Adherents of the Old Faith: Old Believers of Tuva. Boundless Russia

From the author
I did not come to write this book suddenly, but gradually.
but. In the late 80s, I worked in the Republic of Tuva in the village
ke Hovu-Aksy. I am a history teacher by profession, in 1985
graduated from the Kursk Pedagogical Institute and came to work in Tuva
at the call of the heart. Didn't get to work as a teacher, but on a ticket
Komsomol worked in the IDN (Inspectorate for Incompetent
teens). Also with children and adolescents, but somewhat
different profile of behavior.
Even then, I had the first information about the old
faiths A representative of the Old Believers worked in our OM, I
asked a lot and began to look for literature in the library
kah, but it was very small. Approximately in 1988-1990,
the first articles appeared in Komsomolskaya Pravda about the family
Agafya Lykova, who lives in complete isolation
but in secret. I began to collect material about members of her family and
about the Old Believers in general. Thus, I collected, studied
material and dreamed of visiting and living in the Old Believer
community. But everything was resolved successfully: in the summer of 2012, I became
absolutely free man, I got the opportunity
travel to the most remote and hidden places of thai
gee and mountains.
And now, having accumulated enough knowledge, well prepared-
grow a thick beard, in the summer of 2012 I have
the final decision is ripe at all costs
mingle with the Old Believers and, if possible, live a little
and chat with them. The first Old Believer with whom I
brought together by fate, was Andrei Vasilyevich Pashinin.

He lives in the village of Zubovka. At the first contact
we somehow immediately imbued each other and talked with
him three days. I told him the purpose of my visit. And said,
that I would like to live in a real Old Believer village and
asked if he could help me with this. He agreed,
but before that, I stayed with him for another week in the village, which
she was 100% pure Old Believer, but under pressure
civilization and for other reasons, the Old Believers left
these inhabited places.
He told me: “When you finally get together, I will
I will take you to a more remote, purely Old Believer village, where
retained the "spirit" old faith: to the village of Erzhey, which
is located 180 km from Kyzyl. 80 km on asphalt, and then,
as he very aptly put it, 100 km in the taiga, in the gomnu
bearish and off-road”.

To be honest, I imagined everything
otherwise. The Old Believers are a closed community with their own
rules and laws.
But I was very lucky, my friend was on the red-
the bone is a sociable and very well-read person of his own -
our knowledge of history. He sometimes confused me.
He became a good friend and assistant to me in writing
this book.
From conversations with him, I got an idea of ​​the
lah behavior adopted in their environment.
When meeting with the Old Believers, he taught me, one must greet
to greet them with the words "You live well!".
Communication with archival documents, the teaching of a special
literature, my own communication allowed me to comprehend
pour unique material in the light of today.
So, dear readers, read, admire, surprise
lie, envy, smile, and also express it-
reprimand and condemnation. The book was written for the first time by me.
It says this is my debut. It is addressed to the maximum
to a wide range of readers.
With respect to readers,
Vladimir Chicherin.

Foreword
The Old Believers of Tuva are a little-studied topic in history
the Old Believers in general. There are a number of reasons for this.
Until recently, the Old Believers were social and
religious movement, which in all the years of its existence
development was seen as a relic that had outlived its usefulness
reactionary phenomenon: in addition to darkness and ignorance in the "split
there is nothing". This is the prevailing view throughout
throughout the existence of the Old Believers.
However, not everyone thought so, and most people had the opposite opinion.
more progressive historians. So, in some works
Soviet historians of the XX century. Old Believers were evaluated
as the largest religious and socio-cultural movement
as a phenomenal phenomenon in our history.
D. S. Likhachev described the Old Believers as follows:
“The living remnant of ancient Russian culture, which has preserved
its wonderful virtues, but such, unfortunately, I-
there were very few. In general, the Old Believers are long
time was viewed from an ideological point of view.
The official authorities, following the Orthodox Church,
after the split in the middle of the 17th century, they declared the old
the rowers are inert, ignorant and uncultured. But
it's not like that at all. Supported the split and some pre-
puters of noble rich families, the most famous -
noblewoman Morozova F.P. and her sister Princess Urusova (both
died of starvation and torture in the thieves' earthen prison),
princes Khovansky and Myshetsky. There were many dissenters
some representatives of the emerging Russian business
business, merchants, Cossacks. They were sympathized with black
simple people.

Zealots of the old faith wrote to the king, but he did not respond
sank. But they did not stop their sermons and even intensified
vayut them, referring to the broad layers of believers.
The schismatics staged mass rinsing (go-
lodnuyu death) and self-immolation (gari). Gary followed
one by one. From 1675 to 1695 there were about forty
ka, more than 20 thousand Old Believers died. And all because of what
Did the schismatics seek to preserve “ancient piety”?
The opponents of the reform were severely persecuted, and they fled
or in remote, remote places. What kind of schismatics are they?
What did they split? They kept the faith that they
chili from fathers and grandfathers.
Already the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad is united
with the Russian Orthodox Church. But it's still not possible
we wish to embrace fraternally with brothers in faith, old believers
tsami. Why? They have a very strong resentment against the royal and
the vet state, to the hierarchy, to the Bolsheviks,
on the communists. But in fact: persecution, prisons, exiles
ki, executions, burning alive ... - all adherents passed
old faith. The strength of their faith is akin to fanaticism, they increase
the belief that salvation can only be obtained by abiding in faith
Avvakumova.
And so more than three centuries of experience of persecution and
persecution was not in vain for the Old Believers. He taught them
caution, secrecy, secrecy. Don't be attracted to
attention to themselves, not to show their religious convictions
ny, do not allow anyone, most of all "personnel" i.e. state-
gift officials, to interfere in their lives - such
you are at all times the rules of the existence of the Old Believers.
But centuries have passed, years of change have passed. Today
Old Believers are alive, quite common in our
country and Tuva in particular.

There are Old Believer communities in many countries:
true and South America, Australia, Europe, Asia. Sta-
ritualism has become an international phenomenon.
The Old Believers living in Tuva are just a small
part of the Old Believers living in Siberia and in our
country.
Old Believers for the turbulent XX century. and the beginning of the XXI century. pre-
is undergoing changes, and these changes are mainly in
towards the loosening and destruction of the Old Believers
foundations and traditions.
Of course, it is difficult for me to judge the loosening of the foundations, but
it still happens, I saw it with my own eyes.
In writing this book, I have studied and thought about the collection
material. Communicating with the Old Believers, older people
generations, I was able to establish warm trust with them
relations, but otherwise it would not have been this
books.

Chapter 1 How did the Old Believers get to Tuva.
The bulk of the Old Believers ended up in Tuva, as well as








ter.



and freedom."













high rocky mountains, where mountain rivers rage violently, The bulk of the Old Believers ended up in Tuva, like
many Russian settlers, in the late XIX early
XX centuries. This is evidenced by the available archives,
literary sources, memoirs of old-timers, with whom
which I have personally spoken to. Some have already exceeded
100 years, so there is still someone to ask.
It was in those years that the peasant migration movement
nie swept the whole of Russia. However, there are references to
earlier resettlement, but they are of a single character
ter.
What attracted the Old Believers to Tuva? After all, she does not belong
lay Russia, it was a foreign land, belonged to China
Tayu (Qing Empire). Attracted primarily "backwoods
and freedom."
The possibility of seclusion from secular and ecclesiastical authorities
stey, which I mentioned earlier. The Old Believers preferred
settle in deserted and inaccessible places where no one
they will not be oppressed for their religious beliefs.
Secondly, they moved to Tuva in search of the legendary
Belovodye - a place remote from the world, inaccessible to
"servants of the Antichrist", where the pre-Conian faith was preserved,
goodness and justice reign.
Belovodye opens to the most faithful - right (old)
faith with the most reliable and pure thoughts. Wicked-
vym, sinful, mercenary, it simply will not seem.
This is how the Old Believers represented this country: “Where
endless forests end, and rise high
high rocky mountains, where mountain rivers rage violently, somewhere there, in the impenetrable wilds, lies a mysterious land,
called Belovodie. Nobody knows this place
the assessor comes here, and yet, somehow, the Russians came in
sky people and live freely to this day. Lots of land
them and lands, and there are no hardships and heavy peasant
go grief. There are temples here, and the ringing of bells wakes up the sounds
centuries-old taiga.
At the end of the 19th century, on the territory bordering Tuva,
there was a village of Usinskoye called "Usinsk Territory",
it was also called the split nest. That's where it starts
elk intensive migration to Tuva.
The records of an Orthodox priest, Miss
sioner N. Putilov. He talks about finding places like this -
nym Old Believers of the legendary Belovodye. "They are not
stopped the thought of finding this mysterious country,
mo as in the movie "Sannikov Land - to find the land of both
forged".
The first parties of scouts went light, they were sent
whether the Old Believers to find in this mysterious country me-
where you can start building a new life. They were supplied
everything you need: horses, provisions, clothing. They are
went straight to the east, to the Top of the Big Yeni-
sowing (Biy-Khem). These trips, and there were several of them, cost
great difficulties. The walkers crossed the huge
wild mountains and turned south, and went to the small Yenisei
(Kaa-Khem).
In the east of Tuva there are two hard-to-reach areas
on: Todzha and Kungurtuk. Biy-Khem originates in Todzha, and in
area of ​​Kungurtuk - Kaa-Khem, which merge in the area
Kyzyl into a single Yenisei Ulug-Khem (Great Yenisei).
The Old Believers made several attempts to
say Belovodie. "Oh, Russia - from the Volga to the Yenisei!" ... Kog-
yes, I repeatedly asked deep old people about a hundred years: “Why did you go, your fathers and grandfathers?” They answered:
“So people were driving, and we were driving.”
Many settlers rushed from Altai. Home
the reason for the resettlement was to get away, to hide from wars,
revolutions, repressions. The Old Believers say this: “If
the war, the revolution will come here, then later. reasoned
their grandfathers, fathers, hoping to escape in Tuva from all these attacks
stay.
The Old Believers in Tuva tried to avoid any forms
dependencies. Yes, and the desire to leave the world, to settle in the
in other places on free land, surrounded by fellow believers,
never left them.

The path of settlers to the Uryankhai region was long and
difficult, moved by large families, usually in winter
along the Yenisei along the sleigh path, with all living creatures, domestic
scrub, small children. The resettlement took from the city of Minu-
sinska up to a month. Often people died, falling into polynyas.
Those who were lucky enough to go this way carefully
they chose a place for settlement, so that they could occupy
swear by agriculture, arable farming, start a garden. how
As a rule, they settled near the forest. Timber needed
for the construction of a residential building, and for heating are necessary
there were firewood.
There was definitely running water nearby: the old
ritualists believed that for drinking and cooking, and
also carrying out some rituals, only light is suitable
flowing water. The proximity of the river made it possible to build
dams, put up mills, cereals and irrigate arable land
in dry years.
There is no specific planning for the development of the village
adhered to, put at home as you like. Often they form
called one street, stretching along the river or forest.
The most typical dwelling of an Old Believer family was
log hut, consisting of a cold entrance hall and heated
hut. The best was considered a house, chopped from deciduous
strings in 10 crowns. 12-15 people usually lived in the hut (indistinct
divided family), family members slept on the stove, on the beds,
on the benches. In winter, in severe frosts, in this hut, in a nook
near the stove, the owners had to take newborns
calves and other young.
From the story of a resident of the village of Erzhey, the family of his grandfather moved
went to Tuva in 1910, lived in Medvedevka one big
family: in one hut 22 people. The whole family brought 10 hectare
containers of arable land, kept a lot of cattle, horses, which
moat, bird; according to him, the family lived much more spaciously - they were engaged in hunting and fishing. Initially settling in
backwoods, the Old Believers are forced to build houses without a single
nails with a minimum of tools - nails and glass were
in great deficit.
One of my interlocutors in the village of Erjei confirmed that
his aunt (father), when moving to Tuva, built a house without
single nail. What to say about those times: and now in Er-
zhe lives Cherepanov Ivan, who manufactures furniture
from cedar without nails and screws. For lighting, in addition to torches, they used home-made
candles: hollowed-out swede or radish was poured with fat
and a wick was lowered into it. Made for religious purposes
wax candles.
Again I turn to the memories of the old-timers. "Everything
I had to carry: they took their seeds, and chickens, and cows,
local Tuvan cows gave 3 liters of milk,
curled. They even took cats (without cats, mice will eat). pastley
cattle without a shepherd, and even now nothing has changed, continued
reaping so graze. They kept dogs for hunting. As they say-
rambling hunters, three friends in the taiga: a gun, a dog, fire.
From the memoirs of the Old Believers, in the upper Yenisei, the first
we settled Yurkovs, Demenevs, Zaitsevs, Permyakovs,
Rukovitsina, Jesters, Nekrasovs, Gubins, Dolgovs, Soko-
lovy, etc. The descendants of these surnames still live on
land of their ancestors.
The names and surnames of the first settlers in Tuva were given
names of villages, zaimka. This is how Danilovka, Fe-
Dorovka, Zubovka, Vladimirovka, Atamanovka, Kazanka, etc.
The Old Believers named the new settlements in honor of the religion
ozny holidays, coinciding in time with the foundation
villages, for example, Ilyinka, Uspenka, Petropavlovka, Zna-
Menka (Znamenka is now the district center of Kaa-Khemsky
Kozhuon and renamed Saryg-Sep).
So they gradually settled down in Tuva in the eternal struggle with
with their problems, but life gradually improved, became
whether to live prosperously, thanks to his natural ingenuity and
great work. As one old-timer said, themselves,
of course, they didn’t offend, they ate as much as they wanted, and you-
transported and exchanged for other goods. Until the 30s in Verkho-
along the Yenisei, Chinese trading posts have been preserved - between the old
between the faiths and the Chinese there was an exchange of goods. Especially
deer horns, bear bile, kabarzhin-
sky stream. In the highlands of Tuva, new
occupations and crafts, deer breeding, mountain beekeeping.
The manufacture of wooden
and pottery, weaving baskets, making tuesas,
barrels, sledges and other household utensils, leather dressing,
manufacture of leather products for horse harness and any
shoes, sewing from the skin of deer, deer, horse (camus is
part of the skin of an animal removed from the leg).
When a new place is settled by several families of the old
ritualists, the distribution of arable land, mowing took place according to the priests
bey, in the future such issues were resolved by rural
house. Peasant self-government sorted out all the important
moments and aspects of life: collective and economic
affairs, fencing of arable land (it must be said that
now to this day all arable land and mowing are solidly fenced
ny), construction of roads, dams.
Several small villages usually served
one mill.
The majority of the Old Believer population is
usually peasant farms, with their own
working the land, caring for livestock.
There was enough work in the family for everyone, young and old. But there were
among the settlers were rich merchants who had their own
ria, who kept large farms, arable land, water
mills, grain mills, stud farms, maral farms, co-
kept a lot of livestock and used hired labor. This is
such families as Mikovs, Medvedevs, Byakovs, Vavilins.
Despite the desire of the Old Believers for solitude and
actions, contacts with local authorities and the population were
inevitable, which, in the end, positively
elk on the local population - rich experience was transferred in
agriculture, construction and other areas of life. In places,
where the Old Believers lived compactly, locals, that-
Vinci, with satisfaction adopted the experience and shared
experience in various fields of business, etc.
Tuvans learned how to cut warm huts, make brick
stoves, use the bath. Next - flour, bread, eggs, then
both potatoes and greens began to be widely eaten
Tuvans in those places where they constantly had contacts
with Russian settlers.
In addition to mushrooms, berries, nuts, which were used in
Siberia and harvested, the Old Believers, following the example of tu-
vintsev, began to widely use local wild-
growing plants.
In general, relations between Russians and Tuvans were friendly.
sky character. The Old Believers in Tuva were mostly able to
gain a foothold in new places, so improve your relationship with
local authorities, who lived quietly for some time, maintaining economic and spiritual independence, reducing
minimize contact with the outside world.
An important role in the rapprochement between Russia and the Tuvan people
the first Old Believer settlers played, justifying
settled in Uryankhai from the end of the 19th century.
It should be noted directly that the Old Believers are a people of practical
tic, they mastered the most beautiful places in Tuva according to
beauty and grandeur. Take as a basis what settled in Tuva
no coincidence: they knew that this land was once inhabited
Lena by our ancestors the Slavs, the ancient Aryans. About
chroniclers testify to this from archival sources
antiquities from China, that these lands are Northern China, Mon-
golia - were inhabited by tall blue-eyed whites
people.
In the east of Tuva there are two hard-to-reach areas
on: Todzha and Kungurtuk. Bai-Khem originates in Todzha, and in
area of ​​Kungurtuk Kaa-Khem, which merge in the area
Kyzyl and form Ulug-Khem or Yenisei. Just think-
te: we went to the East, and the East is a delicate matter, where
dawn is a new day new life; all this is not accidental.
It was these places that V.V. Putin fell in love with, who is here
often rests with Shoigu Sergei Kozhugetovich. Even eat
the stone on which he sat during his hours of rest. This stone
became very recognizable among Muscovites, they come specially,
to take a picture while sitting on it.
Now, dear readers, I hope you understand that
what?
So when choosing Tuva, the Old Believers were
right: these places are favored by God.

