Marfa Musina-Yuryeva

What people wore

Lifelong festive peasant clothing

A peasant family would prepare a festive outfit meant to last a lifetime, which was stored carefully and worn only on the most important holidays.

Getting around

Travel by horse-drawn relay transport

Between 1800 and 1824, ordinary people traveled between towns primarily using horse-drawn carriages, wagons, or sledges, often relying on the state-run relay system to secure fresh horses at designated postal stations. Travelers were required to carry an official permit called a podorozhnaya to document their route and status at these stations.

At the table

Kvass as the universal drink

Kvass, a fermented drink made from rye flour and malt, served as the universal daily beverage for the lower classes.

Music

Church ban on folk musical instruments

Russian Orthodoxy officially rejected folk instruments, and the church once famously burned five carriages filled with them in the 17th century. Consequently, no musical instruments were permitted in Orthodox church services during this period.

Daily life

Children's home education

Many merchant and commoner children were educated at home by local sextons or clerks, with the Psalter and Book of Hours serving as their primary textbooks. Formal schooling remained rare for these groups, as even many noble children relied on varied levels of home instruction.

Work

The rhythm of a working day

During busy periods like threshing, families began their workday at two in the morning and finished on the threshing floor by ten in the morning. For the rest of the day, men typically repaired equipment, hunted, or prepared materials like tar, while women spun flax and tended to cattle.