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Sholokhov Homeland Hosts Ethnographic Festival

A traditional literary and ethnographic festival “Kruzhilin Toloki” is held in the native village of M.A.Sholokhov for the sixth time. This time it was devoted not only to agricultural works typical for the Don village of the early XX century, but also to one of the old rites – matchmaking in a Cossack village.

It was not a mere reconstruction, but  a kind of a fragment of life of villagers, who live and work to carry out the traditional order established once and for all by the ancestors.

“Take the wife from the Don to live without damage”– so our villagers say, and not without reason. But what kind should the future wife be? The most experienced members of the family come to help the future bridegroom: see how the girl works and you will understand everything.

This idea formed the basis for the script and festival performance, which took place on Sunday, September, 6, in Kruzhilin Village.

It was a hot September Sunday, when numerous visitors came to the Sholokhovs’ estate and to a Cossack farmstead nearby. Some people took a tour about the memorial places, some people wanted to buy souvenirs or toys for children, many guests wanted to attend master-classes to learn about the arts and crafts, to join games and competitions for children and adults. The workers of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov invited the visitors to try making pottery, wood carving, painting souvenirs, sand art, painting window sandriks, making felt articles, dismantling and assembling the layouts of a Russian well and a Russian stove.

The folk groups from Moscow, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Novocherkassk, Penza, the Volgograd and Rostov regions, and Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya showed their performances.

A.M.Sholokhov, Director of the Sholokhov Museum-Reserve, welcomed the visitors and invited to take part in the reconstruction of the old agricultural works – sowing, raking and thrashing of the grain on the mill stone. There were shown old methods and ways of agricultural work in the field. The visitors actively helped in all the works.

Meanwhile, there was a fighting for a handsome and industrious lad would-be bridegroom, Andryushka, between two possible village brides Steshka and Dunya. They competed in cooking porridge to be chosen the best bride candidate for matchmaking and wedding. And all was finished with a beautiful Cossack song performed by the folk group “”Pravoslavny Don.

Alexey Kochetov