Chuvash house in Nefteyugansk - etner. Chuvash people: culture, traditions and customs

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UDC 390 (=471.344)

TRADITIONS OF HOUSE BUILDING AMONG THE CHUVASH

Magnitogorsk State Technical University named after. G.I. Nosova

V.V. MEDVEDEV

The construction of the house was accompanied by ritual actions. They protected the future home, ensuring prosperity and a prosperous family life. The article analyzes the Chuvash rituals associated with choosing a house location, starting construction, laying the foundation and raising the mat. The construction of the dwelling took place in a locus corresponding to the characteristics of the landscape and corresponding to the worldview of the Chuvash. Prosperity in the home and long family life depended on the correct foundation. Prosperity in the family was symbolized by coins, rowan branches and the hair of domestic animals. They completed the construction of the house by laying the mat on the frame. Matica defined the home center. The choice of a place for construction, the beginning of construction and the completion of one of the stages were important events in the Chuvash house-building tradition. For the best reconstruction, ethnocultural parallels are given

Key words: house, rituals, construction, foundation, matitsa, Chuvash.

The Chuvash allocated the most prosperous and convenient place in their yard to the house. The dwelling was called purt “hut, house”, consonant with the Mari word port “hut” and the Finnish pirtti “smoking hut”, “bathhouse”1. The Sami also called their log huts pyrt2. To designate a dwelling, the Chuvash also used other terms: durt, sort, kil, purt-durt, durt-yor and kil-durt3. The Chuvash have two types of huts: the traditional Khura purt “chicken hut” and the late Shury purt “white hut”, which has a stove with a chimney and pipe4.

The completed type of residential premises found in Chuvash settlements today is the log building. Naturally, initially it consisted of a single-chamber four-walled hut. The Chuvash built such dwellings by the middle of the 19th century, adding a porch to them that served as a vestibule. A square-shaped adobe stove measuring 4.5 x 5 m or more was installed in the house. The building was called tyvatkal purt “quadrangular hut”5. Similar dwellings, as well as five-walled and six-walled houses, were known back in Volga Bulgaria6. Square or rectangular kork building at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. served as a winter home for the Udmurts7.

The first comprehensive information about the appearance and interior of the Chuvash dwellings was collected during the period of academic expeditions of the 18th century. The Chuvash then lived in courtyards surrounded by fences, in the center of which they built houses that had neither hallways nor closets. In the huts there were beds and bunks, which served as a bed and a place for storing household things. In winter, young, fragile animals were kept under the bunks8.

G.F. Miller said about Chuvash houses that “smoke windows and butts were made above the stoves and hearths. In their huts everywhere, they, like the Tatars, have wide benches or shelves so that a person can lie stretched across them; only 1

1 Egorov V.G. Etymological dictionary of the Chuvash language. Cheboksary, 1964. P. 172.

2 Kharuzin N.N. Essay on the history of the development of housing among the Finns. M., 1895. P. 16.

3 Salmin A.K. Semantics at home among the Chuvash. Cheboksary, 1998. P. 8.

4 Ashmarin N.I. Dictionary of the Chuvash language. Cheboksary, 1999. T. 9-10. P. 88.

5 Matveev G.B. Chuvash folk architecture: from antiquity to modern times. Cheboksary, 2005. P. 27.

6 Valeev F.Kh., Valeeva-Suleimanova G.F. Ancient art of Tataria. Kazan, 1987. P. 68.

7 Shutova N.I. About one ancient Turkic feature in traditional Udmurt ideas: archaeological and ethnographic aspect // Integration of archaeological and ethnographic research. Omsk, 2010. P. 207.

8 Lepekhin I.I. Day notes of a trip to different provinces of the Russian state in 1768 and 1769. St. Petersburg, 1771. P. 138.

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The benches are not the same width throughout the hut. The windows are mostly pressed, which makes them very warm in winter, or made of thin birch bark.”9

The layout and home interior of living quarters among the Chuvash, who settled on the territory of the modern Republic of Bashkortostan, are illustrated with materials from the 1929 expedition. Among the surviving graphic images are plans of dwellings. The drawings indicate the development of the single-chamber house among the population. A non-permanent canopy was added to the hut. The design of hut + canopy + hut is known. The number of window openings varied. The single-chamber building was illuminated by two to four windows. The number of windows depended on the openings in each frame and on the presence or absence of a window in the entryway. For example, the plan of a wealthy house in the village of Kistenli-Bogdanovka has ten window openings. There are four windows cut out in each log house and two in the entryway10 11.

The construction of a residential building was preceded by a careful choice of location. The traditional nesting (cumulus) layout of the Chuvash yards was replaced by a street layout, which introduced changes to the location of houses and buildings. The nested form of the settlement provided the opportunity to occupy the most suitable site for construction. The Chuvash took into account the distance to another house, the presence of a natural reservoir, wells, and soil quality. The most significant criterion was the behavior of domestic animals. The resting place chosen by the cow was considered the most suitable. The Chuvash believed that a hut built here would be warm. On the contrary, the places where geese landed were considered unsuitable11. According to legends, the Udmurts, when choosing a place to build a kuala, observed the behavior of a bull. They followed the bull: where he stopped, there they founded a new village12.

For practical reasons, the Chuvash followed the sun, choosing the well-lit side. In the spring, we observed the decline of the water and the first streams at the proposed site for the construction of the house. The rapid melting of snow and dry ground were considered a good sign. The choice of site was determined by lot. The settlers in the new territory, under the leadership of old people, gathered together to draw lots. The old men chose a long pole or staff and brought out future householders in pairs, who moved their palms along the length of the pole from top to ground. The first one to touch the ground chose the plot.

A detailed study of the site for a future home is also characteristic of the East Slavic tradition, according to which, from everything that was actually suitable, it was necessary to choose only that which could be considered such from a ritual-mythological point of view. In this case, a balance was established between the sacred and the profane, the cosmic and the earthly13. Entrusting the choice of a home to cattle is typical for the Eastern Slavs. Animals act as objects whose behavior is associated with a point in the space being developed14.

