In January 1867, a law was passed “prohibiting the hunting of bears for the amusement of the people”. That is, there was a problem - there were a lot of bears on the streets. Foreigners even began to chat about them, forming a stereotype.>
Against the bears in the streets
Before, bears really walked the streets of Russia. And they didn't just walk. They also danced, took part in theatrical performances and even sang. There were, of course, attacks on people, but the bears were far from mass terror. They fought with bears in the city several times. So, in 1648, a royal decree was issued banning bear fun. Then the church also played its role: the protopope Avvakum was the opponent of the "bear dances". Then Avvakum himself was "banned", and the bears, apparently, continued to dance.
By the way, the myth about bears that walk the streets of Russian cities "on the tail" was brought to Europe by the French who fled from the Russian army.
Needless to say, the law of 1867 did not work quite convincingly: until the 20s of the twentieth century, bear fun was carried out with enviable regularity.
Against fist fights
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There was no combat system similar to the combat systems of the East in Russia, but at the same time we somehow won wars and did not give ourselves offense. It's all about fistfights. The first mentions of them were made by the chronicler Nestor in 1048. The most revered type of combat was "one-on-one" or "one-on-one." It resembled old boxing with bare hands in England. Fights "on his own" sometimes even served to confirm the correctness of the defendant in a court case. This way of proving one's case was called "field".
In 1274, Metropolitan Kirill, having assembled a cathedral in Vladimir, decreed, among other rules: "to excommunicate those participating in fistfights and stakes battles from the church, and not to have the funeral service for those killed." By this rule, one can understand: there were also killed, but the fighting continued. They were desperately banned by Mikhail Fedorovich, Elizaveta Petrovna, Alexander I. They were loved by Peter I and Catherine II. Grigory Orlov was a good "fist" and organized fights himself. Foreigners have always known that a Russian is not afraid of a fight. And what else could be expected when you see a wall-to-wall fight on a city street.
Against beards
In Russia, men were not greeted by their clothes, but by their beards. Its density and salinity. The dense vegetation was considered the external reflection of the good breed of man, and his masculine strength. People with poorly growing beards were considered almost degenerate. The beardless, as a rule, remained in mares. In the 19th century, the beard was perceived as a sign of freethinking. Beards did not arouse suspicion among priests, Old Believers, merchants. Raznochintsy who let go of beards were regarded as a potentially dangerous, unreliable element. During the Soviet era, the beard was an attribute of a wealthy peasant, priest or academic scholar, and later also of admirers of suspicious intellectuals like Hemingway or the informal Vysotsky. They banned beards several times, from Vasily III to Peter, from False Dmitry to Stalin,but in the mind of a foreigner, the Russian man continued to be bearded.
Against the mash
The myth of Russian drunkenness will have a right to exist as long as adults in the streets whip "Yaga" at the bench. Now the version is being developed that drunkenness in Russia appeared only at the beginning of the twentieth century, but it is obvious that this is not so. There was drunkenness before, only there was a different attitude towards it. Prince Vladimir also accepted Christianity partly due to the fact that "Russia is the merriment of drinking, we cannot be without it."
The attitude to drunkenness in Russia was disrespectful for one obvious reason: the drinking person eventually became a dependent and an extra mouth in the house. To keep working and constantly drink - this is not given to everyone, therefore drunkards, unsuitable for peasant labor, found themselves outside the line of public respect. The people did not forget to "troll" the drunkards with the works of laughter culture. Such as "Service to the tavern" and "The Tale of the hawk maker", the song "The disobedient fellow" and "The tale of misfortune" … In the 15th century, the "Word about the highly intelligent hop and the insane drunkards" gained special fame in Russia."
The "dry law" of 1914 was announced due to Russia's participation in the First World War. In 1985 - due to "perestroika". Both the first and the second were exited as a result of collusion.
Vladimir Dal wrote down the people's "measure"
- The first cup to drink is good to be, the second to drink is to amuse the mind, to triple - to arrange the mind, the fourth to drink is not skillful to be, the fifth to drink is to be drunk, the sixth charm - the thought will be different, the seventh to drink - I will be mad, to the eighth to braid - I have no hands to take away, to start the ninth - you can't get up from your place, and to drink ten glasses - they will inevitably enrage.
Against the family
There were many interesting laws and decrees in the early years of Soviet power. Thus, it was decided to start the construction of the “new world” with a deadly sin. The Bolsheviks issued a document called "Decree of the Saratov Provincial Council of People's Commissars on the abolition of private ownership of women."
It proclaimed that the family is a relic of the past and that all women between the ages of 17 and 30 now belong to the entire working people. Men are allowed to "use women no more than four times a week." Some newspapers of that time even reprinted the decree, taking it seriously, but later it turned out that in fact the decree had no effect. Question: did all the newspapers publish a refutation in the next issue?
Against balalaika
Now it seems incredible, but there were years when musical instruments and folk art were banned in Russia. The provocateurs of the publication of these laws were buffoons, but everyone could get it. The selected balalaikas were taken out of town and burned. Nevertheless, in American films, Russian every other time with a balalaika, which suggests that the struggle between Alexei Mikhailovich and Nikon did not bring lasting results. The balalaika got its rebirth in the middle of the 19th century - Vasily Andreev, a nobleman and gifted musician, made the balalaika fashionable again.
Against swearing
To say "as is" is a distinctive feature of a Russian person. Every Russian person knows how to wrap up the fifth number. It's another matter that not all of them show it. So, against those who show it publicly, Russia has its own law, because it is bad to speak obscenely. You cannot allow yourself to sink. Especially if two drunken bearded bears are fighting on their fists nearby.