Russian fairs: history of festivities. Fairs of ancient Rus'. Fair places Fairs, markets and churchyards

I was very interested in this topic - fairs. I myself participated in Stavropol fairs several times as a seller. This is, of course, very interesting, a lot of impressions, drive, emotions, mostly positive. But these are very “simple” events, with a standard set: “kebab-mashlyk”, a sea of ​​Chinese cheap junk, several “craftsmen” (as we are called in the Stavropol House of Folk Art) and people who mainly come to such events to gawk , take a couple of selfies, drink beer and buy your child a whistle for 50 rubles.

But before, fairs were a serious matter and an important and integral element of the country’s national economy. I was very interested in this topic, especially due to the fact that our Masters Fair began to occupy one of the key places in my life.

This publication does not pretend to be the ultimate truth, since I took the materials for it from the Internet.

First, I propose to understand what a fair is? What kind of word is this, because it does not have Russian roots, in Russian fair is “bargaining, marketplace.” From German, fair - Jahrmarkt - “annual market” - an annually recurring sale of goods, sometimes with restrictions on a certain season, product (for example: wine, honey, vegetables and fruits) or theme (for example, Orthodox fairs).

In Rus', the market, the marketplace, occupied a central place in the settlement. For example, in ancient Kyiv there were 40 churches and 8 marketplaces. And the emergence of widespread fair activity in Rus' goes back to the period of the reign of Prince Vladimir and his heir Yaroslav the Wise in Kyiv, because it was during their reign that wide communication with overseas merchants began; merchants from Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic brought their goods to Rus'.

Bargaining on the shore of Lake Ilmen

The most ancient fair in Rus', known since the mid-13th century, is considered to be Arskaya (near Kazan). But in those days, merchants heading to the Arsk fair were attacked by the Tatars. To stop robberies of caravans, Tsar Vasily III banned travel to this fair. In 1524, near Nizhny Novgorod, near the town of Vasilsursk, which is downstream of it on the Volga, Grand Duke Vasily III Ivanovich established an official marketplace. Thus, the largest fair was founded in Russia, dating back almost five centuries of history.

Later, in 1641, by decree of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, the fair was moved closer to Nizhny Novgorod under the walls of the monastery of St. Makaria, located 90 km from the city. For a long time the fair was called Makaryevskaya. Among the participants in the fair trade were wealthy Russian merchants, traders from China, India, Bukhara, who offered for sale furs, silk, pearls, gold, tea, linen and cotton fabrics, leather goods, sheepskin and fur, grocery, fish, etc. goods. In 1817, by decision of the government, the Makaryevskaya Fair moved to the newly built stone Gostiny Dvor in Nizhny Novgorod. It is located on the “arrow” - the confluence of the two largest Russian rivers Oka and Volga. It was an ideal place for a market.

Makaryevskaya Fair

Nizhny Novgorod fair. 19th century

While I was looking for information, I came across an interesting fact. What do you think was a mandatory element of the auction that should have been located next to the fair? It turns out that it was a bathhouse, since almost all the guests present came from afar, as they say, “Without a bathhouse, there is no bargaining.”

For three centuries, the Irbit fair was the second in importance and scope in Russia, second only to the Nizhny Novgorod fair. The first mentions of it date back to the 30s of the seventeenth century. From then on, it was held annually until 1929.

In those days, only here could one buy the most valuable Siberian furs, the finest Chinese silk and tea, and specially tanned lamb skins from Central Asia. Moscow merchants brought jewelry and manufactured goods, and metals were brought from the Urals.

At different times, fair festivities lasted from two weeks to one and a half months. Typically, they were held in the autumn-winter months. Today the fair lasts only four days and has been postponed to the last days of August.

First of all, the Irbit Fair was famous as a place where Siberian furs were bought and sold - an expensive product, extremely valued in Europe. However, another interesting fact is lost in the darkness of history: it was here, on Irbit, in the eighteenth century that the first monopoly on the tea trade was formed. The “Great Tea Road”, which passed along the Babinovsky tract, made the fair in a small town a monopoly in the distribution and pricing of Chinese “liquid gold”.

Irbit fair. 19th century

By the middle of the 16th century in Siberia, the Irkutsk fair turned into the leading one for the entire East Siberian region. Its turnover amounted to almost 6% of the all-Russian fair turnover. The range of goods brought to Irkutsk fairs was rich and varied. Goods were received from Moscow, Arkhangelsk, as well as from the Makaryevskaya, Irbitskaya and Yenisei fairs, Asian goods - from China.

The most common food items brought to Irkutsk were honey and hops, sugar, and various types of tea. Irkutsk residents could also purchase European goods - fabrics, luxury goods and sweets, wines. The imported goods were markedly dominated by items intended for mass consumption by wide sections of the townspeople.

Fairs of Siberia

And if in the West in the 18th century. large national fairs lose their importance due to the formation of commodity exchanges and the development of a system of trade through stores, then in Russia national fairs do not lose their importance until the revolution, moreover, they develop and multiply.

From the middle of the 19th century. The idea is spreading that “the fair collection of goods should pursue other purposes in addition to trade.” The charters of Russian fairs include such items as “educating the public, demonstrating the efforts of society aimed at progress in various fields of activity, showing real achievements and prospects for the development of economic sectors.” Therefore, even then, large fairs in Russia served not just as trade centers, but also as centers for the exchange of experience, knowledge, technology, arts, craft skills, and scientific achievements.

By the beginning of the 20th century. all of Russia was covered with large and small fairs, 87% of them were agricultural fairs, or “markets”, at which peasants sold their supplies and in exchange bought the products necessary for their needs (a dream of modern Russia, most likely, an unrealistic one). About 12% were at medium-sized fairs, and only slightly more than 1% were at fairs of the nature of large temporary wholesale trading centers. By this time, fairs lasting less than 2 weeks were exempt from tax.

The activities of fairs ceased after the revolution, were revived briefly during the NEP, but were completely eliminated in the early 30s.

Of course, the entire publication is a “gallop across Europe”; it was possible to very briefly present only the basic information, the material is extensive and, if subjected to deeper study and comprehension, more than one publication can be written.

