suspended on a red thread above the stove to scare away the disease-bringing demons-shakers, whose names were Decrepit, Stupid, Glyadeya, Lenea, Nemea, Ledeya, Shaking, Dreaming, Ogney, Veterya, Zhelteya and Aveya. On January 15 of each year, the amulet was replaced with a new one.
Doll Bell
The bell is a doll of good news.
The birthplace of this doll is Valdai. This is where the Valdai bells came from. The ringing of the bell protected people from the plague and other terrible diseases. The bell rang under the arc at all the festive troikas. The bell is dome-shaped and resembles a sun on top.
The doll has three skirts. Man also has three kingdoms. Copper, silver, gold. And happiness also consists of three parts. If the body feels good, the soul is happy, the spirit is calm, then the person is quite happy.
This doll is cheerful, playful, and brings joy and fun to the house. This is a talisman of good mood. By giving a Bell, a person wishes his friend to receive only good news and maintains a joyful and cheerful mood in him.
Doll Insomnia
Magic lullaby doll Insomnia. When the baby began to cry for no apparent reason, the mother, in order to calm him down and protect him from evil spirits, quickly rolled up a talisman doll from 2 pieces of fabric and put it in the cradle, saying:
Sleepiness-insomnia,
Don't play with my baby
Play with this doll.
Such a doll remained in the house forever.
Desire
Every girl in the village had such a friend - the Zhelannitsa doll. It shouldn't have been shown to anyone. You used to make a wish, sew a bead on a doll’s dress as a gift, for example, and hold a mirror to her face: “Look how beautiful you are. And for the gift, make my wish come true.” And then you hide your girlfriend in a secluded place for the time being... You may not believe it, but everything you asked was fulfilled.
Paraskeva doll
On the feast of St. Paraskeva, women together made a large doll “Paraskeva Fridays”, on the “arm” of which (a horizontal crossbar at chest level) they hung all kinds of women’s handicrafts. Saint Paraskeva seemed to bless women’s work, as well as all other crafts. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, after the arrival of Christianity in Rus', took over the functions of “Makoshi” and became the patroness of weaving, spinning and other household work.
Sacrum
At first glance, the sacrum does not look like a doll at all, but some 100 years ago the sacrum doll was used in games instead of male dolls. The games were called, as they are now, “Mothers and Daughters.” In addition, the Sacrum doll had a distinct meaning. The village boys also made the sacrum. The doll was made at the end of December, during Christmas time. According to legends, it was during the Holy Week that demonic forces were released. The most reliable way of cleansing was considered to be swimming in an ice hole on Epiphany (January 19th).
According to belief, water on this day became holy or sacred. People believed that when bathing in an illuminated spring, evil spirits leave the human body. To prevent evil and insidious demonic forces from taking possession of a person again, people made a Sacrum doll. She was the person's "deputy". The sacrum was placed in snowdrifts near the ice hole. In order to attract the attention of evil forces, the cross was decorated with bright colorful ribbons and rags. Since winter swimming was mainly attended by young, healthy guys, the Sacrum doll began to symbolize a man.
This amulet is a symbol of the infinity of life, the masculine principle, without which the feminine is weak and barren. Later, a tradition arose of giving this amulet - the Simeon Stylite doll - to men so that their strength would never run out.
Fatty-Kostromushka (amulet against loneliness)
This doll is a talisman against loneliness. In a house where they really expect and desire a child, there was this doll. They placed it in a prominent place in the bedroom. As soon as the child appeared, the doll was told: “The children have appeared, go play.”
The doll should demonstrate a well-fed, rich life, and should be smartly dressed. The doll's legs are very thin, it is necessary to wear shoes, the body is plump (a well-fed girl), the face is small so that the cheeks appear thicker. This amulet is completely stuffed with flax tows.
2.2 Play dolls
Play dolls were intended for children's amusement. They were divided into stitched and rolled. Rolled up dolls were made without needles and threads. A thick layer of cloth was wrapped around a wooden stick and then tied with a rope. Then they tied a head with handles to this stick and dressed it in elegant clothes.
Researchers believe that the earliest among the traditional folded play dolls of Russia was the "log" doll. It existed in the Smolensk province and was a wooden log dressed in stylized women's clothing. Later, a more complex doll came. It was a simple image of a female figure. The torso is a piece of fabric rolled into a “rolling pin”, the face is carefully covered with a linen rag, a tow or hair braid, a chest made of balls stuffed with cotton wool.
They made a bunny on the finger for children from the age of three so that they would have a friend, an interlocutor. The bunny fits on your finger and is always next to you. Parents used to give this toy to their children when they left home, and if you get bored or scared, you can turn to him as a friend, talk to him, complain, or just play. This is both a friend and a talisman. Children are very responsive and see a kindred spirit in their favorite toy, open up and talk as if they were with a living person.
Rolled-up play dolls include twist-up dolls, which were made very simply. The body is a piece of fabric twisted around its axis and fastened with thread. In the same way, the arms and, finally, a small ball - the head - were made using a thread and attached to the body.
The simplest folded doll is considered to be the Lady doll, which existed in the Efremov district of the Tula province. It was made for young children. First, they made the body, covered it with white cloth and bandaged it in three places, then they took a long flap, covered part of the body with it, bandaged it, separating the head. The remaining fabric on the sides was cut into three parts and braids were made - these were the hands. They put a skirt and apron on the doll, and tied a scarf on her head.
The play rag doll Baby - naked was widespread. A distinctive feature of its manufacturing technique was that the fabric at the bottom was not left as a single “hem”, but was divided into two parts and legs were formed by wrapping them with threads. The doll had to be belted. “Baby,” as is already clear from the name, was naked, without clothes, but the belt was not only an obligatory attribute of the Russian traditional costume, but also a very strong amulet.
The “to snatch” doll was a sewn play doll. It was sewn by girls up to 12 years old and was an exam in sewing and needlework.
Then the girls helped prepare the dowry for their older sisters, getting acquainted with traditional types of clothing, and at the same time choosing something for their dowry. Each girl wanted to quickly make a doll on which she could show her knowledge of costume, so as not to sit too long with young children and get to gatherings on time. They sewed dolls “to show off” mainly during the Nativity and Great Lents, and in the spring, after Easter, they walked around the village and showed off the sewn dolls. In some areas these dolls had their own name. The first doll is bare-haired. The second is a doll with a scythe. The third one is young. The fourth is an elegant doll, it was the exam that separated childhood from adolescence.
2.3 Ritual dolls
The Russian land is rich in rituals. Ritual dolls were revered and placed in the hut, in the red corner. They had a ritual purpose.
The Vep doll (cabbage, jerk) is a ritual doll symbolizing fertility and prosperity.
How they carried out ritual checks on the guys with this doll: they watched how the guy took this doll, what he paid attention to, how he examined it. And from this it was clear what was important to him now, and what he was still passing by. By the guy's handling of this doll, the older women looked at his readiness for marriage.
The doll is made from linen and cotton fabrics. They spin the doll without letting go of their hands until the last knot. When making this doll in the old days, they did not use a needle or scissors, but manually tore the fabric into shreds of the required size.
Ritual multi-armed doll Ten Handles.
It was made from bast or straw on October 14, Pokrov, when they sat down to do needlework. In production, red threads are used, which is a protective color. 9 red strings-bows are necessarily tied in a circle to the bottom of the sundress. The doll was intended to help girls preparing their dowries and women in various activities, such as weaving, sewing, embroidery, knitting, etc. Traditionally, after production, it was burned almost immediately. The “Ten-Handed” doll is given as a wedding gift so that the woman can manage everything, so that everything goes well for her.
And in order for the house to be nourishing and rich, the mistress of the house made a grain doll, or krupenichka.
It was done after the harvest. The doll is based on a bag of grains collected from the field. They stuffed it with different grains. The woman also made this doll so that she could have children.
The ritual doll Pokosnitsa depicted a woman during haymaking.
“Pokosnitsa” is one of the simplest doll-making techniques. It is made without cuts and without a single seam, from a single piece of fabric. Then the head is formed and tied with threads. From the excess fabric on the sides, arms are formed and tied with thread. The doll is put on a skirt, an apron (but the “shirt” - the light base of the doll) should be visible, and a scarf is tied. The general tones of the fabric used are different and light, because the first mowing has long been considered a holiday in the villages.
Kupavka doll- This is a ritual doll of one day. "Kupavka" symbolized the beginning of bathing.
She was floated on the water, and the ribbons tied to her hands took away human illnesses and hardships - such importance was attached to the cleansing power of water. This doll celebrates the holidays of Agrafena the Bathing Lady and Ivan Kupala. The procedure for making "Kupavka" is very simple. Two sticks of different lengths are connected crosswise.
On the top of the cross the head is made of light fabric stuffed with rags, and the doll’s arms are covered with the same fabric. Fix the fabric on the doll's neck, arms and belt. The straps of a sundress made of bright fabric are tied. They put a skirt and scarf on the doll, tie a belt, and tie ribbons of fabric to the hands. Since this doll is summer, it is customary to decorate it with grass, fresh flowers, and green twigs.
Kolyada is a Slavic holiday of the winter solstice and, apparently, a deity of the same name.
The winter solstice falls on December 25th. At this time, the most severe frosts were observed, which, according to ancient beliefs, coincided with the revelry of unclean spirits and evil witches. The celebration of Kolyada, with its joy and optimism, expressed the faith of ancient Russian pagans in the inevitability of the victory of good principles over the forces of evil. To help Kolyada defeat and drive away evil spirits, those celebrating his day burned bonfires, sang and danced around them.
All Christmas carols were sung with Kolyada. This doll is a symbol of the sun and good relationships in the family. She was a portly woman, dressed in everything new and elegant. On her behalf, the carolers wished happiness and prosperity. They sang joyful songs glorifying the owners.
In some areas, carols ended near the fire with wishes for good to themselves and loved ones and the burning of Kolyada. With her arrival, happiness, peace and harmony between family members will settle in the house.
The Kolyada doll is made from cut wood. Bags suspended from the belt contain bread and salt. A broom is tucked into his belt, which Kolyada uses to ward off evil spirits.
