Tatiana Skryagina
Prominent people of Kuban. Part 1
Evgenia Andreevna Zhigulenko
(1920 – 1994)
Flight commander of the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment (325th Night Bomber Aviation Division, 4th Air Army, 2nd Belorussian Front). Guard lieutenant, Hero of the Soviet Union.
Evgenia Andreevna Zhigulenko was born on December 1, 1920 in Krasnodar into a working-class family. She graduated from high school in Tikhoretsk, Krasnodar Territory, and studied at the airship-building institute (hereinafter Moscow Aviation Technology Institute).
E. A. Zhigulenko graduated from the pilot school at the Moscow flying club. She was in the Red Army from October 1941. In 1942, she graduated from navigator courses at the Military Aviation School of Pilots and advanced training courses for pilots.
She was on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War from May 1942, by November 1944 she made 773 night combat sorties, inflicting great damage on the enemy in manpower and equipment.
While still a schoolgirl, Zhenya decided to complete two classes in a year. I spent the whole summer studying textbooks and successfully passed my exams. From seventh grade - straight to ninth! In the tenth grade, she wrote an application asking to be enrolled as a student at the Air Force Engineering Academy named after N. E. Zhukovsky. She was told that women were not accepted into the academy.
Another would have calmed down and started looking for something else to do. But Zhenya Zhigulenko was not like that. She writes a hot, excited letter to the People's Commissar of Defense. And she receives an answer that the question of her admission to the academy will be considered if she receives a secondary aviation technical education.
Zhenya enters the Moscow Airship Construction Institute, and at the same time graduates from the Central Aero Club. V. P. Chkalova.
At the beginning of the war, Evgenia Andreevna made persistent attempts to get to the front, and her efforts were crowned with success. She begins service in the regiment, which later became the Taman Guards Red Banner Order of Suvorov aviation regiment of night bombers. The brave pilot spent three years at the front. She had 968 combat missions behind her, after which enemy warehouses, convoys, and airfield structures burned.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated February 23, 1945, Evgenia Andreevna Zhigulenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. She was awarded the Order of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, and two Orders of the Red Star.
After the war, Evgenia Zhigulenko spent another ten years serving in the Soviet Army, graduated from the Military-Political Academy, then worked in cultural institutions Kuban. The versatility of Evgenia Andreevna’s nature was manifested in the fact that she mastered another profession - film director. Her first feature film “There are “night witches” in the sky” dedicated to fellow pilots and navigators of the famous regiment.
Elena Choba
Kuban Cossack woman, under the name Mikhail Choba, fought on the fronts of the First World War. She was awarded the St. George medals of the 3rd and 4th degrees, the St. George Cross of the 4th class.
About two centuries ago, among the Russian troops fighting against Napoleon's army, they started talking about the mysterious cornet Alexander Alexandrov. As it turned out later, the cavalry maiden Durova served under this name in the Lithuanian Lancer Regiment. No matter how Nadezhda hid her belonging to the fair sex, the rumor that a woman was fighting in the army spread throughout Russia. The unusual nature of this incident worried everyone for a long time. society: the young lady preferred the hardships of military life and the mortal risk to reading sentimental novels. A century later Kuban Cossack village Rogovskaya Elena Choba stood up in front of the village society to petition to be sent to the front.
On July 19, 1914, Germany declared war on Russia. When the news reached Yekaterinodar, an urgent mobilization of everyone began parts and units - messengers went to remote villages. Conscripts, saying goodbye to peaceful life, saddled their horses. Rogov Cossack Mikhail Choba also gathered for the front. Equipping a young Cossack into a cavalry regiment was difficult: you need to buy a horse, ammunition - the list of complete Cossack documents included more than 50 necessary things. The Choba couple did not live well, so they sent the horseless Mikhail on a cart to the Plastunov regiment.
Elena Choba was left alone - to work and manage the household. But it is not in the Cossack character to sit quietly when an enemy has come to their native land. Elena decided to go to the front, stand up for Russia and went to the respected residents in the village council. The Cossacks gave their permission.
After the village elders supported Elena’s request to be sent to the front, she had a meeting with the boss Kuban region. Elena came to an appointment with Lieutenant General Mikhail Pavlovich Babych with short-cropped hair, wearing a gray cloth Circassian cap and a hat. After listening to the petitioner, the ataman gave permission to be sent to the army and gave a fatherly farewell to the Cossack Mikhail (she chose to be called by this name).
And a few days later the train rushed Elena-Mikhail to the front. The magazine told about how the Rogovchanka fought « Kuban Cossack Herald» : “In the heat of the fire, under the incessant roar of cannons, under the continuous rain of machine-gun and rifle bullets, according to the testimony of our comrades, our Mikhailo did his job without fear or reproach.
Looking at the young and intrepid figure of their brave comrade-in-arms, his comrades tirelessly walked forward towards the enemies behind Mikhail, not at all suspecting that under the Circassian Cossack coat was hiding the Rogov Cossack Elena Choba. During our retreat, when the enemy tried to pin down one of our part and batteries, Elena Chobe managed to break through the enemy’s ring and save two of our batteries, which had absolutely no idea about the proximity of the Germans, from death, and remove the batteries from the closing German ring without any damage on our part. For this heroic feat, Choba received the St. George Cross, 4th degree.
For her fights, Elena Choba received the 4th and 3rd degree St. George medals and the 4th degree St. George Cross. She refused the latter, leaving it with the regimental banner.”
Further information about the fate of the famous Rogovchanka is contradictory. Some saw Elena in the village wearing a Red Army budenovka on her head, others heard that after the battle near the village of Slavyanskaya she was shot by the whites, others said that she emigrated.
Only many years later did some details of the life of the Cossack fighting heroine become known. In 1999, in the Krasnodar Local Lore Museum-Reserve named after. E. D. Felitsyn exhibition opened "Russian destinies". Among the exhibits was a photograph of an American theatrical troupe « Kuban horsemen» , donated to the museum by a 90-year-old Cossack from Canada. The photo was taken in 1926 in the city of San Luis. In the front row, wearing a white Circassian cap and hat, stands the legendary Cossack woman Elena Choba from Kuban village Rogovskaya.
Anton Andreevich Golovaty
(1732 or 1744, Poltava province - 01/28/1797, Persia)
The whole history of the Cossacks Kuban until the end of the 18th century, it was inextricably linked with the name of military judge Anton Andreevich Golovaty. This is an extraordinary, gifted, original personality.
Anton Golovaty was born in the town of New Sandzhary, Poltava province in 1732 (according to other sources, in 1744) in a rich Little Russian family. He studied at the Kyiv Theological Academy, but dreaming of military feats, he went to the Zaporozhye Sich. For the courage, literacy and lively mind of the young Cossack, the Cossacks christened him "Golovaty".
