Wreath as a talisman. Believe me, useful tips. Slavic traditions What do we need for composition

Our house is not just walls, floor, ceiling and a sofa with a table. This is our little fortress in which we are protected. From what? And from the penetration of robbers, and from negative energy, envy, which can quietly penetrate. After all, we do not always know with what intentions people come to our house.

Since ancient times, amulets have taken over this protection from negativity and evil. When the house is well protected from evil intentions, it is cozy, sleeps well, and the forces spent during the day are easily restored. The right amulet is able to protect even from unwanted guests: they will feel uncomfortable and will leave your house very soon.

The editors of the site have collected for you 12 amulets that you should place in your home in order to live happily.

TABLE

It has long been a Slavic amulet: it was moved only for a wedding and on the day of the funeral, as a ritual - they carried it around the table around the baby, kissed it before a long journey and upon returning home.

BAKE

Painted, bleached - it was considered the main amulet of the family inside the house. It was at the home stove that oaths were taken, proposals were made to the bride, contracts were concluded at the stove pillar. And under the stove lived the patron of the dwelling - the brownie.

BUNKS OF HERBS

Who does not know the flower that never fades - immortelle ? Perhaps that is why it has long been considered a talisman that symbolizes longevity. It is no coincidence that people believe that garlic, pepper, salt dough products drive away misfortune and misfortune from home.

White linen stitching is a symbol of family unity.Spikelets of rye and oats - charms of beauty. Poppy protects us from various slanders.Peas, buckwheat and beans symbolize a good harvest, i.e. welfare,nut - good health.

"BAG OF ABUNDANCE"

A bag filled with corn seeds, beans, peas and seeds, red pepper (this is a long-standing symbol of passion) was hung at the entrance or placed in a prominent place - for happiness and wealth.

BELL

This talisman at the entrance to the house symbolized the feminine - the vault of heaven. This amulet was able with its sound not only to ward off, but also to destroy evil.

VENICHEK WITH APPLICATIONS-SYMBOLS

Decorated with dried flowers, seeds, grains, ribbons, embroidery, the amulet brought happiness and health to the house. The broom was considered a symbol of the brownie, so when moving to a new house, they took the old broom with them - so that the brownie moved with his owners.

MOTANK DOLLS

Made by hand, accompanied by a prayer, they protected the house and especially children from black magic, the evil eye and envy. These dolls have no faces, instead of them there is a cross. They made wedding motanka dolls for bride girls, baby motanka dolls and charm dolls for the whole family.

HERB WREATH

Immortelle, ears of rye or wheat, dried in the summer, store the power of the sun and protect the house. They can be stored in a bouquet, or they can be enclosed in a wreath. If you place the wreath with the “forelock” up, the house will be protected from evil spirits and witches. Wreath "forelock" down - to attract money.

HORSESHOE

A horseshoe found or acquired as a souvenir should be hung above the door. According to legend, the evil spirit wanders in a circle, and, having reached one end of the horseshoe, turns around with nothing and goes back.

By the way, if the owners of the house nail the horseshoe with the horns up, it means that they will receive help from heaven, higher powers. Horns down - protect the house from quarrels and diseases.

WEDDING TOWELS

When a young couple marries, a towel is laid under their feet. According to tradition, it is kept away from prying eyes as a sign of consent in the family, and then handed over to the wedding of their children. People believe that if a towel brought them happiness and harmony, it will help children too.

"SPICY" VEGETABLES

Let you not believe in vampires - believe our wise ancestors. No wonder our grandmothers placed garlands of red pepper and garlic in the kitchen. They absorb negativity. And the calamus root was kept in a closet or in a chest as a protector from want and hunger.

IMPORTANT NUANCE.Pay attention to how your amulet looks. If it cracked or darkened, then most likely it took on a lot of negativity. The protection worked, but the amulet should be replaced with a new one, and the old one should be burned with a prayer.

Autumn wreaths made of natural material are most often made on the basis of ears of valuable and weed cereal crops. You can make a spectacular autumn wreath with your own hands from natural materials of the following plan: straw and ears of wheat and rye, oats and buckwheat, etc.

Materials:

ready-made wicker willow wreath;
dry ears of wheat and oats;
lace braid;
glue gun.

Progress

Prepare the cereals for use - group them into small bunches and trim them. You can fix the bundles with a teip tape of a suitable color.
The wreath turns out to be not very thick, in some places the base will shine through, so the ears are glued directly to the base. Try, if possible, to mask the places where the ears are glued to the base, since the hot glue, when dried, becomes noticeable and may look unaesthetic. Alternatively, you can use thin fishing line instead of glue to secure wheat and oats.
Glue in a circle first bunches of wheat, then bunches of oats. Try to evenly distribute the cereals over the surface of the wreath.
Tie a beautiful lace braid to the finished wreath for hanging.

Advice:

Such a wreath will organically fit into a country-style interior, the main elements of which are lace, wickerwork, natural materials, etc.

A wreath can be made from almost any cereal. You can dry your favorite cereals yourself or buy ready-made ones.

It is possible to make a wreath from fresh ears. Bunches of cereals are also glued with hot glue. But be prepared for the fact that as the plants dry, they lose their color. For example, ears of oats, green initially, become faded over time.

Before you make a wreath from natural material and meadow herbs, you need to prepare all the tools and materials:

corrugated cardboard base;
various dried meadow herbs;
sisal;
plaid material;
teip tape;
glue gun.

