Under this heading a material was published in the newspaper “Pensioner and Society” ( No. 7 for July 2010). This article shows a world map from 1030 on which Russia covers the territory from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The map was compiled during the initial stage of Christianization of Rus' in 988. Prince Vladimir.
Let us recall that in the times preceding Christianization, in Rus' they revered pagan gods, honored their ancestors, and lived in harmony with nature as a single state. The most important of the monuments of those times that have come down to us is considered to be the “Book of Veles,” which we have repeatedly written about on the pages of our website.
Currently, many have studied history, archaeologists say that in pre-Christian times Rus' had its own high, distinctive culture, as evidenced by numerous artifacts found over the past decades in excavation sites of ancient settlements. But the reasons why it was lost deserve special attention. These circumstances raise uncomfortable questions for representatives of modern academic historical science, which denies the existence of high culture in Rus' in pre-Epiphany times, because “something needs to be done about it.”
"What to do?"
Official historians do not have a clear answer to this question. And the Russian Orthodox Church pretends that the found artifacts simply do not exist. In addition, she is still trying in every possible way to present our pagan ancestors as semi-literate ignoramuses who believed in “some” incomprehensible gods who performed bloody sacrifices. And he tries to convince us that it was the church that brought the light of enlightenment and universal literacy to Rus'.
The material below once again proves that none of this happened. And there was a great culture in Rus'. It was thanks to her that over time the concept of the RUSSIAN SPIRIT appeared, which is inherent only to the Russian person in the broad sense of the word.
Below is the full text of the article published in the newspaper.
Information and analytical service of WFP KPE (IAS KPE)
How did they live in Rus' before the arrival of Christians?
Several hundred years have passed, saturated through and through with the false chronicle history of the Russian people. The time has come for true knowledge about our great ancestors. The main assistance in this is provided by archeology, which, regardless of the will of the church and its individual ministers, obtains accurate data about the life of people of a particular period. And not everyone can even immediately realize how right Patriarch Kirill is when he says that “today Russia, having gone through the bitter experience of being rejected from its own civilizational foundations and roots, is again returning to its historical path.”
Since the second half of the 20th century, new written sources - birch bark letters - began to become available to researchers. The first birch bark letters were found in 1951 during archaeological excavations in Novgorod. About 1000 letters have already been discovered. The total volume of the birch bark dictionary is more than 3200 words. The geography of the finds covers 11 cities: Novgorod, Staraya Russa, Torzhok, Pskov, Smolensk, Vitebsk, Mstislavl, Tver, Moscow, Staraya Ryazan, Zvenigorod Galitsky.
The earliest charters date back to the 11th century (1020), when the indicated territory had not yet been Christianized. Thirty letters found in Novgorod and one in Staraya Russa date back to this period. Until the 12th century, neither Novgorod nor Staraya Russa had yet been baptized, therefore the names of people found in the 11th century charters are pagan, that is, real Russians. By the beginning of the 11th century, the population of Novgorod corresponded not only with recipients located inside the city, but also with those who were far beyond its borders - in villages and other cities. Even villagers from the most remote villages wrote household orders and simple letters on birch bark.
That is why the outstanding linguist and researcher of the Novgorod letters of the Academy A.A. Zaliznyak claims that “this ancient writing system was very widespread. This writing was spread throughout Rus'. Reading the birch bark letters refuted the existing opinion that in Ancient Rus' only noble people and the clergy were literate. Among the authors and addressees of the letters there are many representatives of the lower strata of the population; in the texts found there is evidence of the practice of teaching writing - alphabets, copybooks, numerical tables, “tests of the pen.”
Six-year-old children wrote: “There is one letter where, it seems, a certain year is indicated. It was written by a six-year-old boy.” Almost all Russian women wrote - “now we know for sure that a significant part of women could both read and write. Letters from the 12th century in general, in a variety of respects, they reflect a society that is freer, with greater development, in particular, of female participation, than a society closer to our time. This fact follows quite clearly from the birch bark letters.” The fact that “a picture of Novgorod from the 14th century” speaks eloquently about literacy in Rus'. and Florence of the 14th century, in terms of the degree of female literacy - in favor of Novgorod."
Experts know that Cyril and Methodius invented the Glagolitic alphabet for the Bulgarians and spent the rest of their lives in Bulgaria. The letter called “Cyrillic”, although it has a similarity in name, has nothing in common with Kirill. The name "Cyrillic" comes from the designation of the letter - the Russian "doodle", or, for example, the French "ecrire". And the tablet found during excavations in Novgorod, on which they wrote in ancient times, is called “kera” (sera).
In the Tale of Bygone Years, a monument from the early 12th century, there is no information about the baptism of Novgorod. Consequently, Novgorodians and residents of surrounding villages wrote 100 years before the baptism of this city, and the Novgorodians did not inherit writing from Christians. Writing in Rus' existed long before the Christian invasion. The share of non-ecclesiastical texts at the very beginning of the 11th century accounts for 95 percent of all found letters.
However, for academic falsifiers of history, for a long time, the fundamental version was that the Russian people learned to read and write from alien priests. From strangers!
