Fist fight on Maslenitsa. Wide Maslenitsa: wall-to-wall fighting and other folk fun in paintings by Russian artists Fist fight on Maslenitsa

Celebration of Maslenitsa by Rusichs

Maslenitsa celebrations will continue in 2020
from February 24 to March 1

Maslenitsa (Maslenka) is a holiday of farewell to winter, the eighth week before Easter. It took place before Lent, during the raw week of the Orthodox calendar, and ended with Forgiveness Sunday.

Content:
history of the holiday
Details of Maslenitsa celebration:
Monday - meeting
Tuesday - flirt
Wednesday is a gourmet
Thursday - turning point
Friday - Mother-in-law's party
Saturday - sister-in-law's get-togethers
Sunday - kissing day (farewell to Maslenitsa)
Skiing from the mountains
Sledging
Fist fights

history of the holiday

According to the canons of the Orthodox Church, the raw week was intended to prepare believers for fasting, when each of them was supposed to be imbued with a mood corresponding to the coming time of bodily abstinence and intense spiritual reflection.

In traditional Russian life, this week has become the brightest holiday filled with the joy of life. Maslenitsa was called honest, wide, drunken, gluttonous, ruinous.

They said that she “sang and danced, ate and drank for a whole week, visited each other, rolled in pancakes, bathed in oil.” Maslenitsa was celebrated throughout Russia, both in villages and cities. Its celebration was considered obligatory for all Russian people: “Even if you pledge yourself, celebrate Maslenitsa.”

Celebration of Maslenitsa

Treating, skiing from the mountains with the whole village. In villages, all residents took part in it, regardless of age and social status, with the exception of the sick and infirm. Failure to participate in Maslenitsa fun could lead, according to legend, to “life in bitter misfortune.”

The festivities began with a Maslenitsa meeting on the Sunday before Shrovetide week. However, this ritual was not widespread. Where he was famous, Maslenitsa was celebrated with pancakes, which were laid out on elevated places with calls: “Come to visit me, Maslenitsa, in the wide yard: ride in the mountains, roll in the pancakes, amuse your heart!”, as well as singing songs : Annual Maslenitsa, Our dear guest!

She doesn’t come to us on foot, everything comes on horseback. She has black horses and young servants. The first three days of Shrovetide week were preparing for the holiday: they brought firewood for Maslenitsa bonfires and cleaned the huts. The main festivities took place on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday - the days of Maslenitsa. All Maslenitsa entertainment usually took place on the street.

Maslenitsa was celebrated with pancakes

People entered the houses only to warm up a little if it was frosty, and to treat themselves to festive dishes. Smartly dressed people - girls, boys, couples, children, old men and women - all poured out into the street, took part in the festive festivities, congratulated each other, went to the fair, where they bought necessary and unnecessary things, were amazed at the miracles that were shown in booths - mobile theaters, enjoyed puppet shows and “bear fun” - performances by the leader with the bear.

The Maslenitsa complex included such entertainment as mountain skiing, sleigh rides, various rituals honoring the newlyweds, fist fights, processions of mummers (see Mummering), war games, such as “Taking the Snow Town,” etc. Characteristic feature Maslenitsa was the consumption of large quantities fatty foods, as well as intoxicating drinks.

For drinks they preferred beer, and for food - sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese, eggs, all kinds of flour products: pancakes, cheesecakes, yarn, brushwood, flatbreads. The predominance of dairy foods was determined by the church ban on eating meat in the week preceding Lent.

During Maslenitsa, many songs, jokes, and sentences were heard, most of which had no ritual significance, these were cheerful songs dedicated to Maslenitsa and the Maslenitsa festivities:

Oh you, dear oiler, dear, cherished, dear. She came to visit us, she came, she cherished, she came. Yes, I brought cheese and butter, I brought it, I brought it, I brought it. And we rolled the oil can, rolled, rolled, rolled. We rode on a little black horse, We rode, we rode, we rode.

We said goodbye to Maslenitsa on Sunday (see Farewell to Maslenitsa). On this day, bonfires were burned in the northern and central regions of European Russia, and in the southern regions, a straw effigy of Maslenitsa was buried.

Maslenitsa is a complex and ambiguous phenomenon. This holiday goes back to the spring agrarian rituals of the pre-Christian era of life of the Slavs, when Maslenitsa was timed to coincide with the vernal equinox - the line separating winter from spring.