Progress

Cut out 2 circles from cardboard, glue them together. Cut a strip of fabric and wrap the base, secure the tip of the fabric with glue.
Cut the herbs, leaving a stem length of about 1-2 cm. Form small bunches, secure each bunch with a teip tape.
Heat the glue gun and start gluing the bundles in a circle in this order: first the longest ones are glued, then the shorter ones and the shortest ones. Each subsequent beam should cover the previous one a little. Thus, it is possible to mask the places where the grass sticks to the base.
Use green sisal fiber to decorate the base. Sisal is also glued with hot glue.
Tear off a few sisal fibers and twist them to form a rope. The tourniquet should be strong enough, as it will be used as a suspension for a wreath.
Attach the hanger to the wreath.

Adviсe:

For this wreath, it is better to use several types of herbs, then the wreath will turn out to be more spectacular.
The same plant, collected at different times, will have a different color when dry.
Straw can be used instead of sisal.
The base can be wrapped with linen cord or braid.

We continue to make wreaths from natural materials, using various plants harvested since summer for the creative process. Graceful and fragrant wreaths of natural flowers, which have been dried and properly prepared, heal the atmosphere in the apartment, free the air from unpleasant odors.

Materials:

dried buttercup flowers;
willow branches;
fishing line;
glue gun;
green teip tape;
yellow lace.

Progress

Make a ring from willow branches, wrap it with fishing line for strength. Leave to dry for 2-3 days. After drying, the twigs will retain the shape of the ring.
Before you start, you need to prepare the flowers. To do this, they need to be cut and divided into small bunches.
Using floral tape, wrap each bunch around. The teip tape will securely fix the flowers.
Start gluing the bunches of buttercups prepared in the above way using a heated glue gun. Moving in a circle, gradually fill the entire space of the base. Apply the bundles in layers, and the next bundle should only slightly cover the bundle lying below, masking the places where the flowers stick to the base.
Pick up a beautiful lace braid, it will serve to hang the wreath on the wall.

Adviсe:

Flowers do not have to be glued, you can use thin wire and attach each bunch of wire to the base.
A wreath can not only be hung on a wall, a door, you can simply put it on a shelf, leaning it against a support.
Dried buttercup flowers are completely harmless, but you can replace them with other flowers. Try to dry and then make a wreath of small inflorescences of bird cherry, apple, lilac, chamomile, etc. The wreath will turn out not only beautiful, natural, but also very fragrant.
Such wreaths of dried flowers will perfectly fit into country-style interiors. Country style is a rustic style, which is distinguished by simplicity, naturalness and naturalness of materials.

Materials:

vine wreath;
3 artificial sprigs of lavender;
fishing line;
glue gun;
ribbon.

Progress

Disassemble the branches into small inflorescences, if necessary, use wire cutters to cut the wire.
Using a hot glue gun, glue the branches to the base, moving in a circle. Do not apply too much glue to the branches, otherwise the work will look sloppy.
Tie a matching ribbon to the wreath.

Adviсe:

If you want to get a thicker and more lush wreath - use 5-6 artificial branches.
Twigs can be attached using thin colored wire for beads. It comes in different dvetov, it will not be difficult to choose the right one in color.
A wreath can be made using natural lavender sprigs. You can weave a wreath using live twigs and dry the lavender in the wreath, or make a wreath from already dried lavender flowers.
By applying a drop of lavender essential oil to artificial branches, you will also be planted with the delicate aroma of flowering lavender.
Such a wreath can be made for a Provence-style interior, which is associated with a bright sun, the sea and huge fields of blooming lavender. Provence is the southern region of France. The very word "Provence" is translated as "province", and the interiors created in this style correspond to the style of provincial houses in the south of France.

Craft "Wreath of natural material" can be made by hand together with children of different ages. The creative process develops thinking and fine motor skills of the hands. We recommend choosing crafts such as a wreath made of natural material for creativity with children and decorating interiors. Following are some ideas.

Material:

willow branches.
mimosa branches;
feathers of yellow and blue;
decorative small blue testicles;
thin wire;
yellow ribbon in a box;
glue gun.

Progress

Tie willow branches with a ring, tie the ring with wire.
Glue the mimosa sprigs to the willow base. Place the mimosa at an equal distance from each other.
Glue the feathers first yellow, then blue.
Make a few bows from the braid in the cage and glue them to the testicles.
Glue the testicles to the wreath, placing them between the feathers.
Make a wreath hanger from the same ribbon used to make the bows.

Your original wreath is ready!

Adviсe:

Such a wreath will look beautiful not only on the wall, but also on the festive Easter table.
A wreath can be made from both living and dry branches of willow and mimosa.
If you cannot find ready-made eggs for decoration, then you can make them yourself (from clay, plastic, salt dough, papier-mâché) and color them.

Materials:

preparation of a round wreath (polystyrene, cardboard, branches);
fabric (tape);
dried flowers (lagurus) pink and red;
teip tape;
sisal pink and red;
decorative braid;
glue gun;
sticks for the glue gun.

Progress

Cut the lagurus, collect bundles (5-6 pieces each), fix the ends with a thread of the appropriate color or teip tape so that the bundle does not fall apart. Such bundles need to be made 30-40 pieces.
Roll sisal balls in the amount of 20 pcs.
Wrap the wreath blank with a ribbon or strip of fabric.
Heat up the glue gun and carefully glue the lagurus bundles onto the base, alternating colors. Apply glue only to the stems.
After the dried flowers are glued, mask the glue points with sisal balls.
Tie a decorative ribbon to the finished wreath.
Make a bow and glue to the braid.

