Following the example of an article about Slavic amulet dolls, I decided to write about Russian ritual dolls. This is done so that visitors to our site have the opportunity to see all our publications on this topic on one page. At the same time, here you can summarize all the general and basic information about ritual dolls and not be repeated in those articles that are dedicated personally to one of them.

What are ritual Russian dolls;

Each ritual action aimed at attracting forces that are not amenable to human touch, in most cases, is accompanied by the use of an object. This is necessary in some cases to create an appropriate entourage and a certain atmosphere of mystery and mystery, and in others - to create an object of concentration and accumulation of energy, which ensures the success of the entire event. For our ancestors, a ritual rag doll was such an obligatory participant in almost all ritual actions.

And what could not have been done without her? - Veselina asks me.

If you had not skipped the last publication about amulets, then now you would not ask such a question. - still angry at her recent absence, I answer. - and we said that amulet dolls, in addition to their visible household purpose, have a deep sacred meaning.

The same applies to amulet dolls. The whole point - as always, in the details and trifles. The design of the doll itself, which provides the ability to receive and hold energy flows, and the material from which the base and clothes are made, and decoration elements are also important here. In addition, the magical abilities of ritual Russian dolls are greatly influenced by the magic of color, numerology and ornaments.

Our ancestors did not perform certain rituals every day, but only when necessary. This applies to rituals of controlling the weather, getting rid of diseases, the appearance of newborns, cleansing from filth, and the like. There are seasonal rituals - spring, summer, autumn and winter, which were repeated annually and most often held on some specific days.

But in all cases, the ritual doll was an active participant and the main character. The main thing in this topic is that the rag doll was a link between our material world and the other world, intangible, but certainly existing. Our thoughts, feelings and desires, addressed to the doll, find the opportunity to contact this incomprehensible energy to us and return back to realize our plans. This is, in short, the meaning of participation rag doll in rituals and ceremonies carried out regularly and for several thousand years by our ancestors.

The rules for making ritual dolls are fully consistent with those defined for dolls of amulets, so you can read about them in the article, where we talked about them in sufficient detail.

Did you mention that you want to show in this article what ritual dolls are in general? Vesselina says impatiently.

Yes, you're right, it's time to get down to business. I nod my head in agreement.

Russian ritual dolls and their meaning.

Well, I managed to express my opinion about ritual Russian dolls, and now I want to show about which dolls there are already articles on our site. More detailed information you get by clicking on the name of the doll or on the picture.

Spring is met with her every year, and with her - warm days, new hopes and the fulfillment of everything that is conceived on long winter evenings.

Provided the hostess with increased efficiency and skillful needlework for the whole winter.

The main guardian of the purity of the soul and body of a newborn baby.

The main weather of the ancient Slavs. It can also make it rain when needed and just as well stop it.

In just one day of her life, she managed to free a person from all his sorrows, troubles and sorrows.

Protected people from evil spirits during Epiphany bathing.

Destroyed all human troubles, sorrows, misfortunes and sorrows.

It was an obligatory participant in the rite of calling spring among the Western Slavs.

It is an indispensable element of spring calls; without it, migratory birds will not be able to fly to your area.

It symbolizes the appearance of the first spring honey flowers, which means that spring will certainly not go anywhere.

It is the main element of the rite of reciprocal gifting of those people whose gift for you turned out to be the most valuable and important.

One of the main participants in the rites during the summer solstice.

It reminds us who came to visit our ancestors during Christmas time.

Folk ritual doll

This material can be used by educators, preschool institutions, accountants primary school, in the classroom on moral patriotic education.

Target: introducing children to Russian folk culture, folk applied art. The material is fully equipped with schemes for creating dolls from fabric, with a history of creation and purpose given in human life.
Folk rag doll-motanka, or as it is also called a nodular doll, is considered an ancient amulet. The appearance of the doll is associated with the beginning of the cultivation of flax, thus we can say that the folk rag doll-motanka is about 5000 years old. And not only in Russia or Ukraine you can find such an ancient rag doll - it is popular in many countries. This not a simple toy protected its owner from adversity and trouble, it was used in rituals. For example, if a person wanted to get rid of some misfortune (illness or trouble) - they were woven into the doll during its manufacture, after which the doll was burned. According to popular beliefs, amulet dolls have magical properties: they protect a person from evil forces, the evil eye, which attract diseases and misfortunes. The first such chrysalis was made for a baby and placed in a cradle. Now we have a custom to tie a red woolen thread to the baby's hand, and earlier they made dolls for protection. Small children carried them with them, and those that were older placed them in the house. Also, in addition to a small motanka, in the nursery there should have been a larger doll - a fat woman, or a nanny doll. Now, nothing has changed: you can carry a small one with you or put it in a car, but put a bigger doll in an apartment, office or hotel. The traditions of making rag dolls in the territory where the Slavic peoples lived existed until the beginning of the 20th century. Then, due to the advent of rubber, plastic and clockwork toys, they were lost. It is no exaggeration to say that there is now a boom in handmade toys. Can be used to make dolls various materials: straw, branches, cones, ropes, fabric. Dolls, in turn, are divided into play, ritual and amulets. Playrooms can be both in the form of men and in the form of animal figures, but this is rather just a nice little thing made by one's own hands.
The main requirements of amulet dolls: when making a doll body blank, nothing can be pierced with a needle - everything is wrapped and tied. The needle can be taken in hand when you start decorating and dressing up. When making dolls, they tried not to cut the fabric, but to tear it (sometimes the dolls were called “rvanki”). Even the hair in the head is not desirable to sew. And the most important condition for the Folk rag doll-motanka is that the doll must be cruciform and in no case resemble a real person.

