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News

Museum Class about Upbringing Boys in Cossack Families

The Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov holds classes of the club “Riding on Horseback around the Upper Don” where children and teenagers learn about the way of life of the Don Cossacks and about the features of horse management.

In class “Upbringing Boys in Cossack Families” the club members learned that birth of a male child increased the military community of the Cossacks, and the family was given a plot of land, and how the kid’s parents chose Godfather and Godmother for their child and what qualities they should have.

The children were attracted by the traditions of “putting” little Cossack on the horse, a present “for a tooth” which could show the further life of the would-be warrior. It was very interesting for them how boys at their early age were taught to male labour: doing everything from herding geese, sheep, horses to controlling the oxen during ploughing and harrowing the earth. Cossack teenagers were taught to be responsible for home, for the younger children and women.

From the age of 17–18, young people began their basic training to the military service. The military training took place at the training camp, and the achievements of young Cossacks were demonstrated at the shows for all the population of the villages and stanitsas. It was a good school for mastering battle art, so the Cossack troops had high fighting qualities.

In spring the members of the club “Riding on Horseback around the Upper Don” will have an opportunity to show their skills of driving a horse on the holiday “Steed is the Dearest for Cossack”.

Marina Popova
Olga Sivolobova