Russian matryoshka - the history of the toy. Matryoshka traditional souvenir of Russia

This is indeed the most dear toy, ours, Russian. It’s not for nothing that any foreigner, having visited Russia, returns home with a souvenir - matryoshka. Wooden spoons, samovars, clay toys can be bought with it, but still the matryoshka is main symbol Russia.

It will be all the more surprising to learn that the nesting doll in the form of a wooden figurine, inside of which the same ones are hidden, but smaller, smaller, comes from Japan. This toy, namely a figurine of a Japanese sage Fukuruma, brought to our Russian workshop of children's toys.

It doesn’t matter for what purpose it was done - simply to show off an overseas curiosity or purposefully adopt the experience of foreign masters, but the result of the appearance of a Japanese toy in a Russian workshop and the experiments of our craftsmen and artists was the matryoshka doll. It was a wooden toy - a figurine of a girl in an unpretentious everyday city outfit, which is traditionally repeated in many modern toys: remember an apron, a headscarf, although the first nesting doll also had a chicken under its arm.

Don’t be surprised, you probably imagined a branded poultry farm package with a broiler chicken packed into it... and the first nesting doll had a live cockerel under its arm. It is not clear where the matryoshka got such a name. Firstly, it is feminine, although the very first matryoshka consisted of boys, and from girls- they alternated, and there were eight of them in total.

Apparently, the fact that the largest outer figurine was still female played a role, and if it were the other way around, the matryoshka could have become, for example, a willow tree. The name itself " matryoshka", according to most opinions, is derived from Matryona or Masha, in general, the most Russian names. Let's dwell on this theory and see why the nesting doll is good. In addition to the fact that it is an internationally recognized symbol of Russia, first and foremost, it is a traditional Russian children's toy.

I think I won’t be mistaken in saying that every child who grew up in Russia had it. Its uniqueness lies in its versatility. The child can play independently, without the participation of adults. If parents have time, a nesting doll can become a teaching aid. Development of fine motor skills, logic, mastery of abstract concepts " more less», « higher lower», « thicker-thinner“, in general, you can learn anything, if you have the desire, and the nesting doll will help.

So, let's play with a matryoshka doll. No matter how wonderful a toy is, if you simply shove it at a child, a miracle will not happen and the baby will not be delighted by the mere sight of it, if you don’t even try to interest it. A classic is simply handing a figurine to a child, disassembling and reassembling it before his eyes. This is an option for busy parents - to distract their child for half an hour in order to quickly redo a bunch of things. We will not dwell on this, especially since we will especially discuss it in in this case and nothing.

Much more interesting option– dedicate at least twenty joint activities to getting to know the nesting doll ( mom+baby) minutes. What’s easier is to show surprise and immense joy on your face when you find a second one inside the first nesting doll, and the child will not be slow to react in the same way. This reaction is easy to take hold of, and in the future this toy will always cause joy and anticipation of a small miracle in the baby. Let's turn to educational educational games. The classic nesting doll, the most common, is made in the form of a girl in Russian attire.

There are nesting dolls that are equally decorated, starting from the largest and ending with the smallest. On the contrary, different non-repetitive outfits are also possible. Using this feature, you can line up all the figures in a row and compare them “ clothes” by asking the child to note the differences. This series of nesting dolls is ideal for mastering the concepts of “ more less" If you wish, you can add here “ older-younger”, especially since the figures are often painted according to this principle: the largest is the grandmother, the smaller is the younger aunt, the even smaller is the girl, then the girl and the last is the baby.

Very good matryoshka dolls on the theme famous fairy tales – « Turnips», « Kolobok», « Zayushkina's hut», « Teremka», « Roasted hens" or " Masha and the bear" It is clear that in these cases the figures depict fairy tale heroes, and not necessarily living ones, for example, in the set “ Zayushkin's hut» the largest figure – directly bast hut. What can you come up with with such “ nesting dolls"? In addition to playing a fairy tale, you can try mixing several fairy tales. Not all children immediately understand and welcome this, but many are delighted with such a game. If the option is when the daughter stubbornly waits for a verbatim story from her beloved “ Frog Princesses“every evening before going to bed and at the slightest deviation from the familiar text requires you to correct an inaccuracy about your child, then this game will come in handy. Offer to come up with something interesting heroes different fairy tales We could do it together, and then use nesting dolls to play out the invented plot. Perhaps that same evening, instead of a hackneyed fairy tale, the child will ask you to tell a story that was invented together during the day, and will even help with this.