Being a cheerful and witty man, Golovaty served easily, quickly moving up the ranks - from a simple Cossack to a chieftain. For his military exploits he was awarded orders and letters of gratitude from Catherine II.
But his main merit is that the delegation of the Black Sea Cossacks achieved the signing on June 30, 1792 of a manifesto on allocating the Black Sea people with land in Taman and Kuban.
Anton Golovaty had an innate diplomatic talent, which was clearly reflected in his administrative and civil activities. After moving to Kuban, acting as a chieftain, Anton Andreevich supervised the construction of roads, bridges, and postal stations. In order to better control the army, he introduced "Order of common benefit"- a law establishing the permanent power of the rich elite in the army. He demarcated Kuren villages, divided the Black Sea region into five districts, and strengthened the border.
Golovaty was also involved in diplomatic negotiations with Trans-Kuban Circassian princes who expressed a desire to accept Russian citizenship.
On February 26, 1796, Anton Golovaty led a thousand-strong detachment of Cossacks and entered into "Persian Campaign", but unexpectedly fell ill with a fever and died on January 28, 1797.
Kirill Vasilievich Rossinsky
(1774–1825)
For a long time the name of this wonderful man was forgotten. He lived only 49 years, but how much good, eternal, reasonable things he did! The son of a priest, military archpriest Kirill Vasilyevich Rossinsky came to Kuban June 19, 1803. This talented, educated man devoted his entire short life to a noble cause - the education of the Cossacks. Kirill Vasilyevich in his sermons explained to believers about the benefits of education and the importance of schools for the people. In 27 churches he opened in the region, he organized the collection of money for the construction of schools. For a long time, Kirill Vasilyevich himself taught at the Ekaterinodar School. There were no textbooks, so all training was carried out according to the Russian ones. "handwritten notebooks". Later, Kirill Vasilievich wrote and published a textbook "Brief Spelling Rules", which went through two editions - in 1815 and 1818. Now these books are stored in a special collection of the Russian State Library as unique publications. Kirill Vasilyevich Rossinsky devoted a lot of spiritual strength and knowledge to literature and science, wrote poetry, historical and geographical essays. In Yekaterinodar he was also known as a physician who rushed to the sick at any time and in any weather. His dedication, selflessness, and kindness amazed his contemporaries.
In 1904, the library opened at the Dmitrievsky School by the Ekaterinodar Charitable Society was named after Rossinsky. In honor Kuban one of the universities in Krasnodar - the Institute of International Law, Economics, Humanities and Management - was named as an educator.
Mikhail Pavlovich Babych
Mikhail Pavlovich Babych, the son of one of the valiant officers who conquered the Western Caucasus - Pavel Denisovich Babych, about whose exploits and glory the people composed songs. All paternal qualities were bestowed on Mikhail, who was born on July 22, 1844 in the family house in Ekaterinodar on Bursakovskaya Street, 1 (corner Krepostnoy). From a very early age the boy was prepared for military service.
After successfully graduating from the Mikhailovsky Voronezh Cadet Corps and the Caucasian Training Company, young Babych began to gradually move up the military ranks and receive military orders. In 1889 he was already a colonel. On February 3, 1908, a decree was issued appointing him, already with the rank of lieutenant general, as an appointed ataman Kuban Cossack Army. With a harsh hand and harsh measures, he restores order in Ekaterinodar, where at that time terrorist revolutionaries were rampant. Under the constant threat of death, Babych fulfilled his responsible duty and strengthened his Kuban economics and morality. In a short period of time, they did a lot of general cultural and good deeds. The Cossacks called ataman "Ridy Batko", since every Cossack personally felt his care, his zeal. M. Babych’s general cultural activities were appreciated not only by the Russian population. He was deeply respected by other peoples who lived on Kuban. It was only thanks to his cares and efforts that the construction of the Black Sea- Kuban Railway, the attack on Kuban plavni.
On March 16, 1917, the official newspaper reported for the last time about the former Nakazny Ataman Mikhail Pavlovich Babych. In August 1918, he was brutally murdered by the Bolsheviks in Pyatigorsk. The body of the long-suffering general was buried in the tomb of Catherine's Cathedral.
Memory of a great patriot and guardian Kuban land M P. Babyche, the last Nakazny Ataman, is alive in the hearts of the Russian people. On August 4, 1994, on the spot where Ataman’s ancestral house stood, the cultural foundation Kubansky Cossacks, a memorial plaque was unveiled (the work of A. Apollonov, perpetuating his memory.
Alexey Danilovich Bezkrovny
Among hundreds of Russian names, shining in the rays of military glory, the name of the valiant Ataman of the Black Sea Cossack Army Alexei Danilovich Bezkrovny is attractive with special magnetism. He was born into a wealthy chief officer family. In 1800, a fifteen-year-old
Alexey Bezkrovny, brought up in his grandfather’s military traditions, enlisted in the Cossacks and left his father’s house - Shcherbinovsky kuren.
Already in the first skirmishes with the mountaineers, the teenager discovered amazing dexterity and fearlessness.
In 1811, during the formation of the Black Sea Guards Hundred, A. Bezkrovny, outstanding combat officer, who possessed extraordinary physical strength, had a penetrating mind and a noble soul, was enlisted in its original composition and honorably carried the rank of guardsman through the entire Patriotic War of 1812 - 1814. For courage and bravery at the Battle of Borodino, Alexei Bezkrovny received the rank of centurion. During the retreat of Kutuzov's army from Mozhaisk to Moscow, the fearless Cossack fought off all enemy attempts to break forward for 4 hours. For this feat and other avant-garde military deeds, Bezkrovny was awarded a golden saber with the inscription "For bravery". The retreating enemy tried to burn the ships with grain, but the guards did not allow the French to destroy the grain. For his valor, Bezkrovny was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree with a bow. At Platov’s request, Bezkrovny and the Black Sea hundred were enlisted in his corps. With the light hand of M.I. Kutuzov himself, the Cossacks called him "commander without error".
On April 20, 1818, Alexei Danilovich received the rank of colonel for military services. In 1821, he returned to his father’s land and continues to serve in the detachment of another hero of the Patriotic War, General M. G. Vlasov. In May 1823, he was sent with the 3rd cavalry regiment to the border of the Kingdom of Poland, and then Prussia. From his next campaign, A.D. Bezkrovny returned to the Black Sea region only on March 21, 1827. And six months later (September 27) he, as the best and most talented military officer, by the Highest will, is appointed military, and then the Ataman.
In May - June 1828 A.D. Bezkrovny with his detachment participates in the siege of the Turkish fortress of Anapa under the command of Prince A. S. Menshikov. For the victory over the Turks and the fall of the impregnable fortress, A. Bezkrovny was promoted to the rank of major general and awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree. Then - for new exploits - a second golden saber decorated with diamonds.
Two features were especially characteristic of Bloodless: rare courage in battles and deep humanity in peaceful life.
