Russia is |
Peoples of Russia
Belarusians
Their self-designation is Belarus. They are an Eastern Slavic people that makes up the majority of the population of the Republic of Belarus (7,904.6 thousand people). They have dispersed very widely in Russia – in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, in all the large industrial centers, on Caucasus, on Ural, in Siberia.
Language
The Belarusian language belongs to the Slavic group of the Indo-European family; there are the Southwestern and the Northeastern dialects and the so-called Polesye subdialect. Its writing system is based on the Cyrillic alphabet. The Belarusians in Russia mostly speak Russian.
Society
In the 19th century, people lived in large families, father-centered and brother-centered (consisting of brothers and their families). The primak system – taking a landless son-in-law into your family and your allotment – was widespread. In the early 20th century, elements of communal organization were preserved in the village: mutual help of the villagers during work, village gatherings in which heads of families took part (gaspadar).
Dwellings
The main types of settlements for the Belarusians were the veska (village), the outpost, the hamlet. The traditional Belarusian dwelling was the one-chamber, later multi-chamber log izba with a gable roof covered with straw, batten or planks. The oven was placed in the right or left corner from the entrance. Across from it was the “God’s corner” with the icons, the place of honor in the house. Plank beds stood along the blind wall starting from the oven. The interior was decorated with various lace, homespun tablecloths, rushnik towels and bedspreads.
Food
Prevailing in the diet are potato dishes (since the second half of the 19th century), pancakes, gruels, dairy dishes. Barleycorn gruels (kutya, gushcha) are still preserved as ceremonial food. Baked food was mostly made from oatmeal and without yeast. Vegetables are one of the main food ingredients. As for meat, pork and poultry are most often used.
Traditional occupations
The traditional occupations of the Belarusians in the past were farming, animal breeding and also beekeeping and foraging. They grew rye, wheat, bukwheat, peas, potatoes. In animal breeding, pig breeding had a very important role. The crafts were also developing: bast production, leather processing, shoemaking, woodworking. Making decorative articles from textile raw materials and leather was especially significant.