Publication date: 22-05-2014

Update date: 05/22/2017

Article author: Ivan Sukharev

Number of views: 20462

Each nationality or nationality has always had, has and will have its own special features. We are used to the fact that this applies, first of all, to the color of the skin, the characteristic features of facial features, language, rules of conduct and social structure. But many unique things and objects are also found in Everyday life in many peoples. The Russian rag doll is one of the most striking confirmation of this.

The doll accompanied our ancestors all their lives. Even before the birth of a baby, a doll appeared at his future cradle, driving away evil spirits. Infancy, childhood, adolescence, youth, adulthood, old age - all life stages a person lived in the presence of dolls and their active participation. Even after death, the doll was there, accompanying the deceased to another world.

The Russian national doll participated in literally every action of a person's life, and not only in festive events or the most important stages, but also in the most ordinary, routine ones. That is why dolls fully and completely reflect the essence of human life, and not just its manifestations. To understand the doll, its character means to find out the secret of the ancient Slavs - the mysterious Russian soul, incomprehensible to many other peoples.

Yes, that's right, because the Russian traditional doll often remained the only protector, keeper, healer, adviser and interlocutor of a person. The doll was the first to tell secrets and shared secret desires with her, it was she who kept the family hearth and well-being in the house, and only the doll took away all his illnesses and misfortunes from a person, taking them with her into fire or water. Therefore, people had an appropriate attitude towards dolls - they were loved, respected, revered and cherished.

Features of the Russian rag doll

The traditional Russian doll has its own characteristics, the main of which are the following:

• ritual dolls and amulets were made without the use of piercing and cutting objects;
• the dolls had no facial features;
• the lack of a personal name for the doll, there was only a name;
• overwhelming advantage female images for making dolls.

In order to make a rag doll, they used pieces of fabric torn from a whole roll or from clothes. This was done on purpose without scissors, because by cutting off some flap or excess fabric from the doll, it was possible to deprive it of its integrity in semantic meaning. For the same reason, needles were not used, all parts were tied with threads or fastened with a knot.

Such requirements were obligatory in the manufacture of ritual dolls, amulets and most play dolls. Gift options, especially from expensive fabrics, could be sewn with expensive jewelry using a fastening needle a large number decorative details.

Despite such a seemingly fragile design, Russian rag dolls, with proper handling, existed for several decades. Many families had generic dolls passed down from generation to generation. It seems that time itself gave them strength, prolonging the life of puppet guards and coastlines.

On the face of the dolls did not draw eyes, nose, lips. This was done for two reasons. Firstly, extra eyes and ears were not needed in the house, because through them evil spirits could penetrate into the doll and then it would itself become a source of misfortune. Secondly, an unsuccessful facial expression will not only spoil the character of the doll, but also leave it like that forever. Therefore, the face of the doll was invented by themselves, depending on the circumstances. Now, against the backdrop of a huge number modern dolls it seems unusual and strange, but it is worth talking a little with a faceless doll, and everything becomes clear.

The faceless doll lived a full life - she was happy and sad, slept and was awake, laughed and cried. Such a doll could not help but like its owner - the facial expression and its features were, after all, invented by him. Therefore, it is not entirely true to say that the doll does not have a face - it does, but you need to make friends with the doll in order to see it.