The Maslenitsa ritual doll was made from straw or bast, but they always used wood - a thin birch trunk. Straw, like wood, personified the lush power of vegetation. The doll's clothes should have a floral pattern. It was fixed on a cross made of wood.
The doll was decorated with ribbons and artificial flowers. Utensils used in making pancakes were placed on her hands, and ribbons were hung, by tying which people made wishes. For these wishes to come true, these ribbons had to burn along with the doll.
Homemade Maslenitsa is a doll that was used in the Tula province.
She was called the daughter of Maslenitsa or her younger sister. It is a small, 20-25 centimeters high, straw or bast doll with a white rag face. “Home Maslenitsa” symbolized strong prosperity and healthy offspring of a young family. It was considered a strong talisman of the home, fulfilling the behests of the owners of the house. This doll was kept in the red corner or at the entrance to the home. On one of the days of the festive Maslenitsa week, when the young came to their mother-in-law for pancakes, this doll was displayed in windows or courtyards. According to tradition, the bride and groom were greeted with “Home Maslenitsa”.
Vesnyanka (Avdotya-vesnovka)
Magpies - Day of the vernal equinox. This is another turning point in the folk calendar. At this time, according to ancient signs, a flock of the first birds - forty larks - flies from Paradise - Vyria. The bird is a symbol of this holiday. Singing birds - whistles, which children whistle, call out to Spring - Krasna. Here we observe a pattern of connection between images. In the sounds of singing ritual birds, clay and birch bark whistles, there are magical sound spells, a prayer addressed to the gods. An important attribute of the holiday is ritual cookies in the form of bird figurines and cookies in the form of small stairs leading to the sky, to the supreme deity. Stonefly dolls, in the form of two anthropomorphic figures tied with a ribbon, complement the symbolism of this holiday.
Martinichki
Previously, these dolls were an invariable attribute of the ritual of “invoking” spring, in which young people and children mainly participated. The dolls were knitted in pairs: from white threads - a symbol of the passing winter, from red threads - a symbol of spring and the hot sun. Such pairs of dolls were hung on tree branches. These dolls also had a second meaning. With the birth of a child in the family, the inseparable pair of wedding dolls moved slightly to the sides, making room for the doll on the parent’s shoulder. With each child in the family, the parents' shoulders moved wider. As many children as there are dolls on the shoulder of the wedding couple.
The Ryabinka doll is a symbol of female wisdom, motherhood, and home. She is connected to the rowan tree.
The name day of the rowan tree was celebrated four times a year. In the fall, on the fourth name day, when the fruits ripened, they made this doll. As a sign of veneration, they made a large festive doll, Rowan, as a talisman.
Spiridon-solstice by turning the wheel can completely change your life in the right direction.
Spiridon is made as a male doll. Like a regular haircut, only the lower bundle of straw (bast) is divided into two parts - the legs. And a mandatory attribute is a wheel.
The meaning of Spiridon is a creature that turns the Sun. Those. the most important creature responsible for the arrival of sunny days, for the onset of winter days. Accordingly, your hands should hold the Sun well (so that it doesn’t fall out). A braid is made from bast and straw. This is a winter doll.
Moscow doll.
Another name for the doll is “Seventh Me” (family). The doll has six children tied to a belt or fastened with a belt. The history of the doll goes back to the formation of the Moscow principality, which annexed new lands. Moscow is the mother, the new principality is the new child. In the doll, this historical process stopped at the number 6. This doll- a symbol of maternal care and love. Just as a mother loves and cares for her children, so a mother loves her children, no matter how many there are.
In some provinces there was a Goat doll.
It is based on a wooden cross, and the muzzle, horns, and beard are made of bast and straw. The “Goat” was dressed in a bright special dress and a sheepskin coat (or fur coat), on top of which were attached ritual objects: pipes, barrel organs, tambourines, a horseshoe as a gift for good luck, bells, bells, wooden beads, earrings, bags with gifts, wreaths of prosperity with small red bags with cereal grains, a wooden block as a gift to a bachelor, as a reminder of the need to get married. The “Goat” doll was a symbol of vitality and it was supposed to bring this strength to the owner of the hut and his land, his field, so that bread would be born better.
An ash doll was given to newlyweds at a wedding.
This is an ancient symbol of procreation, a mediator between those living on earth and the kingdom of the dead. An ash doll is like the spirit of ancestors addressed to descendants. This is an ancient symbol of procreation, a mediator between those living on earth and the kingdom of the dead.
Lovebirds.
Husband and wife are two halves of one whole, they should be inseparable. This is exactly why this doll was given as a gift. In the Russian wedding tradition, at the head of the wedding train, carrying the young couple to the groom's house after the wedding in the church, a pair of dolls were hung under the arc of the harness: a Daughter-in-law doll and a Groom doll, so that they would avert unkind glances at themselves. This pair of dolls is special; it carried a deep symbolic meaning associated with the peculiarity of its manufacture. The feminine and masculine principles were combined into a single inextricable whole, because after the wedding the married couple had to go through life together. The dolls were made by the bride's friends from scraps of white, red and multi-colored fabric, using scraps of multi-colored threads.
The birth of a new family was likened to the birth of the World Tree of Life, the mighty branches of which were to become the young couple.
The “World Tree” doll is made without stitching with a needle, “so that happiness is not sewn up.” The friends kept a vigilant eye on each other so that the ritual figures did not turn away from each other. After the wedding, the World Tree took pride of place in the hut next to other dolls kept in the family.
The base of the doll is made from dried birch rod, without flaws, the thickness of a little finger and about 15 cm long; the birch bark is not removed. The rods are carefully broken out without using a knife. First, they make a Bride doll on the left knot of the spear, and on the second knot - a Groom doll.
Some ritual dolls were medicinal.
Kozma and Demyan. They were made from medicinal herbs: yarrow, chamomile and other herbs. There is such a legend. There lived two brothers of the same age in Rus'. They were unmercenary. These brothers treated people and did not take money or food for treatment. But one day one of the brothers took some food for work. Another brother was very offended by him and asked after his death to bury them in different places, but the people decided in their own way. After all, food is food for existence, not money, and that’s why they were buried together. For their good deeds they were elevated to the rank of saints. Therefore, they used to make dolls in their honor and plant them in the red corner so that they would bring goodness and health to the house.
Herbal egg capsule
This doll is filled with fragrant medicinal herbs. You need to crush the doll in your hands, move it, and the herbal spirit will spread throughout the room, which will drive away the spirits of illness. After 2 years, the grass in the pupa must be changed. This is exactly what our ancestors did.
Kubyshka-Herbalist makes sure that the disease does not enter the house. Warmth emanates from her, like from a caring housewife. She is both a protector from the evil spirits of illness and a kind comforter. It was hung in the house above the baby's cradle. The doll was given to children to play with. It was also placed near the patient’s bed.
The ritual of "funeral of the cuckoo"
Many rituals in Rus' were performed with the help of specially made dolls.
For example: the ancient ritual of “funeral of the cuckoo”. This is the initiation of 12-year-old girls into girls and their entry into the world of adulthood. This ritual was performed before Trinity. It consisted of the following: the girls went into the forest and made sure that no one followed them.
There they danced in circles, sang songs and worshipped. As a sign that two girlfriends became godfathers for 1 year, they exchanged wreaths and dolls specially made for this purpose. These dolls were a reflection of the owner, because when making this doll, the girl put a piece of her soul into it. After kissing three times, the girls exchanged dolls and were considered godfathers. However, after a certain time and if desired, it was possible to make amends by removing oneself from the obligation of a friendly attitude towards each other, but this happened extremely rarely. How can you be angry with your godfather if, along with your doll, she is entrusted with a part of her own soul! After all, when making a doll, the girl made an effort, thought about it, put all her skill into this work, and now she was given to her friend!
After exchanging dolls, the girls dressed up a straw doll specially made for this occasion in rags and rags. It was made from dried grass “cuckoo tears”. Then the girls buried her, not necessarily buried her, but in the sense of hiding her, getting rid of her. Thus, they got rid of those qualities that are inherent in the cuckoo. She is known to throw eggs into the nests of other birds, and does not care about the further fate of her offspring. After the ceremony, the girl is considered a girl. Thus, this ritual demonstrates the rejection of “cuckooing” and the proclamation of motherhood. The girls say goodbye to their childhood, taking upon themselves the responsibility of "not being a cuckoo."
Conclusion
A doll is a sign of a person, his play image is a symbol. In this role, she focuses time, cultural history, the history of the country and people, reflecting their movement and development. Those who study folk culture and who strive to convey its precious grains to their descendants turn to this fertile source of spirituality.
The traditional rag doll is experiencing a true revival in today's Russia. The man-made patchwork figurine now performs a new communicative function. It has become a living means of communication and familiarization with folk cultural experience.
Dolls are not only toys, but also close friends. In games with dolls, children learn to communicate, fantasize, create, show mercy, and train their memory. But the main thing in these games is emotional contact with the doll. Children don't just get used to dolls - they become attached to them as if they were living beings and are painfully separated from them.
A doll is not born on its own: it is created by a person. It comes to life through the imagination and will of its creator. Being part of the culture of all humanity, the doll retains in its image the originality and characteristic features of the people who create it. This is the main value of a traditional folk doll.
The doll is a twist. Master Class
Scientific research activity as one of the forms of developing the creative abilities of gifted people
MBOU "Ongudai Secondary School"
MBOU "Oҥdoidyҥ orto uredulyu school"
Research work “Study of community
amulets of the Altai and Russian peoples."
Shiҥzhӱ ish “Altai la orus albatynyҥ јamannaҥ korulanar edimderinin budumderi.”
The work was completed by a student of grade 6 "B"
Sanakaeva Maya,
Head teacher of Altai
language and literature
With. Ongudai, 2013
1. Introduction. The relevance of research.
2. What are amulets.
3. Amulets of the Russian people. Home amulets.
4. Amulets of the Altai people.
5. Plants are amulets.
6. Amulets - amulets.
In Altai language and literature lessons we often come across the words “tangma”, “bayan”, “kurchu”. Translated into Russian, we settled on the term “amulets”. Revealing the meaning of these words in class takes a lot of time. Having limited ourselves only to vocabulary work in the classroom, as part of the work of the Enchi ethnoclub, we decided to consider questions that to us, the club members, seemed to be words that we inherited from our ancestors and require a broader interpretation. This is how the idea was born to consider the amulets of the Altai and Russian peoples, to draw a comparative parallel between the objects of our research.