But in his unique scientific work “The Craft of Ancient Rus'”, published back in 1948, archaeologist academician B.A. Rybakov published the following data: “There is an established opinion that the church was a monopolist in the creation and distribution of books; This opinion was strongly supported by the churchmen themselves. What is true here is that monasteries and episcopal or metropolitan courts were the organizers and censors of book copying, often acting as intermediaries between the customer and the scribe, but the performers were often not monks, but people who had nothing to do with the church.
We counted the scribes according to their position. For the pre-Mongol era, the result was this: half of the book scribes turned out to be laymen; for 14th - 15th centuries. the calculations gave the following results: metropolitans - 1; deacons - 8; monks - 28; clerks - 19; popov - 10; “servants of God” -35; Popovichey-4; parobkov-5. The Popovichs cannot be considered in the category of clergy, since literacy, which was almost obligatory for them (“a priest’s son cannot read and write—he is an outcast”) did not yet predetermine their spiritual career. Under vague names like “servant of God”, “sinner”, “sad servant of God”, “sinful and daring in evil, but lazy in good”, etc., without indicating affiliation with the church, we must understand secular artisans. Sometimes there are more specific instructions: “Wrote to Eustathius, a worldly man, and his nickname was Shepel,” “Ovsey Raspop,” “Thomas the Scribe.” In such cases, we no longer have any doubt about the “worldly” character of the scribes.
In total, according to our calculations, there are 63 laymen and 47 clergy, i.e. 57% of artisan scribes did not belong to church organizations. The main forms in the era under study were the same as in the pre-Mongol era: work to order and work for the market; Between them there were various intermediate stages that characterized the degree of development of a particular craft. Work to order is typical for some types of patrimonial craft and for industries associated with expensive raw materials, such as jewelry or bell casting.”
The academician cited these figures for the 14th - 15th centuries, when, according to the narratives of the church, she served almost as a helmsman for the multi-million Russian people. It would be interesting to look at the busy, single metropolitan, who, together with an absolutely insignificant group of literate deacons and monks, served the postal needs of the multi-million Russian people from several tens of thousands of Russian villages. In addition, this Metropolitan and Co. must have had many truly miraculous qualities: lightning speed of writing and movement in space and time, the ability to simultaneously be in thousands of places at once, and so on.
But not a joke, but a real conclusion from the data provided by B.A. Rybakov, it follows that the church was never in Rus' a place from which knowledge and enlightenment flowed. Therefore, we repeat, another academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.A. Zaliznyak states that “the picture of Novgorod of the 14th century. and Florence 14th century. in terms of the degree of female literacy - in favor of Novgorod." But by the 18th century the church led the Russian people into the fold of illiterate darkness.
Let's consider another side of the life of ancient Russian society before the arrival of Christians to our lands. She touches the clothes. Historians are accustomed to depicting Russian people dressed exclusively in simple white shirts, sometimes, however, allowing themselves to say that these shirts were decorated with embroidery. Russians seem so poor, barely able to dress at all. This is another lie spread by historians about the life of our people.
To begin with, let us recall that the world’s first clothing was created more than 40 thousand years ago in Rus', in Kostenki. And, for example, at the Sungir site in Vladimir, already 30 thousand years ago, people wore a leather jacket made of suede, trimmed with fur, a hat with earflaps, leather pants, and leather boots. Everything was decorated with various objects and several rows of beads. The ability to make clothes in Rus', naturally, was preserved and developed to a high level. And silk became one of the important clothing materials for the ancient Rus.
Archaeological finds of silk on the territory of Ancient Rus' from the 9th to the 12th centuries were discovered in more than two hundred locations. The maximum concentration of finds is in the Moscow, Vladimir, Ivanovo and Yaroslavl regions. Precisely those that experienced population growth at that time. But these territories were not part of Kievan Rus, on whose territory, on the contrary, finds of silk fabrics are very few. As you move away from Moscow - Vladimir - Yaroslavl, the density of silk finds generally drops rapidly, and already in the European part they are rare.
At the end of the 1st millennium AD. The Vyatichi and Krivichi lived in the Moscow region, as evidenced by groups of mounds (near the Yauza station, in Tsaritsyn, Chertanovo, Konkovo, Derealyovo, Zyuzin, Cheryomushki, Matveevsky, Fili, Tushino, etc.). The Vyatichi also formed the initial core of the population of Moscow. Moreover, excavations allegedly indicate that at the end of the 11th century. Moscow was a small town located at the mouth of the Neglinnaya River with a feudal center and a craft and trade suburb. And already in 1147 Moscow was “for the first time” mentioned in the chronicle as the confluence of the Suzdal prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Historians write the same about Vladimir, which was allegedly founded only in 1108 by Prince Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh, moreover, to protect Rostov-Suedal Rus' from the southeast. And absolutely the same - nondescript - historians write about Yaroslavl: it was founded only around 1010.
A.A. Tyunyaev,
Academician of AFS and RANS
There are many alleys in Moscow named after the professions of the people who lived in them. Tanners lived in Kozhevnichesky Lane, cap makers lived in Kolpachny Lane, and carpenters lived in Plotnikov Lane. Oddly enough, in Khamovnichesky Lane it was not boors who lived, but weavers. Who lived on Vorotnikovsky Lane?