In recent centuries, starting from the nineteenth century, faces were still painted on rag dolls, but this concerned only playful or decorative options. This came from the desire to humanize the doll as much as possible, to make her appearance very similar to us. But even in these cases, they used only a symbolic display of the eyes, nose or mouth, embroidering them with a cross and straight lines.

dolls in Ancient Russia they didn’t give names, it was believed that when naming a doll, it could be used to the detriment of that person who would have or has the same name. This was used by dark sorcerers - they called the doll the same as the object of influence and performed their rituals on it. In addition, by giving the doll a human name, it was possible to disturb the spirit of a deceased relative with the same name. Therefore, play dolls were simply called dolls, lyalkas, tsatsks, etc.

A very limited number of male figures in the puppet art of our ancestors does not at all mean a dismissive attitude towards the strong half of humanity. If you “dig deeper”, study the history of the appearance of dolls and their structure, it turns out that all female splendor, softness and beauty are fixed on a rigid and solid basis in the form of tight twists or sticks.

In this way, the masculine essence is in every doll, but it is hidden inside, which reflects the very significant sacred meaning of the doll. That is why there are very few puppets with clearly male images, and in some puppet actions, just a stick wrapped in cloth was used as a male puppet.

Materials for making a rag Russian doll

Russian folk dolls were made from improvised materials. The most common of these were the following:

• scraps of fabric or old clothes for amulets and ritual dolls;
• scraps of new fabric for souvenir, decorative figurines;
• bunches of grass or hay;
• wooden sticks, logs, logs;
• as a filler - ash, rags.

Of greatest interest are rag dolls, reflecting their appearance features of the culture of the area where it was made.

The meaning of the Russian rag doll

The Russian national doll was divided into three large groups:

• play doll;
• doll - amulet;
• ritual doll.

Any of these groups includes several dozens (!) of dolls, each of which will differ from the others in its structure or retained meaning. The purpose of the doll determined her future life, it never changed and very rarely combined. So, ritual dolls were never played, just as play dolls were not used in rituals. But the amulet doll was sometimes given to children as a toy. Most often this happened with healing dolls stuffed with medicinal plants.

Russian rag doll

The main purpose of the play doll is to distract the child while adults are doing their own thing. All the children played with dolls - both girls and boys. For the smallest, special dolls were made that developed fine motor skills and motor functions. For example, small puppets worn on a finger or puppet pendants in the form of a garland of small knots. The child instinctively squeezes the handle with such a toy, which simultaneously regulates muscle tone and occupies the baby.

In principle, any playing folk doll carries an additional load. Some dolls train dexterity, for example, the same finger figures or dolls with a base on a wooden stick.

Such dolls could be twisted in the hands, holding it by the stick - so the girls acquired the skills of spinning, and the boys' hands were preparing to weave bast shoes. For these purposes, dolls were made - dancers, and for boys - fighters, on whose hands small bags were fixed.

Play dolls were made, as a rule, by adults, but children also took an active part in this process. Therefore, kids from an early age knew a lot about the cultural traditions and customs of their people. The doll was the most popular gift for children, and it always had a certain sacred meaning. A gift doll could be very simple, for example, for a birthday in poor families, they could give a baby such an angel:

In the period of adolescence, with the help of folk dolls, children studied all the main events of human life. To do this, they gathered in whole groups in the winter in a barn or hut, in the summer - on the street. Each participant brought a box of dolls with him, all the roles were distributed among themselves, and the action began. Even weddings with all its stages were played out in this way, strictly following the sequence. Both adults and children already trained in such games could lead such an event.

The children were prepared for adult life, forming in them in advance all the basic ideas about the future. Children up to 6-7 years old wore shirts - both boys and girls. During this period, they also had the same dolls. Putting on trousers, the boys began their first male life stage, and during this period, their dolls performed mainly male work - they plowed, sowed, harvested, defended the territory.

Girls during this period began active learning family life- how to organize a household, how to take care of children, what to wear and on what occasions, etc. All these questions were assimilated with the help of the Russian national game doll.

A handmade rag doll participated in the games not only of ordinary village children, they were also in the families of merchants, clergymen and even Russian rulers. Princely, boyar and royal children are just ordinary kids who, like everyone else, need love, affection, attention and, of course, games. And the doll of the Russian people is the first toy.

Russian rag doll: Stolubushka doll

The traditional Russian doll in noble families was made of expensive fabrics, decorated precious stones and various accessories. The puppet games of the royal children were in their meaning the same as those of the village children, only some played royal events, while others - the lives of ordinary people.

Many dolls were made specifically so that children from an early age would understand what is happening around them and what will happen to them. The most striking example is changeling dolls. They are called differently, but the most popular is the name "Girl-Baba". On the one hand, there is a rosy, cheerful, well-dressed young woman, but, turning her over, we see a modest woman, tired of everyday worries.

