In everyday life and at school lessons, we get acquainted with the history of our homeland, we study the peoples of Russia. Vepsians, for some reason, remain forgotten. In fact, we are talking about multinational Russia without thinking about its roots. To the question: "What do you know about the Vepsians?" - almost everyone will answer that this is an almost extinct nationality. It is unfortunate that people have ceased to be interested in the peculiarities of culture, traditional activities and customs and beliefs of an old people. Despite this, many realize that Vepsian blood may flow in them, and this suggests that the Veps people are part of the history of many families, so in no case should they be forgotten, because this is how you personally destroy your past. Has anyone thought that we owe the prosperity of our region to the ancient peoples of Russia, so forgetting the Veps is like cutting out a piece of the country's history.
Who are the Vepsians?
This is a relatively small nation that lives within the Republic of Karelia. Most often the Veps people,imitating some groups of southern Karelians, he calls himself the word "ladinikad". Only a few use the ethnonyms "bepsya" or "veps", since they have long been known to kindred peoples. Officially, Vepsians were called Chud, but in everyday life they used names with a derogatory connotation: chukhari or kayvans.
The history of the appearance of the Karelian people
The people of the Veps were officially called Chud until 1917. The older name Vepsya was almost nowhere recorded in the 20th century. In the work of the historian Jordan, dated to the 6th century AD, one can find references to the ancestors of the Veps, they are also mentioned in Arabic sources, in the Tale of Bygone Years and in the works of Western European authors. The archaeological monuments of the ancient people include many burial mounds and individual settlements that appeared in the 10th - early 12th centuries on the territory of Ladoga, Prionezhye and Belozerye. The Vepsians took part in the formation of the Russian Komi. In the 18th century, the Karelian people were assigned to the Olonets arms factories. In the 1930s, they tried to introduce Veps language lessons in elementary schools. In the late 1980s, some educational institutions resumed teaching the language, even a special primer appeared, but most of the people communicate and think in Russian. At the same time, a movement arose, the main goal of which was the revival of the Vepsian culture.
Traditionally, the Vepsians were engaged in arable farming, but animal husbandry and hunting were assigned a secondary role. of great importance forIntra-family consumption was played by fishing and gathering. The development of otkhodnichestvo and barge work on the rivers began in the second half of the 18th century. Pottery craft developed on the Oyati River. During the Soviet Union, the northern Veps began to engage in the industrial development of decorative stone, and meat and dairy appeared in animal husbandry. 49.3% of the population lives in cities, many work in the logging industry.
The roots of the Vepsian people go back to ancient times. The most important events are connected with one of the largest outposts of national importance - Ladoga, later the historical past was intertwined with the Novgorod state.
Location
According to modern sources, the Karelian people inhabited the south-west of the Onega region in a south-northern direction, starting from the village of Gimreka (Northern Vepsians). The largest locations are Rybreka, Sheltozero and the village, located 60 kilometers from Petrozavodsk, Shoksha.
Many villages are located along the Oyat River, and the borders coincide with the Vinnitsa district of the Leningrad region. The most significant points are Lakes, Yaroslavichi, Ladva and Nadporozhye.
One of the largest settlements, Shimozero, was located on the northern and eastern slopes of the Veps Upland, but many people moved south: to Megra, Oshta and Ascension.
In the tributary of the Megra, a cluster of villages was localized, called Belozersky. It is located 70 kilometers from the White Lake. the largestPodala is considered a settlement.
In the tributary of the Chagodish, there is the settlement of Sidorovo, where the Efimov Veps live. The Shugozero group is located near the sources of the Pasha and Kapsha rivers.
Food and utensils
Veps diet combines new and traditional dishes. Their bread is quite unusual, with sourness. Recently, it has become increasingly popular in stores. In addition to the main pastries, the Veps cook fish pies (kurniki), kalitadas - open pies with millet porridge or mashed potatoes, all kinds of koloboks, cheesecakes and pancakes. As for stews, the most widespread are cabbage soup, various soups and fish soup. The daily diet of the Vepsians includes porridge, for the preparation of which rye groats (powders) are used. Like the Karelian people and oatmeal jelly. Of the sweet dishes, lingonberry juice and m alt dough are common. As in all of Russia, Vepsians love bread kvass and barley beer. Brewing is held twice a year, for the upcoming holidays. But on ordinary weekdays Veps enjoy strong tea.
Not lagging behind civilization and almost forgotten by all the population. Currently, they can freely purchase goods in the trading network that they had only dreamed of before (sweets, sausage, sugar, cookies), and the Veps did not even know about the existence of some products (pasta, canned food and fruits). The largest number of products are purchased in stores by people living in forest villages. Today, the Veps people are also familiar with new dishes (borscht, goulash, dumplings, vinaigrette).
Classes and life
As mentioned earlier, agriculture was the basis of the economy, although livestock occupied a significant place. In the middle of the 19th century, a large-scale development of logging began. Agricultural production focused mainly on the meat and dairy direction in animal husbandry.