In January 1829, Alexey Danilovich commanded one of the detachments directed against the Shapsugs. In 1930, the Cossack knight again participates in the fight against abreks, with the famous Kazbich himself, who threatened the Cossack city of Ekaterinodar. In the same year he built Kuban three fortifications: Ivanovsko-Shebskoye, Georgie-Afipskoye and Alekseevskoye (named after Alexei Bezkrovny himself).
The health of the famous chieftain was undermined. His heroic odyssey is over. The appointment of A.D. Bezkrovny as Ataman of the Black Sea Cossack Army aroused envy among the tribal Cossack aristocracy. He, the hero of 1812, could fight and defeat the external enemies of the Fatherland. But he couldn’t overcome the internal envious people. Hunted by enemies, with an unhealing wound in his side, Bezkrovny lived secludedly in his Ekaterinodar estate. He gave 28 years of service to the Fatherland. Participated in 13 large military campaigns, 100 separate battles - and did not know a single defeat.
Alexei Danilovich died on July 9, 1833, the day of the holy martyr Theodora, and was buried in the almshouse courtyard, at the first Cossack cemetery located here.
Viktor Gavrilovich Zakharchenko
I will happy if my songs live among the people.
V. G. Zakharchenko
Composer, artistic director of the State Kuban Cossack Choir, Honored Artist and People's Artist of Russia, Honored Artist of Adygea, People's Artist of Ukraine, Laureate of the State Prize of Russia, Professor, Hero of Labor Kuban, Academician of the International Academy of Information, Academician of the Russian Academy of Humanities, Dean of the Faculty of Traditional Culture of the Krasnodar State University of Culture and Art, Chairman of the Charitable Foundation for the Revival of Folk Culture Kuban"Origins", member of the Union of Composers of the Russian Federation, member of the presidium of the Russian Choral Society and the All-Russian Musical Society.
The future composer lost his father early; he died in the first months of the Great Patriotic War. The memory of her mother, Natalya Alekseevna, remained in the smell of the bread she baked and in the taste of her homemade sweets. The family had six children. Mom always worked, and while working, she usually sang. These songs came so naturally into children’s lives that over time they became a spiritual need. The boy listened to wedding round dances and the playing of local virtuoso accordionists.
In 1956, Viktor Gavrilovich entered the Krasnodar Music and Pedagogical School. After graduating, he became a student at the Novosibirsk State Conservatory. M. I. Glinka at the Faculty of Choral Conducting. Already in his 3rd year, V.G. Zakharchenko was invited to a high position - chief conductor of the State Siberian Folk Choir. The next 10 years of work in this position is a whole era in the development of the future master.
1974 was a turning point in the fate of V. G. Zakharchenko. A talented musician and organizer becomes the artistic director of the State Kuban Cossack Choir. Started happy and an inspired time for the creative rise of the team, the search for its original Kuban repertoire, creation of a scientific-methodological and concert-organizational base. V. G. Zakharchenko - founder of the Center for Folk Culture Kuban, children's art school at Kuban Cossack Choir. But his main brainchild is the State Kuban Cossack Choir. The choir has achieved stunning results in many venues peace: in Australia, Yugoslavia, France, Greece, Czechoslovakia, America, Japan. Twice, in 1975 and 1984, he won the All-Russian competitions of State Russian folk choirs. And in 1994 he received the highest title - academic, was awarded two State bonuses: Russia - im. M.I. Glinka and Ukraine - named after. T. G. Shevchenko.
Patriotic pathos, feeling of one's own involvement in people's life, civil responsibility for the fate of the country - this is the main line of Viktor Zakharchenko’s composing work.
In recent years, he has been expanding his musical and thematic range, as well as the ideological and moral orientation of his creativity. The lines of poems by Pushkin, Tyutchev, Lermontov, Yesenin, Blok, Rubtsov sounded differently. The framework of the traditional song has already become narrow. Confessional ballads, reflective poems, and revelation songs are created. This is how poems appeared "I will ride"(based on verses by N. Rubtsov, "The power of the Russian spirit"(based on poems by G. Golovatov, new editions of the poem "Rus" (to verses by I. Nikitin).
The titles of his works speak for themselves - "Alarm"(based on verses by V. Latynin, “You can’t understand Russia with your mind”(based on poems by F. Tyutchev, "Help the weaker" (to verses by N. Kartashov).
V. G. Zakharchenko revived traditions Kubansky military singing choir, founded in 1811, including in its repertoire, in addition to folk and original songs, Orthodox spiritual chants. With the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', the State Kubansky Cossack choir takes participation in church services. In Russia, this is the only team that has been awarded such a high honor.
Viktor Gavrilovich Zakharchenko - professor, dean of the faculty of traditional culture of the Krasnodar State University of Culture and Art. He conducts extensive scientific research activities; he has collected over 30 thousand folk songs and traditional rituals - a historical heritage Kuban village; collections of songs published Kuban Cossacks; Hundreds of arrangements and folk songs have been recorded on records, CDs, and videos.
Papakha (from the Turkic papakha), the name of a men's fur headdress, common among the peoples of the Caucasus. The shape is varied: hemispherical, with a flat bottom, etc. Russians have a papakha - a high (less often low) cylindrical hat made of fur with a fabric bottom. In the Russian army from the mid-19th century. The papakha was the headdress of the troops of the Caucasian Corps and all Cossack troops, since 1875 - also of units stationed in Siberia, and since 1913 - the winter headdress of the entire army. In the Soviet Army, colonels, generals and marshals wear papakhas in winter.
Highlanders never take off their hats. The Koran prescribes covering the head. But not only and not so much believers, but also “secular” Muslims and atheists treated the papakha with special respect. This is an older tradition not associated with religion. From an early age in the Caucasus, it was not allowed to touch a boy’s head; it was not even allowed to stroke him in a fatherly way. Even the hats were not allowed to be touched by anyone except the owner or with his permission. The very wearing of headwear from childhood developed a special posture and manner of holding oneself, which did not allow one to bow one’s head, much less bow. The dignity of a man, they believe in the Caucasus, is not in his trousers, but in his hat.
They wore a hat all day long, and the old people did not part with it even in hot weather. Arriving home, they theatrically took it off, carefully clasping it with their palms on each side, and carefully laying it on a flat surface. When putting it on, the owner will brush away the speck from it with his fingertips, cheerfully ruffle it, placing his clenched fists inside, “fluff” it, and only then pull it from his forehead onto his head, grasping the back of the headdress with his index and thumb. All this emphasized the mythologized status of the hat, and in the mundane sense of the action, it simply increased the service life of the headdress. It wore out less. After all, fur is born first of all where it comes into contact. Therefore, they touched the upper back part with their hands - the bald patches were not visible. In the Middle Ages, travelers in Dagestan and Chechnya observed a strange picture for them. A poor mountaineer stands in a worn-out Circassian coat, which has been repaired more than once, and trampled charyks on his bare feet with straw inside instead of socks, but on his proudly set head he flaunts, like someone else’s, a large shaggy hat.
