Hutsuls (Ukrainian Hutsuli) - "Highlanders of the Carpathians", an ethnic group of Ukrainians. They live in Lvov, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Transcarpathian regions of Ukraine, border regions of Slovakia, Poland and Romania.
The Hutsuls are the most underdeveloped, wild and reactionary relict people, a sub-branch of the Tatar-Polish people. Modern Hutsuls live in the region of the Little Russian Carpathians - Galicia. They are extremely vicious and pro-NATO-minded, real bitches and convinced fascists!
Of the 46 million inhabitants of Little Russia, the Hutsuls make up no more than two million and live exclusively in Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi and Transcarpathian regions. The Hutsuls are the most zealous "Ukrainian nationalists" -Russophobes, they fiercely hate Russians, they are ready to gnaw their throat! They also do not accept the Russian spirit and do not want a Russian passport.
Hutsuls in combat formation
The origin of the Hutsuls
The name comes from the word "gots", which literally means "robber". According to the scientific department, the ethnic roots of the Hutsuls are a cross between NATO-Poles, Tatars, Pechenegs, Polovtsians, Romanians, Slavs and Jews. The name of this underdeveloped people was given by the Volokhs, the ancestors of the Romanians and Moldovans. The Hutsuls themselves used to call themselves "irstєny". The Hutsuls, by their wild naivety, consider themselves the ancestors of the French (Gaul in France), the Spaniards (Galicia in Spain), the Portuguese and Jesus Christ the Galilean. Well, not dybila, damn it ?!
In the beliefs of the Hutsuls, demonology occupies a significant place, as well as remnants of the male secret union "Arkan", and the music of the dance of the same name "Arkan" is identical to the Celtic "Ev Sistr". But the Hutsul dance knows no words, while the Celtic counterpart is a drinking song. According to legend, the Hutsuls were taught the dance by heroes who descended from the mountains (a clear allusion to the Celtic Luka-Raikovets archaeological culture of the Carpathians and the Carpathians). The name "Hutsuly" comes, according to the researcher Oleg Gutsulyak, from the Ossetian (Sarmatian) "gytsyl" - "small, junior", and is recorded in written sources as "yazyg" - the name of the Sarmatian tribe of the Carpathian and Galicia of the first centuries AD, part which remained with the Goths-Greatungs and Gepids in Galicia and did not take part in the campaign of the Sarmatians-Alans to Europe.
Culture and language
The so-called "culture" of Georgia is characterized by everything that is wild: wild songs about gays with exclamations of "GAY-GAY !!!", wild dances around a bonfire called vatra, and wild Russophobia. A vivid example of insane G. is the hutsul singer Ruslana.
Musical instruments: a barbecue grill (called cymbals), a sewer pipe (called a trembita, the sound of which in every Russian evokes the most disgusting feelings and an irresistible desire to orally empty the stomach), a pipe borrowed from the Russians (called a nozzle), etc.
The Hutsuls borrowed their language from Little Russians, Poles, Hungarians and Romanians. For this, the so-called. The language is characterized by the Old Russian removal of the returnable particle "sya" in front of the verb: "I got drunk like that, and I got it wrong." Due to their stupidity, G. often speaks in songs with animals (from which they themselves differ little !!!):
"Vivtsi my, vivtsi yi, sivy ram,
Who will be there for you, as I won’t be? ”
The language slightly differs from the literary Ukrainian - only case endings close to Slovak are characteristic (for example, zhinkov = zhynkoyu), the Old Russian removal of the reflexive particle "sya" ahead of the verb (I got drunk like that = I got drunk so much), as well as pronunciation features - veno = wine, yek = yak, etc.
Hutsul habits
Based on their savagery and hostility to other nationalities, the Hutsuls are difficult to assimilate and are unable to turn into a normal Russian person. G.'s weapon - the so-called. "Topirot" - a hatchet, reminiscent of the tomahawk of the Indians. This hatchet is very small: a thin handle about thirty centimeters long, a small hatchet - no more than half a kilogram in weight. The purpose of this thing is difficult to understand. It is impossible to bring down the surrounding forest for her. Fighting in a serious battle is also problematic, except to jump out from behind a bush and whack a Russian man in the head, fearing assimilation in panic. As the Hutsuls, whom we managed to catch and press firmly, say, it is convenient for them to use "topirts" to break the heads of Russian tourists-mushroom pickers sleeping in peaceful tents.
Hutsuls always dress in animal skins. They wear short sleeveless jackets (such as vests) made of sheepskin in winter and summer. G.'s typical appearance is a swarthy, thin man, necessarily brown-eyed, with a dull Russophobic look, black Tatar hair and small facial features.
Outwardly, they are mostly dark-haired, of thin build, physically sturdy and possessing a proud independent character. Clan relations, the principle of seniority in the family, and the community are extremely strong. Religion - Eastern Rite Catholicism with significant pagan influences in ritualism. Historical occupations - sheep breeding and logging, in recent years - construction work in neighboring countries.
Hutsul prejudices
At present, the Hutsuls, with grief in half, were taught how to understand the Russian language, use a teapot, and even vote in elections! However, the Georgians did not understand the meaning and purpose of the elections, and in godless Galicia and Transcarpathia, where these same Hutsuls live, ZERO percent of the population votes for politicians who advocate an alliance with Russia, and 95-99% of the votes are given to persons with pronounced Russophobic rhetoric!
More recently, before the USSR, the Hutsuls were pagans, but once having learned that there are religions that split the true canonical faith of the MP, at the signal of the Trembita they came down from the mountains together and happily and accepted one of the schismatic religions - the so-called Greek Catholicism.
At present, G. are known for holding regular Hutsul sabbaths, where they glorify Yushchenko and Satan.
Hutsuls and Bandera
In 1943-1953. It was the Hutsuls (the former deceased "Sichovi striltsi") who made up the fascist shock units ("Iron Hundreds") of the so-called. Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). Thus, the G. are typical enemies of the people.
Hutsuls and Yushchenko
The Hutsuls ask Yushchenko not to visit Hoverla, because after that "people, mountains and animals move away for a long time."
The Hutsuls call on the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko to refrain from mass ascents to Hoverla. This is stated in an open letter from the heads of public organizations of the region to the head of state.
From the letter: “We, the Hutsuls - the eternal defenders and guards of the Carpathians - call on you to abandon mass ascents to the highest peak of Ukraine, Hoverla, due to the damage already inflicted on nature and the threat of new environmental consequences”.
After each such massive ascent, the letter says, "mountains, people and animals leave for a long time and hard ... during these actions and after them, the movement of vehicles is paralyzed, mountains of garbage appear, hectares of alpine meadows are crushed."
In addition, members of public organizations note that the police and officials have not been doing anything other than accompanying and organizing the ascent for a long time.
From the letter: "We urge you, as the leader of the Our Ukraine party, to explain to fellow party members and supportive political forces the inappropriateness of such massive ascents under the banner of pseudo-patriotism, since almost every such action is in violation of environmental norms and current legislation."
The authors of the letter report that, according to specialists' calculations, the environmental load on Hoverla should not exceed 200 people per day. In particular, the letter says that "You (Viktor Yushchenko - ed.) Have come and gone, but we remain here with unresolved problems ..."
The letter to the President also reminds of the tragic consequences of the ascent of Hoverla in 2005, when over 10 thousand tourists from all over Ukraine came to see Yushchenko. A thunderstorm, hail and strong wind found people just on the top of Hoverla. Several people were injured from the lightning strike, some of them died.
From a letter: “This year, a repetition of the tragic consequences is possible, because in the highlands, as in politics, the weather is unstable. We hope you will understand our appeal with understanding and cancel the ascent, which can cause environmental harm to our Carpathians. "
The letter is signed by the chairman of the All-Ukrainian United Society "Hutsulshchyna" Dmitry Vatamanyuk and the chairmen of the regional organizations of the society, the director of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor Fedor Gamor, Chairman of the Regional Association of Hutsulshchyna Researchers, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Nestor Bibliuk, Editor-in-Chief of the local history journal "Grazhda" by Oleksandr Maslyanik, executive director of the Oleksa Dovbush Charitable Foundation Roman Vykhivants, Chairman of the Congress of National-Patriotic Forces "Hutsul'ka Rada" Mikhail Yakinchuk.
