Nowadays, dolls are just children's toys. However, this was not always the case. In ancient times, the Slavs treated them completely differently. They were amulets, and each had its own responsibilities. Suppose a bell doll, a master class for the manufacture of which is presented in this article, protects from bad energy and attracts good news to the house.
Very often dolls made of cloth were used in the performance of some rituals, for example, in getting rid of terrible ailments. According to folk tales, charm dolls have magical abilities: they protect from the evil eye, evil forces, diseases and misfortunes.
On the traditions of making folk dolls
The bell doll, a master class on the manufacture of which is presented below in the article, is an interesting baby-doll-amulet, it is considered traditional for our ancestors. This talisman directs its energy to the protection of housing. It is an analogue of the Chinese bell - the music of the wind.
Recently, interest in Chinese Feng Shui has cooled. Moreover, we can say that the fashion for oriental traditions has not taken root. But there is a new surge of interest in native amulets and in their history. Finally, Russian rag dolls took their deserved place on the shelves of souvenir shops.
Folk rag dolls, they are also called nodular dolls, have been considered amulets from ancient times. Some sources say that they are more than 5 thousand years old. Such "motanki" are popular not only in our country, they are common in many countries of the world.
Small amulet dolls, in which the masters put the most diverse meaning, is a wonderful tradition that should not be forgotten, moreover, it must be supported and developed in every way. Only your own energy and energy of the native land can become a good amulet for a person.
Doll bell
A bell is a doll of good news, whose homeland is Valdai. It was from there that the Valdai bells went. Since ancient times, the ringing of bells has protected the people from various diseases. Moreover, the bells always rang under the arc of the festive three. The bell itself has an arched shape, and its top view resembles the shape of the sun.
Such dolls have three skirts, like a man has three kingdoms: gold, silver and copper. And happiness also consists of three parts: when the body is good, the soul is joyful and calm, then the person will be happy.
Presenting the bell to a loved one as a gift, thereby you wish a friend comfort in the house and good news. The doll-charm bell, the meaning of which we will examine in more detail, is an integral attribute of the life of our ancestors.
Value
This chrysalis is considered a messenger of good news. Small Valdai bells were equipped with all the carts carrying letters and parcels. It is thanks to these long-awaited little bells that the little doll appeared, which is considered the guardian of the hearth. She also protects the house from bad news.
In the old days in Russia, housewives donned small bells in a doll-house - so they wanted to bring a string of good news to their home. The guardian of the family from sad news was assigned to this amulet.
Folk doll-bell united at once two images. In addition to the coachman’s small bells, she personified the brownie’s wife, who managed the housework and protected the house from shocks.
Most often, a bell doll is placed near the doors, it is at this place that it protects the house from bad news and lures good ones. When planning to make such a doll, you need to stock up on beautiful satin materials. In the craft, the red color should become predominant, which always carried the meaning of joyful and good events.
The origin of the amulets
Most historians and art historians are of the opinion that the doll became a reflection of Valdai history, so the time of its birth is considered the 15th century. This theory has no evidence. Maybe in this region the appearance of the doll fell precisely during this period of time, but in other parts of the country this type of doll-amulet arose under other circumstances. There are those people who believe that the bells appeared much earlier, their age is more than a dozen centuries, and such dolls appeared long before the baptism of Russia.
There is a lot of evidence showing that our ancestors knew what a bell was, much earlier than the meeting of the Russian prince with the Byzantine emperor. In short, even before the advent of Christianity in Russia, they knew what a bell was and how to use it. As a result, we can conclude that the doll-charm bell may be much older than many people think. But, unfortunately, evidence of this fact has not been preserved.
DIY bell doll: materials for making
To make the doll really beautiful and be able to become a decoration at home, special attention should be paid to the selection of suitable materials and necessary tools:
- To make the doll beautiful, you need to choose three types of fabric in different colors. It is desirable that they be bright and patterned, one of them must be sustained in red colors. The lengths of the sides of the squares should be 22 cm, 20 cm and 15 cm, the largest segment should be of denser fabric so that the doll holds its shape.
- In addition, a piece of white cloth 12 by 2.5 cm is also useful.
- To decorate the dolls, it is also necessary to prepare red threads, lace, braid and satin ribbons.
