Veps people: photos, traditions, customs, appearance, national costume, interesting facts

In everyday life and at school lessons we get acquainted with the history of our homeland, we study the peoples of Russia. Veps for some reason remain forgotten. In fact, we are talking about multinational Russia, without thinking about its roots. To the question: "What do you know about the Veps?" - almost everyone will say that this is almost an extinct nationality. It is a pity that people have ceased to be interested in the peculiarities of culture, traditional activities and customs and beliefs of the old nationality. Despite this, many people realize that Vepsian blood may be flowing in them, which means that the Vepsian people are part of the history of many families, so you should never forget it, because you are personally destroying your past. Has anyone thought that it is to the ancient peoples of Russia that we owe the prosperity of our region, so forgetting the Veps is like cutting out a piece of the country's history.

Who are such Veps?

This is a relatively small nationality, which resides within the Republic of Karelia. Most often, the Veps people, imitating certain groups of southern Karelians, call themselves the word "kladicad". Only units use the ethnonyms "beeps" or "veps", since they have long been known to related peoples. Officially, the Veps was called the Chud, but in everyday life they used names with a disparagingly pejorative tinge: chuhari or kaivans.

The history of the appearance of the Karelian people

The Vepsians officially called the Chudju up to 1917. The older name Vepsya in the 20th century was almost never recorded. In the work of the historian of Jordan, dating from the 6th century AD, it is possible to find references to the ancestors of the Veps, also referred to in Arabic sources, in the "Tale of Bygone Years" and in the writings of Western European authors. The archaeological monuments of the ancient nationality include a number of burial mounds and separate settlements that appeared in the 10th - early 12th centuries in the territory of the Ladoga, Prionezhje and Belozerye. Veps took part in the formation of the Russian Komi. In the 18th century, the Karelian people were attributed to the Olonets arms factories. In the 1930s, they tried to introduce Vepsian language lessons in primary school. In the late 1980s, in some educational institutions the language teaching was resumed, even a special ABC book appeared, but most of the people communicate and think in Russian. At the same time, there is a movement whose main goal was the revival of Veps culture.

Traditionally Veps were engaged in farming, but animal husbandry and hunting were given an auxiliary role. Great importance for intrafamily consumption was played by fishing and gathering. The development of waste and burlacies on the rivers began in the second half of the 18th century. Pottery was developed on the Oyati River. In the times of the Soviet Union, the northern Veps began to engage in the industrial development of decorative stone, the meat-and-milk industry appeared in animal husbandry. In cities, 49.3% of the population live, many work in the timber industry.

The Vepsian people are rooted in ancient times. The most important events are connected with one of the largest outposts of national importance - Ladoga, later the historical past was intertwined with the Novgorod state.

Place of residence

According to modern sources, the Karelian people inhabited the southwest of Prionezhje in the south-north direction, starting from the village of Gimreka (northern Veps). The largest locations are Rybreka, Sheltozero and the village, located 60 kilometers from Petrozavodsk, Shoksha.

Many villages are in the course of the Oyati River, and the boundaries coincide with the Vinnitsa District of the Leningrad Region. The most significant points are the Lakes, Yaroslavichi, Ladva and Nadgorozhye.

On the northern and eastern slopes of the Veps Upland, one of the largest settlements - Shimozero - was located, but many people moved south to Megra, Oshtu and Ascension.

In the tributary of Meghri there was a cluster of villages called Belozersky. It is located 70 kilometers from the White Lake. The largest settlement is considered Podala.

In the tributary of Chagodishi there is a settlement Sidorovo where Efimov Veps live. The Shugozero group is located not far from the sources of the Pasha and Kapsha rivers .

Food and utensils

The diet of Veps combines new and traditional dishes. Their bread is quite unusual, with sourness. Recently, it increasingly began to buy in stores. In addition to the basic baking, Veps prepare fish pies (kurikas), kalitadas - open pies with millet porridge or mashed potatoes, all kinds of koloboks, cheesecakes and pancakes. As for the soup, the most common are soup, various soups and ears. The daily diet of Veps includes porridge, for the preparation of which rye croup (powder) is used. I like the Karelian people and oatmeal. From sweet dishes, cranberry juice and malt dough are common. Like in all of Russia, Vepsians like bread kvass and barley beer. Brewing is held twice a year, towards the coming holidays. But on ordinary everyday life the Vepsians enjoy strong tea.

Not behind the civilization and almost forgotten by all the population. At present, they can freely purchase goods on the trade network, which they had previously only dreamed of (candy, sausage, sugar, cookies), and some products did not even suspect the existence of Veps (pasta, canned food and fruit). The largest number of products purchased in stores people living in forest villages. To date, the people of Veps are familiar with new dishes (borsch, goulash, ravioli, vinaigrette).