Opposite to successful loci are unsuitable areas of land, which included the territory of burnt houses, abandoned bathhouses, intersections and old roads. The boundaries and dimensions of the new dwelling should not coincide with the previous house15. The Chuvash tried to remove the burned houses outside the settlement. The construction of a new dwelling, if there was no possibility of moving to another site, began away from the fire that occurred. It was considered undesirable to build a house on the site of an active or abandoned road. Vyatka residents avoided construction on the forest road that ran through the village16. The prohibitions were associated with the presence on roads, crossroads and other dysfunctional loci of otherworldly force, which had the possibility of

9 Miller G.F. Description of the pagan peoples living in the Kazan province, such as the Cheremis, Chuvash and Votyaks. St. Petersburg, 1791. P. 9.

10 Scientific archive of the Chuvash State Institute of Humanities (hereinafter referred to as CHGIGN). Dept. III. Unit hr. 212. No. 1720.

11 Salmin A.K. Decree. Op. S. 8.

12 Orlov P.A. The material world of the Udmurts (towards the semantics of material culture): dis... cand. ist. Sciences: 07.00.07. Izhevsk, 1999. P. 48.

13 Bayburin A.K. Dwelling in the rituals and beliefs of the Eastern Slavs. L., 1983. P. 26.

14 Ibid. pp. 37-38.

15 Bayburin A.K. Ritual in traditional culture. Structural and semantic analysis of East Slavic rituals. St. Petersburg, 1993. P. 155.

16 Shchepanskaya T.B. The culture of the road in the Russian mythological and ritual tradition of the 19th-20th centuries. M., 2003. pp. 28-29.

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potential to cause harm. For example, the road was often used by sorcerers and healers; it connected the world of living people and dead ancestors.

An incorrectly chosen location for the construction of a home was the cause of failure and family discord17. The Chuvash believed that a person, having spent the night on the site planned for a house, would determine its properties. A sound, good sleep was considered a good sign. They also raised a hut on the site of an old ant heap, as it was drier and more convenient18. The Komi-Zyryans also resorted to the help of ants. Ants and a small amount of rubbish from the anthill were brought from the forest in a birch bark box. The box was placed on the site of the future building. If the place is good, then the ants will settle on it, otherwise they left the box19.

An example of a change in tradition with the street-block arrangement of houses in a settlement is the plot given by P.P. Fokin about the allocation of settlements from the village. Russian Vasilievka, Samara region. Old-timers talked about watching animals in a half-joking tone. “We should have brought them in and waited for them to settle down and calm down. But we, the settlers, had to maintain a row along the street line, maintain the boundaries of the plots, and the distance between the houses. So, if we wanted, we would not be able to follow these signs,” writes the author20. The refusal to build on a site favored by geese also confirms another requirement - from the start of construction until moving into the hut, bare-legged birds were not allowed into it, since they attracted poverty to the new house21.

Having decided on the location of the future hut, they laid the foundation. The action was accompanied by the rite of nikyos patti “porridge to the foundation deity.” The silver coin and wool were placed in the ketessi “corner of the deity of Tur” (southeast side), either on the foundation pillar, or after the first or third crown. In the center of the base of the new hut, they cooked porridge and read a prayer for the well-being of the family22. Silver was supposed to fill the house with wealth, wool - with warmth23. The Chuvash of the Bolsheshatma parish of the Yadrinsky district of the Kazan province, laying the foundation, laid out copper crosses in the corners, protecting them from evil spirits. When saying a prayer, they turned to face the east24.

The Chuvash dedicated a silver coin to the deity Khurtsurt, “the guardian of the hearth”25. With the adoption of Orthodoxy, the Chuvash began to borrow Russian traditions. When starting construction, coins and crosses were placed together in the corners. A priest was invited to consecrate a future or already completed house26.

The coins placed at the corners of the first crowns of the dwelling were called purt nikyosho27. Before the construction of the log house began, the Chuvash began to dig the underground. A crown was assembled around it, inside which nikos patti porridge was cooked. Neighbors and the old man who led the ceremony were invited to the porridge. Turning to the east, they said the words of prayer. The old man threw a spoonful of porridge into the fire, after which they began to eat and treat themselves to beer. According to the remark of V.K. Magnitsky, in addition to coins, a handful of rye was placed in the corners28. If the coin represented wealth, wool - the warmth of the future building, then rye, naturally, meant a satisfying life and prosperity in the house.

During field trips, informants also recalled that a dug-out bush of young rowan along with its roots was lowered into the underground. They explain the action by saying that the family, like a bush with roots, must firmly establish itself in a new place. Rowan protected the household and home. In a conversation with ethnographers E.A. Yagafova and I.G. Petrov suggested that the rowan bush in this situation was one of

17 Orlov P.A. Decree. Op. P. 48.

18 Chuvash: ethnographic research. Spiritual culture. Cheboksary, 197o. Part 2. P. 72.

19 Belitser V.N. Essays on the ethnography of the Komi peoples. M., 1958. S. 213-214.

20 Fokin P.P. Construction rituals of the modern Chuvash family // Ethnology of Chuvash religion. Cheboksary, 2003. Vol. I. S. 67-68.

21 nA CHGIGN. Dept. I. Unit hr. 168. L. 363.

22 Salmin A.K. Chuvash folk rituals. Cheboksary, 1994. P. 103.

23 NA CHGIGN. Dept. I. Unit hr. 150. L. 514; ON CHGIGN. Dept. I. Unit hr. 154. L. 238.

24 NA CHGIGN. Dept. I. Unit hr. 168. L. 305.

25 NA CHGIGN. Dept. I. Unit hr. 158. L. 12.

26 NA CHGIGN. Dept. I. Unit hr. 176. L. 357.

27 Ashmarin N.I. Decree. Op. P. 90.

28 Magnitsky V.K. Materials for the explanation of the old Chuvash faith: Collected in some areas of the Kazan province. Kazan, 1881. pp. 108-109.

