An accident resolved my confusion. grandmother, hanging linen in the attic, found an old basket, filled with splinters, shame and books. The whole house knew my desire to read. My locksmith, while I, sitting at my notebook, gnawed on a pen and thought about the experience of rural sermons, triumphantly dragged the basket into my room, joyfully exclaiming: "Books! books!"-" Books!"- I repeated with delight and rushed to the basket. Indeed, I saw a whole pile of books in green and blue paperback. It was a collection of old calendars. This discovery cooled my delight, but all I was glad of the unexpected find, they were still books, and I generously rewarded the diligence of the washerwoman with a half silver. Left alone, I started looking at my calendars, and soon my attention was greatly attracted by them. They formed a continuous chain of years from 1744 to 1799, t. is. smooth 55 years old. Blue sheets of paper, commonly woven into calendars, were all covered with old handwriting. Casting a glance at these lines, I saw with amazement, that they were not only making notes about the weather and housekeeping, but also brief historical news about the village of Goryukhina. Immediately I took up the analysis of these precious notes and soon found, that they presented the complete history of my fatherland for almost a century in the strictest chronological order. On top of this, they concluded an inexhaustible supply of economic, statistical, meteorological and other scientific observations. Since then, the study of these notes has occupied me exclusively, for I saw the opportunity to extract from them a harmonious narrative, curious and instructive. Getting familiar with these precious monuments, I began to look for new sources of the history of the village of Goryukhin. And soon the abundance of these amazed me. Dedicating a full six months to preliminary study, at last I started to the long-desired work and with the help of God did it this November 3 day 1827.
Now, as some historian like me *, which name I don’t remember, ending your difficult feat, I put down my pen and sadly go to my garden to reflect on, what have I done. It seems to me too, what, writing the History of Goryukhin, the world no longer needs me, that my duty is done and that it is time for me to sleep!
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Here is a list of sources, which served me to compile the History of Goryukhin:
1. Collection of old calendars. 54 parts. The first 20 parts covered with old handwriting with titles. This chronicle was composed by my great-grandfather Andrey Stepanovich Belkin. It is distinguished by the clarity and brevity of the syllable., eg: 4 May. Snow. Trishka for the rudeness of the beat. 6 - the brown cow fell. Senka for drunkenness bit. 8 - clear weather. 9 - rain and snow. Trishka bit according to the weather. 11 - clear weather. Fresh snow. Hounded 3 hares, etc, without any thought ... Others 35 parts are written in different handwritings, for the most part by the so-called shopkeeper with and without titles, generally prolific, incoherently and without respecting spelling. In some places, a woman's hand is visible. This department includes the notes of my grandfather Ivan Andreevich Belkin and my grandmother, and his wife, Evpraksii Alekseevna, also the notes of the clerk Garbovitsky.
2. Chronicle of the Goryukhinsky deacon. I found this curious manuscript from my priest, married to the daughter of a chronicler. The first sheets were ripped out and used by the children of the priest on the so-called snakes. One of those fell in the middle of my yard. I picked it up and wanted to return it to the children, as noted, that it was written. From the first lines I saw, that the serpent was compiled from the chronicle, luckily I managed to save the rest. This chronicle, bought by me for a quarter of oats, distinguished by profound thought and great eloquence.
3. Fine legends. - I did not neglect any news. But especially due to Agrafena Trifonova, mother of Avdey the head, former, say, mistress of the clerk Garbovitsky.
4. Revizh tales, with the remarks of the previous heads (account and expense books) about the morality and condition of the peasants.
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Country, named after its capital Goryukhin called, takes more than 240 tithes. The number of inhabitants extends to 63 shower. To the north, it borders on the villages of Deriukhov and Perkukhov, whose inhabitants are poor, skinny and short, and proud owners are devoted to the warlike exercise of the hare hunt. To the south, the Sivka River separates it from the possessions of the Karachev free farmers - neighbors of the restless, notorious for violent morals. To the west, the Zakharya fields enclose her, prosperous under the rule of wise and enlightened landowners. To the east it adjoins the wild, uninhabited places, to the impenetrable swamp, where does one cranberry grow, where only the monotonous croaking of frogs is heard and where superstitious tradition suggests to be the abode of a certain demon.