· The object of research is the amulets of the Altai and Russian peoples;
· The purpose of the study is to reveal the historical meaning of amulets, the etymology of the word “amulets”; consider the types of amulets; compare Altai and Russian amulets.
· The objectives of the research are to study various literature on this topic at meetings of the ethnic club, draw up a plan for research work, develop a questionnaire about the use of amulets by people in the modern world;
Why are amulets needed? Even in ancient times, it was common for people to look for ways to protect themselves in a complex and dangerous world. The pagan people believed that in the world there were things and objects specially created by nature and man that could protect it. This belief was also supported by sorcerers, who were necessarily present in every tribe.
Charms were ordinary objects endowed with a magical function: protection, security. They could have been made by the man himself.
A talisman should be distinguished from an amulet. Amulets were often made by sorcerers for a relatively small fee. And what is also important: they were mostly worn at a time when a person clearly felt that they wanted to harm him. They took the amulet with them for protection, just in case.
The main difference between amulets and amulets and talismans is the following:
amulets are created by the person himself, he does it intentionally in order to protect not only himself, but also his home, his family and friends.
Everyone has their own amulet, as well as a talisman. The amulet can be shared. A talisman, in principle, is not very different from an amulet. Any object that has supposedly magical functions—protection—can become a talisman.
When laying the foundation of a new house, a piece of wool, a handful of grain, wax, and sometimes a horse's head were placed under the corners as amulets. The second sacred place in the hut was matitsa. The “wheel of race” was carved on it - Kolovrat- in the form of a circle with six rays and on its sides - ideograms of a plowed field. The most common amulet was usually placed above the doors - horseshoe. The red corner was hung with ritual towels with the figures of Mokosh, Lada and Lelya embroidered on them. (Amulets-embroidery will be discussed below, in the section “Amulets-embroideries”)
Home amulets. Amulet dolls.
God's Eye
This doll was one of the ancient protective dolls for the home. “The cruciform composition expresses the idea of the spread of the forces of good or protective forces to all four directions of the world” (“Paganism of Ancient Rus'”). Traditionally, the “Eye of God” is placed above the front door of a house, a room, above a child’s bed, that is, in a place that is clearly visible to the person entering. This was not done without reason: the bright image of the amulet attracts the attention of those entering, and if there were bad intentions towards the owners of the house, then the person forgets about it.
The Bird of Happiness
The amulet doll - “Bird of Happiness” was considered the guardian of family happiness and well-being. This amulet must be made from wood (spruce, fir, Siberian cedar). The energy of wood helps to bring positive energy into the house along with the amulet. Such a talisman hung in every house; it was usually placed under the ceiling in the hallway so that everyone entering would pass under it. This was done on purpose, so that the amulet took away everything negative that a person might come into the house with and only lets good things into the house.
Krupenichka
The “Krupenichka” doll is a talisman for satiety and prosperity in the family. When sowing grain, the first handfuls were taken from a bag sewn in the shape of a pupa. The grain in it symbolized the protective forces of the Earth. After the harvest season, the pupa was again filled with selected grain from the new harvest. She was dressed up and carefully stored in the red corner. They believed that only then would the next year be full and there would be prosperity in the family. In times of famine, they took grain from the pupa and cooked porridge. It was believed that the porridge transferred the powers of Mother Earth. A guest entering the hut could determine from the doll whether the family was living well. If the doll was thin, then there was trouble in the house. By the end of the 19th century, the origins of the ritual were partially lost or distorted. They began to sew the bag tightly. Millet, peas and other main agricultural crops were used to fill it. In this regard, other names of Krupenichka appeared: Zernovushka, Goroshinka.
Ten-handle
The multi-armed doll "Ten Hands" was placed in a prominent place in the house where the woman spent time at work. This doll helped girls and women in various household chores, in particular in needlework.
Bell
The "Bell" doll is considered a talisman of good mood. If there was such a talisman at home, then there will always be joy and fun in the house.
Day and night
“Day and Night” are dolls that protect the home, the change of day and night, and order in the house. During the day they put a light doll in front, and in the evening - a dark one. The “Day” doll protects the day so that it doesn’t go in vain, and the “Night” doll makes sure that everyone calms down and goes to bed.
Herbal egg capsule
The “herbal pot” was intended to protect households from diseases. To keep the air in the hut clean and healthy, the doll was filled with medicinal herbs and hung in places where the air usually stagnated. Such a doll amulet did not “live” for more than two years, because after approximately this period it is worth changing the filler grass so that the amulet continues to work.
Fever dolls
Feverish dolls lured trouble and illness out of the house. Why were there usually 13 of them? The fact is that there were exactly so many shaking sisters: Kumokha, Avvareusha, Glazeya, Gluheya, Zhelteya, Karkusha, Ledey, Nemeya, Ogneya, Otpeya, Pukhleya, Shaking, Khrapusha. On the orders of Kumoha, the worst sister, the feverish women attack the relaxed man and do not give him a chance to breathe - they break him, shake him, throw him into the heat, then into the cold. They penetrate into the huts through the chimneys in the evenings, like any other evil spirits and dashing force. That is why feverish dolls were placed behind the stove. They made such dolls with a conspiracy: during the entire process of knitting the doll, the fortuneteller was not supposed to lose the rhythm and not interrupt the recitative of the conspiracy, but with the last word, tie the last knot on the doll. It was believed that upon seeing the doll, the shaking sister would recognize herself and move into the doll instead of the person. Burning at the stake, the feverish doll carried away - lured - trouble out of the house.
Home amulets. "Housewomen."
“Housewomen” amulets were traditionally made to protect the house and to appease the brownie. A talisman - a broom - was made as a talisman. It was hung in a prominent place at the entrance. Moreover, if the amulet was placed outside the house, then it was hung with the handle down, so the broom could drive away evil spirits from the house. Inside the house, the amulet was hung only with the handle up. The broom amulet was usually decorated in a special way. The more beautiful and neat he was, the more power he had. If serious troubles happened in the house, the broom-amulet was replaced with a new one, believing that it had absorbed all the negativity. An old broom was buried at a crossroads so that the earth would absorb all the troubles and they would not pass on to another person. A broom was thrown after a person with an evil look. The ritual broom was leaned against the head of the woman in labor and the cradle of the baby, they swept the sick person, and cleared the way for the bride and groom. This item was used in rituals to increase the yield, improve the rise of the dough, churn butter, etc. In addition to the “housekeepers”-brooms, braids and wreaths were widespread, which were also decorated. They were usually located in the kitchen.
External amulets and symbols.
Weather vanes. Initially, weather vanes on houses were not just decoration, but also a talisman that protected the house from all sorts of misfortunes. Most often, a weather vane figurine was made of wood in the shape of a horse or rooster.
Shutters and trim. The Slavs believed that the house had “vulnerable spots” - openings into which various dark forces and evil spirits could penetrate. The need to close the gaps that inevitably arise between the log wall of the house and the window frame caused the appearance of platbands, which decorate the house and are a kind of border between it and the outside world. Platbands are both a decoration of the house and its amulet. That is why window frames and shutters were decorated with amulet carvings. Such carvings not only served as decoration, but also served as a talisman due to the symbols placed. The carving ornament usually had the following motifs: zoomorphic, anthropomorphic, geometric and floral. Most often, various solar symbols were used for protection. The symbol of the sun, placed in the openings, should protect the home from the night evil spirits.
You can read about the symbols at the end of my work in the section “Slavic symbols-amulets”.
Solar signs were placed on the roof of the house and platbands not only in the form of a symbolic embodiment - a weather vane in the shape of a horse, but also in the form of a real image of the sun or its symbol. The sky and the course of the sun were often depicted on the facade of the house - in the morning, at noon and in the evening. In this case, a thunder sign (a circle divided into six sectors) is usually placed on the central towel - a symbol of Rod or Perun, who protected the house from lightning striking it. Next to the symbol of the sun, the Slavs almost always depicted the sign of the earth or a sown field, denoting the unity of the heavenly and earthly, obvious. The waking world is also symbolized by images of birds, plants, goddesses, intertwined with fantastic creatures. Mermaids protect the house from Navi and ghouls. Most often, these images are found on window frames, at the entrance to the house. Images of Lada (goddess of fun, prosperity and harmony in the family; goddess of brides) or Mokoshi, who protect the world in the house, are also located on the carved frames (they are depicted with their hands raised up, as if asking for protection from the supreme gods, who give heavenly moisture and light), as well as on outbuildings (they are depicted with their hands down, as if turning to the mother, the raw earth, which gives a harvest).
Charms pendants. Knots and sciences.
The knot was one of the most ancient amulets. In addition, it was a fairly simple amulet to make. According to beliefs, different knots have different effects; tying and untying knots by good and evil people brings opposite results. All the legends, beliefs and testimonies agree on one thing - there is considerable power in the knots, and if you use it wisely and knowledgeably, you can protect yourself from evil and do good for yourself and others.
In ancient Rus' there were special nodes - “nauzes”. Nauzs, like amulets, are capable of transmitting magical power, protecting from misfortunes and even healing. To strengthen the amulet, you can read a hex or spell over it. It is believed that it was from the ancient Slavic sciences that Christian incense came.
Nauz is not only a knot tied on a cord or thread, but also pendants with which the nauz is complemented. Pendants most often included medicinal herbs and roots, metal figurines, and stones. The components of the pendants could be combined to achieve maximum effect.
One of the simplest sciences was solarium- a circle representing the Sun. Solar knots simultaneously protected both from evil spirits and from the enemy. They look like a wreath (crown) with rays-loops. The amulet knot was usually knitted in 3 - 4 threads; looking at it, it is almost impossible to guess how it was made.
Charms-pendants. Women's.
Men did not wear as many amulets as women, who, as continuers of the family, required the greatest protection. Therefore, I’ll tell you about women’s amulets in more detail.
