What is a mochesnik? Where is it used?

Since ancient times in Russia an enviable bride was considered to be a girl who could manage the household and could do handicrafts. The expensiveness of materials, and often the inaccessibility of necessary things, made Russian beauties do incredible things with their own hands.

What is a mochesnik?

For visitors to museums and for connoisseurs of old traditions, it's no secret that in the homes of residents of both cities and ordinary villages one could see utensils made of clay, wood and bast. To help the housewives there were beautiful chests, bound with iron and painted with incredible patterns.

On long winter evenings, the girls, the married matrons, were spinning wool, flax, and weaving cloth from ready-made yarn. To bunches of wool (lobes) did not roll around the upper room, the beauties folded them into bast billets, painted with intricate patterns. It was such a basket that was called "mocheshnik".

Features of use

After reading the paragraph above, many will decide that they already know what the mochesnik was used for. But it is not so. Painted bast boxes were not only organizers for storing wool, they were used by craftsmen to store all weaving and sewing accessories.

Since the spindle and spinning wheel were one of the indicators of the wealth of the bride, they were adorned with beautiful carvings, intricate ornaments. Spinning was an indicator of the consistency of the family. They were given to wives, brides, sisters and mothers. There was a custom when a groom broke a spinning wheel brought from the house of the parents of the bride, and handed her a new one.

What is a mochesnik for the inhabitants of Ancient Rus? This is a kind of gift wrapping that can not only show the attitude of the guy to the girl, but also express his discontent. So, in one of the collections of the museum complex "Konny Dvor" a mochesnik with a commemorative inscription from the offended unfortunate husband is exhibited.

Women's secrets

Moches were made from birch bast. It was hovered, and then bent at the right angle. What is a mochesnik, decorated with patterns, knew firsthand merchants and masters engaged in painting such a product.

The cost of one such box was 2-3 kopecks in its original form. In order to earn 1 ruble, the master had to paint up to 80-100 bolls per day.

A beautiful box without a lid was the main attribute of any female corner. It was not only stored expensive tools for processing yarn, but also various trifles. The comb for the hair, the ribbons found their haven in this casket.

So what is a mochesnik? This is not just a piece of pliable birch bark for beautiful crafts, but also a part of history, the cultural heritage of the Russian people.