Old maids
Such as for example, mothers believed it unbecoming so you’re able to marry off their youngest child ahead of the eldest and you can, since oldest needed a groom and you may gonna activities and gatherings, the brand new youngest wasn’t permitted to and you will, very, remained “within the maidenhood”. Obviously, there had been and additionally girls just who merely couldn’t come across a couple of they liked. Peasant community treated all of them therefore harshly it is unpleasantly shocking today.
People who got remaining while the girls have been titled a choice away from insulting nicknames: vekovukha (‘century-old one’), odnokosok (‘one-braided girl’, due to the fact solitary girls used just one braid despite adulthood), ‘gray-haired’, perespelok (‘the newest overly mature one’). Including good girl could even be taken within village of the their moms and dads towards a beneficial sledge, italienska kvinnlig shouting: “Nadolba, nadolba! (A term meaning more or less “heavy since the a stone”) Who wants a good nadolba?” When the children agreed, they could currently “hit a package” and then have hitched the next day.
To stay a vekovukha was felt from the village a good disgrace – it actually was thought that for example a woman had not knew their virility potential. Actually lameness, lop-sidedness or being hunchbacked just weren’t sensed an obstacle so you’re able to matrimony.
In the event the good girl failed to e more 25 years dated, youngsters carry out end appealing their particular to their gatherings and you may she’d feel taboo to wear girls’ clothes. Today, their unique attire needed to be out-of black colors, like those of widows and dated women. The brand new vekovukhas always resided ilies inside a special strengthening, where they leftover her own home.
Widows and you will vekovukhas, even after the some disadvantaged position, was indeed regarded as about village just like the bearers of bodily and you will spiritual love. As a result, they met of several important ceremonial qualities – mainly related to the new changeover to the other globe. While the symbols out of condition and low-parity, widows and you will centenarians did not attend wedding receptions, births, christenings – however they participated in the latest rites and laundry of your dead, watched over the human body before funeral service, generally managed and you may kept the latest funeral service life.
Another important “work” was the “plowing” of arable land because of the vekovukhas and widows, which was widespread in lot of provinces, with expectant mothers (which symbolized fertility) utilized on plow. This important routine was to be done merely symbolically by the “barren” feamales in the dark off nights, to ensure, quite the opposite, the brand new land might be fertile when go out showed up.
Many vekovukhas and you may widows, immediately after purchasing age contained in this status, began exercising group medicine and you will witchcraft within their old-age. But, there had been along with feamales in the fresh Russian country side, exactly who decided that they perform live by yourself from the comfort of their younger age.
Nuns
The newest girls who did not stick to the family roadway of life, however, chose the road away from servitude to Goodness, was basically entitled chernichkas. The definition of chernichka was an excellent feminitive version of the definition of chernets (‘the only into the black colored robes’) – an excellent monk exactly who belonged to the “black” (celibate) clergy. To become an effective chernichka, a great girl needed to declare their own need following attaining the age of marriage – that is where brand new girl create start to feel anticipate in order to events and you may people by town youthfulness. This may takes place because of the girl’s sort of private piety – or because of a hope made by their unique moms and dads.
Abreast of saying their focus, brand new girl needed to hand out most of the their own colorful maidenly dresses and you will don black clothes, such as for example an effective vekovukha otherwise an excellent widow. This new braid was also symbolically slashed when you are uttering the language: “Because my locks does not come back to one another, I will not come back to my maidenhood.”
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