Lovers found an interesting use for the hat. In some Dagestan villages there is a romantic custom. A timid young man in the conditions of harsh mountain morality, seizing the moment so that no one would see him, throws his hat out the window of his chosen one. With the hope of reciprocity. If the hat does not fly back, you can send matchmakers: the girl agrees.
Of course, careful treatment concerned, first of all, the dear astrakhan dads. A hundred years ago, only wealthy people could afford them. Karakul was brought from Central Asia, as they would say today, from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. He was and remains dear. Only a special breed of sheep is suitable, or rather three-month-old lambs. Then the scribble on the little ones, alas, straightens up.
It is not known who owns the palm in making fur coats - history is silent about this, but this same history testifies that the best “Caucasian fur coats” were and are still being made in Andi, a high-mountain village in the Botlikh region of Dagestan. Two centuries ago, burkas were taken to Tiflis, the capital of the Caucasian province. The simplicity and practicality of burkas, unpretentious and easy to wear, have long made them the favorite clothing of both shepherds and princes. Rich and poor, regardless of faith and nationality, horsemen and Cossacks ordered burkas and bought them in Derbent, Baku, Tiflis, Stavropol, Essentuki.
There are many legends and traditions associated with burkas. And even more ordinary everyday stories. How can you kidnap a bride without a burqa, or protect yourself from the stabbing blow of a dagger or the slashing swing of a saber? The burka, like a shield, was used to carry the fallen or wounded from the battlefield. A wide “hem” was used to protect both oneself and the horse from the sultry mountain sun and chilly rain on long hikes. Wrapping yourself in a cloak and pulling a shaggy sheepskin hat over your head, you can sleep right in the rain on a mountainside or in an open field: water will not get inside. During the Civil War, Cossacks and Red Army soldiers “treated themselves with a burka”: they covered themselves and their horses with a warm “fur coat,” or even two, and let their fighting friend gallop. After several kilometers of such a race, the rider steamed, as if in a bathhouse. And the leader of the people, Comrade Stalin, who was suspicious of medicines and did not trust doctors, more than once boasted to his comrades about the “Caucasian” method he had invented to get rid of colds: “You drink several cups of hot tea, dress warmly, cover yourself with a cloak and a hat and go to bed. In the morning - like a piece of glass."
Today, burkas have become almost decorative and are disappearing from everyday life. But until now, in some villages of Dagestan, the elderly, unlike the “fickle” youth, do not allow themselves to deviate from customs and appear at any celebration or, conversely, a funeral without a burqa. And the shepherds prefer traditional clothes, despite the fact that today mountaineers are better warmed in winter by down jackets, "Alaskan" and "Canadian" jackets.
Just three years ago, in the village of Rakhata, Botlikh district, there was a burka-making artel, where the famous “Andiyka” were made. The state decided to unite the craftswomen into one farm, despite the fact that all production of burkas is exclusively handmade. During the war in August 1999, the Rakhat artel was bombed. It’s a pity that the unique museum opened at the artel is the only one of its kind: the exhibits were mostly destroyed. For more than three years, the director of the artel, Sakinat Rajandibirova, has been trying to find funds to restore the workshop.
Local residents are skeptical about the possibility of restoring the burka-making enterprise. Even in the best years, when the state was the customer and buyer, women made burkas at home. And today burkas are made only to order - mainly for dance ensembles and as souvenirs for distinguished guests. Burkas, like Mikrakh carpets, Kubachi daggers, Kharbuk pistols, Balkhar jugs, Kizlyar cognacs, are the calling cards of the Land of Mountains. Caucasian fur coats were presented to Fidel Castro and the Secretary General of the Communist Party of Canada William Kashtan, cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolaev and Sergei Stepashin, Viktor Chernomyrdin and Viktor Kazantsev... It’s probably easier to say which of those who visited Dagestan did not try it on.
Having finished her housework, Zukhra Javatkhanova from the village of Rakhata gets down to her usual simple work in a remote room: the work is dusty and requires a separate room. For her and her family of three, this is, although small, still income. Locally, the product costs from 700 to 1000 rubles, depending on the quality; in Makhachkala it is already twice as expensive, in Vladikavkaz - three times. There are few buyers, so there is no need to talk about stable earnings. It’s good if you manage to sell a couple a month. When a wholesale buyer “for ten to twenty pieces” comes to a village, usually a representative of one of the choreographic groups, he has to look into a dozen houses: every second household in the village makes burkas for sale.
"Three Days and Three Women"
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The technology for making burkas, known since ancient times, has not changed, except that it has become a little worse. Through simplification. Previously, a broom made of flax stalks was used to comb wool, now they use iron combs, and they tear the wool. The strictness of the rules for making a burqa resembles a recipe for a gourmet dish. Particular attention is paid to the quality of raw materials. The wool of the so-called Mountain Lezgin coarse-wool breed of autumn-sheared sheep is preferred - it is the longest. Lambs are also thin and tender. Black is a classic, basic color, but buyers, as a rule, order white, “gift-dance” ones.
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To make a burka, as the Andes say, “it takes three days and three women.” After the wool has been washed and combed on a hand loom, it is divided into long and short to make the upper and lower parts of the burka, respectively. The wool is loosened with a very ordinary bow and string, placed on a carpet, moistened with water, twisted and knocked down. The more times this procedure is done, the better quality - thinner, lighter and stronger - the resulting canvas is obtained, i.e. knocked down, compacted wool. A good burqa, usually weighing about two to three kilograms, should stand straight without sagging when placed on the floor.
The fabric is simultaneously twisted and combed periodically. And so hundreds and hundreds of times over several days. Hard work. The canvas is rolled and beaten with hands, the skin on which turns red, becoming covered with many small wounds, which over time turn into one continuous callus.
To prevent the burka from letting water through, it is boiled for half a day over low heat in special boilers, adding iron sulfate to the water. Then they treat it with casein glue so that “icicles” form on the wool: when it rains, water will flow down them. To do this, several people hold the burka soaked in glue above the water upside down, just like a woman washes her long hair. And the finishing touches - the upper edges of the burqa are sewn together to form shoulders, and the lining is hemmed “so that it does not wear out quickly.”
The fishery will never die, says Abdula Ramazanov, business manager of the Botlikh district administration. “But burkas will go out of everyday life - this is too difficult an occupation. Recently, the Andians have had competitors in other Dagestan villages. Therefore, we have to look for new markets. We take into account the whims of clients: burkas have changed in size - they are made not only for men, but also for children. The production of tiny products that are placed on bottles of champagne or cognac - an exotic gift - became original.