What would I like to say in conclusion? You and I are also at the Fair. I think that for many our Masters Fair is practically their home, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to imagine their life without it. And most importantly, it seems to me that many here manage to maintain the main direction, which in the 19th century became one of the main ones in the idea of ​​national fairs - the exchange of experience, knowledge, arts, craft skills, education of society, creation of beauty.

In general, for us, provincials, deprived of access to large modern fairs and generally selling our goods in the outback, where the word handmade is perceived as a curse, the Crafts Fair is a window into another world, a beautiful world, where you can not only look at others and show yourself, but also to find recognition, like-minded people, to unite into one creative Russian people. Hooray!

www.livemaster.ru

The first fairs in Rus'

Russian fairs appeared at the turn of the 14th – 15th centuries, almost immediately after the disappearance of feudal fragmentation and the formation of a unified Russian state. In the previous period, it was important to talk about churchyards - places for trade and centers of rural communities. There were also markets where numerous merchants and residents of nearby villages gathered.

Fairs, markets and churchyards

Fairs, unlike churchyards and marketplaces, implied the involvement in trade not only of nearby territories, but also of remote outskirts. Since trade at churchyards and markets was local in nature, they cannot be compared with fairs.

Fairs in the full sense of the word appear only in the 15th century, when trends in the development of market relations were outlined in the economy with the expansion of the geographical coverage area and the involvement of the most remote territories. Fairs became actively widespread in the Peter the Great era, and the immediate prerequisite for this was manufacturing production .

Fun at fairs

The fair was not just a gathering place for traders, where one could purchase almost any utensil (often completely unnecessary). To amuse the public, demonstration performances of jesters and buffoons were organized. They were often used to present goods in a more favorable light, and jesters obediently praised grain or horses. By the way, a lot of animals were sold at fairs: there were not only horses suitable for farming, but also bears. Many of the animals were stolen and old. Cunning traders used a variety of tricks in order to quickly sell live goods from their hands and get money for them: horses were repainted in different colors, saddles and arches were installed to hide external defects.

What else was sold at fairs?

A variety of medicines, potions and infusions were in great demand among the population: the Russian people then readily believed in traditional medicine and did not spare money on it. There is no need to talk about delicacies, since gingerbread cookies, candies and other delicacies were sold on every corner and were in great demand. The fair served not only as a place for selling goods and for general entertainment. Here one could get involved in a variety of activities and crafts, and appreciate the latest achievements of science and technology. The fair lasted several months a year, so everyone who wanted had time to stock up on gifts and gifts for themselves and for their relatives.

kartolog.ru

folk festival traditions - Shchi.ru

Fairs and city celebrations have long been a part of Russian culture and history. They became widespread in the mid-18th and 19th centuries; up to 3,000 events of this type were held annually in Russia. Fairs could be forest, hop, horse, or steppe fairs. In those days, there was practically no trade in villages and villages, so fairs became a very convenient place for the common people where they could sell their surplus agricultural products, buy new clothes and other necessary goods, finally take a break from exhausting agricultural work, have fun and, as they say, “to show yourself and see others.”

The largest fairs in Rus' were:

• Mologa fair. Venue: Upper Volga region of the 14th-16th centuries. It was distinguished by a wide multinational composition of traders; merchants from Russia, Poland, Greece, Germany, Armenia, Persia, Asian countries and Turkey traded here;
• Makaryevskaya Fair. Venue: Makaryev Monastery on the Volga near Nizhny Novgorod at the end of the 16th century. The convenient location helped attract a large number of traders, both local and foreign. After a fire that destroyed most of the buildings, the auction was moved to Novgorod;
• Nizhny Novgorod fair. Replaced Makaryevskaya, from the beginning of the 18th century it began to take place in Nizhny Novgorod. A special Fairground was built here, where one could purchase a very wide range of different types of products: salt, wine, fish, cotton, furs, metal products and much more;
• Irbit fair. Held in the Urals in the 17th century, it was distinguished by a variety of goods, both local and from far abroad: China. Central Asia.

People's Fair

A fair is a market in the center of a city or village, where merchants, traders and artisans came from both surrounding villages and villages, and from remote areas, to sell their goods and see others. It was at the fairs that the most profitable and large trade agreements were concluded, because businessmen came here not only from local cities and villages, but also overseas guests from distant countries. During the fair, various sweets, fruits and drinks were sold everywhere, both in tents and trays and by special peddlers, to entertain and treat guests and customers.

(Modern fair in Moscow, Red Square)

At such fairs, everyone sold what they wanted; the goods could be bagels and sugar pretzels, as well as livestock, poultry, objects of pottery and weaving art, and much more. It was a real paradise for artisans (coopers, blacksmiths, potters, weavers), who spent a whole year preparing to show buyers real masterpieces of their craft. Also here, masters of various trades offered their services: shoemakers repaired shoes, barbers shaved beards and cut hair, tailors repaired clothes. In order to attract buyers, jesters and buffoons walked around the market and made people laugh with various advertising jokes.

Fair Theater

In addition to various types of auctions, various theatrical and musical entertainment events were usually held at fairs, booths, nativity scenes, performances and skits with the participation of live bears were organized, competitions and various amusements were organized.

(Kustodiev "Balagany")

One of the main obligatory heroes of fair performances was the finger puppet Parsley. She had the appearance of a cheerful and broken joker and a merry fellow, with a not very pretty appearance (he had a hump, a large nose, sharp facial features, a squeaky, sharp voice), but with a very perky and mischievous character, an excellent sense of humor, which sometimes crossed all boundaries , so very often this character found himself in various awkward situations and was beaten more than once for his very long tongue. But Petrushka never loses heart, the oar lifts up its long and humped nose and continues to joke around and make people laugh, either with his matchmaking, or getting a job, and other funny adventures.

Folk festivities

Any fair was a real holiday for ordinary people, which helped them escape from the hard work of everyday life and allowed them to relax both soul and body. There was always an atmosphere of celebration and fun, music played, actors performed, folk songs and children's laughter sounded. The whole family went there, dressed up in beautiful festive clothes, watched colorful interesting performances, had fun from the heart, took part in various competitions and games, rode on carousels and swings, bought various goods, sweets and gifts.

One of the most ancient entertainment activities at the fair has long been driving round dances. A large number of people took part in them, the fun was accompanied by cheerful music, singing, and the participation of buffoons and actors. The leisurely movement of round dances could be interrupted by the daring Russian dance, in which dancers competed with each other in making various intricate figures and knees.

