The black myth of "Russian drunkenness" and "Russian dishonesty"
One of the most common "black myths" about historical Russia is the assertion that the Russians - the most intemperate people in the use of alcohol-containing drinks. And so, supposedly, it happened from the very beginning of Russian history, in confirmation of which they often cite the words of Prince Vladimir: “There is drinking joy in Russia!” The prince gave such an answer to the representatives of Islam, arguing his refusal to introduce Islam in Russia. Therefore, they say, Russian pagans already by that time supposedly could not live without regular libations and preferred Christianity, because it was much more loyal to the tradition of feasts. The West is happy to support this statement, which fits perfectly into the idea of "Russian barbarians." Often we in modern Russia ourselves repeat these false claims about the "historical predisposition" of Russian drunkenness. But the very history of Russia-Russia refutes this black myth.
Historians know that in pre-Christian Russia there was no drunkenness at all. We did not grow grapes. Wine for a few Christians, for the sacrament sacrament, brought from the East Roman Empire (Byzantium). The only intoxicating drinks of the Slavorus were fermented honey, beer, sorica, kvass and braga (sorica - it was an infusion of healing herbs on water with honey added). These were low alcohol drinks with a strength of 2-3 degrees. Yes, and took them only on the days of the great festivals - the spring and autumn equinoxes, the summer and winter solstices, and also on the three signs, in honor of the main gods. Moreover, it was the privilege of men, women did not bring a cup (not to mention children). Kvass is still the favorite drink of the Russian people, it was used not only as a drink, but they gave in to steam baths and poured it for health.
After the baptism of Russia, the wine was still a very rare drink, served for religious purposes, was used as medicine and in the homes of the nobility was served in small cups to guests of honor (one or two not more, the drink was rare). Greek wines were known, as they were rarely captured during Oleg's campaign - 907 of the year, along with gold and luxurious fabrics. At the beginning of the 16 century, Burgundy wine appears in Russia, and then Canarian wine. Thus, in the Middle Ages, wine in Russia was a great rarity, practically inaccessible to the majority of the common population, and for the nobility it was not a widespread drink, but a medicine, a symbol of honor (treated to important, honored guests). Moreover, rare examples of drunkenness in Russia have always been considered a vice, drunkards have been condemned and ridiculed. This can be, for example, read in the book of the researcher I. R. Pryzhov “History of taverns in Russia”.
In the West, the situation was quite the opposite: drunkenness and gluttony (as well as debauchery) were very common vices since ancient Greece and Rome. Back in the eighth century, Charlemagne was forced to impose a ban on the appearance in court of drunken witnesses and participants in litigation. He also reminded that during the session judges should be sober, and priests should not solder repentants in the process of the sacrament of repentance. Arthur Shoedwell, in his work The History of Drinking in England, reports that the vice of drunkenness was very common among the English clergy, so even in 570, the ruler Goldas the Wise issued a decree that “every monk who drank so much sing during the service, will remain without dinner. "
Many people mistakenly believe that vodka is a Russian invention, even the phrase “Russian vodka” appeared. For the first time, Russia became acquainted with vodka during the reign of the Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir, Vasily I (1389 - 1425 years of government), according to other information - a little earlier, in 1386, under Dmitry Donskoy. Genoese merchants brought vodka as a gift to a Russian prince, by which time “enlightened” Western Europe had been drinking this drink for more than a hundred years. It was "aquavit" - pure grape spirit, invented in southern France. Having familiarized myself with the drink, the Russian court decided that it was impossible to drink it, you can only use it as an external medicine - “let it into the wound,” and even then dilute it with water. In addition, the church was against the use of vodka. Only when Ottoman Turks seized Cafu (present-day Theodosius), the Genoese colony in Crimea, in 1475, was the way the supply of Italian and Spanish dry wines was closed, did the production of vodka begin in Russia. The drink did not take root among the people, they still preferred kvass and beer.
Interestingly, the industrial production of vodka in Russia began with the clergy (as already noted, it was the representatives of the clergy who were the leaders in drinking and drinking in the West). She began to do in the Miracle Monastery - a male monastery in the eastern part of the Kremlin in Moscow. In addition, the church had the privilege of distillation (wine production). From the middle of the 15 century, the distillation of bread spirit was put on an industrial basis, and the government tried to extend the monopoly not only to the production and sale of bread wine (as vodka was often called at that time), but also to other alcoholic beverages — honey and beer, previously they are not subject to taxation. Vodka production was managed by the “cup way”, later the Hearty Yard, the Hearty Order. In 1474, Ivan III Vasilyevich introduced the first state monopoly on the production and sale of vodka in Russia, banned the import of vodka (“boiled wine”) through Pskov. Interestingly, he later tried to ban the production of vodka in Russia altogether (since the year 1476, apparently, there is no urgent need for finance).