Ritual actions were aimed at ensuring that the hardships of winter would end and spring would come, followed by a warm summer with abundant bread. In the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the celebration of Maslenitsa, elements of an entertaining nature came to the fore.

Monday - meeting

The first day was called Pure Maslenitsa - wide noblewoman. On Monday, Maslenitsa and Maslenika, made of straw and dressed in dresses corresponding to their gender - women's and men's, were carried on sleighs throughout the area, and then sat on the highest place with songs and dances.

Initially, the “meeting” took place in the way that was later sung only in songs - “pouring the slides with oil”, “strewing with cheese”. The reason for such a solemn meeting is that this couple is the divine bride and groom. Before us ancient ritual arrived in a greatly reduced form. It was reduced by one unit - men's, leaving only Maslenitsa.

Over time, her name was lost and was restored only through long studies of all kinds of linguistic and ethnic subtleties. The prototype of Maslenitsa was none other than the Snow Maiden in all her forms and with all her qualities - the deity that takes and gives life, according to pagan myths. Next to her was the Oil Can, whose prototype was the thunder god from the same rituals and myths.

Tuesday - flirt

At dawn, the effigy of Maslenitsa was taken to a central place, round dances and riotous fun were held around it, then the young people rode down the mountains and on the swings, and the older ones had fun at the table. Performances were led by Petrushka and Maslenitsa grandfather. On the streets there were large groups of masked mummers, driving around familiar houses, where cheerful home concerts were held impromptu.

Wednesday is a gourmet

On this day you need to eat as much as your soul accepts, hence the saying “It’s not life, but Maslenitsa.” Fairs were held everywhere, and folk festivals took place. Wednesday opened the feast of pancakes and other dishes in all houses. Each family set tables with all kinds of treats.

Thursday - turning point

The name speaks for itself: sleigh rides through the streets, fist fights, all kinds of rituals. One of the favorite pastimes was setting fire to cart wheels and driving the set fire cart along the streets, slopes, and slopes of ravines. A peasant joker was driven along the street on a specially made sleigh with the same burning wheel, and behind him walked the walking people with songs and jokes.

An obligatory attribute of Maslenitsa was a bear - a living, chained, or costumed person. Fighting a bear was a frequent pastime for Russian people. Children, also dressed up as animals, walked around the courtyards and caroled, collecting treats for the festive evening.

Friday - Mother-in-law's party

A whole series of Maslenitsa customs were aimed at speeding up weddings and helping young people find a partner. On this day, the newlyweds themselves rode out dressed up in painted sleighs and paid visits to everyone who walked at their wedding.

However, the most important event associated with the newlyweds was the visit of the mother-in-law to her sons-in-law, for whom she baked pancakes and arranged a real feast. The son-in-law's disrespect for this event was considered dishonor and insult, and was the reason for eternal enmity between him and his mother-in-law.

Saturday - sister-in-law's get-togethers

This day was always considered a family day. At sister-in-law's gatherings, the newlywed daughter-in-law had to present her sisters-in-law with gifts. On this Saturday, young daughters-in-law received their relatives.

Sunday - kissing day (farewell to Maslenitsa)

Burning of Maslenitsa

The last day is the most fun and riotous, despite the fact that it was called “Forgiveness Day.” People walked from yard to yard, asking each other for forgiveness. If during the year the Russians offended each other in some way, then when they met on “Forgiveness Sunday,” they would certainly greet each other with a kiss, and one of them would say: “Forgive me, perhaps.”

The second one answered: “God will forgive you.” Everyone treated and treated themselves, had fun and fought, immediately made peace and fought again. On this day, people dressed up in the skins of goats and rams, wolves and bears, thereby depicting evil spirits.

The people, waving sticks and shouting all sorts of insults and curses, took them, along with the effigy of Maslenitsa, outside the village, where the beating of evil spirits was depicted, and the straw Maslenitsa was burned. The ashes left over from the “winter mistress” were scattered over the fields as a sign of the future harvest.

For children, “larks” and “waders” were baked from the dough. Children with “birds” in their hands climbed onto the roofs of houses and barns, inviting a warm and early spring. Maslenitsa was also called Cheese Week and was the last week before Lent.

Skiing from the mountains

Skiing from the mountains - winter fun children and single youth. Skating of young people from the ice mountains was one of the main entertainments of Maslenitsa week. “We ride in the mountains, we overeat on pancakes,” was sung in an old Maslenitsa song.

