Traditional Russian culture as the basis for the formation of national self-awareness of the younger generation Lidiya Konstantinovna Zyazeva. Russian traditional culture in the modern space of a comprehensive school What is the culture of the Russian people located

“Russian traditional culture in the modern space of a comprehensive school.” MBOU Lyceum No. 22 “Nadezhda Siberia” 1st “a” grade.

Aseeva Valentina Ivanovna – primary school teacher of the highest qualification category.

The modern education system faces the task of introducing new generations to the historical memory of the people, and therefore preserving it in our children. Knowledge of traditional heritage is necessary for every nation. Our past is the foundation of a stable, full-blooded life in the present and the key to the fruitful development of the people in the future.

Folklore is a unique, original culture of our ancestors, thanks to which the continuity of generations is carried out, their introduction to the national origins of life. This is an invaluable gift to the memory of generations, a kind of treasury of folk knowledge about life, about man, about Beauty and Love, about the eternal problems of Good and Evil. This knowledge contains concepts about the need for a thoughtful and careful attitude towards the world around us, about creative activity that allows us to preserve existing spiritual and aesthetic values, and on their basis to continuously create new things.

Traditional folk culture developed over thousands of years, was carefully preserved and inherited by many generations. Its uniqueness is manifested in everything: both in content and in methods of transmission, storage, and distribution. Wise folk words, musical intonations honed over centuries, organic traditional plastic arts - all this contributes to the cultivation of a sense of beauty, helps to lay the foundations for each student to understand himself as a part of nature and society. Kindness, honesty, respect for elders, justice, masculinity, conscientiousness are qualities that every nation nurtures in children. And this is the basis, these are the “whales” in folk pedagogy. Since ancient times, people have created their own pedagogy, preparing children with the help of various educational means for economic and practical activities.

In the process of raising children in folk traditions, national self-awareness develops, and therefore respect for one’s people. This program is based on the opinion that the main way to develop universal human qualities is to introduce a child to his or her national culture.

Explanatory note

Children's folklore plays an important role in the education of preschoolers and schoolchildren, the leading feature of which is the unity of poetics, music, manner of performance and function of the work. (M.N. Melnikov). Its peculiarity is determined by folk artistic thinking and the requirements of folk pedagogy. For example, in sayings, nursery rhymes, children's songs, jokes, improvisation, imagery, rhythm and instruction are combined (M.Yu. Novitskaya). This is a kind of game school designed to provide the child with an adequate way of understanding the world around him. (A.M. Martynova). Children's folklore is, first of all, a culture of dialogue; it is focused on interaction, the need to listen and respond. The fairy tale, created for children's edification, was attracted by fiction that carries deep life meaning. Children's calendar folklore provided an intonational, poetic, figurative form of communication with the outside world. Functionality is the most important condition for introducing children to folk culture.

Nomination - methodological articles describing pedagogical experience in the field of Russian traditional culture in the modern educational space.

Purpose of the program:

To educate a free, creatively active, diversified personality using the experience and materials of centuries-old Russian national culture in lessons of the surrounding world, literary reading, Russian language, technology, and fine arts.

Tasks:

introduce children to the centuries-old national culture in lessons and extracurricular activities;

distinguish objects and works of culture;

compare ancient and modern methods of storing and transmitting culture, finding commonalities and differences;

share emotional and aesthetic impressions of the perception of nature and culture;

1.Cognitive:

Find and highlight the necessary information from texts, illustrations, textbooks;

Give an idea of ​​the folk calendar;

Construct a discussion on the topic of the lesson in accordance with age standards;

Study traditional genres of folklore: carols, chants, Maslenitsa, round dance songs, ditties, etc., as well as genres of folk prose (fairy tales, riddles, proverbs, sayings); dance;

Introduce children to folk theater;

Give an idea of ​​folk costume;

2. Regulatory:

Understand and accept the learning task formulated by the teacher;

Plan your actions at individual stages of a lesson or event;

At the end of the lesson, record satisfaction/dissatisfaction in lessons, events, and be objective about your successes/failures;

Form aesthetic consciousness;

Develop physical health: agility, strength, coordination, speed of reaction;

Develop memory, creative imagination, attention, ingenuity, observation;

Ability to work in a team and communicate with people;

3. Communicative:

To develop love for one’s native land and respect for the traditions of one’s people;

