The interior of the Russian hut is an integral part of the history and culture of Russia. It was she, the old hut, who became the main part of folklore and even the heroine of many tales and legends. Recall at least the hut on chicken legs - the fabulous dwelling of Baba Yaga, a terrible witch who scares young children. The main fairy-tale characters often circle her around the finger.
So, Ivan Tsarevich turns to her for help in order to save her beloved from the terrible fate, and not without cunning receives the gifts of the old sorceress. Grandma-Hedgehog is a negative character that helps in creating atrocities by Koshchei the Immortal, Snake Gorynych and Kota Bayun. But along with this, this "heroine" is quite funny, funny and satirical.
About the origins
The word "hut" in Russia had many interpretations depending on the place of residence of people, and therefore it was called differently. There are such synonyms as: izba, fate, izba, source and source. These words are often used in Russian chronicles, which, again, speaks of the indissolubility and connectedness of housing with human life. Such a phrase has a direct connection with such Russian verbs as “drown” or “drown”. This building primarily had a functional load, as it was intended to warm in cold weather and to shelter from natural conditions.
What was a hut in general
It is difficult to imagine the interior of the Russian hut without a stove, since it was it that was the center of the room and its favorite part. It is known that many East Slavic peoples, Ukrainians, Russians and Belarusians, retained the term "source". Well, as mentioned earlier, it denoted a heated building. It was a pantry for storing vegetables, and a living room of various sizes.
To know how to draw the decoration of a Russian hut, you need to understand what it meant to a person. A significant event was the construction of a house for a peasant. It was not enough to solve a practical problem and secure a roof over your head. First of all, the house was a full-fledged living space for the whole family. The decoration of the old Russian hut should have been filled, as far as possible, with all necessary necessities of life, provide residents with warmth, give them love and a sense of peace. Such housing can only be built according to the old covenants of the ancestors, and the peasants have always observed the traditions very carefully.
About traditions
Particular importance in the construction of the house was given to the choice of place, so that the structure was subsequently light, dry and high. Ritual value was no less important.
A happy place is one that has passed the strict test of time and has been inhabited earlier: it has become prosperous for the former owners who lived here. The territories near the burial grounds, baths, which were built there earlier, as well as near the road, were considered unsuccessful. It was believed that the devil himself walks along this path and can look into the home.
About building material
Materials for the construction of the hut were chosen very carefully. The Russians used pine or larch to build logs. These trees have long and even trunks, lie flat and tightly adjoin each other. They retain internal heat well and do not rot for a long time. The choice of logs in the forest was a rather difficult task, for centuries, a set of rules and an algorithm for selecting logs have been passed from fathers to children. Otherwise, if you choose the wrong, unsuitable material - the house will bring troubles and misfortunes.
Even for the interior decoration of the peasant's hut, it was impossible to cut sacred trees. They could bring heavy ailments into the house. There was a belief that said that such special breeds should live only in the forest and die their own death. If you break the ban, they will bring death and grief to the house.
Dry wood was also unsuitable for construction. The place where the trees grew was also important. The tree that grew at the crossroads of forest roads is “wild” and can bring a great misfortune into the house - destroy the log house and thereby kill the owners of the house.
Ceremonies
The Slavs could not do without rituals and the process of building a house. At the beginning of construction, a sacrifice was performed. The victim in this case was considered a chicken or a ram. Such a process was carried out when laying the first crown of the hut. Under the logs they put money, wool and grain as symbols of wealth, prosperity, love, family warmth. Also, incense was put there as a sign of the holiness of the house, as well as a kind of amulet against evil spirits. At the end of the work (construction), all participants in the process sat down at the table and were treated to delicious dishes.
The terrible rite of sacrifice was carried out for a reason. The victim was supposed to create a fortress at home and protect from adversity. Sometimes a man was brought as a gift to the gods, but this is in rare cases in order to protect the entire tribe from enemies. Most often, cattle were handed over to suffering: a bull or a horse. During archaeological excavations on the old houses, it was their skeletons that were found, as well as horse skulls.