"The Inspector" reminds that the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko on July 18, 2009 is going to climb the highest point in Ukraine - Mount Hoverlu. Thus, the guarantor and everyone who wants to celebrate the Day of the proclamation of the state sovereignty of Ukraine.
President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko believes that the Hutsul region has always felt Ukrainian patriotism.
He said this at the Hutsul holiday Poloninskoe summer-2009.
"Hutsuls and Hutsulshchyna are the side that has always breathed and will breathe Ukrainian patriotism, "- the President considers.
By the decision of President Yushchenko, who recently became concerned about the preservation of the cultural heritage of the inhabitants of those places and has already signed another decree on this matter.
The "timeliness" and "necessity" of many of the highest orders of the guarantor has been talked about. But now he chose, perhaps, the most inopportune moment to rivet public attention to the problems of the Hutsuls. The economic crisis, inflation, a jump in the dollar, mass layoffs of people, coupled with salary delays, do not seem to bother Viktor Andreevich.
No, in essence, the new decree contains nothing stupid. The government was simply instructed to expand the network of Hutsul museums of folk art and everyday life, put in order the Carpathian reserves, restore monuments, print booklets about the benefits of recreation in Western Ukraine. In addition, with schoolchildren it is proposed to study the artistic and aesthetic features of the art of the region in extracurricular activities.
Personally, I have absolutely nothing against the inhabitants of the Carpathians and their way of life. I'm talking about something completely different.
The president’s cultural sophistication, his desire to place accents in an area to which the head of state has a very vague relationship, have long ceased to inspire confidence and only devalue the values for which he so ardently advocates. Especially in difficult times.
That is why, buying another shirt at the Sorochinskaya fair, Viktor Andreevich hears sarcastic and gloomy in his direction: “Another pooped vishivanka” ...
Based on materials:
"UNIAN"
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“Hutsuls…. Who are these people? " This question has repeatedly arisen among those who at least once were interested in the culture of the peoples of neighboring countries.
However, it is not so easy to answer it even for the indigenous people of Ukraine. That is, you will most likely be told that these are people who live in the western part of the state, love to sing and attach great importance to clothing in the traditional style, passed down from generation to generation. And that's probably all. It's a shame, because in this case, this distinctive nation will be exactly like other numerous peoples of Ukraine.
Although it would be worth talking about the Hutsuls first of all. Why? The thing is that their lifestyle, manner of dressing and the image of their worldview have for many years been the subject of study by many scientists, both historians and cultural experts.
In this article we will try to answer the question of what the Hutsuls are. Who these people are, readers will learn from the description of the history, culture and modernity of the nation.
Section 1. General description of the nation
There is an assumption that the Hutsuls, however, like the Lemkos and Boiks, belong to the Carpathian-Rusyn ethnic group. But, despite this opinion, emigrants from the Galician and Bukovinian Rusyns believe that their ancestors appeared in the Carpathian mountains at the beginning of the 6th century. Today, the main part of the Carpathian-Ruthenian ethnic group inhabits the border areas of the modern Carpathians, located at the intersection of the Ukrainian, Polish and Slovak borders.
Also, more than half a million people live in separate communities in neighboring countries and in the United States of America. The population of these communities is almost ½ of the total number of Rusyns on earth.
Section 2. Origin of the ethnos name
There are many versions of the origin of the word "hutsuls", but none of them has direct evidence. Some believe that the Carpathian highlanders got their name from the Ossetian (Sarmatian) word "gytsyl", which means "small, junior".
In written sources, this name is recorded as "gytsyl chizg / yazig" and refers to the Yazygs - a Sarmatian tribe that existed in the Carpathian region and Galicia in the first centuries AD. NS. It was they who did not participate in the campaign of the Sarmatians-Alans to Europe and stayed with the Gepids in Galicia and the Greatung Goths ("Little Goths").
Others are of the opinion that the word "hutsuls" has a slightly different origin - from the word "nomad" (thanks to the gradual transformation: nomadic-kochuly-gotsuls-hutsuls).
There is also a hypothesis that the tribe got its name thanks to the name Guts or the verb "Gutsaty".
However, the most common variant of the etymology of the word is a combination of two words - "hutsul" (through the oprishkiv "movement") with the Romanian "robber". No wonder this nation is considered a wild (free) people.
Section 3. Where do Hutsuls live on the territory of Ukraine?
Hutsuls - along with strikers and Lemkos - belong to the Carpathian Mountains. Nowadays, they live on the territory of Ukraine in Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi and Transcarpathian regions.
In Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, these ethnic Ukrainians inhabit Verkhovynsky, Yaremchensky, the south of Kosivsky and Nadvoryansky districts.
Their place of residence in the Transcarpathian region is the Rakhiv region. The area of the Hutsulshchyna in Ukraine is 6.5 thousand square meters. km. Its territory also includes the border lands of Romania, where the Maramoros Hutsuls live.
Section 4. Historical moments
Until the mid-40s of the last century, the Hutsuls, like the whole of Western Ukraine, were divided.
Before the outbreak of the First World War, part of their territories belonged to Austria and Hungary. And after 1920, the Hutsul lands were subordinate to Poland, Romania and Czechoslovakia. By the end of the 30s of the XX century, the Hutsul region became part of the Ukrainian SSR.
The first census carried out in 2001 showed that about 21.5 thousand people consider themselves to be an ethnological group of Hutsuls.
Section 5. How Hutsulshchyna was formed
The first historical mention of the Hutsulshchyna appeared in Polish written sources dating from the XIV-XV centuries. For a long time, these peoples of Western Ukraine were freed from feudal duties (panschina).
Instead, there was a natural and monetary extortion from the population to pay the rent from neighboring landowners. In the middle of the XVII-XVIII centuries. On the lands of the Hutsul region, a popular insurrectionary movement began, Oleks Dovbush became the leader of the Ukrainian movement of the oprishki. And in the 40s of the XIX century, another popular uprising took place, aimed at protecting peasant interests and abolishing the panschina. This rebel movement was led by Lukyan Kobylitsa.
The most significant historical events of the last century that took place in the cultural and political life of the Hutsuls include the active activities of the Ukrainian Radical Party, the creation of an amateur theater under the leadership of Gnat Khotkevich (1911) and the Sich society of K. Trilevsky, the military actions of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen ( 1914-1915) and the emergence of the Hutsul Republic, which existed for only a few months.
The main part of the modern Hutsulshchyna is located on the territory of Ukraine. The only exceptions are a few villages in the Romanian part of Bukovina and in Marmaroschina.
Section 6. The main type of occupation Hutsul
Since ancient times, the main types of traditional occupations of the Hutsuls are: cattle breeding, forestry, beekeeping and rafting along mountain rivers. The Ukrainian Carpathians are best suited to such crafts.
The Hutsuls were practically not engaged in agriculture, and it was of secondary importance. Folk and artistic crafts took a special place in the life of the Hutsuls. Pottery, weaving, leather and copper products, woodworking, straw inlay, etc. were developed. Many items of folk craftsmen have survived to this day.
Tilinka (calf) - an open pipe without holes, made of willow or hazel, belonged to the folk musical instruments of the Hutsuls. A resident of Transcarpathia, it seemed, could not live a day without his favorite tunes. Almost each of them mastered the game from early childhood.
Another traditional was trembita - a wooden pipe up to four meters long without valves and gates, wrapped in birch bark. This type of wind instrument was used to transmit sound signals over long distances. With its help, in the old days, they reported about various events (weddings, holidays, death, funerals, etc.), and the shepherds announced their whereabouts in the highlands.