For skiing, natural mountains or specially made ones made of wood were filled with water. The ice slope turned into a long ice path, often descending to a river or lake. They tried to decorate the roller coasters: they placed Christmas trees next to them, hung lanterns, etc.

Towards evening, all the village youth gathered around the hill. For skating they used sleds, matting, skins, skates, ice boats - round flattened baskets frozen at the bottom, rollers - wide hollowed out boards, korezhki - wooden troughs that resembled dugout boats, short benches turned upside down with their legs. Children sat on the sleds in groups of several.

The guys, wanting to show the girls their prowess and youth, rolled down from the highest mountains: they sat down in a nimble basket and maneuvered along steep slopes, steering it like a boat with the help of a special short stick, or, taking the screaming girl in his arms, they descended, standing on their feet.

However, most often they sledded in pairs: the girl sat on the guy’s lap, and then had to thank him for sledding with a kiss. If the girl did not follow this rule, the youth “froze” the sled, that is, they did not allow them to get up from it until the guy and girl kissed.

According to custom, newlyweds were also supposed to take part in skiing from the mountains. They sat on the sled and slid down the mountain while shouting: “Salt the saffron milk caps, salt the saffron milk caps” (that is, kiss in front of everyone). Skiing from the mountains was not prohibited for married people; there was even a belief that a married woman who rode down the mountain during Shrovetide would receive a good flax harvest.

Sledging

Sleigh rides are a winter entertainment typical of Christmastide, Maslenitsa, and patronal feasts. The Maslenitsa rides were especially exciting. They were called “conventions” because residents of all surrounding villages took part in them.

They carefully prepared for the festive riding: the horses were washed, their tails and manes were combed; they paid the same attention to the harness; put the sleigh in order. Young people usually rode in the morning, newlyweds could go at any time they wished, and married couples, especially “big people, condos and rich peasants,” could go in the late afternoon.

The boys and girls went out for a ride with noise and fun: horses raced forward, bells rang, towels tied to the back of the sleigh fluttered, an accordion played, songs sounded. The newlyweds were supposed to ride sedately, with dignity, bow to all residents they met, and stop at their first request to accept congratulations and wishes.

The ceremonial departure of a wealthy family was decorated quite solemnly. The owner slowly brought harnessed horses to the gate of the house, the hostess carefully placed pillows in elegant pillowcases, a fur or felt lining in the sleigh, and beautifully tied ribbons and shawls to the arc. Then the smartly dressed family got into the sleigh. The front seat was intended for the owner and his son, the back seat for the owner and daughters.

Old people came out onto the porch to watch the parade ride, small children ran screaming after the sleigh. Everyone who arrived at the meeting place usually rode for five to six hours, breaking for a short feast at the houses of relatives and giving the horses a rest. Those who rode followed the established rules: one sleigh had to follow another along the main street of the village or in a circle, without overtaking or exceeding speed.

The guys gave rides to girls walking along the street, politely inviting them into the sleigh: “Please take a ride!” The rules of decency obliged the guy to ride the same girl for no more than three or four laps, and then invite another. The girls tied small shawls to the arch of his horse as a sign of gratitude.

The newlyweds, for whom skating on Maslenitsa was mandatory, stopped at the request of fellow villagers to “salt the saffron milk caps,” that is, to kiss in front of all the honest people. The skating reached its culmination in the afternoon on Forgiveness Sunday, when especially many sleigh teams gathered, and the speed of their skating increased sharply.

Dashing guys, trying to show their prowess in front of the girls, controlled running horses while standing, jumped into sleighs while moving, played accordions, whistled and shouted. Sunday skating was supposed to end instantly, immediately after the first strike of the bell, calling for vespers. This moment gave especially great pleasure to the young people, who rushed headlong out of the village on sleds, overtaking each other.

Fist fights in Rus' on Maslenitsa.

Fist fights were held in winter during the Christmastide period, Maslenitsa and sometimes in Semik. At the same time, preference was given to Maslenitsa, the riotous nature of which made it possible for the male part of the village to show their prowess and youth to everyone. Teams were composed based on the social or territorial community of the participants.

Two villages could fight with each other, residents of opposite ends of one large village, “monastic” peasants with landowners, etc. Fist fights were prepared in advance: the teams jointly chose a place for the battle, agreed on the rules of the game and the number of participants, and chose atamans.