To instill respect for a folk song, dance, riddle, ditty, fairy tale, game;

Engage in dialogue with the teacher and peers;

Formulate answers to questions;

Listen to your communication partner (activity), do not interrupt, do not cut off mid-sentence, delve into the meaning of what the interlocutor is saying;

Understand and accept, together with peers, the task of group work, distribute functions in a group (pair) when completing tasks in a lesson and event;

4. Personal:

Instill a sense of love for one’s neighbor, kindness, mutual assistance, cordiality;

Promote the development of students' creative abilities;

Develop initial performing skills;

Aesthetic feelings, impressions through the perception of nature, culture, works of oral folk art, traditional costume

Ethical standards (cooperation, mutual assistance) based on student interaction when performing joint tasks

Organization of the educational process:

The program is designed for 1 year of study, for children 7-8 years old.

Classes with children should take the form of conversation and games, conducting lessons, holidays and concert programs.

The holiday lesson takes place once a month from 45 minutes to 1 hour.

The composition of the group is one class of 25-30 people.

The peculiarity of the organization of the system of classes is that they are built according to the folk calendar.

The holiday activity is built on two principles:

From simple to complex

Dynamic pulsation: fast - slow, simple - complex, speech - musical.

Conditions for the program:

Premises – a hall or classroom for conducting classes.

1. Musical instruments: balalaika, whistles, tambourines, spoons, rubles, rattles, bells.

   Equipment reproducing MP3, audio, DVD and CD formats.

Forms of control:

Celebrations

Participation in school holidays

The organization of work to implement the program is carried out in three directions: educational cycle classes, joint activities (holiday classes for children), independent activities of children (holiday classes for parents).

First direction – cognitive cycle classes. They reveal the main plot of the year. At the same time, children’s attention is drawn to identifying the characteristics of seasonal natural phenomena, their characteristics, their relationship with labor and ritual human activities aimed at a careful, respectful attitude towards nature. In the educational cycle classes, children become familiar with folk signs, ritual actions, folk games, proverbs, sayings, works of oral folk art and folklore.

Second direction determines the content of joint activities between the teacher and children. Here tasks aimed at developing interest in knowledge of folk culture are solved. So the harmonious relationship between seasonal work and entertainment, as a moral norm in national life, will be convincingly proven if you organize holidays with your children, where you can get things done and have fun.

Third direction – independent activity of children. The teacher creates special conditions. Providing free activity for children, conducive to the realization of a creative plan, the manifestation of initiative, and imagination. Children use the ideas obtained in cognitive activities organized by the teacher in folk household and outdoor games, independent artistic activities and for conducting open holiday classes for parents.

The program reflects the dynamics of the development of a child’s musical abilities - from impulsive responses to the simplest musical phenomena to a holistic active perception of folk culture. A special feature of the program is its integrative nature, which makes it possible to combine various elements of the educational process and the process of “living” folklore, its “germination” into the life of a child. In addition, folklore classes are naturally intertwined with the development of speech, familiarization with the outside world, physical education, visual arts, etc.

Folk calendar: What is a calendar. Folk signs of each month. People's month book. Congratulations to the birthday people of each month.

Calendar holidays: Celebrate the most significant and interesting holidays. Studying various genres of folklore for each selected holiday.

Khorovno-game and dance folklore: Introduce children to games, round dances, and dances. Give a performance and develop theatrical skills with the help of round dance and folklore games.

Small genres folklore and folk theater: Give a performance and develop theatrical skills using genres such as proverbs, tongue twisters, sayings, rhymes, jokes, fairy tales, dramatizations.

Instrumental folk music: acquaintance, mastery and use of available traditional tools. Ensemble performance of folk music .

Working with a team: preparing holidays, rehearsing individual numbers for performances, holding closed and open holidays (holidays only for children, or with the invitation of parents).

The meaning of the Russian folk calendar and principles of working with it.

Getting to know the Russian folk calendar is one of the important ways to familiarize children with traditional folk culture, to understand its originality and origins.

The folk calendar is an extremely voluminous and rich phenomenon. It covers the entire annual cycle and various events in a person’s life. This is a unique set of practically necessary knowledge and customs accumulated over many generations, which evolved as a calendar of agricultural peasant culture. The Russian folk calendar provides a complete “picture of the world” as our ancestors imagined it. It has absorbed various aspects of the world order, the annual renewal of nature and the inclusion of man in it.