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forms of the household deity Jöröh. It is no coincidence that the tree was used as a talisman and kept in the house, on the estate or planted in the yard. For example, when installing new gates, rowan branches are thrown into the void of metal pillars. They are also laid in the foundation along with coins and wool.

Since folk culture is characterized by variability, different settlements know different things used when laying a house, and different angles suitable for this. The variety of names is also characteristic. So, in the village Bishkain, Aurgazinsky district of the Republic of Belarus, ritual actions are denoted in one word - nikyos “foundation, basis”29. Variation is also found in the choice of the person pawning the items. This role is played by the future owner, the eldest man in the family, the eldest woman or a pregnant woman. If there was no pregnant woman among the relatives during construction, she was invited from among neighbors and close friends. If there was no man in the family, the eldest woman would throw a jacket over herself and, holding a man’s hat or mitten under her left armpit, say a prayer and words of good wishes for the building under construction and the residents.

Pawning coins, wool or cereals is still practiced today. In a log house they are placed under the crowns, in a brick construction - under the first row following the foundation.

According to legends, in addition to coins and wool, the Chuvash sacrificed a dog or a wolf, which they laid under the foundation30. When establishing new settlements, they also buried the corpse of a dog or wild wolf in the ground31.

Sacrifice of objects for the benefit of a new home and holding prayers are found in the culture of the Bashkirs. At the site chosen for construction, a white stone was laid - the “foundation stone”, and coins were placed in the corners. They made a sacrifice and arranged a general treat for all those present and those who met on the street. Having laid the foundation, they invited a person who said a prayer and wished for prosperity and happiness32. We observe similar actions among the Mordovians. Before the construction of the foundation, a prayer was held in honor of the earth goddess. They buried bread and a chicken head under the front corner of the future house, left a coin, scattered grain, or sprinkled the blood of a donated chicken on the logs. The procedures brought wealth and prosperity33.

Having finished work with the foundation of the dwelling, they began to build the walls. The log houses were raised by laying the crowns one by one according to the way they were cut, in accordance with the numbering. The Chuvash denoted walls with the word perene, which also means log. Such a coincidence confirms the development, first of all, of log house construction in relation to other types of dwellings in pole, frame-post and adobe technology.

On the erected log house, a maccha kashti “matitsa” was erected in one or two final rows. Small huts had one frame, while larger log houses had two. A strong log or beam was used under the mat. It was positioned perpendicular to the front door34. In laying matitsa along the log house, they noticed the difference between Chuvash huts and Russian dwellings35. One matrix was laid from high-quality coniferous wood, and two from deciduous trees, for example, aspen36. The number depended on the size and design of the house.

Undoubtedly, the installation of the matrix symbolized the completion of work on the log house, since the walls were erected, and, at the same time, a new stage of work on the roof of the house began. The uniqueness of the matitsa in the space of the hut, in relation to other building elements, is revealed by folklore materials:

Entri shalta, pudyo tulta “Andrey in the hut, head out” (matitsa)

30 NA CHGIGN. Dept. I. Unit hr. 35. L. 89.

31 Salmin A.K. Traditional rituals and beliefs of the Chuvash. St. Petersburg, 2010. P. 191.

32 Maslennikova T.A. Decoration of Bashkir folk dwellings (XIX-XX centuries). Ufa, 1998. P. 45.

33 Kornishina G.A. House and ritual in the traditional culture of the Mordovians // Humanitarian: current problems of humanities and education. 2012. No. 2 (18). P. 83.

34 Matveev G.B. Peasant construction equipment (Northwestern regions of Chuvashia) // Questions of material and spiritual culture of the Chuvash people. Cheboksary, 1986. P. 37.

35 ON CHGIGN. Dept. I. Unit hr. 35. L. 78.

36 Matveev G.B. Chuvash folk architecture: from antiquity to modern times. P. 43.

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Retyuk retyom, Senchuk pechchen “Redyuk is a whole row, and Senchuk is one” (matitsa and ceiling boards)

Per saltak dine pin saltak pud hurat “A thousand soldiers lay their heads on one soldier” (matitsa and ceiling boards)37.

Matitsa demarcated the territory of a residential building. It was the boundary between the “internal”, “front” part and the “external”, “rear” part, associated with the entrance/exit. An outsider, having visited a house, should not cross the border and go behind the mother without the invitation of the owners38. Among the Chuvash, matchmakers who came to the bride’s house were located on a bench near the door or under the ceiling mat. Only after talking with the owners and receiving an invitation to the table, they crossed the border and moved to another part of the house, located behind the mat39. When treating a patient, the healer sat him under the mat, listing the variants of the disease40.

A.K.’s idea is fair. Baiburin that the place under the matitsa and its center should be considered the middle of the house, the topographical center, where a significant number of rituals were performed that were not associated with sitting at the table or with the stove41.

Raising the matitsa was always accompanied by ritual actions. The log intended for the mother was wrapped in a fur coat and raised in this form. This technique was used to express the wish that the house would remain warm. “When lifting the mat, no matter how hard it is, not one of the workers should groan or scream. When they put the motherboard in place, they do not knock on it with an ax or any other object... If these requirements are not followed, then, according to the builders, the hut will be smelly, carbon monoxide, damp and smoky,” we read in N’s notes .IN. Nikolsky42. Ukrainian carpenters also tried not to knock on the motherboard, since in this case the owners would have a constant headache43.

