Kerzhak is a representative of the Old Believers, the bearer of the culture of the peoples of Northern Russia. At the beginning of the 17th century, after the original habitats of the Kerzhaks in the Nizhny Novgorod lands were destroyed by adherents of the new faith, they massively went to the East.
Historical roots
Kerzhaks are followers of the Old Believers or Old Orthodoxy, which is characterized by a combination of peculiar religious movements that arose in the Russian Orthodox Church after the church reform of Patriarch Nikon and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. They rejected the introduced changes in the religious foundations, which unified worship with the traditions of the Greek and Constantinople churches.
This reform caused a deep split in the Russian Church. Supporters of the old faith began to be called schismatics (Old Believers, Old Believers) with all the ensuing negative consequences for them.
Based on the history of the Old Believers, it follows that it originates from the moment Vladimir baptized ancient Russia. The main event for them was the creation of an autonomous Russian local church in the middle of the 15th century,when the Russian bishops elected their metropolitans without the participation of representatives of Constantinople. Another important milestone for the Old Believers is the local hundred-domed cathedral in the middle of the 16th century, which proclaimed the independence of the Russian Orthodox Church and decided to elect its own patriarch.
Kerzhaks - who is this? Recklessness
The Old Believers finally formed as a religious movement in the 17th century after all the priests of the old ordination died. At the same time, the Old Believers did not recognize the priests of the new church charters, they began to conduct their services without them. In history, they are usually called "non-priests", since they conduct all religious rites in the so-called secular rite, without the presence of representatives of the clergy.
Initially, the Bespopovtsy, trying to isolate themselves and preserve their faith, began to settle in uninhabited places. These regions included: the coast of the White Sea (Old Believers - Pomors); Olonets outskirts (modern Karelia); Nizhny Novgorod lands in the area of the Kerzhenets River (Old Believers - Kerzhaks). As such, Kerzhak has no nationality.
The meaning of the word "Kerzhak" is an Old Believer living in the area of the Kerzhanets (Kerzh) River, a representative of a large ethnographic group of Russian Old Believers.
Subsequently, as a result of incessant persecution and persecution by the authorities and the church, they went to the Urals. After they began to advance to Siberia, Altai and the Far East. In fact, they were the first Russian-speaking inhabitants of Siberia and the east of Russia. AtAt the same time, the Kerzhaks led a closed social life with their own religious rules and invariable cultural traditions. Among the Old Believers, the new inhabitants of Siberia, Kerzhaks stood out especially. They constituted a certain caste of Siberian and Altai masons. They opposed themselves to later settlers in Siberia. But in the future, due to their common origin, they gradually assimilated with them.
Somewhat later, the name "Kerzhaks" was transferred to all the Old Believers who settled beyond the Urals.
Number of Kerzhak Old Believers at present
At present, due to the serious influence on the way of life of the Old Believers, the Old Believers of the Soviet transformations, including collectivization, planting atheism, dispossession and industrialization processes, the bulk of the Old Believers-Kerzhaks have departed from their traditions. They dispersed throughout Russia, and moved abroad.
According to the census of the Russian Federation in 2002, only eighteen people identified themselves as true Kerzhaks.
It is possible that there are much more real descendants of the ancient Kerzhaks and adherents of the old faith. There is evidence that their small groups live completely apart in the distant and deaf Siberian and Altai "back streets". As the Lykov family, which has become famous relatively recently.
There is information that their settlements still exist outside of Russia.
Features of faith
In their religious beliefs, the Kerzhaks were distinguished by the fact that, in addition to faith in the OrthodoxHoly Trinity, they observed traditions that recorded the presence of more ancient worldviews. They believed in brownies, goblin, water spirits, etc. Numerous secret ancient rituals took place in everyday life. When accepting dishes from someone else's hands, it had to be crossed. This was done to drive out evil spirits. After washing, bath basins were necessarily turned over to prevent bath devils from entering them.
Their icons in every possible way saved representatives of the new, after Nikon's, Orthodox faith from turning to them.
Performing prayers, they strictly observed the traditions of the Old Believers. Kerzhaks were baptized, like their predecessors in faith, with two rings.
Prayer accompanied them in the morning, only after it they could eat and work. Before going to bed, the kerzhak did this without fail (he read a prayer).
Kerzhaks were allowed to marry only with representatives of the same faith.
Food for Kerzhaks
In food, the Old Believers preferred old recipes. Sour cabbage soup with kvass was traditionally eaten, seasoned with barley groats. Other cereals and turnips were also actively used, from which a large number of different dishes were prepared.
Historians report that the Kerzhaks observed fasts very carefully and in a peculiar way. So, at that time they prepared pies from fish, which was used not gutted, only peeled.
With the beginning of the Great Spring Lent, the Kerzhaks ate fresh herbs, shoots of horsetail (colza), nuts collected in the forest. During the summer haymaking period, rye kvass was prepared, which was used forcooking okroshka, eating it with radish, berries.