Burkas can be made anywhere, the technology is simple, if only there were the proper raw materials. And this may cause problems. The lack of former mass demand and the termination of the state order for burkas led to a decrease in the number of the Mountain Lezgin coarse wool breed of sheep. It becomes rare in the mountains. Several years ago in the republic there was serious talk about the threat of extinction of the breed. It is being replaced by the fat-tailed breed of sheep. Three-year-old lamb of this breed, raised in alpine meadows, produces the best kebabs, the demand for which, unlike burkas, is increasing.
Cherke?ska(abh. ak?imzh?s; Lezg. Chukha; cargo. ????; Ingush. chokhi; Kabard.-Cherk. tsey; karach.-balk. Chepken; Osset tsukhaha; Arm. ?????; Chech. Chokhib) - the Russian name for men's outerwear - caftan, which was common in everyday life among many peoples of the Caucasus. The Circassian coat was worn by Adygs (Circassians), Abazas, Abkhazians, Balkars, Armenians, Georgians, Ingush, Karachais, Ossetians, Chechens, peoples of Dagestan and others. Historically, the Terek and Kuban Cossacks borrowed the Circassian coat. Currently, it has practically fallen out of use as everyday clothing, but has retained its status as ceremonial, festive or folk clothing.
Circassian is probably of Turkic (Khazar) origin. It was a common type of clothing among the Khazars, from whom it was borrowed by other peoples inhabiting the Caucasus, including the Alans. The first image of a Circassian coat (or its prototype) is displayed on Khazar silver dishes.
The Circassian coat is a single-breasted caftan without a collar. It is made from cloth of non-disguising dark colors: black, brown or gray. Usually just below the knees (to keep the rider's knees warm), length may vary. It is cut to the waist, with gatherings and folds, and is girded with a narrow belt; the belt buckle served as a fire-cutting chair. Since everyone was a warrior, this was clothing for battle and should not restrict movement, so the sleeves were wide and short, and only for old people the sleeves were made long - to warm the hands. A distinctive feature and well-recognized element are gazyri (from the Turkic “khazyr” - “ready”), special pockets for pencil cases, often made of bone, intercepted with braid. The pencil case contained a measure of gunpowder and a bullet wrapped in a rag, cast for a specific gun. These pencil cases made it possible to load a flintlock or matchlock gun at full gallop. In the outer pencil cases, located almost under the armpits, dry wood chips were stored for kindling. After the advent of guns that ignited a charge of gunpowder with a primer, the primers were stored. On holidays they wore a longer and thinner Circassian coat.
The ancient Slavs called a sheepskin hat with a cloth top a klobuk. Among the Caucasian peoples she was called Trukhmenka or Kabardian. White, black, high, low, round, cone-shaped... Different times - different styles. Among the Terek Cossacks, this hat was always called a papakha and was an important and obligatory part of the Cossack military service.
From the fox and the wolf
At different times, Cossacks wore different styles of papakhas: from high ones with a cone-shaped top to low ones with a flat top. The Donets and Cossacks in the 16th-17th centuries supplied their hats with a cloth cuff that fell to the side in the shape of a cone. It was possible to insert a steel frame or a hard object into it to protect the head from saber and later checker strikes.
The main material from which the hat was made was kurpei - small and large curly fur of young lambs of coarse-haired breeds, usually black. The overwhelming majority of Cossacks wore kurpei hats. Astrakhan fur and broadtail were also used.
Karakul are skins taken from lambs of the Karakul breed on the first or third day after the birth of the animal. Karakul is distinguished by thick, elastic, silky hair that forms curls of various shapes and sizes.
Karakulcha - skins of lambs (miscarriages and floggings) of Karakul sheep. It has short, silky hair adjacent to the flesh with a moire pattern, without formed curls. Karakul and astrakhan fur were brought mainly from Central Asia, and therefore hats made of this expensive material were worn by wealthy Cossacks. These were holiday hats, they were also called “Bukhara”. 
As a rule, there were several papas: everyday, festive and for funerals. There was a special system for caring for them: they were kept clean, protected from moths, and kept wrapped in clean cloth.
In hot climates, a lamb hat was worn all year round. It perfectly protects the head from the thermal effects of sunlight and from hypothermia in winter.
Much less common were hats made from the skins of a bear, a fox or a wolf. However, there were also such people. By putting on such a hat, a person showed all people his hunting abilities, luck and courage. However, despite their appearance, these hats were less practical. The bear fur hat was heavy, and under the influence of moisture it was completely unliftable, but it held back a saber strike well. The fox fur hat was thin, wore out quickly and practically ceased to protect the owner from cold and heat. A hat made from wolf skins was unsuitable for hunters, since animals recognized the smell of a wolf from afar and ran away. In addition, it was very difficult to find a wolf in the mountains. Sheep flocks were guarded by dogs, and during skirmishes with wolves, they greatly damaged the wolf's skin.
Symbol of wisdom
The hat was the most important part of the Cossack right. “If the head is intact, it should be wearing a hat,” “A hat is worn not for warmth, but for honor,” “If you have no one to consult with, ask the hat for advice,” these sayings were popular among the Cossacks.
It was as much a talisman as the belt. The hat is a symbol of the wisdom and full rights of the Cossack, his honor, masculinity and dignity. The Cossack took off his hat only during prayer and at funerals. It is also necessary to remove it in the hut or other room where the icon hangs. 
The loss of this main headdress by a Cossack was associated with imminent death. Remember the words from the song “Don Ballad”:
Oh, evil winds have blown
Yes on the east side
And they tore off the black hat
From my wild head.
If a Cossack's hat was knocked off his head, this was the biggest insult. And if he took off his hat and hit it on the ground, it meant that he would stand his ground to the death.
Icons or protective prayers written by the child were often sewn into the hat. Some troops had a tradition of sewing awards onto this headdress. Usually these were plaques with inscriptions describing for what merits the regiment was awarded, and this gave the hat a special moral value. Cossacks often placed orders or securities behind the lapel of this cap. This was the most reliable place, because you could only lose your hat along with your head.
According to the charter
Around the middle of the 19th century, the papakha began to be used as a headdress for all Cossack troops and for the Caucasian corps. The charter did not prescribe its uniform form. Cossack troops wore hats of various varieties, hemispherical, cylindrical, with a fur or fabric bottom, of different colors. Everyone wore a hat, chosen according to their financial capabilities and imagination. All this wild variety continued until the end of the 19th century, until the appearance of the hat, as part of military clothing, was described in detail in the regulations. Caucasian troops were ordered to wear hats 3-4 inches high, made of sheep fur. The fur should have a short pile length and must be black. The top of the hat was made of cloth and painted in military color. Among the Kuban Cossacks it was scarlet, and the Terets had blue hats. The cloth top of the hat was trimmed with silver braid crosswise and around the circumference of the top (cuff) for officers, and with basson for ordinary Cossacks.