In the territory where the Veps lived, there were no industrial facilities, which caused the outflow of a large number of the able-bodied population to areas with a pronounced industrial and production specialization. Settlements are characterized by free planning. The location of the dwelling was determined by the complex relief terrain and the contours of the coastline.
Traditional housing
The hut was usually built on a high basement, where the cellar was located according to the tradition of the people. The Vepsians used larch logs for the walls of their dwellings. The main feature of the traditional Vepsian hut is the T-shaped layout. Under one roof there was a residential part and a two-story courtyard. The more affluent Vepsians (a people whose interesting facts from life are little known) built houses with wide windows framed with stepped architraves, slightly pressed deep into the wall. The facade of the building certainly looked at the road, and all the neighboring huts stood exactly in a row. Everyone independently came up with a decoration for their home: some had a carved balcony under the ridge of the roof.
The interior room was divided into 2 parts with a two-sided cupboard with tea utensils and other household items. On theone line with the so-called partition was a Russian stove - the center of the hut. This integral attribute of the Karelian people was used not only for heating, but also for rest and drying clothes. The Vepsians firmly believed that a brownie (Pertijand) lives under the stove.
In each hut there was a holy corner, in the upper part of which icons were placed, and in the lower part needles and threads and knots with s alt were kept. Other small items, including wooden and earthenware, were placed in a cupboard. According to the Finnish layout, the table occupied a place against the wall of the facade. The traditional Veps hut was lit with a kerosene lamp. A mandatory attribute of the house was a wooden cradle. As a rule, a sofa and a chest were placed in the female half near the bed, in some huts a loom was installed by the window.
Clothes
Traditional Veps homespun clothes have not been made since the early 30s. The citywide costume became widespread. In the old days, the Veps went to work in trousers and a short caftan worn over underwear. Women's clothing was identical in cut to men's, only a shirt (ryatzin) and a skirt were worn under the bottom.
Vepsians, the people (photos are presented in this material), living in Karelia, dressed smartly for the holidays. Women could be seen in bright Cossack jackets and skirts with aprons. A scarf served as a headdress, and married representatives of the weaker half of humanity also had to wear a warrior. Shoes were dominated by leather, birch bark sandals, or virzut, used only for work.
Cut andthe material used for tailoring is very close to the Northern Great Russian, but with many rather original features. So, in sundresses one could see only the Veps living in the south of Karelia, but the women of the Onega region - in longitudinally striped skirts. Men wore hats made of hare fur and a neckerchief (kaglan pike) in winter.
Today, Vepsians do not wear folk clothes, the national costume is preserved only among the elderly. Of the traditional, headscarves, half-cloth kaftans, woolen skirts and knitwear are still used.
Vepsians (people): appearance and race
The ancient Karelian people are part of the Caucasoid race with a Ural admixture. Vepsians are small in stature, with an average head size, their face is slightly flattened, their forehead is low, the lower jaw is slightly expanded, the cheekbones protrude, the tip of the nose is raised, and a slight growth of hair on the lower part of the face is also characteristic. The hair of the inhabitants of the Republic of Karelia is straight, mostly light.
Beliefs
The amazingly kind people of the Veps have not lost their national characteristics. You will learn briefly about traditions and customs a little later, but now I would like to talk about beliefs. The Vepsians bowed before spruce, juniper, mountain ash, alder, they believed in the existence of brownies, watermen, courtyards and other owners. In the 11-12 centuries, Orthodoxy spread among the Veps, but pre-Christian beliefs persisted for a long time.
Culture
From the folklore genrepopular were proverbs, ditties, bylichki and various legends about the conquerors. At the beginning of the 20th century, the kantele was replaced by an accordion with a minor scale. The Vepsians carved wood, wove from birch bark, sculpted from clay, embroidered and wove.
Vehicles
The Vepsian people traveled to neighboring areas mainly by road, but the settlements of Lodeynoye Pole and Leningrad were connected by air. The southern Vepsians could use the lumber mill's railroad to the Zaborie station. In some areas, movement was possible only on a tractor with a trailer. Dug-out aspen boats were used by the Veps living on small rivers. The people (photos and interesting facts from life are given in this material) also moved on shuttles (hon-goi), on the sides of which float logs were attached.
Traditions and customs of the Vepsians
Customs of peoples (Vepsians are no exception) can tell a lot of useful information about them. The inhabitants of the Republic of Karelia played a wedding in the winter, but only before that the matchmaking took place. In case of refusal, the girl had to throw 3 logs into the corner of her dwelling. If the matchmaking ended in consent, the bride's parents went to visit the groom to inspect the house and household. Before the wedding, the young must have been blessed by their parents.
Vepsian funerals consisted of two types: the first provided for the mourning of the deceased, and the second - "cheerfulness" of the deceased.