Russian rag doll-amulet

Our ancestors were very jealous of the relationship between good and evil forces. And the point here is not at all ignorance and lack of education. Apparently, now we are simply not able to see that thin line separating parallel worlds, from where unknown entities visit us. Oh yes, of course, we are now literate and educated - each of us has 2-3 educational institutions behind us. We, devoid of prejudices, boldly and resolutely move towards the cherished invented goal, which in the end turns out to be only a step towards the true goal.

We, the people of the 20th and 21st centuries, have been carefully and systematically cultivating disdain for our history, the traditions of our people for about 100 years. This is both a social system that deprives a person of everything spiritual, and an implanted religion that leads the remnants of this spirituality into a completely different direction. Our ancestors, free from these shackles, saw around them and understood much more than we, modern intellectuals, who live in slavery to our own illusions of omniscience and omniscience.

And forces unknown to us make no difference who is helped or harmed - a simple plowman or a blacksmith, or a manager or a president. For them, people are all the same, so we must know and use in practice those means that the ancient Slavs invented and used long before us.

To protect against intentional or accidental evil, there were special items. They were made with a specific purpose - to protect a person from adversity. Therefore, they were called so - amulets. The most common amulets were special symbols in the form of amulets or patterns applied to the body or clothing. But, since the doll was next to the person almost constantly, she also had to perform protective functions.

Doll Happiness is a small doll with a big braid. Our ancestors believed that our strength is stored in the hair. Therefore, such a doll is a powerful amulet that protects a woman from adversity and brings her happiness. Doll Happiness is intended only for women, it was not given to men. In the manufacture of the doll, special attention was paid to the hair, and in this case the braid turned out to be a little larger than the figure itself. You can learn more about this in the article.

Russian rag ritual doll

Rituals occupied a special place in the way of life of our ancestors. Rites were performed on all the most important events in human life. At the same time, there were public, public ceremonies involving a large number of people, and personal, secret rites - not tolerating the presence of strangers. Almost any ritual was performed with the participation or in the presence of dolls specially made for this purpose.

The ceremonial doll, as well as the amulet doll, was made to protect against troubles and misfortunes. In some cases, the ceremonial doll was burned or drowned in water after it had fulfilled its purpose. In others, such dolls could be used all their lives, then both functions were combined in it - ritual and security.

In the format of this article, we will only talk about some ritual dolls, because otherwise the article will turn out to be huge. You can get additional information by reading the articles in the "Ceremonial Doll" category, and you can start with the overview article "".

During the drought the best remedy there was a special conspiracy to bring about the long-awaited rain. In this case, it is necessary to act with an assistant, who, with her whole appearance, should symbolize rainy weather. This is how the Russian rag ritual acted. It was made by specially selecting a fabric that resembles rain in color and texture.

One of the most common rites was the Kuvada rite. It was performed during childbirth in order to protect the newborn from the encroachments of an unclean spirit. played a very important role in this.

Likhomanki - they were made at once by several pieces - from 12 to 100. The names of the dolls were given the appropriate ones - Decrepit, Stupid, Looking, Lenya, Nemeya, Ledeya, Shaking, Dozing, Fire, Vetreya, Zhelteya, Aveya, etc. These dolls were hung behind the stove, each of them lured the evil spirits by whose name it was named. Therefore Likhomanok tried to make more. On January 15 of each year, the amulet was burned and new Likhomanok were made.

Krupenichka or Zernushka was responsible for the prosperity in the house, the safety of the harvest, and the increase in wealth. It was made from a bag of grain, which was used for sowing next year.

Krupenichka in freestyle

The traditional Russian doll is very important in bringing up the best human qualities in a child. It does not cause aggression, like the monstrous monsters and robots that flooded the shelves in stores. Rag dolls don't program kids into a bohemian lifestyle like super trendy Barbies, Winxes or Moxxies. Our dolls teach spiritual beauty, harmony of human relations, love for your neighbors, and distant ones too.

That is why traditional dolls should be in every family, regardless of material well-being or social status. It is necessary to revive the traditions of our ancestors, focused on the education of a holistic, morally positive personality. A child who has learned from childhood to love and respect folk doll, will not grow up to be a Nazi or a maniac.

In addition, by making such a doll yourself, you will experience an amazing feeling of joy from creating something both simple and mysterious. In addition, both adults and children like the Russian traditional doll, because only she has the energy we need with a big plus sign. Spend half an hour of your time making a regular simple rag doll and see for yourself.