A beautiful decorative decoration for your home is ready!

Adviсe:

Instead of lagurus, you can use other dried flowers grown in your garden (helichirizum, statica, yarrow, Chinese lantern, etc.).
A wreath made up of a mixture of dried flowers and herbs will look very nice.

My home is my castle, the English say. And they are right. Where else can you relax, think, dream and cry, if not in your own home. Of course, I want to fence off personal space from negativity. You can protect yourself and your loved ones with amulets, talismans that will protect you from other people's evil thoughts and envy and bring harmony and good luck. The most powerful amulets are those that are made with your own hands, because you have invested your energy and love in them. We'll tell you how to make them.

wreath at the entrance

From the black thoughts that guests bring with them, a wreath of herbs will protect. If possible, it is better to collect them on the night of Ivan Kupala, then they will have the greatest power.

Ears of rye or wheat, wormwood, thyme, oregano, fern, clover, Ivan da Marya - they can be combined in different ways, each plant will add something of its own. In the process of weaving, you can put beans and corn under bunches of herbs for prosperity, hide pins and needles in a wreath from damage and the evil eye.

To enhance the effect, it is worth tying ribbons: red - for good family relations, yellow - for well-being, white - from someone else's envy. A wreath is hung over the entrance to a dwelling or bedroom, but so that it does not catch the eye there. It is believed that you need to change the wreath after a year, during which time it will absorb too much someone else's energy and stop helping.

Photo by GettyImages

Bouquet in the room

Thistle, burdock, nettle, which we consider weeds, can also be beneficial if you know how to use them. Everything is very simple: collect a bouquet of these plants and tie with a red thread. You can add the same flowers that you wove into the wreath. You need to put a magic bouquet in a room closer to windows or doors. All the negativity that unkind people bring with them will fly away.

kitchen wreath

Sometimes housewives weave a wreath of onion and garlic to make it convenient to store. And if you add hot pepper pods to these vegetables, you get a magical amulet. Weaving them into a wreath is easy with the help of twine, tying the ponytails. To make the wreath last longer, peppers can be made from dough, from which crafts are made. To do this, mix 200 grams of flour and salt, add 50-70 ml of water, knead the dough and mold figures out of it. Then they need to be baked in the oven and painted. Decorate the wreath with mint and rosemary, they will enhance protection.

Photo by GettyImages

Bottle with cereal

It would seem that we already store cereals in special containers. But these same products can also be used to protect your home from negative impacts.

You just need to take a large bottle and fill it with corn grains, beans of different colors, peas, white and brown rice, barley, millet, oats. Pour cereals and grains in layers, one above the other. If possible, calculate to twelve layers. Think about what to pour for, so that it turns out not only useful, but also beautiful.

witch bottle

In the bedroom or living room, you can put a "witch bottle" that will scare away evil spirits and protect against any negativity.

You can make it from improvised materials. Take any empty transparent container with a narrow neck: from beer, wine, flat brandy. Arrange pins, buttons, salt, cereals, dried herbs in slides. Even glass fragments will do: broken glass will scare away all evil.

Slowly pour blanks into the bottle in thin layers, create a beautiful pattern. When the bottle is full, seal it with church candle wax. For beauty, you can cover the top with a shred and tie with a red thread. They put the bottle where it will not only protect the house and attract good luck, but also decorate the interior.

Photo by GettyImages

Bag of salt

Salt has a strong energy, so it can itself serve as a talisman. But only one that is consecrated on Easter or Thursday.

Sew a bag of linen or burlap, these materials attract good luck, pour salt into the bag and place it somewhere in the room so that it is not conspicuous. If people with bad energy come to visit you, salt will neutralize its influence.

witch ball

The most unexpected object, even a Christmas toy, can become a magical amulet.

Take a silver New Year's ball, take out the cap for which it is hung on a Christmas tree, fill the space inside up to half with needles, and on top with dill seeds, they are believed to protect against black magic and drive away evil spirits.

Then close the hole again with the cap. This amulet can also not be hidden, but hung up for beauty. And no one will guess that the ball performs a protective function.

Photo by GettyImages

Amulet Boot

When you do a general cleaning at home and stumble upon an old shoe or boot, do not rush to throw it away. From unnecessary shoes you can make an excellent amulet for the house. Moreover, the more worn the shoe, the better, the main thing is that one of the family members wears it.

But for a complete victory over evil, one must also fill the shoe with sharp objects: needles, knives, old scissors, you can add forks and fragments from broken dishes. From above, for fidelity, you can sprinkle the “weapon” with dill seeds or dried dill, wormwood and other magical herbs.

It’s not worth flaunting this amulet, and they won’t understand, and in secret the battle with evil will be more successful. If you live in a private house, it is better to put the amulet in the attic, and in a city apartment - just in a secluded place, for example, on the mezzanine.

Bast shoes

In the old days, they knew: bast shoes can not only be worn, but also used as a home amulet that will help avoid conflicts, protect against betrayal, divorce and help achieve success in business.

Everything is very simple: you need to buy decorative bast shoes, tie them together with a red thread or a red ribbon, put a clove of garlic and a piece of breadcrumbs inside each bast shoes, sprinkle with a pinch of salt. You can hang it either above the door so that all the negativity that guests can bring remains outside the threshold, or near the door or window in the kitchen.