Chapter 2 Religious life of the settlers-Old Believers. Persecution by the authorities and the official church before the revolution and up to the present day.

Among the settlers-Old Believers in Tuva in the first
at the beginning of the 20th century, two
the main groups of Old Believers: priests and bespopovtsy.
Popovtsy - Old Believers who recognize the priesthood of the middle
di Bespopovtsy (they have a divine service instead of a priest
and rites are performed by mentors).
Almost all bespopovtsy were intolerant of the authorities,
had strict statutes forbidding any contact
with the "worldly". Representatives of the most radical
lived in the most remote places.
Compact living among fellow believers in the community
made it easier to arrange economic and re-
religious life according to the laws of the Old Believers. In their opinion,
The "Nikonians" themselves were schismatics. They called themselves
Old Believers for loyalty to the old church rites.
Although, according to the general principle, the adherents of the old faith
were the preservation and inviolability of the teachings of ancient Russian
(pre-Conian) church, there was actually a movement
development of Old Believer dogma.
In the future, an isolated community over time
did not understand and interpret the "old faith" in her own way.
The mentors, by whose name the new
consent and talk (Filippovsky, Fedoseevsky, Danilov-
sky, Sofotevsky, etc.), were in these conditions the spirits
leaders. They all interpreted the services in their own way.
new books.
Over time, different mi-
visionary differences.
In the history of the Old Believer Church, the division of the old
ritual movement into talk and agreement was explained
in the following way. Forced long-term isolation of the Old Believer communities, many of which had to
run and hide, and led over time to the formation
niyu different interpretations and agreements.
Why about the existence in Tuva of some rumors and
glasii can be spoken only presumably?
At present, especially young people living in
ritual communities, do not know the history so well
Old Believer movement and differences between different
rumors and consents; from a conversation with young people, they even
swarm find it difficult to answer what is the point or agreement
belong themselves.
In more than three centuries of history of the Old Believer
movements are clearly visible political,
social and cultural aspects, but the ideological basis of its
have always been a religious orientation, the struggle for
preservation of the old faith, for the freedom to profess one's
religious beliefs.
Three centuries after the split of the old
ritual movement was not very consolidated
baths, and the main difference between the Old Believers is priests and
bespopovtsy is the recognition or non-recognition of the priesthood
churches. Popovtsy retained the priesthood and temples, in which
rituals are held according to the pre-reform model (double-fingered,
eight-pointed cross, early printed liturgical
books, old icons, walking around the altar, rosolon (according to
sun), prostrations, etc.)
Bespopovtsy deny the priesthood, believe that the
there was no true priesthood after Nikon's reforms
(Antichrist struck the whole rank of the church). Collective
they conducted and continue to conduct divine services in special
prayer houses. The service is led by an elected mentor
nick - setter. “The church is not walls, but laws, the church is not
logs, and ribs, ”the Old Believers-bespopovtsy say.
To live according to the Charter means to live according to the law. In Tuva,
initially were, and are now present, representatives of both
another trend in the Old Believers.
Senior family members (today it is usually women)
monitor the observance of fasts, so that baptism, marriage
cross-matching, the funeral was carried out in compliance with all
old rites, as well as the celebration of Christian
holidays. Then family members visit collective bo-
services, prepare traditional food. Holiday for everyone
Old Believers (Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension,
Trinity, Assumption, Intercession, etc.) - a time of prayer and rest,
working on a holiday is a big sin. To some great
holidays, for example, on the Annunciation, as they say in the old
ritualists, "a bird does not nest, a maiden does not weave braids."
A big place in the life of priests and bespopovtsy
pray. The Old Believers have a daily need for
prayer as a cleansing of the soul from sin. in a religious family
prayer is read before every meal and at night.
And the stronger the religious foundations of the family, the more time
nor given to prayer. Faith in the power of prayer among the Old Believers
unshakable. For example, in conversations with me, many old-
the rites were quite sure that the prayer "Living
help”, read in a moment of danger, will save and preserve
nit from all troubles. They gave examples that miraculously escaped
from an angry wounded bear, almost drowned or drowned
froze in the winter away from home.
Old Believers who know religious literature well
tour, the words of St. Ephraim the Syrian are known, and they
hesitate to follow them: “... do you work, do you sleep, are you
on the road, eat or drink - do not leave prayers. I am not the same
was repeatedly interested in: how much time do they devote to
Lithuania? About two hours on weekdays, on holidays - more.
The most famous and most commonly used mo-
Lithuanian is a relatively short seven-bow "on-
chal”, Jesus Prayer “Our Father”, “Living Help”.
Prayer for all Old Believers, regardless of rumors,
accompanied by earthly and waist bows. At
bow to the ground, the worshiper kneels, bows to
earth, then rises again to his feet. When continuing
prayer, a special rectangular
ny rug (handyman).
In each house of the Old Believer, the front (red) corner
(from the east) are occupied by icons.
"The East is the place of God." Icons are an indispensable part
interior decoration of the hut. Believers are deeply convinced
in the miraculous, protective power of icons, all the most important
stages of his life from birth to death
passes with the icon. They enter a new house with an icon. Before
the Old Believer is baptized with it, with the icon he receives the parent-
blessing on marriage, he prays all his life before
icons about the salvation of the soul, about health and healing, for the repose
dead, asks for God's help and blessings in all
their undertakings. That is, a believer all his life
through fervent prayer before the icons, he tries
improve your earthly life and save your soul after death.
To a deeply believing Old Believer, the image of the Lord, God
towns and saints on the icons were close, this is part of it
spiritual and everyday life. The icon in the house gave a feeling
security.
Old Believers prefer the icons of the Donikon
letters written on boards. The most valued are the old ones,
prayer icons representing family re-
liquis that have been passed down for over 300 years from generation to
generation.
I have a very good idea of ​​what time such icons are.
evaluated at international auctions; everyone's dream
collector.
Old Believers do not recognize later icons. "Written by
carnal design" - this is how he spoke about such icons
Archpriest Avvakum.
The old Russian icon, recognized by the Old Believers, -
this image of "spiritualized, purified flesh" is
like a window into another, divine world. She must be
necessarily written on wood and in accordance with the old
the Russian canon is strictly sustained in color.
Icons, according to the Old Believers, should not be
in the room where the TV, radio, etc. is working, pray
a person needs silence and concentration. I'm sorry-
old believers fell, what if now we live together
with the young, then there is nowhere to put icons in the hut: then a TV,
either a tape recorder or a computer.
An icon is passed from house to house only with a blessing.
The icon is blessed at baptism, during a wedding,
at the separation of the son's family from his parents, before death.
An icon can be bequeathed.
The most common among the Old Believers of Tuva
icons depicting the Savior Not Made by Hands, the Savior of All
holder, the Mother of God, St. Nicholas the Pleasant,
Holy Trinity, Michael the Archangel. Behind the ear icons
live, they are put away in beautiful salaries that women
decorate with rhinestones. Special skill in decoration
icons are owned by nuns - inhabitants of sketes.
Especially a lot of ancient icons are accumulated in ski-
takh, since, moving there, the believers took with them
the most expensive icons for them. Usually the old ones
possess, in their opinion, great miraculous power.
Most of them represent historical and artistic
value.
Darkened from time, old, abandoned icons
buried with the deceased. Along with the icons
the respectful, even reverent attitude of the old
rites observed to books.
There are books in every home, I don't mean art
natural literature. This is usually the Bible, the Gospel,
Psalter, Book of Hours, Izborniks, Flower beds. Old Russian,
and therefore, the Old Believer books are outwardly different
from modern Old Church Slavonic font, design,
illustrations. Usually it is a large format, thick
folios. All books are old, read by many generations.
niyami, contain litters of their owners on the fields.
Collections of books are obligatory for mentors, they are most
more well-read people in their community.
Usually these are religious books on the conduct of the service,
you, outlining the daily rules of the life of the Old Believer,
as well as collections, prayer books, lives of saints and other
books to read. When I once asked if they knew
Seraphim of Sarov, my countryman, they replied: “All-
we respect ma. Even today, the older generation
I don't mean schoolchildren and students, books of the mundane
content is of little interest to the Old Believers. Although with more
In a more frank conversation, it turns out that they have
and some books by Mamin-Sibiryak, "Stone Belt"
Ivanov, (who wrote about Siberia and its development), Dersu Uza-
la, Melnikov-Pechersky "In the forests" and "On the mountains".
The book is the greatest authority in the eyes of the Old Believer,
his spiritual leader. Holy books, and first
turn the gospel, are considered the receptacle of eternal ideas,
not subject to any historical cataclysms. These ancient books are read thoughtfully, repeatedly, for
throughout life, read is well remembered.
And today, in the Scriptures, the charters, the Old Believers are looking for answers
you on life questions. In fact, this is a guide for them.
on every day.
The Old Believers recognize as correct only the old
theological books published before Nikon's reforms
(until 1654), printed in Old Slavonic script.
The remaining books of a later edition they call
"translated", these are books reprinted from old books.
Despite the most careful attitude to old books,
din, over the centuries they wear out, deteriorate, deteriorate.
At the end of the 20th century, the owners of these books had
there was another misfortune - for old books (as for
icons) lovers of antiquities began to hunt, and even
mere thieves, greedy for profit, ready to infiltrate
buoy the wilderness to find a coveted rarity, often
for sale. Taught by bitter experience, now old-fashioned
the rowers have become more cautious and no longer trust books
and icons to strangers.
As one Old Believer explained to me, they settled with a believer,
prayed together, read books, etc., and then the books disappeared
whether together with the guests.
The owner can donate a book, bequeath it as one of
your most valuable possessions. Before death, the Old Believers
usually take care that his books get into good
shy, careful hands of a connoisseur and connoisseur.
Talking about the religious life of the Old Believers of Tuva,
can not be said about the wilderness. What is it?
An important part of the Old Believer teaching is the idea
about the salvation of the soul. Earthly life is just a preparation
to eternal life, and The best way prepare for it -
hermitage, hermitage, i.e. life, removed from the sinful world, its fuss and temptations, ascetic and
humble, dedicated to God, prayers, the salvation of the soul.
Therefore, early Christians are so popular among the Old Believers
Anan ideas of hermitage, wandering.
A generation of Russian ascetics found salvation in
monasticism, eternal prayer, spiritual self-improvement
bondage and solitude.
The feat of hermitage is highly valued by priests
and the bespopovtsy. Skete elders have always had and have you
great authority in public opinion among the Old Believers,
among believers they were considered ascetics, they were great
spiritual influence on the Old Believers.
In difficult times, it was from them that believers sought so-
veta and consolation. Ascetically strict, humble and secluded
life in the skete, especially at the end of earthly life,
- ideal for the old believer.
Every deep-believing Old Believer still wishes
at least the end of life to live without earthly predilection, pro-
lead him in the wilderness, devoting the rest of his days to work, fasting,
reading holy books, repentance and continuous prayer
to you. I want to clarify, the desert in this case is called
an area that is secluded and deserted, and not devoid of growth
value. On the contrary, for the hermit, the desert is
deaf impenetrable taiga.
"Beautiful desert, take me to your chapel"
- sung in spiritual verse. The desert is a spiritual paradise.
Another first ideologue of the Old Believers and an indisputable av-
authority for the Old Believers, Archpriest Avvakum taught: only
who will pass through the door of heaven, who is like those who please
to God, whose face and hand, and posture, and the whole face of feelings
thin and emaciated from fasting and labor, all those who find
mourn them."

