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“Kruzhilin Toloki” in the Homeland of Mikhail Sholokhov

On September 4, the literary and ethnographical holiday “Kruzhilin Toloki” will take place in Kruzhilin Village at the Cossack farmstead for the seventh time. The holiday will take the participants and viewers 100 years back, will enable them to meet with the personages of Sholokhov’s works and write their line into the unique Open Air Novel.

The holiday “Kruzhilin Toloki” is the Grand Prix winner of the National Award in Event Tourism “Russian Event Awards” in the nomination “The Best Event in Spreading Folk Traditions and Crafts”. It is included into the National Event Calendar within the frames of a new complex promotion strategy of the Russian tourist product “Time to Rest in Russia” and is held under the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

“Toloki” is a kind old tradition meaning a collective form of any labour carried out cheerfully by villagers to help one of them. The emblem of the holiday bears pictures of Cossack grain-growers ploughing the earth and a sheaf of wheat as a symbol of peaceful labour, unity and solidarity. In a friendly, cheerful and hospitable Kruzhilin Village everyone can see “living illustrations” of Sholokhov’s works and get into the atmosphere of an old Cossack village, and take part in traditional field works using agricultural tools of the previous century and having merry festivities. “Kruzhilin Toloki” is a unique reconstruction of a Cossack peaceful life, it is amazing, educating and delighting.

This year, the guests of the holiday will take part in a bright, spectacular and exciting event devoted to watermelon, a popular giant berry. All the comers will help a Cossack family in harvesting watermelons and will learn how Cossacks cooked watermelon honey (nardek), made watermelon jam and pickled watermelons in a barrel.

In the Upper Don, late in the XIX–early in the XX centuries, Cossacks traditionally had melon fields, where “...The yellow melons and the speckled and striped watermelons swelled and ripened under the sun” (from the short story “The Watchman in the Vegetable Plots” by M.Sholokhov). The writer’s family liked watermelons and grew them in the melon field and at the estate, near their house. The members of the holiday will learn about the recipes of the Sholokhov’s family for making watermelon honey (nardek) and pickled watermelons and will take part in making jam of watermelons.

The lovers of competitions will be entertained with “watermelon” games: a competition “A Miracle Berry” for the heaviest watermelon (the winner will gain a money prize of 5000 Rub!), a watermelon golf championship, bowling and other interesting games and competitions.

Children and adults will be able to get into the past and take part in ploughing grain processing, making flour, basket weaving, fishing net weaving, painting wooden spoons, spinning on an old spinning wheel, doing needlework and churning butter.

During the holiday you can take an excursion about the house, where M.A.Sholokhov was born, and the estate, listen to old folk songs, have a horse ride, taste dishes of Cossack cuisine, buy souvenirs, have photos taken and see and learn a lot of interesting and useful things.

You are welcome on September 4, at 10.00, to Kruzhilin Village, the Cossack farmstead of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov!

Olga Bakhtiyarova