In addition, moral and physical training fighters. Men and boys steamed in the baths, tried to eat more meat and bread, which, according to legend, gave strength and courage. Some participants resorted to various kinds of magical techniques to increase fighting courage and power.

So, for example, one of the ancient Russian medical books contains the following advice: “Kill a black snake with a saber or knife, take the tongue out of it, and screw green and black taffeta into it, and put it in the left boot, and put the shoes in the same place.” . As you walk away, don’t look back, and whoever asks where you’ve been, don’t say anything to him.”

They also tried to ensure victory in a fist fight with the help of a spell received from a sorcerer: “I, the servant of God, having blessed myself, will go, crossing myself, from hut to door, from gate to gate, into an open field, to the east, to the eastern side, to Okiyan - the sea, and on that holy Okiyan-sea there stands an old master husband, and at that holy Okiyan-sea there is a damp oak, cracked, and that master husband chops down the damp oak with his damask ax, and as chips fly from that damp oak, so would I left a fighter, a good fellow, falling to the ground on the damp ground, every day and every hour. Amen! Amen! Amen! And to those words of mine, the key is in the sea, the castle is in the sky, from now until forever.”

Fist fights in Russia could take place not only with fists, but also with sticks, and fist fighting was more often chosen. The fighters were required to wear special uniforms: thick, tow-lined hats and fur mittens that softened the blow. Fist fighting could be carried out in two versions: “wall to wall” and “clutch-dump”.

In a “wall to wall” battle, the fighters, lined up in one row, had to hold it under the pressure of the enemy’s “wall”. It was a battle in which various types of military tactics were used. The fighters held the front, marched like a wedge - a “pig”, changed fighters of the first, second, third rank, retreated into an ambush, etc. The battle ended with the breakthrough of the enemy’s “wall” and the flight of the enemies. It is generally accepted that this type of fist fighting took shape no earlier than the 18th century.

In a “pitch-dump” battle, everyone chose an opponent based on their strength and did not retreat until complete victory, after which they “coupled” into battle with another. Russian fist fighting, unlike a fight, was carried out in compliance with certain rules, which included the following: “do not hit someone who is lying down”, “do not fight in a crippled manner”, “do not hit a smear”, that is, if the enemy appears to be bleeding, end with him fight. It was impossible to strike from behind, from the rear, but to fight only face to face.

An important point of the fist fight was that its participants always belonged to the same age group. The battle was usually started by teenagers, they were replaced on the field by boys, and then young married men entered the battle - “ strong fighters».

This order maintained the equality of the parties. The battle began with the passage of the main fighters, that is, boys and men, surrounded by teenagers, along a village street to the chosen battle site. On the field, the guys became two “walls” - teams facing each other, demonstrating their strength in front of the enemy, slightly bullying him, taking militant poses, encouraging themselves with appropriate shouts.

At this time, in the middle of the field, the teenagers were setting up a “dump-clutch”, preparing for future battles. Then the ataman’s cry was heard, followed by a general roar, a whistle, a cry: “Give me a fight,” and the battle began. The strongest fighters joined the battle at the very end.

The old men watching the fist fight discussed the actions of the young people and gave advice to those who had not yet entered the fight. The battle ended with the enemy fleeing the field and the general joyful drinking of the boys and men who took part in it. Fist fights have accompanied Russian celebrations for many centuries.

A detailed description of the battles of the “good fellows of kulash fighters” was given by foreigners who visited Muscovy in the 16th-17th centuries. Fist fights instilled in men endurance, the ability to withstand blows, stamina, dexterity and courage. Participation in them was considered a matter of honor for every guy and young man.

The exploits of the fighters were praised at men's feasts, passed on from mouth to mouth, and were reflected in daring songs and epics:

Yes, they came together with spears -
Only the spears, you ducked in the rings.
Yes, the heroes came together with sticks -
Only the sticks turned away from the rubble.
They jumped off their good horses,
Yes, they engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

As you know, Maslenitsa week is underway, which means a lot of different fun traditions. While most of them are understandable and accessible even to children, others have faded into the background over time. Today, at the request of FURFUR, the author of Interes magazine Oleg Uppit recalls the main men's entertainment on Maslenitsa - fist fights.