The desert-dwelling traditions have not been lost in Tuva and in
our 21st century.
In the upper reaches of the Small Yenisei - on Shivelig-oh in the villages
Big and Small Chodu - Ralyg, Akchary, above Uzhep in the village.
May and in other places - and now there are secluded old
ritual settlements - sketes, deserts (so the Old Believer
tsy prefer to call their monasteries inhabited
monks).
In addition to beauty, majesty and peace, be sure to
The main condition for founding monasteries in Tuva was their
invisibility and inaccessibility to outsiders. At-
the ranks are clear to you: monks should not have any
any contacts with the mundane.
There is an opinion among the Old Believers that not everyone believes
the one who can retire from the world, settle in a skete. To that
an important moment in life, a person must be ready, and
this consistency lies not only in strict adherence
all the rules of religious life, but also in renunciation of
worldly vanity, from family and family responsibilities
and attachments.
“A person should not be kept at home, in nuns
you can come only when you are free from worldly
responsibilities when no one needs you and you don't
whom you don’t think, ”the believers themselves say so. “If a person
age is pleasing to God, then it is pleasing everywhere, and objectionable, then there, in
the skete will perish,” some Old Believers say. Before
tonsure - transition to monasticism - a person needs to
break all worldly ties. Settled in a skete, accepting
to his monastic vow to a person, there is no way back
for those who remained in the world, he seemed to have died.
I asked: “Well, there were cases when a person was transferred
small due to other circumstances, left the monastery, what happened to him
happened further, is it possible that his family, his community is no longer
accepted?"
Nowadays, there are usually several huts in the skete -
cells inhabited by one or two monks.
Still remembered by the current older generation of
monks of the rites, lived as hermits for a long time
who lived in Verkhovye: father Cyril, father Kastor, father Evlam-
Pius, Father Pallady.
“Forty ladders must be ground before they are laid
yut,” the Old Believers say about those who are preparing for the
tiyu. Obedience may last for several years. At
the monks receive a new baptism and a new name
(according to the calendar) instead of worldly. They also give God building
some vows, renunciations of the world, chastity, obedience,
humility, abstinence.
In popular public opinion, the virtues of the Mona-
processions, except for constant prayers, piety,
mercy, poverty, rejection of worldly temptations are hidden
new, extreme modesty.
“The covered ones put on black clothes like a mantle, which
red edging, which are a sign of excommunication
niya from the world.
Life in monasteries is based on strict Christian
ski rules set forth in the Pilot. Monasticism is
harsh, spiritual humble life, subject to strict
my charter. This is a hermitage, a constant appeal to
God with prayers. They speak softly and don't look people in the eye.
Prayer work is the most important thing in the monastic life.
Their life consists mainly of many hours and night
prayers before the images with a candle or lamp and reading
old printed books.
Dietary restrictions are strictly observed,
fasting: they do not eat meat at all, and fish
only on certain days, mostly holidays.
All fasts are strictly observed, food is taken twice a day, or even once. On special occasions, a multi-day fast
can be without food at all, only on water, and in extreme
cases without it.
The vow of silence is also known - one of the most difficult
tests that a person imposes on himself (more often
nah), refusing to speak, ceasing all communication with
the outside world and even with their "brothers" for some
time or even forever. Usually made such a vow to God
and settled in the skete separately, at a certain distance
from other monks.
Strict fasting, constant bowing, short sleep, wearing
nie verig, life in the desert forest and light clothing in winter
had the goal of suppressing the flesh, drowning out in their body the temptation
food, sex and a comfortable life, strict austerity was revered
for the manifestation of true Christian virtues.
Such an ascetic life away from the world, with severe
hundred, many hours of prayers, accompanied by zem-
bows, surrounded by sacred books, icons
believes the spiritual purification of man, perfection
spirit at the end of earthly life, on the eve of eternal life, heavenly
Noah. Living conditions in solitude are conducive to
fine-tuned internal work on oneself. Because the elders
always enjoy prestige among ordinary Old Believers, who
who sought in communication with them moral support and
spiritual help.
Life in the monastery was seen as a hostel with
common prayers, common meal, common property
(excluding personal items).
They called themselves "brothers" and sisters. Primarily
skete life is designed for self-sufficiency -
Nick must feed on the fruits of his hands, so each
long have their own feasible duties - obedience.
The Old Believers have always attached great importance to the strength of a person's spirit, even if he is physically old and infirm.
It is in a state of spiritual uplift, boundless
faith, and it is necessary to leave life - so they thought.
In sketes remote from the world and secret solitary "pu-
stynakh” for decades accumulated old folios
you, rare books and icons, objects of worship, forming valuable
collections of sacrals and rarities.
From the story of one Old Believer already advanced
Rasta, being already then, in the 60s, in the years 40-45, he visited
skete of Father Palladius.
He had a carefully selected library in
how many hundreds of early printed and copied books, among
which there were very rare works of the Old Believer
ical authors. The owner was very proud of his collection.
He kept in the library, spine to spine, from
denmark late 16th - first half of XVII centuries
I asked the question: “And how do they live in the monastery today?” 21
century makes its own adjustments in their lives. One old-
ritual said: “Although they live in solitude, but completely
relations with the world were not broken. Keep in touch with them
relatives, occasionally visit hermits, provide
help them. They deliver the essentials: salt, flour,
cereals, candles, garden inventory. Passing on a donation
believers for the monastery.
In the 21st century, there are fewer hermitages with monks in Tuva. But they
still have a spiritual influence on the surrounding
roman population.
On major religious holidays, some deeply
believers make a kind of pilgrimage to the holy
ty places - visit separate sketes for joint
divine services. People living in sketes who have dedicated themselves
God, the salvation of the soul, are highly revered by believers, so
prayed icons and sacred books are kept there.
It happens that people move to sketes at the age of 90-100 - already in
old age, before death. The rest of life
nor such hermits spend in constant prayers.
I must say that both during the monarchy and in the Soviet era,
me, the authorities, together with the official church, the most
personal, often barbaric, methods fiercely fought
with this phenomenon. Only in a few periods did the Old Believers
some concessions were made to the rights in the tax
taxation, etc. This happened in the reign of Elizabeth
you Petrovna, Catherine II, after the revolution of 1905. AT
the rest of the time there was a constant struggle.
When government policy towards believers
was built on militant atheism, the Old Believers
subjected to particularly harsh repression.
With the coming to power of the "Westerners", starting with Peter I,
all three centuries of the existence of the split there was a constant struggle
ba, then fading, then flaring up with renewed vigor, against religion
ozny dissent, even regular wars were used
ska. In Soviet times, the Old Believers were especially
severe harassment. In the 20-30s, unfinished whites
officers often hid in these hard-to-reach places
under the beam of timid Old Believer leaders who
skillfully disguised. Therefore, the Old Believer communities
were subjected to repression. Such "figures" called for
the old believers do not join collective farms, do harm in every possible way
Soviet power. And the authorities didn’t hurt, sorted out and led
fight against all who stood in her way.
In the 1930s and 1940s in Tuva, Old Believer elements (on-
proteges, monks, clergymen) were equated with
class-alien, therefore all means of combating them
were available - from moral and political pressure
to physical destruction. Many families intentionally
went out into the cold and froze, protesting the authorities.
All these persecutions, one way or another, took place until the very
80s of XX century. The Old Believers did not give rest to the communi-
political party, combed everyone with the same brush.
In 1971, when the Patriarch of All Russia was elected,
the official curse by the church has been changed. Synodal
the church officially abolished the curse three centuries later
(anathema) to the Old Believers, proclaimed in 1666-1667.
But that seems to be the end of it for now. Old Believers,
when I asked them the question: "Are there any mutual
relationship with the official Orthodox Church?
answered in the negative.
All religions agree, communicate in a peaceful way.
After all, they show on TV: they are sitting at the negotiating table
ditch, invite representatives of all religious
concessions, and the Russians with the Russians, as usual, are always in
last turn. They think it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter.
I would like to end on an optimistic note. Story
puts all the dots. A little more time will pass,
heal wounds, all resentment and bitterness will disappear, and everything will be good
good.
In our time, when interest in religion has intensified,
revival national culture, its roots, attention
The attitude towards the Old Believers is on the rise.
Attract and surprise our contemporaries solid
wealth of faith, strong foundations of family life, extraordinary
resilience, lack of dependency
in relation to the state, reliance in everything only on
natural forces, adherence to antiquity, preserved
archaic features in the way of life and culture of this group
population.
Living in the village of Erzhey, I talked a lot with the Old Believers
and repeatedly asked them the question: “The old faith holds
live? But how many deviations from the old faith!
Here is electricity, the Old Believers used to call it
"Demon fire". What newspapers are subscribed to, what was previously counted
succumbed to the sinful, the machinations of the Antichrist, now it has become
familiar in everyday life. Doesn't everything contradict
is it your religious beliefs?” And they told me: "If
to judge strictly, everything is a sin: electricity, radio, medicine,
children's learning. Well, that's how life goes now. We live in the forest
everything according to the proverb: I live in the forest - I pray to the wheel.
I asked what kind of wheel you mean, satellite vehicles.
or something, but they tell me: something like that.
Communicating with the Old Believers, I became more and more convinced that
religions are adhered to mainly by inertia
them family traditions.
Religious upbringing is no longer enough in the family. Although for a hundred
crowbar can sometimes be hit on the forehead with a spoon if you hit
in a bad mood.
Most of all I met among the Old Believers living people,
talkative. With a direct open look of clear eyes.
“To live in the world - you can’t leave the world,” say the residents themselves
upper reaches.
I asked a question, asked where else is it so compact
do the Old Believers live, in addition to Russia?
They answered: “There are many Old Believer communities
other countries of the world: Australia, Europe, Asia. They are
available in over 22 countries around the world.
“Do you maintain any relationship, because you are interested in
but how do the Old Believers live in other countries? I told them
they say, stop hiding your head in the sand, that it's time to unite-
Xia, like the revolutionary slogan "Proletarians of all countries,
unite!" Old Believers of all countries, unite! Them
liked my idea. Said you gotta carry on in this
direction of work.

Chapter 3 Culture and heritage. Family rituals.

It does not mean at all that the Old Believers have some other
culture. It does not go beyond the traditions of the general
for the entire Russian people. Moreover, this culture differs
tour precisely by the fact that it retained the primordially Russian
traditional features, traditions characteristic of that time
nor when a split occurred in Russia, and it is the least
subjected and subjected to Western influences, which
have been going in a false stream all this time.
The general principle is to preserve the fullness of the paternal faith,
culture, spiritual and moral, family and social
life. All this made it possible to preserve the traditional Russian
culture.
Desperately resisting foreign cultural and everyday
expansion, the Old Believers sought to preserve the original
Russian culture, to protect from the destruction of its indigenous
fundamentals, its originality in everything, starting from the appearance:
beard for men, always covered head for women - female
tires do not cut hair. The Old Believer always wears a sha-
kidney - shashmura, covered with a scarf on top - immediately after
weddings as one of the symbols of marriage.
The Old Believers stand out for their clothes. At present,
me Old Believers can use purchased clothes
(especially young people).
But it is still very common among the older
generation vintage dress: men's dress shirts
and with a belt, a female deaf sundress (humpback). Preferred
Nie is given to plain clothes. “Colored wear is a demon
amuse, ”the elderly Old Believer told me so.
Pectoral cross and belt are a must
Old Believer.
What else is especially important in the culture of behavior:
denial of drunkenness, a strict ban on smoking, on the mention
consumption of swearing, etc.
The Old Believers are also distinguished by their names, which
were once common, but have long since disappeared in other
strata of the population.
The custom of the Old Believers to give names to newborns
causes some names to be accepted
as unusual and archaic. Among the Old Believers of Tuva
there are such names as Isai, Germozen, Mercury,
Nifaktin, Filat, Evlampiy, Evgraf, Xenofond, Mar-
Kel, Martin, Varnay, Anfuza, Iof, Eustathius, Poniface,
Vassa, Fetinya, Nestor, Takhar, Falamey, Sysoi, Filimon,
Ulya, Panfil, Foka, Thekla, Ulita, Lukerya, Lepestina,
Blast furnace.
So, mothers and fathers, after reading this book, we will
to revive traditions: you are welcome to name your children
by these names.
The modern Old Believer is distinguished by diligence,
business fight, thriftiness and even press
cost. But he will never work in a religious
holiday, he strictly observes fasts.
Accordingly, family relationships are built
on mutual understanding and respect. The youngest in the family for the whole
what is the matter of asking the elders for blessings.
Very early accustom children to work in the family. Everyone has it
child their duties, patriarchal life
way of life, but in the end life takes its toll.
Still, the taiga is in the 21st century. He makes his adjustments.
both in everyday life and in culture.
At the end of the 20th century, the history of the Old Believers of Tuva was
a traditional complex of family rituals
and customs: baptism, wedding and funeral are the most important
family rituals.
Family education began with the baptism of the child.
As is customary, they tried to baptize as early as possible. About-
a series of infant baptisms was carried out necessarily in three
diving into water. Not only can a child be baptized
mentor, but also just a worthy deep believer, often
one hundred widows old man who knows prayer well. At
such a person, according to the general opinion, should not be many
sins: "Do not leave the baby, christ, for Christ's sake!" - form-
the parents of the newborn come to him, and he performs
request.
Godfather and mother (grandparents) are responsible
responsibility for the fate of the child before God and people, along with
parents, so godparents sought to choose people
worthy, respected.
Many Old Believers baptize their children at any time during
river. But if they are baptized indoors, they take water only for
accurate. The water is not heated, "The angel of the Lord himself water
warm, water is God's grace, heating is not enough
faith in God's grace, but if the child is born weak,
it is in our days that water can be heated.”
Parents could not be present at baptism
the presence of the godfather and godmother was essential
teri. After a threefold immersion in the font on a new
the born was put on a cross. Mentor and godmother
dressed the child in a baptismal shirt, after which she
swaddled him.
The name is given according to the holy calendar, on the day on which they were baptized.
Now young people do not really adhere to these rules and
give common names.
A wedding is the most important stage in the life of an Old Believer, in general.
weddings among the Old Believers of Tuva are no different from the main
elements of a traditional Russian wedding.
The most important condition for marriage is the stay of the same
niha and the bride in one faith. The wedding began with matchmakers
stva. The wedding was played when the fasts ended, more often in winter
the period of the winter meat-eater, after Christmas time.
Old Believer families are very strong, divorces in the old
ritual family are denied. Second wife (husband)
be only in the event of the death of the spouse (spouse), and if the spouse
the springs still parted, then with a living wife (husband) the second
the marriage is considered invalid and the children illegitimate.
Burial. It is customary for the Old Believers to accept death -
calmly. A dying person must before death
to repent: it is considered that to die without repentance and communion
very bad for his soul. The soul of a repentant man
not hiding a single sin in repentance, the angels lead to
paradise. A sinful soul, especially one who hid sin, the demons lead
in hell. Buried on the third day. Before that, the fret is incense in the house -
nome, Bogorodskaya grass, juniper, day and night
with lit candles and lamps, they sing and read prayers.
The grave is visited on parental day - on Tuesday at Fo-
last week.
Like all changes, technical innovations caused
disputes and disagreements of the Old Believers. By all means were conducted
ski analogues in the sacred books.
But life takes its toll - time is not subject to us.

Chapter 4 The lifestyle of modern Old Believers. folklore.