Photo by GettyImages

Bereginya

A multifunctional amulet in the form of a doll was very popular in Rus'. It protects from damage and the evil eye, drives away evil spirits from the house, lures good luck, prosperity and prosperity. It also brings harmony to family life. In general, she protects the household as best she can, which is why she is called Bereginya.

Bereginya must be made with your own hands, and preferably for all women in the house, then her energy will be stronger. For manufacturing, shreds from old clothes, bed linen, scarves are suitable. A base body is formed from rags, on which the head, waist, arms are formed with a thread, and the chest is made with cotton wool. They put on a shirt, a skirt, an apron, a scarf on the head. It’s just that you definitely don’t need to draw Beregina’s face, she must be faceless so that an evil spirit does not inhabit her.

When making a doll, it is better to think about the good, wish good to your loved ones, your thoughts will fill the amulet with protective energy. Such dolls were always inherited, and they served the whole family.

Autumn is a wonderful time, despite cold snaps, periodic rains and fallen leaves, it is filled with bright colors, a harvest of delicious fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and some kind of special atmosphere of its own.

And in order to recreate this atmosphere of comfort and warmth in our apartment, my sister and I went to the forest last weekend in search of materials for creativity. We returned with a basket of cones, acorns and a bouquet of autumn leaves and mountain ash. Our efforts paid off with a vengeance, because in the end we created two decorative wreaths that adorned the entrance doors in the hallway and living room.

Wreath made of natural material

Beautiful autumn wreath can be done in just a couple of hours. What is not a good way to entertain yourself on a gloomy autumn evening? Moreover, as a result, you will get a stylish decoration for the front door, mantel, console in the hallway or dining table.

And this decoration has a deep history and its own energy overtones. The word "wreath" comes from an old Slavic word meaning "gift". This wicker decoration made of natural materials in the form of a ring is designed not only to decorate, but also to protect warmth and peace in the house.

Editorial "So simple!" prepared for you 27 decorative wreath ideas from natural materials for spectacular home decoration and inspiration.

It is believed that the use of decorative wreaths to decorate the entrance to the house is a tradition that came from America. However, this piece of decor dates back to ancient times.
In ancient Rome, wreaths decorated the main gates of cities on holidays and during celebrations.
Autumn wreaths are most often made on the basis of ears of valuable and weed cereal crops. Can be made effective DIY autumn wreath from straw, ears of wheat and rye, oats and buckwheat.
Such a wreath will organically fit into the interior in country style, the main elements of which are lace, wickerwork, natural materials.
This option is for those who miss the sea on cloudy autumn days. Use those souvenirs that you brought back from your vacation and create a sea mood in your home.
As you can see, absolutely any materials are used to create a wreath. Even acorn caps and walnut shells.
I am delighted with this extraordinary idea using cuts of old branches and a burlap bow. Here it is - rustic style in its purest form!
And such decor from acorns can be done with children. I am sure that they will enjoy the whole process: from the collection of natural materials to the realization of the conceived idea.
This choice surprised me. Dried corn cobs - who would have thought! But it looks bright and unusual.
A minimalistic solution using acorn caps. Eh, there is something in this!
And here is the version that my sister and I created over the weekend, or rather, I myself. The sister decided to approach the process even more unconventionally.
This is a wreath created by my sister Ilona. That's what she needed peas for!
Who said that such an ornament must be in the form of a circle! A similar wreath can be made using natural lavender sprigs. This is a great solution for those who want their home to be fragrant with a pleasant lavender scent.
An interesting solution using cones.
I would never have thought that poppy heads as a wreath decoration can look so delicate and fabulous.
A wreath is a great decoration for any door, it can be hung both outside and inside the room. It will become a symbol of comfort and warmth in your home and will appeal to all guests and family.

Autumn fruits are very rich and varied. These are chestnuts, acorns, cones, viburnum twigs and bizarre seed boxes, as well as late apples, pumpkins, autumn flowers and outlandish leaves. They can be found in the forest, garden, in the garden, in every park or square. Therefore, we have prepared another amazing selection for you -. Just don't take your eyes off it!

A beautiful wreath made of natural materials is not just a spectacular decoration of a house, apartment or office. Such decor can also be made for a specific purpose: to improve the air in the room, to cleanse it of harmful substances.

In some cases wreath of autumn materials becomes an attribute of the festive surroundings.

Nastya practices yoga and loves traveling. Fashion, architecture and everything beautiful - that's what a girl's heart aspires to! Anastasia is engaged in interior design, and also makes unique decorations with a floral theme. Dreams of living in France, learning the language and keenly interested in the culture of this country. He believes that a person needs to learn something new all his life. Anastasia's favorite book is Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

You read the memoirs of the blockade survivors and understand that those people, with their heroic life, deserved free education in medicine, various circles, and free 6 acres and much more. deserved and by their own labor they built that life for themselves and for us.

And generations that have not seen such war and such a popular woe, they wanted chewing gum, rock and jeans, freedom of speech and sex. And already their descendants - lace panties, pederasty and "like in Europe."

Smorodina Lidia Mikhailovna/Siege of Leningrad. Memories

How did the war start for you?

I have a photograph taken on the first day of the war, my mother signed it (shows)

I finished school, we were going to the dacha and went to Nevsky to be photographed, they bought me a new dress.

