Volume 6 Article 2 Number 6 The Iowa Homemaker vol.6 no.6 1926 Christmas in Russia Elsie Guthrie Iowa State College Gayle Pugh Iowa State College Follow this and additional works at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/homemaker Part of the Home Economics Commons Recommended Citation Guthrie, Elsie and Pugh, Gayle (1926) "Christmas in Russia," The Iowa Homemaker: Vol. 6 : No. 6 , Article 2. Available at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/homemaker/vol6/iss6/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Publications at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in The oI wa Homemaker by an authorized editor of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE lOW A HOMEMAI{ER "A Magazine tor Homemakers from a Homemakers' School" VOLUME 6 DECEMBER, 1926 NUMBER 6 Christmas tn Russia By ELSIE GUTHRIE and GAYLE PUGH "pi!}ACE on earth, good will to are much more of a luxury. Candy, of the sources for Chinese and Japan­ . men," are the words known most treasured of delicacies by our ese lumber. Before the late war much throughout the world, and are children plays a small role in the veneer was shipped to the United yet never too told to become trite. At Russian Christmas. States. no other season of the year is there The church service lasting from They grow all kinds of vegetables this true feeling of friendship and nine to twelve P. M. on Christmas Eve and have hundreds of pounds of world nationalism. The old heart soft­ is most impressive and lovely. The berries to dry or make into jams. This ens and old eyes become moist; the meeting ends by the singing of Christ­ preservation is all for home use as young heart quickens, and small feet mas Carols. each family stores the supplies of this dance in happiness. ln all nations Early in the morning the merriment sort in a basement constructed is the looking for ward to St. Nich­ begins. The younger people of the especially for. this purpose. Vegetables olas and the joyous festival sea­ families go from house to house visit­ are buried under the ground and son. Each home has its own little ing their relatives while the older covered with hay and soil thus using gathering by the hearth, and perhaps ones remain at home as hosts and the principle of the root cellar of one of the most lively and pleasing are hostesses. The merry bands of young other countries. Mushrooms, a pro­ those celebrations in a Siberian, or folk, often students home for Christ­ duct of especial interest to us Amer­ rather Vladivostok home. mas, with their hilarious jokes and icans since they are considered choice For a week or ten days before, the songs, frequently go masked to the and rather much of a delicacy, grow busy housewife prepares the sumptious various houses where they dance about in many hundreds of varieties natural­ food for the feast which last three the Christmas tree singing "kaly ada," ly. They are salted or dried by the days, December 25, 26, and 27. Before a special song for Christmas Eve; or barrel and also canned. People are this time the Christmas shopping has tell fortunes by mysterious devices. seldom poisoned by their use as the all been done and the presents com­ The table is piled high with quantities . gatherers have formed a skill in select­ pleted. The same tremor of excite­ of good things to eat: stuffed poultry, ing the non-poisonous variety. ment and suppressed curiosity reigns roast pig, leg o' mutton, ham cakes, A great deal of poultry is raised, as does in your own homes. All shops pastries, and fruits. Each guest is which when used for food is killed af­ and places of business are closed dur­ invited to sit down and eat no matter ter the first frost and packed in barrels ing the three days so everyone may how much he may previously have with snow and chipped ice to preserve partake of the Christmas gaity. Greet­ eaten, or at what hour he comes. The it for the winter consumption. This ings of love and good cheer are sent same sort of an entertainment is pro­ method prevents the feeding of the and likewise presents exchanged. vided at Easter, and during other fowl during the long cold winter The finest fir tree available is chosen festival seasons of the year. months, and proves to be a great for the Christmas tree. After bright . It seems strange to us that people economy. Since the cows. give more eyes have been warned to be tightly of two lands so far apart should have milk in the autumn ·the surplus is closed in fear of St. Nick., the tree is customs that are somewhat similar. frozen in ten gallon cans, shaped like decorated. This is usually about five Given the same language we would find half a sphere to be used in emergencies or seven o'clock in the evening. Very that the geographic, economic and or as needed. early in the morning the small feet social conditions are not so diverse Each village has its cooperative mill patter cautiously about to see what from ours. where the grain and rye are ground Santa Claus or St. Nicholas has left. The climate of Vladivostok is not, into flour. The villagers use more Of course, they, too, have a St. Nicko­ as· we may judge, as cold as in some rye bread than they do wheat as much las or Santa Claus and one or the other parts of Russia. The lowest temper­ of the wheat is exported. Butter is is present at every party. He brings ature in winter is fifteen or sixteen used exclusively. Crisco and other good presents for the good boys and degrees below zero on a Centigrade butter substitutes are unknown to the girls, and bad ones or none at all for thermometer or 00 degrees Fahrenheit, Russian. The butter is heated to the those that are bad.· which we commonly use. The weather melting point and the white curd re­ As to gifts, cheap presents are never is rather moderate in that there are moved. This leaves almost a pure fat given. Mr. Woolworth or Kresge has no sudden changes. During the win­ product. It is then preserved in no place in Russia during the shopping ter the country side is embedded in barrels. In some villages sunflower tour. They buy gifts equivalent to about three or four feet of snow. oil, pressed from the seeds of sun­ five dollars or more; and if they can­ The country about this city is the flowers, is used. not afford these, then they give none richest agricultural part of Siberia. Education is steadily progressing. at all. Often they give some lovely There are great mineral resources, coal, · The high school or gymnasium as it hand made embroidery which is price­ zinc, lead, salt and silver which are is called, consists of a six year course less in value but costs very little tot well developed industries and known which is equivalent to our high school materials of which it is made. Often throughout the world. Coal is sent and two years of college. Advanced food such as rare poultry, a hog; or a to Japan and China. The oil reserve courses in Latin, languages, chemistry, calf, may be exchanged. -The tu·rkey, · is also great, but as yet has been left mathematics, astronomy, history and holy bird of our nation is so common in the raw state. The oil industry is other sciences are offered. Formerly there that even the peasants may have still in its infancy. The forest contains seven years of Bible study were given, it every day if they so desire. Geese the loveliest of hard woods and is one · (Continued on page 16) lG THE IOWA HOMEMAKER Fascination of Hand Weaving Christmas in Russia (Continued from page 3) (Continued from page 1) while for you to learn to throw your one year in the preparation school, shuttle just hard enough with one hand and six years in the high school, b.ut and catch it with the other. You soon this is not the case now. Also, there learn to find the treadles with your was no compulsory education. In the feet and even though you may have face of the fact that Russia has for four or six treadles, you never make a so long been oppressed, we cannot but mistake. And so you work, on and on, admire the steps she has taken in such fascinated, regardless of time, watch­ great advancement. ing your cloth grow thread by thread. Modern improvements approximate Finally, when you do stop, you are sur­ those of most countries. The city of prised at the ache in your legs and Vladivostok which was founded in 1861 back, but after a little rest you are is quite modern and progressive. The eager to start again. population ranges between 400,000 and Coverlets are about the most difficult 500,000, a great number of these are of handwoven things to make. Two of Oriental stock. There are ap­ or three shuttles are used, one for each proximately 25,000 to 30,000 Chinese color of thread. The weaving must be and 2000 to 3000 Koreans. These lat­ all of the same looseness or tightness, ter people live in segregated districts. for the pattern must match when the It is interesting to note that there have two strips are sewed together.