As I told you at the beginning, only I finally
got ready, Andrei Vasilievich took me to the village
Erzhey, where only Old Believers live compactly, is not
letting anyone into your community (I mean residents of other
goy faith).
The path from the village of Zubovka lies in the upper Yenisei in
the village of Erzhey. To get there, we crossed two
ma. Erzhey is a typical Old Believer village, with a population
approximately 950-1000 people, spread out in a picturesque
place on the banks of the Yenisei. Neat houses, all wooden,
aged in Russian style.
Through the streets by gravity high mountains"laid" "price-
trawl "pipeline, in some places hidden in iron and de-
wooden pipes, and water is supplied to the houses through the plots
for watering and in drinking bowls for cattle. For cooking food
everyone has a well, or they take water from cleaner
streams. The water is always cool due to melting glaciers on
high mountains.
But this is not the main thing that struck and surprised me. In many
Some houses have satellite dishes, Internet, near
houses a lot of all kinds of equipment: tractors, vehicles
sports, mowers, like in the movies, are still preserved in the working
horse-drawn condition.
At the entrance and exit from the village there are huge gates.
The village is fenced along the entire perimeter, like arable land, and
sy, a solid solid fence.
Residents live according to the patriarchal customs of natural
economy. They breed a lot of livestock, they must have -
Xia horses for hunting. Everything grows in vegetable gardens without chemicals
fertilizers. I was even treated to watermelons, very sweet and
juicy.
Boardwalks are required in the yards. And wherever
only possible, for the taste of women, flower beds in huge quantities
qualities.
The Old Believers are jacks of all trades - still inviting
yut their rich clients to build houses and bathhouses without a single
nail.
The Old Believers are practical people and, as I already wrote,
misty. I spoke with one Old Believer about the stone
oil, I wanted to buy it. So he immediately declared: “For cheap-
I won’t give it away, on the Internet it has a big price!” And I told him: "Well
and go sell to your Internet, and I myself will get high
in the mountains!". And got it later. These are the ones that went today
Old Believers.
Old Believers, whether you like it or not, are actively involved in
commodity-market relations, without this you will not survive.
In the very upper reaches of the Yenisei, in the town of Katazy, in a difficult
in an accessible place lives the Permyakov family, the head of the family
- Hilarion. The family is large: 10 sons from the father and three daughters
ri. Moved away from people in the depths of the mountains and taiga. Live very
good, you might say. They work well and
their work is remunerated accordingly. Zhi-
out, enjoying all the benefits of civilization. To work out
electricity is used by electrical substations, motor
boats, snowmobiles and other equipment.
Hilarion, the head of the family, is a very enterprising man.
lovek, managed a hundred miles off-road to his
the village to deliver the tractor by air by helicopter, calculated
steve landing pad.
They even host wealthy tourists from among
la foreigners.
Deliver them there by helicopter, who craves the exotic.
Rumor has it that they want to invite good teachers from Moscow State University to educate their children and it’s good for them
pay. These are the modern customs.
Permyakov Ilarion - a famous person outside
Tuva. Nikita Mi-
Khalkov, visited Yuri Luzhkov (took over the experience
breeding in the highlands in the taiga of bees). From the very beginning,
the village of Hilarion strictly forbade children to hunt
mounted on wild ungulates near the village, even to scare them, but
on the contrary, he arranged Solonetsy and fed in winter, both
rehaya from predatory animals. He was very wise in this regard.
no man. He forced his sons to hunt for dozens
kilometers from housing, and the animals are accustomed to such
growth. Often people come from Moscow, gods fly in
you guests. So this time, a whole
brigade. As they say according to the old Old Believer custom,
tea, washed in a jar, and “hunters” were seated at the table.
Well, then there was talk, they say, it is necessary to respect, reduce
to hunt, get deer, with undisguised boasting
showing expensive weapons with optics. And with a smile, consider
Trivali "old three-ruler" Hilarion.
During the conversation, what and how, the Moscow guests argued,
that Hilarion will not hit the tossed cap. And the old man:
"Let's bet on expensive thing". Moscow hunter
shows him dear Swiss Watches, worth 500
thousand dollars on his arm and says: "Shockproof, on them
we argue!” And the owner: “Shockproof, so let’s
throw them away!" Why, he says, spoil the hat, into it, go-
steals, anyone, anyone will get.
There is nothing to do, the debater threw his expensive watch,
one shot rang out, and the clock shattered, and you
you say shockproof! And to him the Moscow hunters:
"Well, you, grandfather, give!".
And they got ready to hunt, when, they say, let's go, how far
stomp? And he says, "Let's go right now." And brought them out
not far from the house where marals grazed. Here Moscow hunts
Nicky did not disappoint - they got the promised deer, being surprised
second time.
We digress a little, dear readers. What else can
but to say about the modern Old Believer village on the
the measure of Erzhey? Houses are still not closed: there are strangers
rare, but never take your own. When I asked how often
steal, they told me: over the past 100 years (and the village
so many years) not a single case. In every major town
there is a school, a shop, a paramedic's station, a club. In about-
So, civilization is present.
In order to finally understand what is still represented
they are modern Old Believers of the 21st century, I’ll tell you more
some funny stories my friend told me
Andrei Vasilievich.
In the village of Erzhey live extraordinary personalities,
who adopt experience, and each specializes in
that was passed down by grandfathers and fathers. Some are good carpenters
build houses, others breed bees, get quality
ny taiga honey, others are excellent fishermen, live
beam.
There are also hunters. One of them has a special type of fishing
la and a desperate head. His name is Eulampius. To come to him
oligarchs reap from Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Moscow,
hunt a bear, or rather, film everything on video, make
to make a film with his participation. In autumn he finds a lair, in
which the bear lays down for the winter. Lets know about it
sponsors.
They come with video cameras and make a film from his
participation. The stakes, I must say, reach up to 100 thousand euros,
hitting his hands.
He penetrates the den to the sleeping bear, preliminary
carefully putting on his forehead a flashlight with a blue dim light (copper-
because he takes him for his brother).
The fact is that there is such a period of time when the bear
sleeps not very sensitively, and the hunter knows about it, as he says-
sya, at least take out the saints. And cut off a tuft of wool from him. And on-
after that, taking 250 grams for courage, climbs into the den
a second time and kills a sleeping bear with a knife in the heart or,
at the request of the brave guys, he takes a huge pole and wakes them up
bear. The bear, barely waking up, with a roar and "mats",
breaking and destroying everything in its path, trying to punish offended
chica.
And here the right of the first shot "sponsor-
ru" of this movie, which calms the beast with a carbine. Everything
filmed, then successfully sold, paying back everything
expenses.
True, having become adept at climbing into the den to visit the bears
and having accumulated 1 million euros tanga, Evlampiy
sad: where to spend them in the taiga with bears?
And in 2012 he announced a competition - everyone who wants to test
thief of fate: for 1 million euros climb twice into a lair,
how he does it himself. So far no hunters have been found. One
the case when he chooses a lair for himself, and quite another
case when he offers a lair for others, and there is no
what guarantee that there is one in the lair he proposed, and not two
beast, which happens very often, and this is already force majeure
standing.
One anecdote is appropriate here, listen.
A man fell into a lair in winter, looked around, and on a pot
in the middle of the den sits a bear cub and poops. Kindly man-
but he asked: “Is mom at home?”
- Not.
- What about dad?
- I do not have it either.
Then the man “loaded” a kick in his ass with the words: “A
what are you doing here?"
And the bear cub whimpered and called so drawlingly “Grandfather-
ka!”
The man was very reckless. The main thing here is not
yawn and take your feet in time. So in our case, we can
instead of 1 million euros to please the churchyard, and then, if anything
will remain.
The fact that the Old Believers living in the Verkhovye are people of surprise
positive, you no longer have any doubts.
Hear another true story about modern
morals of the Old Believers, about their resourcefulness and ingenuity.
The point is this. In Verkhovye, where they live compactly
Old Believers, a real Klondike and Eldorado! It's all over
gold-bearing region, who does not understand. It's no coincidence
they settled here, and not where there is no gold.
So, one of the Old Believers, a very literate person with
higher mining education, took bank loans,
bought the necessary equipment, organized a prospecting artel
and began to actively mine gold. At first he was lucky
but gradually fortune left him. To be on
afloat, instead of mining, he began to buy gold from the Old Believers,
but often forgot to pay and deceived them. Find-
Chivy Old Believers decided to punish the "bad" person.
Not far from his site, where he washed gold, in one old
two young guys settled in the winter hut because of the Sayan, not places
nye, introducing themselves as the grandchildren of the deceased ten years ago
the owner of this hut. And a rumor went around the village that the young
people don't just get here. What is the dead man left
map, indicating in detail on it the correct places where there are
gold. And they began to dig right in the hut, raising the floor. They did everything naturally, took the soil to the stream and washed
bring down the breed.
Further even more: a rumor went around the village, skillfully dissolving
by his people, which is a very promising vein - for
day they wash 10 spools of gold (the spool is the old
Russian measure of weight, equal to 4.26 gr.) These are very high
indicators. And allegedly, there is gold - for large millions. Everything
this theatrical action was developed by the Old Believers in order to
punish the greedy man.
Soon this rumor reached the most greedy person,
the owner of the mine, who suffered great losses, as he
say the Old Believers, "gold washes, but howls out loud." So is he. He
sent his observers to find out what and how. And for the guys
have already reported that they are being watched. And they started
try with triple strength. Watching them two or three
day, they reported that the guys really got on well
my vein.
Soon the chief himself arrived, began to frighten the guys that,
they say, illegal mining and all that, they say this is my territory
ria. And the guys showed him the documents for the site and the license
zia for gold mining.
Nothing to do, then he began to persuade them to sell him
their area. The guys are in no way, they say, chop the chicken, which
lays golden eggs, they won't. Is it just out of respect
for 50 million rubles. The owner of the mine began to trade with them
valatsya, shook hands, agreed on 10 million rubles.
Having received the money, the guys quickly, quickly got away
si, no one else saw them. And there was no gold there,
and what they showed was obtained elsewhere, and where,
I won't tell you, well, except for the sake of respect for an additional
fee. As the saying goes, a miser pays twice.
Now, I hope you understand, dear readers, what is
represent modern Old Believers.

Chapter 5 Ethnoscience.

Among the Old Believers in folk methods of healing,
preserved to this day, reflected the ancient
medical practice of the Slavs, a centuries-old collective
experience and knowledge of local healing resources: for example,
herbs, mud, mineral healing springs.
The bulk of the Old Believers, for the most part,
leads a healthy lifestyle. environmentally friendly environment,
constant physical activity until old age, healthy
fresh, always fresh food and clean water. The presence of
residential posts, a ban on smoking, poaching
- all this determined the natural health of the Old Believers.
Among them there are no fat, obese people.
Athleticism, heroism - what did they come from? yes of those
but the healthy forces that constitute their nature and occupation
tiya. They live faithfully and for a long time, they do not lose strength until deep
old age, so with a blush on the cheeks and die.
Basically, the Old Believers are treated with traditional, centuries
proven means. To medical professionals
are treated even now reluctantly.
Nowadays, in everyday practice, it is widely used
use traditional methods of treatment, and not pharmacy pre-
paraty.
All methods of treating diseases practiced by the
believers can be divided into two categories: rational
nye and irrational. To rational ways people-
medical treatment includes all medical procedures in the bath,
rubbing and massages, all methods of pain relief: use
calling of medicinal herbs, etc. Nowadays, these folk
funds are willingly recommended to patients and professional
the medicine.
At all times, among the Old Believers, the bath served not only for
washing off dirt, but also for healing. Whole, you know
whether, medical Center. Thanks to the healing steam, mass-
zhu of the whole body, birch, fir or juniper
bath broom treated the most common in Siberia
illnesses: colds, coughs, runny noses, pain and aches in the joint
wow, hot. Even severe fatigue after hard work
filmed in the bathroom.
I want to write separately about the juniper broom. He
stings, but effectively restores the strength of the body,
It is simply impossible to invent neck acupuncture - I experienced it myself.
Juniper needles penetrate into all departments of the ref-
lecture zones of the skin.
Of course, the juniper broom is not the only conifer
noe tree, which is revered in the bathhouse of the Old Believers. Fir-
vyy broom perfectly cleanses the respiratory system, in addition,
it acts antiseptically and stimulates blood circulation
therefore, it is necessary for colds, coughs, bronchitis.
The aroma of a fir broom serves as an intermediary in matrimonial
baths when establishing trusting feelings.
Fir oil, like juniper oil, has a slight erosive
tic action.
Drink fir tea, say the Old Believers, and you will be healthy.
you.
I want to offer you two recipes from the same series.
Juniper needles and fir spruce branches are carefully
interfere, they must first be dried and
crushed into fine powder. Such an evergreen powder
lenny trees mixed with fine salt and rubbed on the
steamed skin. Superbly produces bioenergetic
effect: no need to do any braces - everything will be
fine.
After the bath, it is considered useful to drink a glass of
chewing gums. For this 1/3 bottle of ripe juniper
berries are poured with homemade vodka and insisted for 40
days, kept in a dark place, shaking.
And the last recipe very urgently asked to write down
one Old Believer, offering me to use it myself
wat. I have to say, this is an excellent tea.
Fir bud tea recipe.
This tea can be used as the most effective
remedy for the treatment of spring exhaustion and fatigue,
for the prevention of beriberi and strengthening of protective
body forces in colds. For this,
young shoots and fir candles collected in spring are dried.
For 1 liter of water, add a tablespoon of the collection. Head-
pouring boiling water, let it brew for 10 minutes. You can drink with
honey to taste.
Happy tea!
But back to the bath. It is ruled by the broken, bad
fused bones, dislocations. The bath soars, the bath rules, the bath
will fix everything.
No less popular among the Old Believers is herbal medicine - le-
herbal treatment. As a rule, these are local herbs. Treat more often
women, they know the forest and prepare herbs, each in
a certain period, depending on which part of the
shadow goes to work.
Buds, tree bark were harvested in spring, stems,
leaves, flowers during flowering, berries and seeds at the end
summer and early autumn, roots in autumn.
Herbs Old Believers treat almost all diseases.
Internal - decoctions, infusions of herbs, external - com-
presses, ointments, rubbing. For some nervous
diseases, fears in children were fumigated with herbs.
The most famous among the Old Believers are the following herbs.
Juniper (artysh) - they fumigated the premises, which
had a calming effect. They speak it and
drink with heavy menstruation in women.
Cossack - grass is very popular for women's diseases,
decoction drink from diseases of the abdomen.
Burnet - they talk and drink from various kinds of blood
currents.
Badan - used for thyroid disease.
Honeysuckle - berries are consumed at elevated pressure
leniya.
Maral root - known as a plant that raises
a person from 14 diseases and filling him with youth.
The unique root Chuksugbay (resin root) -im-
munostimulating, cleanses the blood, respiratory tract.
Maryin root (peony) - use decoctions and tinctures,
has a calming effect.
Camel's tail (maned caragana) - for nervous
diseases, headaches, insomnia, as a sedative
schey, normalizes blood pressure and heart function.
Bird cherry - used for indigestion dry
nye berries.
Bear bundle cures colds, has immunity
emulsifying properties.
Very widely used fir and cedar living
tsu, radiola rosea (golden root).
For the manufacture of medicinal components, use
they use honey, wax, propolis, bear and badger fat, mara-
li horns (papty), a stream of musk deer, bear bile, beaver-
jet, they are used as part of ointments and rubbing.
Shilajit and stone oil, tar and
gifts of the taiga: lingonberries, blueberries and blueberries. In the spring, harvest
poured.
Along with the listed rational methods
treatment folk medicine widely uses irra-
rational, which are based mainly on psi-
chological impact and include verbal
methods (prayers, conspiracies) and magical manipulations.
Great importance is also attached to the healing power of St.
water prepared for Baptism. The persistence of these
methods is associated with isolation and isolation from the benefits
civilization and medical institutions in particular.
The most common method among the Old Believers
protect yourself from diseases and all other misfortunes, and
also be healed if the disease has already begun, this is a prayer,
cross meaning, prayer for the sick, for his recovery
nie, the words “Lord, bless!” are part of the words
nogo amulet from diseases and all sorts of other misfortunes.
But besides prayers, other verbal methods are also used.
toda: magic formulas and conspiracies.
It should be said that the strict believers of the Old Believers
denounce and condemn conspiracies and all magic and divination. Behind
the use of conspiracies and magical actions in the treatment
the teacher could impose a severe penance (punishment) on
believer.
Nevertheless, healing magic and its elements have been successfully used
used among the Old Believers. After all, even the traditional
nye, well-known words when pouring water on a child
“water from a goose, and thinness from (name)” are nothing else,
as a magic formula - a sentence associated with purification
water.
In conversations with the Old Believers about how they were treated in non-
long past, when there were no pharmacies and first-aid posts, everything is
they said that they were treated with a bath, herbs, and also applied
to the grandmothers-healers who ruled and treated: "whisper-mi" - these are the very magic verbal formulas and
thieves who are used to exorcise diseases.
Conspiracies are mainly designed for the power of the word, but they
may be accompanied by certain rituals, magical
sky actions. Some conspiracies are pronounced on the water,
which then spills out, others are followed
outlining a circle. For some conspiracies and magical
ski actions matters time and place of action.
Here are some conspiracies that I recorded in the village
Erzhey in the Old Believer environment.
Often connoisseurs of conspiracies explained to me that before reading
conspiracy, you need to say a prayer, most often “Father
our". Read three times.
A conspiracy from sore throat, the Old Believer name for the disease
- chisels. Speaks to bitch. Circle nameless
finger knot, before the conspiracy, read the prayer “Father
our".
I sentence the tooth
To this bitch.
How is this bitch
Don't be in the forest
Roots, layering do not give,
So that the servant of God
(given name)
Chisels do not happen.
Wash once
Wash hour.
I'm with the word
Lord help.
Amen.