Often, various strength competitions were held at fairs, such as fist fights, which were especially popular on Maslenitsa; usually physically developed men of any age, regardless of their position in society, took part in them. The fight could be carried out one-on-one, wall-to-wall, or in the form of a “hook-and-shovel” (reminiscent of the type of original Russian martial arts in which the fight took place with the help of throws and grabs). For men, this pastime was one of their favorites, because it allowed them to show their strength, dexterity and courage, “let off extra steam” or even “knock the crap out of their heads” that had accumulated there during the daily routine.

schci.ru

Historical portrait. Historical era. Task 25 USE Do you know which fairs were the largest in Rus'?

Do you know which fairs were the largest in Rus'?

Fair. How the people waited for her! After all, it was possible not only to sell and buy something. These were real holidays where you could look at others and show yourself. At fairs they exchanged news and watched performances by musicians and actors. Overseas merchants were especially treated with great attention, because they could tell about unknown, distant countries.

The meaning of the word "fair"

This word is of foreign origin, from German it means “annual market”. In Rus', such an event was originally called “bargaining” (hence the word “marketplace”).

From history

• At first, fairs were held only near the walls of cities and monasteries, so that people were in a certain safety.
• To enter the fair it was necessary to obtain permission from the prince or a representative of the authorities.
• Fairs began to develop widely in Rus' at the beginning of the 12th century. They were held in large cities - Novgorod, Moscow, Vladimir, Kyiv and others.

  The largest fairs in Rus'

  Mologskaya (held in the upper Volga region from the late 14th to early 16th centuries) Merchants from a variety of countries sold here: Poles, Greeks, Armenians, Persians, Germans and many others, as well as Russian merchants. The fair became especially famous for its trade with Asia and Turkey.

• Makaryevskaya (from the end of the 16th century). It arose at the Makaryev Monastery, on the Volga, not far from Nizhny Novgorod. The convenient geographical location attracted merchants from various countries and from all over Russia. The Makaryevskaya Fair contributed to the emergence of an all-Russian market. However, in 1817 there was a fire that destroyed almost all the fair buildings. It was decided to move the auction to Nizhny Novgorod.
• Nizhny Novgorod (from 1817 it replaced the Makaryevskaya Fair until 1917, it even operated under Soviet rule in 1921-1929). A special Fair Yard was built in Nizhny Novgorod. The range of goods was very rich: tea, cotton, fish, salt, metal, furs, wines and many other goods.
• Irbitskaya (from the mid-17th century, Ural). There were goods from Siberia, China, Central Asia, and from Russian cities. In 1922-1929, the fair resumed its work, and since 2002, the Irbit Fair has again become famous in Russia, and is especially attractive to tourists.

Of course, they traded both before and after these fairs. But it was these data that became famous for their size, scope, quantity and variety of goods brought here, and trade turnover.

And today fairs, especially seasonal ones, attract buyers, providing an opportunity to purchase a wide variety of goods at affordable prices.

Material prepared by: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna

Vera Melnikova | Your review

istoricheskij-portret.ru

Russian fairs: history of festivities. - recreation center Dubki in Vyksa, Nizhny Novgorod region

Fairs are part of Russian culture. The times when fairs appeared in Rus' have long since sunk into oblivion. But they remained a symbol of jokes and fun. A further article will tell you about Russian fairs, the history of their origin and methods of celebration.

History of fairs. A fair is a market located in a specific place. Traders from the surrounding lands came there to show and sell their goods, and at the same time to look at other people's goods.

It was here that all the large and profitable transactions were concluded, since merchants came not only from other cities, but also foreign traders. During the fairs there was trade in ice cream, sweets, various drinks, and fruits. They were sold in specially equipped tents and peddled. At large celebrations, a tent was often set up in which “green wine” (modern absinthe) was sold.

The goods at the fairs were very diverse. Everyone sold everything they could: from bagels and bagels to livestock and poultry. There was great freedom for artisans: coopers, blacksmiths, haberdashers, potters. Here they could sell a large number of their products. Various craftsmen also offered their services: shoemakers, tailors, barbers. In addition, jesters and buffoons walked around the market, luring people to the fair with the help of Russian folk barkers.

Folk festivities. In addition to trading, the fair also featured entertainment events: music played, artists performed, circuses performed, and Russian folk songs about the fair were sung. Usually fairs were equated with holidays. Most often, church holidays, as well as Maslenitsa, were celebrated this way. All public holidays included this tradition. At the fairs, all the people had as much fun as they could - people watched performances, rode on carousels, and took part in competitions.

Traditions of fair festivities took place in squares, village streets, outside the city or village. Young girls and boys who had reached marriageable age necessarily took part in all youth entertainment and village celebrations. Avoidance of participation in the holiday caused ridicule and public censure.

An integral part of the festivities were outdoor games, round dances and dances. The center of the festivities were Maslenitsa and Trinity bonfires, swings and ice slides. Booths, or mobile theaters, were very popular at such holidays. They invited people to see strange animals and unusual people. Various plays were often performed in them. Another attraction was the puppet theaters, in which the cheerful parsley always played the main role.

The first fairs in Rus' helped people take their minds off work and family problems, allowed them to have fun, relax and, at the same time, earn income from their craft. They brought variety and fun into the life of Russian people.

skazka-dubki.ru

How they traded in Ancient Rus' - Miscellaneous

The appearance of fairs in Rus' was preceded by other methods of trade. Before the baptism of Rus', graveyards, bazaars and marketplaces were common. They have significant differences. For the nearest areas there were markets or markets, but for fairs a crowd of people from all volosts and regions was already required. That is why fairs were held only once a year, but they lasted for several months.

In addition, at the fair there was always a greater variety of goods than during local trade, since goods were brought from all over the country. And then these goods became widespread in other areas precisely thanks to fairs.

People came to fairs on horseback, since a lot of goods had to be transported. And it’s clear that where there are horses, there are gypsies. They also traded horses at fairs. And since the horses were mostly stolen, thanks to this, beautiful thoroughbred European stallions appeared in the ancient Russian expanses.