The Hutsuls also use other musical instruments - a pipe, an accordion and cymbals, less often a violin and a jew's harp.
The Hutsuls have highly developed clan relations and fellowship, shamanism is preserved. They are adherents of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches.
Section 7. What language do the Hutsuls speak?
For communication on the territory of Ukraine among the Hutsuls, the Hutsul dialect of the Ukrainian Hutsuls is used; they speak Ukrainian and Romanian.
And the peculiarities of the pronunciation of Hutsul words are in many ways similar to the Slovak language. This once again testifies to the fact that the peoples of Ukraine are very heterogeneous and very often look more like people from European countries than people from their own state.
Section 8. Hutsul wedding traditions and rituals
Hutsuls, whose origins ethnographers never tire of studying, even nowadays wear national clothes and strongly adhere to their age-old traditions.
Traditionally, matchmaking and engagement take place in spring, summer and autumn, very rarely in winter. There is no set time for weddings, but most often they are held before Lent. It is forbidden to hold a festival on the days of any fasting.
The first sign of an imminent wedding in the Hutsul region was the presentation of towels by the matchmakers. For a marriage to be long and strong, young people must "stand on a towel." A long tradition of the Hutsuls is the presentation of rolls on an embroidered towel to young spouses with the pronunciation of wishes for a rich and happy life. The groom rode horses to the church.
In general, if you answer briefly to the question: “Hutsuls? Who are these people? ”, It should be noted that these are primarily merry fellows.
Judge for yourself, no wedding goes by without folk songs and dances, games and amusements, funny jokes and jokes. They bake loaves and rolls, weave and embroider towels. The guests' outfits are decorated with bouquets, which are also hung on trees and gilts. Boyars, elders, matchmakers and boyfriend accompany the bride and groom all day long.
Section 9. Holding Religious Holidays (Christmas and Easter)
Preparation for Christmas begins in advance, from the sheaves they make a tree - "Didukha". According to legend, the souls of the ancestors, the guardians of the house, live in this tree. The day before the holiday, the housewives make a "living fire" of twelve logs in the oven and prepare twelve ritual lean grains.
The holy supper necessarily consists of kutya - boiled wheat with nuts, honey and poppy seeds. Wheat is considered a symbol of eternity, and honey is a symbol of the prosperity of all the saints in heaven. With the arrival of Christmas, Christmas carols begin. On these days, everyone walks among the guests from village to village, ride a sleigh pulled by horses. A week after Christmas, the Old New Year is celebrated, January 18 is fast, and Epiphany (Jordan) is celebrated on January 19. Dinner begins only with the appearance of the first star in the sky.
The Easter holiday in the Hutsul region is celebrated in compliance with all traditions and customs. On Palm Sunday, residents bring consecrated willow branches from the church and lightly beat each of their families with them. According to ancient customs, the willow has healing properties. During Great Lent, all the craftsmen made Easter eggs.
For church consecration, eggs, Easter eggs and other products are placed in the basket. Also, in memory of Christ's suffering, horseradish and Easter are placed in the basket with which are a symbol of divine light and Christ's resurrection. The rich Hutsuls traveled to the church on horseback, while the poor walked on foot.
Section 10. Features of Hutsul cuisine
National Hutsul cuisine is very diverse and easy to prepare. The most commonly used products are corn flour, cereals, legumes, potatoes, mushrooms and feta cheese, which is made from sheep's milk. Dishes of Hutsul cuisine - banush, Hutsul borsch, rosivnitsa, kulesha and much more.
Banush is cooked in a cast iron cauldron over a fire. Place the sour cream and cream in a cauldron and bring to a boil, salt and carefully add cornmeal. Banush is considered ready as soon as fat droplets appear on the surface. On the table, food is served with feta cheese, mushrooms and cracklings.
To prepare mushroom soup, dry porcini mushrooms are boiled in chicken broth with spices, and then vermicelli and herbs are added.
The hostess' traditional Hutsul borsch is made from smoked boiled pork and sour beets.
Section 11. Hutsuls ... Who are these people? Can they be called modern?
Today, the life of the Hutsuls is also little exposed to various political and social upheavals. In the villages, folk crafts and cattle-breeding are reviving, which is associated with the collapse of collective farms and a halt in production. For many, this is the main or additional type of income. Almost all families make souvenirs for sale to tourists. Despite this, unlike other residents of Ukraine, the Hutsuls have the lowest income.
Some of the Hutsuls, who in Soviet times considered themselves to be Ukrainians, now consider themselves Rusyns and separate, although they cannot unite and create a single society of Rusyns with strikers and Lemkos.
Despite all their differences from other Ukrainians, even their closest neighbors, the Hutsuls became the guardians of the entire nation. The image of the Carpathian symbolizes Ukraine along with the image of the Cossack from the southern steppe. The only difference is that the first one lives and is less expensive, while the other has become the property of history. Thanks to Hutsul motives, we have one victory in the European song contest and we want the next ones. The whole of Greater Ukraine (and this is how the rest of the state is called in the Hutsul region) is increasingly represented by a small, mountainous land. Why? Who are they? Why do we, Ukraine, need them world-wide?
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Rebels and pioneers
The Hutsuls were not called Hutsuls themselves. I had little enjoyment in that. The Walachs, that is, the ancestors of the Moldovans and Romanians, called their restless neighbors, mountain settlers, so names. "Gots" or "hutsul" literally meant "robber". The first thing is not just the desire of some to enrich themselves at the expense of others - on the contrary: the mountaineers are used to completely Robingudian “take to the rich and give to the poor”. It is still not accepted to be a fool, a lord and to rise above others among them. Even the respectful Ukrainian address “master” is still not used here. Both Oleksa Dovbush and Ustim Karmelyuk, legendary Ukrainian rebels, hunted for "fair distribution". And the very first written mention of the word "hutsul" is associated with the rebellion. In the documents of 1754 it appears that some "hutsulka" as if burned the master's estate and for that was executed ...
But who are those "gotsi" and "hutsuls"? Some scholars say that this is a human Mishanka from various Polovtsian, Pechenezh and other nomadic tribes, Slavs, Romanians and later fugitives, from corvee, in fact - Cossacks. Like, on their basis, such a peculiar ethnic group was formed and preserved in the mountains. They even remember the theory of pasionarity (passionaries are energetic, strong-willed people who, in particular, do not recognize social restrictions and are ready, for example, to endure poverty in the mountains or Dnieper floodplains for the sake of freedom). Allegedly, this can explain the unprecedented temperament of the Hutsuls. Most ethnographers agree that the Hutsuls are indeed a separate ancient nationality, and at the same time they come out of obvious homogeneity in their appearance and customs. Khvedir Volk states: “This is a pure ethnic type - foreign impurities are very small. The Hutsuls definitely do not belong to foreign eastern peoples (bonds, Pechenegs) ..., but to the Ukrainian tribe. " Which of them is closer to the truth, we cannot say. But the idea that there are two "poles of pasionarity" in Ukraine - Zaporozhye in the south and the Carpathians in the west - is interesting ...
The Hutsuls themselves called themselves "Irsteni" - similar to "Christians", and perhaps even in the Old Russian "peasants", that is, "peasants", "villagers" - those who inhabited the mountains. Pioneers, pioneers! They said about themselves: "What Irstenin wanted was that his gentlemen should not incur losses." Hutsuls-Irsteni never knew corvee, and because of this they were and remain freedom-loving.
Another interesting version. I had such a Turkish horse - "Hutsul". He took root in the mountains, because he is one of the dead horses in the world: he pulls most of all, eats least of all. Not very pretty, small, with a black stripe from the head to the tail. I am very very hardy. Only such one could survive in the harsh conditions of the Carpathians, and even help a person survive. Carpathian settlements moved from the valleys to the mountains thanks to just such skates. I supposedly the Irsteni got their name from them. Well, even so ...