NATALIA GARUS

ritual dolls were an indispensable attribute of the main family and household rites(birth, marriage, care of ancestors).rag ritual dolls have one characteristic peculiarity: they almost never depicted a face. According to the traditional ideas of the most different peoples it is through the mouth, nose, eyes and ears that the patron spirits and helper spirits enter their images. The absence of a face was a sign that doll- an inanimate thing, and therefore faceless doll cannot be a double of any person and no one will harm a living person through such doll. Only in some cases the face was marked with a cross of colored threads. This is connected with ancient ideas, with the ancient role of ritual dolls as a magical item. Rainbow cross embroidered rural women of the Middle Dnieper region on puppet faces, was a solar sign and made doll amulet.

Doll"Grain"

In order for the house to be satisfying and rich, they did doll"Grain" ("Grain", "Krupenichka"). It was made after harvest. At the heart of such dolls there was a bag of grains collected from the field. doll dressed up and carefully stored until the next sowing in the red corner of the hut. We put doll and on a chest with flour.

The first handfuls of selected grain for sowing were taken from "grains". After the harvest season doll- the bag was again filled with grain of the new crop. It was also considered that this doll help a woman become a mother.

Vepsian doll

Such doll made from mother's old things without the use of scissors and needles. This rule was observed with the aim that the life of the child was "not cut and not chipped". This doll before the birth of the baby, they put it in the cradle so that "warm up" her. After the birth of the child Vepsskaya doll hung over the cradle, protecting the baby from damage. When the child grew up, it was given to him to play.

Beneficent or Hostess

Textile doll, protective of the family contributing to the prosperity of the house and the increase in prosperity. She was also called "Domovushka" because it was believed that she finds mutual language with brownies. The microscopic protector of the house can be hidden in the palm of your hand - its height is only 3-8cm. She is so tiny, charming, and, as the legend says, able to resist all the evil forces that are determined to bring trouble to the house. She will look after the children, save her family, bring fun to the house with joy and income. The hostess is the best assistant in new affairs. It is customary to give a benefactor for the winter holidays with sincere wishes.

This protective motanka doll was prepared without metal objects. For the birth of such an important home life dolls need a special day. For the Hostess to find protective power, it must be made, as tradition requires, on Monday, Tuesday or Saturday. They did it right away, without leaving work. Read during production protective conspiracies or silence.

To doll brought prosperity to the house, a coin was wrapped in it "piglet". Five is a symbol of profit. Obereznaya the doll is almost young, because the nickel in Russia was first minted in 1701, under Peter 1. When the Well-Being One is endowed with the properties of a healer, medicinal herbs are wrapped in it.

Bell

Bell - good news doll.

This dolls - Valdai. From there came the Valdai bells. ringing bell protected people from plague and other terrible diseases. The bell rang under the arc on all the celebratory troikas. The bell has a domed shape, and from above it resembles the sun.

The doll has three skirts. Man also has three kingdoms. Copper, silver, gold. And happiness also consists of three parts. If the body is well, the soul is joyful, the spirit is calm, then the person is completely happy.

This doll is cheerful, perky, brings joy and fun to the house. This amulet Have a good mood . Giving the Bell, a person wishes his friend to receive only good news and maintains a joyful and cheerful mood in him.

Veduchka is a mother, grandmother, godmother, sister, and possibly a stepmother or teacher, that is, the woman who leads the child by the hand.

Veduchka gives the child her knowledge of how to get along with this world, explaining its laws - natural and social. It is a symbol of the continuity of generations. Once upon a time, the teacher-mentor also passed on life knowledge to her, now she transfers, and then her student will transfer.

Veduchka is a knowing shore, which tremulously and with love helps her student to know herself and the world around her.

happy motherhood

amulet for happy motherhood, presented as dolls with babies.

amulet in the form of a woman with a baby in her arms was considered very strong and was always given with the wishes of well-being, peace in the family and in the soul, a calm, joyful and confident existence. It symbolized a woman who got married and had children. And the ability to give birth was especially significant for our ancestors. The joy of being a mother reflected that everything was fine with such a woman. The doll was made when they wanted or were already waiting for the appearance of the baby. They also gave it to the wedding with the wishes of healthy children, for the birth new family, especially honored guests, when they wanted to show respect.

This doll, which has come down to our days from the depths of centuries, is a wonderful example of folk art that educates and makes you think.

successful

amulet A successful woman is the personification of a person for whom any work is arguable, a person who knows how to manage to do all things not only on time, but also with high quality. The purpose of the motanka is to help in any endeavor, promote career advancement, increase wealth, and also protect family happiness. One of the obligatory attributes of this motanka is a rag bag thrown over her shoulder, symbolizing those things that she can do according to her abilities.