snake bite conspiracy
(read three times)
Like my ring finger has no name,
So the snake sting of the slave (name name)
There is no place on the arm (leg)
You are a lancer
You have water on the ocean,
And I have a servant of God (name)
There is water in the mouth.
From now on and forever, Amen.
And another very relevant conspiracy this year.
Tick ​​conspiracy
(say three times before entering the forest).
I, the servant of God (name),
Went into the forest
Tick ​​from spruce to the floor, get down,
I am a guest, I am a guest
My body is a nail.
I experienced the conspiracy from ticks for myself: two weeks, while I
lived in the village, walked in the taiga, not a single tick dared me
bite. Or maybe they just didn’t like my blood, they said
it's hard.
When I asked with a smile: “So what, there was no direct
one case of a snake bite, a tick after a conspiracy? Old ob-
the rowers looked at me with surprise: they say, what is he talking about?
rit! For example, a very simple conspiracy from chirya: three times chi-
Ray needs to be crossed, and then crossed three times
the place to which the boil is transferred, and say the words: “The boil,
you don’t belong here, I’m transferring you to bitches. ” Quite often
thieves whisper so softly that the patient cannot hear them, or
illnesses of the infant are spoken of, which they cannot understand the text. At the same time, the same effect is achieved in treatment.
effect. Apparently, the very sound and rhythm of the conspiracy
vayut psychotherapeutic impact on the patient.
Some Old Believers believe: “Everything is in God’s will, everything is in
the hands of God," the supreme power is over us.
"God gave, God took." But in real life, desire
to help the patient by all means and methods is often not
overpowers the fear of numerous prohibitions,
run to the help of healers, i.e. irrational method
treatment, using them along with herbal medicine.
This knowledge has developed as a result of centuries of experience
that, the selection of funds and the method of treatment, it is unique, for
it is worth many generations.
In general, the experience accumulated by the Old Believers over the centuries
cheniya is priceless. This is, as it were, the first step in scientific medicine.
cynes. This experience cannot be neglected, much more reasonable
use and study it.
All products are of excellent quality. The certificate is
there is the word of the Old Believer, his age-old knowledge of all products
and use by more than one generation and a century.
And at the end of this chapter, more conspiracies:
To help a person
God bless you from every weakness.
Servant of God (name is called)
CONSPIRACY:
From thieves
Oh my God,
Guard my windows and doors
Locks and cracks
From thieves and enemies
Back off, Satan!
Amen!
(repeat three times, then cross three times.)
P.S. And the car can not be put on the alarm.

Conclusion
My book is dedicated to a little-studied page of history
culture of the Russian resettlement of the Old Believers in Tuva. From the end
19th century Tuva, not yet being part of Russia, became a district
old believer settlements. Nowadays, interest in the topic
the number of Old Believers is increasing, it is associated with public
tendencies to return to the lost values ​​of traditional
onno culture. I really hope that my book is the first and,
I hope not the last on this topic - it will cause you, dear
readers, keen interest.
Despite years of persecution and repression, the Old Believers
managed to take root in new places, settled mainly
sparsely populated and underdeveloped spaces, forming
many towns, villages, zaimki.
Engaged mainly in agriculture, they contributed
whether a great contribution to the economic development of new lands,
uprooting and plowing suburban areas, constructing
dams, bridges, mills, irrigation canals, etc.
In exceptionally harsh climatic conditions for agriculture
conditions, these people managed and manage to work out
adequate to the local natural conditions, the system of the host
formation. They have learned to provide for themselves with everything they need.
dim, not depending on anyone and not expecting help from anyone
cabbage soup
Remaining within the framework of the all-Russian culture, folk
traditions, having settled in the vast expanses of Tuva,
Old Believers created local variants of traditions, ob-
rows, everyday culture.
Historical cataclysms that shook the country during
development of the 20th century, modern processes of globalization, modernization
nization could not but affect the Old Believer movement
ing: as elsewhere, in Tuva the number of actively believing Old Believers is declining, there is a problem of succession
generations, the youth, in the opinion of the elders,
child in disbelief, many already among those living in Tuva then-
kov Old Believers do not consider themselves believers,
sincere and ardent faith in the God of their ancestors they have already lost
on the. At best, their religiosity comes down to wearing
pectoral cross, cooking traditional dishes
during major religious holidays and observance
some family rituals.
Although compact settlements have been preserved in the Upper Yenisei
of the Old Believers, where the religious
foundations and family way of life, approaching the patriarchal
halal, household and cultural pressure of the city come
and here.
For more than three centuries, the Old Believers showed
striking ability to adapt, gradually forming
forging an increasingly tolerant attitude towards the world, making concessions
the requirements of the time, “relaxation”, in order to
to live in changing conditions, preserving the main thing - themselves
themselves, their ideology, their traditional culture.
Great are the Old Believers who carried holiness through the ages
family, diligence, healthy lifestyle. May be,
did their militant dissociation from the world help?
We abandoned 25 million compatriots in Zaru-
beige. When the Old Believers return from abroad to
Russia, they do not create conditions for life. And who, if not
they can work and produce cheat-free products
and goods?
Well, now, in the era of increased satanic malice on
Russia, is it time to remember grievances? And think what expression
Is it better to live: those who are in the tombs or those who are in the tombs? And coming out of
temple, where to turn, right or left? For the sun we go or towards it, in any case, we go for Christ
stoma This is the main thing, in this we are united in hearts and souls.
Forget all grievances and move on!
Do not scratch the soul with the memory of hard times. Not in
We live in the past, in the future. And we have it in common!
All over the world: both in our country and abroad before the old
ritualists faced these problems - the transition to new forms
living arrangements, integrating into the economic system
countries, while maintaining their traditional spiritual and
life values, continuity of generations.
All these questions concern the Old Believers of Tuva, and they
this is marked very clearly.
But life doesn't stop there. Yenisei - pro-
must carry its waters, like many millennia ago,
however, now through eight dams built in the XX century
anniversaries.

Dictionary of religious and ecclesiastical
terms and concepts
Amen is a word used at the end of Christian prayers.
lithuanian, as an expression of full agreement with the truth of the
known.
Anathema - a curse, excommunication from the church.
Angels - according to Christian beliefs, created by God
gom incorporeal beings, spirits through which he proclaims
give people their will.
Antichrist - the image of the enemy of Christ, his antipode,
the appearance of which is thought by Christians as a foreshadowing
the near end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ,
after which the Antichrist must be forever destroyed.
Apocrypha is a work of religious content, not
recognized as sacred by the church.
Asceticism - restriction, suppression of sensual desires
ny, full or partial abstinence from satisfaction
some natural needs.
Bespopovtsy is one of the main directions in the old
clergy, not accepting the church hierarchy, priestly
a community that chooses a mentor from among the laity.
Priests - on the contrary, recognizing the priesthood and receiving
laying the church hierarchy.
The Bible is the sacred scripture of Christians
two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the last of
lay the life and work of Christ.
Piety is an expression of religiosity: religious
visiting the Temple, reading prayers, observing fasts.
Liturgical books - used in the church
practice books containing rules, descriptions of the order
liturgies and texts for them. These include service
nickname, Book of Hours, Charter, Trebnik, Psalter, etc.
Chains - heavy metal chains, fetters or other
objects that were constantly worn by religious
fanatics to tame the flesh.
Sin is a religious concept used to denote
actions, words and thoughts that are contrary to religious
moral precepts.
Penance - church punishment for misconduct against
morality and faith, imposed on parishioners and saints
servants in the form of a certain amount of worship
new, prayers, etc.
Monk is a monk.
The abbot is the abbot of the monastery.
Censer - a metal bowl on chains, filled with
smoldering coal, incense for smoking during worship.
Cell - living quarters for one or more
monks.
The sign of the cross is a reproduction of the cross of the movement
right hand (in Orthodoxy it is performed three times)
fistula, folded together with the thumb, forefinger and
middle fingers), among the Old Believers - two-fingered (indicated
body and middle fingers).
Frankincense is an aromatic resin used for smoking
niya during worship.
The Menaion of Chet - collections containing the biography of St.
tykh, teachings. Prayers of fulfillment for every day of the year.
Prayer is a collective laudatory, thanksgiving and
pleading appeal to God, the Mother of God and the saints in
worship time.
Prayer yard - premises for worship, in
different from the church, without an altar. Usually used the old
rites of the priestless consent.
Meat-eater - a period of time when, according to church canons
meat is allowed.
Vow - an oath promise of a believer to God,
do some godly work.
Hermitage - ascetic renunciation of the worldly
life. With the maximum restriction of ties with people.
Pilgrimage - the journey of believers to the holy places
stam.
The flock are ordinary believers who are cared for and
which are led by a pastor - a clergyman.
A novice is a person preparing to be tonsured a monk.
Fasting - abstaining from all food for a while
or certain types.
Tonsure is a rite performed at initiation into
monasticism. Consists of a cross hair cutting
on the head of a novice as a sign of his dedication to Christ and signifying
expects the complete submission of a person to the monastic Rule.
The righteous is a saint who became famous for his followers.
Whigs and the holiness of life.
Pustyn - a small monastery or secluded cell
in a deaf place.
A skete is a hermit's dwelling.
Skoromnoe - the same as dairy.
Consent is a closed group of believers within one
sense.
Salvation is the attainment by the righteous of eternal bliss
stva.
Talk - a direction in the Old Believers (for example,
pestilence, priests, bespopovtsy, etc.)
Treba - a liturgical rite performed at the request of
for believers: baptism, wedding, unction, funeral service,
memorial service.
The kingdom of heaven is a world of universal happiness and joy, in
which, after the second coming and the Last Judgment, they take
blessedness of the righteous.

Photographer and traveler Oleg Smoliy is looking for and taking pictures of everything good and beautiful that our country is rich in. He combined these shots into the project " Unforgotten Russia”, part of which were the photographs of the Old Believer Siberian villages published below. And they are accompanied by a heartfelt story of the author about the people living there.

Having passed remote villages on the banks of the Small Yenisei - Erzhey, Upper Shivey, Choduraalyg and Ok-Chara - I met five large families of Old Believers. Always persecuted, the owners of the taiga do not immediately make contact with strangers, especially with a photographer. However, two weeks of living next to them, helping in their daily hard work - harvesting hay, catching fish, picking berries and mushrooms, preparing firewood and brushwood, collecting moss and building a house - step by step helped to overcome the veil of mistrust. And strong and independent, good-natured and hardworking people were revealed, whose happiness lies in love for God, their children and nature.

The liturgical reform undertaken by Patriarch Nikon and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in the 17th century led to a large-scale schism in the Russian Church. The brutal persecution of the tsarist and religious authorities, who wanted to bring the people to unanimity and humility, forced millions of Russian people to leave their homes. The Old Believers, who kept their faith, fled to the White Sea, to the Olonets region and the Nizhny Novgorod forests. Time passed, the hands of power reached the Old Believers in new places, and the seekers of independence went even further, into the remote taiga of Siberia. In the 19th century, Russian people came to the remote area of ​​the Small Yenisei, the Kaa-Khemsky kozhuun of Tuva. New settlements were laid on lands suitable for farming in the river valley, higher and higher upstream. Here, in the upper reaches of the Small Yenisei, the life and traditions of the Russian Old Believers have been preserved in their original form.

On the road, we gathered a small team of photographing travelers, five of us. Very far from Moscow. By plane to Abakan, then about ten hours by car through Kyzyl, the capital of the Republic of Tuva, to Saryg-Sep, the regional center, there we transfer to the UAZ-"loaf" and for a couple of hours we reach the point on the banks of the Small Yenisei by forest roads. On the other side of the river, to the camp site "Erzhey", we cross by boat. The owner of the base, Nikolay Siorpas, brought us in his UAZ. He will be lucky further, to the depths of the taiga, but you have to wait a day or two until the road washed out by long rains at the pass dries up.

Erzhey, next to which the base is located, is a large village with a population of up to one and a half thousand inhabitants, with electricity and a boarding school, where the Old Believers bring their children from zaimok up the Kaa-Khem, as the Small Yenisei is called in Tuvan. In the old faith, not all villagers are here. Some of the locals are close to it, but they are not included in the community, there is not enough rigor. There are also representatives of the new Orthodox faith. There are even non-believers.

It was not far to go to see the village and buy groceries, less than a kilometer from the base. Siorpas, seeing him off, joked: “You can distinguish the Old Believers: men with beards, there are a dozen children in the yard, less or less, women in headscarves and skirts to the heels, in a year or two with a tummy.”