If you have more than one nesting doll at home, but at least two or three, each, of course, with its own set of nesting figures, then you can play “ confusion" To begin with, you can take out all the figures, collect them, mix them and invite the child to distribute them according to “ families" Then complicate the task - mix the figurines of different nesting dolls, disassembled into halves. You can, when folding individual figures, deliberately mix up the halves (for example, the top is a green nesting doll, and the bottom is a red one) and ask the child to correct the mistakes.

Complex, but well developed fine motor skills The task is to collect all the nesting dolls so that the clothing pattern of the two halves matches. If you choose a high-quality carved toy for this task, then everything will work out.

The matryoshka is truly a universal toy. It hides almost limitless possibilities for games. Teaching a child to see them is not an easy task, but it can be overcome if you just start playing.

Matryoshka dolls have long been a fashionable Slavic souvenir. But the nesting doll is not only a decoration or a souvenir; first of all, it is a unique toy for children - very beautiful and useful. Just as there are many nesting dolls in the middle, there are many secrets contained in it. What do these decorated dolls inserted into one another mean?

Anyone can envy the developmental and educational value of the nesting doll. modern manual. This wonderful toy is an excellent gift for young children. With the help of a nesting doll, you can teach children to identify different qualities, sizes, and compare objects by height, width, color and volume. It promotes hand-eye coordination and develops perception and thinking in young children. Develops the ability to disassemble and correctly assemble a nesting doll logical thinking, V game form teaches counting. But this toy also has many symbolic meanings.

It is known that any traditional toy is an educational object associated with mythology. Many researchers are struggling with the riddle of the nesting doll, and the symbolism folk art often lost in the mists of time. Experts believe that the Russian master who sharpened the nesting doll remembered and knew Russian fairy tales well and enclosed in the nesting doll the idea of ​​​​searching for truth and the possibility of finding it only by “getting to the bottom” - the last figure. Let us remember the fairy tale “Koshchei the Immortal”, where Ivan Tsarevich is looking for an egg that contains a needle - the death of Koschey the Immortal. This egg was in the duck, the duck was in the hare, the hare was in the box, the box was under the oak tree. Also, the multi-layered nature of the nesting doll teaches us to look for many meanings - to see beyond the external internal reasons, perceive the world more deeply, do not judge superficially, get to the bottom of things.

Matryoshka is a symbol of the Family. Let's think about the name. The word "matryoshka" comes from the word "mother". Thus, this toy represents the mother large family, being a symbol of motherhood and fertility. A matryoshka doll with a large matryoshka family conveys the image of the Family, several generations of ancestors and descendants.

Matryoshka is a symbol of the unity and diversity of the world. It seems to be one, but at the same time it consists of many of its manifestations, which are its small reflections. Therefore, the nesting doll also carries the idea of ​​​​reflecting the small in the great, the macrocosm in the microcosm.

The matryoshka doll with all its components is a symbol of the multidimensionality and multi-layered nature of the Universe and man - his energy bodies. Our ancestors knew about this, so there were age-specific initiations that helped strengthen the corresponding energy bodies.

So, the smallest nesting doll is the physical body of a person; it fully matures by the 1st year of life in order to strengthen it and help the child establish himself in the world of reality. Then the age-specific initiation of Post-Strizhina is carried out. This nesting doll is red because the physical body is connected with the spell of red color - Source.

The next matryoshka is the Zharier (etheric) body of a person, which is fully formed by the age of 3. To strengthen it, an age-specific initiation is held: Put on a Horse - for boys, Zorya the Prophet - for girls. This matryoshka - orange color, since the etheric body is associated with the orange color charm - Zarod.

An even larger nesting doll - Navier (astral) human body - yellow color, is associated with the Belly charm. Formed by the age of 7, initiation is carried out: Belting - for boys, Braiding - for girls.

The next matryoshka - the Club (mental) body - is green, formed by the age of 12-14, and is marked by the dedications Yarenie and Lelnik.

Blue matryoshka (throat charm Ustya) - Causal body, formed by the age of 21, a person is ready to create his own space, which means to undergo initiation into a Husband or Wife - a wedding ceremony.