The bag is small, but not small either ... Merchant's wife warns: I will help in business, but you should not take on too much. A coin is usually put in a purse (money bill) so that the work brings not only pleasure, but also income. By the way, the last one is shared with the Successful Woman - in the case of a cash receipt, they put it in a purse "percent" or give jewelry (beads, flowers).

herbal pod

This doll filled with fragrant medicinal herbs. The chrysalis must be crushed in the hands, moved, and the herbal spirit will spread around the room, which will drive away the spirits of disease. After 2 years, the grass in the chrysalis must be changed. This is exactly what our ancestors did.

V doll Herbal pod 6 nodules: a large knot - the body, resembles a tumbler, a knot-head is tied to it (all knots are stuffed only with herbs, one knot is tied to the handles, these are two more, two more knots form a chest, total - 6.

The herbalist makes sure that the disease does not enter the house. Warmth emanates from her, as from a caring hostess. She is both a protector from evil spirits of illness, and a good comforter. She was hung in the house over the cradle of the child. The doll was given to children to play. She was also placed near the bed of the patient.

Bereginya

Beregini - protective dolls, are considered assistants to the housewives. dolls with bags of happiness - bring harmony and happiness to the house. Bereginya doll is a symbol of well-being and prosperity, and her large breasts are a symbol of satiety, health, image married woman. This is the most ancient amulet doll. Beregini are made only with good intentions and in good spirits.

She will be your faithful companion and a talisman. Talk to her, ask for help and advice, thank her for her help.

Radunitsa

Radunitsa is the one that brings joy, shedding bright light into the souls of those who are in a state of Joy - solar radiance. Radunitsa - Svyatozar-day or Velik-day, as Easter was once called in Russia, is a holiday of departed souls of ancestors, celebrated on Tuesday in the second week after Svyatozar-day. Once upon a time, amusing people gathered and, together with the tsar-father, under a lot of jokes and jokes, they all went to the cemetery to communicate with the souls of departed relatives. They laughed, but did not cry, had fun, but did not grieve, rejoiced, and did not grieve. From those times, only gray-haired fables remained, and the brightest holidays partly turned into a commemoration of mental anguish and suffering.

Plantain

Plantain-Slavic ritual doll, which was given to the wanderer for good luck. Usually it was made by a mother to her son or a wife to her husband, while only the one who made it could take it in hand. doll and that to whom it was intended.

Like all Slavic dolls, the plantain does not have a face so that evil spirits do not move into it. In the hands of the plantain is a bag of grain, so that the traveler can always find food for himself, or with earth from under his native threshold, or with ash from the hearth of his native home, so that the traveler can always find his way home. At some stage there was oberezhnaya a small doll with a knapsack in which a pinch of earth or ash was placed. True, a very small pinch, because doll tiny 5-6, and sometimes 3 cm tall. According to other legends, grain or a pea was placed in a knapsack so that the traveler was full ...

Family (Moscow)

This powerful amulet doll strong and friendly family. Families rich in children. Mom has five children, she is the sixth, and the seventh is dad and husband, he is the foundation on which the whole family rests. The foundation dolls a twist of fabric or a birch column is a symbol of male power, and she herself is an archetype of the mother and symbolizes maternal care and love. Needless to say, a very harmonious doll with a male and female beginning, and even children.

According to popular belief, this doll helps to realize the desire to have a healthy child, and also protects good relations in the family.

Why is it also called Moskovka? So because the history of the appearance of this dolls associated with the period of the emergence of the Moscow principality, which annexed more and more new lands. Moscow - mother, new principality - new baby.

This doll kept in the house somewhere higher - on a closet, on a shelf and did not give into the hands of anyone else.

The Russian land is rich in rituals. Ritual dolls were revered and placed in a hut, in a red corner. They had a ritual purpose.

Vep doll (cabbage, rvanka)- This is a ritual doll, symbolizing fertility and prosperity.

How ritual checks of the guys were arranged with this doll: they watched how the guy takes this doll, what he pays attention to, how he examines it. And by this it was clear what was important for him now, and what he was passing by. According to the treatment of the guy with this doll, older women looked at his readiness for marriage.

The doll is made of linen and cotton fabrics. They twist the doll without letting go, until the last knot. In the manufacture of this doll in the old days, they did not use a needle and scissors, manually tearing the fabric into shreds of the desired size.

Ritual multi-armed doll tenhandle.

It was made from bast or straw on October 14 on Pokrov, when they sat down for needlework. In the manufacture of used threads of red color, which is protective. At the bottom of the sundress, 9 red thread-bows are necessarily tied in a circle. The chrysalis was intended to help girls prepare their dowry and women in various activities such as weaving, sewing, embroidery, knitting, etc. Traditionally, after being made, it was burned almost immediately. The doll "Ten Hands" is given for a wedding, so that the woman has time to do everything, so that everything goes well with her.