In those days, the government did not prevent the emergence of fairs. In addition, Peter I attached great importance to fairs, believing that they only contributed to domestic trade turnover, and in addition to this they also established trade relations with foreigners. By the 19th century, fairs had turned into large wholesale centers. The Nizhny Novgorod fair was considered the largest and most influential. It was called the "All-Russian marketplace" or the "exchange yard of Europe and Asia." It was the Europeans, arriving at the Nizhny Novgorod fair, who purchased Chinese tea, carpets from Bukhara, Turkish tobacco and Persian pearls from Eastern masters. Merchants from the east bought fabrics from Europe, sandalwood and silver products, as well as haberdashery. But all merchants, without exception, bought Russian products with great pleasure - products of artisans, bread and honey, agricultural raw materials.

In addition to trade, fairs also entertained people. Celebrations, performances and theater shows. Of course, trained bears, buffoons and jesters were obligatory. Merchants paid them to invite people and amuse them by praising their goods. We can say that this was the time of the first advertising slogans and commercials, the buffoons advertised the product so invitingly and clearly.

And if at first chaos and theft at the fair were the order of the day, then over time everything became more organized - trading rows and stalls reigned at the fair. Fair legislation, traditions and rituals also appeared. The fair began to open and close. And the police and Cossack troops maintained public order.

Of course, after the revolution, the fairs were closed, and in the 1930s they were completely abolished. True, in the post-war period, the form of state trade began to resemble a fair, which is often decorated with stylized folk festivities.

www.krupenichka.ru

7 fairground entertainment in Russian | Russian seven

Fairs in Rus' were everything at once - an EXPO, a design week, and a business forum, so they lasted for several months. From each, the state treasury received huge revenues:

from the Mologa fair alone the treasury received 180 pounds of silver. In the 19th century, 200 thousand people came to the Nizhny Novgorod fair - ten times more than the then population of Nizhny Novgorod. And the turnover amounted to 50 million silver rubles. We worked well and rested well. And the entertainment was no worse than now!

American mountains

What we now call roller coasters was invented before the United States itself. The slides were one of the main attractions at the fair. “Walk under the mountains” meant “walk at the fair.” The mountains reached 12 meters in height. In winter, they were doused with water and rode on sleighs, and in warmer seasons, on special carts or carpets.

Another popular entertainment at fairs is swings and carousels. There were many varieties of them. The swings were hanging and reversible: on the first you had to ride yourself, on the second you untwisted the swing operators. The simplest carousels were skates, when wooden horses were suspended from ropes. The most difficult ones are scooters. They were a two-tier building with a huge number of internal and external galleries. Riding a scooter cost 10-15 kopecks.

Attraction Giant Steps

Almost a modern bungee jumper. This is a pillar up to 7 meters high, on top of which there is a rotating metal plate. There are hooks along the edge of the plate to which ropes are attached. The lower part of each rope forms a loop covered with fabric. When sitting in such a loop, the participants of the attraction run up and make big jumps, then touch the ground for a moment and jump again. Thus, in the "Giant Steps" attraction, circular rotation is combined with take-offs reminiscent of swinging on a swing.

It was done like this:

A fair booth is a prototype of a circus, theater, opera and even a cartoon. Large booths had stages with curtains, boxes and standing places. Here they showed “magical pantomimes” in which harlequins in black clothes and against a black background performed miracles: they sawed each other, tore each other apart, and then magically came to life when their head, torso, arms and legs were connected.

Some booths had panopticons, that is, exhibitions of outlandish objects, plants, living creatures and freaks. Here you could see with your own eyes a mermaid woman, a talking head, a man with an iron stomach, and even a world-famous tattooed lady. Next to the booths walked aquarium people, kings of fire, sword swallowers and ventriloquists.

A rack is a small colorful box decorated with various figures and flags. On its front wall were cut two (in larger ones - three or four) windows with magnifying glasses. Through them, viewers looked at the panorama drawn on a long tape that was rewound from one roller to another. The spectacle was accompanied by a rhyming comment from the raeshnik.

Puppet theaters

“Mechanical theaters” gave performances at fairs. They performed half-hour performances, and the main participants were dolls. The repertoire of “mechanical theaters” was varied: some productions were so large-scale that they involved 30-40 puppets.

Even more massive performances were staged in the “theater of living pictures,” in which complex theatrical effects were sometimes used. For example, the masters of the “theater of living pictures” showed the audience the Battle of Kulikovo.

The so-called “circus theaters” also performed at the booth. There were equestrian comedies, and shtukars (acrobats), and strongmen, holding pound weights in their teeth and lifting 5-6 people, and “rubber”, that is, gymnasts, and magicians, and learned animals, bears, monkeys, tigers, elephants. “Dog comedies” were staged, where the actors were trained dogs.

Fairs are part of Russian culture. The times when fairs appeared in Rus' have long since sunk into oblivion. But they remained a symbol of jokes and fun. A further article will tell you about Russian fairs, the history of their origin and methods of celebration.

History of fairs. A fair is a market located in a specific place. Traders from the surrounding lands came there to show and sell their goods, and at the same time to look at other people’s goods.

It was here that all the large and profitable transactions were concluded, since merchants came not only from other cities, but also foreign traders. During the fairs there was trade in ice cream, sweets, various drinks, and fruits. They were sold in specially equipped tents and peddled. At large celebrations, a tent was often set up in which “green wine” (modern absinthe) was sold.

The goods at the fairs were very diverse. Everyone sold everything they could: from bagels and bagels to livestock and poultry. There was great freedom for artisans: coopers, blacksmiths, haberdashers, potters. Here they could sell a large number of their products. Various craftsmen also offered their services: shoemakers, tailors, barbers. In addition, jesters and buffoons walked around the market, luring people to the fair with the help of Russian folk barkers.

Folk festivities. In addition to trading, the fair also featured entertainment events: music played, artists performed, circuses performed, and Russian folk songs about the fair were sung. Usually fairs were equated with holidays. Most often, church holidays, as well as Maslenitsa, were celebrated this way. All public holidays included this tradition. At the fairs, all the people had as much fun as they could - people watched performances, rode on carousels, and took part in competitions.

Traditions of fair festivities took place in squares, village streets, outside the city or village. Young girls and boys who had reached marriageable age necessarily took part in all youth entertainment and village celebrations. Avoidance of participation in the holiday caused ridicule and public censure.