Many “decorations” were protected by ringing or noise, knocking against each other: ringing as they walked, they drove away all evil forces. One of the attributes of women's protective magic is the so-called amulets pendants, which were attached on chains to a plaque, often made in the form of one or two sun skates or a duck horse. The Duck is a symbol of Rod, the creator of the Earth, and the Horse is one of the strongest Slavic amulets, a symbol of goodness and happiness. Such pendants were worn on a belt, on the neck as a necklace, at the shoulder, or connected to a headdress. The girls did not wear headdresses; they were replaced by a headband made of thin metal, to which pendants could also be attached. The pendants that were attached to the headdress were called ryasny - these are vertical stripes running from the kokoshnik down (to the chest or even to the waist). Often metal ryasny they depicted birds, and “cannons” made from real swan or goose down were woven into beaded cassocks. The cassocks were assembled from 10-12 plaques, onto which the pattern was applied so that it could only be read in a vertical position, that is, it was impossible to wear the cassocks as a necklace: the symbols lost their support. Some cassock ribbons depicted tiny sprouts, while others depicted pollination of plants or a cross. Some ryasnas have a bulge on each plaque, which gives the impression that streams of rain are flowing from the head.
Another protective item was women's crest. Combs were also used for home magical rituals: for example, they combed the hair of a sick person for healing and then threw them on a sacred tree (usually a pear) for a week. These magical combs were mostly seven-rayed, because seven is a sacred magical number (by the way, in all magical traditions, not just among the Slavs), giving protection from disease, old age and the evil eye. Tiny spoons were often woven into pendants - a symbol of wealth and prosperity in the house.
Altai girls were not allowed to walk without earrings; it was believed that their ringing scared away all evil spirits; they also wove “shaltyrak, shymyrak, shakhky” jewelry into their braids not only for beauty, to attract attention, but also to scare away the dark forces that blocked way for the girl.
Some pendant sets include various small copies of various objects: keys, knives, spoons, hatchets, etc.
Women's jewelry and amulets were most often made from soft yellow (that is, solar) metals: if funds allowed, from gold, and in poorer families, from copper. And silver was often used to protect against evil spirits. Silver was considered a metal that destroys ghouls.
The headdresses were also accompanied by kolta - temple rings, which had either a round or spiral shape. Depending on their wealth and position, women in the family wore one or more temple rings decorated with protective signs.
Quite often, a silver or gold mesh was hung from the back of the headdress, protecting the shoulders and back - a talisman against the evil eye and damage.
In addition to kolta, they also wore necklaces- neck and chest hryvnias, decorated with a number of rustling pendants, and lunars. Lunnitsa (from the word “Moon”) were supposed to protect women from evil night spirits and navya at night; they were dedicated to the night luminary - the Moon. This amulet was worn only by women, since the Moon has always been a female planet, and women are much more sensitive to various manifestations of otherworldly forces than men, and especially to the influence of the Moon.
Lunars were made of silver (since this is the metal of the Moon) either round or horned (like a month) and included in a protective necklace. Necklace pendants are usually round, ornate, gold-tone metal, with rows of glass beads or beautiful natural stones running between the metal parts of the necklace. At a later time, they began to make pendants from coins (monista). Wealthy women wore necklaces made using the cloisonné technique. Often, amulets were placed on the chest, right next to the heart, or near the belt (protecting the solar plexus).
Men's amulets.
Men also wore amulets, but men's jewelry was simpler. Usually these are all kinds of brooches - clasps of cloaks, richly equipped with symbols of protection. Basically, solar signs were placed on brooches. Some body amulets were made in the form of plaques, which depicted an eight-pointed cross (a symbol of fertility), an ordinary cross (a symbol of the sun), diamonds (a sign of the earth), swastikas (the oldest solar sign), animals, birds and fish. Men also wore pendants with the symbol of a duck or one or two skates, which protected them away from home (the horse is a symbol of the god Perun, and was also a talisman for travelers), swords, knives, daggers - symbols of victory in battle. The claws and fangs of wild animals were considered an excellent amulet against all dangers.
Charm bracelets.
Both men and women wore amulets-bracelets. In Rus', they were made of glass, bone, various metals, twisted wire and decorated with solar signs or rhombuses - symbols of the Earth. The richer Slavs wore folded bracelets with complex ornamental rows depicting entire scenes.
Women fastened wide, long (to the ground) sleeves with such bracelets. They wore bracelets not only for convenience, but also because it was believed that the force of the sea penetrated through the wide flaps of the sleeves and caused illness. The bracelets “sealed” access to these evil dark forces.
They wore rings on their fingers. This was usually associated with a wedding ceremony. The sign of the cross (which has nothing to do with Christianity) or solar symbols were depicted on the rings.
According to the worldview of the Altaians, there are various kinds of dark forces: kara nemeler - evil spirits, kӧrmӧs, evil spirits, ӱzut, aldaachi, јetker, tarmachilar, etc. they can have a negative impact on humans, children, causing illness, death, damage, death livestock, negatively affect human activities.
To protect themselves, their loved ones, and their children from evil spirits, people endow objects with supernatural powers that can protect and resist everything dark. These are all kinds of amulets, talismans, amulets, as well as household items. – knives, axes, hunting equipment – guns for example. Among the flora, these are mainly plants with thorns, thorns, and needles.
Plants - amulets are carried with them, applied or attached to protected objects and people - this can be a child’s cradle, a cattle pen, a person’s clothing, they fumigate homes, livestock, people with plants. Even today, in the most vulnerable places - near window and door openings - you can see hanging branches of thorny plants.
One such plant is juniper. Its branches with white ribbons are placed in the house. On the new moon, people make sure to cleanse their home. It is believed that the smoke of burning juniper has the ability to remove negative energy.
There are known cases when men went to war, or to serve the Motherland, they had juniper branches sewn into their breast pockets.
The thorny branches of the bush - Siberian barberry - kӧrmӧs kursak, sary tegenek, are used as a talisman, especially by the Seok tӧӧlӧs people. This is a shrub up to 1 meter tall with yellow flowers and red berries; it grows on rocks, rocky slopes, and placers. Tӧӧlӧsy use thorny barberry branches to drive out evil spirits.
The Altai people say that the Tabylgy plant - Alpine meadowsweet - has a special protective property. Currently, in some yurts of the Telekhits of the Kosh-Agach and Ulagan districts, on the men's side at the door, above the bed, there is a whip with a handle made of tabylga. People believe that evil spirits - kӧrmӧstӧr - will not approach when riding a horse at night.
Chalkandular - Chelkanians take with them a whip with a bird cherry handle - Yumurut, it is believed to prevent evil spirits from approaching a person.
Tozhyla - gooseberry - is also a needle-shaped plant, it is believed that this plant was created by Erlik - the king of the dead. This is a low plant, with 3-5 strong thorns. The berries are sweet, green-yellow, seedless. It grows on rocks, placers, and is considered food for snakes - Erlik’s assistants. The branches are hung at the openings of windows and doors.
Rosehip is also considered an obergem; garden varieties of these shrubs have now been bred, but people plant these plants at the gate so that the person entering this house will leave everything evil and enter the house with good intentions. (Play clip from film)
The Altai people have an ancient legend about the rose hips.
Once upon a time, an old man lived in Altai, he had a beautiful daughter. Grooms came to get married, but the old man was waiting for the richest, who could give a huge bride price for the bride. But his daughter fell in love with the shepherd; he was so poor that he could not even feed himself. The guy asked the old man for his hand, but he laughed in his face and drove the poor groom out of the house. Suddenly a rich groom arrived and the old man agreed to marry his daughter to him. He really wanted to get rid of the poor groom and get a rich bride price for his daughter. The girl decided to run away from the house at night, but her father caught up with her, hit her with a whip and took her home, but suddenly the girl turned into a beautiful pink flower, but even then the father wanted to pick it. He stretched out his hand to destroy the flower, but needles appeared and the father scratched his hand, but could not pick the flower. This is how the rose hip flower grows - pink, delicate and beautiful, but it is impossible to pick it. Amulets were also made from St. John's wort.
A sprig of St. John's wort is a wonderful amulet. Place it under the doormat. And leave it for a year. And after a year, put in a new one, thanking the old one for its service.
A branch of wormwood, like a branch of St. John's wort, can also be placed under the threshold as a talisman. Wormwood is also a wonderful body amulet. There is no need to sew it into clothes. Just put it in your pocket or in your shoes (under the insole).
From coltsfoot. A very strong plant, but only lasts until midnight, starting from the second it is picked. This is both a talisman for the home and a personal talisman. All these herbs can be picked at any time, but they acquire special power on the night of Kupala.
These are the amulets the Russian people have.
Now let's look at the amulets of the Altai people. Since ancient times, people have been dependent on nature. The life of an Altai person is inseparable from nature, animals and plants.
So the first Altai playwright, poet, writer wore an amulet made of rolled up dog hair on his ear, his name was Iit-Kulak. The children born before him were dying, so they decided to put such an earring on his ear and call him a bad name so that the “kӧrmӧs” would not steal the child’s soul. And indeed, maybe that’s why Iit-Kulak survived and brought great benefits to his people.
To prevent dark forces from approaching the child in the cradle, they hung a bear claw or a bear tooth (see slide).
The Altai people also attached great importance to such products - “kinsalgysh, bayry, kindӱush”. These amulets made by women's hands for their children can still be seen in every second home. The mother did not throw away the dried umbilical cord of her child; for each child in the house they prepared their own “kinsalgysh”. If it is a boy, then the figurine is made with the ends up, if it is a girl, the ends of the figurine are made down. The child’s navel was placed inside such a small bag, with the following good wishes being uttered:
Jolyҥ achyk bolzyn, balam
Ashtaba - suuzaba,
Jӱrumiҥ uzun bolzyn,
I'm sick, I'm sick,
Talay bolzo, kechulul bolzyn.
In the same way, when pronouncing sentences, they placed several grains, symbolic kopecks, small branches of juniper - “archyn”. Then all this was sewn up, before the mother carried them with her, under her right hand on a chegedek, but now the Altai people hang them on the wall. Some families tie white ribbons - kyira - to these amulets so that the family bond between children is stronger. If a child died for some reason, they simply cut off the kinsalgysh, an empty rope dangled, no one from Altai Kizhi asks: “How many children do you have?” Children are not counted out loud, fearing that their souls will be stolen by the punishment of the nemeler - dark forces.