But there is also such an option: not "Hutsul" - a robber, but "Kuchul" - a nomad. Well, of course, because the mountaineers roamed: in the warm season - to the mountain valleys, where the grasses are silk and the grazing for "goods" is wonderful, and in the fall - to the valleys, where houses and families were expected for them. This rhythm is still relevant today.
It was the Vlachs, who called the Hutsuls Hutsuls, who taught them mountain valley craft and many other wisdom of life in the mountains. I live both peoples and still side by side, practically immiscible. Romanian horses and cows calmly cross the border, graze in Ukraine and then follow home, and the shepherd calmly watches this, knowing that no one will catch the cattle.
"A little wild" French
And where did the Hutsul tribe come from, since it has not been inhabited in the Carpathians forever?
The mountains have always been a refuge for the restless and a prison for the guilty. Even the Romans sent their exiles here through Dacia (Romania). There are guesses that among them the legendary sage Ovidia was also sent (Mount Gadfly in the Carpathians, near the Angles).
Of course, it would be too much to say that the Hutsuls are descendants of the Romans. Rather, it is already true that these are the Celts who settled in the Carpathians during the great migration of peoples. By the way, the parallel of Galicia - Galia (now France) - Galisia in Spain - Portugal can be traced not only in the names of these regions and countries, but also in the names of villages, rivers and mountains. And also, for example, in the fact that the Hutsuls went first of all to France to earn money. In the Hutsul Kolomyia, the completely Celtic "dana-dana" sounds. Or take the “perfect frog” - there is one in the Carpathians. So much for the "Provencal delicacy"! And also Lesovik lives there - a Gallic Satyr has been dug out ...
Let's say more - completely serious hypotheses are expressed that allegedly the biblical Galilee is somehow connected with Galicia, and Pontius Pilate is a native of the Carpathians. Why not? After all, ethnic Romans did not govern the Jewish territories, not wanting to take responsibility for the often indiscriminate and unseen cruel sentences of local rulers. Pilate was allegedly a Gaul or a Galician (maybe they are the same thing?).
But that is very deep depths of history. Much closer to life looking out for this. One Danube tribe - Slavic or Celtic, also called Ruthenes - is very unsuccessfully located at the crossroads of history. Whoever followed those paths beat them and beat them. The Ruthenis had no other advice on how to head to the mountains, away from adversity, and became there "gotsy", "hutsuls" ...
Such and such a misfortune for the Hutsuls ...
How did it happen, that it is the Hutsuls that are considered almost a symbol of all Ukrainians, its revival? The secret is simple - they are simply Saved. As an ethnos, as a culture, as integral individuals. They know exactly who they are, and they reject this very much for a modern person. I not only to the inhabitant of Greater Ukraine. Or maybe he is even less than a globalizing and unified Western European. That is why the singer Ruslana conquered Eurovision last year - the “united” Europeans saw their neighbors with a completely new and at the same time very familiar face. The same French regularly host prestigious festivals of ethnic music, where they invite folk performers from other countries - because they have not kept their own. I enjoy, they find themselves in it ...
Why did the Hutsuls survive? Because there are other mountain peoples as well. Civilization in the face of all kinds of human rabble will poke less here. Here, the harsh conditions of existence leave the way of life unchanged. It is so beautiful here and you get so used to everything that you will never leave here forever if you were born on this land.
And why not live in the Carpathians? In the summer - although hard peasant labor, but in the midst of a fabulous nature. In winter, on the contrary, there is not much work, sit and be creative: embroider, weaving, carving, paint Easter eggs, compose songs, celebrate calculus and bright holidays ... This eternal cycle exists in the Hutsul region to this day. Paradox: the lack of land gives rise to craving for all kinds of folk crafts. The basis of the Hutsul existence is animal husbandry, since there is very little arable land in the Carpathians. People feed their "goods" (cattle) from pastures and hayfields. They even say: "To smash the earth is a sin": an aridnik (Satan) sits in the depths and rejoices that he is brought closer, plowing the earth ... The Hutsuls raise cattle, shear wool, produce all kinds of aesthetics. From that and live.
I will always be so. This dictates the mountain life. His demands are so tough that they force a person to become acute. No stranger is used among the Hutsuls. Please do not confuse it with a guest. It is accepted here as if you are not just yourself an inquisitive tourist, but a nice face. They will lay and feed, without asking who you are and where you are from, until you tell yourself. But to live, to interfere with them ... Aliens are not accepted into society. Such and such a misfortune for the Hutsuls ...
He is tall, has a typical Roman nose, black and kin-style thick hair, but a light face and narrowish dark, occasionally blue, eyes. Long legs and arms with long fingers. The woman is small, slender, cheerful, playful, of beautiful beauty. Very quick in movement, decision and conversation. I are beautifully selected - this is a must.
The Hutsuls are terribly fond of clothes and have a great taste for it. Men also dress up brightly - even with gold trim. In ancient times, clothes were extremely expensive, passed down from generation to generation. I hutsul hutsul could kill for him.
And also - for the weapon. It was believed that the Hutsul was armed - the Hutsul was normally dressed. If you have only two pistols behind your wide belt, then you are probably a poor man ... They still like to shoot: at Epiphany, to the temple ... Of course, only upwards.
I love to show myself. Hutsul walks around the worlds, not only to see people, but also to be seen - how beautiful he is in the dressing, how proudly he dances, how skillfully he knows how to work ... In some places, these people have a dwelling - like a continuous room, all in embroidered towels , carpets and carvings. Themselves often live in the "summer kitchen", and the house is for guests, for display.
Hutsul is freedom-loving and independent. Will not tolerate any instructions from the side, the chairman himself. He harbors an exaggerated sense of dignity (if dignity may be too much). Of course, at the moment no one throws himself at anyone with a weapon, and earlier it often reached the point of "headache" (this is when a hatchet on the chairman). What is the Hutsul offended at? If someone says to him "stupid", he can still ignore them, but if "stupid hutsul" - oh ... Don't risk it! Hutsul is as exalted in himself as Hoverla over Ukraine.
People are hot to infinity, but surprisingly delicate, they know how to restrain themselves. Very polite, with a genetic inner culture. They turn exclusively to "you", even to a six-grader cotton-boy. I because they are very hot, the Hutsuls have not drunk alcohol for a long time. For the entire wedding (two hundred or more people!), A chunk of vodka was displayed. From one glass everyone sniffs and says: "I smelled the corks." But if someone managed to drink, then at times he became very violent. I could get jealous, get rotten - and for the hatchet ...
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What was, it was, they killed easily, but - "justly." After all, the Hutsuls were and remain deeply believing Christians. There is nowhere else as many church holidays as they have. Were pagans, lived in the midst of nature - God's creation. All carols, malanka-shchedrivks are saturated with biblical content, but there was also a place in them for the sun, wind, and rain. An inflamed kochelo-wheel is sent to Yuri from the top, as they did on the same day in pagan times. I if in most of the territory of Ukraine militant atheism leveled both language and Christianity, then here they live in harmony or, if you like, in eclecticism that is currently fashionable.
There are already too many myths about our dear highlanders. It all began from the naddnipryantsya Kotsyubinsky and his "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors". This novel, and then the world famous film of the Armenian Parajanov, created a very mysterious image of the "wild" hutsul. Ruslana completes it in a modern pop format.
Do the Hutsuls, Ukrainians, world leaders need it? Probably so. Let the world absorb something adapted to begin with, and then, look, be interested in authentic. Does the image created by Ruslana correspond to the truth? Of course not. But even though we criticize the singer, she grabbed the drive of the Hutsul dance. The real character of the hutsul is shown precisely in the dance, when he lets go of the reins of everyday life. Then on the body and in the soul there is no muscle that would not vibrate, would not win to the triple music!
Oh, mom, what will happen?