Each season, year, month, date is presented with brief characteristics, like small pictures, introducing children to the annual cycle of life of nature and man. Here are proverbs, sayings, signs, customs, riddles. All this is a field for the creative activity of children who get acquainted with the ancient culture of our ancestors and its folk calendar.

Expected results of the program in children by age:

7-8 years

Have an idea about folk holidays, their rituals and traditions (Oseniny, Intercession, Kuzminki, Christmastide, Maslenitsa, Soroki, Easter).

Use works of small forms of folklore (carols, chants, nursery rhymes, rhymes, proverbs...) in everyday life.

Know the name of the instruments (rubel, ratchet, balalaika) and distinguish them by sound.

Show independence and kindness in games with peers.

Participate in games with theatrical actions and more extensive dialogue.

Act out Russian folk tales and dramatize Russian folk songs.

Hear and correctly intonate within an octave.

Be able to combine movements of arms and legs. Perform round dance movements: “Snail”, “Stream”, two circles in opposite directions, “wall to wall”.

Be able to talk about your impressions of games, observations of natural phenomena from the perspective of the folk calendar.

Provide assistance to peers and adults.

Correctly evaluate your actions and the actions of others.

Show attention and care to loved ones.

Program by month and thematic area of ​​classes/holidays

The culture of the peoples of Russia is one of the most diverse in the world. More than 190 peoples live on its territory, each of which individually has its own unique culture, and the greater the number, the more noticeable the contribution of this people to the culture of the whole country.

The Russian population is the largest in Russia - it amounts to 111 million people. The top three most numerous nationalities are completed by Tatars and Ukrainians.

Russian culture

Russian culture has a huge historical and cultural heritage and dominates the state.

Orthodoxy is the most widespread religion among the Russian people, which had a huge influence on the development of the moral culture of the peoples of Russia.

The second largest religion, although incomparably inferior to Orthodoxy, is Protestantism.

Russian housing

A traditional Russian dwelling is considered to be a hut, built of logs, with a gable roof. The entrance was a porch; a stove and cellar were built in the house.

There are still many huts in Russia, for example, in the city of Vyatka, Arbazhsky district, Kirov region. There is an opportunity to visit the unique Museum of Russian Hut in the village of Kochemirovo, Kadomsky District, Ryazan Region, where you can see not only a real hut, but also household items, a stove, a loom and other elements of Russian culture.

Russian national costume

In general, men's folk costume consisted of a shirt with an embroidered collar, trousers, bast shoes or boots. The shirt was worn untucked and secured with a fabric belt. A caftan was worn as outerwear.

Women's folk costume consisted of a long embroidered shirt with long sleeves, a sundress or skirt with a frill, and a woolen skirt on top - a poneva. Married women wore a headdress called a warrior. The festive headdress was a kokoshnik.

In everyday life, Russian folk costumes are no longer worn. The best examples of this clothing can be seen in ethnographic museums, as well as at various dance competitions and festivals of Russian culture.

Traditional Russian cuisine

Russian cuisine is famous for its first courses - cabbage soup, solyanka, ukha, rassolnik, okroshka. Porridge was usually prepared as a second course. “Soup cabbage soup and porridge are our food,” they have long said.

Very often cottage cheese is used in dishes, especially when preparing pies, cheesecakes and cheesecakes.

It is popular to prepare various pickles and marinades.

You can try Russian dishes in numerous restaurants of Russian cuisine, which are found almost everywhere both in Russia and abroad.

Family traditions and spiritual values ​​of the Russian people

Family has always been the main and unconditional value for a Russian person. Therefore, since ancient times it was important to remember one’s family. The connection with the ancestors was sacred. Children are often given names in honor of their grandparents, sons are named after their fathers - this is a way of showing respect to relatives.

Previously, the profession was often passed on from father to son, but now this tradition has almost died out.

An important tradition is the inheritance of things and family heirlooms. This is how things accompany a family from generation to generation and acquire their own history.

Both religious and secular holidays are celebrated.

The most widely celebrated public holiday in Russia is the New Year holiday. Many people also celebrate the Old New Year on January 14th.