Also, the Altai people of each seok have a sacred animal that protects them from harm. Their claws, paws, teeth, tails, and scraps of fur can also be amulets.
From time immemorial, Altaians have been engaged in cattle breeding. Therefore, the death of livestock was and is one of the most terrible blows to the well-being of Altai Kizhi. They were afraid of everything, so when they stabbed an animal for the winter, the tail was left in the pen. He, too, was like a kind of amulet.
Altai writers write about this in their works, calling them differently - “bayry, kin, kinsalgysh, jaiyk, koruchyl.” We believe that these are amulets of the Altai people. Oddly enough, people still believe in the magical power of amulets to this day. Today you can find such amulets at home, in the car, people try to plant plants with thorns, thorns at the gate, dry herbs, hang them on door and window openings.
The conclusion from everything written is this:
The object of our research is that Altai and Russian amulets take place in the modern world; the historical meaning and etymology of the words have been revealed, research work has been carried out, and the results of the survey of people have been summed up. What do Altai and Russian amulets have in common?
1. Amulets are made independently and can be specific manufactured objects, but also amulets of animal and plant origin.
2. according to the ideas of the Altaians and Russians, door, window openings, and entrance gates must be carefully protected.
3. The original purpose of the amulets has been preserved to this day - the age of computer technology and digital technology.
Svetlana Buzanova
Research work “Dolls from Grandma’s Chest”
« Dolls from grandma's chest»
INTRODUCTION:
Interest in folk crafts in the modern world is growing. And this happens because once upon a time a gap, an emptiness, formed in people’s souls. And now there is a great need to fill it.
Russian doll considered one of the most mysterious symbols of Russia. This is not just a children's toy, it is an integral attribute of ancient rituals. Since time immemorial, craftsmen have mastered the art of making such dolls, which have absorbed all the cultural traditions and customs of Rus'.
The relevance of my work is, What:
Firstly, doll is a reflection of the life of the Russian people.
Secondly, rag doll appeared a very long time ago. She accompanied a person throughout his life, performing various functions: ritual, cult, educational, entertaining. And today interest in the doll has not faded away, but the same purpose was retained dolls or not, we have to find out during our research.
Carrying out your study, I would like to find out if they know about such dolls my peers, establish what benefits it can bring doll for children and adults.
1.1 WHAT THE WORD MEANS « DOLL» ?
Starting my work, I first of all asked myself question: what is it doll? Word definition « doll» I started looking in the dictionary.
In Ozhegov's dictionary there are several meanings of this words:
Doll – 1. children's toy in the form of a human figurine. 2. in the theater presentation: a human or animal figure made from various materials and controlled by an actor (puppeteer) . 3. a figure that reproduces a person in full growth.
In Dahl's dictionary:
Doll- a toy made from rags, leather, broken paper, wood, etc. in the likeness of a person, and sometimes an animal.
1.2 HISTORY OF THE EMERGENCE OF THE PEOPLE DOLLS
To begin with, I decided to look deep into history and find out where it came from. doll in Rus'?
Since ancient times, rag doll was a traditional toy of the Russian people. Game of dolls was encouraged by adults, because by playing them, the child learned how to run a household and acquired the image of a family.
Doll accompanied a person from birth to death and was an indispensable attribute of any holidays. Folk rag doll was not just a toy, it carried certain functions.
Most dolls in Rus' were amulets. They are made from natural materials that come from forests: tree, vine, grass, straw. And this is no coincidence, because the forest is the habitat of the Russian people. Dolls, made on the basis of a birch log, are a talisman of family happiness. Aspen has always been considered dangerous for evil spirits, so dolls made on the basis of aspen wood are amulets for the home, driving away evil spirits from the home.
A very significant part of the dolls were ritual dolls. Of course, ritual dolls cannot be considered a children's toy. After all, traditional rag faceless doll. The face, as a rule, was not marked and remained white. In the villages they explained this simply by the inability to paint a face beautifully, and there were no such paints. But the meaning is much deeper. Doll without a face was considered an inanimate object, inaccessible to the instillation of evil, unkind forces into it, and therefore harmless to the child. She was supposed to bring him prosperity, health, joy. This miracle: from several rags, without arms, without legs, without a designated face, character was conveyed dolls. The doll had many faces, she could laugh and cry.
Our ancestors lived quite cheerfully, their life was accompanied by rituals and holidays, and in them one of the leading roles was always given to gaming. doll.
In puppet games, children involuntarily learned to sew, embroider, spin, and learned the traditional art of dressing.
Dolls weren't just girls' fun. All the children played until they were 7-8 years old, while they wore shirts. But only boys began to wear pants, and girls began to wear skirts; their playing roles and the games themselves were strictly separated.
While the children were little, their mothers sewed dolls for them, grandmothers, older sisters. From the age of five, any girl could do such a nursery rhyme.
Fabric doll- the simplest image of a female figure. A piece of cloth rolled into a “rolling pin”, a face carefully covered with a white linen rag, breasts made of smooth, tightly stuffed balls, a hair braid with a ribbon woven into it, and an outfit of colorful rags. As they got older, the girls sewed more intricate dolls, and sometimes they turned to the craftswoman, a woman who had these dolls they turned out painfully good, and she made them to order.
The face was embroidered or penciled in, and in earlier dolls - coal. They had to attach a braid and weave a ribbon into it if they were sewing a girl, and if baba, so they really took apart the hairstyle. They dressed up beautifully, tying an apron and a belt over the shirt.
The child's skills were assessed by adults. Doll was considered as a standard of handicraft, often teenage girls took a cart with a spinning wheel to get-togethers dolls. They were used to judge the skill and taste of their owner. In puppet games, children involuntarily learned to sew, embroider, spin, and learned the traditional art of dressing.
Toys were never left on the street or scattered around the hut, but were kept in baskets, boxes, and locked in chests. They took them to the harvest and to gatherings. Dolls were allowed to be taken as guests; they were included in the dowry. They allowed the “young woman” who came to the groom’s house after the wedding to play, because people were married at the age of 14. She hid them in the attic and secretly played with them. The eldest in the house was the father-in-law, and he strictly ordered the women not to laugh at the young woman.
2.1 TYPES OF DOLLS
According to its purpose dolls divided into three big ones groups: dolls - amulets, games and rituals.
Dolls - amulets
A talisman is an amulet or a magic spell that saves a person from various dangers, as well as an object on which the spell is cast and which is worn on the body as a talisman.
Gaming dolls
Gaming dolls intended for children's amusement. They were divided into stitched and rolled. Collapsed dolls made without needle and thread. A thick layer of cloth was wrapped around a wooden stick and then tied with a rope. Then they tied a head with handles to this stick and dressed it in elegant clothes.
Ritual dolls
The Russian land is rich in rituals. Ritual dolls were revered and placed in the hut, in the red corner. They had a ritual purpose.
3.1 RAG DOLL IN OUR TIMES
1. Results of a survey conducted among my peers.
One of the methods of collecting information during research there was a survey of my peers. Treatment and analysis of the data obtained allowed me to draw some conclusions about the place of the rag dolls in the life of a modern person.
For the survey we took 7 questions. A total of 25 people took part in the survey.
(See Appendix No. 1)
Conclusions from the survey can be following:
Most children know about folk rags dolls, but like this Not everyone has a doll at home.
If the guys have one at home doll, then in most cases it is just a toy.
Rag doll not all children like it, some of them think that in such doll there is nothing special.
Rag I like the doll for that that she is soft, homemade, beautiful, funny, interesting and you can play with her.
To the question “What benefits does doll?» , the children answered that the doll protects the child, protects and protects from evil spirits, develops little ones children: teaches them to decorate, sew, take care of toys. Dolls- grains develop the child’s fine motor skills.
2. Survey of older people.
During his research I asked myself question: “And what our grandmothers had dolls?»
I interviewed 15 people aged 65-80 years. (See Appendix No. 2)
In most cases I interviewed old grandmothers and they answered me that older sisters and mothers made toys for them. When they grew up, they started making dolls themselves. Grandmothers 70-80 years old told me that they had dolls made from straw and using a log. Grandmothers 65 years old answered that their mothers made toys for them. They told us what craftswomen they were and what beautiful dolls they made. Only 15% grandmothers had dolls at home, amulets.
I would like to note that even our grandmothers and great-grandmothers There were already more gaming dolls than amulet dolls.
Now, in our time, people are returning to amulets again, buying modern amulets. They believe that these amulets will protect and protect the family and home. Some mothers whose little children sleep poorly, cry a lot, make dolls for their children - insomniacs. For weddings, the newlyweds are given homemade lovebirds.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I asked myself questions: “How was this useful for me? Job?» , “What did she teach?”.
Firstly, since I am a creative person, I learned a lot of new, interesting and useful things. After all, this topic interested me for a long time, I often asked myself questions to which I received answers as a result work on this topic. It was difficult for me, but I tried to find and highlight the main thing in the vast world of information. I think if I didn’t succeed, it’s not a big deal, because I’m just learning.
What did this give me? Job? I learned to compare and analyze. I would like to note that I have gained a lot of experience research work.
I have learned that doll - sign of a person, his game image-symbol. Dolls are not just toys, but also close friends. In games with dolls children learn to communicate, fantasize, create, show mercy, and train their memory. But the main thing in these games is emotional contact with doll. Children don't just get used to dolls– they become attached to them as to living beings and painfully part with them.
As a result, during my work was reached following:
The history of traditional Russian folk music was studied dolls and their types
Implementation technology has been mastered;
Samples were made;
A master class was held;
Practical application of my work can be found in labor lessons in elementary grades, in extracurricular activities at school; talk about rags dolls in preschool institutions. I could also introduce those interested in rag doll, adults.
I want to continue making dolls and learn more about them. I want to conduct a creative lesson in the lower grades, dedicated to rag doll and teach the kids how to make some of them.