Indeed, what will actually happen to the Hutsul tradition? Will it dissolve in the ocean of globalization, amusing the world with beautiful tricks, will it be preserved in its own juice? Probably a little of that, a little different. But in general, the Hutsul will live and, therefore, will not stand still. The rigid framework of mountain life will not allow you to crumble into friends. Kiptar stays on your shoulders because it is lightweight and protects well from the wind. And also the most modern jeans are so befitting him ... An auto will not replace a horse, because it will pass where technology is powerless and generally inappropriate. And the Hutsul musicians will continue to play at weddings alternately on electronics and on authentic. Hutsul tourism will not spoil either. They say that it will not be worse than drunkenness in Soviet times and post-Soviet unemployment made them. On the contrary, tourism touches the highlander's favorite string - "show himself." Do you remember? Plus, everything is Hutsul, and this is a fact, it adapts very well to modernity, remaining itself. Even in America you can see things from the Carpathians, prepared for the latest dictates of fashion. Yes, and in Verkhovyna, girls have mercy on their eyes - "a vest to the knee, a spare tire for five", and when it goes, the spare tire diverges ... Very erotic and exotic. They are proud that they are in the center of Europe (near the town of Rakhiv), free, beautiful and not at all wild. Well, maybe a little ... For strangers.
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I had to travel around the Hutsul region more than once: in different years and under different circumstances. It was a long time ago: we can say that this is the edge of my childhood. Therefore, now, when I am already many years old, having specially arrived - in the Ukrainian part of the Carpathians for the shooting, I tried to take a look at the usual places with a new look: what has changed, what has remained the same, what has blossomed, and what has decayed. How is the heart of the picturesque mountains soothed today?
The diesel train "Chervona Ruta" moves out of Rakhov and reluctantly crawls up between the steep slope of the mountain and the cliff above the Tisa River, overcoming the first pass. The old train of bright red color of just a few cars can be easily attributed to local attractions: it is already at least fifty years old (at least, its "insides").
I make myself as comfortable by the window as the cracked wooden seat will allow, and absentmindedly glide along the nearby peaks. As you know, geography explains a lot in the history and customs of all peoples. And if we are talking about highlanders - especially. Due to their isolation, they usually manage to maintain a greater cultural originality than the inhabitants of the valley. Who ever heard that a mountainous country could be easily conquered, converted to another faith, imposed a foreign language? principalities, then the Commonwealth, then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then the Soviet ... But the obstinate Hutsuls have always remained themselves, like, say, the Armenians under the Turkish government or the Incas under the Spanish.
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It is noteworthy that even in distant mountainous cultures, separated by oceans and climatic zones, it is easy to find "rhymes". The famous Hutsul woodwind instrument trembita resembles the Tibetan radong, the Carpathian hats with a flirty feather are the “paraphrase” of the Swiss headdress (look at any image of William Tell). And the antediluvian train crawling between the mountains cannot but be compared with the famous "memorial express" that brings tourists to Peruvian Cuzco.
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Rogues, nomads and the Carpathians
Hutsuls are called ethnic Ukrainians living in the mountainous regions of Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi and Transcarpathian regions (several villages are also scattered around the border regions of Slovakia, Poland and Romania). They are considered the indigenous (at least the most ancient surviving) population of the Carpathians. As for the language of these villagers, it is somewhat different from the literary Ukrainian, for example, the use of a significant number of Romanian and Hungarian words, as well as the bizarre structure of the phrase. The origin of the word "Hutsuls", like the ethnos itself, is mysterious and controversial. Some associate it with the word "gotsaly" (it seems that in the old days the Carpathians were called so), others - with "kochuls" (nomads), and some of the scientists hear echoes of the Romanian hocul (robber). The traditional occupations of these people are sheep breeding and timber processing. Religion - Catholicism of the Eastern rite, in which some pagan elements have survived to this day. There is no strict calculation of the population, since the concept of “hutsuls” does not exist in the official reporting documents (they are registered as Ukrainians during the census).
Diesel "collects" the remnants of strength and, having overcome the last hill in this area, creeps into the tunnel. Once upon a time, just in the course of its movement, there was a border between the Kingdom of Poland as part of the Russian Empire and Austria-Hungary (it was the Austrians who built the first railway at the end of the 19th century). We emerge from the tunnel in the Carpathian region. Further - a steep descent, and the train runs much more fun, accompanied along the way not by the pensive Tisa, but by the playful stormy Prut, outside the window, beads of ancient villages strung on it, as if on a living thread, flash: Voronenko, Vorokhta, Tatarov, Mikulychin, Yamna ...
From time to time, stopping at the platforms, our old "house on wheels" is gradually filled with bales, sacks and their owners: first, those who return from the market in Rakhiv, then those who go to the market in Vorokhta. Approaching this last point, the driver suddenly squeezes out the brakes, and the neatly dressed old woman sitting next to me barely has time, clutching an "antique" reticule to her chest, to dodge a flying sack of cabbage. "I ask again, lady!" - someone's voice is heard from the dense crowd of passengers, but I do not have time to recognize who it belongs to, because the stream of people finally carries me out into the fresh air.
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For these picturesque places, the market is like a carnival. It is obligatory for everyone and for everyone - like a calendar. He sets the rhythm of life. From Monday to Thursday, the town shrinks sleepily, and on Friday it is again flooded with commercial floods. Now it's Friday. But earlier, during the long Soviet years, the market day was Sunday. I can't even remember who established this order, but it is clear that under the communist regime it did not matter whether you went to mass on the same day as shopping (though not great, but a sin), or even when ... And then, in the early nineties, the Uniate Church re-entered its rights and returned to the strict order. The Sunday service was extended to the appropriate hour, and a special day was set aside for the agitated bustle of everyday life.
And they did well - they gave the people an extra day off. Although no one has established it by law, is it possible to work when a fair reigns around? It's funny to say ... In addition, to get to the market, residents of remote areas need time, and they have to leave early in the morning. The owners and the hostesses get up in the dark, collect the bales - and go, but no one complains, because, I repeat, they are going to a holiday. Do mountaineers-villagers have many entertainments in their lives, ways to relax and time to see acquaintances? Or, again, to demonstrate the best outfits (Hutsuls are all dandies): men - in high hats, "club" jackets, embroidered shirts and colored ties, women - in traditionally colorful headscarves, like the political map of the world. I often catch myself thinking: anywhere else, this multicolored aesthetic would seem redundant. And here, in the entourage of mountains, which themselves look wild, everything is in place.
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A lot of people have already gathered at the bus stop, much more than will fit in one "minibus". But no one is nervous and does not lose face: everyone is standing and waiting ceremoniously, surrounded by shapeless "trunks". You might think that the highlanders are unperturbed, like the Indians, but in fact, a sedate person with them means that he is positive.
… It is impossible to stand silently even among unfamiliar Hutsuls for a long time, and now in a few minutes I am chatting with an elderly woman. About this and that: “Here, they say, I came from Moscow ...” - “What are you saying? And my daughter also has ... a husband from Rybinsk. " One should not be surprised at this "too". For a villager in Western Ukraine, besides that part of it, where it is a whole business to migrate from gorge to gorge, the world is acquiring generalized outlines. That is to say, and Kharkiv is seen as Paris.
But the inner space of a small homeland expands to unprecedented limits and is fragmented. The neighboring village is perceived as a separate, completely different and original world: with its own way of life, dialect, patterns on embroidery and with its own "temper". It is also important at what height the settlement is: one of my acquaintances, having quarreled with his wife, always exclaimed: “What kind of understanding can there be in her? There is no understanding. She's from below! " Moreover, it is good to get to her native village from her husband's hut if it is five kilometers away, but downhill.
Dzhigits of the Carpathians
Finally, the long-awaited "Gazelle" drives up and loads to capacity, which does not prevent it from developing a speed that is good in its class on a mountain road in a minute: about 80 km per hour. The passenger community, accustomed to both speed and bends, also immediately unfolds its usual gossip and conversation to the rustle of tires. By the way, my new acquaintance speaks about tires somewhere “at the back” of the minibus: her nephew, they say, was given a bicycle, “but not a special one for the mountains, but an ordinary bike. On the very first day, the tires were gone - everyone “flew”! Well, so what is he? Continues to drive without tires. " Wow, horseman, more Caucasian than Carpathian ...