The following holidays are also celebrated: Defender of the Fatherland Day, International Women's Day, Victory Day, Workers' Solidarity Day ("May" holidays on May 1-2), Constitution Day.

The largest Orthodox holidays are Easter and Christmas.

Not so massively, but the following Orthodox holidays are also celebrated: Epiphany, Transfiguration of the Lord (Apple Savior), Honey Savior, Trinity and others.

Russian folk culture and the Maslenitsa holiday, which lasts a whole week until Lent, are practically inseparable from each other. This holiday has its roots in paganism, but is now celebrated everywhere by Orthodox people. Maslenitsa also symbolizes farewell to winter. The calling card of the holiday table is pancakes.

Ukrainian culture

The number of Ukrainians in the Russian Federation is approximately 1 million 928 thousand people - this is the third largest number among the total population, and therefore Ukrainian culture is an important component of the culture of the peoples of Russia.

Traditional Ukrainian housing

Ukrainian hut is an important component of Ukrainian traditional culture. A typical Ukrainian house was wooden, small in size, with a hipped roof made of straw. The hut had to be whitewashed inside and out.

There are such huts in Russia, for example, in the Orenburg region, in the western and central regions of Ukraine, in Kazakhstan, but almost always the thatched roof is replaced with slate or covered with roofing felt.

Ukrainian folk costume

The men's suit consists of a linen shirt and trousers. The Ukrainian shirt is characterized by an embroidered slit in the front; they wear it tucked into their pants, belted with a sash.

The basis for a woman's outfit is a long shirt. The hem of the shirt and sleeves were always embroidered. On top they put on a corset, yupka or andarak.

The most famous element of traditional Ukrainian clothing is vyshyvanka - a men's or women's shirt, distinguished by complex and varied embroidery.

Ukrainian folk costumes are no longer worn, but they can be seen in museums and at festivals of Ukrainian folk culture. But embroidered shirts are still in use and are even gaining more and more popularity - Ukrainians of all ages love to wear them, both as a festive outfit and as an element of their everyday wardrobe.

The most famous Ukrainian dish is red borscht made from beets and cabbage.

The most popular product in Ukrainian cooking is lard - it is used to prepare many dishes, eaten separately, salted, fried and smoked.

Wheat flour products are widely used. National dishes include dumplings, dumplings, verguns, and lemishki.

Ukrainian cuisine is loved and popular not only among Ukrainians, but also among many other residents of Russia - it is not difficult to find a restaurant serving Ukrainian cuisine in large cities.

The family values ​​of Ukrainians and Russians are largely identical. The same applies to religion - Orthodox Christianity occupies a large part among the religions of Ukrainians living in Russia; Traditional holidays are almost no different.

Tatar culture

Representatives of the Tatar ethnic group in Russia number approximately 5 million 310 thousand people - this is 3.72% of the total population of the country.

Tatar religion

The main religion of the Tatars is Sunni Islam. At the same time, there is a small part of the Kryashen Tatars, whose religion is Orthodoxy.

Tatar mosques can be seen in many cities of Russia, for example, the Moscow Historical Mosque, the St. Petersburg Cathedral Mosque, the Perm Cathedral Mosque, the Izhevsk Cathedral Mosque and others.

Traditional Tatar housing

Tatar housing was a four-walled log house, fenced on the front side and set back from the street, with a vestibule. Inside, the room was divided into women's and men's parts, the women's part was also a kitchen. Houses were decorated with bright paintings, especially the gates.

In Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, many such estates remain, not only as architectural monuments, but also as residential buildings.

The costume may differ depending on the subgroup of the Tatars, but the clothing of the Volga Tatars had a great influence on the uniform image of the national costume. It consists of a shirt-dress and trousers, for both women and men, and a robe was often used as outerwear. The headdress for men was a skullcap, for women - a velvet cap.

Such costumes are no longer worn in their original form, but some elements of clothing are still in use, for example, scarves and ichigs. You can see traditional clothing in ethnographic museums and thematic exhibitions.

Traditional Tatar cuisine

A distinctive feature of this cuisine is that its development was influenced not only by Tatar ethnic traditions. From different cultures, Tatar cuisine has absorbed bal-mai, dumplings, pilaf, baklava, tea and other various dishes.

Tatar cuisine boasts a variety of flour products, among them: echpochmak, kystyby, kabartma, sansa, kyimak.