We were engaged in kerzhaks and preparing food for the winter. Berries were collected in large quantities. Cowberries were soaked in tubs, which were consumed with honey. They fermented wild garlic, which was eaten along with bread and kvass. S alted and fermented mushrooms, cabbage. Hemp seeds were the main dietary supplement among Kerzhaks. They were crushed, added to honey, water, consumed with bread. They made hemp oil.
Workdays
Agriculture was the main occupation of the Kerzhaks. They grew crops and various vegetables. Hemp cultivation was popular. Among animals, preference was given to sheep and goats. In Altai, they learned to breed deer. The Old Believers-Kerzhaks have successfully established themselves in trade. Their livestock products, various products of their deer horns, as well as healing tinctures from them, were popular.
Kerzhaks were skilled in various crafts. Particular preference was given to weaving, carpet making, and tailoring. Their products are known as souvenirs, various accessories. Hemp was widely used in the economy of the Kerzhaks, which went into production in its entirety. So, sacking was made from stems, oil was pressed from hemp seeds. Kerzhaks are skilled beekeepers, as well as carpenters and oven masonry.
Family Arrangement
The families of the Old Believers were mostly large. Their average number was 18-20 people. They were representatives of three generations. Kerzhat families were famous for their strong foundations. Head, eldest in the family,there was a big man. His assistant was his wife (big woman). All the daughters-in-law obeyed the latter. Young people and daughters-in-law were obliged to ask her permission to carry out any business. They were assigned such a role until a child appeared, or a young family did not leave to live separately.
Children's upbringing among the Kerzhaks was distinguished by the fact that from childhood they tried to instill in the younger generation a love of work, respect for adults, and patience. Children were not forced to shout, mostly they tried to use proverbs, fairy tales, jokes, parables, etc.
Kerzhak dwellings, everyday life
The Old Believers lived in log huts, which had gable roofs, rafters. Log cabins were made, according to traditional Russian rules, from intersecting logs. They built houses soundly, hoping that they would stand for several centuries. The huts and the courtyards adjacent to them were surrounded by a wooden fence. The gate in the fence is two boards, one on the inside, the other on the outside. To get into or out of the yard, one had to go up one and then go down the other, and vice versa.
There is historical evidence that the Kerzhaks sometimes built houses whose yards were completely covered.
The interior of the hut presented a varied picture and depended on we alth. The main items of household utensils were beds, tables, chairs, tables. A red corner is required. It contained a goddess with icons. Its location is strictly in the southeast cornerpremises. Books, ladders (Old Believer rosaries) were stacked under it.
Not all huts had wardrobes, things were hung on the walls. The stoves were placed in a corner, indented from the wall. Kerzhaks did this to protect against fires. They had oven holes that were used for drying things. Shelves and cupboards for storing dishes were common in houses. Houses were lit with kerosene lamps or torches.
Beauty and purity for the Old Believers-Kerzhaks are synonyms. Dirt in the hut is a shame for the hostess. General cleaning was carried out on Saturdays. At the same time, the whole tree was rubbed with sand in order to return the smell of wood into the room.
After the stranger left the house, they always washed the floors, wiped the door handles. Separate dishes were intended for guests.
Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene led to the fact that Kerzhaks were distinguished by decent he alth. There is no information about epidemics in their villages of epidemics.
Kerzhaks were rather reverent about fire and water. The surrounding nature in their understanding was considered holy. They believed that fire could purify the body and renew the soul. They also had healing springs, which they hid from strangers. It was unacceptable to pour dirty water into the river, to take out and throw away garbage. It was possible to pour water over the threshold, which was used to clean the icons, as it was considered purified.
Cultural Traditions
Carefully they treated this word, the truth. The character of the Kerzhaks is to some extent contained in their proverb: "Slander that coal is notit will burn, it will stain it."
It was strictly forbidden for the Old Believers to speak swear words, to perform obscene songs. By this, the violators dishonored themselves and their relatives. It was imperative to greet strangers, keep up conversations with them.
For quite a long time Kerzhaks considered it shameful to eat potatoes. He even adapted the nickname - "devil's apple." Tea was not respected. He preferred hot water. They also had a very negative attitude towards drunkenness. It was believed that hops could be in the body for almost 30 years. The addiction to tobacco was not welcomed either. Smokers were not allowed near the icons, limited in communication.
The peculiarities of these Old Believers include the fact that they did not sit down at the table with the "worldly" (not co-religionists). If an outsider (non-Christian) entered the house when the Kerzhaks were eating, then the food on the table became nasty for them.
Certain religious rules can be attributed to the peculiarities of family life. Thus, knowledge, conspiracies, prayers were transmitted exclusively by inheritance to their children. This information was not allowed to be passed on to older people. Prayers were learned by heart. It was impossible to pronounce them in front of strangers, the Kerzhaks considered this sacrilege.
Few currently living representatives of Kerzhaks continue to carry their customs and rituals through time. The older generation devotes a lot of time to prayers. They have a lot of old icons, made back in Nikon's times. They are carefully guarded. As well as rituals, moral principles, traditions.
Until now, they are dominated by the belief that in life you need to rely only on your own strengths, skills, knowledge and diligence. From old photos, Kerzhaks look like confident, persistent and kind people.
