Haymaking in the old days and fun in the hayloft

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Haymaking was not just an important stage in the life of the village, but also the most enjoyable work, filled with fun and eroticism.

What is summer, so is hay

The best time for haymaking was the weeks after Peter's Day and until July 25th. The whole village gathered for haymaking, and then each took the necessary amount of hay. If you are young, daring, agile and cheerful, haymaking was a great reason to show others your best qualities.

Order

Mowing was a collective work, uniting workers of different ages. Whole families were already involved in the handicraft of braids. After the blacksmith and hammer hammer forged the scythe knife, he went on to the grinder, assisted by women and children who grind hard-to-reach places of the blade with fine sand. At the haymaking itself, the most respected and skillful peasant from the community placed the mowers in the right order, and the more experienced workers guided the young, setting the general rhythm. This consonance of work was its lightness, the feeling of unity partially smoothed out fatigue.

By work and master to know

The whole family went to distant meadows. They put up huts - they only kept food in them, but hid from the rain. Sleep was laid under canvas awnings. And in the morning, with the first dew - to work. No wonder they said: "The dewier the grass, the easier it is to mow." The mowers walked by 5-6 people, one after the other, competed, trying to withstand a larger grip, so that the swath of succulent grass would be thicker, and the swath would be wider. After a good mowing, the meadow remained level, and work, coupled with skill and dexterity, was a real pleasure. The mower turns back - the heart rejoices. Women and girls immediately began to break the grass to dry it better, rubbing it with wooden rakes and spears. In the evening, almost dry hay was raked into shafts and then piled up in heaps. The rain that had begun added additional trouble. When the first clouds appeared, the hay was quickly raked into a heap, and after the rain the heap was torn apart and the hay was sorted out until it was completely dry.

There is a lot of mowing on a sharp scythe

The preparation of the main tool - the scythe - was approached with special attention. Its length was measured by the number of hands or, rather, palms, which fit on the knife of the scythe. So, you cannot capture a wide strip of grass with a five-handed scythe, but it is easy to work with it. Usually, a scythe of 10 hands was chosen - with such a good mower could walk half a hectare of thick and juicy grass in 6 hours. Each village had its own champions. Smooth, equal thickness and without cracks, the knife of the scythe should emit a clear and non-rattling sound when struck by the butt. However, during mowing, it is immediately clear whether the scythe has been chosen well and is well adjusted. An excellent braid cuts the grass easily with a melodic, ear-pleasing sound.

Everyone who has grown up, hurry to the haymaking

Everyone, from small to large, took part in haymaking. Only the guys didn’t trust to climb the haystack to lay the hay. This business demanded special skill - each village had its own “specialist” in stacking heaps, whose haystacks turned out to be beautiful and even. They laughed at the crooked haystacks: "What is a haystack, so is a haystack." There were some secrets during the laying: the stacks were made high, and their tops were laid with special diligence, tearing the abandoned armfuls into smaller ones and laying first in a circle, and then in the center of the stack. The rain will certainly not break through a well-folded top, which means that the hay will not rot, and the work will not be in vain. It was not easy for the master to get off the high haystack. To facilitate the descent, the reins were thrown over the top, which were held by someone standing on the ground, and the master, holding the reins and slowly moving, carefully so that the pommel did not "go off," descended from the other side.

Dress code

Clothing had to be light and loose, so as not to interfere with sweeping movements when mowing. The shirt was perfect for these requirements. They sewed it from canvas or chintz, most often they did not girdle. Women in most provinces did not wear a sundress on top, but went out onto the field in one long shirt. Haymaking was revered as a clean and festive job. All spring festivities and fertility rites prepared this happy, but difficult time for the peasants.

It was considered unacceptable to appear for such work in everyday, especially dirty clothes. The soil that gave rise to the good for the peasant was to be treated with respect. This was especially important for women. After all, a woman had a special connection with mother earth. This is where the special haymaking shirt came from - the mowing machine. Its hem (traditionally considered close to earthly energy) was embroidered with ancient fertile ornaments. So, orepea (a rhombus with a dot - a symbol of a sown field), erga (a sign of the sun with curled edges), a woman in labor (a symbolic ornamental image of a woman) appeared on the podface. The color of the fabric was predominantly chosen white, but sometimes peasant women also wore red shirts, symbolizing proximity to the sun.

Everything is good for bread

The dinner, which everyone gathered together, became another reason to show their best side. A good worker and eats with gusto. And what a freedom for the hostesses! A hearty dinner traditionally consisted of wheat porridge with butter, salted bacon, a piece of homemade bread, boiled eggs, and onions. Evaluated and praised vigorous kvass or beer - each housewife had them special, unique. Well, after dinner, the old people rested in the shade, and restless youth walked for berries or started a song “in a circle”.

What works, such are the fruits

Early work was fully rewarded by evening and night gatherings, for which the whole village gathered. Often this was accompanied by a joint meal and, of course, festivities, for which everyday clothes would not fit either. Full of life and excited by morning and afternoon work, the young often looked for a mate here. The morals at such gatherings were free. The guy had the right to hug the girl in front of everyone (but not the guy's girlfriend - it was considered shameful), kissing and kneeling were common. Met after such festivities and "nights", that is, joint overnight stays in the hayloft. It was impossible only to have a connection with a guy from another village, the local fellows did not allow the presence of strangers, and they could beat those who had already appeared.

Well, at the end of the day, the most important thing is to rush from all over into the river, wash off fatigue along with the hay dust, and then - at least in the already started round dance, at least for strawberries, at least for fishing, at least for the side. Smells, sounds, the mood of the haymaking season were kept by a person for the whole year, so that next year he could wait with trepidation, and then with zeal to start hard work that could give true pleasure.