We were driving back and could not understand - crowds of people were standing at the loudspeakers, something had happened.

And when they entered the yard, they were already taking men liable for military service into the army. At 12 o'clock Moscow time, they announced, and the mobilization of the first draft has already begun.

Even before September 8 (the date of the beginning of the blockade of Leningrad), it became very alarming, training alarms were announced from time to time, it became worse with food.

I immediately noticed this, because in the family of children I was the eldest, my sister was not yet six years old, my brother was four years old, and the youngest was only a year old. I already went to the line for bread, I was thirteen and a half years old in forty-one.

The first wild bombing was on September 8 at 16:55, bombed mainly with incendiary bombs. We went around all the apartments, all adults and teenagers (they write that from the age of sixteen, but in fact even twelve years old) were forced to go out into the yard to the sheds, to the attic, to the roof.

Sand had already been prepared in boxes by this time, water. Water, of course, was not needed, because in the water these bombs hissed and did not go out.

We had partitions in the attic, everyone had their own small attic, so in June-July all these partitions were broken, for fire safety.

And in the yard there were woodsheds, and all the sheds had to be broken down and firewood taken to the basement, if anyone had firewood there.

Then they began to prepare bomb shelters. That is, even before the complete closure of the blockade, there was a very good organization of defense, vigils were established, because at first the planes dropped leaflets and the scouts were in Leningrad.

My mother handed over one to a policeman, I don't know for what reason; she studied at a German school, and something in that man seemed suspicious to her.

It was broadcast on the radio so that people were more careful, a certain number of paratroopers were dropped or they crossed the front line in the Pulkovo Heights area, for example, it was possible to do it there, trams reached there, and the Germans were already standing at the very heights, they approached very quickly.

I have a lot of impressions from the beginning of the blockade, I will probably die - I will not forget all this horror, all this was imprinted in my memory - like snow on my head, they say, and here - bombs on my head.

Literally within two weeks or a month, refugees were going through Leningrad, it was terrible to look at.

Carts loaded with belongings were driving, children were sitting, women were holding on to the carts. They passed very quickly somewhere to the east, they were accompanied by soldiers, but rarely, not that they were under escort. We, teenagers, stood at the gate and watched, it was curious, we felt sorry for them and scared.

We, Leningraders, were very conscious and prepared, we knew that very unpleasant things could touch us, and therefore everyone worked, no one ever refused any work; they came, they talked, and we went and did everything.

Later it began to snow, they cleaned the paths from the entrances and there was no such disgrace as now. This went on all winter: they went out and who could, as much as they could, but they cleared some path to the gate in order to get out.

Have you ever participated in the construction of fortifications around the city?

No, it's just older. We were driven out on duty at the gate, we threw lighters from the roof.

The most terrible thing began after September 8, because there were a lot of fires. (Checks with the book) For example, 6327 incendiary bombs were dropped on the Moscow, Krasnogvardeisky and Smolninsky districts in one day.

At night, I remember, we were on duty on the roof and from our Oktyabrsky district, from Sadovaya Street, the glow of fires was visible. The company climbed into the attic and watched how the Badaevsky warehouses burned, it was clear. Will you forget this?

They immediately reduced the rations, because these were the main warehouses, right on the ninth or tenth, and from the twelfth already the workers received 300 grams, children 300 grams, and dependents 250 grams, this was the second reduction, the cards had just been issued. Then the terrible bombing was the first high-explosive bombs.

On Nevsky the house collapsed, and here, in our area on Lermontovsky Prospekt, a six-story house collapsed to the ground, only one wall remained standing, covered with wallpaper, there was a table and some furniture in the corner.

Even then, in September, the famine began. Life was scary. My mother was a competent, energetic woman, and she realized that she was hungry, the family was big, and we were doing what we were doing. In the morning they left the children alone, and we took pillowcases, went beyond the Moscow Gates, there were cabbage fields. The cabbage had already been harvested, and we went around collecting the remaining leaves and stalks.

It was very cold in early October, and we went there until it was knee-deep in snow. Somewhere, my mother got a barrel, and we all these leaves, beetroot tops came across, folded and made such a sack, this sack saved us.

The third reduction in rations was on November 20: workers 250 grams, children, employees, dependents - 125 grams, and this was before the opening of the Road of Life, until February. Immediately then they added up to 400 grams of bread for workers, 300 grams for children and 250 grams for dependents.

Then the workers began to receive 500 grams each, employees 400 grams, children and dependents 300 grams, this is already February 11th. They began to evacuate then, they offered my mother to take us out too, they didn’t want to leave the children in the city, because they understood that the war would still last.

Mom had an official agenda, to pack things for three days of travel, no more. Cars drove up and took away, the Vorobyovs then left. On this day, we are sitting on knots, I have a backpack from a pillowcase, Sergey (younger brother) has just gone, and Tanya is a year old, she is in her arms, we are sitting in the kitchen and her mother suddenly says - Lida, undress, undress the guys, we will not go anywhere.

A car came, some man in a paramilitary uniform began to swear, how is it, you will ruin the children. And she told him - I will ruin the children on the road.

And she did the right thing, I think. She would have lost us all, two in her arms, and what am I? Faith is six years old.

Please tell us what moods were in the city during the first blockade winter.

Our radio broadcast: do not succumb to leaflet propaganda, do not read. There was such a blockade leaflet that stuck in my memory for the rest of my life, the text there was “Petersburg ladies, do not dig dimples”, this is about trenches, I don’t remember completely.