An integral part of the festivities were outdoor games, round dances and dances. The center of the festivities were Maslenitsa and Trinity bonfires, swings and ice slides.
Booths, or mobile theaters, were very popular at such holidays. They invited people to see strange animals and unusual people. Various plays were often performed in them. Another attraction was the puppet theaters, in which the main role was always played by the cheerful parsley.

The first fairs in Rus' helped people take their minds off work and family problems, allowed them to have fun, relax and, at the same time, earn income from their craft. They brought variety and fun into the life of Russian people.

What is a fair? When did the first fairs appear in Rus'?

1. The word fair is of foreign origin (from German - Jahrmarkt, letters, translated - annual bargaining), and in the original Russian language it corresponds to the words: bargaining, market place, market place) Until now, a number of Russian cities and towns have characteristic names: Torzhok, New Market , Trade, etc. in English fair, in German Jahrmarkt, Messe, in French foire, in Italian fiera, in Spanish feria
   Fair, temporary trade, for a cat. Sellers and buyers come to a certain place. within a certain time frame. place. Almost disappeared in the West. Europe, Ya. remain important in Russia, which is facilitated by the lack of convenience. communication routes, especially since our waterways freeze for several months. , favor the development of fairs. trade. Reliable historical evidence about Russian fairs dates back to the 16th century. , but most likely they existed before. According to V.I. Dahl, the fair is a large trade congress and the delivery of goods at the most urgent time in the year, an annual trade that lasts for weeks. Of course, they have been known for a long time, they were just called markets or auctions. One of these auctions, on the Mologa River, near the town of Kholopiem, was visited by a traveler in Russia at the beginning of the 16th century. German diplomat Sigmund von Herberstein. Then, in his Notes on Moscow Affairs, he called this bargaining with his usual word jahrmarkt fair.
   In the Brockhaus and Efron dictionary we read: Due to historical circumstances, the two fairs in Russia that took the largest sizes were Makaryevskaya, later renamed Nizhny Novgorod, and Irbitskaya. The first of them dates back to the 16th century. and, thanks to its fortunate geographical location, it soon gained all-Russian fame and began to generate enormous turnover, especially after it was moved to Nizhny Novgorod (1817).
   From time immemorial, in Rus', as well as throughout the world, markets were the first, most widespread and accessible trading enterprises for all categories of the population. If you look into the centuries, into the history of distant millennia, you can be convinced that in the life of a person of any religion, belief, class, the so-called gatherings-bazaars-fairs, or merchant auctions, which appeared almost along with the person himself, played a dominant role not only in human survival, but also in the development of economic and political relations within the state and between states. Colorful bazaars and fairs in Rus' became not only objects of purchase and sale, but also a favorite place for meetings, conversations, and exchange of news. Bargaining also appeared in Makaryevskaya Sloboda. Its convenient location at the crossroads of trade routes ensured the growing popularity of the Makaryev monastery trade. And the local Makaryevskaya Sloboda turned into a town. However, his fame spread throughout Rus' when, by royal decree of 1696, an annual All-Russian fair was established here, named in honor of the first abbot of the local monastery Makaryevskaya. For almost a century and a half, the glory of the Makaryevsk Fair thundered throughout Europe. Pushkin also mentioned her in Eugene Onegin:
   Makariev is fussing about,
   Seething with its abundance...
   In the first years, the Makaryevskaya Fair lasted only a week: from July 25 (old style) until the First Savior on August 1. And after it was declared a state market, it lasted for a whole month.
   There were several such fairs in Russia, but Makaryevskaya was considered the first. Wasn’t it where the biting and wise sayings were born:
   There are two fools at the auction: one gives cheaply, the other asks dearly.
   Don’t disagree, and don’t be angry at the bargaining.
   A goose and a woman are trading, two geese and two women are at a fair.
   There is no more free trade, and even there bondage lives, they said, meaning prices.
   From the Makaryevskaya Fair, its nominal expressions came into use: market rogues were called makars. To let Makarka in was to cheat. They quipped about wine farmers: Yesterday Makar was digging ridges, today Makar has become a governor.
2. so why write what you don’t know
   A fair is an independent market event, available to all commodity producers (sellers and buyers), organized in a designated place and for a designated period of time with the aim of concluding sales and purchase agreements and forming regional, interregional and interstate economic relations.
3. announcement fair - http://besplatnee.ru
4. Fair (German: Jahrmarkt annual market) is an annually recurring sale of goods, sometimes with restrictions on a particular season, product (for example wine) or topic (for example, Orthodox fairs).

   Kholopy Gorodok (Old Kholopy Gorodok), ancient Russian city of the 14th-16th centuries. and a shopping center on the banks of the Mologa River, 50 km from the city of Mologa.
   On the banks of the Mologa, 50 versts from the mouth of the river, there was a Kholopy town, where captive Alans lived, engaged in hydraulic construction work, crafts and trade. They organized a noble exchange bazaar-fair here with their characteristic Caucasian scale, where their long-time trading partners, who were still visiting them in Dedyakovo, began to gather.
   Traders from the north-eastern countries and from the south began to arrive at the market in Kholopy town. Timofey Kamenevich-Rvovsky - hierodeacon of the Serf Monastery, located right on the Mologa River, who lived at the end of the 16th century. , noted that from trade duties alone, the Kholopy town earned 180 poods (almost 3 tons) of silver in 4 navigation months. Culture came to the remote Finno-Ugric lands. The colonization of these northeastern outskirts of Rus' was carried out by attracting new technologies and contacts, which I mentioned above.
   Ivan Kalita, having purchased the Belozersk principality from Gleb Vasilkovich’s grandson, Roman, moved the fair from the Kholopye town to the Molozhsky estuary itself. Some Genoese, for example, Matthew and Dmitry Fryazin, having visited Yaroslavl land, will find permanent residence in Rus' and become the rulers of Pechora. And many such examples can be given.
   Arabic, Italian and other speeches sounded on the ancestral land of Vesi! This was the first fair of Rus'. The Alans fulfilled the goals set by Gleb: ancient Sasanian silver coins began to jingle, oriental silks rustled, overseas architects and artists appeared... The inhabitants of the Serf Town, or in other words, the Ossetian settlements, eventually assimilated.

primary school teacher

MOBU secondary school No. 32, Taganrog

Serebryakova Elena Nikolaevna

Russian fair

(extra-curricular activity for primary school students)

1. Expanding and deepening students’ knowledge of Russian traditions.
2. Fostering a sense of love and respect for folk traditions.