There are different methods for lifting the matrix. In addition to covering with a fur coat, they hung a jug of beer, bread or a khuplu pie, and placed a spoonful of porridge at the ends of the matitsa. Having lifted the mat, the cord was cut. They picked up the loaf or watched the fall and the side on which the bread fell. The fate of the household depended on this44. The Russians wrapped bread, sometimes vodka and salt, in a tablecloth or fur and hung it from the matitsa. One of the builders scattered grain and hops near the house. At the top, the rope holding the tablecloth was cut. Like the Chuvash, in some settlements they picked up the package, and in other villages they watched the manner of its fall. The situation on earth predicted the future45.

Informants confidently associate the installation of the matrix with the completion of one of the construction stages. Before lifting, two, four or six craftsmen involved in working with the matrix were seated on the log house. When there were not enough men, adult women rose to the top. Before getting up, they announced in a playful manner: “The uterus asks for vodka!” Bread or a khupla and a bottle of moonshine, vodka, and home-made beer were tied to the matitsa with a rope. They lifted it very carefully, showing mutual respect and maintaining silence. The carpenters sitting on the log house drank a glass and lowered the bottle down. In addition to the bottle, a treat was tied to the mat, which, after trying, was also lowered down. Among the riding Chuvashs. Antonovka, Gafuriysky district of the Republic of Belarus, under the laid matica in the center of the house, the owners set the table for the builders46. In the village Naumkino, Aurgazinsky district of the Republic of Belarus, for insufficient food, the craftsmen hid an empty bottle from the mother on the roof of the house with the neck towards the windy side so that it would buzz during strong gusts47.

The rope with the hanging bread was cut off. A loaf falling flat side down was a good sign; a rounded side of the bread foreshadowed misfortune. Besides

37 Romanov N.R. Chuvash proverbs, sayings and riddles. Cheboksary, i960. P. 206.

38 Bayburin A.K. Dwelling in the rituals and beliefs of the Eastern Slavs. P. 145.

39 ON CHGIGN. Dept. I. Unit hr. 177. L. 67-68.

40 NA CHGIGN. Dept. I. Unit hr. 154. L. 22.

41 Bayburin A.K. Decree. Op. P. 146.

42 Nikolsky N.V. A short course in Chuvash ethnography. Cheboksary, 1928. Issue. 1. P. 38.

43 Zelenin D.K. East Slavic ethnography. M., 1991. P. 316.

44 Matveev G.B. Decree. Op. P. 43.

45 Zelenin D.K. Decree. Op. pp. 315-316.

46 PMA - 2011 (RB, Gafuriy district, Antonovka village).

47 PMA - 2013 (RB, Aurgazinsky district, Naumkino village).

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pie, bread, bottles and snacks, the installation of the mother mat is associated with the placement of coins and wool, i.e. repeated the same steps as when laying the foundation. The coin and wool symbolized the prosperity and warmth of the future building. In the village Bishkain, Aurgazinsky district of the Republic of Belarus, they rolled flour, millet and other cereals into a ball of wool.

Ukrainians of the Republic of Bashkortostan wrapped a matitsa in a scarf and placed grain and coins under it, which guaranteed a happy life. Under the influence of the Bashkirs, the Ukrainians replaced money with wool, “a symbol of happiness and prosperity among pastoral peoples”48. The use of coins and wool confirms the role of matitsa as the locus of concentration of the family’s material well-being49.

Ritual actions under the matitsa at home in wedding celebrations, seeing off a recruit and other situations confirm “the decisiveness of the events taking place in the life of an individual, family and clan... the fateful task is being solved: to be behind the matitsa or to stay on this side”50.

Thus, the Chuvash, like many other peoples, accompanied the construction of a new house with ritual actions. The location for the future home was chosen in accordance with religious beliefs, but paying attention to the features of the landscape. Significant events include the correct laying of the foundation, ensuring a comfortable and happy life in a new place. Symbols of prosperity were coins, wool, and rowan branches. The construction of the log house ended with the installation of the mat, which personified the middle of the hut space, its center. Naturally, home rituals are diverse and contain a large number of different types of procedures. However, the choice of the location of the house, the beginning of construction and the completion of one of the stages are important events in the Chuvash house-building tradition.

HOUSEBUILDING TRADITIONS OF CHUVASHIANS

Housebuilding accompanied by ceremonials. They are protected oncoming houses, providing prosperity and domesticity. In the article was analyzed Chu-vashian ceremonials of choicing place for a home, starting building, taking basement of home and putting joist. House installation was occurring in a locus, that consistent landscape peculiarity and respondent to Chuvashians ideology. Prosperity and domesticity depended on taking a proper basement. The welfare domesticity embodied by coins, rowanberry branches, wools of pets. Housebuilding was finishedig by putting joyist on a frame. Joist defined the center of the house. Choicing place for a building, starting to building and finishing it was important events of Chuvashians housebuilding traditions. There are ethnocultural parallels for better reconstruction.

Key words: home, ceremonies, building, base, joist, ehuvash.

Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University

e-mail: [email protected]

48 Babenko V.Ya. Ukrainians of the Bashkir SSR: behavior of a small ethnic group in a multiethnic environment. Ufa, 1992. P. 125.

49 Shklyaev G.K. Rituals and beliefs of the Udmurts associated with housing // Folklore and ethnography of the Udmurts: rituals, customs, beliefs. Izhevsk, 1989. pp. 32-33.

50 Salmin A.K. Semantics at home among the Chuvash. pp. 56-57.

The Chuvash people developed at the junction of forests and steppes. Geographical conditions influenced the nature of the settlement structure. Chuvash Yal settlements were located, as a rule, near water sources: rivers, springs, along ravines, most often, and were hidden from prying eyes in forests or green trees planted near houses. The favorite trees of the Chuvash were willow and alder (sirek); it is no coincidence that many villages surrounded by alder thickets received the name Sirekle (Erykla).

In the northern and central regions of Chuvashia, the villages were located crowded together, in bushes: daughter villages - Kasa settlements - are grouped around the mother village, forming a whole nest of settlements. In the south, among the lower Chuvash living in open areas, a riverine type of settlement is observed in which the village is extended in a chain along the river. Settlements of this type are larger in size than with nest settlement.