NB. This swamp is called Besovsky. Tell, as if one half-witted shepherdess was guarding a herd of pigs not far from this secluded place. She became pregnant and could not satisfactorily explain this incident.. The voice of the people accused the swamp demon; but this tale is not worthy of the attention of a historian, and after Niebuhr * it would be unforgivable to believe.
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Since ancient times, Goryukhino was famous for its fertility and noble climate.. Rye, oat, barley and buckwheat will be born on its fat fields. The birch grove and the spruce forest supply the inhabitants with trees and dead wood for the construction and heating of dwellings. No shortage of nuts, cranberry, lingonberry and blueberry. Mushrooms grow in extraordinary numbers; fried in sour cream represent a pleasant, albeit junk food. The pond is filled with carp, and in the river Sivka there are pikes and burbots.
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Inhabitants of Goryukhin, for the most part, the height of the middle, build strong and courageous, their eyes are gray, blond or red hair. Women differ in noses, raised slightly up, bulging cheekbones and stoutness. NB Baba is hefty, This expression is often found in the notes of the headman to the Revizh tales. Men are kind, hardworking (especially on their arable land), brave, militant: many of them walk alone on the bear and are famous in the area for their fist fighters; everyone is generally prone to sensual pleasure drunkenness. Women, over and above domestic work, share most of their work with men.; and will not yield to them in courage, rare of them are afraid of the headman. They constitute a powerful public guard, vigilant in the master's yard, and are called lancers (from the Slovenian word spear). The main duty of the spearmen is to hit the cast-iron board with a stone as often as possible and thus frighten the malicious intent. They are just as chaste, how beautiful, the assassination attempts of the daring are answered severely and expressively.
Residents of Goryukhin have long been producing abundant trade in barks, baskets and bast shoes. This is facilitated by the river Sivka, through which in the spring they cross by canoes, like the ancient Scandinavians, and the rest of the year wade, pre-rolled up trousers to the knees.
The Goryukhinsky language is decidedly a branch of Slavic, but just as different from him, like russian. It's full of cuts and truncations, some letters are completely destroyed or replaced by others. However, it is easy for a Great Russian to understand a Goryukhin, and vice versa.
Men usually married at 13, girls in their 20s. Wives beat their husbands for four or five years. After which the husbands already began to beat their wives; and so both sexes had their time of power, and the balance was kept.
The funeral ceremony took place as follows. On the very day of death, the deceased was taken to the cemetery, so that the dead in the hut does not take unnecessary extra space. From this it happened, that, to the indescribable joy of relatives, the dead man sneezed or yawned at that very minute, how he was carried in a coffin outside the outskirts. Wives mourned their husbands, howling and saying: "Light is my daring little head! to whom did you leave me? remember you with something?»When returning from the cemetery, a funeral feast began in honor of the deceased, and relatives and friends were drunk two, three days or even a whole week, depending on the diligence and attachment to his memory. These ancient rituals have survived to this day.
The clothes of the Goryukhins consisted of a shirt, worn over leggings, what is the hallmark of their Slavic origin. In winter they wore a sheepskin coat, but more for beauty, rather than out of real need, for they usually threw a sheepskin coat over one shoulder and threw them off at the slightest effort, requiring movement.
science, arts and poetry from ancient times were in Goryukhin in a fairly flourishing state. Over and above the priest and church clerks, there were always literate people in it. Chronicles mention the Zemsky Terenty, lived around 1767 year, who could write not only with the right, but also with the left hand. This extraordinary man became famous in the neighborhood for the composition of all kinds of letters, petitions, particular pashports, etc.. P. Suffering repeatedly for his art, helpfulness and participation in various wonderful incidents, he died at a ripe old age, at the same time I was accustomed to write with my right foot, for the handwriting of both hands was already too well known. He plays, as the reader will see below, important role in the history of Goriukhin.
Music has always been the favorite art of educated Goryukhins; balalaika and volynka, delighting sensitive hearts, are still distributed in their homes, especially in an ancient public building, decorated with a Christmas tree and the image of a two-headed eagle *.
Where can I read ,,The history of the village of Goryukhina”