Unique Museum Complex "Belarusian Farmstead" Opened in Omsk Region, Russia

The Belarusian farmstead looks impressive, writes Rossiyskaya Gazeta. It is a complex spanning over 800 square meters. It includes a two-story granary, a pasture, a threshing floor. And a crane well with a six-meter pole.

At the center of the farmstead is a miller's house with a kitchen, a bright room (svyatlitsa), high windows, and a beautiful whitewashed stove.

The main wave of Belarusian settlers to Bolshereschye during the reform is dated to 1898. Peasants embarked on a long journey to the ends of the earth due to land scarcity. Large families needed to be fed, and in Siberia, fertile land was abundant. The taiga was renowned for its wealth of animals, birds, fish, mushrooms, nuts, and berries. And Belarusians were always skilled, as the saying goes.

A good incentive for the move was the Stolypin reform, which supported settlers financially with roubles. And Belarusians favored the northern territories of the Omsk region.

The settlers' houses looked modest and uniform: a stove, sleeping platforms (polati), a table, wooden benches, icons in the sacred corner (pokuts), beds covered with patchwork quilts. Geraniums on the window. Hearty and nutritious food was cooked for a long time in cast iron pots. Doors without latches. And the residents of Bolshereschye tried to recreate the modern Belarusian farmstead in the same spirit.

According to museum specialist Aksana Krynin, the house and other buildings were constructed from good quality red timber. The logs, as appropriate, were allowed to settle for two years, and only then did construction begin. A fence was built tightly from half-logs. Local residents, who managed to preserve the valuable heritage of their distant ancestors, helped collect the items.

Павялічыць

One of the first donors was Olga Rein, a descendant of the settlers, who handed over family relics to the museum's collection. "My grandmother wove this carpet with a special needle. Such a housewarming gift was considered the most valuable. And how many embroidered towels like these she gifted to her children and grandchildren, it's impossible to count now. Here is the gas lamp that lit the house. There was no electricity back then. Here is a basket woven by my grandfather's hands," says Olga Borisovna.

The housewarming gathered a huge number of guests in Bolshereschye. A priest consecrated the house. Young hosts in national costumes greeted fellow villagers and tourists who came to the celebration at the gates.

Павялічыць

Historically, the tradition involved gifts: someone would bring a chicken, someone a pie or a karavai (traditional bread), someone an embroidered towel.

The hosts, as is customary, set a lavish table with treats: bliny (pancakes), sausages, bread with peasant butter, pieces of salo (cured pork fat) six centimeters thick. Draniki (potato pancakes) sizzle in the pan. The hostess takes fragrant cucumbers, grown in the garden next to the house, directly from the tub.

Carefully tended beds with carrots, onions, tomatoes, yellow sunflowers along the fence — everything looks just as it did a hundred years ago. In the granary, there are bundles of flax, scutching combs, and flax breakers. In the baskets, a harvest of apples. Belarusians were capable homesteaders. And they knew how to do everything.

Evidence of this is not only the solid buildings but also the blacksmith and pottery products presented in the exhibition. A life-sized straw cart. Human-sized dolls in embroidered national costumes, souvenir toys. Guests can also learn all this from Belarusian masters during master classes.

While creating the national costumes, specialists of "Siberian Antiquity" encountered an interesting peculiarity. "Belarusians, Russians, and Ukrainians have lived in Bolshereschye for a long time. Over many years of good neighborliness, everything became intertwined. A common Slavic culture emerged. And therefore, distinguishing national characteristics was not easy at all," admitted Aksana Krynin.

Павялічыць

Belarusians also knew how to have fun. And now, the table gatherings are replaced by a lively celebration — with songs, dances, and chastushki (folk couplets).

According to the creators of the "Belarusian Farmstead," the project will develop. There are plans to build another object. After all, what kind of miller is it without a real mill?

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