Milk is often consumed, but most often in processed form - cottage cheese, katyk, sour cream, syuzme, eremchek.

A lot of restaurants throughout Russia offer a menu of Tatar cuisine, and the best choice, of course, is in the capital of Tatarstan - Kazan.

Family traditions and spiritual values ​​of the Tatars

Creating a family has always been the highest value among the Tatar people. Marriage is considered a sacred duty.

The moral and spiritual culture of the peoples of Russia is in one way or another connected with religious culture, and the peculiarities of Muslim marriage lie in the fact that it is inextricably linked with the religious culture of Muslims. For example, the Koran prohibits marrying an atheist or agnostic woman; Marriage with a representative of another religion is not very much approved.

Nowadays Tatars meet and marry mostly without family intervention, but previously the most common marriage was through matchmaking - the groom’s relatives went to the bride’s parents and proposed.

The Tatar family is a family of the patriarchal type; a married woman was completely under the power of her husband and supported by him. The number of children in a family sometimes exceeded six. The spouses lived with the husband's parents; living with the bride's parents was shameful.

Unquestioning obedience and respect for elders is another important feature of the Tatar mentality.

Tatar holidays

The Tatar culture of celebration includes Islamic, original Tatar, and all-Russian public holidays.

Major religious holidays are considered to be Eid al-Fitr - the holiday of breaking the fast, in honor of the end of the month of fasting - Ramadan, and Kurban Bayram - the holiday of sacrifice.

Until now, the Tatars celebrate both kargatuy, or karga butkasy - a folk holiday of spring, and sabantuy - a holiday marking the completion of spring agricultural work.

The culture of each people of Russia is unique, and together they represent an amazing puzzle, which will be incomplete if any part is removed. Our task is to know and appreciate this cultural heritage.

Chizhova Anna,
teacher at the School of Folk Art of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

« Russian folk traditional culture as a way to raise a child. (Experience of work of a preschool group at the Orthodox School of Folk Art of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna)".

In addition to the first and most important - the spiritual high goal that the teacher sets for himself, living with the child and plunging into traditional folk culture, there is another goal, perhaps for some more obvious (compared to the first) - raising a healthy person. The beneficial influence of Russian folk traditional culture on human physical health has already been indisputably proven; from our ancestors we inherited “a natural system that ensures healthy interaction between a person and the outside world, people and himself.”

For 7 years I have been working at the School of Folk Art of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna as an additional teacher. education in the “Svetelka” group - a group preparing children for school. Group classes are held every day (Monday to Friday), from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The age composition of preschoolers is different - from three to seven years, the number varies from 7 to 12 people. Our entire year is built on the basis of the calendars of the church and national year; all classes and schedules are built in accordance with them.

It is difficult to single out one thing - one activity, holiday, event, which can be described as “using folk culture in work”, because in our School all the conditions have been created for truly LIVING, and not getting acquainted superficially with folk culture. culture, we are part of it, it is part of us. It is present every day in the entire life of the School, be it the school curriculum that includes subjects such as crafts (clay, weaving, knitting, woodworking, etc.); school rules (mandatory school uniform, etc.); common holidays or relationships between children and adults, children with each other. The School has a Temple (Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos), so we have the opportunity to live all Church holidays by gathering with the whole School for the festive Liturgy. Folk culture and Orthodox culture in the life of our School are inextricably linked, as it should be, because these two cultures are actually one, they cannot be one without the other, they are like two wings of one bird.

As for the preparatory group, we live in the mode of the entire School, while having our own plan that takes into account the age of the children, their physical and emotional specifics. Classes to prepare a child for school involve the usual development of a preschooler, but with a priority to spiritual development. We are trying to prepare the child for school, and more importantly, for life, and it is simply impossible not to “use” the wealth of traditional folk culture in this process. What are the “parameters” of preparing a child for school? In our School, this is not knowledge of the English language, not reading fluently, not counting to 100 and back; an indicator of a child’s readiness for school – physical and emotional health, the ability to hold hands in a round dance, the ability to sing together, play, interact with each other, revealing their creative potential, the ability to follow the rules in the game; the desire to learn, which manifests itself both in physical activity and in the ability to listen, ask questions, solve and make riddles. Many teachers write about how the so-called and very popular today “early development” of the child sometimes has a destructive effect on the child, in which the child’s intellect is primarily developed, thereby often infringing on him in another, more important – the development of the soul. There is an opinion: the higher a child’s intelligence, the lower his ability to rejoice. The life-affirming, joyful mood of folk culture, included in school life, gives the child the most important thing that he needs when entering a new level of social status - becoming a first-grader - basic trust in the world, a desire to live, and being filled with joy, which is impossible not to share with his neighbor.