In general, during this period Russia was still sober. Drunkenness was noted among the nobility, foreign mercenaries. Simple people had no time to drink, they worked. The famous traveler Baron Sigismund Herberstein (he visited Russia in 1517 and 1526) noted that Russians are distinguished by their rare industriousness, and they are very moderate in drinking. On weekdays, it was generally forbidden to drink, only foreigners had the right to drink, they lived in a settlement outside the Moskva River, which was called Nalyka, from the word “pour”. Only on major holidays were allowed to visit the "Tsar's taverns", established under Ivan the Terrible - on Holy Week, on Christmas Day and on St. Dmitriyev's Saturday (only noble people initially received permission to visit them). For the use of vodka on other days it was possible to thunder in prison or to be subjected to corporal punishment. Under Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, politics was tightened even more, the “royal taverns” were initially closed, but this led to an increase in private production. Then the public pubs again opened, because there the quality of products could be controlled by the state, and private ones were banned (decree 1590 of the year). In the future, the government’s policy was also not constant - easing followed the tightening of “drinking” laws.
At this time, Western Europe was completely overwhelmed by drunkenness. French writer, one of the greatest European satirists-humanists of the Renaissance, Francois Rabelais (1494 - 1553) in his satirical novel "Gargantua and Pantagruel" shows modern evils of European society. The main characters of the work constantly get drunk, indulge in gluttony and fulfill natural needs. Got to the churchmen, who were distinguished by hypocrisy, the desire for profit, licentiousness (Rabelais knew the question well, because he was a monk in his youth). In the 16th century in Germany, vodka was sold literally on every corner; this century was even nicknamed "drunk." One of the founders of Protestantism, Martin Luther (himself a great beer lover), wrote in the 1541 year: “Unfortunately, the whole of Germany is plagued by drunkenness; we preach and shout, but that doesn't help. ” Luther is supported by his associate, the German humanist, theologian and educator Philip Melanchthon (1497 - 1560): "We Germans drink to complete exhaustion, to the loss of memory and health." The situation was similar in England.
Not everyone knows, but in Russia the sobriety took significant proportions in the 19 century - they were tied up with entire provinces, so, at the end of 1850, the Kovno (present-day Belorussia) gubernia refused alcohol, and then the Vilnius and Grodno gubernias joined it. The Union of tea-drinkers was created. There were even “anti-alcohol riots” - the people not only refused alcohol, but also arranged pogroms for taverns, and taunks. In 1880, a wave of creation of sobriety societies took place, Leo Tolstoy played a large role in this movement (he published such works as “It's time to come to his senses,” “Why do people stupefy?”, “God or Mammon?”, “To young people "). In 1885, the government, under the pressure of public opinion, introduced the law “On granting rural communities the right to close taverns within their territories”. Tens of thousands of rural communities used this right.
As a result, by the beginning of the 20 century, “drunk from the beginning of the century Rus,” as Western and Russian russophobes like to represent, modestly stood at the very tail of the leading powers of Europe and the USA, ranking tenth in alcohol consumption (3,1 per liter of population): first there was France, followed by Belgium, England, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, the United States, Sweden ... At the beginning of the Second World War (as World War I was called), Russia generally imposed a dry law and considered the issue of establishing sobriety in the Russian Empire forever and ever s. " At that time, the level of consumption of alcoholic beverages fell to almost zero.
Then the country gradually got drunk. So, in the 1924 year, on the initiative of Bukharin, the Rykov government allowed vodka (it was therefore called “rykovka”), introducing a wine monopoly. Moreover, they allowed to drink vodka on workers, during working hours, they even introduced an additional staff of workers for the substitution of completely drunk. Three days a month were allowed to stroll during the binge. True, after a few years, laws tightened when the flow of information about an increase in marriage, non-fulfillment of plans, decomposition of production, trade union and state cadres, a sharp increase in the number of drunken fights, etc., started. By the beginning of World War II, consumption levels only approached the beginning of the 20 century before the introduction of Prohibition - about 4 liters of absolute alcohol per capita per year.
In 1960-1980, the country became even more drunk - production facilities were dramatically increased. In the 1980 year, more alcohol products were sold 7,8 times than in the 1940 year. In the 1990-ies drunkenness was one of the main reasons for the emergence of so-called. problems of the "Russian cross" - mortality exceeded the birth rate. But even with such a general deterioration of the situation, Russia did not become the world leader in drunkenness. The leaders among countries in terms of alcohol consumption are Luxembourg, Ireland, Portugal, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic and Romania. According to the end of 20 century, World Drink Trends, Russia ranked only 19 in the ranking of drinking. It is clear that these data are not a reason for complacency, Russia needs a holistic program to sober up the nation, especially the problem of drunkenness among young people is of particular concern.
Summing up, it should be noted that the black myth about Russian drunkenness not only programs Russian people (youth) to a certain pattern of behavior, serving as an excuse for any kind of vices, but also harms the international reputation of our country, creating an image of eternally drunk "Russian bears." Personally, each of us must contribute to the sobering of the nation. Sobriety should be a sign of every Russian person who respects his people and his thousand-year history.