I believe that there are different people in the world dolls: made of wood and fabric, clay and straw, rubber and plastic. They have different names. A dolls from our past will always be relevant.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Dine, G. L. Russian rag doll. Culture, traditions, technology [Text] / G. L. Dine, M. N. Dine. - M.: Culture and Traditions, 2007.
2. E. V. Bersteneva, N. V. Dogaeva, "Puppet chest» , White City, 2010
3. N. V. Shaidurova, "Traditional rag doll» , Childhood-press, 2011
4. Zimina, Z. I. Textile rituals dolls [Text] / Z. I. Zimina.
5. Encyclopedia of Children's Folklore "Okay", White City, 2008
6. Kotova, I. N. Russian rituals and traditions. Folk doll [Text] / And. N. Kotova, A. S. Kotova. - St. Petersburg, Paritet, 2003.
7. Folk doll: [Electronic resource] //vedjena.gallery.ru.
8. Russian rituals dolls: [Electronic resource] //club.osinka.ru.
9. Manual Job: Electronic resource]: ///handmade.idvz.ru.
Completed by: Irina Kudinova, 4th grade student. Head: Dvoinenko Elena Vladimirovna
Purpose of the study:
Introducing and making amulets dolls.
Tasks:
The following were used in the project: research methods:
Municipal educational institution
Secondary school No. 9 in Nadym
"Amulets Dolls"
Completed by: Kudinova Irina Alekseevna
4th grade student, Municipal Educational Institution Secondary School No. 9.
Head: Dvoinenko Elena Vladimirovna
primary school teacher
Nadym - 2013
Introduction 3
1. What is a doll? 4
2. Questionnaire 4
3. Types of rag dolls. 5
4. Dolls-amulets of different nations and the magic of dolls-amulets 6
5. And the designer doll 7
Conclusion 8
Literature and other sources 9
Introduction
The fairy knew her business, and, flying in the skies,
Day and night, every now and then, performing miracles,
The fairy created dolls, tinkered, cast spells,
Everything she touched came to life, woke up.
And soul dolls obediently found themselves in her hands.
After all, dolls’ destinies are also similar to those of humans.
And then the fairy distributed her trophies to people.
Because it is a means to remember childhood forever.
Larisa Rubalskaya
(SLIDE 1) The tradition of decorating a home with amulets - decorated wreaths, garlands, spoons, etc., as is known, dates back to the ancient Slavic peoples. People believed that in every house there lived a brownie who needed to be appeased, that a rag doll would take away all diseases. This glorious tradition is still alive and has become one of the main themes of folk crafts.
(SLIDE 2) Purpose of the study:
Introducing and making amulets dolls.
Tasks:
The following were used in the project:research methods:
In conducting my research, I turned to encyclopedic sources to answer the question: “What is a doll?”The Russian language dictionary by S.I. Ozhegov explains that a doll is a children's toy in the form of a human figurine. According to other scientists: archaeologists, art historians, this is any human figurine, even if it is not a children’s toy.
While working on the project, I found out that the doll was used to save a person from illnesses and all sorts of troubles, it was called - bereginya or amulet. A mother gave such a doll to her daughter for her wedding. We find this confirmation in the Russian folk tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful.”
Listen to an excerpt from the fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful” (SLIDE 3):
IN In some kingdom there lived a merchant.
D He lived in marriage for twelve years and had only one daughter, Vasilisa the Beautiful.
TO When her mother died, the girl was eight years old.
U Peacefully, the merchant's wife called her daughter to her, took out the doll from under the blanket, gave it to her and said:
Listen , Vasilisa! Remember and fulfill my last words. I’m dying and, together with my parent’s blessing, I’m leaving you this doll; always keep it with you and don’t show it to anyone; and when something bad happens to you, give her something to eat and ask her for advice. She will eat and tell you how to help the misfortune.
Dolls were registered in a Russian hut for life and protected the owners from misfortunes. They made dolls not only from rags, but also from clay, wood, bone, straw, thread and even cheese. I really wanted to create such a talisman doll myself. Moreover, before me was the example of my mother, an expert in making dolls.
I consider it important in my work that I wanted not only to learn how to make such a toy myself, but also to teach others. To begin with, I decided to find out from my classmates what they know about the “amulet doll” (SLIDE 4-5). To do this, we identified several questions that had to be answered. We developed a questionnaire that included five questions:
Girls and boys from the fourth grades of our school, a total of 69 people, took part in our survey.
The results of the survey are presented in tables and diagrams.
Most respondents found it difficult to answer questions 3 and 4. To question 4, 7 out of 69 people associated their answer with the negativity from the dolls. On question 5, only 7 people were able to list the types of amulets dolls.
I was pleasantly pleased that most of the respondents were interested in “amulet dolls”, which means that I must learn the history of the appearance of such a doll, its types among different peoples, the technology of its manufacture, learn how to make such a doll myself and teach this to the children from our class.
(SLIDE 6) A doll is one of the most ancient toys. The first dolls appeared in Egypt. They had movable joints, real hair, arms and legs. There was a huge variety of dolls in the ancient world. Greek children played with a Trojan horse filled with soldiers and officers. Greek and Roman dolls were made partly from wax, partly from clay, and sometimes brightly painted.
In Russian peasant families, playing with dolls was not considered empty fun. Dolls were given to each other as a sign of love and friendship. Basically, these were rag dolls, made in the traditions that had developed among the people.
(SLIDE 7) All dolls were divided into three large groups: amulets, games, rituals.
(SLIDE 8) However, all the dolls were faceless. A doll without a face was considered an inanimate object, inaccessible to the instillation of evil, unkind forces into it, and therefore harmless to the child. She was supposed to bring him prosperity, health, joy. Toys were never left on the street or scattered around the hut, but were kept in baskets, boxes, and locked in chests. They took them to the harvest and to gatherings. Dolls were allowed to be taken as guests; they were included in the dowry.
(SLIDE 9) Acquaintance with the doll began from the very birth of the child. Two weeks before the birth of the child, the mother made a protective doll for the cradle and seven small dolls against the evil eye for the baby. The child grows up and plays with his first amulet doll. And the doll is looking after him. This is a miracle: from several rags, without arms, without legs, without a designated face, the character of the doll is conveyed. The doll has many faces, she can laugh and cry.
(SLIDE 10) In front of you is a doll-amulet of the northern peoples. In some northern provinces, the traditional sundress and hard kokoshnik on dolls were decorated with pearls. (SLIDE 11) And the costumes of the peasant women of the Ryazan province are characterized by a riot of colors. Traditional Nenets the nuhuko doll, for example, was made from a duck beak, which replaced its head; the Udmurts also made dolls from poles, wrapping them in a piece of fabric. And the Mari carefully swaddled their toys in canvas. The dolls were very interesting Ob Ugrians . The basis of these dolls is a bundle of arrows, on which a shirt was put on and pieces of fabric were wrapped around it.
(SLIDE 12) Unsewn rag dolls are the most common type of homemade children's dolls. They are easy to make: they were made from rags rolled into a tight roller tube; arms and legs were absent. The stability of the doll was achieved due to the tight base. The head was separated from the base using a thread that pulled the roller in place of the neck, or it was not specially shaped at all. Facial features were also not indicated.
Each doll was endowed with magic.(SLIDE 13.)
Ten-handle helps its owner cope with a large amount of any work. Girlfriends presented such dolls as a wedding gift to brides so that things could get better for the young housewives.
grain – grain was poured into her cloth body after the harvest season, and then the pot-bellied doll was placed on barn chests so that the future harvest would be even richer.
Baby Doll with a penny in a voluminous little bag as a gift for Christmas. It was believed that she attracts wealth into the house. Not only money was placed in the Kbyshka, but it was also filled with fragrant herbs. Do you remember such a fat doll-like herbalist, and the forest-field aroma will spread throughout the hut.
Kukol - Cabbage These were made by young ladies of marriageable age and displayed in the windows, signaling their readiness for marriage. Such dolls were supposed to attract the most eligible suitors to the house.
Day and night – two dolls of different colors (black and white) tied with one rope and hung from the ceiling. They protected the family life and inner world of their owners.
Designer dolls are handmade dolls that usually exist in a single copy. These unique dolls are made entirely by hand and are designed to be collectible.I talked a lot with my mother, a master puppeteer, and asked me to answer the questions:
1. How did you become a master puppeteer?
2. How many toys are in your collection?
I asked my mother to show me how a talisman doll is made.
My mother started sewing dolls relatively recently, as she had long dreamed of learning such a craft. My mother has more than 20 dolls in her collection. And she continues to work on new copies. My mother held a master class for me and taught me the secrets of her craft.
This is the kind of mother-hostess Bereginya I got! And now you will have it. Keep it, take care! She, in turn, will protect you.In order for your doll to become a real protector, come up with a name for her, but one that none of your family and friends have. Otherwise, the young lady will take over the problems of the person after whom you named her. And then, accordingly, he will give them to you.
Conclusion. (SLIDE 16)
During the research, I enjoyed my work. It was very interesting to understand the names and purposes of dolls - amulets. I am very glad that I learned how to make dolls with my own hands. I would like to give my family and friends one such doll. And learn even more about this folk tradition, and most importantly, learn how to make beautiful toys yourself.
Conclusion. Finishing the work, I would like to say that I learned a lot, taught myself and so far taught a small group of children how to make their own amulet doll. Come, I will teach you too.
List of used literature:
Research project
“Amulets in our lives: protection or fashion?”