Every day of “Svetyolka” is life “inside” the folk and church calendar. Every day begins with prayer; a lamp is always burning in the red corner of the room. The beginning of the day is the usual gymnastics - exercises flow into finger games, nursery rhymes, nurturing - where dolls (both homemade and animals) can be used - children sit their dolls on their knees and, singing various nursery rhymes, do a massage, stroke, wash their face, and also roll dolls on their knees (material from the educational publication “Folk Traditions in Raising Children” and others are used). Older children can also sit younger ones on their knees and play with them, singing the same thing. Next, we play Russian folk games - different throughout the day - active, imitative, calendar, quiet, loud, “on the bench” and others (depending on what is planned by the teacher and on the wishes of the children). Be sure to sing songs throughout the day - often while doing handicrafts, sometimes setting aside time specifically for learning. Repeatedly throughout the day, children use counting rhymes, which are also a small form of folk art and help to avoid conflict situations, and also develop the child’s speech and sense of rhythm; teach you to feel syllables.

The interior of the room where the group is located includes the following “zones”, entering which during free play the child absorbs the correct models of the structure of the world: this is the red corner, where the icons are located and the lamp glows; and a cradle, in which, of course, you want to put and lull the baby; and a Russian stove, in which cabbage soup and porridge are prepared for the whole family. Toys in the group are given great importance - as one of the most important objects of influence on the child’s inner world; Most toys are made from natural materials. Everything about a toy is important: the shape, the coloring, and, of course, the material itself; Plastic and rubber are not found anywhere in their natural form. A wonderful miracle is a folk toy. “A folk toy,” writes Fr. Andrey Kononov, is always consanguineous with the world. Natural materials are used to make it: clay, sand, ice, snow, stone, cotton, flax, wool, dough, wood, birch bark, glass, copper, etc. Therefore, it is an excellent educational educational tool.” A separate important weekly event for us is baking “Alexandrovsky” bread with the children every Friday. The children knead the dough themselves (they bring various seeds from home: poppy, pumpkin, sunflower and add them to the dough), then they make bread from it and take it to their parents in paper bags painted for this purpose by the children.

During the year, we, to a greater or lesser extent, prepare for and experience such Holidays as the Intercession of the Mother of God, the School's Birthday (the day of St. John Chrysostom), the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Day of St. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Nativity of Christ (we arrange a nativity scene, go caroling, paint roe deer), Maslenitsa, Easter, Magpies (March 22)

In my teaching activity, I meet completely different children; all children have some psychological, age-related, behavioral, and physical characteristics that we encounter, live, and work with. It is difficult for me to trace the dynamics of solving a specific problem with the accuracy of tests and figures; to say specifically: the child had a problem, he began to sing - the problem disappeared. Sometimes there seems to be no result, it happens like this - it seems that the child is passive, does not perceive what is happening (dance, round dance, song...). But suddenly, after some time, he sings a lullaby to his doll - and it makes him so happy. One three-year-old girl, when the group and I were putting up a nativity scene, did not participate with us in the “common activity”, she was doing something of her own, it was unclear whether she understood anything at all, but when she came home and saw the wooden nativity scene, the little girl gave up all the plot of the nativity scene by heart (without a break, with its own inserts, with all the songs) - to the surprise of everyone... It’s very pleasing when you suddenly see children at school - without a teacher - they lead a round dance themselves - it’s worth a lot.

I firmly believe that accommodation together with children, a full, conscious life, in the bosom of Russian traditional folk culture, gives us an inexhaustible source of joy, helps not only to solve the problems of a healthy nation, but also to become full-fledged individuals with correctly placed spiritual guidelines.

