Residents of Orel taught guests of the RUSSIA EXPO how to make talismans for travelers and Chernysheno toys

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The masterclass on making the Podorozhnitsa doll at VDNH was conducted by Irina Ulakina, Director of the Novosil District Local Lore Museum.

Novosil is one of the oldest cities in Russia. Known since 1155, it was the capital of the principality and the center of the Novosilsky district. Now it is part of the tourist route of the Orel region called the "Turquoise Ring." As local residents assure, the Podorozhnitsa talisman doll will attract luck and travel happiness. It has long helped travelers, merchants, and wanderers.

Irina Ulakina told visitors to the Orel pavilion at VDNH about the materials traditionally used by our great-grandmothers to make talismans, the role of dolls in children's upbringing, and revealed the secrets of craftsmanship, tricks, and techniques used by craftsmen in ancient times.

Also, guests of the Orel pavilion at the RUSSIA EXPO learned the art of making Chernysheno toys.

A masterclass for all comers at VDNH was conducted by Natalia Chibisova, a teacher at the Novosil Children's Art School.

The Chernysheno toy is a Russian folk craft that originated in the village of Chernysheno in the Novosilsky district of the Orel region. It has long been famous for its toy makers from serfs. The first samples of toys found in this area by archaeologists date back to the XVI-XVII centuries.

The Chernysheno toy is characterized by a simple plot, uncomplicated painting. The subjects of the Chernysheno toy are traditional: a barynya doll, a feeder, a horse without a rider, a horse with a rider, a three-headed horse "troika" with a rider, a ram, birds.

Chernysheno's barynyas are especially good. The Chernysheno doll has a large chest, a lively posture, it seems to be walking briskly in place. Craftswomen created an image of a cuckoo, which is closely related to the customs and beliefs of our distant ancestors. The skill of making toys was passed down from generation to generation along the female line.

It is worth noting that there are no images of domestic birds in this craft. The craftsmen called the birds "cuckoos," for which they were nicknamed "teteroshniks" by the people. This bird was perceived as a heavenly deity capable of knowing the fate of a person. To this day, the tradition has survived, when hearing the cuckoo in the forest, one should ask: "Cuckoo, cuckoo, how long should I live?". The painting of the toys resembles the plumage of this bird, alternating stripes also decorate horse-whistles and dolls.

Participants of the masterclass learned not only to paint Chernysheno cuckoos but also to play simple melodies. In addition, guests of the RUSSIA EXPO received prizes by answering questions about traditional folk crafts and crafts of the Orel region.

A thematic quiz "Kladenets" in the Orel pavilion at VDNH was conducted by a social entrepreneur, the founder of the brand "Salute - Souvenirs from Orel", co-organizer of the art fair "Kladenets" Darya Zotova. The quiz was dedicated to traditional folk crafts and crafts of the Orel region.