Fair in an old-fashioned way

September 21,  2018

In the Asekeyevsky district of the Orenburg region, on the initiative of Zaytuna Valishina, a new historical and ethnographic project on studying the cultural heritage of villages located in the Bolshoy Kinel river basin was launched.

… Because of the hilly mountains, the morning sun was just beginning to look out, and on the way from the nearest villages the peasants were already rushing headlong. Women carried to the top filled with simple goods wicker baskets, men dragged behind the backs of heavy bales and knapsacks. Every now and then, pouring dust, they were overtaken by tarantas and horse carts, loaded with ze-nom, flour and other things. No, no, yes even the proud camels appeared on that way …

The whole north-west of Orenburzhye hurried to the fair in Staromukmenenevo (the name of the village in translation into Tatar – Iske Moemin), where in the XIX century from the spring to autumn the fair was held. In terms of scale and popularity, it was not inferior to the Buguruslan one. Wealthy merchants from all over the world brought their goods here, and they took back the foals bought by relatively cheap horses, foals. “Take the samovars!”, “To whom – kerosene, to whom are the kerosene lamps?”, “Furs! Leather! Fabrics overseas! “, – called traders. Human cries were supplemented by the gigot of geese, bleating rams waiting for buyers. The lively fair was full of bright dresses of adults and children, dressed for the occasion of the holiday