(Guards, or “collars.”)
Translators (translators) used to live in Tolmachevsky Lane in Moscow, blacksmiths on Kuznetsky Bridge, and cap makers who made hats in Kolpachny Lane. What did they produce on Verkhnyaya Bolvanovskaya Street?
(Blanks for hats. Now this street is called Verkhnyaya Radishchevskaya.)
In princely times, Kyiv was a real City of Masters. One of the most revered professions was that of those who were called “sorcerers who work at the forge.” What profession are we talking about?
(Potter - from the word “gornchar”, i.e. “a sorcerer who works at the forge.”)
Carpenters in Rus' were unsurpassed builders. Without a single nail they were able to cut down a church and build a bridge. But around the 10th century, stone structures began to be erected. Not only walls, but also houses were built from stone and brick. The name of the new profession came from the building material from which the brick was made - clay. At that time, the word “clay” sounded like “zd” or “zod”. What was the name of the new profession and the buildings erected by such masters?
(The architect who built the building.)
When in the 12-13th centuries. Stokers in Rus' went about their usual business; their main food was fish. Why?
(Because , that stokers were then called pirates, from the word “to sink” ships.)
What was the name of the standard bearer under Peter I?
(Once upon a time in Rus' they called the banner ensign. And under Peter I, the standard bearer began to be called ensign.)
A representative of what profession in Rus' was called a “goldsmith”?
(Jeweler.)
During the time of Catherine II, there was a profession whose people burned gold leaf from uniforms. It was done like this: the clothes were placed on large baking sheets and thrust into the oven. The fabric decayed, and the gold flowed into the prepared buckets. Now the name of this profession as applied to a person has acquired an extremely negative connotation. According to Ozhegov’s dictionary, this is a rogue, a scoundrel, a tight-fisted person. What kind of profession is this?
(Burnout.)
Why did merchants selling fabrics in Rus' prefer to hire short sellers?
(In the old days, fabric was measured by elbows. Elbow is the distance from the elbow joint to the middle finger. A small seller has a shorter elbow, so you can get more money for a piece of fabric.)
What was the name of the dealer in second-hand items: maklak or vakhlak?
(Maklak.)
In the old days, who were called “offens”: merchants or grooms?
(Traders selling haberdashery goods, books, popular prints.)
Was a peddler in Rus' engaged in trade or making boxes from birch bark?
(Trade. Peddled haberdashery goods, small things necessary for peasant life.)
On the road from the Embassy Courtyard to the Kremlin, at one time you could go to the so-called lousy market, where various old things were sold, and representatives of a certain profession also sat there. What kind of profession is this if the German traveler Adom Olearius recalled that he walked around the square as if on soft upholstery?
(Barber, hairdresser - the whole area was covered with hair.)
Ancient Rus'. A man approaches an oak, pine or linden tree. He has an ax and a special knife in his hands, and dart-climbing spikes on his feet. What is his profession?
(Bortnik– a person engaged in beekeeping, from the word “bort”–tree hollow. beekeeping–the oldest form of beekeeping in which bees live in tree hollows.)
In the Middle Ages in Russia, the spinning profession was one of the most common. There were several dozen varieties of spinners who made different types of threads for different purposes. The two most basic specialties of spinners were called basic workers and spinners. What they were doing?
(They made threads for the warp and weft, respectively. Weft are the transverse threads of the fabric, intertwined with the longitudinal ones - the warp.)
According to Dahl's dictionary, since ancient times in Rus' this was the name for those who sew clothes, a simple peasant tailor. And later - a crappy little man. How?
(Trash.)
In which Russian city is the world's only monument to barge haulers, whose hard labor made the Volga region rich?
(In the city of Rybinsk, which at one time received the unofficial status of the “capital of barge haulers.”)
Which of the royal entertainments was the Jägermeister formerly responsible for?
(For hunting.)
What is the name of a master craftsman's assistant?
(Journeyman.)
In Rus', a careless apprentice craftsman could be locked up with a tool and “put on bread and water” for a whole year. Only a four-legged friend could brighten up his loneliness. The masters that resulted from such training were very skilled. What did they say about those of them who, due to hunger, acted very uncomradely towards their friend during the learning process?
(“I ate the dog in this case.”)
What is the name of the craftsman who makes barrels?
(Cooper, or cooper.)
What name were all cheap cab drivers called in pre-revolutionary Moscow?
(Vanka.)
Was a servant in a tavern called a floor servant or a table servant?
(Sexual.)
What would our current bartender be called in the Russian state before the 18th century?
(Butler. This is an official in charge of the wine cellars, pouring and serving drinks at the feast.)
Previously, it was a merchant, a trader, mostly foreign. And now - a familiar person whom you welcome into your home. Who is this?
(Guest.)
Which Russian painter loved to paint merchants who were famous for their enterprising minds, and merchants’ women who were sleek and portly?
(Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev.)
Previously, in Rus', each person in this profession had his own teacher. The student received the right to independent work only after the death of the teacher. A person of this profession usually lived near his place of work and often, since the salary was small, combined several other professions - he was both a mealkeeper and a gravedigger. Name this profession.
(Bell ringer.)
Representatives of which ancient profession were threatened by such two misfortunes as deafness and lightning strikes?