For the ceremony, a special pit was made, the remains had to be put there. She was under the red corner, where the icons and other amulets were located. There were other favorite animals for building sacrifice. Such a favorite for the Slavs was a cock or chicken. This is evidenced by the tradition of placing weathercocks in the form of cockerels, as well as the image or figurine of this animal on the roof of the house.
One can cite as an example the immortal classical work of N. V. Gogol, "Wii." All evil spirits disappeared after the cry of a rooster. Therefore, the "screamer" is designed to protect the home from evil spirits. Photos, the decoration of the Russian hut which is shown in all its glory, are presented in this article.
Scheme of the roof
The roof was also made according to a special scheme:
- gutter;
- lump
- stamik;
- serga;
- flint;
- prince serga (knes);
- general slega;
- male;
- tumble;
- pritelina;
- a hen;
- pass;
- bull;
- oppression.
General view of the hut
The decoration of the Russian hut outside, such as our great-grandfathers imagined and built, was special. According to old traditions, houses were built for thousands of years. The Russian decoration of the hut depended on where the person lived and to which tribe he belonged to, since each tribe had its own traditions and laws by which they can be distinguished.
And even now it is impossible not to distinguish huts on the European territory of Russia. Indeed, chopped-up houses prevailed in the north, since there was plenty of forests there. In the south, there were huge reserves of clay, and therefore huts-huts were built from it. The interior of the Russian hut was also designed. Photos are a clear example of this.
According to ethnographers, not a single popular thought was immediately created in its original form, such as we can observe now. History, culture, and with them the thought of people, is changing and developing, introducing into everything that has been created harmony, beauty and the great power of love. This also applies to the home, which was forming and becoming more functional and convenient. These claims are proved by the mass of archaeological excavations.
The Russian decoration of the hut depended largely on the climatic conditions in which people lived, and on the available building material. So, in the north there was moist soil and dense forests full of logs suitable for the construction of dwellings, and in the south other products prevailed and were actively used. Based on this, a semi-dugout was widespread in the southern regions. This doom was one and a half meters deep in the ground, respectively, had a bulk floor. This type of home in Russia lasted until the 14-15th centuries.
After this time period, ground-based buildings with a wooden floor began to be built, since they had learned to process logs and make boards from them. Also, houses raised above the ground were made. They were more multifunctional, since they had 2 floors and provided opportunities for a comfortable life, storage of vegetable stocks, hay and housing for cattle in one house.
In the north, with an abundance of dense forests and a rather damp cold climate, the half dugouts quickly turned into terrestrial houses, faster than in the south. The Slavs and their ancestors occupied a fairly large territory and differed from each other in centuries-old traditions, including in the construction of housing. But each tribe was best adapted to the surrounding conditions, so it cannot be said that some huts were worse. Everything had its place. Now you can understand how to draw the decoration of the Russian hut.
Construction Details
Below is a photo. The decoration of the Russian hut on it is demonstrated the most typical for Ladoga, corresponding to the time period of the 9-11th centuries. The base of the house was square, that is, the width was equal to the length, which reached 5 meters.
The construction of the log cabin required an attentive and thorough approach, since the crowns had to coincide, and the logs should fit snugly together, and all the work was worth it.
The bars were supposed to fit as tightly as possible in order to protect the inhabitants from cold winds and drafts. Therefore, grooves were made in the log house through one log. Another beam was laid in this hole with a convex edge. The grooves between them were insulated with swamp moss, which carried not only heat-insulating value, but also antibacterial. On top of this building was coated with clay.
About the nuances of construction
The interior of the Russian hut sometimes implied an earthen floor, which was poured with water and rammed, which made it hard and smooth. During cleaning, a layer of dirt was simply swept away by a broom. But more often than not, the interior decoration of the peasant's hut assumed a wooden floor and raised one and a half meters above the ground. This was done in order to build the underground. From there, a hatch led into a living room with an oven. All vegetable stocks were preserved underground.