- To decorate the doll, you will also need a piece of fabric, which will serve as a scarf. It should be triangular in shape with dimensions of 15 by 15 by 21 cm.
- A piece of cotton wool (synthetic winterizer) or a lump of straw.
- An integral attribute is a bell.
Bell doll: description of the manufacturing work
Before embarking on manufacturing, one important rule needs to be clarified: when performing amulets, you cannot use piercing and cutting tools, you need to exclude scissors, needles, stationery knives, etc. The needlewomen tear the matter with their own hands.
To begin with, take a bell and a piece of cotton or sintepon. The filler is shaped into a ball and a bell is attached to it.
After that, circles should be cut out of all square segments. In the center of the largest and densest circle, they lay a structure made of stuffing and a bell, wrap it with cloth and tighten with threads in such a way as to produce a blank in the form of a skirt and a head.
Then, in the same way, the remaining two circles are attached: first the one with the larger diameter, and then the smaller one. The result should be a three-layer bell made of beautifully shaped fabric.
Be careful, the threads in the neck should be secured neatly. It is necessary to choose one of the sides that will serve as the face of the pupa; it must be made extremely smooth without any wrinkles. Now you know how to make a bell doll, but this is just the basis, now you should decorate the head and make its pens.
Head decoration
When the base is completely ready, it is necessary to proceed to the design of the head. To do this, you need a blank of white fabric. Two opposite corners must be connected so that they are in contact with each other in the center, then the part must be folded in half.
Next, in the middle of the workpiece, you need to put the doll's head in and pull it together with threads so that the fabric is well fixed. For fixation, you need to use red threads, since it is this color that has great protective power. Upon completion of these actions, the chrysalis acquires a worthy appearance, and a face and pens appear on it.
Handle Shaping
In order to arrange the pens, it is necessary to further work with a piece of white matter. The corners of the white square are bent inward and bandaged around the edges. Approximately 0.5-1 cm should be retreated from the edge of the fabric; red threads should also be used for wrapping.
Manufacturing Features
Creating a home amulet, needlewomen must adhere to unspoken rules. Their observance will lead to the best result. If you decide to start making a bell, then you should familiarize yourself with them in more detail:
- A fabric doll is a symbol of the female spirit guarding the house. When it is made, men are forbidden to attend.
- Dolls should be made only by the hostess of the house.
- When working on creating a talisman that should attract good news, you cannot use old things. Especially it is necessary to abandon those things that belonged to the sick or brought failure.
- When making a doll-amulet, you cannot use a needle - this is considered a bad omen.
- Being in a bad mood and mood, you need to abandon the manufacture of talismans. A happy aura will be the key to the energy that you put into your bell doll.
If you are not confident in your abilities, then it is better to purchase a doll from a professional craftswoman. However, you need to choose those needlewomen who know the traditions of making such amulets, only this way the doll can bring good to the house and be safe.
Conspiracies
The original souvenir is still a bell doll. The master class, of course, tells in detail about how to make it, but in order to make a real amulet or talisman, it must be activated.
Creating a doll, you need to "communicate" with it, share your desires, thoughts and invest your energy. However, this is not enough to create a real amulet. Making a bell, you need to mentally turn to the Slavic gods and ask them for help in household chores.
Each for himself must find a conspiracy that will meet your expectations. Most often, people ask for health, love, prosperity, referring to the Slavic God Perun.
Why a folk doll has no face
Russian folk doll-bell, the production of which does not take too much time, is traditionally performed faceless. The face was never designated, it was always left white. A faceless chrysalis is an inanimate object, and therefore evil, unkind forces cannot move into it, therefore, such a talisman is harmless to children and adult family members.
Such dolls as a miracle, made of several pieces of fabric, without legs and face, convey the character of a master. At the same time, they were many-sided: they could cry and laugh.
Today, a folk doll made of fabric is gaining its popularity again. And this type of needlework, such as making rag dolls, is reborn. Such a charm carries the traditions of Russian culture and the memory of our ancestors.
The homeland of such a folk amulet is Valdai, therefore such amulets are called Valdai bells. The bell doll, a master class for the manufacture of which was presented in this article, is quite simple to manufacture, it should have a red scarf and three skirts on it.
The bell inside the amulet will always remind you of the festivities on the three horses. Maybe such a doll will remind someone of something bright and expensive. Having made such a charm, it can be presented as a gift to a loved one.