Until the middle of the 19th century, Chuvash settlements did not have a clear layout, but consisted of separate neighborhoods inhabited by relatives. Therefore, it was difficult for a stranger to immediately find the desired estate. The crowding of houses and buildings also increased the potential for fire disasters.

The layout of the estate, its fencing, the placement of the house inside the Chuvash estate, noted A.P. Smirnov, is completely similar to the layout of the estate in Suvar. The estate of a Chuvash peasant consisted of a house and outbuildings: a cage, a barn, a stable, a stable, a summer kitchen, and a bathhouse. Rich peasants often had two-story buildings. This is how the ethnographer G. Komissarov described a Chuvash estate of the 19th century: In the yard they build: a hut, a canopy behind it, then a barn, then a barn, where they put firewood and put carts and sleighs; on the other side of the yard, in the foreground, counting from the street, a cellar is being built, then a storage room, then a barn again. In the background there is a povet, a hayloft, a stable and fenced-off premises for corralling livestock, called “vylyakh-karti”. They build a shack somewhat separately, which in the old days served as a summer home, and now they cook food and wash clothes in it. Another barn (a grain barn) is being built in the garden, and a bathhouse is also being built in the ravine." 40

In the old days, houses were built in a black style, with doors facing east. The house usually consisted of a hut and a vestibule, covered with a gable thatch or plank roof.

Since the beginning of this century, the exterior of the home began to be decorated with wooden carvings. The main motif of the ornament to this day remains solar signs - circles, crosses.

Later, long benches and wooden beds appeared. Dwellings equipped with stoves and chimneys became widespread among the wealthy part of the Chuvash peasantry in the second half of the 19th century. Of course, the modern appearance of Chuvash dwellings is incomparable to what ethnographers captured at the beginning of the 20th century; today in the house you can see modern rubble appliances and furniture, but the craving for the traditional still remains, although it manifests itself in a stylized form - the use of embroidered and woven products and wooden carvings in the national style to decorate the exterior and interior of the home.

Wooden utensils. Wood processing was highly developed among the peoples of the forest belt, including the Chuvash. Almost all household utensils were made of wood. There were many woodworking tools: a drill (păra), a brace (çavram păra) used for drilling holes and holes in solid material; chisel, chisel (ăйă) – tools for gouging out holes, sockets, grooves (yra); a large chisel (kara) is used for cutting out grooves in logs, boards, in the manufacture of mortars, troughs, tubs and other chiseled products.

According to the manufacturing method and nature of use, wooden utensils can be divided into several groups: 1) hollowed-out utensils with a solid bottom; 2) hollowed-out vessels with an inserted bottom; 3) riveted products; 4) dishes made of birch bark, bast, bark; 5) wicker utensils made of wicker, bast, shingles, roots.

Tableware was made from soft (linden, willow, aspen) and hard (oak, birch) tree species, from a single piece of wood or rhizome. The best examples of large ladles - bratin (altăr), and small ladles for beer (kurka) - were made from the strong root. They are shaped like a boat. The nasal side of the large bucket is raised upward and, turning into a narrow neck, is dismembered, forming a completion in the form of two horse heads (trigger duck). The peculiar two- and three-hole buckets “tĕkeltĕk” and “yankăltăk” are interesting. Honey and beer were poured into them at the same time, and “dust” (balm) from various herbs was also poured into a three-section ladle. These “paired ladles” (yĕkĕrlĕ kurka) were intended only for newlyweds. Small ladles, which were the pride of the family, were decorated with beautiful intricate carvings. They are also often boat-shaped. The handle is high with a slotted loop ending in a hook for hanging. The patterns on the handle are different: these are solar motifs, plaits, recesses, grooves, sculptural forms.

In everyday life, the Chuvash widely used utensils made of birch bark - sewn tues and cylindrical bodies (purak).

Wicker containers were used to store and carry food and various things; a wide range of bast braids are known collectively as koshel (kushel). Food and small belongings for the road were placed in a kusheel - a neatly made wicker bag with a lid. Pester (pushăt, takmak, peshtĕr) was in some places the bag of the manager of the wedding train (tui puçĕ). Ritual dishes were placed in this bag - bread (çăkăr) and cheese (chăkăt). Along with the bags, they used a wicker bast bucket for water and beer. Bread was proofed in wicker cups before baking, and wicker boxes were used as salt shakers. A vessel for water (shiv savăchĕ) and a container for gunpowder were taken with them when hunting.

Many utensils were woven from wicker. A basket for spoons (çăpala pĕrni) was made from bird cherry or willow twigs. There were vessels woven from shingles, wicker and strips of birch bark, bast, and tufts of grass. This is how bread bowls were made, for example. A hay purse (lăpă), various baskets (çatan, karçinkka), bodies, kurmans, chests, furniture, and fishing tackle were woven from willow vines.

Clay dishes. People have been making pottery since ancient times. Its production in Volga Bulgaria was at a high level. However, from the 16th century. local traditions in the production of highly artistic ceramics are gradually being forgotten. After joining the Russian state, the need for pottery was satisfied mainly by the products of urban artisans.

Pottery was made from pre-prepared clay. The clay was placed in a wooden box and thoroughly kneaded with feet and hands so that it was soft, elastic and did not break when twisted into a rope. After this, clay blanks were made of various sizes depending on the size of the dishes. Blanks are small pieces of clay rolled into a thick and short rope.

The vessel was formed on a hand or foot potter's wheel. After drying, the manufactured dishes were covered with glaze, which gave them strength and shine. After that, it was fired in a special oven.

Chuvash potters made a variety of dishes: pots, korchagi (chÿcholmek, kurshak), milk jugs (măylă chÿlmek), beer jugs (kăkshăm), bowls (çu dies), bowls (tăm chashăk), braziers, washstands (kămkan).