Galun is a gold or silver ribbon, patterned weaving, for finishing clothes and hats.
Bason is a woolen braid in the form of a narrow ribbon, used for finishing clothes and hats.
Each of the Cossacks leaving for service dreamed of returning home “with silver braid on their cap,” that is, of achieving service.
The hat of the Don Cossacks was the same as that of the Kuban. In the Trans-Baikal, Ussuri, Ural, Amur, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk units they wore black hats made of lamb wool, but only with long pile. Here you can see borrowing from Asian peoples, especially from the Turkmens. Turkmen hemispherical hats with long hair have become widespread throughout the Central Asian region.
The top of the hat was made from four pieces of cloth and painted in military color. White and gray hats were used as an element of everyday clothing. In the front area, in the center, they usually attached a cockade of St. George's colors - in the center there was a black oval, then an orange and again a black oval. The color of the cockade was the same for all types of troops. During the First World War, cockades were often painted a camouflage color for camouflage.
If the Cossack hundred had awards “for distinction,” then they were worn above the cockade. Most often, the insignia was a white or silver metal strip on which the merits of hundreds, the date of a battle or other feat were written.
In 1913, throughout Russia, gray hats began to be used as winter headdress for all branches of the military. Caucasian soldiers, when they lost their black papas, also wore gray ones. 
Fashionistas
Recommendations regarding the appearance of hats were often not followed. Often, Cossacks, violating the regulations of the charter, based on their own tastes, ideas and fashion “trends”, sewed higher and more magnificent hats, as well as white ones. These “liberties” did not seem to be in bad taste. Each one sewed a hat to order - the one that suited him and his uniform, combat and private. This is how the same passion for panache and the desire to look decent was manifested.
However, for combat service, hats were sewn according to regulations whenever possible.
By 1920, low hats of 12-15 cm, widening at the top, the so-called “Kubankas”, began to come into fashion. One version of the appearance of the “Kubanka” says that these are modernized “Hungarians”, which the Cossacks brought from the Western Front during the First World War.
After the victory of the Soviet government, military restrictions were introduced for the Cossacks, which did not allow them to serve in the army and wear the national military uniform, that is, wearing a hat, as well as other components of the Cossack uniform, was regarded as a challenge to the authorities. 
However, after 1936, Cossacks could fight in the ranks of the Red Army in the traditional Cossack uniform, including a hat. According to the charter, it was allowed to wear low black hats. Two stripes were sewn on the cloth in the form of a cross: black for privates, gold for officers. A red star was attached to the front of the hat in the middle.
In 1937, the Red Army marched on Red Square and for the first time it included Cossack troops. However, it is worth noting that only Terek, Kuban and Don Cossacks received the right to serve in the Red Army. But as a headdress, the papakha returned not only to the Cossacks. Since 1940, it has become an attribute of the military uniform of the entire senior command staff of the Red Army.
Since ancient times, the Chechens have had a cult of headdress - both female and male.
A Chechen's hat, a symbol of honor and dignity, is part of his costume. “If the head is intact, it should be wearing a hat”; “If you have no one to consult with, consult with your hat” - these and similar proverbs and sayings emphasize the importance and obligation of a hat for a man. With the exception of the bashlyk, hats were not removed indoors.
When traveling to the city and to important, important events, as a rule, they wore a new, festive hat. Since the hat has always been one of the main items of men's clothing, young people sought to purchase beautiful, festive hats. They were very carefully preserved, wrapped in clean cloth.
Knocking someone's hat off was considered an unprecedented insult. A person could take off his hat, leave it somewhere and leave for a while. And even in such cases, no one had the right to touch her, understanding that they would have to deal with her owner. If a Chechen took off his hat in a dispute or quarrel and hit it on the ground, this meant that he was ready to do anything to the end.
It is known that among the Chechens, a woman who took off and threw her scarf at the feet of those fighting to the death could stop the fight. Men, on the contrary, cannot take off their hats even in such a situation. When a man asks someone for something and takes off his hat, this is considered baseness, worthy of a slave. In Chechen traditions there is only one exception to this matter: the hat can be removed only when asking for forgiveness of blood feud. Makhmud Esambaev, the great son of the Chechen people, a brilliant dancer, knew well the value of a papakha and in the most unusual situations forced people to take Chechen traditions and customs into account. Traveling all over the world and being accepted in the highest circles of many states, he never took off his hat in front of anyone.
Mahmud never, under any circumstances, took off his world-famous hat, which he himself called the crown. Esambaev was the only deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR who sat in a fur hat at all sessions of the highest body of power of the Union. Eyewitnesses say that the head of the Supreme Council L. Brezhnev, before the start of the work of this body, looked carefully into the hall, and, seeing a familiar hat, said: “Mahmud is in place, we can begin.” M. A. Esambaev, Hero of Socialist Labor, People's Artist of the USSR, throughout his entire life and work carried the high name of the Chechen konakh (knight).
Sharing with readers of his book “My Dagestan” about the peculiarities of Avar etiquette and how important it is for everyone to have their own individuality, uniqueness and originality, the people’s poet of Dagestan Rasul Gamzatov emphasized: “There is a world-famous artist Mahmud Esambaev in the North Caucasus. He dances dances of different nations. But he wears and never takes off his Chechen hat. Let the motives of my poems be varied, but let them wear a mountain hat.”
Based on materials from http://www.chechnyafree.ru
In the Caucasus it has always been an honor to wear a headdress. It’s not for nothing that they say: “If you have a head, then you should have a hat on it.” Of course, times change, and with them morals. Today it is not so often that you meet a person with a beautiful and straight posture, whose head is decorated with Caucasian papakha.
Indeed, a papakha is an adornment and the personification of honor for a man. Some 20-30 years ago, very interesting traditions were widespread in the outskirts of the Caucasus. For example, no one under any circumstances had the right to take off someone else’s hat. This was regarded as an insult to the owner of the headdress and very often led to unpleasant consequences.
But not all traditions that related to wearing a hat were so strict. In the old days, a guy who wanted to show a girl his feelings resorted to two methods - either he told her personally about it in a dance, while holding a Caucasian dagger in his teeth, or he walked under her window and threw his hat. If the girl kept it with her, then it was believed that she accepted the marriage proposal, but if the headdress flew out of the window back to the owner, then the guy understood that his proposal was rejected.
Caucasian papakha - classification by type and quality of material
It is worth noting that hats in the Caucasus were not always the same as we are used to seeing them today. In the 19th century, the following types of hats became most widespread among the male population of the mountain region: fabric, a combination of fabric and fur, fur, felt. Subsequently, it was fur hats and fur hats that supplanted all other types.