(To the bell ringers.)
Guess who our ancestors called pestun?
(A caring educator. Nurture - carefully, lovingly raise, educate, and also nurse.)
Translate the word “oberezhny” into modern language, which served as the name of one of the professions of our ancestors.
(Bodyguard.)
In the fairy tale by P.P. Ershov “The Little Humpbacked Horse” we read:
The sleeping bag is here as soon as possible
And with all our might
He went to the Palace to the king.
Who is “Sleeper”?
(In the Russian state of the 11th-17th centuries - a courtier, whose duties included helping the Emperor dress and undress.)
Previously, this word was used to describe a servant who did dirty work, but now it is used to call a dirty person. What is this word?
(Chumichka.)
What word in the old days was a disparaging name for a writer and journalist (it was used to mean “scribbler”)?
(“Silkper”, from the phrase “to click with a feather.”)
What was a philosopher called in Rus'?
(Love-wise, wisdom is philosophy.)
Was a clown or clerk used to be called a “clown”?
(Clown.)
Who was called a farrier in Russia in the 18th - 19th centuries?
(A veterinarian who graduated from a special school.)
Was an interpreter or basmach a translator in Rus' during conversations and negotiations?
(Interpreter)
In Dahl's dictionary, who is called a borzoscriber: an informer or a stenographer?
(Stenographer. Nowadays this is an ironic name for a person who writes quickly, hastily and superficially.)
Previously, this word was used to describe the owner of an inn, but today it is used to describe a worker who maintains cleanliness and order in the yard and on the street. What is this word?
(Street cleaner.)
Who were called representatives in Rus'?
(Actors.)
In the old days, a buffoon is... Who?
(Magician, acrobat.)
What did an ore thrower do in Rus', according to Dahl?
(Bleeded the sick. Usually this duty fell on barbers.)
What did a lawyer do in Rus': jurisprudence, military affairs or cooking?
(Jurisprudence.)
In ancient times, a representative of what profession was called a sculptor? What about architects?
(Sculptor, architect.)
The Moscow Museum of what symbol of Russia was made possible thanks to the hard work of felters?
(Valenka Museum.)
What was the name of the worker who did hand washing?
(Laundress.)
Name the profession of people who, as a rule, were natives of Finland, carried a large spoon with a folding handle and had the right to free access to baths in St. Petersburg in the 19th century.
(Chimney sweeps. They used a spoon with a large folding handle to remove ash from chimneys. In St. Petersburg in the 19th century, 2/3 of chimney sweeps were Finns. After the revolution, they returned to their homeland.)
In Old Tallinn they honestly perform all their duties. Not forgetting to bring happiness to those who touch them. Who are they?
(Chimney sweeps.)
“Without us, the human race will cease!” - Akulina Gavrilovna defended the honor of this profession in a play about the adventures of Misha Balzaminov. What kind of profession is this?
(Matchmaker.)
Who was called a sworn attorney in Russia in the 19th century: a lawyer or a prosecutor?
(Lawyer.)
What were railway workers called in the century before last?
(Travelers.)
Representatives of what ancient profession use brushes, weights and cables as tools at work?
(Chimney sweeps.)
This profession is quite dangerous. Indeed, according to available data in Russia, of all those who engaged in this difficult profession, only 60% survived to retire (although they did not retire). Now we don’t have this profession. What kind of profession is this?
(Tsar. Of all the Russian tsars, only 60% died of old age; the rest were helped to die.)
Tell me, isn't it a shame that in Holy Rus'
Thanks to you, we haven’t seen books before?
Which profession did A.S. contact? Pushkin in these lines?
(To the censor.)
Pickpockets as specialist thieves appeared only in the 17th century, after the appearance of pockets on clothes. Who was the professional predecessor of pickpockets in Russia?
(Scammers. They cut off the wallet – I'm pissing.)
What would our Minister of Defense be called in Ancient Athens?
(Strategist. He commanded all the troops in Athens. They were Pericles, Themistocles, Alcibiades.)
In ancient Rome - a teacher who taught children the basics of linguistics - a grammarian. The reading teacher is a writer. A slave who accompanied children to and from school is a teacher. What was the name of an arithmetic teacher in Ancient Rome?
(Calculator.)
We draw information about the ordinary people of ancient Rome mainly from epitaphs. Many inscriptions have been preserved about gladiators and various artisans. And only one single inscription brought to us information about a representative of this profession. His name was Furius Philocalus, he lived in Capua, as the epitaph says, “poorly and honestly.” Times are changing, but even now the majority of representatives of this profession, which you know well, live poorly and honestly. Name this profession.
(School teacher.)
What was the name of a teacher of eloquence in ancient Rome?
(Rhetorician.)
Soon after the first ancient Olympiad was held in honor of Zeus, for the first time in history, a service of “Hellonodics” was formed, who had undergone serious training. What are the names of their modern colleagues?
(Sports judges, or arbitrators. “Ellonodik” literally translated is “Greek judge.”)
This is one of the oldest “professions”, but not the oldest. Translated from Greek, the name of this “profession” is “to try”, “to test”. No - this is not a test pilot. Some historians include Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan as representatives of this “profession”. Now this “profession” is experiencing a rebirth. Name this widespread “profession.”