They came in all different shapes and styles. Abashevo, Imenkovo, Bulgar and other styles differed in type, shape, and ornament.

Metal utensils (cast iron, copper, tin) were also used in Chuvash households.

One of the ancient vessels that no family could do without was a cast-iron cauldron (khuran). The farm had several types of boilers of various sizes.

The cauldron in which dinner was cooked hung over the fireplace in the hut. A large boiler for brewing beer, food during major holidays, and heating water was suspended above the fireplace of the shack (summer kitchen). Cast iron appeared relatively late in the Chuvash economy. One of the ancient utensils is a frying pan (qatma, tupa).

Along with cast iron utensils, copper utensils were used: a copper jug (chăm), a washstand (kămkan), a valley (yantal), a vessel for drinking honey and beer, which in some cases was shaped like an ambling horse (çurhat). The kitchen utensils also included other metal objects - a poker (Turkka), a grip, a mower (kusar), knives (çĕçĕ), a tripod (takan).

Wealthy families purchased a samovar. Since the end of the 19th century. Under urban influence, iron buckets and glass bottles appear in the villages. Metal spoons, ladles, cups, pots, basins, troughs became widespread already in Soviet times.

LEGENDS ABOUT CHUVASH HOUSES AND BUILDINGS. The villages were mostly small. There were no streets as such. Groups of houses were arranged randomly (sapalansa). The houses of relatives were located inside one large courtyard (puskil) with one gate. The houses of the descendants were built around the courtyard of the ancestor. They formed a patronymy - a small community of relatives. A large courtyard was often located near a water source. In 1927, V. Yakovleva from the village. Chinery of the Mariinsko-Posad district it was written: “In my father’s memory, there were no semblance of streets in our village. One courtyard was facing one way, another was facing the other way, and the third was behind them. When my father was 8-9 years old, all the yards were moved into two even rows, forming a straight street.” The redevelopment of villages and the formation of streets were carried out by government order in the 70s of the 19th century. “In the old days,” says the legend recorded in the village. Arabosi, Urmara district, three, even five families lived on one estate. It was difficult to get to some farms without asking questions... The hut, cages, and outbuildings were inside the yard. The yard was fenced with a wall." This arrangement of the courtyard depended on the surviving ancestral remnants. However, legends claim that the clustered arrangement of several (sometimes up to ten) houses was caused by the need for defense from robbers. The legend about ancient Shorshely (now Mariinsky Posad district), recorded by I. Ya. Konkov in 1970, says that eight families - Baybakh, Atlas and their relatives from the village. Bolshoye Kamaevo (in the same area) moved to the Shordal area (White Key) - on the banks of the Tsivilya River. The village received the name Shorshely from the area, and was officially called Baybakhtino - on behalf of the ancestor Baybakh. At first, the settlers built log half-dugouts der purt on the slope of the river bank. Within a few years, the peasants acquired houses and buildings. There were no drinks in those days. Everything was built only with an axe. Everyone had one fenced yard with one gate. In the courtyard, on four sides, there were two huts with doors facing each other, and between the huts there was an alkum vestibule (alak ume), that is, a canopy. In the middle of the vestibule there was a partition with a small window. The huts of the Khur purt were built from unhewn logs. They cut down one or two small windows: a person could not crawl through it. The stove was made of stones and clay; it did not have a chimney. To allow smoke to escape from the hut, two holes were made in the wall: one near the stove, the other next to the door. The chyonyo was covered with a lid. While the stove was firing, the smoke stood in the upper part of the hut, going down halfway to the door. He did not have time to exit through the shadow, and he had to let out the smoke through the door, which opened inward. The door was closed from the inside with a bolt, and at night with a tekyo support, extending from the front wall to the back. This was done to protect against robbers. In the courtyard, separate from the huts, there were premises for livestock and cages. The vegetable gardens were located away from the village, the threshing floor was located in the field. Many legends indicate that the doors of the huts were facing east. Every morning, the Chuvash, opening the door, turned their faces to the Sun and prayed to the pagan gods and deities. A legend recorded by V. Alexandrov in the village of Bolshoye Churashevo (now Yadrinsky district) in 1925 tells a slightly different story about the location of the hut and buildings in the courtyard. It says that next to the hut they placed a cage, a stable, and a barn. All buildings had doors that opened inward. The buildings could be entered from the hut through small secret doors on the side. At night, horses, cows, and sheep were driven into their premises and, having entered through the side doors, the large doors were locked with crossbars so that thieves could not open them. In the south-eastern, newly populated part of Chuvashia, the legend states, fearing robbers, “the Chuvash built their houses like a fortress: their courtyard was surrounded by high, often two-story outbuildings, high slab oak fences enclosed in thick oak pillars, and the hut was built in the middle of the yard. The windows in the hut were small, in one or two small sections, and there were two or three such windows in the hut, they were cut very high from the ground. The huts were locked from the inside with strong wooden latches and strong salap supports. All barns, stables, and gates had three strong locks: inside there was a salap support, which was unlocked with a secret rope, and a wooden latch, unlocked with a wooden hook, and outside there was a special huge quadrangular wooden lock, firmly attached to the door leaf. Houses were built with their backs to each other (kuta kutan) and small doors were cut for free passage from one house to another.” And in other legends it is persistently emphasized that the dwelling was built with the expectation of protection from attacks by robbers and forest animals. Very small windows were cut out at the chicken hut, which is why it was dark even in sunlight. It had a main door and a second - a secret exit, the front and rear gables of the hut were covered with logs, a ladder was installed to the stove, along which the owner climbed up and threw stones at the thieves who entered the hut. Tradition also speaks of this type of building: in the village. Ivanovo (now Yantikovsky district) Yumzya Ivan, the founder of the settlement, surrounded his yard on all sides with a double fence of brushwood and coated it, for strength, with a layer of clay on both sides, and compacted the entire void between the walls with clay. Inside the fortification, near his home, he erected a sanctuary. The surrounding Chuvash came here to perform chyuk - prayer with sacrifice. His relative Pusai, who lived next door to Ivan, helped the yumza by slaughtering the sacrificial animals that were brought. ..You could get into the Chuvash buildings from the hut through small secret side doors. At night, horses, cows, and sheep were driven into their premises and, having entered through the side doors, the large doors were locked with crossbars so that thieves could not open them. In the south-eastern, newly populated part of Chuvashia, the legend states, fearing robbers, “the Chuvash built their houses like a fortress: their courtyard was surrounded by high, often two-story outbuildings, high slab oak fences enclosed in thick oak pillars, and the hut was built in the middle of the yard. The windows in the hut were small, in one or two small sections, and there were two or three such windows in the hut, they were cut very high from the ground. The huts were locked from the inside with strong wooden latches and strong salap supports. All barns, stables, and gates had three strong locks: inside there was a salap support, which was unlocked with a secret rope, and a wooden latch, unlocked with a wooden hook, and outside there was a special huge quadrangular wooden lock, firmly attached to the door leaf. Houses were built with their backs to each other (kuta kutan) and small doors were cut for free passage from one house to another.” And in other legends it is persistently emphasized that the dwelling was built with the expectation of protection from attacks by robbers and forest animals. Very small windows were cut out at the chicken hut, which is why it was dark even in sunlight. It had a main door and a second - a secret exit, the front and rear gables of the hut were covered with logs, a ladder was installed to the stove, along which the owner climbed up and threw stones at the thieves who entered the hut. Tradition also speaks of this type of building: in the village. Ivanovo (now Yantikovsky district) Yumzya Ivan, the founder of the settlement, surrounded his yard on all sides with a double fence of brushwood and coated it, for strength, with a layer of clay on both sides, and compacted the entire void between the walls with clay. Inside the fortification, near his home, he erected a sanctuary. The surrounding Chuvash came here to perform chyuk - prayer with sacrifice. His relative Pusai, who lived next door to Ivan, helped the yumza by slaughtering the sacrificial animals that were brought. Article materials used; "On the accession of the Chuvash people to the Russian state."