V. V. Zenkovsky “Psychology of Childhood” 1995, P 43

V. V. Zenkovsky “Psychology of Childhood” 1995 P.44

M. M. Gromyko “The World of the Russian Village”, S. 7.

Nazarova L. D. “Folklore art therapy”, P. 9

Abramenkova V.V. What our children play: Toy and anti-toy

Prot. Andrey Kononov “The spiritual meaning of modern and folk toys”, P.63

The Russian people are representatives of the East Slavic ethnic group, the indigenous inhabitants of Russia (110 million people - 80% of the population of the Russian Federation), the largest ethnic group in Europe. The Russian diaspora numbers about 30 million people and is concentrated in countries such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, the countries of the former USSR, the USA and EU countries. As a result of sociological research, it was found that 75% of the Russian population of Russia are followers of Orthodoxy, and a significant part of the population does not consider itself to be a member of any particular religion. The national language of the Russian people is Russian.

Each country and its people have their own significance in the modern world; the concepts of folk culture and history of a nation, their formation and development are very important. Each nation and its culture are unique in their own way, the flavor and uniqueness of each nationality should not be lost or dissolved in assimilation with other peoples, the younger generation should always remember who they really are. For Russia, which is a multinational power and home to 190 peoples, the issue of national culture is quite acute, due to the fact that in recent years its erasure has been especially noticeable against the background of the cultures of other nationalities.

Culture and life of the Russian people

(Russian folk costume)

The first associations that arise with the concept of “Russian people” are, of course, breadth of soul and strength of spirit. But national culture is formed by people, and it is these character traits that have a huge impact on its formation and development.

One of the distinctive features of the Russian people has always been and is simplicity; in former times, Slavic houses and property were very often subjected to looting and complete destruction, hence the simplified attitude towards everyday issues. And of course, these trials that befell the long-suffering Russian people only strengthened their character, made them stronger and taught them to get out of any life situations with their heads held high.

Another trait that prevails in the character of the Russian ethnic group can be called kindness. The whole world is well aware of the concept of Russian hospitality, when “they feed you, give you something to drink, and put you to bed.” A unique combination of such qualities as cordiality, mercy, compassion, generosity, tolerance and, again, simplicity, very rarely found among other peoples of the world, all this is fully manifested in the very breadth of the Russian soul.

Hard work is another one of the main traits of the Russian character, although many historians in the study of the Russian people note both its love of work and enormous potential, as well as its laziness, as well as complete lack of initiative (remember Oblomov in Goncharov’s novel). But still, the efficiency and endurance of the Russian people is an indisputable fact that is difficult to argue against. And no matter how much scientists around the world want to understand the “mysterious Russian soul,” it is unlikely that any of them can do it, because it is so unique and multifaceted that its “zest” will forever remain a secret to everyone.

Traditions and customs of the Russian people

(Russian meal)

Folk traditions and customs represent a unique connection, a kind of “bridge of times” connecting the distant past with the present. Some of them have their roots in the pagan past of the Russian people, even before the baptism of Rus'; little by little their sacred meaning was lost and forgotten, but the main points have been preserved and are still observed. In villages and towns, Russian traditions and customs are honored and remembered to a greater extent than in cities, which is due to the more isolated lifestyle of city residents.

A large number of rituals and traditions are associated with family life (this includes matchmaking, wedding celebrations, and the baptism of children). Carrying out ancient rites and rituals guaranteed a successful and happy life in the future, the health of descendants and the general well-being of the family.

(Colorized photograph of a Russian family at the beginning of the 20th century)

Since ancient times, Slavic families were distinguished by a large number of family members (up to 20 people), adult children, having already gotten married, remained to live in their home, the head of the family was the father or older brother, everyone had to obey them and unquestioningly carry out all their orders. Typically, wedding celebrations were held either in the fall, after the harvest, or in the winter after the Epiphany holiday (January 19). Then the first week after Easter, the so-called “Red Hill,” began to be considered a very successful time for a wedding. The wedding itself was preceded by a matchmaking ceremony, when the groom's parents came to the bride's family along with his godparents, if the parents agreed to give their daughter in marriage, then a bridesmaid ceremony was held (meeting the future newlyweds), then there was a ceremony of collusion and hand-waving (the parents resolved the issues of the dowry and the date of the wedding festivities ).