Today, hats are classified into the following types:
1. Karakul - considered the most valuable and desirable. Although, there are a lot of pitfalls here too. Finding a hat made from real astrakhan fur is not an easy task. Many people sell fakes under the guise of high-quality scribble. In the article about astrakhan hats and hats, you can read about the types and how to correctly and quickly determine the quality of astrakhan fur. Watch an interesting video of Caucasian headdresses:
2. Classical (shepherd) - the most common type of headdress in the Caucasus, especially in the mountainous part. This headdress is often called the “people's hat” due to the fact that it is not very difficult to make. There are many types and subspecies of such papakhas, many of them are presented in the category “Shepherd papakhas”.
3. Cossack hat - another species that is widespread in the Caucasus, with the exception of the national republics. This headdress is especially popular among the Terek and Kuban Cossacks, which is natural.
In addition to the species classification, there is also a division according to the material being manufactured within the species itself. The same astrakhan hats are most often made from natural astrakhan fur of three varieties: Valek, Pulat and Antika. We do not take into account artificial astrakhan or cheap Moldovan ones. Caucasian craftsmen use only natural varieties of astrakhan fur in their work.
Classic (shepherd) hats are made from goat, sheep and lamb skins. Common people classify these hats according to external characteristics: color (white, black, brown), shaggyness, presence or absence of smell of the skin, length of wool, etc.
An example of a shepherd's hat made of natural white goat skin:
An example of a shepherd's hat made of natural black lamb skin:
Professionals in their practice use completely different criteria (although all of the above are also important): the presence or absence of bald spots, the thickness of the coat, the presence of curls, neatness of tailoring, the presence of a lace for size adjustment.
We tried to take all these nuances into account when choosing a craftsman to make the hats presented in our online store. In 2.5 years, over 2,000 hats have already passed through our hands, and this allows us to assert that when choosing a hat, the main selection criterion should be the quality of the material used and the accuracy of tailoring.
If you typed something like “buy a hat” into a search engine, then be sure that you have come to the right place where you can choose a Caucasian headdress of the highest quality to suit your taste. All the hats we present are made by real professionals - folk craftsmen of Dagestan - Salman Rabadanov and Yakub Akhmedov. These are people who have been sewing papakhas for decades and in total have already sewn over 40,000 copies!
X Abib made a speech at the awards ceremony after his fight with Dustin Poirier that offended some women in the Caucasus. Women reacted sharply on social networks, calling Khabib a sexist and a Freudian, and today a flash mob - photos of women in hats - is gaining momentum.
KU wrote the following about this.
For me, this whole story is divided into 3 parts: about Khabib; about the hat; about in what cases womenin the North Caucasuswore men's clothing.
About Khabib. Khabib is, of course, an outstanding athlete who has already gone down in history. It has a colossal influence on millions of people. In the next 1-2 years, we will observe the politicization of everything related to Khabib and power sports in the Caucasus. We have observed this before, but now this process will take place within completely different boundaries. Or rather, it will be a cross-border process. The dignity with which Khabib speaks about the North Caucasus, his culture and identity is worthy of respect. But when he tries to be a spiritual leader and go beyond the profession, he does not always succeed as brilliantly as fighting in the octagon.
The triumphant in Abu Dhabi was a little tongue-tied, but still, it seems to me, he did not intend to offend or humiliate women, much less “show them his place.” I can’t imagine that he, as a person brought up on traditional culture, doesn’t know what “woman’s honor” means among the peoples of the Caucasus - how many folklore texts there are about it; how many blood fights, even at the beginning of the twentieth century, were arranged because a woman’s honor was hurt!
“If you put on a hat, you must match it, do not lose your honor and dignity. Our women traditionally do not wear a hat, because a hat (like, for example, a dagger or a belt for a Circassian coat) is an exclusively male attribute,” - when “deciphering” Khabib’s text, I read this way.
About the hat. Papakha in the North Caucasus is a whole Universe. In many Caucasian cultures, a man wearing a papakha or, in general, a headdress, is a priori endowed with such qualities as courage, wisdom, and self-esteem. The person who put on the hat seemed to be adapting to it, trying to fit in - after all, the hat did not allow him to bow his head, and therefore, to bow to someone in the broad sense.Many mountaineer customs are associated with the papakha - it is not only a headdress that keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer; it is a symbol and a sign. A man should never take off his hat, with the exception of only one case: the hat can be removed when asking for the forgiveness of blood relatives.
The administration of the Kuban region, realizing that the highlanders will not accept the custom of removing their headdress indoors, in the end XIX century, issued a special order allowing mountaineers to wear hats indoors.
In Dagestan, a young man who was afraid to openly woo the girl he liked once threw his hat at her window. If the hat remained in the house and did not immediately fly back, then you can count on reciprocity.
It was considered an insult if a person's hat was knocked off his head. If a person took off his hat and left it somewhere, under no circumstances should it be touched or moved to another place.
Journalist Milrad Fatulaev recalls in his article that, going to the theater, the famous Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov bought two tickets: one for himself, the second for his hat.
Did women in the North Caucasus wear men's clothing? Yes, they did. In exceptional cases, at weddings or when participating in certain rituals. In anthropology this is called “ritual dressing”. However, not only women dressed as men, but also men dressed as women.
For example, ethnographer Vilen Uarziati wrote that “in Central Ossetia - in Urstual, Khudygom, Tyrsygom - at weddings, girls 12–15 years old wore men's clothes, glued on their mustaches and pulled their hats down on their foreheads. In this form they appeared in the evening at the end of the wedding feast.” Changing their voices, they introduced themselves as guests of the neighboring gorge and made fun of the men who were already tipsy.
In Dagestan, at weddings (Batsada village, Rugudzha village) there were permanent characters - mummers. Mummers could be men and women, boys and girls. Sometimes a woman would dress up in men's clothes and add a mustache, or, conversely, a man would dress up as a woman. The mummers joked, threw flour and ash into the crowd, and got dirty with soot. It was not customary to take offense at their jokes.
In the village During the wedding, in Ruguja, the woman dressed in men's clothes and danced the “men's dance” (chirisani).
At a Dargin wedding, female mummers were usually the groom's sisters, sisters-in-law, or aunts aged from 25 to 40 years. They dressed in men's clothes, attached mustaches, and attached a dagger to their belts. The face was smeared with soot or a dough mask was placed on it.
Ruslan Seferbekov, an ethnographer from Dagestan, believes thatSuch ritual disguises “were resorted to to enhance the laughter component of the ritual ritual. At the same time, cross-dressing was a reaction to the strict regulation of gender roles in traditional mountain society.”
