Nowadays, many concepts that were relevant many centuries ago remain incomprehensible to residents of megacities. Those who are interested in the features of life in the village will probably be interested to know what threshing is. This issue will be devoted to the article.
General information
Threshing is an agricultural operation during which grains are separated from the chaff or seeds are extracted from the ears.
Nowadays, this type of work is carried out using combines or threshers. And in the old days, threshing was done manually.
So, what is threshing in a general sense, it becomes clear. But the process itself has many nuances, which we will consider further.
From the history
The ancient Slavs threshing was the final stage of the agricultural cycle. At this time, rituals were performed that were supposed to increase productivity.
Southern Slavs performed threshing with the help of animals - oxen, horses, etc. These "helpers" trampled sheaves, and workers manually separated the grains from the chaff.
There was another way of threshing when flails were used. What is flailing threshing? In this process, the simplest tool was used, which was called a thresher. A threshing tool could also be called flail. But all these items speak of the same work tool.
The gun consisted of two sticks connected to each other. One stick was long - up to two meters, and the second - short, up to 80 cm. The long part served as a handle, and the short one was working, it hit the cereals. Between these two sticks was a leather layer. Melee weapons later emerged from flails.
Machines for threshing began to appear only in the XVIII century. They were called threshers.
The best time to start
So, what is threshing, we now understand. But this is far from all the subtleties of such an important operation. An important role was played by the time of the described process.
Our ancestors believed that Monday or Thursday could be favorable days for starting this type of work. These days were considered the easiest. But Tuesday and Saturday were not recommended.
The first day of threshing was called "hammering." On this day, the owner, in order to ensure a good harvest, fed workers porridge cooked from various cereals.
Some Slavs on the first day of threshing sacrificed a rooster, in a pinch chicken. The work ended in the same way - by offering a sacrificial bird.
Other beliefs
A serious stage of spreading sheaves was entrusted to a woman who had many children, or who was expecting a baby. This status was considered a favorable sign.
In some areas, the head of the family made a cross with a shovel on harvested wheat, this drove off unclean spirits.
At the end of the threshing work, a stormy feast was arranged with obligatory refreshments from poultry or any animal (piglet, ram, lamb). Eastern Slavs finished the threshing feast with dishes of cereals and chicken.
The process itself
Threshing, or knocking out grains from ears, was often performed after the crop dried out a little.
When threshing with flails, sheaves were punched on both sides, turning them over several times. The more such overturns, the cleaner the thresh. However, the process was slow.
If animals trampled grain, it happened faster, as when using carts and skating rinks.
Wastes during threshing (chaff, sex) consist of small particles of spike and other plants, various films, scraps, etc. Chaff are stored under awnings or in a barn to protect from rain. Used as livestock feed. To make it softer, the chaff is often steamed with boiling water and only then the animals are fed. Otherwise (in dry form) it can lead to dangerous consequences, up to the death of livestock, due to its natural stiffness.
That, in fact, is all about such a concept as threshing.