(This is “pirate”, from the ancient Greek peiran.)
In Ancient Rome there was a profession called “argyroscope”. What did people in this profession do?
(They checked the coins for accuracy.)
In Ancient Rome, there were up to 7 thousand professionals who are still in demand today. True, then their duty was to destroy houses if something happened. Now they are doing just that. What?
(They fill burning buildings with water and foam. These are firefighters. And in those distant times, firefighters simply collapsed the house to prevent the fire from spreading further.)
Did the Greeks call builders architects or builders?
(Architects.)
The tradition of this profession has existed for three centuries. At first, only men owned it, but by the 18th century, women completely replaced men from this profession. Her name translates from Japanese as “man of art.” What kind of profession is this?
(Geisha is a professional dancer and singer invited to receive and entertain guests.)
What were professional spies who secretly carried out a difficult task called in medieval Japan?
(Ninja.)
In the mid-19th century, adding machines became widespread. They were served by specially trained people who could quickly and accurately count using this device. Tell me what the profession of such a person was called.
(Calculator.)
As in feudal Rus' 10-18 centuries. What were the names of the large merchants who conducted intercity and foreign trade?
a) Guests;
b) Tourists;
c) Aliens;
d) Shuttles.
Who was in charge of beekeeping and honey making in the service of the medieval Russian prince?
a) Sleeping bag;
b) Sokolnichiy;
c) Chashnik;
d) Equestrian.
What or who was the horsemaster in charge of at the Russian court?
a) The royal chambers;
b) the Royal kennel;
c) Royal stables;
d) Palace servants.
Who was in charge of all dog hunting in the time of the landowners?
a) Hunter;
b) Driver;
c) Vyzhlyatnik;
d) Borzovschik.
From the lexicon of representatives of which profession did the expression: “Go to all the troubles” come from?
a) Kuznetsov;
b) Bell ringers;
c) Burlakov;
d) Stolyarov.
(Which meant ringing big, heavy bells. Now this expression means: start doing something, using all the ways, opportunities, or start behaving in an extremely reprehensible manner.)
By the greatest command of which Russian monarch, women were allowed into public service in 1871?
A) Peter I ;
b) Ivan IV the Terrible;
c) Alexander II.
G) Nicholas II.
What were the names of the traders of all sorts of small items who accompanied the troops on long campaigns?
a) Marketers;
b) Military traders;
c) Traveling salesmen;
d) Marauders.
What was the shaver doing?
A)
Shredded cabbage;
b) Made wheels;
c) Was engaged in tire repair;
d) He ran a small drinking establishment.
(Which was called shink.)
For master spoon makers, apprentices prepared wooden blocks for future spoons. That's what the process was called. How?
a) Sharpen laces;
b) To kick the bucket;
c) Pull the rope;
d) Prick your eyes.
Who were called bindyuzhniks in Odessa?
A) Raiders;
b) Port stevedores;
c) Dray drivers;
d) Market resellers.
(Carriers transporting heavy loads.)
What did the racketeer do at the imperial court?
a) Reported petitions to the emperor;
b) Responsible for fireworks;
c) Knocked out the royal debts;
d) Arranged games and entertainment.
What was the name of the official who headed the lower structural part of the institution in pre-revolutionary Russia?
a) Chairperson;
b) Chief of Staff;
c) Portfolio manager;
d) Office manager.
In which establishment in pre-revolutionary Russia did the tselovalnik sell?
a) In a tobacco shop;
b) In the bakery;
c) At the hairdresser;
d) In a tavern.
(Salesperson in a drinking establishment, tavern.)
Who were called “Arkharovites” in Russia at the end of the 18th century?
a) Police officers;
b) Firefighters;
c) Yamshchikov;
d) Gypsy.
(A nickname for Russian policemen, named after N.P. Arkharov, the Moscow Chief of Police. In a figurative sense, an Arkharovite is a desperate mischief maker, a hooligan.)
Which of these officials of the Russian Empire was NOT a police officer?
a) Policeman;
b) Burmister;
c) Bailiff;
d) Gendarme.
(Manager of a landowner's estate; headman appointed by the landowner.)
Which wardens in Tsarist Russia kept order on the city streets?
a) Weekly;
b) Menstruation;
c) Quarterly;
d) Annual.
Who in Rus' were called coachmen until the end of the 19th century?
A)
Zemlekopov;
b) Workers' cemeteries;
c) Road patching workers;
d) Drivers, coachmen on the postal route.
In the 19th century, the Moscow mayor issued a decree in which he established a phrase recommended for coachmen to replace swearing in the presence of ladies. We also use this phrase with success. What phrase did he recommend?
a) “Cracks, pex, fex”;
b) “Shirley-myrli”;
c) “Fir-trees”;
d) “Byaki-buki.”
What were class associations of merchants called in Russia before the revolution?
a) Guilds;
b) Collegiums;
c) Partnerships;
d) Clans.
(Since 1775, the privileged guild merchants have been divided into three guilds based on the size of their capital.)
How did they address merchants in 19th-century Russia?
a) “Your Reverence”;
b) “Your lordship”;
c) “Your Highness”;
d) “Your Honor.”
