What was life like in Russia in the past?

On 18.10. we went to the university in the afternoon to the "музея народной культуры" (Museum of Folk Culture). The museum director told us a lot about the typical costumes from different times. For example, garments from Ukraine with flower patterns, from the Baltic states with stripes, or from Moscow with embroidered shoulders adorned the dolls that were spread throughout the room.

In the past, it was normal to marry young women at the age of 17, while men were already 21 years old. Married women needed 4 dresses back then, which they had to make themselves from the age of 8. The clothing was woven from hemp and dyed with natural colors. The skirt was sewn together from 4 wide strips, so that the size could be changed at any time. There were usually many children in the family so that the parents could be taken care of in their old age. The headgear or braid revealed how many children the woman had or whether she was married.

The neighboring room was furnished as people lived then. Since one did not have to pay taxes per person, but per household, several generations lived in one house, which also meant one room. In the exhibition room, there was a large oven where they used to bake, sleep, and bathe. In the middle, there were several spinning wheels and a small loom. Many objects that were used in the past were displayed on the walls, as well as a typical bed with a cradle. The corner with many pictures stood out. This corner was referred to as the "Red Corner", which meant nothing more than the "Important Corner".

We changed rooms again and now we made a typical Russian doll ourselves. Cut fabrics were passed around and the director showed us how to do it. After several knots and cuts, everyone had their own doll and already a small homemade souvenir.

Meta Rose