Yekaterina Sheremeteva

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

Rye bread and cabbage soup staple

Ordinary families relied heavily on rye bread and shchi, a cabbage soup that was a dietary staple and was often made with sour, fermented grey cabbage.

What people wore

Basic peasant men's clothing

Peasant men typically wore shirts and trousers, while boys wore only shirts, with shirts often being secured at the waist with laces to keep them from interfering with work.

Music

Large communal round dances called khorovod

Ordinary people held khorovods, which were large communal round dances that could involve up to one hundred participants. These dances were often accompanied by a cappella singing, though in some southern regions, they featured instruments like small reed pipes called zhaleika, pan-flutes known as kugikly, and horns called rozhok.

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.