Blue matryoshka (chara Oko) - Koloby body (the body of intuition and spiritual mind), a person undergoes initiation into the Father or Mother.

The largest one is a purple nesting doll (chara Spring), symbolizing Divya’s body (human soul, cateral, atmic body). A person is best aware of it when he is initiated into Grandfather or Grandmother. The next matryoshka bodies - the Right Body and the Jiva - have very high vibrations, therefore they have no color - this is already light.

Thus, the nesting doll personifies human integrity; its positive, cheerful image brings harmony and comfort to the house.

Describing a nesting doll will probably not cause any difficulties for anyone today, this toy is already so popular all over the world. It has a fascinating history, products are produced in huge quantities today, and in some cities there are even museums dedicated to this unusual painted doll. In this article we will give a description of the nesting doll and tell you about it interesting origin. You will also learn what role it plays in the development of children.

Description of the nesting doll

It is a wooden painted doll, inside of which there are similar products, but only smaller in size. The number of dolls placed inside is from three or more. Russian matryoshka, as a rule, has the shape of an egg and consists of two parts - lower and upper. Thanks to the flat bottom, the toy can be placed in any suitable place. According to tradition, a woman in a scarf and a red sundress is painted on a wooden blank, although today you can find many different other options. There are many themes for painting: girls and families. Today, the Russian nesting doll with a portrait on it or a drawing of a parody nature is very popular. How did this doll appear and become so popular? Description of the nesting doll general outline We've covered it, now let's dive into the story, which will give a more specific idea about this product.

Origin version

In the 90s of the 19th century, Russia experienced a period of turbulent cultural and economic development. As society improved, it increasingly showed interest in its culture and art in general. As a result, it appeared artistic direction“Russian style”, which paid great attention to the creation of peasant toys. They even opened a workshop in Moscow “ Children's education" A variety of dolls were created in it in order to demonstrate national costumes and ethnographic features. It was in the depths of this workshop that the idea to create the wooden doll known today arose. This idea arose after Mamontov’s wife brought a detachable toy from Japan. Sergey Malyutin offered sketches. This is how the matryoshka appeared in Russia.

How did the doll get its name?

There are several versions on this matter. Some historians say that the name of the toy came from the name Masha, others are sure that from the nickname Matryona. The last variation seems more plausible, since the name Matryona means “mother.” Knowing the description of the nesting doll, which has similar smaller items inside, we can independently conclude which version is correct. A wooden doll is a symbol of fertility and motherhood.

How are nesting dolls made?

Today they are made in many workshops, as dolls are always in demand. First, soft wood is selected as the material: alder, linden or birch. Trees, as a rule, are cut down for these purposes in the spring, then the bark is removed from them, but not completely, so that cracks do not appear during the drying process. Then the craftsmen store the logs and keep them in well-ventilated areas for several years! After a certain time, the production of dolls begins. By the way, the smallest nesting doll, non-separable, is made first. When it is ready, proceed to the next one, into which the first one will fit. And so on. Each workpiece goes through dozens of operations. The number of dolls may be different, it depends on the imagination of the master or a specific order.

Why do children need a toy?

Any psychologist or teacher will say with confidence that not only the baby plays with toys, but also the products themselves are important for the full development of the child. It turns out that by assembling and disassembling such a unique structure, the baby learns the cyclical nature of existence and its infinity, the postulates of the universe and the image of motherhood. Thanks to the nesting doll, he understands the model of the emergence of new life. The doll is able to reveal creative inclinations, develop work skills, and an understanding of the world. For example, such beloved and popular cubes, turrets, and pyramids can be diversified by the presence of a matryoshka doll in the general arsenal. The baby's hands will develop. As the child grows up, children's nesting dolls will help create interesting scenarios For puppet shows. Experts call this toy multifunctional and universal. They recognize all the advantages of the nesting doll and recommend it to all children as a toy, especially to those who are developmentally delayed.

Conclusion

It is worth mentioning that in 1900 the dolls “reached” all the way to Paris, where they were presented at an exhibition and received medals and global recognition. If we talk about records in this direction, then it must be said that in 1913 Nikolai Bulychev made a 48-seater nesting doll. We hope that as a result of reading this article, you will know more about this unique toy and will definitely purchase it if you don’t already have one in your home.