Traditional Russian fist fight

Of course, everyone fought, always and everywhere. For one reason or another. Anyway. Eastern martial arts became part of the “path of self-improvement”, the Indians of Central America staged ritual fights, and the Greeks came up with Olympic Games- dedicated to the gods, but also served as excellent entertainment for the many spectators who gathered every four years in the town of Olympia. Our ancestors did not lag behind others.

The “Rules of the Marquis of Queensberry,” which appeared in 1865 and regulated the behavior of boxers, are very similar to the rules of fist fighting that organically frolic in Rus', formed two or three centuries earlier.

In English, the fist fight that existed in Rus' is not without reason called Russian fist fight - this is really a basic local “ martial arts" In terms of complexity, fist fighting is on the same level as other folk fighting disciplines, which are not overloaded with excessive subtlety of techniques. Being somewhere in between French Savate and Irish boxing, he, however, is undeservedly on the periphery of attention of people interested in fighting and self-defense techniques. Perhaps the reason for this is a break in tradition, perhaps it is the trends that brought first oriental disciplines to the fore, then capoeira, and now English boxing.

History of Russian fist fights

We can find the first mention of Russian fist fighting in The Tale of Bygone Years. Nestor writes: “Aren’t we living like bastards... with all sorts of flattering morals, predominant from God, with trumpets and buffoons, and harps, and mermaids; We see that the game has been refined, and there are a lot of people, as if they are pushing each other’s shame away from the spirit of the intended business” - in general, he criticizes.

Reading this, one should understand that, with its roots in pre-Christian cultural tradition, fistfights could not be expected to be treated differently by an Orthodox chronicler.

We do not know and cannot know about the origin of fist fighting and its possible ritual significance for the ancient Slavs for the same reasons. However, there is enough historical and artistic evidence about the development of fist fighting from the 11th to the 20th centuries - poems and folk songs, decrees prohibiting fights, and police reports, records of eyewitnesses and ethnographers, by which we can judge the rules of fights and the order of the battles.

1. Trinity holiday near Tsarev fortification, 1900. 2. Mikhail Peskov “Fist Fight”
under Ivan IV." 3. "Wall to wall" fights. 4. Modern fist fights.

So, for example, Nazimov says in his memoirs: “Local authorities seem to turn a blind eye to this... custom, probably not having in mind the positive instructions of their superiors, and perhaps they themselves were secretly spectators of such massacres, especially since many significant people in the city, champions of antiquity, considered these amusements very useful for the development and maintenance physical strength and the warlike inclinations of the people. And it was difficult for the Arzamas mayor, that is, the mayor, to cope, with the help of 10–15 guards and even a full disabled team of 30–40 people, with a gathering of fighters, which, in addition to the numerous spectators egging them on, extended, according to eyewitnesses, up to 500 people.” .

And Lebedev writes in an article for the magazine “Russian Antiquity”: “It was not a fight, quarrel, enmity or anything like that at all, but something like a game. Meanwhile, the blows were inflicted seriously, causing bruises and even death. Fist fights exist in many countries, but everywhere they are either competitive in nature - one-on-one, such as boxing in England, or duels, as we had in pre-Petrine Rus'; but in the form that they have in Russia - in the form of a competition between huge gatherings of crowds, one against the other, this has never happened anywhere. Prowess and excess strength asked to come out and found a way out in such a peculiar game.

The battles were accompanied by festivities, spectators gathered at the site of the skirmishes, and with them peddlers with goods and beaters with hot honey and beer. Fights that took place with the connivance or even in the presence of representatives of the nobility (for example, Count Orlov was “a big fan of fist fights”) could be accompanied by gypsy orchestras and even small fireworks.

Of course, spontaneous skirmishes also regularly occurred when two streets or two banks of a river could not share something. Well, or they couldn’t share it for a long time, but only periodically remembered it.

The name “stenoshny” comes from the custom in such clashes order of battle- the parties lined up opposite each other in a dense line, consisting of several rows, and walked towards the enemy’s wall with the goal of breaking through it and putting the enemy to flight.

Preparing for battle

The time and place of the battle were chosen in advance, the opposing sides, the walls, leaders were appointed - governors and specific rules were stipulated. The leader of the wall was called differently in different places: bashlyk, head, headman, battle chief, old man.

On the eve of the battle, the leader, together with representatives of his wall, developed a plan for the upcoming battle: he singled out the strongest and more experienced fighters and distributed them to places along the entire wall to lead the separate groups that made up the battle line of the wall. During preparation, reserve fighters were also appointed to carry out decisive attacks and special groups were allocated in order to knock out a specific enemy from the battle. During the battle, the leaders of the parties not only directly participated in it, but also encouraged their fighters and adjusted tactics on the fly.

