Aleksandr Dreyer

At the table

Everyday Drinks of the Peasantry

Kvass, a drink made from rye flour and malt, was the most common everyday beverage for ordinary people. While tea culture was starting to spread, it remained a luxury for many rural families, who often only drank it during illness or on special occasions.

What people wore

Protective patches in peasant shirts

Peasant women stitched scarlet calico patches into the armpits of their linen shirts, serving as both decoration and an amulet to protect the body from unclean forces.

Getting around

Vast network of postal relay stations

The postal system maintained approximately 3,950 relay stations across the empire, utilizing over 50,000 horses to provide fresh teams for travelers and mail couriers.

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.

Music

Improvisational pliaska dances and percussion

Fast-paced pliaska dances were characterized by individual improvisations, sometimes accompanied by improvised percussion like wooden spoons or metal pots when standard instruments were unavailable.

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.