Author: Tkachenko Efim MBOU "Secondary School No. 5", 9 B grade, Nefteyugansk Head: Tkachenko Anna Stepanovna primary school teacher MBOU "Secondary School No. 9" Nefteyugansk 2015 1
World interest in Orthodox culture is growing every day. People began to honor the centuries-old Orthodox traditions of their ancestors. Orthodox churches, especially on holidays, are visited by masses of people, young and old. This speaks of the growth of the cultural traditions of our people. But at the same time, many are interested in exotic culture: various rituals, the teachings of Feng Shui. The faith of our ancestors in the magical powers of surrounding objects has remained in us to this day. Even today we turn to our long-standing traditions, culture, and symbols. Recently, the traditions of the centuries-old culture of the Russian people, in particular the presence of amulets in the house, have begun to be revived in Russia. The first amulets appeared in pagan times, when people worshiped gods who personified the phenomena and forces of nature, believed in brownies and in the protective powers of simple and familiar things. Since ancient times, amulets have been considered an integral part of every Russian family. They were made to protect the house and its inhabitants from bad spirits, diseases, to attract the brownie and appease him. They were kept in the house, in the stable, in the yard, on the human body. They were treated with respect, sacredly believing in their miraculous powers. To date, the amulets have not gone anywhere. Many people also purchase amulets and use them. These include bells, brownies, brooms, and fragrant herbs that bring good luck and health and can protect you from troubles and illnesses. There are amulets against damage, against the evil eye. For example, a horseshoe over a door is designed to protect the house and people; a decorated broom was hung in the house as a symbol that protects against evil entering the house; and bright wreaths of flowers and ears of corn promised a rich harvest for the next year. 2
Only for some, amulets are a sincere belief in protection and healing, and for some, they are just a fashion statement. But the main thing here is to know the symbolism of the amulets. My first amulet in my life appeared during my baptism in church. My family is Orthodox. A simple metal cross was hung around my neck as a talisman against everything bad. Having grown up, I asked my parents how I got the cross and what value it had for me. And in their answer I heard the word “amulet”. I became interested in this wonderful word and decided to study the history of the appearance of the amulet, relevant literature, and information from the Internet. And later, based on what you have learned, try to make your own amulet. The purpose of my research: to find out whether amulets have magical properties; Is their presence in our lives a fashion or real protection? Objectives of the research: Study the available literature on this issue and find out what a “amulet” is and the history of its appearance. Find out what amulets there are and what they symbolize; Find out who or what is protecting our home; Conduct a survey of respondents of different age groups on this issue. Make a talisman with your own hands. To interest listeners of my project in making amulets. The object of the study is a talisman. 3
The subject of the study is the history of amulets and their symbolism and meaning. Research hypothesis: amulets are relevant today, they are kept in families, as there is faith in their protective powers. Practical orientation: the studied and accumulated material can be used in families, students, in the lessons of ORKSE, history, in extracurricular activities, and on the school website. The relevance of the study lies in knowledge and respect for the age-old traditions of one’s people, in familiarizing oneself with the spiritual and moral values and national culture of one’s people; nurturing respect and interest in folk traditions Research methods: observation, survey, analysis, practical (making a talisman). The amulet is an original Slavic word. If you refer to V. Dahl’s explanatory dictionary, “A talisman is a spell, spelled words and a ritual against damage; hex, whispers to destroy or avoid harmful spells, talisman, incense, pendant against the evil eye, fire, water, snakes, death, damage to weddings, and diseases, etc.” Charms are divided into material, symbolic and verbal (spells). The amulets include a variety of amulets and talismans. There are amulets against damage, the evil eye, and diseases. A wide variety of objects can be amulets - fire, grass snake, swallow, stork, stones, horseshoe, colored ribbons, wolf teeth, various herbs. Wild and barbarian peoples have many different amulets for people, homes, and livestock. The amulets were worn around the neck, kept in houses, and placed in gardens and fields. Of the amulets still found among European peoples, the following are especially interesting and widespread: the horseshoe (mainly among 4
trading class), Italian "cornicelli" (small horns) and various kinds of amulet. The history of the emergence of amulets is lost in the depths of centuries. Even then, our ancestors noticed that a fancy plant root or an enemy’s tooth brought good luck in the hunt, and the history of amulets began. Primitive people were surrounded by many real and imaginary dangers, and their main task was to protect themselves and survive. From time immemorial, people have tried to protect themselves from troubles and misfortunes. At first, anything was used as amulets - from pine cones and roots to the skull of a defeated enemy and the tusks of a killed mammoth. Then only those objects that were “charmed” by shamans and thus acquired magical powers began to serve as amulets. Over time, people assigned even greater functions to amulets: special inscriptions or images began to appear on amulets, intended to protect against one type of misfortune. Charms and spells are closely related. The amulets were kept for centuries. Slavic amulets were of two types - in the form of figurines and special symbols with magical meaning. Figures designed to protect their owner were usually included in the decoration in whole sets. This set of amulets expressed a whole phrase. The amulets-amulets that were part of the set, which were worn on the chest or near the heart, were fastened with metal chains and suspended from a semicircular bow that united the entire complex. The most complete set consisted of five objects attached to a semicircular bow: a bird, a spoon, a sawtooth-shaped object (a simplified image of the jaw of a predator) and a key. The semicircular bow itself has a stable meaning; the shape of a crescent with its horns down was a schematic image of the sky. The rings stamped on it indicated several positions of the sun: sunrise, sunset and noon. 5
Animals. In the northern regions of Rus', archaic ideas about the world order, dating back to Paleolithic times, have long been preserved. According to these ideas, the whole world has two heavenly mistresses - elk or important women. Therefore, on amulets made in northern Rus', the upper part of the amulet, which denoted white light, was decorated with two deer heads, the antlers of which were intertwined, forming four squares (four squares or a square divided by two lines into four parts - the oldest symbol of the earth). The combination of the symbols of heaven and earth (upper and lower worlds) in one amulet was supposed to provide the wearer with protection from the inhabitants of both spheres; strengthening the effect of the amulet by appealing to the spirits of different worlds is an interesting detail of the magical practice of the ancient Slavs. The key as part of a prefabricated amulet was supposed to ensure the safety of property or “reveal” what was hidden, providing insight to the person wearing it. The spoon symbolized satiety and well-being in general, in this meaning it is well known in Russian folklore; The cups of these miniature spoons, with a total length of about 9 cm, are made so that they can be used to scoop out liquid. Perhaps they were used during witchcraft procedures, when the patient was given “living water” or water “from the coal”. The bird is a symbol of the family (to this day there are expressions: “family nest”, “to build a nest”, etc.). Brownie. The struggle against the ancient pagan faith continued in Rus' for many centuries and ended with an amazing mixture of the Christian faith with local customs and way of life, forming a unique culture of Orthodox Christianity. Much has been lost and forgotten, but some ancient ideas about the world around us and the creatures and spirits that inhabit it are still alive today. Small good spirits turned out to be especially “tenacious” 6
dwellings and various individual places of the peasant economy, which are also called by the general name “houses”. Domovoy is a domestic spirit, the owner of the house, caring for the well-being of its inhabitants. The Slavs had a cult of the brownie with many customs. For example, when moving to a new house, they were sure to invite the brownie with them. Before demolishing the old hut, they took the icon and bread and called on the brownie to leave the house so that he would not remain under the ruins. Externally, the appearance of the brownie resembled that of a person. He lived like a simple peasant, with his whole family - with his wife (kikimora, housewife) and children. The brownie comes into the house at will. But what draws him to the house is the characters of the people. In a house where people are hard-working, the brownie is the same: he looks after the household, prevents fire from happening, water and dough from escaping, livestock from dying, invisibly waking up the owners at the right time or at the moment of danger. If the owners are lazy, the brownie doesn’t really try to attract wealth and profit into the house. The brownie is not a light or black spirit, he is like an ordinary person, and there is approximately equal amount of abomination and goodness in him. The brownie can change appearance, but most often appears to a person in his usual human form, only of small stature. He certainly has a gray, long beard, and the hair on his head is unkempt. They cover his face. The brownie's voice is dull and stern. He loves to swear and uses swear words. It was believed that the entire body of the brownie was covered with thick hair and soft fluff. He even has hair on his soles and palms. Without hair, only the face around the eyes and nose. You can disturb a brownie only in case of extreme necessity, and not out of simple curiosity. If the brownie is angry with us, then everything in the house will go awry. Therefore, it is important to know tips on the correct placement of amulets; “acquiring” and maintaining the Brownie in your home, as well as establishing good relations with him. (Appendix 4). 7
Broom. Our distant ancestors wisely and economically used the good power of nature. Their sincere belief in the wonderful possibilities of such simple and familiar things as a broom and wreath was reflected in amulets. A broom is considered the oldest home talisman. Natural symbols of health, love, prosperity and longevity are placed on the broom. A broom hung upward with a whisk is for money, and hung near the door with a whisk downwards it sweeps away evil spirits, illnesses, grief and misfortunes from the house. There has long been a custom to sweep all the corners of the house clockwise with a broom-amulet. In ancient times, the most common material for making amulet was stone. What causes this preference? Magicians chose it because the stone is connected to the earth, that is, it is a living being with memory and will. And of course, this is the most durable material. The loss of a talisman was considered a great misfortune. Sometimes amulets were made of wood. Why was it used to make magic items? Most likely, because the tree is alive: it grows, gains strength, blooms, bears fruit, and then dies - just like a person. This means that the tree is also capable of recording information and then giving it to its owner. Special amulets were made from wood to bring good luck. Each tree had its own specific purpose (Appendix 1). An amulet is a magical thing made by a person himself for someone (according to the rules, you cannot make an amulet for yourself). When making a talisman, it is important to know for whom it is intended, in order to make it from such materials and in the form that are most suitable for its future owner. The craft must necessarily absorb the energy of the craftsman, his thoughts and desires - only in this case the amulet will be endowed with magical properties and will work. The best time to make amulets is considered to be the period when the moon begins to rise. Can't 8
engage in making amulets during illness or severe stress, since all the vibrations of the human body will certainly have an impact on it. A talisman is not just a beautiful thing, it has a very specific practical and even mystical meaning, coming to us from the deep past as a message from our distant ancestors. Nowadays, the world has become much more cynical and merciless, but in the souls of people there still lives a belief in good miracles, and besides nightclubs, computers and televisions they need something else. Although, in my opinion, nowadays people treat amulets more like souvenirs. But in order to find out people’s attitude towards amulets at the present time, I conducted a survey of peers, neighbors, and relatives. There were 10 questions (Appendix 2). The age composition of respondents: from 8 years to 70 years, the number of respondents was 15 students and 10 adults. The majority of people of different ages believe in the protected function of objects, especially the older generation and younger schoolchildren (100% and 98%, respectively) (Appendix 3). They are the ones who know the symbolism of amulets, and also call ancient Slavic amulets. And hence the presence of amulets in most people (48%). The vast majority of respondents believe in omens and brownies (68%). Older schoolchildren and the younger generation of adults have mostly Feng Shui souvenirs at home, and very few have a horseshoe, a brownie and a broom at home. True, they also believe in omens and brownies, but practically they know nothing about them. Almost 90% of respondents are in favor of amulets. These data show that my hypothesis that amulets have not lost their meaning in modern times is correct. Most people believe in the power of amulets and use them. Just like thousands of years ago, amulets are present in our lives. Personally, I think that amulets add fabulousness and mystery to our lives. 9
The main thing is to believe in the good and not doubt, think only about what you want and strive for it. So, few of my peers believe in the protected function of objects. I believe that this is due to ignorance of the meaning of this or that amulet, so in my work I decided to talk about the amulets that guard and protect our home from misfortunes. And make a talisman for your home with your own hands “Eye of God” (Appendix 5). 1. To make the amulet, I chose woolen threads of different colors and two birch sticks. 2. Connected cross to cross, two sticks. To secure it, I wrapped it diagonally 5-6 times, then along another diagonal. The sticks should not wobble. He began to weave in a circle. The thread is always placed on top, making a full turn around the stick. We transfer the thread from above to the next stick. The result is a square. 3. Then I attached another thread. He continued moving in a circle (clockwise), hiding all the remaining tails of the cut threads under the braid. 4. You can change colors as desired until you have completely braided the sticks. I made one “Eye of God” amulet for my mother, and I wanted to find information and make more amulets for my sister, whom I also love very much and want troubles to bypass her. Material for making the amulet: a bunch of cattails (reeds), bay leaves, capsicums, cereals, braid, thread, hot melt glue (gun), salt dough. Step 1. How to make a broom. Take a bunch of cattails. If the cattail is dry, before work it is necessary to wet it with water and place it in a plastic bag for several hours or wrap it in cling film. Strong thread 10
we tie the cattail from above into a bundle. At a distance of 10-13 cm from the first bundle, we tie the bundle again. We have now got a broom handle, which still needs to be carefully trimmed at the top with a knife. Separate a small bundle and wrap it several times with thread. Then we tie the next bundle, tying it to the first. And so on, gradually forming a broom. Now let's do the "hairstyle" of the broom. Using a comb with hard, small teeth, we comb it, comb it, comb it... Then with scissors we carefully trim its “bangs”, that is, we round the bottom, and we get this broom! We leave our broom-amulet to dry. Step 2. How to make salt dough figures
.