FOLK ARCHITECTURE OF CHU-VA-SHEY – the art of erecting buildings and structures, artistic creative activity of the Chuvash. people, as well as created and existing residential, economic and religious buildings. History of N.z.ch. closely related to the development of the manufacturer. strength, material. living conditions, ethnic. history, material. and spiritual culture of the people, geographical. environment. Architectural composition. The features of structures in the development space of an individual estate (or the estate of a family-kinship group) and the settlement as a whole were formed in connection with the surrounding nature. landscape.

Original forms of architecture go back to the nomadic and sedentary lifestyles of the Chuvash ancestors. There is information about the existence of the Volga. Bulgarian yurts, semi-dugouts, frame and adobe. and log houses. All these types of housing, with the exception of the yurt, existed among the Chuvash in the Middle Ages. century. Unity and relativity. the stability of the economic and everyday way of life determined the uniformity and slow evolution of planning. and volumetric characteristics of N.Z.H. up to 18th century During they were traditionally destroyed. - one of the significant elements in the development of architecture. The layout of settlements and government estates was changed in many ways. measures to redevelop settlements in the end. 18th–19th centuries (cm. , , , ).

A turning point in the development of N.z.ch. came at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, when new constructive structures appeared. types, construction technology has changed, rafter structures, plank gables and decorative elements have spread. details (rails, , balusters, valances, etc.), has become more complicated , new elements of ornament were introduced, ancient. mythological motives with magical attributes attributed to them. functions (solar symbols, amulet signs, world tree, etc.) became decorative. character. The single-chamber log hut gave way to a multi-chamber one, the main types of housing became: hut + canopy and hut + canopy + cage, new types of houses were built - round (large four-walled), five-walled, stone. house. The mutual influence of the trees was revealed. and stone architecture In the forest-steppe. in the zone, houses were also built from adobe, less often from natural stones. stone

All have ethnographic and ethnoterritorial. groups of Chuvash in con. 19 – beginning 20th centuries the common features of the types of dwellings and the outbuilding dominated. buildings. The materials used and construction technology (shape of logs, shape and covering of the roof, etc.), layout of the premises, connection of the house with the yard were similar. Specific features of N.z.ch. associated with geographical position, the influence of the architecture of neighboring peoples - the mountain Mari, Russians, Tatars, Mordovians, Bashkirs.

Until sep. 19th century chapters attention, like other peoples of the Volga region, was paid to decoration . The main types of carvings were flat-notched triangular and blind with a predominance of rosette motifs and its segments; slotted and crenate carvings were less used. In the beginning. 20th century new forms of architecture. finishing has successfully developed in the southeast. (lower) regions of Chuvashia. The riding Chuvash used a combination of flat and sawn carvings; their decorations were distinguished by filigree. To the east In the districts, houses appeared with sculptures decorating their roofs. skates. Frequent use of ornaments. carvings on wide cornices, pediment, platbands, gates. pillars and panels contributed to the further development of this art. Rarely encountered in Chuvash. villages of sculptures. processing of roof gable elements. A decorative feature. The decoration of the house became polychrome coloring. Progressive. changes in the development of N.z.ch. reflected in folklore, in which white huts, the presence of carved decor, and a parade were glorified. porch, front garden, house painting.