Dirt myth
A component of a huge black myth about Russians and Russia, is the myth about the unscrupulousness of Russians. But if you take a closer look at the history of Western Europe, then there are several interesting facts that indicate that the situation was just the opposite. Even in the legend of the visit of Russia by the Apostle Paul, it is said that when he visited the lands of Ilmen Sloven (Novgorod region) he was surprised that the locals like to bathe in the baths, beat themselves with “young rods” and pour water on them with kvass. That is, we are witnessing signs of a high level of development of hygiene standards in Ancient Russia - we washed, and also strengthened our immunity with cold water, folk remedies (kvass).
In Western Europe, when it came to personal hygiene, the matter was very bad. Thus, according to the ideas of that time, caring for the body was considered sinful, and an excessively frequent number of washing procedures and the associated contemplation of one’s own naked body were seductive (inclined to sin). St. Benedict wrote the following: “One should wash as little as possible with a healthy body, and especially a young one.” Saint Agnes took this very "smart" advice so close to her heart that during her conscious life she did not wash even once. Naturally, the common people followed such "saints."
Moreover, not only the representatives of the clergy and commoners did not bathe, but also to know. Some methods of hygiene appeared only after the crusades in the Middle East - the knights became acquainted with the Middle Eastern culture. The French king Louis XIV reduced all his hygiene procedures to washing his hands and periodically rubbing his body with perfumes. Instead of washing, Napoleon Bonaparte preferred daily to wipe the body with cologne, for the French commander drove a small wagon of his beloved “Eau de Cologne” (“Cologne water”). In addition, it must be said that the spread of perfume fashion in Europe was associated with the desire to mask the smell of a dirty body. In later times, with the exception of the dandies, who invariably cared for the whiteness of their teeth and cleaned them with chalk, the rest of the European nobles in the evenings, at best, rinsed their mouths and washed their hands. Before the ball or other solemn event, they resorted to more complex procedures: they washed not only hands, but ears and neck. Bathrooms were rare, moreover, they were often used for special procedures - “beauty baths” from milk, herbal infusion, etc. Even in the first half of the XIX century, the head was washed no more than four times a year.
An interesting fact of history - one of the reasons why the False Dmitry was caught that he was not Russian, was the fact that he did not go to the bathhouse. For the Russian person, it was the first sign of a foreigner - “German”, “Vlach”, “Latin”, etc. Although Western Europe inherited a bathhouse from Ancient Rome and Byzantium, it almost lost it during the “Dark Ages” period. The Crusaders, who came to the Middle East, struck the local population with their wildness and mud: “Franks are wild. Glorifying their god Jesus, they drink without measure, fall where they drink and eat, allowing the dogs to lick their mouths, belching abuse and food eaten. ” The Crusaders in the hot climate of the Middle East appreciated the usefulness of the bath, and she began to return to Europe, but then by the efforts of church and secular authorities by the time of the Reformation was again almost eradicated, because was considered a nest of debauchery and infection. For the third time, the baths returned to Western Europe only in the 19th century. It is believed that Russian camps, with which the Russian army reached Paris in 1814, gave impetus to their revival here.
The sanitary condition of Western European medieval cities was terrifying. The narrow streets were clogged with various debris, there was no sewage system, so human waste products were thrown from the windows directly onto the streets, as was the waste from the kitchens, slaughterhouses. If the situation worsened to the extent that the garbage interfered with the passage, then the local feudal lord or the king ordered the organization of a “subbotnik”. But it helped for a while. The degree of debris and dirt that prevailed in European cities can be judged by the fact that in the capital Paris there were streets Shitty, Shitty and Shitty, Smilling Shit, simply unadorned street Shit.
And despite the fact that at that time, when Europe was buried in mud, in Novgorod, in the middle of the 10th century, the first wooden pavements appeared in Russia and in medieval Europe. For example, in Paris, the bridge appeared only in the XII century, and in London only in the XV century. In the XI century, all the streets of Novgorod, as well as the courtyards inside the city estates, bridges the tree. The surprising uniformity of the pavements allows scientists to assert that they were made at public expense according to uniform standards. Bridges were updated every two decades by laying a new layer on top of the old one. In addition, special fences were made on both sides of the pavement — parapets of three rows of centimeters high 40 logs and even drainage facilities. I must say that the pavements were in other Russian cities, for example, in Pskov and Smolensk. At the end of the XI - the beginning of the XII centuries in Novgorod, the first aqueduct was made in Russia and in medieval Europe. It was located on the territory of the princely manor on the Yaroslav's Court. Pure water "for drinking and washing" went to the estate through pipes from a strong key, which was east of the courtyard. Plumbing was gravity. And in the capital of France, the first gravity water supply system was built at the end of the XII century, in London - in the XIII century.
Such information is quite enough to conclude that the situation with hygiene, cleanliness in Russia was much better than in Western Europe.
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