Here is the first acquaintance: Maria, a young woman with a stroller. We greeted each other and asked where to buy bread and cottage cheese. At first, she was wary of strangers, but she did not refuse help, she even surprised me with her responsiveness. She took her around Erzhei, showing who had the tastier milk, where the salted milk mushrooms were good.

Here, in villages remote from civilization, the harsh taiga nature has imposed its own characteristics on the way of managing. Summer in these places is short, and winter comes with hard frosts. Arable land is reclaimed with great difficulty from the forest, in the valleys along the banks of the river. The locals grow bread and plant vegetable gardens. Due to frost, perennial crops do not take root, but annuals grow, even small watermelons. Taiga feeds. They beat only hoofed animals, they eat wild meat. Collect pine nuts, mushrooms, berries for jam. The river gives fish. There is a lot of grayling here, and taimen is often released - it has become scarce in recent years.

The Old Believers do not drink, they don’t drink “kazenka” at all, and on holidays they eat a cup or two of weak homemade wine on taiga berries, blueberries or stone fruits.

Having rested at the base of Siorpas for a couple of days, we waited for dry weather and moved to the first lodge of the Old Believers - Upper Shivei, forty kilometers from Erzhei, with a difficult pass through the hills.

All the way to Shivei, Nikolai Siorpas, under the strained hum of the engine, urged us to be overly respectful and behave more than modestly, not to push people with their huge photo guns. He himself is not an Old Believer, but Nikolai developed good relations with the taiga residents, for which he reasonably feared. It seems that these two days at the base he not only waited for the weather, but also looked at us, and thought whether it was possible to take us further.

We met the working people of Upper Shivei long before the settlement, on a mowing meadow. They asked for help, throwing mowed hay into high stacks - germs.

We rolled up our sleeves, tried our best and still fell behind. It was not easy to learn how to lift large armfuls with long three-pronged wooden pitchforks. Working together, they got to know each other, struck up conversations.

Mowed and dried grass is collected into germs - this is how the whole of Siberia calls haystacks. Laying them is a responsible matter: the hay should lie evenly and tightly so that it does not disperse in the wind and does not ferment in the rain. Upper Shiwei

Petr and Ekaterina Sasins arrived at the Upper Shivei lodge, then empty, about fifteen years ago. The economy was raised from scratch, they lived and wintered at first in a shed. Year after year they built, strengthened, raised three daughters. Then other relatives came to settle, now several families live here. The daughters grew up, moved to the city, and now restless grandchildren come to Peter and Ekaterina for the summer - two girls and two boys.

The Sasins' grandchildren are completely worldly, they come for the whole summer. For them, Petr Grigorievich keeps solar batteries with a battery and a converter, from which he turns on a small TV and a disc player - to watch cartoons. Upper Shiwei

With a cheerful noise, our tent camp was awakened by the kids, who brought fresh milk and sour cream. The second day, throwing hay at the plants is more difficult - all the muscles hurt from the unaccustomedness of the townspeople. But the faces of the owners, smiles, laughter and approval are already warmer. “Tomorrow is the Transfiguration, come! You will try homemade wine, ”the villagers call.

The house is simple, no frills, but clean and sound. Spacious vestibules dividing the house in half, whitewashed walls in the rooms, large stoves in the middle, iron spring beds reminded me of a Carpathian village, which also largely preserved its way of life. "One at a time!" - says Petr Grigorievich, and we try a delicious drink. Blueberry juice is infused for a year without sugar and yeast, and a wine with a barely noticeable degree is obtained. It is easy to drink and does not intoxicate, but it lifts the mood and enhances talkativeness. Joke after joke, story after story, song after song - we had a good time. "Do you want to see my horses?" calls Peter.

The stable is located on the outskirts, there are two dozen horses, there are even pacers. And all loved ones. Petr Grigoryevich can talk about each foal for hours.

We parted with the Sasins like old friends. And again on the road, on a boat up the Small Yenisei.

Before the next zaimka up the river for half an hour to sail on a motorboat. We found Choduraalyg on a fairly high bank with a spacious, cornice-like valley, the outermost houses stand directly above the river. The opposite shore is an almost sheer mountain overgrown with taiga.

The place here is convenient for farming, growing bread, raising livestock. There are arable fields. River, nurse and transport artery. In winter, you can get to Kyzyl on the ice. And the taiga - here it is, begins with the hills on the edge of the zaimka.

We sailed, threw our backpacks ashore and went to look for where it would be convenient to set up tents so as not to interfere with anyone and at the same time to see everything around well. We met grandfather Eliferiy, who treated him to freshly baked delicious bread and advised me to go to Baba Marfa: “Marfutka will accept and help.”

Marfa Sergeevna, thin, small and agile, about seventy years old, gave us a place for tents next to her small house with beautiful view both the river and the village. Allowed to use the stove and kitchen utensils. For the Old Believers, this is a difficult question - there is sin from the dishes that worldly people took. All the time Marfa Sergeevna took care of us. We also helped her - we picked berries, carried brushwood, chopped firewood.

Her younger son, Dmitry, was on business in the taiga. The eldest daughter, Ekaterina, got married and lives in Germany, sometimes her mother comes to visit.

I had a satellite phone, and I suggested that Marfa Sergeevna call her daughter. "It's all demonic," grandmother Marfa refused. Dmitry returned a couple of days later, and we dialed his sister's number, turning up the volume. Hearing her daughter's voice, forgetting about the demons and throwing down her bow, Marfa Sergeevna ran across the clearing to Dima and me. It’s a pity that she didn’t allow herself to be photographed then, otherwise it would have turned out to be an interesting picture: a pretty little village grandmother in ancient clothes stands against the backdrop of the taiga, beaming with a smile, and talking to her daughter in distant Germany on a satellite phone.

In the neighborhood of Marfa Sergeevna, further from the coast, lives a large family of Panfil Petenev. The eldest of the twelve offspring, Grigory, 23 years old, called us to the place of children's games - a clearing in the forest outside the village. On Sundays, smartly dressed children from all nearby villages run and come on horseback, bicycles and motorcycles to talk and play enough together. The guys were not shy for long, and after about ten minutes we were playing ball with them, answering a sea of ​​curious questions and listening to stories about life in the villages, bears pampering now and a strict grandfather who chases all children for mischief. They made us laugh with stories, were interested in technology and even tried to take pictures with our cameras, posing intensely for each other. And we ourselves listened with pleasure to pure, like a stream, Russian speech and enjoyed shooting bright Slavic faces.

For the children of the Old Believers, the horse is not a problem. Helping with the housework, they learn early to communicate with pets.

It turns out that Choduraalyg, where we stopped, is called Big, and not far away, the road runs just past the playground, there is also Small Choduraalyg. The children volunteered to show this second, from several yards in the depths of the forest, a zaimka. They drove us cheerfully, on two motorcycles, along trails and paths, through puddles and walkways. Escort dashingly rushed teenage girls on fine horses.

A motorcycle for a teenager in the village of Old Believers is a matter of pride, passion and necessity. As befits the boys, with the dexterity of circus performers, they demonstrated to the visiting photographer all the skills of driving a two-wheeled motor miracle. Choduraalyg

In order to get to know each other better, start communication and achieve the necessary level of trust that would allow us to photograph people, we boldly joined the daily work of Old Believer families. They have no time to chat idly on a weekday, but in business, talking is more fun. Therefore, we simply came to the Petenevs in the morning and offered Panfil help. Son Gregory planned to marry, he was building a house, and so the work was found - to caulk the ceiling. Nothing difficult, but painstaking. First, on the other side of the river, along the mountains between the thickets, collect moss, put it in bags and throw it down a steep slope. Then we take them by boat to the construction site. Now upstairs, and here clay must be fed in buckets and moss is hammered into the cracks between the logs, covering the top with clay. We work briskly, the brigade is large: the five older children of the Petenevs and three of us, travelers. And younger kids are around, watching and trying to help-participate. We communicate at work, we get to know them, they get to know us. Children are curious, everything is interesting to them: and how big cities they grow potatoes, and where do we get milk at home, do all the guys go to boarding schools, how far do we live. Question after question, some you find it difficult to answer, and this is understandable: our worlds are so different. Indeed, for children, Saryg-Sep, the regional center, is another planet. And for us, city dwellers, the taiga is an unknown land with its subtleties of nature hidden from the ignorant gaze.

With Pavel Bzhitskikh, who invited us to visit, we met in Maly Choduraalyg, where we went with the children on Sunday. The path to it on Ok-Chara is not close - nine kilometers along the rocky, forested shore of the Small Yenisei. Zaimka of two courtyards impresses with its fortress and economy. The high rise from the river did not create difficulties with water - here and there, right in the yards, a lot of springs hit, transparent water is supplied to the gardens through wooden gutters. She's cold and delicious.

Inside, the house surprised: two rooms, a prayer room and a kitchenette have preserved the appearance and decoration of the monastic community that was once here. Whitewashed walls, wicker rugs, linen curtains, home-made furniture, earthenware - all the nuns' household was natural, they did not communicate with the world and did not take anything from outside. Pavel collected and saved the household items of the community, and now he shows them to the guests. Extreme tourists float along Kaa-Khem, sometimes they drop in here, Pavel even built a separate house and a bathhouse so that people could stay with him and relax on the route.

He told us about the life and charter of the Old Believer monks. About prohibitions and sins. About envy and anger. The latter is an insidious sin, anger multiplies with anger and accumulates in the soul of a sinner, and it is difficult to fight it, because even slight annoyance is also anger. Envy is not a simple sin, from envy and pride, and anger, and deception breed. Paul spoke about the importance of reading prayers and repenting. And to take on a fast, both calendar and secretly taken, so that nothing would prevent the soul from praying and becoming more deeply aware of its sin.

Not only severity reigns in the souls of the Old Believers. Paul also spoke about forgiveness, about peacefulness towards other religions, about freedom of choice for his children and grandchildren: “When they grow up, they will go to study, whoever wants to. They will go to the world. God willing, our ancient Orthodox faith will not be forgotten. Someone will return, with age, more often they think about the soul. ”

From ordinary community members, not monks, the outside world is not forbidden, they take the Old Believers and the achievements of civilization, which help in work. Motors are used, guns. I saw their tractor, even solar panels. To buy, they earn money by selling the products of their labor to the laity.

Paul read to us selected chapters of John Chrysostom, translating from Old Church Slavonic. I chose them so that you listen with bated breath. I remember the seal of the Antichrist. Pavel explained in his own way that, for example, all official documents registering a person are his seal. This is how the Antichrist wants to take control of all of us: “In America, every person is already going to have some kind of electric chips sewn under the skin so that he cannot hide from the Antichrist anywhere.”

From the "museum" he led us to the summer kitchen, treated us to mushrooms, smoked taimen, fresh bread and special homemade wine made with birch sap instead of water. When we left, we bought a young turkey from Pavel and plucked him until late at night, laughing at our incompetence.

We met the Popov children from Maly Choduraalyg on the day of their arrival at the playground. Curiosity led them to the tents every morning. They chirped merrily, asking questions non-stop. Communication with these smiling children gave a charge of warmth and joy for the whole day. And one morning the children came running and, on behalf of their parents, invited us to visit.

On the approach to the Popovs, fun - the younger three found the blackest puddle with liquid mud, enthusiastically jumping in it and looking for something. Laughing mother Anna meets us: “Have you seen such grimy ones? Nothing, I’ve heated the water, we’ll wash it!”

Children, already seven, the Popovs do not just love, they understand them. The house is bright from smiles, and Athanasius began to build a new one - more space for the guys. Children themselves are taught, they do not want to send them to a distant boarding school, where there will be no parental warmth.

Over the treat, we quickly got into a conversation, as if some invisible wave began to play with consonance and gave birth to lightness and trust between us.

The Popovs work a lot, the older children help. The economy is strong. They themselves carry products to sell in the area. With the money earned, they bought a tractor and a Japanese outboard motor. A good motor is important here: on the Small Yenisei, dangerous rapids, if an unreliable old one fails, you can die. And the river both feeds and waters, it is also a way of communication with other villages. In summer, they ride on a boat, and in winter they ride tractors and UAZs on ice.

Here, in a distant village, people are not alone - they communicate, correspond with Old Believers from all over Russia, a newspaper of the old faith from Nizhny Novgorod receive.

But they are trying to minimize communication with the state, they refused pensions, benefits and benefits. But contact with the authorities cannot be completely avoided - you need rights to a boat and a tractor, all sorts of technical inspections, permits for guns. At least once a year, but you have to go for papers.

The Popovs treat everything responsibly. Athanasius had a case in his youth. He served in the army in the early 1980s in Afghanistan as an armored personnel carrier driver. Suddenly, trouble struck: the brakes of a heavy car failed, an officer died. At first, the situation was defined as an accident, but then high officials inflated it and the guy was given three years in a penal colony. The commanders, regimental and battalion, trusted Athanasius and sent him to Tashkent without an escort. Imagine: a young guy comes to the gates of the prison, knocks and asks to let him serve his term. Later, the same commanders secured his transfer to a colony in Tuva, closer to home.

We talked with Anna and Athanasius. About life here and in the world. On the connection between the Old Believer communities in Russia. About relations with the world and the state. About the future of children. We left late, with a good light in our souls.

The next morning we were heading home - the short trip was coming to an end. Warmly said goodbye to Marfa Sergeevna: "Come, another time I will settle in the house, I will make room, because they have become like relatives."

For many hours on the way home, in boats, cars, planes, I thought, trying to comprehend what I saw and heard: what did not coincide with the initial expectations? Sometime in the 1980s, I read Vasily Peskov's fascinating essays from the Taiga Dead End series in Komsomolskaya Pravda about an amazing family of Old Believers who had gone deep into the Siberian taiga from people. The articles were kind, as were other stories by Vasily Mikhailovich. But the impression of the taiga recluses remained as of poorly educated and wild people, shunning modern man and afraid of any manifestations of civilization.

The novel "Hop" by Alexei Cherkasov, read recently, increased the fear that it would be difficult to get to know each other and communicate, and it would be impossible to take pictures at all. But hope lived in me, and I decided to go.

That is why it turned out to be so unexpected to see simple people with inner dignity. Carefully preserving their traditions and history, living in harmony with themselves and nature. Hardworking and rational. Peaceful and independent. They gave me warmth and joy of communication.

I took something from them, learned something, thought about something.

Having passed remote villages on the banks of the Small Yenisei: Erzhey, Upper Shivei, Uzhep, Choduraalyg, Ok-Chara, I met five large families of Old Believers. Always persecuted, the owners of the taiga do not immediately make contact with strangers, especially with a photographer. Two weeks of living next to them, helping in their daily hard work - hay harvesting, fishing, picking berries and mushrooms, preparing firewood and brushwood, collecting moss and helping to build a house - step by step helped to overcome the veil of distrust. And strong and independent, good-natured and hardworking people were discovered, whose happiness lies in love for God, their children and nature.