In the 2nd half. 20th century and especially at the turn of the 20th–21st centuries. development of N.z.ch. accelerated, old forms were replaced by new cultures. complexes with peculiar traditional weave To hell with the new architectural and construction projects. designs. In the 1980s There has been a tendency towards the construction of residential and commercial buildings. premises under one roof, since the 1990s. it grew into the construction of cottages. Small architectures. forms (gates, summer house, front porch) received new volumetric planning. solutions, an attic and a balcony appeared. The features of ethnographic are gradually leveled out. and nature zones, ethnic features disappear. home identity. The individual is strengthened. ingenuity is developed more rationally. working methods. Various are used. decorative means: cut. and chiseled carving, expanded iron, mosaic. covering the walls with planks and figures. masonry and plaster, and also stucco and carving on wet plaster, painting, coloring. The motifs of the carving ornament - geometric, plant, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic, as in embroidery, have continuity. The S-shaped motif underlies many compositions created by the Chuvash. masters. In the beginning. 21st century architecture creativity turned towards the use of non-traditional. for N.z.ch. builder materials and structures, systems engineer. equipment.

Chuvash Samara ethnocultural appearance

The earliest description of the “kartish” courtyard and the “pyurt-syurt” residential hut of the Samara Chuvash was given in the work of the 18th century Russian researcher I.I. Lepekhina: “Each resident has a special house, which, depending on the income of the peasant, is either fenced with a fence or fence. In the middle of the courtyard itself they put their living huts, which do not have any extensions, such as a canopy or closets, but the doors directly open into the courtyard. Those living between them have each winter hut and a summer one, which is placed opposite the winter one and connected to it by a passage.” The interior of the hut consisted of blind bunks located near the wall opposite the entrance. The bunks served as both a bed and a chest for storing household items, as well as a place to keep young livestock in the winter. A canopy was hung over the bunks. The huts were heated in black, and the small fiberglass windows were closed with bolts. In the yard, in addition to the residential hut, there were buildings for livestock and storage of bread and hay. There was also a steam bath here, in which, according to I.I. Lepekhina, they “steam weekly... in unbearable heat and two brooms.”

By the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the predominant type of housing among the Samara Chuvash became two-chamber houses, consisting of a hut and a vestibule, and in some, even a cage. The poor continued to have huts with a porch, without a canopy. Hushe huts, ser-pyurt semi-dugouts, shacks, barns, and adobe huts served as temporary dwellings.

In Soviet times, especially in the post-war period, there was an intensive growth in the intimacy of houses, either through the construction of side chapels, or through the construction of cross houses.

Huts were traditionally built on a low basement. For its construction, various building materials were used: wood, adobe, brick, and less often stone. The main material was logs of various types of wood, but more often coniferous. Various techniques were used in house-building techniques: log masonry, pillar masonry, and adobe masonry. The main method of cutting logs is “in the clear”. At the beginning of the 20th century, due to rising prices for timber and the impoverishment of peasants, adobe and adobe houses became widespread in the region.

When choosing a place for a house, traditional customs were observed: it was not allowed to place a house on the site of sacrifice to deceased relatives “tasa vyran” or spirits of the area “khayar vyran”. The place chosen for the house was consecrated - “chuk tuna”. Coins were placed in the front corner of the framed crown and under the mat, and coins, grains, and pieces of fabric were placed under the crossbars. In the basement of a house under construction, they made a sacrifice to the brownie “khert-surt”, and before moving into the house they celebrated a housewarming “sene surt”.

Residential buildings among the Samara Chuvash differed in the design and shape of the roof, and their location in relation to the street. In the northern regions, they had gable roofs and stood with the narrow side facing the street, and in the northeastern and eastern regions they had a hipped roof and were positioned with the wide side facing the street. Traditionally, roofs were thatched. In wooded areas they used planks and shingles, and in the steppe areas they used reeds and tiles. In the 20th century, iron and slate came into practice. The floor and ceiling were covered with boards. 2-3 slanted windows were cut into the wall onto the street (more for five-walled windows). The entrance to the house was located either from the street or from the yard.

The walls were also coated with clay or whitewashed, which, along with the hipped roof, gave the house a typological resemblance to a South Russian hut. The exterior design of such a dwelling was not burdened with architectural details - the pediment and window frames were minimally decorated with carvings. Carved ornaments have spread since the beginning of the 20th century.

The interior layout of the house has maintained traditional features over the centuries. The “kamaka” stove was located to the right or left of the entrance, faced the front wall and could have a built-in boiler. This layout is close to the Central Russian type. In five-walled houses, the front hut was heated with a Dutch oven. Currently, baking ovens are combined with water heating and heating. There was a table diagonally from the stove, and in the corner adjacent to the stove, at the entrance, there was a bed. In the “red corner” of the baptized Chuvash there was a shrine. The corner of the hut in front of the kamaka ume stove served as a kitchen; traditionally, the stove was placed on a wooden base, to which a fixed bench was attached. In the 19th century, a “polati centre” was installed above the entrance, fixed benches “sak” were installed around the table, along the front and side walls; a chest with things could stand next to it; in the kitchen there was a cupboard. Currently, homemade furniture has been replaced by factory furniture. In the past, the interior of a home was decorated with homespun towels, rugs, knitted tablecloths, napkins, and valances.

Plank or log canopies “selnik” were used for storing food and also as a summer home. In front of the entrance to the vestibule there was a porch decorated with architectural details.

Outbuildings (barn, cage, stable) were located in the courtyard either in the form of the letter G or P. In the eastern regions of the region, there was a free arrangement of buildings. In the courtyard there was a “la”, used for making beer or baking bread. For reasons of fire hazard, the “muncha” bathhouse was moved outside the yard and placed closer to the water source. The materials for the construction of outbuildings were wood, stone, and brick. Vegetables, canned and perishable foods were stored in the “nyukhrep” cellar. The yard was enclosed either by a wattle fence or a plank fence with a gate (with or without a roof). The first ones are called Russian gates, the second ones are called Chuvash gates.

In the 60-90s of the 20th century, significant changes took place in house-building techniques: intimacy increased (3-5 rooms), wood was partially replaced by brick, and in some villages block and panel houses were built. However, wood predominates in the construction of outbuildings.