1. Give an idea of ​​the Russian fair as a folk tradition.

2. Foster respect for the folk traditions of the Russian people.

3. To create the need to preserve the historical and cultural traditions of the Russian people.

4. Promote the cultural and aesthetic development of children.

Progress of the event.

Teacher . Hello guys! Hello, dear guests! Today our event is about the Russian fair. In the old days they said: “Where there are two, there is a market, three – a bazaar, and seven – a fair.” This saying, which has come to us from time immemorial, may even suggest that the word “fair” itself is of Russian origin. However, this is not true. The word "fair" has Germanic roots. Jahr Markt is translated from German as “annual market”. This is how, since the 10th century, the places of periodic congresses of traders and the import of goods began to be called in Europe. Reliable historical evidence of Russian fairs dates back to the 16th century, but most likely they existed earlier. And most importantly, Russian fairs were different from European fairs. For Russians, a FAIR is a folk festival, a bazaar where they sell various goods. The fairs were very fun, and there were always a lot of people. People were invited and amused by buffoons.

2 buffoons run out.

1 buffoon:

Attention! Attention! Attention!

A fun party is starting!

Make yourself at home, don't be shy

Take a walk through our fair!

2 buffoon:

Go right - it will be fun!

If you go to the left, there will be a lot of laughter and noise!

Come in, honest people,

The peddler is coming!

2 peddlers appear (on the trays there are crafts made by the hands of the students).

1 peddler:

Tara - bars, rastabars,

There are good products.

Not a commodity, but a real treasure,

Get it in great demand!

2 peddler:

Garden apples, honey apples,

Pears, pineapple - stock up!

Get in a row, choose in a row:

Pipes, firecrackers, various toys.

Beautiful, nice -

Fun for kids!

1 peddler:

Scarves, combs,

Painted cockerels.

Small expense

Come, honest people!

2 peddler:

The needles don't break,

Threads, ribbons,

Blush, lipstick,

Who needs what!

1 peddler:

Pins, needles!

Steel jokes!

For one bundle

Pay a dime!

Teacher. This is how peddlers offered their goods, inviting buyers. The fair usually buzzed, made noise and was a huge crowd of people trading and buying. Changes were introduced by a certain merchant Fourier, who was the first to propose the introduction of trading “rows”. He arranged the traders in a line and thus separated the traders and buyers.

And you, dear guests, can examine the skill of our craftsmen.

1 buffoon:

Song is our friend and comrade.

Life is more fun with her.

With her, caring is not caring,

How much generous power there is in it.

Work goes along with the song,

Holidays are brighter and brighter!

2 buffoon:

Russian songs are like this

What a desire to sing along.

Russia has so many songs,

Russian song in birch trees,

Russian song in bread,

In the mowing, in the frost,

On a sleigh and in the meadows.

1 buffoon:

And her words are simple

It touches your soul to tears.

Russia has so many songs,

How many birch trees there are in the groves!

Children sing the song “Russian Fair”.

Teacher. We have expanse at the fair,

The bear is being shown off

But the bear is not easy,

Handsome, smart, mischievous!

Scene with a bear.

Host guide:

Hello, honest people!

Don’t put your finger in our Misha’s mouth -

He'll bite you right down to the elbow,

It will also lead to wet trousers!

And we arrived from Paris,

There was no village closer

Than Verkhniye Che we,

Yes, the detour is useless,

Yes, school 32!

It's time to have some fun with the guys!

Come on, Misha, show me how the children go to school.

The bear shows.

Host guide:

Right. They can barely carry books. And from school?

The bear shows.

Host guide:

Look, skipping! Show me, Misha, how the girls get ready for the disco.

The bear looks in the mirror, depicts how they powder and blush.

Host guide:

Well done! You can laugh until the end of time. Now show how the teacher loves an excellent student.

The bear strokes the guide on the head.

Host guide:

How does one ruin a loser?

The bear kicks the guide.

Host guide:

Well done, Mikhailo Ivanovich!

The guide owner leaves with the bear.

1 buffoon:

Hey, here, honest people!

The fair is calling again.

Waiting for you here now

Happy fun time.

Games, attractions.

Gather together, champions!

Games for children.

1. Tug of War
2. Braid your hair

Teacher. What would a fair be without Parsley! Parsley is one of the characters in Russian folk puppet shows. From some sources of the 19th century it follows that Petrushka also had a full name - he was called Pyotr Ivanovich Uksusov. Not a single character in the Russian theater had the popularity equal to Petrushka.

Parsley:

Hello guys, hello guys,

Nice little girls, quick-eyed little girls!

I came to congratulate you on the holiday.

Everyone sit down: some on the stump, and some on the bench,

Don't crush!

The fair continues and my show begins!

And what is a fair without jokes - jokes!

The merry fellows want to amuse you, say a funny word!

Sketch "Ulya and Phil"

U: Great, Phil!
F: Great, Ulya!
U: F : Mother sent pancakes.
W: Where are they?
F: I put them under the bench.
U: What an eccentric you are, Filya!
F: How about you, Ulya?
U: I would put them in the oven, you come and eat.

U: Hello, Phil!
F: Great, Ulya!
U: F: Mother sent a sundress.
W: Where is he?
F: I put it in the oven.
U: What an eccentric you are, Filya!
F: How about you, Ulya?
U: I would hang him.

U: Hello, Phil!
F: Great, Ulya!
U: What, did your mother send you gifts?
F: Mother sent a ram.
W: Where is he?
F: I hung it.
U: What an eccentric you are, Filya!
F: How about you, Ulya?
U: I would take him into the barn, give him water to drink, and give him some hay.

Music sounds, the children disperse in a circle and come back together again

U: Great, Phil!
F: Great, Ulya!
U: What, did your mother send you gifts?
F: Mother sent her sister Nastya.
W: Where is she?
F: And I took her into the barn, gave her water to drink, and gave her hay.
U: What an eccentric you are, Filya!
F: How about you, Ulya?
U: I would sit her on a chair and give her some tea!

