The reforms carried out in Russia by Peter I, condemning the attitude of Catherine II to the atrocities of serfdom, did not essentially change the standard of living and the position of the peasantry in the 18th century. 90% of the country's population experienced an increase in feudal oppression, increased poverty, complete lack of rights. Peasant life, subordinate to the routine of work on the earth, was rational, poor, preserving the roots and traditions of their ancestors.
What did the peasant grow?
Agricultural work in the field was carried out from April to October. Methods of tillage, methods of growing crops, a set of tools were passed from father to son and grandson. In different regions of the country, differences were observed related to climatic and historical conditions. Of great importance were the cultivated soils. But plow, an antiquity of peasant life, although with constructive differences, remained itself throughout the country.
The main crops grown by Russian peasants were cereals. Rye, wheat, oats, millet, buckwheat grew in all regions. Peas, vetch, clover were planted for fattening livestock; hemp and flax were planted for technical and household needs. These are native Russian cultures.
Of the “foreign” and settled down in Russian agriculture should be noted cabbage, lentils, and in the XVIII century - corn, potatoes, sunflowers and tobacco. Although these "delicacies" were not grown for the peasant table.
Livestock
The level of peasant life directly depended on the amount of cultivated land and the availability of livestock. First of all, cows. If there is cattle in the yard, the family is no longer in poverty, can afford more nutritious food, and on holidays bought clothes, and richer household goods. In the farms of the "middle peasants" there could be 1-2 horses.
Small animals: pigs, sheep, goats - it was easier to keep. And it was difficult to survive without a bird: chickens, ducks, geese. Where conditions allowed, local residents added mushrooms and berries to their poor diet. Of no small importance were fishing and hunting. Especially these crafts were common in Siberia and the North.
Peasant hut
At first it was called the residential heated part, but by the XVIII century it was already a complex of courtyard buildings. The quality and quality of the buildings depended on the income of the family, on the level of peasant life, and the composition of the farm buildings was approximately the same: barns, rigs, sheds, baths, barns, houses, cellars and so on. The concept of “yard” included a garden, a vegetable garden, a land plot.
In Russia, the houses were chopped, that is, the ax was the main building tool. The heater, which was laid between the crowns, was moss, later - tow. The roofs were covered with straw, which, when there was a shortage of feed, was fed to cattle by spring. The entrance to the heated part was through the canopy, which served to preserve heat, store household utensils, and in the summer as an additional living area.
The furniture in the hut was “built-in,” that is, motionless. Along all the unoccupied walls, wide benches were set up, which became night beds. Shelves were hung above the shops on which they kept all sorts of things.
The importance of the furnace in the peasant life of the early 18th century
They invited a good master to lay down the stove, which was a very important element of the peasant's hut, because it was not an easy task. Mother oven fed, warmed, steamed, cured, put to bed. The stove was heated in black, that is, there was no pipe, and caustic smoke from the chimney spread out under the ceiling. It was difficult to breathe, eyes were watery, the ceiling and walls smoked, but the heat remained longer, and firewood was saved.
The stoves were set large, almost a quarter hut. The mistress got up early to drown her in the morning. She drowned for a long time, but for a long time and kept warm, you can cook food, bake bread, and dry clothes. The furnace had to be heated all year round, even periodically in the summer, in order to bake bread for a week and dry mushrooms and berries. The weakest members of the family usually slept on the stove: children and the elderly. In Russian huts, they built a floor, flooring from the stove to the opposite wall is also a berth.
The layout of the room “danced” from the location of the stove in the house. They put it to the left of the front door. The mouth of the stove looked into a corner adapted for cooking. This is the host's place. It housed household items that women used daily: hand millstones, mortars, pots, bowls, spoons, sieves, buckets. The corner was considered “dirty”, therefore, it was covered from prying eyes by a chintz curtain. From here there was a descent underground for groceries. A washstand hung by the stove. The hut was lit by torches.
The rest of the room, called fair, had a red corner. He was in a corner, diagonally from the stove. There has always been an iconostasis with a lamp. The most dear guests were invited here, and on weekdays here, at the head of the table, was the host, who gave permission to start eating after prayer.
Other courtyard buildings
Often the courtyard building was done on two floors: cattle lived below, and hayloft above. Reasonable owners attached it with one wall to the house, so that the cattle were warmer and the hostess did not have to run out into the cold. Tools, sledges, carts were stored in a separate shed.
Peasant life of the 18th century could not do without a bath. Even the poorest households had it. The bath device has survived to this day, practically unchanged, only then it was drowned in black.
The barn with grain was cherished the most. They put him away from the hut, watched so as not to catch fire, hung a lock on the door.
What did the peasants dress in?
Men wore caftans of thick cloth, undercoats for warmth. And in the summer in all cases of life - chintz shirts and canvas pants. Everyone had feet on their feet, but on holidays the wealthy peasants wore boots.
Women were always more interested in their clothes. They wore canvas, chintz, woolen skirts, sarafans, sweatshirts - all that they dress in now. Only then was clothing most often made of homespun fabrics, but it was decorated with embroidery, beads, multi-colored laces and belts.
Peasant life consisted not only of harsh everyday life. In Russian villages they always loved holidays and knew how to walk merrily. Riding from the mountains, on horses, swings and carousels are traditional fun. Funny songs, round dances, polyphonic singing - this is also the life of the 18th century.