Representatives of which profession successfully replaced doctors in the Middle Ages?
a) Blacksmiths;
b) Alchemists;
c) Barbers;
d) Tailors.
What did repairmen do before?
a) Procurement of food supplies;
b) Carrying out audits;
c) Training of recruits;
d) Purchase of horses.
(Officer in charge of purchasing horses.)
A representative of what profession in post-revolutionary Russia was called a “shkrab”?
a) Polisher;
b) Teacher;
c) Dishwasher;
d) Watchman.
(Shkrab is an abbreviation for “ shk solo slave otnik.")
What did the young lady do while working on the underground?
a) Turned the steering wheel;
b) Answered calls;
c) Knocked on the keys;
d) Scolded providers.
(This young lady was a typist, because the Underwood is a typewriter.)
What was the name of the leader of the chorus in ancient Greek tragedy?
a) Corypheus;
b) Archon;
c) Chorion;
d) Harita.
(And now this is what they call outstanding figures in any field. For example, luminaries of science.)
What was an actor called in the old days?
a) Hypocrite;
b) Lyceum student;
c) Actor;
d) The accuser.
Who did retouchers help before?
a) Firefighter;
b) Composers;
c) Photographers;
d) Hairdressers.
(They could, at the client’s request, improve the photo - correct the oval of the face or paint over wrinkles. Or they could paint the photo with watercolors. Now this work is performed by special computer programs.)
Fun questions about knowledge of proverbs and catchphrases about professions
In the section on the question What did the kisser do? given by the author Dushechka X the best answer is position in Russia at the end of the 15th-18th centuries. Upon taking office, Ts. swore an oath (kissed the cross, hence the name “Ts.”). Along with the floor guards and elders, the Ts., being their assistants, were responsible to the central and local administration for the regular flow of cash income and participated in judicial and police supervision of the population. It was first mentioned in the Code of Laws of 1497. After the liquidation of internal customs (1754), only tavern wine shops were preserved. According to tradition, sellers in state-owned wine shops in the 2nd half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. continued to call Ts.
Source: Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Answer from Pre-Soviet[newbie]
kissing and sex
Answer from I-beam[guru]
Tselovalniks were persons of non-noble origin who were engaged in collecting various duties.
Answer from brushwood[guru]
In pre-Petrine Rus', any financially responsible civil servant was called a kisser. The word comes from the fact that the person hired swore to be honest and on this KISSED THE CROSS.
Answer from Jamara[guru]
How divided opinions are!..
Answer from Victor Zelenkin[guru]
He maintained a drinking establishment, having the appropriate license from His Imperial Majesty. Try to find the etymology (origin) of the term itself at the link
Answer from Larisa Mirzayan[guru]
Kisser,
position in Russia at the end of the 15th-18th centuries. Taking office, Kisser. took an oath (kissed the cross, hence the name “Kisser.”). Along with the polovs and elders, Tselovalnik, being their assistants, were responsible to the central and local administration for the regular flow of cash income and participated in judicial and police supervision of the population. It was first mentioned in the Code of Laws of 1497. After the liquidation of internal customs (1754), only the tavern Tselovalniki remained. According to tradition, sellers in state-owned wine shops in the 2nd half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. continued to be called Kissers.
Answer from 20090114
[guru]
Collection of taxes. Later - this was the name of the tavern owner
Answer from Olenka[guru]
Tselovalnik - in the Russian state of the XV-XVIII centuries. an official elected from the townspeople or black-growing peasants to perform various financial or judicial duties; also participated in police surveillance of the population. Upon taking office, Ts. swore an oath (he kissed the cross, hence the name). ;
In every Orthodox home, rich and poor, there were icons - it could be a modest shelf or an entire iconostasis. The icons were family heirlooms and were placed in the front red corner - it was also called the holy corner or shrine. There was also a lamp with oil and holy scripture - lives of saints, prayer books. In richer houses there was an icon case - a special cabinet for icons. And the inhabitants of the house read prayers in the morning and in the evening.
I remember how, as a girl, I visited my grandparents, and how my grandfather prayed - he was from a family of Old Believers. He did not sit at the table without crossing himself. In the house there were also the lives of saints, written in Old Church Slavonic script, which I did not understand at first, but my grandfather showed me several times, and I began to read a little. I remember that I was especially interested in the life of Simeon the Stylite, who stood on a pillar for many years, fasting and praying. It seemed incredible to me...
In the old days, life in villages was full of work. In log huts and half-dugouts, our ancestors literally fought for life. They worked as beekeepers, plowed new lands and raised livestock, hunted and defended themselves from dashing people. Often a house and property burned down in a fire - then new housing had to be built.
Russian people built their house after carefully choosing the location: it was impossible to build a house on the site of a former road or cemetery - it was believed that happiness would soon leave such a house. Having chosen a place for your future home, did you carefully check it to see if it was dry? To do this, place the frying pan upside down overnight. If dew accumulates under the frying pan overnight, then the place is good. And it was possible to build a new hut.
The cat was allowed into the new house first - it was believed that during construction evil spirits could enter the house. And the cats helped drive them out. Therefore, the first night was necessarily spent in the new house by the cat and the cat. By the way, this custom has survived to this day. It is customary to bring a cat into the house for housewarming.