Music sounds, the children disperse in a circle and come back together again

U: Great, Phil!
F: Great, Ulya!
U: What, did your mother send you gifts?
F: Mother sent a pig.
W: Where is she?
F: I sat her down at the table and gave her tea.
U: Oh, Phil, you simpleton!

Games for children.

1. Russian bathhouse.

Oak branches are made from paper in advance and connected into a bundle to form a broom. The guys sit on chairs opposite each other and hit their opponent in the legs. Whose broom disintegrates faster wins, since it “hovered” his comrade better.

Teacher. The fair lasted, as a rule, a month or two. Or three. Therefore, the whole family was looking forward to the man’s return from the fair. He always returned with gifts. For children - an acacia whistle, for the wife - a scarf and beads, for the elderly - a bow to the ground. Everyone got at least something!

The time has come for us to say goodbye. Please accept my words of gratitude, our dear craftswomen and craftsmen, my assistants - buffoons, and all invited guests.

1 buffoon:

Peace to you, dear people!

You arrived at a good hour.

A warm welcome like this

We prepared for you!

2 buffoon:

Let the wind lightly tease everyone,

We cannot live without holidays.

Don't leave your heart, Holiday!

Until new Fairs, friends!

You can end the event with tea.

Sources used:

1. Veretennikov I.I. Russian folk song at school / Published. Shapovalova. Belgorod, 2005.
2. Merzlyakova S.I., Komalkova E.Yu. Ringed gusli / M.: Publishing house. VLADOS center, 2001.
3. Naumenko G. Zhavoronushki No. 4. M: "Soviet Composer", 1986.
4. Pushkina S.I. We play and sing / Publ. "School Press", 2001.
5. Rytov D.A. Traditions of folk culture in the musical education of children / M.: Publishing house. VLADOS center, 2001.
6. Skoptsov K. Sing, little lark / Krasnoyarsk, 2002.
7. http://d31mv.ru/instruktor-fzk/item/48-%D1%81%D1%86%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9-% D1%8F%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B0
8. http://www.solnet.ee/holidays/s9_11.html

Publications in the Traditions section

History of fairs in Russia

From now on, the pre-revolutionary fair in Russia would be called a festival. These were not just trades, but large cultural centers: operas and ballets were staged here, concerts were given and the first films were shown. Famous artists and singers came to tour the fair. About how entertainment changed - from the fun of buffoons with bears to Chaliapin's concerts - in the material of the portal "Culture.RF".

Ancient fairs: from booth to cultural center

Alexander Cherednichenko. Fair (fragment). 2009. Private collection

Boris Kustodiev. Booths (fragment). 1917. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

The first fairs appeared in Rus' in the 10th–12th centuries. Then they were called “torgi” or “torzhki”. They took place in both cities and villages, lasted only a few days, and sold one product here: for example, bread, livestock or fabric. The word “fair” itself came into Russian from German (from Jahrmarkt: Jahr - year, markt - market) in the 17th century, when foreign traders began to come to the markets.

Buffoons were responsible for entertainment at fairgrounds in those years. They gave performances with bears and goats, played pipes, balalaikas, and rattles. However, the priests were unhappy with the “cultural programs”.

Makariev is fussing about,
It boils with its abundance.
An Indian brought pearls here,
Fake European wines,
Herd of defective horses
The breeder brought it from the steppes,
The player brought his decks
And a handful of helpful bones,
Landowner - ripe daughters,
And the daughters are last year's fashions.
Everyone fusses, lies for two,
And everywhere there is a mercantile spirit.

Thanks to the Nizhny Novgorod Fair, even the architectural appearance of the city changed when trading was moved there from the Makaryevsky Monastery after a major fire. To equip the trading community, large-scale construction was launched here. The main building was erected by Augustin Betancourt, the author of the Moscow Manege. The fair house consisted of 60 buildings with more than two thousand shops. When arranging the shopping arcades, the specifics of trade were taken into account: for example, for Asians selling tea, separate Chinese aisles were built, decorated in national style. On the territory of the fair, the Spassky Old Fair Cathedral was erected according to the design of the French architect Auguste Montferrand, who built St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The organizers of the fair also took care of representatives of other faiths: an Armenian-Gregorian church and a mosque also appeared here.

In the center of the trading town there was a square, in different parts there were not only shops and stores, but also pharmacies, taverns, taverns, blacksmiths, barbers, theaters, and a bank. In Nizhny Novgorod, an underground sewerage system, unique for those years, operated, thanks to which the city was kept clean.

The cheerful life of the “great market place”

Alexander Pushnin. At the fair (fragment). 1960. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

Anna Cherednichenko. To the market (fragment). 1947. Private collection

Fairs of the 19th century became real cultural centers. In small towns, entertainment was still provided by booths, animal trainers and puppet theaters. One of their heroes - the cheerful Petrushka - became the public's favorite. People were also entertained with the help of rayki: this is the name of a box equipped with magnifying glasses and popular prints with everyday scenes. Raeshniks moved the pictures and supplemented the performance with short funny sayings. For example, like this: “And this is the Vistula River, the water in it is sour, whoever drinks this water will live a hundred years.”.

The entertainment area in the fair town of Nizhny Novgorod was called “Merry Scooter” - there were booths, gardens, a photo studio and entertainment pavilions. One of them even showed a movie. Concerts were held in the main house of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair.

Another guest was singer Fyodor Chaliapin. He recalled the fair in his book “Mask and Soul”: “The fair was buzzing with every possible sound that a person could imagine before the invention of radio. At the fair, the bright colors of Russia mixed with the colorful colors of the Muslim East. The life of the great market flowed spaciously, cheerfully, and riotously.”.

The history of the Irbit Drama Theater named after A.N. began with fair performances. Ostrovsky. Writer Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak talked about the cultural life of Irbit in the novel “Privalov’s Millions.”

The performances were so popular that the theater was "packed with fairground audiences." “On armchairs and chairs there was everything that was famous for dozens of miles: Moscow commercial aces, Siberian industrialists, manufacturers, vodka kings, buyers of bread and lard, fur traders.”, wrote Mamin-Sibiryak. The fair also influenced the architecture of Irbit: in the 19th century, several stone buildings, shopping and entertainment establishments were built in the city.