The rite of baptism in Rus' was also interesting and unique, the child had to be baptized immediately after birth, for this purpose godparents were chosen, who would be responsible for the life and well-being of the godson all his life. When the baby was one year old, they sat him on the inside of a sheep's coat and cut his hair, cutting a cross on the crown, with such meaning that evil spirits would not be able to penetrate his head and would not have power over him. Every Christmas Eve (January 6), a slightly older godson should bring kutia (wheat porridge with honey and poppy seeds) to his godparents, and they, in turn, should give him sweets.

Traditional holidays of the Russian people

Russia is truly a unique state where, along with the highly developed culture of the modern world, they carefully honor the ancient traditions of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, going back centuries and preserving the memory of not only Orthodox vows and canons, but also the most ancient pagan rites and sacraments. To this day, pagan holidays are celebrated, people listen to signs and age-old traditions, remember and tell their children and grandchildren ancient traditions and legends.

Main national holidays:

• Christmas Jan. 7
• Christmastide January 6 - 9
• Baptism January 19
• Maslenitsa from 20 to 26 February

• Forgiveness Sunday ( before the onset of Lent)
• Palm Sunday ( on the Sunday before Easter)
• Easter ( the first Sunday after the full moon, which occurs no earlier than the day of the conventional vernal equinox on March 21)
• Red hill ( first Sunday after Easter)

• Trinity ( on Sunday on the day of Pentecost - the 50th day after Easter)
• Ivan Kupala July 7
• Peter and Fevronia Day July 8
• Elijah's day August 2

• Honey Spas August 14
• Apple Spas August 19
• Third (Khlebny) Spas August 29
• Pokrov day October 14

There is a belief that on the night of Ivan Kupala (July 6-7), once a year a fern flower blooms in the forest, and whoever finds it will gain untold wealth. In the evening, large bonfires are lit near rivers and lakes, people dressed in festive ancient Russian attires lead round dances, sing ritual chants, jump over the fire, and let wreaths float downstream, in the hope of finding their soul mate.

Maslenitsa is a traditional holiday of the Russian people, celebrated during the week before Lent. A very long time ago, Maslenitsa was more likely not a holiday, but a ritual when the memory of departed ancestors was honored, placating them with pancakes, asking them for a fertile year, and spending the winter by burning a straw effigy. Time passed, and the Russian people, thirsting for fun and positive emotions in the cold and dull season, turned the sad holiday into a more cheerful and daring celebration, which began to symbolize the joy of the imminent end of winter and the arrival of the long-awaited warmth. The meaning has changed, but the tradition of baking pancakes remained, exciting winter entertainment appeared: sledding and horse-drawn sled rides, a straw effigy of Winter was burned, throughout the Maslenitsa week relatives went to pancakes with their mother-in-law and sister-in-law, an atmosphere of celebration and fun reigned everywhere , various theatrical and puppet shows were held on the streets with the participation of Petrushka and other folklore characters. One of the very colorful and dangerous entertainments on Maslenitsa was fist fights; the male population took part in them, for whom it was an honor to take part in a kind of “military affair” that tested their courage, boldness and dexterity.

Christmas and Easter are considered especially revered Christian holidays among the Russian people.

The Nativity of Christ is not only a bright holiday of Orthodoxy, it also symbolizes the revival and return to life, the traditions and customs of this holiday, filled with kindness and humanity, high moral ideals and the triumph of the spirit over worldly concerns, are being rediscovered and rethought by society in the modern world. The day before Christmas (January 6) is called Christmas Eve, because the main dish of the festive table, which should consist of 12 dishes, is a special porridge “sochivo”, consisting of boiled cereal, drizzled with honey, sprinkled with poppy seeds and nuts. You can sit down at the table only after the first star appears in the sky. Christmas (January 7) is a family holiday, when everyone gathered at one table, ate a festive treat and gave each other gifts. The 12 days after the holiday (until January 19) are called Christmastide. Previously, at this time, girls in Rus' held various gatherings with fortune telling and rituals to attract suitors.

Easter has long been considered a great holiday in Rus', which people associated with the day of general equality, forgiveness and mercy. On the eve of Easter celebrations, Russian women usually bake kulichi (festive rich Easter bread) and Easter eggs, clean and decorate their homes, young people and children paint eggs, which, according to ancient legend, symbolize drops of the blood of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross. On the day of Holy Easter, smartly dressed people, meeting, say “Christ is Risen!”, answer “Truly He is Risen!”, followed by a three-time kiss and an exchange of festive Easter eggs.