In P.P. Bazhov’s tale “The Broad Shoulder,” the bashlyk’s instruction to his fighters is given: “He placed the fighters in the best way he thought, and punishes them, especially those who used to be at the root and were considered the most reliable. “Look, I don’t have any self-indulgence. There is no need for us if you compare your strength with some Grishka-Mishka for the amusement of the girls and pawnbrokers. We need everyone to be at the same time, broad shoulder. Act as you are told."

In the time remaining before the fight, the participants prepared for it - they ate more meat and bread, and took a steam bath more often. There were also “magical” methods of preparation. So in one of the ancient medical books the recommendation is given: “kill a black snake with a saber or knife, take the tongue out of it, and screw green and black taffeta into it, and put it in the left boot, and put the shoes in the same place. As you walk away, don’t look back, and whoever asks where you’ve been, don’t say anything to him.”

There were also completely “magical” rituals - for example, “breaking” (something like a ritual dance) before a fight, reminiscent of the movements of a bear, the cult of which existed in ancient Rus'.

Before the start of the fight, the fighters solemnly walked through the streets. Having arrived at the appointed place, they lined up in three or four rows, depending on the number of participants, and began to bully their opponents with shouts and gestures. At this time, the boys, representing the walls, converged between them into a “dump-coupling”. When all the participants were already sufficiently excited, the team leaders shouted “Let’s fight!” and the walls came together.

Rules

There were restrictions that also applied to self-vs.-fights:

1. It was forbidden to hit a fallen, crouching (crouching was considered to have surrendered) or retreating enemy, as well as an enemy who did not have the ability to stop the bleeding on his own (“they don’t beat a smear”) or who was seriously injured. The battle had to be fought face to face - attacking from the side or, moreover, from the back was strictly forbidden (“do not hit from the wing, in the neck, or in the rear”). It was also forbidden to grab clothes, blows had to be struck above the waist, and any weapons were strictly prohibited. For a piece of lead hidden in a mitten, the culprit faced severe punishment.
2. The battle was fought strictly with fists; sources speak of the use of three types of blows, corresponding to the striking surfaces of the weapon:

• a blow with knuckles, which was interpreted as a thrust with a weapon;
• the base of the fist, which corresponded to a crushing or chopping blow;
• heads of the phalanges of the fingers, like a blow with a butt.

The most common blows were to the head, to the solar plexus (“to the soul”) and to the ribs (“under the mikitki”). Pushes with shoulders or two hands were allowed.

Mandatory uniforms for participants included thick hats and fur mittens to soften the blow. Rovinsky, in his book “Russian Folk Pictures,” published in 1900, writes: “Before the battle, whole cartloads of leather mittens were brought; factory workers and butchers gathered in batches from different factories; There were hunters from merchants, in fur coats and even from gentlemen. The whole crowd was divided in two and lined up in front of each other in two walls; started a fight in small battles, - “groovy” one on one, then everyone else went wall to wall; the reserve fighters stood aside and took part in the fight only when their wall began to be pressed by the opposite wall.”

Progress of the battle

The battle took place in three stages: first, teenagers representing the opposing sides converged, after them unmarried young men joined the fight, and the last to enter the battle were adult men. Sometimes these stages were divided among themselves - the boys finished, the young men came together, and sometimes the battle was not interrupted, the participants simply entered the wall gradually.

Nazimov writes: “And so the matter began with boy skirmishers, who, noisy and teasing the other side, jumped out alone, struck one another, knocked them down and again ran away “to their own.” Individual clashes became more frequent, and now in groups, one attacked the other, shouting and yelling. The “walls” came together, and with a terrible roar, whistle, and screams, like a stream breaking through a dam, “wall to wall” quickly rushed - the real battle began.”

The fight was conducted to dislodge the enemy from the “battlefield” or to break its wall. Various tactics drawn from military experience were used: attacking with a wedge-pig, replacing fighters of the first and third ranks, and various maneuvers. Maxim Gorky in his novel “The Life of Matvey Kozhemyakin” describes a fist fight this way: “The city people fight with cunning<…>pushed out from its “wall” against the chest of the heels good fighters, and when the Sloboda residents, pressing on them, involuntarily stretch out like a wedge, the city will strike together from the sides, trying to crush the enemy. But the suburbanites are accustomed to these tactics: quickly retreating, they themselves envelop the townspeople in a semi-circle...”