Occupation and life

As stated earlier, agriculture was the basis of the economy, although cattle breeding occupied a weighty place. In the middle of the 19th century large-scale development of timber harvesting began. The agricultural production focused mainly on the meat and dairy industry.

In the territory where Veps lived, there were no industrial productions, which caused the outflow of a large number of able-bodied population to areas with a pronounced industrial-production specialization. Characteristic of the settlements is free planning. The location of the dwelling was determined by the complex relief terrain and the outlines of the coastline.

Traditional dwelling

The hut was usually erected on a high threshold, where there was a cellar according to the tradition of the people. Veps for the walls of their homes used larch logs. The main feature of the traditional Vepsian hut is the T-shaped layout. Under one roof housed a residential part and a two-story courtyard. More well-to-do Veps (people, interesting facts from whose life little is known) built houses with wide, framed stepped windows, slightly depressed into the wall. The facade of the building was certainly looking at the road, and all the neighboring houses were exactly in a row. Everyone independently thought up an ornament for the dwelling: at some under a ridge of a roof the carved balcony was located.

The inner room was divided into 2 parts by a two-way wardrobe with tea utensils and other household items. On one line with the so-called partition was a Russian stove - the center of the hut. This inalienable attribute of the Karelian people was used not only for heating, but also for rest and drying clothes. Veps sacredly believed that under the stove there lived a house (pertyigend).

In each hut was a holy corner, in the upper part of which icons were placed, and in the lower were stored needles with threads and nodules with salt. Other small items, including wooden and earthenware, were placed in a cupboard. According to the Finnish layout, the table took place near the wall of the facade. The traditional Vapps hut was illuminated with a kerosene lamp. The obligatory attribute of the house was a wooden baby cradle. As a rule, in the female half, a sofa and a chest were placed near the bed, in some of the huts a loom was installed at the window .

clothing

Traditional Vepsian homespun clothing is not manufactured since the early 30's. A common city suit became common. In the old days Veps went to work in pants and a short caftan, worn on top of the linen. Women's clothing was identical in size to that of men, only a shirt (ryatsin) and a skirt were necessarily worn underneath.

Veps, the people (photos are presented in this material), living in Karelia, dressed elegantly for the holidays. Women could be seen in bright cossacks, cossacks and skirts with aprons. A headscarf was used as a headdress, and married representatives of the weaker half of humanity must have worn a pacifier as well. Shoes predominated leather, birch bark, or virzut, were used only for work.

The cut and the material used for tailoring are very close to the North-Russian, but with many quite distinctive features. So, in sarafans you could see only Vepsians living in the south of Karelia, but women of Prionezhye - in striped skirts. Men in winter wore caps from fur of hares and a neck scarf (caglan a ration).

Today people's clothing is not worn by the people of Veps, national costume was preserved only in the elderly. Of the traditional still used headscarves, half-wool caftans, woolen skirts and knitted products.

Veps (people): appearance and race

The ancient Karelian people are part of the European race with the Uralic admixture. Vepsa is small, with an average head size, their face is slightly flattened, the forehead is low, the lower jaw is slightly widened, the cheekbones protrude, the tip of the nose is raised, and a slight growth of the hairline on the lower face is also characteristic. The hair of the inhabitants of the Republic of Karelia is straight, mostly light.

Beliefs

The surprisingly good people of Veps have not lost their national characteristics. Briefly about traditions and customs you will learn a little later, and now I would like to talk about the beliefs. Veps worshiped fir, juniper, rowan, alder, they believed in the existence of house, water, yard and other owners. Orthodoxy spread throughout the 11th-12th centuries, but pre-Christian beliefs persisted for a long time.

Culture

From the folkloric genre, proverbs, ditties, sheifers and various legends about the conquerors were popular. At the beginning of the 20th century, the kantele replaced the accordion with a minor harmony. The Vepsians were carving wood, spun from birch bark, sculpted from clay, embroidered and weaved.

Means of transport

In the neighboring areas the Vepsian people traveled mainly by road, while the settlements of Lodeynoye Pole and Leningrad linked the air service. South Veps to Zaborie station could benefit from the railway of the timber plant. In some areas, movement was possible only on a tractor with a trailer. Slackened aspen boats used to live on small rivers Veps. The people (photos and interesting facts from life are given in this material) moved and on shuttles (hong-goy), on the sides of which were attached logs-floats.

Traditions and customs of Veps

The customs of peoples (Veps is not an exception) can tell us a lot of useful information about them. The citizens of the Republic of Karelia were weddings in the winter, but only before this matchmaking was held. In case of refusal the girl should have thrown 3 logs in the corner of her home. If the matchmaking ended in agreement, the bride's parents went to visit the groom to inspect the house and the farm. Before the wedding, the young should be blessed by the parents.

The funeral of the Vepsians consisted of two types: the first provided for the mourning of the deceased, and the second for the "amusement" of the deceased.