It's amazing how everyone got together back then. We have a small square yard - everyone was friends, went to work as needed and the mood was patriotic. Then even in schools we were taught to love the Motherland, to be patriots, even before the war.

Then a terrible famine began, because in the autumn and winter we had at least some grub, but there was nothing at all. Then came the heavy blockade weekdays.

During the bombing, pipes burst, the water was turned off everywhere, and all winter we went from Sadovaya to the Neva for water, with sleds, the sled turned over, returned or went home with tears, and carried buckets in our hands. We went with my mother.

We had a Fontanka near us, so on the radio they forbade taking water from there, because there are a lot of hospitals from which there is a drain. When it was possible, they climbed onto the roof to collect snow, this is all winter, and they tried to bring it from the Neva for drinking.

On the Neva it was like this: we walked through Theater Square, through Labor Square and there was a descent at the bridge of Lieutenant Schmidt. The descent, of course, is icy, because the water spills, it was necessary to climb.

And there is an ice hole, who supported her, I don’t know, we came without any tools, we could barely walk. During the bombing, all the windows flew out, they upholstered the windows with plywood, oilcloths, blankets, stuffed them with pillows.

Then severe frosts came in the winter of 1941-42, and we all moved to the kitchen, it had no windows and there was a large stove there, but there was nothing to heat it, we ran out of firewood, even though we had a barn and a pantry on the stairs full of firewood.

Khryapka is over - what to do? My father went to the dacha, which we rented in Kolomyagi. He knew that a cow was slaughtered there in the autumn, and the skin was hung in the attic, and he brought this skin, and it saved us.

Ate everything. The belts were cooked. There were soles - they were not boiled, because then there was nothing to walk in, but belts - yes. Good belts, soldiers, they are very tasty.

We burned that skin on the stove, cleaned and boiled it, soaked it in the evening and boiled jelly, my mother had a supply of bay leaves, put it there - it was delicious! But it was completely black, this jelly, because this is cow hair, coals remained from singeing.

From the very beginning, my father was near Leningrad, at the Pulkovo Heights at the headquarters, he was shell-shocked, he came to visit me and told me to tell my mother that the winter would be hard, that he would come back after the hospital in a couple of days.

He recently worked at a factory before the war, and he ordered us a potbelly stove and a stove there. She still stands in my garden. He brought it, and we cooked everything on this potbelly stove, it was our salvation, because people adapted anything for stoves - there were almost no metal barrels then, and they made everything out of everything.

After they began to bomb with high-explosive bombs, the sewage system stopped working, and it was necessary to take out a bucket every day. We lived in the kitchen then, pulled out the beds there and the little ones all the time sat in the bed against the wall, and my mother and I, willy-nilly, had to do everything, go out. The toilet was in the kitchen, in the corner.

There was no bathroom. There were no windows in the kitchen, so we moved there, and the lighting was from the hallway, there was a large window, the lantern was already lit in the evening. And our entire sewer pipe was filled with such red streaks of ice, sewage. In the spring, when the warming began, all this had to be cut off and carried out. This is how they lived.

This is the spring of '42. There was also a lot of snow, and there was such an order - the entire population from 16 to 60 years old to go out to clear the city of snow.

When we still went to the Neva for water and there were queues, even for bread on coupons there were queues, and it was very scary to walk, walked together, because the bread was pulled out of their hands and eaten right there. You go to the Neva for water - corpses are lying everywhere.

Here they began to take 17-year-old girls to the NPVO. A truck drove around everywhere, and the girls picked up these frozen corpses and brought them. Once, after the war, a newsreel flashed about such a place, it was on our McLean.

And in Kolomyagi it was on Akkuratov Street, near the psychiatric hospital of Stepan Skvortsov, and they were also stacked up to the very roof.

Before the war, we rented a dacha in Kolomyagi for two years, and the owner of this dacha, Aunt Liza Kayakina, sent her son with an offer to move there. He came on foot, through the whole city and we gathered on the same day.

He came with a big sled, we had two sleds, and we plunged in and drove off, it's about the beginning of March. Children on sleds and the three of us dragged these sleds, and also luggage, we had to take something. My father went to work somewhere, and my mother and I went to see him off.

Why? Cannibalism has begun.

And in Kolomyagi, I knew a family that did this, they were just pretty healthy, they were tried later, after the war.

Most of all, we were afraid of being eaten. Basically, they cut out the liver, because the rest is skin and bones, I myself saw everything with my own eyes. Aunt Lisa had a cow, and that's why she invited us: to save us and be safe, they already climbed up to it, dismantled the roof, they would have been killed, of course, because of this cow.

We arrived, the cow was hanging on ropes tied up to the ceiling. She still had some food left, and they began to milk the cow, she milked badly, because I was also hungry.

Aunt Liza sent me across the road to a neighbor, she had a son, they were very hungry, the boy no longer got out of bed, and I wore him a little, 100 grams of milk. In short, she ate her son. I came, I ask, and she says - he is gone, he is gone. Wherever he could go, he could no longer stand. I can smell the meat and the steam comes out.

In the spring, we went to the vegetable store and dug ditches, where before the war there was a burial place for spoiled food, potatoes, carrots.

The ground was still frozen, but it was already possible to dig out this rotten porridge, mostly potatoes, and when carrots came across, we thought that we were very lucky, because carrots smell better, potatoes are just rotten and that's it.