The stove was of great importance in the house. The stove and stove fire were in second place among the Russian people after the holy corner. It was forbidden to say bad words near the stove. The diagonal – the stove – the red corner was preserved in the home. The huts were heated in black, it was smoky in them.
The stove corner or “kut” was traditionally a women’s space. The main sacred activity was performed here - baking bread. The kuti contained dishes and kitchen utensils - cast iron, grips and gingerbread boards - in Rus', women have been baking gingerbread for a long time. They were a favorite delicacy of peasant children. In the corner of the stove there was a spinning wheel and a loom.
The spinning wheel was especially valued in a peasant house, because all Russian women spun and weaved, dressed the whole family, and wove towels and tablecloths.
The spinning wheel was a desired gift; it was kept and passed on by inheritance. The guy gave a painted spinning wheel to his bride, and she showed off the beautiful gift at gatherings where the girls were spinning.
Peasants wore long homespun shirts and, of course, bast shoes - right up to the 20th century!
The townspeople wore boots and shoes. And both of them wore fur coats, single-row coats and caftans. Women had a sundress, a scarf and a belt. The clothes were festive and casual.
Russian girls wore dresses with embroidery on the sleeves and hem, married women wore skirts and ponies with ornaments and amulets. Children under 12 years old wore a long linen shirt that reached to their toes - they were not separated by gender until that time.
In festive clothing, two colors of ornaments predominated - white and red, which emphasized the light of the soul and spiritual purity.
The girls braided one braid; after the wedding, a married woman unbraided it and braided two. For men, a beard was considered a symbol of courage. And when Peter the Great issued a decree to cut beards, there was even an uprising in Siberia. Since ancient times, peasants believed that by cutting a person’s hair, their health could be taken away.
Peasants lived in small houses. In the North, these were tall huts with several small windows. The carved frames often featured a rosette - a symbol of life and happiness. In the North, there was often a barn and a storage room under one roof.
In Siberia, too, such buildings are still found. For example, in Suzun, Novosibirsk region, many houses were built according to this type. Enclosed courtyards are very convenient in cold weather. And the descendants of the Old Believers have lived there since time immemorial.
Half of the peasants had a hut and a cage - a canopy, two or three windows and a door. Livestock also found shelter in the cold winter hut. Chickens were located in the basement - underground.
Inside the house, in the front corner under the icons, there was a large table for the whole family, and there were wide benches along the walls. Above it were shelves for dishes and a storage cabinet.
On holidays, the table was set and painted and carved dishes were placed - ladles of various shapes with honey and kvass, a light for a torch, salt shakers in the shape of skates, birds, clay bowls and wooden spoons. The ladles were in the shape of a rook and a duck. An inscription could have been carved on the ladle with approximately the following content: “Dear guests, stay and don’t get drunk, don’t wait for the evening.”
In the home, the space at the entrance was male territory. Here were working tools and a bunk, which had a special meaning in a peasant hut. Here the owner went about his manly business: repairing harness and harness in the winter.
And in the summer, the men made sleighs - after all, there’s nowhere in the village without sleighs. Everything was made from wood - benches, cradle, baskets. And they painted everything to make the soul happy. The huts were built from wood; they even tried not to use an ax or nails. As a last resort - wooden crutches.
In the evenings they listened to epics and fairy tales, drank intoxicating mead, and sang songs. On Saturdays the bathhouse was heated.
The families were large and strong. They lived according to the commandment of Domostroy: “Preserve your family unions, sanctified by the Gods, in joyful times, in sorrowful times, and may the bright Gods help you, and your ancient generations will multiply.”
A family union is a continuation of life. The bride had to be at least 16 years old. The wife had to take care of her husband. A pregnant wife covered her husband with a zipun so that her husband's strength would protect her womb and child during sleep. The umbilical cord of the born child was tied with a thread woven from the father's hair.
Children were raised to love faith, to their clan, family, to Mother Nature, to the land of their ancestors and were told to live according to their conscience. A 12-year-old girl was given a spindle and a spinning wheel and taught needlework.
In Ancient Rus', the people had their own way of life and their own customs; not observing them, not knowing them, was considered a great sin. In one of the chapters of Domostroy I read: “It is a great misfortune for the direct son of the Fatherland if he does not know the morals and customs of his people.” And the main custom in Rus' was to have as many children as God gives...
Russian people knew how to work, and they knew how to relax. Christmas was celebrated in January. New Year (old style), caroling and baptism, mummers went on Christmastide - they smeared their faces with soot, turned their fur coat inside out, dressed up as a gypsy, a hussar, drove a goat, acted out skits, had fun.
My favorite holiday was Maslenitsa - we walked for a whole week. From Thursday, all work stopped, and noisy fun began - they rode on troikas, went to visit, and ate generously of pancakes, pancakes, pies, and wine.
Then they observed a grueling fast and celebrated Easter - the bright resurrection of Christ. Young people gathered separately, danced in circles on the outskirts, near the forest, on the river bank, walked along the streets, and swung on swings.
