Now most of us live in the city, and if a visit comes to the village, it is very rare and, as they say, on big holidays. It is no wonder that we do not even know what the decoration of a rural house is called. And from where, in general, to get such information to those who were born and raised among high-rise buildings and asphalt?
Although, of course, this is not entirely correct. Still, you should not forget about the traditions and culture of our ancestors.
Today we will try to tell as much as possible about what is called decoration of a rural house, highlighting the most basic elements of decor: platbands, various figures, peculiar windows and characteristic features of some nationalities.
Section 1. Unusual rural houses of the world
Most likely, most of us are not even aware of the existence in Sweden of such a small area as Helsingland, bordering the Gulf of Bothnia. What is so special about him? The thing is that the village is famous for nothing more than an impressive number of wooden rural houses that are decorated in the traditional style of the 19th century.
Historians argue that in those days, farmers with high social status, who wanted to demonstrate their prosperity, sought to build buildings as much as possible. That is, the status in society could well be determined by the size of the house.
It is amazing that we managed to save all this to our days, thereby glorifying the modest town, because analogues of such architectural masterpieces in the world no longer exist.
In the 18-19 centuries, farmers managed to make a considerable fortune largely due to the fertility of the soil. With money, they built houses, which were then decorated in the best traditions of Sweden.
Want to know what is the name of the decoration of a rural house in Sweden the century before last? Never guess: pictures! By the way, in order to gracefully and originally decorate the house, artists sometimes had to work for days.
After the finished canvas was attached to the ceilings and walls. Basically, the theme was biblical, but if possible, artists created in other styles.
It should be noted that another difference between the rural houses of Helsingland was the presence of a room or even a separate annex in which the hosts arranged holidays, and, accordingly, these premises were decorated more sophisticatedly.
Section 2. Do you have platbands in your house?
If you think about it, the word "platband" will say it all for itself. It is easy to guess: this is exactly what is located directly on the face, that is, in the front or central part of the house.
Our ancestors believed that windows and doors can protect the hearth from various kinds of external troubles (cold, drafts and evil spirits). That is why this part of the interior had to be made not only durable, but also in a special way decorated.
That is, answering the question of what kind of decorations there are in a rural house, every modern person can safely name the platbands, which, after being mounted as a talisman, were covered with marvelous patterns resembling elements of traditional Russian embroidery.
Something similar can now be seen on towels or shirts stored in museums.
Section 3. Crafts and amulets
There is no single name for the decorations of a rural house of this kind. These are just figurines. According to popular beliefs, peasants used them in order to get a favorable attitude of mother nature. For example, there was a figurine symbolizing the image of a mother woman. It was created with arms and legs spread out and was called the coastline.
No less important was the sun. He was depicted both in the form of sunset, and in the form of a morning sunrise. This symbol gave strength to the male half of the population.
In the form of waves depicted water. But what without her? After all, it plays a crucial role in human life. Much depended on it: quality of life, health, well-being, future crop and physical condition of livestock. It was customary to divide the water in Russia into heavenly water, that is, falling onto the earth in the form of precipitation, and underground water, which formed rivers, streams and lakes.
The crop-producing land did not stand aside. On platbands, for example, it was shown in the form of special diamond shapes with dots or lines intersecting inside. This symbolism designated, respectively, a pasture and a field sown with grain crops.
Quite often in a rural house one could also find crafts in the form of animals. For example, horses, birds, dragons and others. Each beast had its own meaning, say, a snake has always been considered the keeper of the house.
Section 4. Do you want to live in the original house? Set your own windows
In the peasant villages there were traditions in which it was said that an angel gave a window to a man, having come to one woman. She wanted her house to always have light, so she tried to bring sunlight into the sieve. Seeing this, the keeper cut through a window in the hut. But this is just a legend.
In fact, the first windows were simple, small and unpretentious, and closed with simple planks, sliding. And only from the 19th century, when glass became available, did real windows appear that are familiar to us and have a frame and shutters.
Section 5. Ukrainian Vitantines
Do you know what the decorations of a rural house located somewhere far from the central part of Russia are called? Perhaps there are some peculiarities. Surely. It cannot be otherwise.
For example, in Ukraine, rural houses in the 19th century were often decorated with so-called showcases, which are several times folded paper. Due to the multi-layered, rather unusual openwork compositions were obtained. The ornament, by the way, was very diverse, ranging from images of flora and fauna to simple geometric shapes.
By the way, such famous personalities as Mikhail Kotsyubinsky and Ivan Franko tried to tell their readers about the name of the decoration of a rural house.
As for the aforementioned showcases, they at one time received the greatest distribution in the Carpathian, Dnieper and Podil. Although it should be noted that in each region they brought something of their own. Absolutely identical interiors were quite rare, although the names of the decorations of a rural house of this kind have been preserved in Ukraine to this day.