An important category of fighters were hopes - powerful guys who tore apart the enemy’s wall. Often hope was let in by opening the wall and left alone with the masters of one-on-one combat, which apparently was a fairly effective tactic.

Fistfights today

Despite the authorities’ struggle with fist fights, their condemnation by the church and even legislative prohibitions, even the Soviet government was unable to completely crush this tradition. Thus, a newsreel from 1954 shows (with inevitable disapproval) a fist fight in the village of Kuplya in the Ryazan region. Mention of these shots was found by B.V. Gorbunov, and the newsreel itself was found by A.S. Tedoradze and
I. A. Buchnev:

Some of the last living bearers of the tradition were found in the late nineties of the last century in the village of Atamanov Ugol, Tambov region. Looking at these strong old men, it is not so difficult to imagine what the walls of their youth were like.

The current country fight clubs and football skirmishes can also be considered, albeit with a stretch, as a continuation of this tradition. Therefore, we will conclude the article with another quote from Lebedev:

“All that can be said in conclusion of what has been stated is to cite the words of the chronicler: “...our land is great...”, etc. and add that fist fights have survived all the laws and have been preserved - for the intelligentsia they took on the appearance of an athletic struggles, on the stages - as a paid spectacle, but among the people themselves continue unrestrictedly and everywhere, not even passing through the capitals, where they apparently should become an anachronism; and it is practiced in the same types and scenes as in hoary antiquity, except not so often and not on such a grandiose scale.”

Fist fights on Maslenitsa are one of the main traditions of this holiday, which, in the literal sense of the word, frees the hands of men, providing opportunities to demonstrate their strength and prowess to everyone. Of course, in Ancient Rus' any fun was rarely complete without a fight, but a fight on Maslenitsa for the male half of the population was practically a matter of honor.

Fist fighting exists in the traditions of many countries around the world. However, only in Rus' they have the ritual nature of competitions of a large number of people, which blur the lines between the game and reality. Back to top fist fights the men prepared very seriously. The diet of the fighters on the eve of the competition included fatty, high-calorie foods, mainly consisting of meat dishes, the men took steam in baths, and some, according to legend, even turned to healers and sorcerers for magical help. The teams for the battle were formed in advance, as well as the rules of the battle, the places for them to be held, and the atamans were chosen. Male prowess, fueled by a week of Maslenitsa fun and alcohol, asked to come out, finding a way out in such peculiar games.

Chain fights or coupling dumps

Chain fights or clutch fights - this type of fist fights is considered the most dangerous fun on Maslenitsa. In its course, everyone fought against everyone. Formally, rules, as well as agreements between opponents, of course, existed. In fact, in the heat of battle, almost no one observed them. The greatest number of injuries occurred precisely from the consequences of chain battles.

Wall to wall

Wall to wall is considered a traditional Russian fist fight and its most spectacular form during Maslenitsa week. The two opposing sides lined up in a certain order opposite each other in several rows. The goal is to break through the enemy's defenses and force him to retreat.

As a rule, battles ended with a joint celebration of victory, honoring of heroes and a complete truce of opponents.

Russian folk sport - fist fighting - owes its origin to the fighting techniques of foot soldiers of ancient Rus'. The fact that fist fights were banned many times did not stop the Russian people from wanting to demonstrate their prowess.

Fights were held most often on holidays, and on Maslenitsa it was obligatory. On Monday of the first week of Lent (Clean Monday), in some areas the fighting began in the early morning. Usually a place outside the city was chosen.

In St. Petersburg, this happened in Yamskaya Sloboda, in Ekateringof, on Okhta, and at the Smolny Monastery. In Moscow, since the 14th century, the place of fist fights was the Great Meadow, after the 16th century - the Sovereign's Garden opposite the Kremlin. Peter I loved to organize fist fights, and his grandson, Peter Alekseevich himself often took part in them.

Several types of fistfights are known: “wall to wall”, “clutch - dump”, “himself”. Although, according to some sources, “clutching - dumping” stands out as an independent martial arts, in fact - a fight without rules. They prepared for the battle in advance. The participants chose from their ranks a sotsky, a tensky, who were supposed to monitor compliance with the rules. The elected ataman or battle chief determined the tactics - hold the front, go like a wedge-pig or retreat into an ambush.