And in order for the house to be satisfying and rich, the mistress of the house made a doll grain, or krupenichka.

They did it after the harvest. At the heart of the doll is a bag with grains collected from the field. They stuffed it with different grains. Also, this doll was made by a woman so that she would have children.

ritual doll Pokosnitsa depicted a woman during haymaking.

"Pokosnitsa" is one of the simplest dolls in terms of the technique of making dolls. 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, hands are formed and tied with threads. They put a skirt on the doll, an apron (but the "shirt" - the light base of the doll should be visible), tie a scarf. The general tones of the fabric used are different, light, because the first mowing has long been considered a holiday in the villages.

Doll Kupavka- This is a ritual doll of one day. "Kupavka" personified the beginning of bathing.

She was floated on the water, and the ribbons tied to her hands took human illnesses and hardships with them - such importance was attached to the cleansing power of water. This doll of the holidays of Agrafena Kupalnitsa and Ivan Kupala. The procedure for making "Kupavka" is very simple. Two sticks different lengths tie crosswise. On the upper part of the cross, they strengthen the head of a light-colored fabric stuffed with rags, the hands of the doll are covered with the same fabric. Fix the fabric on the neck, arms and belt of the doll. Tie the straps of a sundress made of bright fabric. They put a skirt, a scarf on the doll, tie a belt, and tie ribbons of fabric on their hands. Since this doll is summer, it is customary to decorate it with grass, fresh flowers, green twigs.

Kolyada- Slavic holiday of the winter solstice and, apparently, the deity of the same name.

The winter solstice falls on December 25th. At this time, the most severe frosts were observed, according to ancient beliefs, coinciding with the revelry of unclean spirits and evil witches. The celebration of Kolyada with its fun 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 win and drive away evil spirits, those who celebrated his day burned bonfires, sang and danced around them.

All Christmas carols went with Kolyada. This doll is a symbol of the sun and good relations in the family. She was a portly woman, dressed in everything new and smart. On her behalf, carolers wished happiness and prosperity. They sang joyful songs glorifying the owners.

In some areas, carols ended near the fire with good wishes for themselves and loved ones and the burning of Kolyada. With her arrival, happiness, peace and harmony between family members will settle in the house.

Kolyada doll is made from saw cut wood. Bread and salt are in bags suspended from the belt. A broom is stuck in the belt, with which Kolyada drives away evil spirits.

Ritual doll Maslenitsa made of straw or bast, but they always used a tree - a thin birch trunk. Straw, like wood, personified the exuberant power of vegetation. Clothes on the doll should be with a floral pattern. It was fixed on a wooden cross.

The doll was decorated with ribbons, artificial flowers. On her hands they put dishes used in the preparation of pancakes, hung ribbons, tying which people made wishes. These ribbons, in order for wishes to come true, had to burn down with the doll.

Home Maslenitsa- a doll that existed in the Tula province.

She was called the daughter of Maslenitsa or her younger sister. It is a small, 20 - 25 cm high, straw or bast doll with a white rag face. "Home Maslenitsa "" symbolized strong prosperity and healthy offspring of a young family. She was considered a strong amulet of the home, fulfilling the precepts of the owners of the house. This doll was kept in a red corner or at the entrance to the dwelling. On one of the days of the holiday pancake week when young people came to their mother-in-law for pancakes, this doll was put up in windows or yards. According to tradition, the bride and groom were greeted with the "Home Shrovetide".

Vesnyanka (Avdotya-vesnovka)

Magpies - Day spring equinox. This is another turning point in the national calendar. At this time, according to ancient signs, a flock of the first birds - forty larks - arrives from Paradise - Vyriya. The bird is the symbol of this holiday. Singing birds - whistles, into which children whistle, call Spring - Red. There is a model of image connection here. In the sounds of singing ritual birds, clay and birch whistles - magic 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. Dolls - stoneflies, 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 rite of "invocation" of spring, in which young people and children mainly participated. Dolls were knitted in pairs: from white threads - a symbol of the outgoing winter, from red threads - a symbol of spring and the hot sun. Such pairs of pupae were hung on the branches of trees. These pupae also had a second meaning. With the birth of a child in the family, the inseparable pair of wedding dolls parted a little to the sides, giving place to the doll on the parent's shoulder. With each child in the family, the parental shoulders parted wider. How many children, so many dolls on the shoulder of a wedding couple.

Doll Pock- a symbol of female wisdom, motherhood, hearth. It is associated with 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 reverence for her, as a talisman, they made a large festive doll Ryabinka.

Spiridon-solstice turning the wheel can completely change your life in the right direction.