The liturgical reform undertaken by Patriarch Nikon and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in the 17th century led to a large-scale schism in the Russian Church. The brutal persecution of the tsarist and religious authorities, who wanted to bring the people to unanimity and humility, forced millions of Russian people to leave their homes. The Old Believers who kept their faith fled to the White Sea, to the Olonets Territory and the Nizhny Novgorod forests. Time passed, the hands of power reached the Old Believers in new places, and the seekers of independence went even further, into the remote taiga of Siberia. In the 19th century, Russian people came to the remote area of ​​the Small Yenisei, the Kaa-Khemsky kozhuun of Tuva. New settlements were laid on lands suitable for farming in the river valley, higher and higher upstream. Here, in the upper reaches of the Small Yenisei, the life and traditions of the Russian Old Believers have been preserved in their original form.

The place is far from the capital. By plane to Abakan, about ten hours by car through Kyzyl to Saryg-Sep, we transfer to an UAZ-loaf and a couple more hours along forest roads to a point on the banks of the Small Yenisei. On the other side of the camp "Erzhey", we cross by boat. The owner of the base, Nikolai Siorpas, brought us in his UAZ. He will take you further, to the depths of the taiga, but you have to wait a day or two at the base until the road washed out by long rains at the pass dries up.

Erzhey, next to which the base is located, is a large village, up to one and a half thousand inhabitants, with electricity and a boarding school, where the Old Believers bring their children from zaimok up the Kaa-Khem, as the Small Yenisei is called in Tuvan. In the old faith, not all villagers are here. Some of the people are close to the faith, but they are not included in the community, there is not enough rigor. There are those in the new Orthodox faith, there are even completely unbelievers.

It turned out to be not far away, less than a kilometer from the base, to go see the village and buy groceries. Siorpas, seeing him off, joked: “You can distinguish the Old Believers, men with beards, in the yard there are about a dozen children small or small, women in headscarves and skirts to the heels, in a year or two with a tummy.”

Here is the first acquaintance, Maria with a stroller, a young woman. Hello. They asked where to buy bread, cottage cheese. At first, she was wary of strangers, but she did not refuse help, she even surprised me with her responsiveness. She took her around the village, showing who had the tastier milk, where the salted milk mushrooms were good, and so on until they found everything they wanted.

Here, in villages remote from civilization, the harsh taiga nature imposed its conditions on the way of managing. Summers are short and winters are known for being cold. Arable land is reclaimed from the forest, in the valleys along the banks of the river. They grow bread, plant gardens. Due to frost, perennial crops do not take root. But annuals grow, even small watermelons. Taiga feeds. They beat only hoofed animals, they eat wild meat. Pine nuts, mushrooms, berries are harvested for jam. The river gives fish, a lot of grayling. Taimen are often released - there have been few of them in recent years.

The Old Believers do not drink, they do not drink “kazyonka” at all. And on holidays, they eat a cup or two of weak homemade wine on taiga berries, blueberries or stone fruits.

After resting at the base of Siorpas for a couple of days, we waited for dry weather and moved to the first settlement of the Old Believers - Upper Shivei, forty kilometers through a difficult pass from Erzhei.

All the way to Shivei, under the strained hum of the engine, Nikolai Siorpas urged us to be overly respectful and behave more than modestly, not to push people with their huge photoguns. Not an Old Believer himself, but good relations developed with the taiga residents, for which he reasonably feared. It seems to me that for two days at the base we not only waited for the weather, but he looked at us and thought whether it was possible to carry on.

The working people of Upper Shivei were met long before the settlement, on a hay meadow. They asked for help, throwing mowed hay into high stacks - germs.

They rolled up their sleeves, tried their best, and still lagged behind. The science of lifting large armfuls with long three-toothed wooden pitchforks was not easy. Working together, they got to know each other, struck up conversations.

The Sasins, Peter and Ekaterina arrived at the Upper Shivey lodge, then completely empty, about fifteen years ago. The economy was raised from scratch, they lived and wintered in the beginning in a shed. Year after year, they built, strengthened, raised three daughters. Other relatives came to settle, now there are several families here. The daughters grew up, moved to the city, and now restless grandchildren - two girls and two boys - are coming to Peter and Ekaterina for the summer.

The kids woke up our tent city with a cheerful noise, brought fresh milk and sour cream. The second day, throwing hay at the plants is more difficult - all the muscles hurt from the unaccustomedness of the townspeople. But the faces of the owners, smiles, laughter and approval are already warmer. “Tomorrow is the Transfiguration, come! Try homemade wine,” the villagers call.

The house is simple, no frills, but clean and sound. Spacious vestibule dividing the house in half, whitewashed walls in the rooms, large stoves in the middle, iron spring beds - reminded me of a Carpathian village, which also largely preserved its way of life. “One by one!” - says Pyotr Grigoryevich, and we try a delicious drink. Blueberry juice is infused for a year, without sugar and yeast, it turns out with barely noticeable alcohol. It is easy to drink and does not intoxicate, but it lifts the mood and talkativeness. Joke after joke, story after story, song after song - we had a good time. “Would you like to see my horses?” - calls Peter.

A stable on the outskirts, with two dozen horses, there are even pacers. And all loved ones. Pyotr Grigoryevich can talk about each foal for hours.

We parted with the Sasins like old friends. And again on the road, on a boat up the Small Yenisei.

Before the next zaimka on the river for half an hour to sail with a motor. We found Choduraalyg on a fairly high bank with a spacious, cornice-like valley, the outermost houses stand directly above Kaa-Khem. The opposite shore is an almost sheer mountain overgrown with taiga.

The place is convenient for farming, growing bread, keeping livestock. Fields under arable land. River, nurse and transport artery. In winter, you can go over the ice and up to Kyzyl. Taiga - here it is, begins with hills on the edge of the zaimka.

We sailed, threw our backpacks ashore and went to look for where it would be convenient to set up tents so as not to interfere with anyone, and at the same time it was good to see everything around. We immediately met grandfather Eliferiy, who treated him to freshly baked delicious bread and advised me to go to Baba Marfa: “Marfutka will accept and help.”

Marfa Sergeevna, thin, small and mobile, about seventy years old, gave us a place for tents next to her small house, with a beautiful view of both the river and the village. She let me use the stove and kitchen utensils. For the Old Believers, this is a difficult question - it is a sin to use dishes that were taken by worldly people. All the time Marfa Sergeevna took care of us. We also helped her - we picked berries, applied brushwood, chopped firewood.

The youngest son, Dmitry, was on business in the taiga. The eldest daughter, Ekaterina, got married and lives in Germany, sometimes her mother comes to visit.

We had a satellite phone, they suggested that Marfa Sergeevna call her daughter. “This is demonic,” Grandma Marfa refused. Dmitry returned a couple of days later, and we dialed his sister's number, turning up the volume. Hearing her daughter's voice, forgetting about the demons and throwing down her bow, Marfa Sergeevna ran across the clearing to Dima and me. It’s a pity that she didn’t allow herself to be photographed then, otherwise it would have turned out to be an interesting photograph: a pretty little village grandmother, in ancient clothes, standing against the backdrop of the taiga, beaming with a smile, talking with her daughter in distant Germany on a satellite phone.

Next to Marfa Sergeevna, further from the coast, lives a large family of Panfil Petenev. The eldest of twelve children, Gregory, aged 23, called to the place where the children played - a clearing in the forest outside the village. On Sundays, dressed-up children run and come on horses, bicycles and motorcycles from all nearby villages to chat and play enough together. The guys were not shy for long, and after ten minutes we were playing ball with them, answering a sea of ​​curious questions and listening to stories about life in the villages, bears pampering now and a strict grandfather who chases all children for mischief. We made fun of stories, were interested in technology, and even tried to take pictures with our cameras, tensely posing for each other. And we ourselves listened with pleasure to Russian speech, clear as a stream, and enjoyed photographing the bright Slavic faces.

It turns out that we stopped in Choduraalyg, which is called Big, and not far, along the road past the clearing, there is also Small Choduraalyg. The children volunteered to show this second, from several yards in the depths of the forest, a zaimka. They drove us cheerfully, on two motorcycles, along trails and paths, through puddles and walkways. Escort behind us dashingly rushed teenage girls on fine horses.

In order to get to know each other better, start communication and gain the necessary level of trust that allows us to photograph people, we boldly joined the daily work of Old Believer families. They have no time to chat idly on a weekday, but in business, talking is more fun. So they simply came to the Petenevs in the morning and offered Panfil help. Son Grigory is thinking of getting married, building a house, and here is the job - caulking the ceiling. Nothing difficult, but painstaking. First, on the other side of the river, along the mountains between the thickets, collect moss, put it in bags and throw it down a steep slope. Then we take the boat to the construction site. Now upstairs, and here the clay must be fed in buckets, and moss should be hammered into the cracks between the logs, covering the top with clay. We work briskly, the brigade is large: the five older children of the Petenevs and three of us, travelers. And younger kids are around, watching and trying to help-participate. We communicate at work, we get to know them, they get to know us. Children are curious and want to know everything. And how potatoes are grown in big cities, where we get milk at home, do all children go to boarding schools, how far do we live. Question after question, some you find it difficult to answer clearly - our worlds are so different. Indeed, for children, Saryg-Sep, the regional center, is another planet. And for us, urban people, the taiga is an unknown land with its subtleties of nature hidden from the ignorant gaze.

We met Pavel Bzhitskikh, who invited us to visit, in Maly Choduraalyg, where we went with our children on Sunday. The path to the Ok-Chara settlement is not close, nine kilometers along the rocky, forested shore of the Small Yenisei. Zaimka of two courtyards impresses with its fortress and economy. The high rise from the river did not create difficulties with water - here and there there are many springs right in the yards, through wooden gutters transparent water is supplied to the gardens. The water is cold and delicious.

Surprise awaited in the house: two rooms, a prayer room and a kitchenette, retained their appearance and decoration from the time of the monastic community. Whitewashed walls, wicker rugs, linen curtains, homemade furniture, earthenware. The entire economy of the nuns was natural, they did not communicate with the world and did not take anything from the outside. Pavel collected and saved the household items of the community, and now he is showing them to the guests. Extreme tourists float along Kaa-Khem, sometimes they drop in, so Pavel even built a separate house and a bathhouse so that people could stay with him and relax on the route.

Pavel told about the life and charter of the Old Believer monks. About prohibitions and sins. About envy and anger. Anger is an insidious sin, anger multiplies and accumulates in the soul of a sinner, and it is difficult to fight, because slight annoyance is also anger. Envy is not a simple sin, from envy and pride, and anger, and deception breed. How important it is to pray and repent. And to take fasting on oneself, both calendar and secretly self-taken, so that in no way would it interfere with the soul to pray and realize one’s sin more deeply

Not only severity reigns in the souls of local Old Believers. Paul spoke about forgiveness, about peacefulness towards other religions, about freedom of choice for his children and grandchildren. “They will grow up, go to study, whoever wants to. They will go to the world. God willing, our ancient Orthodox faith will not be forgotten. Someone will return, with age more often they think about the soul. ”

From ordinary community members, not monks, the outside world is not forbidden, they take the Old Believers and the achievements of civilization, which help in work. They use motors, guns. I saw a tractor, even solar panels. To buy, they earn money by selling the products of their labor to the laity.

He read to us selected chapters of John Chrysostom, translating from Old Church Slavonic. So you chose to listen with bated breath. I remember the seal of the Antichrist. Pavel explained in his own way that, for example, all official documents recording a person are his seal. So the Antichrist wants to take control of us all. “There, in America, every person is already going to have some kind of electric chips sewn under the skin so that he cannot hide from the Antichrist anywhere.”

He led me from the “museum” to the summer kitchen, treated me to mushrooms, smoked taimen, fresh bread and special homemade wine, made with birch sap instead of water. Leaving, they bought a young turkey from Pavel, and plucked until late at night, laughing at their ineptitude.

We met the Popov children from Maly Choduraalyg on the day of their arrival at the playground. Curiosity led the children to the tents every morning. They chirped merrily, asked questions non-stop. Communication with these smiling guys gave a charge of warmth and joy for the whole day. And one morning the children came running and from their parents invited us to visit.

On the approach to the Popovs, fun - the younger three found the blackest puddle with liquid mud and enthusiastically jump in it and look for something. A laughing mother, Anna, meets us: “Have you seen such grimy ones? It's okay, I've heated the water, we'll wash it!”

Children, already seven, the Popovs do not just love, they understand them. The house is bright from smiles, and Athanasius began to build a new one - more space for the children. Children themselves are taught, they do not want to send them to a distant boarding school, where there will be no parental warmth.

Over the treat, we quickly started talking, as if some invisible wave began to play with consonance and gave birth to lightness and trust between us.

The Popovs work a lot, the older children help. The economy is strong. They themselves carry products to sell in the area. With the money earned, they bought a tractor and a Japanese outboard motor. A good motor is important here - the rapids are dangerous on the Small Yenisei, if an unreliable old one stalls, you can die. And the river feeds and waters, it is also a way of communication with other villages. In summer, they ride on a boat, and in winter they ride tractors and UAZs on ice.

Here, in a distant village, people are not alone, they communicate and correspond with Old Believers throughout Russia, they receive a newspaper of the old faith from Nizhny Novgorod.

But they are trying to minimize communication with the state, they refused pensions, benefits and benefits. But contact with the authorities cannot be completely avoided - you need rights to a boat and a tractor, all sorts of technical inspections, permits. At least once a year, but you have to go for papers.

The Popovs treat everything responsibly. Athanasius had a case in his youth. He served in the army, like many in the early 80s, in Afghanistan, as an armored personnel carrier driver. There was a misfortune, the brakes of a heavy car failed, an officer died. At first they defined it as an accident, but high officials inflated the situation, the guy was given three years in a general regime colony. The commanders, regimental and battalion, trusted Athanasius, sent him to Tashkent without an escort. Imagine the situation: a young guy comes to the gates of the prison, knocks and asks to be let in, to serve his term. Later, the same commanders secured the transfer of Athanasius to a colony in Tuva, closer to home.

We had a good talk with Anna and Athanasius. About life here and in the world. On the connection between the Old Believer communities in Russia. About relations with the world and the state. About the future of children. We left late, with a good light in our souls.

The next morning we went home - a short trip was over. Warmly said goodbye to Marfa Sergeevna. "Come, next time I will settle in the house, I will make room, because they have become like relatives."

For many hours on the way home, in boats, cars, planes, I thought, trying to comprehend what I saw and heard, which did not coincide with my initial expectations. Sometime in the early 80s, I read Vasily Peskov's fascinating articles from the Taiga Dead End series in Komsomolskaya Pravda. About an amazing family of Old Believers who left people deep into the Siberian taiga. The articles are kind, as are other stories by Vasily Mikhailovich. But the impression of the taiga recluses was left as poorly educated and wild people, shunning modern man and afraid of any manifestations of civilization.

