31 facts about the life and life of Russian people of the 18th century from the first book of a Japanese about our country. For ten years the Japanese captain Daikokuya Kodayu lived in Russia and wrote down everything he saw and heard: from the appearance of people to the rules for the castration of animals.
On the basis of these notes, the Japanese scientist Hoshu Katsuragawa wrote a book "Brief Information about the Northern Territories" ("Hokusa Bunryaku"), in which he described in great detail and meticulously the life of the Russian people and the appearance of the country as a whole.
1. There are 31 letters in the Russian alphabet, all letters have a sound, but have no meaning. Connected together, several letters form one word, and only then does the meaning appear.
2. In Russia, the production of five grain crops is very insignificant, so all salaries are paid in cash.
3. Churches are much taller than the houses of ordinary people, and are built in such a way that they gradually taper upwards. The roofs are round, like an inverted pot, with a brass-covered cross in the center. The main building of the temple and the bell tower are the same. There are many round holes around the roof for pigeons.
4. Russians have blue eyes, very large noses, and brown hair. Russian hair grows from the day of birth, so it is very thin and soft. Both noble and ordinary people shave their beards, only among the peasants can you find people with beards.
5. The inhabitants of Siberia have black hair and eyes. Men dress generally like the Dutch.
6. Women all dress in German style. They consider beautiful women with ruddy faces.
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View of Red Square, 1795. Hilferding, painted engraving.
7. All over the country in the summer they go to bed from 8 to 10 pm, and get up from 3 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours 30 minutes in the morning.
In winter, they go to bed from 9 to 11 pm, and get up from 12 hours to 2:40 pm. This is because the day at this time is very short and the night is very long.
8. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, and not only there, but throughout the country, the old Russian language is not used, and is often mixed with French and German. The etiquette is entirely based on French rules.
9. Since the country is located close to the north, it is very cold everywhere. Snow usually falls from the end of September and lasts until April-May.
10. It is especially cold in Yakutsk and St. Petersburg, because they are located closer to the north. Often there is such a frost that ears and noses fall off, and sometimes even remain without arms and legs.
11. In summer there is no particular heat, even in woolen clothes without lining it is usually not hot. In such a cold country, of course, five cereals do not grow. Only buckwheat, tobacco, cucumbers, watermelons, beans, radishes, carrots, turnips and lettuce are sown. Rice is brought from Turkey, so rice is very expensive there.
12. Officials attach a flower woven of silk to a hat: military - white flower, civilians - black.
The old building of Moscow State University, view from the Kremlin across the Neglinnaya River, 1795. Hilferding, painted engraving.
13. Both men and women, after having done their hair, sprinkle it with powder, and the hair becomes like gray. People of the lower classes use potato powder for this.
14. Both men and women ride horses, but women, sitting in the saddle, bend one leg and put it on top of the saddle, and hang the other. However, women of the lower class ride in the same way as men, riding.
15. Babies lie in hanging boxes, where a woolen mattress, stuffed with bird down, is laid. When the baby cries, the box is shaken.
16. All - both noble and simple - one husband has one wife, concubines do not have.
17. Foreigners are allowed to marry Russians, but for this they must accept the Russian faith and change their first and last name. Otherwise, marriage is not permitted.
18. When a child is born, all relatives come to inquire about his health and bring money. A richer person is chosen from relatives and friends, and he gives the newborn a name as the intended father.
View across the Dnieper to the Frolovskie Gates of Smolensk in 1787.
19. Medicine is not divided into therapy and surgery: one person deals with the treatment of eye, dental, women's and children's diseases. In addition, there are pharmacists who are called pharmacists and run pharmacies.
20. In the capital, the families of officials and the rich are sure to keep blacks, sometimes three or four people, and sometimes seven or eight. It also happens that they give birth to black men and women so that they have children. Their faces are black as black lacquer, their noses are wide, their lips are inverted and very red, only the soles of their feet are white.
21. About five versts from Petersburg there is a large island, where foreign merchant ships are constantly flowing in a continuous stream. This explains why, although almost nothing is produced in Russia, everything is completely satisfied with the products of other countries.
22. The author translates the Russian words “vodka”, “wine”, “beer” in a descriptive way in his dictionary: his vodka is “good sake”, wine is “bad sake”, beer is “muddy sake”.
23. The order of meals on ordinary days is as follows: first they eat ham with bread, then chicken soup, then beef, then fish broth, after which round dough balls filled with milk.
Following this, fried goose is served, and in conclusion they eat thin porridge. Finally, they serve sweets, then wash their hands, rinse their mouths, drink coffee, smoke and get up from the table. After dinner, both noble and common people go to sleep for an hour.
24. A lot of sugar and butter are added to the food. Before cooking, fish and poultry are stuffed with grapes, white plums, oranges covered with sugar, as well as rice or cereals.
Veliky Novgorod in the 1780s. Balthazar Travers.
25. For common people, dinner consists of one dish - meat or fish and bread. Radish is eaten raw, sprinkled with salt. The dishes are made of pewter or wooden bowls, and the spoons are made of copper or wood. Beef is an everyday food at the top and bottom.
26. Women's roles in theaters are played by real women, as a result of which sometimes there are cases of debauchery in the theater.
27. There are three brothels in St. Petersburg and three on Vasilievsky Island. In addition, there are also secret lairs of individual prostitutes in various places. The rules are very strict there, and if such an illegal prostitute is found, not only her, but also her guest is punished.
28. In Russia, neither New Year nor five seasonal holidays are celebrated at all, and the Empress's birthday is considered a joyful holiday, which is celebrated throughout the country by both noble and ordinary people. The birthdays of the heir to the throne and the grandchildren of the empress are celebrated in the same way.
29. In Russia, many domestic animals are castrated. Thanks to this, they get fat well and the color of their coat becomes more beautiful.
30. Petersburg is the new capital of Russia; it was built in the highest degree beautifully. The houses are all brick, four to five stories high. The dwellings of ordinary residents do not differ much from the houses of government officials.
31. Russians are tall, large, with the correct posture, distinguished by a respectful and peaceful character, but at the same time they are brave, decisive and do not stop at anything. They do not like idleness and idleness.