They began to eat this. Aunt Lisa had a lot of duranda in store for the cow since autumn, we mixed potatoes with it and also with bran, and it was a feast, pancakes, cakes were baked without oil, just on the stove.

There were many dystopias. I was not greedy before meals, but Vera, Sergey and Tatyana loved to eat and endured hunger much harder. Mom shared everything very accurately, the bread was cut into pieces by a centimeter. Spring has begun - everyone ate, and Tanya had dystrophy of the second degree, and Vera had the very last, third, and yellow spots on her body had already begun to appear.

This is how we overwintered, and in the spring we had a piece of land, what seeds were - we planted, in general, survived. We also had duranda, you know what it is? Grain waste compressed into circles, seed duranda is very tasty, like halva. We were given this piece by piece, like candy, to chew. It chewed for a long time.

42 - we ate everything: quinoa, plantain, what grass grew - we ate everything, and what we didn’t eat, we salted. We planted a lot of fodder beet, seeds were found. They ate it both raw and boiled, and with tops - in every way.

The tops all went into salting in a barrel, we did not distinguish where Aunt Lisa was, where ours was - everything was in common, that's how we lived. In the autumn I went to school, my mother said: hunger is not hunger, go study.

Even at school, at a big break, they gave vegetable burda and 50 grams of bread, it was called a bun, but now, of course, no one would call it that.

We learned hard the teachers were all exhausted to the limit and put marks: I went - they will put a three.

We, too, were all exhausted, we nod off during the lessons, there was no light either, so we read with oil lamps. Smokers were made from any small jars, they poured kerosene and lit the wick - she smokes. There was no electricity, and at the factories electricity was supplied at a certain time, by the hour, only to those areas where there was no way without current.

Back in the spring of 1942, they began to break down wooden houses in order to heat themselves, and in Kolomyagi we broke a lot. We were not touched because of the children, because there are so many children, and by autumn we moved to another house, one family left, evacuated, sold the house. This was done by the Air Defense Forces, demolition of houses, special teams, mostly women.

In the spring, we were told that we would not take exams, there were triples - we were transferred to the next class.

Classes ceased in April 43.

I had a friend in Kolomyagi, Lusya Smolina, she helped me get a job at a bakery. The work there is very hard, without electricity - everything is done by hand.

Electricity was supplied to bread ovens at a certain time, and everything else - kneading, cutting, molding - everything was done by hand, there were several people teenagers and they kneaded it with their hands, the ribs of the palms were all covered with corns.

Boilers with dough were also carried by hand, and they are heavy, I can’t say for sure now, but almost 500 kilograms.

I first went to work at night, the shifts were as follows: from 8 pm to 8 am, rest for a day, work the next shift a day from 8 am to 8 pm.

The first time I came from the shift - my mother dragged me home, I reached it, and fell near the fence, I don’t remember further, I woke up already in bed.

Then you pull in you get used to everything, Certainly, but I improved there to the point that I became a dystrophic. Inhale this air - and already the food does not climb.

It happened that the voltage would drop and inside the oven the hairpin on which the forms with bread stand did not spin, but it could burn out! And no one will look, electricity is there or what, will be given to the tribunal.

And what we did - there was a lever with a long handle near the stove, we hang 5-6 people on this lever so that the pin turns.

First I was a student, then an assistant. There, at the factory, I joined the Komsomol, the mood of the people was just right, all stick together.

Before the blockade was lifted, on December 3, there was a case - a shell hit a tram in the Vyborgsky district, 97 people were injured, in the morning, people were driving to the factory, and then almost the entire shift did not come to us.

I then worked on the night shift and we were gathered in the morning, they told everyone that they would not be released from the factory, we were all staying at our jobs, in the barracks. In the evening they were allowed to go home, because another shift came, they worked in an incomprehensible way, but you can't leave people without bread!

There were many military units around, I don’t know for sure, but, in my opinion, we supplied them too. So, they let us go home for less than a day to take a change of linen and return, and on December 12 we were transferred to the barracks.

I was there for 3 or 4 months, we slept on soldier's bunks with a jack, two work - two sleep. Even before all this, in the winter I went to an evening school at the Pediatric Institute, but all in fits and starts, my knowledge was very poor, and when I entered a technical school after the war, it was very difficult for me, there was no fundamental knowledge.

Please tell us about the mood in the city, whether there was a cultural life.

I know about Shostakovich's concerto in 1943. Then the Germans switched to massive shelling, since the fall, the Germans felt that they were losing, well, that's what we thought, of course.

We lived hungry, and after the war there was still hunger, and dystrophy was treated, and cards, all that. The people behaved very well, now people have become envious, unfriendly, we didn’t have that. And they shared - he himself is hungry, but you will give a piece.

I remember that I was walking with bread from work, meeting people - I didn’t know if it was a woman or a man, they dressed in such a way that it was warm. She looks at me I gave her a piece.

Not because I'm so good, everyone behaved like that for the most part. There were, of course, thieves and so on. It was deadly dangerous to go to the store, for example, they could attack and take away the cards.

Once the daughter of our administrative farm went - and the daughter disappeared, and the cards. All. They saw her in the store, that she went out with groceries - and no one knows where she went next.

They rummaged through the apartments, but what was there to take? No one has food, which is more valuable - they changed it for bread. Why are we still alive? Mom changed everything she had: jewelry, dresses, everything - for bread.

Please tell us how informed you were about the course of hostilities?