Rules of fist fighting in Rus'

The rules forbade fighting with a bookmark, hitting a person who was lying down, hitting a hider (from the side or behind); a fighter who sat down on the ground became a prisoner.

“It was forbidden to touch passersby and spectators; coming with an armed hand - too; whoever ran away or fell was not beaten, and if a fighter got carried away, they stopped him, shouting to him, “They don’t beat a lying person!” The battles were fought face to face. It was not allowed to hit in the back from the “step”, strike with legs or head. Those who broke the rules were punished by their own fighters.”*

“Of the Russian fist fighters, the Kazan, Kaluga and Tula gunsmiths Alyosha Rodimy, Teresha Kunkin, the Zubov brothers, Nikita Dolgov, and the Pokhodkin brothers were especially famous. A prominent Moscow fighter was Semyon Treschala, a serf of Count Orlov-Chesmensky, a great fan of fist fighting. In St. Petersburg, the outstanding fist fighters were the plain-looking clerk Botin and the factory worker Sokolik.”*

Fist fights in Rus' wall to wall

The walls of the opponents were lined up in a row, opposite each other. The battle was started by teenagers - bullies, who set up a scrum-dump, were replaced by older guys, and the last to enter the battle were strong fighters - married men. For equality of sides, the fighters had to be the same age.
In the villages of the Nizhny Novgorod province, boys stood in a large circle and fought one on one - “on lyubak”.

“…“They knock each other down and disperse.” They also fought “order after order”; there were no rules anymore. In the village of Kalikino, Borsky district, a fist fight took place to the accompaniment of ditties.”*

Spectators discussed the actions of the young fist fighters among themselves and gave advice. The winners sometimes received money as a reward. The battle ended with the enemy fleeing the field and a general merry drinking session of the boys and men who took part in it.*

Maslenitsa crumpet came out onto the street,
Ride up the mountain and fight with the guys!
The guys are fools, they pressed their fists,
Fists pressed
everyone on their sides for Maslenitsa!
(Yaroslavl province)

*)Sources:

Gennady Ivanovich Shatkov, Igor Petrovich Altukhov.
Fierce Rounds, 1979
N. N. Khramova. Maslenitsa in Nizhny Novgorod region
Tales of the Russian people, collected by Ivan Petrovich Sakharov

There is mention of a fist fight, without details, in the Tale of Bygone Years. It can be argued that in medieval Rus', fist fighting was not just fun, but important element military education. History has not preserved either the styles or the names of the great fighters, which was greatly facilitated by the position of the Russian Orthodox Church and the ruling class. Fist fighting was heavily “involved” in pagan traditions. For example, back in the 19th century, before a competition, fighters performed “breaking”, imitating the movements of a bear (which was an object of cult in the village for centuries). Functionally, “breaking” can be compared, at a stretch, to the Wye-Kru of Thai boxing is a warm-up dance, a kind of meditation in motion.

The first information that has reached us about an attempt to ban fistfights dates back to 1274, when Metropolitan Kirill convened a council in Vladimir, which decided: “to excommunicate those involved in fist fights and stake fights, and not to perform a funeral service for those killed.” During the time of Fyodor Ioannovich (1584-1598), not a single episode of fist fighting was recorded. The 17th century was a time of real persecution of the “kulaks,” which was facilitated by endless popular riots in which fist fighters participated. Those caught in a fist fight were beaten with batogs, fined, and “repeat offenders” were exiled to border lands. But Peter I, on the contrary, encouraged fist fighting. He even issued a decree in 1727 regulating the rules of combat. The 19th century was also rich in prohibitions, but Maslenitsa fist fights became part of popular culture, and the church had to come to terms with this state of affairs.

In the Middle Ages, fist fighting in Rus' was also a variant of ordeal - God's judgment - when the winner of the fight was considered right, and the loser was considered guilty.

The degeneration of fist fighting was also facilitated by the creation of mass armies armed with firearms, when the personal training of each fighter was not as critical as in fighting with edged weapons.

Nicholas I completely banned fist fights in 1832. After the establishment of Soviet power, fist fighting was seen as a relic of the tsarist regime and was gradually disappearing, replaced, for example, by boxing and sambo.

Fist fighting lasted in criminal circles until the fifties, but then it became common practice to use knives or firearms and the martial art finally sank into oblivion.