The dough recipe is very simple. Mix finely ground salt and flour in a 1:1 ratio and add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sunflower oil. Knead the dough using cold water. The dough should be cool. We make figures from the resulting salt dough. Dry in the oven at low temperature. We paint all the figures with acrylic paints. Step 3. How to turn a broom into a talisman. The entire “installation” process is carried out using hot-melt adhesive. We glue figures onto the broom: a sunflower - the energy of the sun and health, a house - comfort, a kalach - let the house be hospitable, a pumpkin - a symbol of fertility, bay leaves, pepper - from quarrels in the family and a symbol of female beauty and youth, cereal - prosperity in the house ( Appendix 6). And now I will tell you about the technology for making the Domovoy amulet (Appendix 7). So, let's get to work: I will need burlap or a new bag, which I will open and make blanks for the brownie. For the body with the head, I cut out a rectangle (mine is 20x85 cm), fold it in half and sew the side seams, rounding it a little at the bottom. I pull 14 centimeters of thread at the top to form the hair; a 11
those that were pulled out will be used to make a mustache. From the rest of the burlap I pull out long threads to form a beard, about 45 cm, and I also need to make a blank for the eyebrows, about 7-8 cm long. Making a beard: I tie a bundle of threads with the same thread in the middle, bend it in half and straighten it. I make mustaches using the same principle: I take the threads intended for mustaches and tie them in the middle with a thread. Making a nose: I cut out a circle from nylon tights (I have it 5-6 cm in diameter), thread it along the edge, pull it a little and insert a padding polyester ball, tightening it well, secure our workpiece with several stitches, and cut off the thread. I'm taking over to continue making the torso and head. To do this, with a large needle and strong thread (I use nylon thread for sewing shoes), I make a basting along the edge of the workpiece and at a distance of 10-11 cm from the edge for the head. I fill everything with padding polyester and lightly tighten the threads, tying them into several knots. I took the eyes from an old toy and glued them with PVA glue. I'm starting to make handles. I bend handles from wire. The first handle is stretched, and the second is already compressed; Of course, I will use it in a compressed form. I wrap each finger with a strip of padding polyester, and when moving to each next finger, I also grab the palm area. I cut out 2 rectangles from nylon tights and cover the handles with them. I bend it in half and pull the nylon tightly, fixing the brush - I stitch it with threads to match the nylon, forming fingers. I insert our arms into the body of the future brownie and sew them on. When starting to make bast shoes from cardboard, I cut out two blanks in the form of combined bast shoes. I cut out burlap with allowances for them. I glue one copy using a hot gun, and in the other I put padding polyester under the front part of the bast shoe. Then I sew the two parts together. I make a braid from burlap threads (I used 12 threads) and glue the stitched joint of the bast shoes. I glue the bast shoes to the body with a hot gun. From motley 12
I am sewing fabric for a shirt. Then he made a headdress. I cut a rectangle out of burlap, folded it in half and sewed it diagonally to the fold so that the top of the hat was smaller. I sewed a strip of faux fur, 7-8 cm wide, along the edge of the hat. I glued the hat to the head. I glued my nose, mouth, beard, mustache to my face, combed my hair and beard. Brownie is ready! Slavic mythology seems to some to be a relic of the past that has nothing to do with reality, but we constantly encounter it in everyday life. Nowadays, you can often hear advice: be sure to carry a talisman with you - a clove of garlic, a pin or a needle, and when you yawn, be sure to cover your mouth with your palm, otherwise evil spirits may fly in and take up residence in you. Studying this topic, I made the following conclusions: There are several types of amulets: various objects, a word, a spell, a verse, a ritual, an action, a gesture, a sound - and this is not a complete list of what can serve as a talisman. The Slavs still have traditions of having amulets at home, which, due to their faith, protect their health, well-being, happiness and prosperity. Research has shown that not all respondents know what a talisman is, but they believe that they have protective powers, so they carry them with them or keep them at home. It was also studied that the majority of respondents know about Feng Shui souvenirs that are fashionable today and use them at home to attract health, beauty, wealth, and as a talisman against all evil. amulets – a creation of a master with love for another person; 13
amulets – connection of the past, present and future; passed on from generation to generation, being the connecting link of traditions of many generations. My hypothesis was confirmed. Despite the fact that we live in an age of high scientific technology and every phenomenon is scientifically substantiated, amulets are still used today, giving people’s faith their own protected meaning. Appendix 1 Trees from which amulets were made
Linden
It is easy to cut, products made from it do not crack. 14
Charms made from
birch trees,
defended family happiness
.
Willow
used to protect health. It was believed that it increased a person’s vitality tenfold.
Pine
contributed to the restoration of vital energy, helped to restore a person’s faith in himself and his strength. Appendix 2. Questionnaire 1) Indicate your age. 2) Indicate the type of activity. 15
3) Do you know what a talisman is? a) yes b) no 4) How do you feel about brownie amulets? a) I believe b) I don’t believe 5) Do you believe in the protected function of any objects? a) I believe b) I don’t believe 6) Do you believe in omens? a) I believe b) I don’t believe 7) Do you know the symbolism of amulets, i.e. What does this or that object mean? 1) yes 2) no 8) Do you have any amulets in your home, at work, in your car, or on your body? a) yes, b) no. 9) What amulets do you trust to “protect” your home, yard, transport, life? 10) What do you think: are amulets fashion or protection? Appendix 3 Survey results 1. Attitude to amulets 16
2. Attitude of respondents of different age groups to amulets and their protected function. (Do you believe or do not believe in the protected function of objects, in signs?) 3. Knowledge of the symbolism of amulets. 17
4. Are there any amulets in the house, at work, on the body? What amulets do they trust to “protect” their home, car, and health? Amulets: to have or not to have. 18
Appendix 4 19
Tips for the correct placement of amulets; “acquiring” and maintaining the Brownie in your home, as well as establishing good relations with him. Broom. You can hang a house broom anywhere in the house. But, since the brownie’s favorite habitat is the kitchen (it was believed that the brownie could live under an ordinary broom), it is better to place a gift for him in the kitchen. On Fedorin's day (September 24), when the brownie did not leave his shelter, the house was not cleaned and the garbage was not taken out. Brownie. When you move into a new house, most often there is no brownie there yet. If you live well, richly, happily, together, then you better not tempt fate with change. Take your old brownie with you to your new place of residence. This is done like this: take any old (that you no longer wear) shoe, place it in the middle of the old house and say three times out loud: “Brownie-housewife, master-father, get into the sleigh, let’s go with us.” Bring this shoe to your new home and on the first night, when you are not sleeping there yet, leave it in the middle of the room. Brownie is the owner of the house. If someone, in the absence of the owners, tries to spend the night in a house where a good brownie lives, then the guest will sleep very poorly. The brownie will interfere with the person and may even lean on him and choke him. To prevent this from happening, when stopping for the night in someone else’s house, even with the permission of the owners, say before going to bed: “Uncle Brownie, accept not to live forever, but to spend the night” - and you will sleep peacefully. The brownie loves when people remember him - they bring him treats and make requests. Some brownies don't have enough food and drink and need things. If spoons, forks disappear in the house, or you often cannot find some objects, give the brownie coins or something shiny - put them in the corner where he lives. A good brownie in the house, the owners get along with him - there will be wealth in the house, happiness, peace and troubles will bypass such a house. They treated their brownie quite warmly - he brought prosperity to the house. Every year on February 28, after dinner, a pot of porridge surrounded by hot coals was left here and there on a fire pit (a hole on a stove for heat). Appendix 5 20
Making the “Eye of God” amulet Appendix 6 21
Amulet “Broom” Appendix 7 Amulet “Brownie” 22
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