Old maids
Instance, moms and dads sensed it unbecoming to marry off their youngest child just before the newest earliest and you will, given that earliest was looking for a groom and likely to events and you can events, the fresh youngest wasn’t permitted to and you can, very, stayed “inside maidenhood”. Obviously, there were in addition to girls just who merely couldn’t find two it appreciated. Peasant community treated all of them very harshly it is unpleasantly stunning today.
People that was kept while the girls was named a selection regarding insulting nicknames: vekovukha (‘century-old one’), odnokosok (‘one-braided girl’, since single girls dressed in just one braid even yet in adulthood), ‘gray-haired’, perespelok (‘the latest extremely ripe one’). Eg a girl can also be pulled within the community because of the their unique parents for the an excellent sledge, shouting: “Nadolba, nadolba! (A phrase definition about “heavy since a stone”) Who wants good nadolba?” In the event that a family decided, they might currently “struck a package” as well as have partnered the following day.
To remain an effective vekovukha try thought from the town a disgrace – it was thought that eg a woman hadn’t realized their virility potential. Actually lameness, lop-sidedness or becoming hunchbacked weren’t felt a hurdle in order to relationship.
In the event that good girl didn’t age over 25 years dated, youngsters perform avoid appealing her on their events and she would getting forbidden to put on girls’ clothes. Now, their particular outfits must be out of dark colors, such as those regarding widows and you will old women. This new vekovukhas always resided ilies when you look at the another strengthening, where they leftover her very own household.
Widows and you may vekovukhas, despite their a little disadvantaged condition, was basically regarded as regarding the village once the bearers away from bodily and you may religious purity. Therefore, they came across of a lot extremely important ceremonial qualities het Finish tjej – generally about the new transition to the other business. Since the signs away from condition and low-parity, widows and you will centenarians don’t sit in wedding events, births, christenings – however they participated in the rites and you will laundry of the dry, noticed along side human anatomy till the funeral service, in general was able and you will remaining the newest funeral way of living.
Another essential “work” try the newest “plowing” of arable land by the vekovukhas and you may widows, which had been extensive in several provinces, with women that are pregnant (whom represented fertility) harnessed towards plow. This very important routine were to be done only symbolically by the “barren” ladies in the new dark off evening, to ensure, on the other hand, the fresh new property would-be fruitful when date arrived.
Of many vekovukhas and you can widows, just after using decades inside position, began training men and women treatments and you may witchcraft within advancing years. However,, there have been along with ladies in this new Russian countryside, just who decided that they would live alone right from its younger many years.
Nuns
New girls exactly who didn’t stick to the family relations highway away from lives, but find the roadway regarding servitude in order to God, was in fact named chernichkas. The definition of chernichka try a great feminitive particular the phrase chernets (‘the one for the black robes’) – a monk whom belonged into “black” (celibate) clergy. Being a great chernichka, an excellent girl was required to claim their particular want to immediately after attaining the period of wedding – and here the fresh new girl would begin to getting greet so you can events and you can people by the town childhood. This could takes place from the girl’s types of private piety – or on account of a pledge created by their mothers.
Through to claiming their particular attract, the fresh new girl was required to share most of the their particular colorful maidenly attire and wear dark gowns, such as for example an effective vekovukha otherwise a great widow. The fresh braid was also symbolically clipped if you’re uttering the text: “As the my personal locks cannot come back to one another, I will not return to my maidenhood.”