The Russian decoration of the hut among wealthy people suggested another superstructure from above. Outside, this house looked like a three-story one.
About extensions
The interior of the Russian hut also had several nuances. Russian people often attached a hallway with large wide windows to their dwelling. It was called a canopy. So, at the entrance to the house, you had to first go into the canopy, and then enter the chamber. Such an entrance hall was 2 meters wide. Sometimes the canopy was connected to the cattle shed, so, accordingly, they made more.
In addition, this extension had a lot of other destinations. They kept the good there and made something necessary in bad weather, since the peasant never sat idle. In summer, guests can be put to bed there after a noisy holiday. The archaeologists gave the name “dvukhkamernaya” to such a dwelling, since it consisted of 2 rooms.
The interior decoration of the peasant's hut was not complete without a crate. Since the beginning of the 10th century, this room has served as an additional bedroom, which was used only in the summer, since it was not heated. There you could store food all year round. And in winter - even perishable dishes, because it is always cold there.
How was kovlya built
The roof in the hut was made using several techniques: it could be wooden, shingled, cramped or from drank. With the development of history, and with it the skills of the people, in the time period of the 16-17th centuries, the Slavs developed a unique concept of covering the roof with a birch bark, which protected from leakage. She also carried an aesthetic purpose, as she betrayed the diversity of the building. They put some earth and turf on the roof. This was an old smart technology, protecting the house from fire.
As a rule, dugouts and half-dugouts did not have windows. The interior of the Russian hut because of this did not, of course, look the way we used to imagine. There were small window openings tightened by the stomachs of cattle. However, later, when the hut "grew" above the ground, they began to make large glazed windows that not only let light through, but also allowed to see what was happening on the street. The external decoration of the Russian hut suggested glazed window frames, which at the beginning (the 10th century) were only among wealthy owners.
The toilet in Russia was called the “back” and was located, as a rule, in the hallway. It was a hole in the floor, which "looked" down, towards the ground level, where cattle were usually kept. He appeared in huts since the 16th century.
About building windows
Russian decoration of the hut at a later time did not appear without windows. Typically, the window opening consisted of 2 adjacent logs that were cut to half. A rectangular frame was inserted there, having a valve that "walked" in the horizontal direction.
The inner space of the hut
The interior of the Russian hut was from one to three residential premises. Entrance to the house began with a canopy. The room intended for housing has always been very warm and heated by a stove. The interior of the hut (photo) perfectly illustrates the life of the commoners of those times.
As for the wealthy peasants and people with a high rank, then in their home there was a place and an additional room, which was called a chambermaid. In it, the hosts received guests, and she was also very warm, bright and spacious. It was heated by a Dutch oven.
The interior of the Russian hut was not imagined without an oven, occupying most of the room, which was located at the entrance. However, in the southern part of the country, it was located in the far corner.
The interior of the Russian hut was distinguished by a special, but at the same time rather simple, placement of objects. The dining table usually stood in a corner, diagonally from the stove. Directly above it was a "red corner" with icons and other amulets. There were benches along the walls, shelves built into the walls above them. Such interior decoration of the Russian hut (photo) was found almost everywhere.
The furnace had a multifunctional load, because it brought not only warm and tasty food, but also had a berth.
The interior of the Russian hut also demonstrates that there was much in common with the traditions of the East Slavic peoples, but there were differences. In the north of Russia, people built stone stoves. They got their name because they were made of stone without the use of any fastening solution.
In the areas of Staraya Ladoga, the base of the stone firebox was equal to one and a half meters across. The decoration of the peasant's hut in the Izborsk region suggested a stove made of clay, but on a stone foundation. In length and width it reached up to 1 meter, as well as in height.
In the southern regions of the Eastern Slavic countries, the furnace was built larger and wider, its stone foundation was laid with an approximate calculation of one and a half meters in length and 2 - in width. In height, such furnaces reached 1.2 meters.