What is the village: the meaning of the word, traditions and way of life of the village residents

Hearing the question of what a village is, a man represents crooked Cossacks with sabers, women in long dresses with loaves of embroidered towels, horses and Cossack smokers. We will try to find out how justified this idea of life in the village.

The meaning of the word "stanitsa", etymology

The word "village" began to be used actively in speech in the sixteenth century. Then the so-called Cossack detachments defending the border. And by the eighteenth century a new meaning arose-the populated point of the Cossacks. So what does "stanitsa" mean?

There was this word from the pre-Slavic noun "stan" - settlement. A rural administrative unit called "village" usually consisted of several settlements of Cossacks (for example, farms or settlements). The village yurts in the Russian Empire were called the yurts around the villages.

History and traditions

Provision and deprivation of the Cossack status, the distribution of land - all this was done by a cadre government headed by an ataman. The latter, by the way, had an assistant, scribe and treasurer. The representatives of the stanitsa Krug, dressed in the form prescribed by law, heard a regular report from the ataman, discussed it. In addition, Cossacks, who reached the age of eighteen, took an oath at these meetings. The center of the Cossack village was always an Orthodox church. His abbot traditionally blessed the activity of the Council of the Council. On the territory of the villages, administrative offices of both military and civil character were usually located.

Ancestral way of life

Cossacks and their families lived in huts. When building a new house in the wall of the front corner, a wooden cross was surely embedded. They also asked for God's blessing.

When the construction work was coming to an end, everyone who took part in the construction site was generously treated, because the fee for help was not taken. By the way, on the table, residents of the villages served lavish wheat bread, borscht with beans, sauerkraut and lard. Among the favorite dishes were dumplings and vareniki, fish - dried, salted and boiled! Thanks to the warm climate in the villages, various fruits were grown. For the winter they were dried, cooked compotes and jam, cooked pastille, watermelon honey. Of the honey and grapes the village residents made strong drinks.

Forms of communication in stanitsah

Cossacks not only worked hard and defended the borders of the country. They were able to rest well! Church holidays and Sundays were held in the church. In their spare time people just talked. Three forms of communication prevailed in the villages: "gatherings", "conversations" and "streets". Married and elderly people spent their time in "conversations": here they discussed news, actual problems, shared memories, sang. Unmarried and unmarried preferred "streets". After all, it was here that new acquaintances began to sing, songs were sung. Young people combined games and dances. With the onset of cold weather, the "streets" turned into "gatherings" - street companies moved to the homes of young spouses or girls.

What is a village today?

Settlements, called "village", were common in rural areas in the old days. However, even today these settlements can be found on the territory of modern Russia. Almost all of them have retained their former location. A significant part of the villages is located in the territory of the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Ingushetia. In addition, you can meet villages in such republics as Chechnya, Dagestan, Karachaevo-Cherkessia, and such areas as Volgograd, Orenburg and Rostov.

What is a village in our time? What do the current stanitsas live? The basis of their life is agriculture. Not bad developed and cattle. There are also famous vineyards. Often, the number of inhabitants of stanitsas exceeds the population of cities. In almost every village, Cossack communities were formed. Developed and cultural life. In addition, here you can find museums telling about the life of stanitsas in the past.

Now you probably know what the village is like, how they lived in these settlements before and how they live now.