Transmitted constantly. Only the receivers were taken away from everyone, who had what - radiograms, everything was taken away. We had a plate in the kitchen, a radio. It did not always work, but only when something had to be transmitted, and there were loudspeakers on the streets.

There was a large loudspeaker on the Sennaya, for example, and they were mostly hung on the corners, the corner of Nevsky and Sadovaya, near the Public Library. Everyone believed in our victory, everything was done for victory and for the war.

In the autumn of 1943, in November-December, I was called to the personnel department and told that they were sending me to the front line with an propaganda team.

Our brigade consisted of 4 people - a party organizer and three Komsomol members, two girls approximately 18 years old, they were already masters with us, and I was 15 then, and they sent us to the front line to maintain the morale of the soldiers, to coastal artillery and there was still an anti-aircraft unit nearby.

They brought us in a truck under an awning, assigned us somewhere and we did not see each other. At first they said that for three days, but we lived there for either 8 or 9 days, I alone stayed there, lived in a dugout.

The first night in the commander's dugout, and after that the anti-aircraft gunners took me to their place. I saw how they point guns at the plane, they let me in everywhere, and it amazed me that they point up and look down at the tables.

The girls are young, 18-20 years old, not teenagers anymore. They fed well, barley and canned food, in the morning a piece of bread and tea, I came from there, and it seemed to me that I even got better in these eight days (laughs).

What was I doing? I walked around the dugouts, the girls in the dugouts could stand tall, and the peasants had low dugouts, you could only go in there half-bent and immediately sit on the bunk, on which the spruce forest was laid.

There were 10-15 people in each dugout. They are also on a rotational basis - someone is constantly near the gun, the rest are resting, on alarm, a general rise. Because of such alarms, we could not leave in any way - we bombed any moving target.

It was then that our artillery was doing a great job, preparations began to break through the blockade. Finland quieted down then, they reached their old borders and stopped, the only thing left on their side was the Mannerheim line.

There was another case when I worked at a bakery, before the new year 1944. Our director took out a barrel of soybean meal, or he was given more screenings separately.

They made a list at the factory, who has how many family members, there will be some kind of edible gift. I have four dependents and myself.

And just before the New Year, they gave out a rather large piece of gingerbread (shows the size of about an A4 sheet with his hands), probably 200 grams per person.

I still remember well how I carried it, I was supposed to have 6 servings, and they cut them off in one big piece, but I don’t have a bag, nothing. They put it on a cardboard box for me (I worked the day shift then), there was no paper, at school they wrote in books between the lines.

In general, wrapped in some kind of rag. I often rode on the tram bandwagon, but with this, how can you jump on the bandwagon? Went on foot 8 kilometers had to go. It's evening, winter, in the dark, through the Udelninsky park, and it's like a forest, and besides, the outskirts, there was a military unit, and there was talk that they used the girls. Anyone could do anything.

And all this time she carried the gingerbread on her hand, she was afraid to fall, there was snow all around, everything was covered. When we left home, we knew each time that we would leave and might not return, but the kids did not understand this.

Once I went to the other end of the city, to the harbor and walked back and forth all night, there was such a terrible shelling, lights flickered, shell routes, fragments whistle all around.

So, I came into the house with a gingerbread, everyone was hungry, and when they saw her, there was such joy! Of course, they were stunned, and it was a New Year's feast for us.

You left for Kolomyagi in the spring of 1942. When did you return back to the city apartment?

I returned alone in 1945, and they stayed there to live, because they started a small garden there, the city was still hungry. And I entered the academy, I had to take courses, I had to study, and it was difficult for me to travel to Kolomyagi and back, I moved to the city. Our windows were glazed, and a woman with two children from a bombed-out house was placed in our apartment.

Tell us how the city came to its senses after the breakthrough and lifting of the blockade.

They just worked. Everyone who could work. There was an order to rebuild the city. But the return of the monuments and their release from disguise was carried out much later. Then they began to curtain the bombed-out houses with camouflage in order to create the appearance of a city, to cover up the ruins.

At sixteen you are already an adult, working or studying, so everyone worked, well, except for the sick. After all, I went to the factory because of a work card to help, earn money, but no one will give food for free, and in my family I did not eat bread.

How improved was the supply of the city after the lifting of the blockade?

The cards have not gone away, even after the war they were. But such as in the first blockade winter, when they gave 125 grams of millet per decade (in the text - 12.5 grams per decade. I hope that there is a typo in it, but I have no way to check now. - Note. ss69100.) - this has not happened for a long time. They also gave us lentils from military stocks.

How quickly was transport communication restored in the city?

By today's standards, when everything is automated - so very quickly, because everything was done by hand, the same tram lines were repaired by hand.

For us, there was great rejoicing back in 1944, in January, when the blockade was lifted. I worked the night shift, someone heard something and came, told me - it was jubilation! We did not begin to live better, the hunger was the same until the very end of the war, and after that we were still hungry, but a breakthrough! We walked down the street and said to each other - do you know that the blockade was lifted?! Everyone was very happy, although little has changed.

On February 11, 1944, I received the medal "For the Defense of Leningrad". It was given to very few people then, they had just begun to give this medal.

On May 9, 1945, a celebration, concerts were spontaneously organized on Palace Square, accordionists performed. People sang, recited poetry, rejoiced and no drinking, fighting, nothing like that, not like now.

Interview and literary processing: A.Orlova