The novel "Hop" by Alexei Cherkasov, read recently, increased the fear that it would be difficult to get acquainted and communicate. And photography may not be possible at all. But there was hope, and I decided to go.

That is why it turned out to be so unexpected to see simple people with inner dignity. Carefully preserving their traditions and history, living in harmony with themselves and nature. Hardworking and rational. Peaceful and independent. They gave me warmth and joy of communication.

I took something from them, learned something, thought about something.

Thank you for your attention!
Oleg Smoly.

Every inhabitant of the republic has seen the Old Believers at least once - their appearance is not typical for a person of the 21st century. - mustaches and beards for men, women's heads covered with a scarf, necessarily - a pectoral cross. Not much people know about the peculiarities of this small group of Tuva, which has preserved a unique culture and way of life. There is an objective reason for this: avoiding contact with the outside world, the Old Believers settled and now live compactly in hard-to-reach places - in the upper reaches of the Yenisei in the Kaa-Khemsky district and dispersed in the Tandinsky, Todzhinsky districts and in the city of Kyzyl. It is difficult to even name the exact number of Old Believers, according to experts, there are not many of them left - from 500 to 1000 representatives.

Who are the Old Believers? When and why did they move to Tuva? Which scientists studied their culture, what secrets do you need to know? For answers to these and other questions, we turned to PhD in Philology, a leading researcher in the cultural sector of TIGI. In February of this year, she supported the monograph "Old Believers in Tuva" (Novosibirsk, 2006).

Who are the Old Believers?

The Old Believers are Orthodox Christians who did not accept the church reform. In 1666-1667. Patriarch Nikon introduced a series of changes to bring Russian Orthodox rites into line with Greek canons and turn Moscow into the Third Rome. He ordered the sign of the cross to be made with three fingers instead of two; the so-called. throwing, or small prostrations; religious processions began to be carried out in the opposite direction (against the sun, and not salting); the exclamation “Hallelujah” during the singing in honor of the Holy Trinity began to be pronounced not twice, but three times, etc.

With the support of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the highest Orthodox clergy imposed a ban on the old rites (hence their adherents were called Old Believers) and anathematized (excommunicated from the church) all those who observed them. For several centuries, the Old Believers or, as they were also called, schismatics, heretics were subjected to severe persecution. Without submitting, many of them set themselves on fire, some were exterminated, and some emigrated to Australia and the United States or fled to remote and sparsely populated areas of Russia.

At present, in addition to Russia (up to 2 million people), there are Old Believer communities in Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, the USA, Canada and a number of Latin American countries, as well as in Australia.

In search of the legendary Belovodye - to Tuva

From the book of M.P. Tatarintseva, we learn that the mass migration of Old Believers to Tuva took place in the last decades of the 19th and early 20th centuries. They were attracted by "backwoods and freedom" - Tuva at that time did not belong to Russia, it was a foreign land, a foreign land. They moved here in search of the legendary Belovodye - a place remote from the world, inaccessible to the "servants of the Antichrist" (as they called the royal officials), where the pre-Iconian faith was preserved, goodness and justice reign. The Old Believers fled, also trying to save their sons from military service, fleeing taxation and taxes, and later - from wars, revolutions, collective farms and dispossession.

The first permanent settlers in Tuva were the Old Believers from the village. Usinsky (now the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory). The river valley was the first to be settled. Uyuk, convenient for arable farming. The names and surnames of Russian settlers gave the name to the zaimkas, and then to the first villages. This is how Danilovka, Fedorovka, Zubovka, Vladimirovka and others appeared. New villages were also named after Christian saints and religious holidays that coincided with the foundation of the settlement: Ilyinka, Uspenka, Petropavlovka, Znamenka. The economic development of new lands, as well as resettlement, proceeded in difficult conditions. The Old Believers survived and gained a foothold thanks to their faith, exceptional diligence, patience, perseverance and perseverance. The settlers, who had extensive agricultural experience, brought with them agricultural implements, seeds and livestock.

In 1913, according to archival data, 1360 Old Believers lived in Tuva, most of them lived in the Maloeniseisky (now Kaa-Khemsky) district, in others there were from 10 to 30%. Later, they began to move to more remote places, mainly in the upper reaches of the Yenisei, out of a desire to avoid constant communication with the "heretic Nikonians." According to O. Khomushku in the early 1960s. up to 400 Old Believer families lived in Tuva.

The Old Believers are split into two currents: in Tuva there are more representatives of the radical trend - bespopovtsy. They do without priests and do not accept everything "worldly": marriages, laws, military service, passports, money and any authority. Popovtsy preserve the Old Believer church and priests, they are loyal to the authorities.

Secrets of communication with the Old Believers

- Margarita Petrovna, we congratulate you on the state award! Why, out of the many topics worthy of scientific study, did you choose this particular one?

The topic "Old Believers in Tuva" is a natural continuation of the study of Russian settlers in Tuva. Before her, for many years I collected, and then began to publish collections of Russian folklore in Tuva, studied the work of Russian writers of Tuva, then took up the Old Believers.

The topic of the Old Believers was considered closed for a long time, the study of this confessional group was not encouraged. It seems that the authorities had an opinion that over time this relic - the Old Believers - would disappear by itself. However, already in the 1990s. an active study of a previously forbidden topic began, and I also got into this stream, studying the history and culture of our local Old Believers.

- Where did you collect materials for the book?

- I had to travel a lot to different villages and villages - since the late 1970s. It was necessary to collect folklore from Russian old-timers of Tuva living in different regions. In search of experts in folklore, I sometimes came across Old Believers. Their behavior was distinguished by sedateness, regularity and restraint in communication, it seemed to me closeness, a desire to avoid unnecessary contacts. Then I managed to record individual samples of the folklore of the Old Believers in the Tes-Khem region. In 1995-1996 and 2005, I already purposefully collected materials in the villages of Erzhey, Sizim, Saryg-Sep of the Kaa-Khem district, Durgen, Sosnovka, Bai-Khaak of the Tandinsky district and Toora-Kheme of the Todzhinsky district.

- Tell us about your first meeting with the Old Believers.

In the summer of 1981 I went to the Tes-Khem district, to the villages of Shuurmak and Kurany. At that time, mostly Old Believers lived there, now they are no longer there. In Kurany, a tiny village, mostly elderly women lived. Work - recording folklore - I did not get along with them in any way. In general, they took me almost for a Martian - a woman in jeans, an open T-shirt, with a Reporter tape recorder over her shoulder, with her head uncovered and wearing dark glasses, jumped out of the back of a ride and wants to be sung songs and ditties! Now I understand what impression I made, but then it was a shame - so many efforts were made, and all wasted!

How did you convince them to open up to you?

This is not an easy matter, not every informant wants to sing or tell - they are shy, do not rely on memory, or even simply do not see any use in this. I had to learn how to persuade and explain the meaning and significance of my work. True, I still knew little about the characteristics of this group of the local Russian population, I was upset because of the failure to work with such performers. Now I know that the Old Believers will never sing on Lent, on Wednesday and Friday, and so on.

Even the appearance - pants on women, bright makeup, an uncovered head can become an obstacle to establishing contact. They will not talk to you on the topic you proposed, or, on the contrary, they will ask you questions (and the subtext will be: it is possible for a woman to dress like this, to do such work - to travel around the villages and villages, leaving her family, etc.). Later, when I “wised up” and learned to communicate with the Old Believers, and I myself became older, which is important, and began to dress accordingly, it was no longer difficult to establish contact with an Old Believer informant.

And the most important thing is - I tell my students this too - that you should treat any informant with great respect and interest, whether you collect folklore or other ethnographic material. Patiently and persistently explain the meaning and value of your work, then your interlocutor will also have an interest in you, your occupation and his own self-esteem will increase as an expert on important things (perhaps the last or one of the few).

We will continue our conversation about the culture and life of the Old Believers. In the next publication, we will consider the distinctive features of the culture of the Old Believers living in Tuva, including the impact of globalization and scientific and technological progress on it.

It is populated predominantly by Russians. Here, in the upper reaches of the river, in the remote taiga, in the second half of the 19th century, the Old Believers fled from the royal and church persecutions in search of the unknown country "Belovodie".

Constantly persecuted, the Old Believers were forced to leave all the way up the Yenisei. New settlements were laid in the river valley, where there was at least a tiny piece of land for plowing. Therefore, historically, all the villages were strung on a thread of Kaa-Khem. It is here, in the upper reaches of the Small Yenisei, that the life, way of life and traditions of the Russian Old Believers, whom our team of travelers decided to get acquainted with, have been preserved in their original form.

In two weeks, by car, boat and on foot, we traveled 1200 km to reach the most remote villages in the upper reaches of Kaa-Khem: Erzhey, Upper Shivey, Uzhep, Choduralyg, Ok-Chara.

The first stop on our way was the Old Believer village of Erzhey, or rather the eponymous tourist base a couple of kilometers away. The owner of the camp site, Nikolai Vladimirovich Siorpas, took us to the other side of the Small Yenisei and placed us comfortably in wooden houses on the river bank. Here we spent a couple of days, waiting for the rain to stop and the road to dry out, and at the same time sleeping off after a daily drive by car from Abakan airport through Kyzyl, Saryg-Sep to Erzhey.

In order not to waste time, our team visited the village, where the locals, after getting to know us, willingly sold their own products: pickled mushrooms, homemade milk, bread. To be honest, half a jar of mushrooms, to the delight of the hostess, was eaten by us right there on the porch, they turned out to be very tasty.

On the morning of the third day, Nikolai and I crossed back to the mainland, plunged into the UAZ-“loaf” and headed east through the pass to meet with the Verkhovskys, as they call the Old Believers in the upper reaches of the river, distinguished by a particularly strict way of life. 40 kilometers of a logging road soaked with rain - and we are at the Upper Shivey lodge.

Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website

We met the head of the estate, Pyotr Sasin, a strong man with a bushy beard, at the entrance to the field, where he and his fellow villagers supervised the harvesting of hay.
- You live well! - Nikolai shouted to him from the window with an emphasis on the second "o". I brought you helpers!
- Can they throw the seed? Peter replied. “If you didn’t hold the pitchfork in your hands, then it’s better if they don’t interfere, we need to manage before sunset.”

Having received permission to participate in the common cause, we hurried to unload our things on the outskirts of the lodge by the river and returned to the field, hiding the cameras in our backpacks so as not to frighten our new acquaintances.

They didn't let us in to the haystack, the work was in full swing there. We were "given the go-ahead" to collect the remains of hay in the field, which the horse harnessed with a rake could not pick up. Hours of work in full force in the company of curious children - and all the dry blades of grass from the ground were collected. It was possible to take a break in anticipation of a new task. We carefully took out cameras from our backpacks, took a couple of shots and showed the result to the little ones. The experience turned out to be successful - we found a common language with the younger generation.

Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website

The next morning was the feast of the Transfiguration, Sasin invited us into the house to talk and taste the berry mash. Dishes for the worldly are separate. They don’t treat their Old Believers, otherwise they become worldly, they will have to be removed from the house. According to the calendar - fasting, so there is nothing meat on the table, only potatoes and mushrooms, and talk about life.

Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website

Peter and his wife Ekaterina moved to Shivey from the regional center in 1999. He is a hereditary Old Believer in the fourth generation. His great-grandfather traveled half the country, from the Far East to Tuva, in search of a secluded place to preserve the faith. Peter himself in the Soviet years worked as a forester in the Forestry, but after the collapse of the country, he finally decided to leave the world and officials. He founded a small estate on the site of a settlement that died out in the middle of the last century, registered the land, started a farm, and breeds dogs and horses. I even tried once to bring out a rare breed of horse "golden". But twice during his departures to the village, the herds were taken away by newcomers.

Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website

The three daughters of the Sasins live in the village and send their grandchildren for the summer. Children poke their nose into everything, strive to help in everything, master the instrument. Despite the departure from everything worldly, Sasin, as a good business executive, although he lives by his own work, does not disdain to use the benefits of civilization. In addition to the tractor that worked yesterday in the fields and the motorcycle standing near the barn, we note solar panels on the wall of the house. There are only four of them, but the charge is enough for a separator and a VCR for grandchildren. Anything that fits into the concept of sustainable use is allowed. Hence the Japanese outboard motors for everyone whose zaimka stands on the shore. Without a good motor, you can’t go anywhere: you can’t go fishing, or to a village tens of kilometers away. And there is a need. You can't get away from the world at all.

A few days later, Sasin and his son-in-law took us to the shore of Kaa-Khem to the crossing near the village of Uzhep, hidden behind the island. We are 15 kilometers upstream to the remote village of Choduraalyg. The way there is only by water, so Peter called the boat from Uzhep with three shots from a gun into the air.

Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website

Once upon a time, the large Old Believer village of Choduraalyg was deserted by the efforts of the authorities by the 70s of the last century. Only the old nuns remained to live in a small monastery. But after the collapse of the USSR, old people came here from the city and the lower villages, wanting to keep the faith, and their children and grandchildren began to move after them. Many children were born here already.

Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website

In Choduraalyg people live according to the charter of the Old Believers, without a passport, residence permit, school and everything else “devilish”. Knowledge in the form of codes of rules of the old, pre-Nikonian, Scriptures is received at Sunday school and from the caretaker of the monastic cell at the Ok-Chara lodge from Pavel Bzhitsky. Many cannot read and write. Yes, they don't need it. The only children with three classes behind them were 23-year-old Grigory Pletenev and his younger sister Natalya, children of Panfil, the father of the largest family in the district.

Panfil has 12 children. One eldest daughter married in a neighboring region, the second went to a monastery. Grisha is the last of the children who left the lodge for the city. And his five younger sisters and four brothers big world never touched, except for rafting tourists, who in the summer pass up to twenty groups a day.

Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website

With tourists, the Old Believers have a small business in the form of selling milk, medicinal herbs, mash, bread, eggs and other products. But the main trade goes with Kyzyl, where in the summer by boat, and in the autumn, when the ice rises, they take out goods and hunting preparations. Boat motors, hunting rifles, cartridges are brought back. Something that the Old Believers cannot do without.
Photo: Natalia Sudets / website

From the children, the rumor about alien worldly people spread throughout all the zaimkas in a matter of hours. They already knew about us and met some with open interest, some with extreme caution.

During the expedition, we met six families of Old Believers, lived side by side with them and actively participated in their daily hard work: we helped with hay harvesting, caught fish, guarded cattle, milked cows, picked berries, brushwood, moss, participated in the construction of a house .

Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website Photo: Natalia Sudets / website

Due to the peculiarities of faith and culture, the historically always persecuted masters of the taiga did not immediately make contact. It was not always possible to melt the ice of distrust, but when it did, the townspeople were received warmly and cordially. Two weeks flew by. And when the time came to go home, we were surprised to find that the Old Believers, distrustful at first, saw us off with sadness, providing us with gifts and good wishes for the journey.