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Epiphany Gatherings in Kruzhilin Village

It has become a good tradition in the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov to hold Epiphany Gatherings for schoolchildren at the Cossack farmstead in Kruzhilin Village.

This January, 18, the Cossack farmstead welcomed the children and their teacher. The children living in different villages shared their impressions about the Yule in their villages.

With great interest the children explore the people’s customs and traditions. They know from their grandparents that the Yule in the Upper Don region was always festive and bright. On these days people visited their relatives, friends, neighbours, played lotto and cards, sang songs, told fortunes. The holiday began on Christmas (January, 7) and lasted a fortnight. On January, between 13^th and 14^th, on the “Old New Year” the villagers made kutya and sang carols.

The Epiphany evening, according to the folk beliefs, is a time of the evil force revelry, and in order to protect home, the doors and window frames are to be marked with a chalk cross. Before midnight the people bathe in the open water or wash themselves down with cold water, thus “washing away the sins” accumulated during the year. Epiphany Day, January, 19, is a bright and merry family holiday, which is marked with a holiday dinner.

The museum workers made traditional Cossack dinner with pancakes, currant pies, potato pies, sweet fruit drink.

At the dinner the children and adults talked about the importance of preservation of folk Cossack traditions, of learning the local history. We are glad that the children know Cossack games, songs, rites, ask for and listen to the stories of the village old-timers about the old life.

Valentina Abramovskaya