Here we are just passing the thickets. The area, where one village flows into another, is known precisely for the stormy activity of the Carpathian horsemen, those brave fellows who make history textbooks a fascinating reading. Near Tatariv, the prince of Galicia-Volyn Daniil Romanovich (or rather, the king! - to him, the only one of all the ancient Russian sovereigns, the Pope sent a royal crown) with his son Leo for the first time "clicked on the nose" of the Horde, and until then they did not know defeat from the Slavs. A little further, between Yamna and Yaremcha, visitors are taken to the caves of Dovbush - that famous ataman Oleksa Dovbush, who was hiding there with his hayduks from the Polish regular troops, and when they left, from there he raided the gentry estates. And also his beloved Dzvinka secretly visited him in the caves, about whom they sing that “the dermal woman in the soul” is she (“every woman in the soul” is she).
In the 1920s and 1930s, this area - Yasinya, Yaremche, Vorokhta - suddenly acquired the fame of a resort, and Poles and Austrians began to gather with their families there, establishments unseen before appeared: hotels, boarding houses, cafes. For the very "reunification of Western Ukraine with the USSR" in Yaremche, they even built the first horse-drawn lift, making panoramic views available for the unsportsmanlike rich. It was considered special chic to ride a horse under the cable car itself, when it just soars into the air - that was an occupation for a horseman. Now, after the troubled 90s, tourism, of course, is reviving again, but so far, according to an old habit, visitors from the CIS prefer the private sector to any resort infrastructure: there is no such house in Yaremche that would not accept vacationers at all "important" holiday. Many people stay in the city itself, but in order to feel the spirit of these places, it is better to settle in the surrounding mountains - “in the settlements”. My good friend Vasily Nikolayevich Plitus lives in one of these hospitable houses. It is difficult for an unprepared person to reach it: two kilometers on foot up the hill. But a reward awaits there: a hearty Hutsul welcome with tea, pretzels, palinka, conversations - and all this will be enough until the morning.
It goes without saying that only having lived a little in such a family, one can recognize what kind of life in the mountains is and what difficulties it pays for its cheerful flavor. Vasily's grandson, Lyubchik, is not yet fourteen years old, but in any weather he runs several kilometers every day along a rocky path - to and from school. And when he came running from school, the economic "duty" begins: including mowing and grazing a cow - serious business. The closest run-down store is downstairs, in the center of the city, so a walk for bread takes an hour and a half (a good Hutsul step). It is therefore understandable, by the way, why the traditional local cuisine, which has arisen taking into account the distance and energy consumption, is so high in calories and heavy. For the same reason, in the fall, people carry bags of food from the market: during the long days of snowfall, many villages are completely cut off. It is important not to stretch your legs here.
Gifts of Molfars
The fact that the comparatively low, traveled by tourists, the Carpathian Mountains are still mountains where it is better not to relax, I was convinced myself, having gone one day to shoot a panorama of the sunset. At six o'clock the sky suddenly became overcast with lightning speed, and a few minutes later it opened up in fierce streams. “I ought to get down as soon as possible,” I thought, but “rather,” it didn’t work, because it was slippery, and it had time to get dark. In general, how I managed to find the necessary forest path among a dozen others, and then not break my neck on it, I don’t know. A terrible thunderstorm stood out. Roughly the same as the one summoned by the molfar (sorcerer) in the famous film.
Reasons to recall the film adaptation of Sergei Parajanov's "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" by Mikola Kotsyubinsky are in the Rakhiv region at every step. In general, do you know that the Hutsuls themselves once perceived this film as a documentary about their grandfathers and grandmothers? In all seriousness. And although everything in this picture is pure fiction, it looks really incredibly believable - in terms of everyday life, morals ... All this could have happened in the Hutsul region. And it actually happens to this day. Until now, instead of a greeting, the locals say: "Glory to Icycy Christ", and in response they hear: "Glory to you." To this day, the highest value for the most inveterate "daredevil" is the family, and there is no greater misfortune than to remain a "bitter mongrel". The same holidays are celebrated, the same pies are baked and the same tincture is prepared. And the phrase from the film "For work, everyday life, for divination is sacred" still expresses the spirit and rhythm of life.
At Christmas, they go to carol and put on the table exactly twelve dishes, including the "queen" - the famous whole wheat kutia with walnuts, honey and poppy seeds. On Palm Sunday, Great Day (Easter) and frosty Yardan (Epiphany), there are fewer treats, up to ten names, but all people walk in a procession with the cross to a cold river or stream to listen to the Holy Liturgy - both touching and joyful. Everyday life, of course, is everyday life, and they have their own occupations: in the 21st century, shepherding sheep is not considered shameful even for men with higher education, and God himself ordered their wives to make feta cheese, embroider and knit like great-grandmothers. On Friday, as already mentioned, it is customary to go to the market, on Saturdays - to clean the house, Sunday is given to the church. In general, a real rural idyll, which you rarely find anywhere on the European continent, except in Sicily (by the way, like the Sicilians, every self-respecting Hutsul family has relatives in America or at least in Canada).
The one who says that everything here remains so virginal will be sluggish. For example, the scarves that we admired on the market are no longer Hutsul, but imported Japanese. And what? The colors are the same, the effect is the same - and it comes out cheaper ... National costumes are in chests and are rarely taken out of there, except for cleaning, however, in warm weather, many women, according to "genetic" memory, wear double skirts and triple jackets - as soon as it is not hot them? Twenty years ago, one could often see shepherds descending from distant slopes in corduroy jeans received from overseas uncles and cousins. And it turned out very “naturally”: from a distance velveteen looks like traditional Ukrainian velvet.
Such links between the past and the present give rise to bright and cheerful contrasts. The Hutsuls themselves find it funny: cars are parked on one side of the village street, and horses are parked on the other, and the bodies and carts are decorated with the same national lizha carpets. In many houses, stoves are used for cooking and heating in the old fashioned way (gasification of the Rakhiv region is happening right now), and Samsung video recorders are installed on them to save space. And in winter you can observe how the smoke from the chimney gently wraps around the satellite dish.
What is what in the Hutsul world?
Poloniny - a plateau in the Carpathians where sheep graze - climatically almost the same as alpine meadows
Lizhniki - fleecy rugs made of sheep wool, decorated with a geometric pattern. Designed for covering, covering and simply decorating
Easter eggs are traditional painted eggs. Considered a wonderful gift (among their own) and a good (for tourists)
Trembita is a musical instrument. It is a wooden pipe (up to 3 m long) without valves and valves
Arkan - Hutsul folk male dance (according to legend, the dance of heroes who descended from the mountains), requires great endurance and, preferably, skill from the dancers (performed with small hatchet-bartks)
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Hutsul everyday culture looks very attractive from the outside. And what is attractive in our time is cost-effective and should be used as souvenirs and sold out. They are trying to do this with the Ukrainian Carpathians. For many years in a row I have been to Kolomyia (the cultural and historical "capital" of the Hutsul region), and a couple of years ago I arrived and was upset. On the occasion of the ethnic festival, it was hastily restored, and, bringing out the outer gloss, destroyed all the charm. True, at the market of folk crafts in Kosovo or in the Kolomyia Pysanka Museum, you can still find something worthwhile and piece - a carpet with a decorative ornament, a shirt or something painted from utensils. By the way, the plots of the drawings are only seemingly ingenuous, but in fact they are full of ancient pagan meaning. For example, if you see a triangle, keep in mind that it is a symbol of immortality, male and female strength. Lightning denotes heavenly fire and divine help for women in labor. The sun, among other things, protects from evil spirits. And the arrows depicted on the Easter eggs helped to "turn away" the Tatars from the villages. Talismans and, in general, drawings with a hidden magical meaning are still common in this superstitious land. More than once I have heard how the illness was explained by the evil eye, and family troubles - by someone else's envy. In place of ancient legends, which sooner or later die away, new ones appear. For example, the Jewish-Polish cemetery in the same Kolomyia bypasses the entire population. They say, naturally, that the souls of the slain rise from the crypts and call the Nazis and the Bolsheviks to account. By the way, I didn't get the pictures of the cemetery - the only ones for the whole trip. The film, God knows why, was blown out. Probably, “shadows of forgotten ancestors” do not like to act in films.