A woman could wear men's clothing not only to amuse the public at weddings, but also on more serious occasions. Among the Abkhazians, if men died, women dressed in men's clothing and took revenge. In rare cases, a woman became an abrek and dressed in men's clothing. For example, historian Aslan Mirzoev reports:
“There is a rare case in the history of Kabarda when a woman became an abrek. Her name was Zurumkhan Shogenova, and her activities date back to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Zurumkhan was born in the Little Kabardian village of Kanshuey (now Nizhny Kurp) in the family of a simple peasant. When her father died, her mother and four children moved to her brother Batyrbek Naloev. From a young age, Zurumkhan dressed like a man, carried weapons, rode horses, and then became an accomplice of the abreks, with whom she led a life of robbery. By the beginning of the civil war she was about 40 years old. Robbery began to bore her, she began to think about family life. Soon she married a Chechen, and in 1944, when the Chechens were deported, she did not leave her husband and went with everyone to Central Asia. After the death of her wife, she returned to Kabardino-Balkaria and served as a night watchman at the Argudan MTS.”
That is, Khabib is not entirely right. For women in the Caucasus, a papakha is quite possible. And how!
The legendary Taimasha Gekhinskaya, a Chechen, commanded a detachment for 10 years during the Caucasian War.
Hello, dear blog readers. In the Caucasus, the saying has long been known: “If the head is intact, it should be wearing a hat.” Really, Caucasian papakha for the Caucasians themselves it is more than just a headdress. Since childhood, I remember how my grandfather very often quoted some eastern sage: “If you have no one to consult with, then ask the papakha for advice.”
Nowadays it’s quite rare to see a young man with a Caucasian hat on his head. Several decades ago, a hat personified masculinity and was a kind of symbol of honor and dignity. If a guy allowed himself to appear without a headdress, then it was considered almost an insult to all those invited.
Caucasian papakha was loved and respected by everyone. I remember when we lived in, we had a neighbor who wore a new hat every day. We were very surprised by this and one day they asked him where he got so many hats from. It turned out that he inherited 15 selected dads from his father, which he wears with pleasure. The most interesting thing is that every time he went out to sit with local elders at an impromptu godekan, he put on a new hat. When he was invited to a wedding, there was another one, but if he was at a funeral, then a third one was on his head.
Caucasian papakha - the personification of traditions and customs
Of course, Caucasian hats were not always the way we imagine them today. They received their most rapid development and distribution in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Before this, they mostly wore cloth hats. By the way, it should be noted that all the hats of that time, based on the material made, can be divided into four types:
- Fabric hats
- Hats combining fabric and fur
- Fur
- Felt
Over time, fur hats almost everywhere replaced all other types of hats. The only thing that should be noted is that felt hats were widespread among the Circassians until the beginning of the 19th century. Of course, this also includes “bashlyks”, Turkish turbans, which, by the way, were later very skillfully replaced by a small white strip of fabric that was wound around a fur hat.
But all these nuances are more interesting for researchers. I won’t be mistaken if I assume that you are much more interested in finding out what place you occupied hat V . As I noted above, any self-respecting man was simply obliged to wear a hat on his head. Moreover, most often he had over a dozen of them. There was also a whole system for servicing papas. I know that they were cherished like the apple of their eye and stored in special clean materials.
I think that after watching this video, you learned a lot about how folk traditions were combined with the Caucasian papakha. For example, it was a great discovery for me when I learned that a young man threw his headdress through the window of his beloved in order to find out whether his love was reciprocated. I know that they were often used to express their feelings to a girl.
It should be noted that not everything was so romantic and beautiful. Very often there were cases when it came to bloodshed just because a man’s headdress was knocked off his head. This was considered a great insult. If a person himself took off his hat and left it somewhere, no one had the right to touch it, understanding that he would have to deal with its owner. It happened that in a quarrel a Caucasian man would take off his hat and hit it on the ground - this meant that he was ready to stand his ground until death.
As I said above, Caucasian youth have practically stopped wearing hats in recent years. Only in mountain villages can you meet guys who happily flaunt these hats. Although, many great Caucasians (such as) never parted with their hats. The great dancer called his hat “Crown” and did not take it off even when he was received in the highest echelons of power. Moreover, Esambaev, being a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, sat in a fur hat at all meetings of the highest body of power of the Soviet Union. Rumor has it that L.I. Brezhnev looked around the hall before each meeting and, seeing a familiar hat, said: “Mahmud is in place - we can begin.”
In conclusion, I want to say this: whether or not to wear a Caucasian headdress is the business of every person, but I have no doubt that we simply must know and respect its significance in the lives of our fathers and grandfathers. Caucasian papakha– this is our history, these are our legends and, perhaps, a happy future! Yes, watch another video about papakha:
Friends, it will be very interesting to discuss your views on this topic in the comments. Yes, and don't forget. There are a lot of interesting and useful articles ahead of you.
The papakha is a symbol of honor. Since ancient times, the Chechens have revered headdresses - both women's and men's. A Chechen's hat, a symbol of honor and dignity, is part of his costume. “If the head is intact, it should be wearing a hat”; “If you have no one to consult with, consult with your hat” - these and similar proverbs and sayings emphasize the importance and obligation of a hat for a man. With the exception of the bashlyk, hats were not removed indoors. When traveling to the city and to important, important events, as a rule, they wore a new, festive hat. Since the hat has always been one of the main items of men's clothing, young people sought to purchase beautiful, festive hats. They were very carefully preserved, wrapped in clean cloth. Knocking someone's hat off was considered an unprecedented insult. A person could take off his hat, leave it somewhere and leave for a while. And even in such cases, no one had the right to touch her, understanding that they would have to deal with her owner. If a Chechen took off his hat in a dispute or quarrel and hit it on the ground, this meant that he was ready to do anything to the end. It is known that among the Chechens, a woman who took off and threw her scarf at the feet of those fighting to the death could stop the fight. Men, on the contrary, cannot take off their hats even in such a situation. When a man asks someone for something and takes off his hat, this is considered baseness, worthy of a slave. In Chechen traditions there is only one exception to this matter: the hat can be removed only when asking for forgiveness of blood feud. Makhmud Esambaev knew well the value of a hat and in the most unusual situations forced him to take Chechen traditions and customs into account. Traveling all over the world and being accepted in the highest circles of many states, he never took off his hat in front of anyone. Mahmud never, under any circumstances, took off his world-famous hat, which he himself called the crown. Esambaev was the only deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR who sat in a fur hat at all sessions of the highest body of power of the Union. Eyewitnesses say that the head of the Supreme Council L. Brezhnev, before the start of the work of this body, looked carefully into the hall, and, seeing a familiar hat, said: “Mahmud is in place, we can begin.” M. A. Esambaev, Hero of Socialist Labor, People's Artist of the USSR. Sharing with readers of his book “My Dagestan” about the peculiarities of Avar etiquette and how important it is for everyone to have their own individuality, uniqueness and originality, the people’s poet of Dagestan Rasul Gamzatov emphasized: “There is a world-famous artist Mahmud Esambaev in the North Caucasus. He dances dances of different nations. But he wears and never takes off his Chechen hat. Let the motives of my poems be varied, but let them wear a mountain hat.”