Spiridon is made like a male doll. Like an ordinary haircut, only the lower bundle of straw (bast) is divided into two parts - legs. AND required attribute- wheel.

The meaning of Spiridon is a creature that turns the Sun. Those. the most important being responsible for the arrival of sunny days, for the onset of winter days. Accordingly, the hands should hold the Sun well (so that it does not fall out). A pigtail is woven from bast and straw. This is a winter doll.

Doll Moscow.

Another name for the doll is "The Seventh Self" (family). The doll has six children tied to a belt or screwed with a belt. The history of the doll goes back to the time of the formation of the Moscow principality, which annexed new lands. Moscow is a mother, a new principality is a new child. In the doll, this historical process stopped at the number 6. This doll is 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 doll Goat.

It is based on a wooden cross, and the muzzle, horns, 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 ritual objects were attached: pipes, hurdy-gurdies, tambourines, a horseshoe as a gift for good luck, bells, bells, wooden beads, earrings, bags with gifts, wreaths of well-being with small red bags with grains of cereals, a wooden block as a gift to a bachelor, as a reminder of the need to get married. Doll "Goat" "was a symbol of vitality and she had to bring this strength to the owner of the hut and his land, his field, so that bread would be better born.

ash doll given to young people at a wedding.

This ancient symbol procreation, mediator between the living on earth and the kingdom of the dead. The ash doll is, as it were, the spirit of the ancestors, addressed to the descendants. This is an ancient symbol of procreation, an intermediary 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. That's what this doll was given for. 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 couple of dolls were hung under the arc of the harness: the Bride's doll and the Groom's doll so that they would avert unkind looks at themselves. This pair of dolls is special, it carried a deep symbolic meaning associated with the manufacturing process. Women's and masculinity united into a single inseparable whole, because after the wedding married couple we had to go through life together. The dolls were made by the bridesmaids 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 world tree life, the mighty branches of which the young couple were to become.

The World Tree doll is made without stitching with a needle, "so that happiness cannot be sewn up." The friends vigilantly watched each other so that the ritual figures would not turn away from each other. After the wedding, the World Tree occupied a place of honor in the hut next to other dolls kept in the family.

The basis of the doll is made from dried birch horn, without flaws, the thickness of the little finger and about 15 cm long, the birch bark is not removed. The horn is carefully broken out without using a knife. First, they make the Bride doll on the left knot of the horn, and on the second knot, the Bridegroom doll.

Some ritual dolls were medical.

This Kozma and Demyan. They were made from medicinal herbs: yarrow, chamomile and other herbs. There is such a legend. Two brothers lived in Russia - the weather. They were disinterested. 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 death to bury them in different places, but the people judged in their own way. After all, food is food for existence, not money, and therefore they were buried together. For good deeds they were elevated to the rank of saints. Therefore, they used to make dolls in their honor and put them in a red corner so that they would bring goodness and health to the house.

herbal pod

This doll is filled with scented medicinal herbs. The chrysalis must be crushed in the hands, moved, and the herbal spirit will spread around the room, which will drive away the spirits of disease. After 2 years, the grass in the chrysalis must be changed. This is exactly what our ancestors did.

The herbalist makes sure that the disease does not enter the house. Warmth emanates from her, as from a caring hostess. She is both a protector from evil spirits of illness, and a good comforter. She was hung in the house over the cradle of the child. The doll was given to children to play with. She was also placed near the bed of the patient.

Rite" cuckoo's funeral

Many rituals in Russia were performed with the help of specially made dolls.

For example: the ancient rite "cuckoo's funeral". This is the initiation of 12-year-old girls into girls and their entry into the world of adulthood. This ceremony was performed before the Trinity. It consisted of the following: the girls went into the forest and made sure that no one followed them.

There they led round dances, Pele songs and kumilis. As a sign that two girlfriends became godmothers for 1 year, they exchanged wreaths and dolls specially made for this purpose. These dolls were a reflection of the hostess, because by 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 sense, removing the obligations of a benevolent attitude towards each other, but this happened extremely rarely. How can one be angry with a godfather if, along with her doll, she is entrusted with a part of her own soul! After all, when making a doll, the girl made an effort, thought about her, put all her skill into this work, and now she is given to her friend!

After the exchange of dolls, the girls dressed up in rags and shreds, a straw doll specially made for this occasion. It was made from dried grass "cuckoo's tears". Then the girls buried her, not necessarily buried, but in the sense - they hid, got 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 fate of her offspring. After the ceremony, the girl is considered a girl. Thus, this rite demonstrates the rejection of "cuckoo", the proclamation of motherhood. The girls say goodbye to their childhood by making a commitment to "not be a cuckoo".