“Hutsuls…. Who are these people? " This question has repeatedly arisen among those who at least once were interested in the culture of the peoples of neighboring countries.
However, it is not so easy to answer it even for the indigenous people of Ukraine. That is, you will most likely be told that these are people who live in the western part of the state, love to sing and attach great importance to clothing in the traditional style, passed down from generation to generation. And that's probably all. It's a shame, because in this case, this distinctive nation will be exactly like other numerous peoples of Ukraine.
Although it would be worth talking about the Hutsuls first of all. Why? The thing is that their lifestyle, manner of dressing and the image of their worldview have for many years been the subject of study by many scientists, both historians and cultural experts.
In this article we will try to answer the question of what the Hutsuls are. Who these people are, readers will learn from the description of the history, culture and modernity of the nation.
Section 1. General description of the nation
There is an assumption that the Hutsuls, however, like the Lemkos and Boiks, belong to the Carpathian-Rusyn ethnic group. But, despite this opinion, emigrants from the Galician and Bukovinian Rusyns believe that their ancestors appeared in the Carpathian mountains at the beginning of the 6th century. Today, the main part of the Carpathian-Ruthenian ethnic group inhabits the border areas of the modern Carpathians, located at the intersection of the Ukrainian, Polish and Slovak borders.
Also, more than half a million people live in separate communities in neighboring countries and in the United States of America. The population of these communities is almost ½ of the total number of Rusyns on earth.
Section 2. Origin of the ethnos name
There are many versions of the origin of the word "hutsuls", but none of them has direct evidence. Some believe that the Carpathian highlanders got their name from the Ossetian (Sarmatian) word "gytsyl", which means "small, junior".
In written sources, this name is recorded as "gytsyl chizg / yazig" and refers to the Yazygs - a Sarmatian tribe that existed in the Carpathian region and Galicia in the first centuries AD. NS. It was they who did not participate in the campaign of the Sarmatians-Alans to Europe and stayed with the Gepids in Galicia and the Greatung Goths ("Little Goths").
Others are of the opinion that the word "hutsuls" has a slightly different origin - from the word "nomad" (thanks to the gradual transformation: nomadic-kochuly-gotsuls-hutsuls).
There is also a hypothesis that the tribe got its name thanks to the name Guts or the verb "Gutsaty".
However, the most common variant of the etymology of the word is a combination of two words - "hutsul" (through the oprishkiv "movement") with the Romanian "robber". No wonder this nation is considered a wild (free) people.
Section 3. Where do Hutsuls live on the territory of Ukraine?
Hutsuls - along with strikers and Lemkos - belong to the indigenous inhabitants of the Carpathian Mountains. Nowadays, they live on the territory of Ukraine in Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi and Transcarpathian regions.
In Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, these ethnic Ukrainians inhabit Verkhovynsky, Yaremchensky, the south of Kosivsky and Nadvoryansky districts.
Their place of residence in the Transcarpathian region is the Rakhiv region. The area of the Hutsulshchyna in Ukraine is 6.5 thousand square meters. km. Its territory also includes the border lands of Romania, where the Maramoros Hutsuls live.
Section 4. Historical moments
Until the mid-40s of the last century, the Hutsuls, like the whole of Western Ukraine, were divided.
Before the outbreak of the First World War, part of their territories belonged to Austria and Hungary. And after 1920, the Hutsul lands were subordinate to Poland, Romania and Czechoslovakia. By the end of the 30s of the XX century, the Hutsul region became part of the Ukrainian SSR.
The first population census of Ukraine, conducted in 2001, showed that about 21.5 thousand people consider themselves to be an ethnological group of Hutsuls.
Section 5. How Hutsulshchyna was formed
The first historical mention of the Hutsulshchyna appeared in Polish written sources dating from the XIV-XV centuries. For a long time, these peoples of Western Ukraine were freed from feudal duties (panschina).
Instead, there was a natural and monetary extortion from the population to pay the rent from neighboring landowners. In the middle of the XVII-XVIII centuries. On the lands of the Hutsul region, a popular insurrectionary movement began, Oleks Dovbush became the leader of the Ukrainian movement of the oprishki. And in the 40s of the XIX century, another popular uprising took place, aimed at protecting peasant interests and abolishing the panschina. This rebel movement was led by Lukyan Kobylitsa.
The most significant historical events of the last century that took place in the cultural and political life of the Hutsuls include the active activities of the Ukrainian Radical Party, the creation of an amateur theater under the leadership of Gnat Khotkevich (1911) and the Sich society of K. Trilevsky, the military actions of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen ( 1914-1915) and the emergence of the Hutsul Republic, which existed for only a few months.
The main part of the modern Hutsulshchyna is located on the territory of Ukraine. The only exceptions are a few villages in the Romanian part of Bukovina and in Marmaroschina.
Section 6. The main type of occupation Hutsul
Since ancient times, the main types of traditional occupations of the Hutsuls are: cattle breeding, forestry, beekeeping and rafting along mountain rivers. The Ukrainian Carpathians are best suited to such crafts.
The Hutsuls were practically not engaged in agriculture, and it was of secondary importance. Folk and artistic crafts took a special place in the life of the Hutsuls. Pottery, weaving, leather and copper products, woodworking, straw inlay, etc. were developed. Many items of folk craftsmen have survived to this day.
Tilinka (calf) - an open pipe without holes, made of willow or hazel, belonged to the folk musical instruments of the Hutsuls. A resident of Transcarpathia, it seemed, could not live a day without his favorite tunes. Almost each of them mastered the game from early childhood.
Another traditional brass musical instrument was the trembita - a wooden pipe up to four meters long without valves and gates, wrapped in birch bark. This type of wind instrument was used to transmit sound signals over long distances. With its help, in the old days, they reported about various events (weddings, holidays, death, funerals, etc.), and the shepherds announced their whereabouts in the highlands.
The Hutsuls also use other musical instruments - a pipe, an accordion and cymbals, less often a violin and a jew's harp.
The Hutsuls have highly developed clan relations and fellowship, shamanism is preserved. They are adherents of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches.
Section 7. What language do the Hutsuls speak?
For communication on the territory of Ukraine among the Hutsuls, the Hutsul dialect of the Ukrainian language is used, the Romanian Hutsuls speak Ukrainian and Romanian.
The case endings and pronunciation features of Hutsul words are in many ways similar to the Slovak language. This once again testifies to the fact that the peoples of Ukraine are very heterogeneous and very often look more like people from European countries than people from their own state.
Section 8. Hutsul wedding traditions and rituals
Hutsuls, whose origins ethnographers never tire of studying, even nowadays wear national clothes and strongly adhere to their age-old traditions.
Traditionally, matchmaking and engagement take place in spring, summer and autumn, very rarely in winter. There is no set time for weddings, but most often they are held before Lent. It is forbidden to hold a festival on the days of any fasting.
The first sign of an imminent wedding in the Hutsul region was the presentation of towels by the matchmakers. For a marriage to be long and strong, young people must "stand on a towel." A long tradition of the Hutsuls is the presentation of rolls on an embroidered towel to young spouses with the pronunciation of wishes for a rich and happy life. The groom rode horses to the church.
In general, if you answer briefly to the question: “Hutsuls? Who are these people? ”, It should be noted that these are primarily merry fellows.
Judge for yourself, no wedding goes by without folk songs and dances, games and amusements, funny jokes and jokes. They bake loaves and rolls, weave and embroider towels. The guests' outfits are decorated with bouquets, which are also hung on trees and gilts. Boyars, elders, matchmakers and boyfriend accompany the bride and groom all day long.
