Russia is |
Peoples of Russia
Cossacks
The Cossacks are the representatives of Cossackdom, a complicated ethnosocial culture that was formed out of a military service caste (registered assigned Cossackdom) as well as “roisterous people” (free Cossackdom).
On the territory of the modern Russia from early 18th century to the October Revolution of 1917 the following Cossack hosts existed officially: Don, Ter, Kuban, Ural, Orenburg, Siberia, Astrakhan, Transbaikal, Amur and Ussuri hosts.
Dwellings
The settlement of the Don Cossacks was usually called stanitsa, and of the Little Russia ones, sloboda. The settlements of the Volga Cossacks were called selo. A freestanding homestead of well-to-do Cossacks was called khutor (hamlet). The house (kuren, khata) was covered by clay and thatched. Inside the house, there was a table, some benches, a trunk for clothes, an icon-case. Besides a guest room, the khatas had a bedroom with a bed and a kitchen with bowls. Besides the residential room, the yard surrounded by a wicker fence had a barn and a shed.
Food
The Cossack cuisine was almost identical to the Russian one: the same bread, pies, gruels, fish soup, kvass and cherry infusion. The oriental elements were added in the form of raisins (they were added to gruels) and nardek (watermelon honey).
Traditional occupations
Besides border guard and military service, the Cossacks raised horses, fished and kept kitchen gardens (growing buckwheat and melon cultures).
Clothes
Cossack clothes. The Cossacks wore peaked caps or papakha astrakhan hats, shirts with epaulets and trousers with stripes. A permanent feature of the Russian Cossacks was the chokha. The clothes colors corresponded to particular Cossack hosts.