On Radunitsa, parent's day, we visited the graves of the dead and brought food to the graves of relatives. On Trinity Sunday they went to the forest, sang songs, wove wreaths and threw them into the river; if it stuck, the girl was supposed to get married soon, and if the wreath sank, it was a very bad sign.
In autumn and winter, gatherings were held. In the summer they played games, danced in circles, sang, and danced until late. The main figure in the village was a good accordion player. Oh, what accordion players there were in every village! What tunes they played! Each locality has its own.
In Ancient Rus', it was customary to visit each other and help each other, especially when building a new hut. At the end of work, the owner fed us lunch and treated us to wine. Everyone sang and danced, despite being tired.
The families were large. Not only parents, children and grandchildren lived together, but also several brothers, a sister and her husband and other relatives. Often there were twenty or more people in one family. Patriarchal principles reigned in the family. The leader was the father or older brother - the Bolshak. Among the women is his wife. The wife had to obey her husband unquestioningly. The daughter-in-law worked hard and obeyed her elders. After the abolition of serfdom, large families began to break up, received land and lived separately.
The eldest son remained with his parents.
Weddings were held in the fall or after Epiphany. A matchmaker came to the bride’s parents with jokes: “You have a chicken, we have a rooster, let’s bring them into one barn.” After the bride's viewing there was an agreement - a handshake. And then the wedding preparations went on for a whole month.
The groom bought gifts for the bride. Friends gathered at the bride's house for a bachelorette party, helped prepare the dowry and always sang songs - sad, majestic, comic, farewell. Here is one of them:
Didn't they blow the trumpet early in the dew?
Should Katerina cry over her braid:
- From childhood, mother wove this scarf,
And when she was older, she wove the scarf herself,
And in the morning the matchmaker’s scarf will be broken,
They cut her scarf into six pieces,
They will braid her scarf into two braids,
I'll wrap her brown shoes around my head,
They will put on a woman’s collection for Katerina.
- Show off, Katerinushka, in a woman’s collection!
Even a woman’s beauty - you can’t hear it behind the wall,
And the girl’s beauty - you can hear it a hundred miles away!
The wedding could last a week, everyone was treated to food, and pies - kurniks - were always baked. The day after the wedding, the son-in-law went to his mother-in-law for pancakes.
In general, in Russian cuisine - the richest cuisine in the world, there were a lot of baked goods. After all, in Rus', wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet have long been sown - the Russians had a lot of flour, and therefore they baked pies, pancakes, gingerbread pancakes, pies and kulebyaki, even larks from dough in the spring. And in Siberia they loved to bake shangi. My mother was also a great master at baking shanezhki. They also cooked all kinds of porridges, oatmeal jelly, and peas.
Until the end of the 18th century, turnips dominated among vegetables - remember the famous fairy tale “About the Turnip” and another, no less famous - “Tops and Roots”. Many dishes were prepared from turnips: steamed, boiled, put in pies, and made into kvass. They also planted cabbage, horseradish, and rutabaga—vegetables that are very healthy. My mother and grandmother planted rutabaga, as well as beans, broad beans and peas.
The Russians did not have potatoes for a long time. And only in the 19th century did potatoes make a real revolution in Russian cuisine.
Since ancient times, they have also used the gifts of the forest, and there is a lot of it in Russia. There were often nuts, honey, mushrooms and berries on the table. Gardens began to be planted much later. And the first cultivated tree was the cherry. Hence the famous cherry orchards. In Rus' they also loved to feast on fish and even caviar, because we have many rivers.
The dishes were prepared mainly in a Russian oven - hence their originality, their incomparable taste and spirit. In the North they cooked more cabbage soup, in the South - borscht, on the Volga they baked wonderful pies with fish, and in the Urals and Siberia, as I already said, shangi and dumplings. In Rus' they ate black rye bread, white was on holidays.
After meals, it was customary to serve snacks for sweets: berries, jelly, soaked lingonberries, steamed turnips. It was customary to treat guests to the best - the tradition of Russian hospitality was respected. They said this: “A man eats at home, but when he is away he enjoys himself.” They also loved to drink tea from the samovar, as usual, with pies and shangas - After all, from time immemorial in Rus' it was customary to treat guests to pies.
Pie is a symbol of Russian hospitality. Pie is a holiday. And its very name comes from the word “feast”. For every special occasion, they baked their own cake, and “the eyes helped to eat it,” so they baked it intricate and beautiful.
Pie with mushrooms and onions was served as an appetizer with a shot of vodka, hot kulebyaka also with vodka, shangi with sour cabbage soup, and tea. In the North of Russia, wickets were baked from unleavened rye dough. Women in the old days used to say: “The wickets are asking for eights.”
To make them you need rye flour, water, milk, curdled milk, butter, salt, sour cream and filling. And the filling can be mushrooms, all kinds of berries - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, as well as cottage cheese, potatoes, millet porridge. The shape of the gates can be oval, round and polygonal. They are served with soup and tea.
It would seem, why was it necessary to put so much effort into the pie? But pie is not only a delicious food, but also has long been a real spiritual holiday, and on a holiday everything should be beautiful. In the old days they said: “You are welcome to our hut: I will crumble the pies. I’ll ask you to eat!”
We can talk endlessly about Russian traditions and customs, but I am finishing my modest work, hoping to return to it someday.