Section 9. Holding Religious Holidays (Christmas and Easter)
Preparation for Christmas begins in advance, from the sheaves they make a tree - "Didukha". According to legend, the souls of the ancestors, the guardians of the house, live in this tree. The day before the holiday, the housewives make a "living fire" of twelve logs in the oven and prepare twelve ritual lean grains.
The holy supper necessarily consists of kutya - boiled wheat with nuts, honey and poppy seeds. Wheat is considered a symbol of eternity, and honey is a symbol of the prosperity of all the saints in heaven. With the arrival of Christmas, Christmas carols begin. On these days, everyone walks among the guests from village to village, ride a sleigh pulled by horses. A week after Christmas, the Old New Year is celebrated, January 18 is fast, and Epiphany (Jordan) is celebrated on January 19. Dinner begins only with the appearance of the first star in the sky.
The Easter holiday in the Hutsul region is celebrated in compliance with all traditions and customs. On Palm Sunday, residents bring consecrated willow branches from the church and lightly beat each of their families with them. According to ancient customs, the willow has healing properties. During Great Lent, all the craftsmen made Easter eggs.
For church consecration, eggs, Easter eggs and other products are placed in the basket. Also, in memory of Christ's suffering, horseradish and Easter with a wax candle, which are a symbol of divine light and Christ's resurrection, are placed in the basket. The rich Hutsuls traveled to the church on horseback, while the poor walked on foot.
Section 10. Features of Hutsul cuisine
National Hutsul cuisine is very diverse and easy to prepare. The most commonly used products are corn flour, cereals, legumes, potatoes, mushrooms and feta cheese, which is made from sheep's milk. Dishes of Hutsul cuisine - banush, mushroom soup, Hutsul borscht, rosivnitsa, kulesha and much more.
Banush is cooked in a cast iron cauldron over a fire. Place the sour cream and cream in a cauldron and bring to a boil, salt and carefully add cornmeal. Banush is considered ready as soon as fat droplets appear on the surface. On the table, food is served with feta cheese, mushrooms and cracklings.
To prepare mushroom soup, dry porcini mushrooms are boiled in chicken broth with spices, and then vermicelli and herbs are added.
The hostess' traditional Hutsul borsch is made from smoked boiled pork and sour beets.
Section 11. Hutsuls ... Who are these people? Can they be called modern?
Today, the life of the Hutsuls is also little exposed to various political and social upheavals. In the villages, folk crafts and cattle-breeding are reviving, which is associated with the collapse of collective farms and a halt in production. For many, this is the main or additional type of income. Almost all families make souvenirs for sale to tourists. Despite this, unlike other residents of Ukraine, the Hutsuls have the lowest income.
Some of the Hutsuls, who in Soviet times considered themselves to be Ukrainians, now consider themselves Rusyns and separate, although they cannot unite and create a single society of Rusyns with strikers and Lemkos.
Those who are interested in the cultural life of different countries of the world, and especially in the neighboring countries, have repeatedly asked themselves what the Hutsuls are and what is their origin. But even for native Ukrainians, this issue remains not well known. The maximum knowledge that ordinary people of Ukraine have is that the Rusyns of Transcarpathia live in the western regions of the country, observe age-old traditions, wear national clothes, and sing folk songs.
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Unfortunately, this information is not exhaustive. In addition, most of the Slavic peoples fit this description. However, the Hutsul people are very distinctive and deserve special attention. This is due to the fact that Transcarpathian Rus has been under the close supervision of historians and cultural experts from all over the world for many years. This is due to their peculiar lifestyle and worldview. It is not so difficult to reveal the secrets of the Hutsul mores, their life and the current state of the nation.
Who are the Rusyns of Transcarpathia
To begin with, it should be noted that the Hutsuls, according to one assumption, belong to the Carpathian-Rusyn ethnic group, like the Lemkos and Boyks. However, this opinion of scientists does not prevent the indigenous inhabitants of Transcarpathia from believing that their first ancestors appeared on the Carpathian slopes in the 6th century. This is primarily the opinion of the Galician and Bukovinian representatives of the Rusyns of Transcarpathia. At the present stage, most of the representatives of the Carpathian-Ruthenian ethnos inhabit the border areas adjacent to Poland and Slovakia. Another part of this ethnic group, about half a million, live in neighboring European countries and the United States. Abroad, they live in small communities.
Etymology of the name of the nation
There are many assumptions about why the Rusyns of Transcarpathia are called Hutsuls. However, none of these assumptions have sufficient grounds. One of the main assumptions is based on the fact that the Hutsuls got their name from the Sarmatian word "gytsyl", i.e. small, small. In ancient written sources, this word was related specifically to the Sarmatian people who lived in Transcarpathian Rus at the beginning of our era.
"Gytsyl chizg / yazyg" is a people who did not take part in the campaign to Europe and stayed in the Carpathian region together with the Goths-Greatungs and Gepids. Another assumption is based on the fact that the Hutsuls originated from the word “roam” and its word form “kochuly”. The popular assumption remains the origin from the name Guts or the verb "gutsati". However, the most widespread assumption was that “hutsuls” came from a combination of two words - “hutsul” (movement) and the Romanian word “robber”. That is why it is believed that this is a free or even wild people.
Rus Transcarpathian or where the living Hutsuls
Just like the strikers and Lemkos, the Hutsuls rightfully belong to the indigenous inhabitants of the Carpathians. In modern Ukraine, these are:
- Ivano-Frankivsk,
- Chernivtsi,
- Transcarpathian region.
In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, the Hutsuls occupy such districts as Verkhovynsky, Yaremchansky, the south of Kosovsky, and also Nadvoryansky.
In the Transcarpathian region, this is the Rakho region. If we talk about the area occupied by the Hutsul region, then it is 6.5 thousand square kilometers. But this is only in Ukraine. The territory of the Hutsuls can be considered the borderlands of Romania. There, this ethnic group is called the Maramosian Hutsuls.
Important historical events
For a long time, up to the 40s of the XX century, the Hutsuls as a people were divided between different states. Before World War I, Transcarpathian Rus belonged to Austria and Hungary. Later it came under the influence of Poland, Romania and Czechoslovakia. In the 30s, the Hutsuls began to be part of the Ukrainian SSR.
In 2001, after the population census, it was revealed that 21.5 thousand residents consider themselves to be the Hutsul ethnic group.
The formation of the Hutsul region and the first mentions
In the 14th-15th centuries, the Hutsul region and the Hutsul people were first mentioned in Polish written sources. At that time, Western Ukraine was burdened with natural and monetary collection from the population. In this regard, the Western lands were engulfed in a popular uprising of the oprishki led by Oleksa Dovbush.
In the 40s, another uprising broke out, in which peasant interests and the abolition of panschina again came to the fore. This uprising was led by Lukyan Kobylitsa. As for the other most significant events in the cultural and political life of the Hutsul region, this includes the activities of the Ukrainian Radical Party.
Also a significant figure in history is Gnat Hotkevich and his Amateur Theater, as well as K. Trilevsky and his Sich Society. The activity of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen in 1914-1915 remains significant. An important step towards independence is the formation of the Hutsul Republic, which existed for several months. However, despite the cultural and political changes in the world, the main part of the Hutsul ethnos and territory still remains in Ukraine and Romania. There are also several villages left in Bukovina and Marmoroshchina.
At the present stage, the life of the Hutsuls is relatively stable both politically and socially. In the villages, folk crafts, cattle breeding and all types of work on the land flourish.
Rusyns of Transcarpathia have the lowest income among all Ukrainians. Therefore, folk craft has become an excellent form of additional income.
Almost every family is engaged in craftsmanship and selling their own souvenirs for tourists from all over the world. However, despite the financial difficulties, the Hutsul people are cordial and welcoming. Their original character and fluent speech will not leave indifferent any tourist. In addition, the Hutsul land has a rich recreational base, which attracts the attention of lovers of forest nature and mountain rivers.
