Peasants in Russia sought to keep their bodies clean. This was noticed even by travelers who visited many countries. So, a Russian person, unlike the Europeans, who watered themselves with colognes and special vinegars to eliminate an unpleasant smell, was most often seen in clean clothes, with washed hair and a fresh face. The Russian stove helped in this.
How to wash in the old days - this will be discussed further.
Place the stove in the Russian hut
Occupying sometimes up to a third of the entire room of the chamber, it was always considered almost a holy place.
- The stove gave heat and food.
- The fire, according to legend, had a miraculous effect and could take away all the hardships and ailments.
- The patient was laid on the floor to warm the bones. And newborns, especially premature ones, were often brought to the mouth and doused with a “stove spirit” to give them health.
- She dried clothes.
Old people and children did spend most of their lives on the stove: it was always warm and comfortable here. And how sweetly the wind howled in the pipe, casting a nap and creating a mysterious atmosphere around.
It remains only to ask the question: were you washed in a Russian stove? And the answer to it, oddly enough it sounds to a modern person, is affirmative.
Preparing for a swim
The stove was usually flooded in the morning. They cooked and kept food in it, which remained warm throughout the day, and baked cakes. In the morning, on the other hand, large cast iron was put in the furnace with water for washing and less with liquor - ash filled with water. In advance they could prepare healing broths - the herbs were simply lowered into cast iron in water.
Direct preparation for washing began in the evening. Everything was taken out of the oven, except for cast irons with water and liquor. Ashes were scooped up, the mouth and walls were scoured from soot, as far as it was possible to do, because it was necessary to wash in the Russian oven in the direct sense of the word. At the same time, her readiness was checked in advance by throwing a handful of flour inside: if the latter did not catch fire, it was possible to start bathing. Then the shutters were closed, the base was lined with boards or straw. In rare cases, a trough was placed in the oven - then you could wash thoroughly, without fear that water would spill onto the floor.
Particular attention was paid to the mouth through which the person entered the furnace: his walls were cleaned of soot, and a self-woven rug was thrown over the straw or boards.
How to wash in a Russian stove
G. Uspensky very clearly describes this process unusual for modern man. In one of his essays, he recalls how, having entered the Russian hut, he heard from the "wrapped up", i.e. stoves, at first trembling and rustling - as he would later understand, it was a broom - then a man's scream. The woman opened the mouth, and the owner got out of it, steaming to exhaustion. As a rule, the washed one immediately ran into the canopy or to the street, where he doused himself with pre-prepared water.
In principle, this scene fully explains how they used to wash in the Russian stove.
It’s worth adding to the photo that the water was used very sparingly, otherwise it would flood the whole house. And so the water was gradually absorbed into the straw, in extreme cases it fell on the floor in front of the stove.
It was necessary to get out of the mouth carefully so as not to get dirty with soot. But even if this happened, the problem was solved: in front of the stove they put a big tub or trough and doused themselves with water right in the hut.
Women, as a rule, washed with children, men, one or two at a time.
After washing, wet straw was removed from the oven, the remaining water was removed, and the vent was dried. The next day, the story could repeat itself.
Who preferred to wash in the oven
Most often, this method was used for bathing children, sick and feeble old people. Mother undressed and climbed into the oven, through the mouth she was given a tub of cold water, a washcloth and then a baby. At the same time, they could use a shovel - from here, perhaps, fairy tales about Baba Yaga, sending an unexpected guest to the oven, went. Children washed in the oven were usually placed in a trough and doused with warm water to wash off the soot if it got on the skin. Then wrapped in a towel and sent to the party.
For those who could not get into the oven on their own, they prepared a board. A patient or an old man was placed on it and “brought” into the furnace, where an assistant was already waiting for him, who was carrying out further washing.
This is how they used to wash themselves in a Russian stove.
Why is this the best bathing place for a girl?
Very often unmarried girls or widows washed in this way. There were also explanations for this.
In a number of Russian regions for a long time it was believed that going to a single girl in a bathhouse is either completely sinful, or is only possible in the company of a mother or a married woman. Therefore, often there was nothing left but to climb into the furnace.
In addition, there was an opinion that a banner (i.e. a brownie) likes to make fun of swimmers: for example, throw a hot stone, pour boiling water on it, support the door, etc. He allegedly made jokes with girls much more seriously. Similar tricks were attributed to kikimore, who allegedly lived in a bathhouse under the floor. Therefore, the girls preferred to wash themselves in a hut, next to images protecting from evil spirits - they always hung in a red corner.
Which is better: oven or bath?
Oddly enough, a similar method of washing was preserved in some Russian villages until the end of the last century. Thus, they continued to wash in the oven after the baths appeared. Here's how to explain it.
Baths were built separately from the hut, sometimes at the other end of the yard. In winter, it was easy to catch the ailment: still - go steamed and in the cold! Therefore, not only small children, old people and girls, but also other family members went to the oven.
The next argument is net savings. The furnace was still heated every day, so why not arrange a washroom in it in the evening. Of course, in such a “steam room” you won’t be able to swing your broom a lot, but you don’t need to translate the firebox in vain either.
Those who had a chance to wash themselves in a Russian stove note the smell of steamed straw and the aromas of medicinal herbs that are remembered forever. It turned out a kind of aromatherapy - a variant of a modern sauna or Turkish bath.
Finally, one more aspect should not be overlooked: the method of washing in the Russian oven had an excellent healing effect, especially if the patient was first given a drink of healing broth. He warmed up both outside and inside, and the disease, according to many, vanished. After that, the damper on the pipe was opened so that the ailment would not return to the hut.
Into the oven, then down the aisle
Talking about how to wash in the Russian oven and who usually did this, one cannot but mention the custom associated with the wedding. On the evening before the day when it was necessary to go to the crown, the bride and groom arranged a steam room. In the house of each of them a stove was heated - the hotter the stronger the life of the new family should have been. Also, small brooms were prepared, as well as a can of kvass for the bride and beer for the groom. In these drinks, the young people lowered brooms and sprayed them on the walls of the oven. This helped to steam and clean the skin, making it soft and white.
For the bride, washing in the oven of the house was filled with one more meaning: she said goodbye to her homeland and went under the protection of her husband.
Thus, the story about how to wash themselves in a Russian stove - in the photo it looks very funny - has a historical basis and to some extent explains the cheerful character of a Russian person.