Buffoons, nativity scene, Parsley, booth - that’s what makes Russian people happy. Here it is - a colorful and noisy fair. This is both a place of public festivities and a stage on which an action takes place that is beyond the control of any director. At the fair, the shops and goods changed, but the entertainment traditionally remained the same.

Round dance.

Dancing.

Buffoons.

Showcase.

Nativity scene.

Bear dances and performances.

Rayok.

Puppet show with Parsley.

Fist fights.

Boot on a pole.

It is worth noting that the tradition of fairs and fair festivities continues to this day. Moreover, fairs are held not only in Russia. For example, the interest of tourists is attracted by the annual apple fair in the Swedish village of Kivike, the main highlight of which is.

Buffoons, nativity scene, Parsley, booth - that’s what makes Russian people happy. Here it is - a colorful and noisy fair. This is both a place of public festivities and a stage on which an action takes place that is beyond the control of any director. At the fair, the shops and goods changed, but the entertainment traditionally remained the same.

Round dance.

Dancing.

Buffoons.

Showcase.

Nativity scene.

Bear dances and performances.

Rayok.

Puppet show with Parsley.

Fist fights.

Boot on a pole.

It is worth noting that the tradition of fairs and fair festivities continues to this day. Moreover, fairs are held not only in Russia. For example, the interest of tourists is attracted by the annual apple fair in the Swedish village of Kivike, the main highlight of which is.

Fairs and city celebrations have long been a part of Russian culture and history. They became widespread in the mid-18th and 19th centuries; up to 3,000 events of this type were held annually in Russia. Fairs could be forest, hop, horse, or steppe fairs. In those days, there was practically no trade in villages and villages, so fairs became a very convenient place for the common people where they could sell their surplus agricultural products, buy new clothes and other necessary goods, finally take a break from exhausting agricultural work, have fun and, as they say, “to show yourself and see others.”

The largest fairs in Rus' were:

• Mologa fair. Venue: Upper Volga region of the 14th-16th centuries. It was distinguished by a wide multinational composition of traders; merchants from Russia, Poland, Greece, Germany, Armenia, Persia, Asian countries and Turkey traded here;
• Makaryevskaya Fair. Venue: Makaryev Monastery on the Volga near Nizhny Novgorod at the end of the 16th century. The convenient location helped attract a large number of traders, both local and foreign. After a fire that destroyed most of the buildings, the auction was moved to Novgorod;
• Nizhny Novgorod Fair. Replaced Makaryevskaya, from the beginning of the 18th century it began to take place in Nizhny Novgorod. A special Fairground was built here, where one could purchase a very wide range of different types of products: salt, wine, fish, cotton, furs, metal products and much more;
• Irbit Fair. Held in the Urals in the 17th century, it was distinguished by a variety of goods, both local and from far abroad: China. Central Asia.

People's Fair

A fair is a market in the center of a city or village, where merchants, traders and artisans came from both surrounding villages and villages, and from remote areas, to sell their goods and see others. It was at the fairs that the most profitable and large trade agreements were concluded, because businessmen came here not only from local cities and villages, but also overseas guests from distant countries. During the fair, various sweets, fruits and drinks were sold everywhere, both in tents and trays and by special peddlers, to entertain and treat guests and customers.

(Modern fair in Moscow, Red Square)

At such fairs, everyone sold what they wanted; the goods could be bagels and sugar pretzels, as well as livestock, poultry, objects of pottery and weaving art, and much more. It was a real paradise for artisans (coopers, blacksmiths, potters, weavers), who spent a whole year preparing to show buyers real masterpieces of their craft. Also here, masters of various trades offered their services: shoemakers repaired shoes, barbers shaved beards and cut hair, tailors repaired clothes. In order to attract buyers, jesters and buffoons walked around the market and made people laugh with various advertising jokes.

Fair Theater

In addition to various types of auctions, various theatrical and musical entertainment events were usually held at fairs, booths, nativity scenes, performances and skits with the participation of live bears were organized, competitions and various amusements were organized.

(Kustodiev "Balagany")

One of the main obligatory heroes of fair performances was the finger puppet Parsley. She had the appearance of a cheerful and broken joker and a merry fellow, with a not very pretty appearance (he had a hump, a large nose, sharp facial features, a squeaky, sharp voice), but with a very perky and mischievous character, an excellent sense of humor, which sometimes crossed all boundaries , so very often this character found himself in various awkward situations and was beaten more than once for his very long tongue. But Petrushka never loses heart, the oar lifts up its long and humped nose and continues to joke around and make people laugh, either with his matchmaking, or getting a job, and other funny adventures.

Folk festivities

Any fair was a real holiday for ordinary people, which helped them escape from the hard work of everyday life and allowed them to relax both soul and body. There was always an atmosphere of celebration and fun, music played, actors performed, folk songs and children's laughter sounded. The whole family went there, dressed up in beautiful festive clothes, watched colorful interesting performances, had fun from the heart, took part in various competitions and games, rode on carousels and swings, bought various goods, sweets and gifts.

One of the most ancient entertainment activities at the fair has long been driving round dances. A large number of people took part in them, the fun was accompanied by cheerful music, singing, and the participation of buffoons and actors. The leisurely movement of round dances could be interrupted by the daring Russian dance, in which dancers competed with each other in making various intricate figures and knees.

Often, various strength competitions were held at fairs, such as fist fights, which were especially popular on Maslenitsa; usually physically developed men of any age, regardless of their position in society, took part in them. The fight could be carried out one-on-one, wall-to-wall, or in the form of a “hook-and-shovel” (reminiscent of the type of original Russian martial arts in which the fight took place with the help of throws and grabs). For men, this pastime was one of their favorites, because it allowed them to show their strength, dexterity and courage, “let off extra steam” or even “knock the crap out of their heads” that had accumulated there during the daily routine.

Russian fairs appeared at the turn of the 14th – 15th centuries, almost immediately after the disappearance of feudal fragmentation and the formation of a unified Russian state. In the previous period, it was important to talk about churchyards - places for trade and centers of rural communities. There were also markets where numerous merchants and residents of nearby villages gathered.

Fairs, unlike churchyards and marketplaces, implied the involvement in trade not only of nearby territories, but also of remote outskirts. Since trade at churchyards and markets was local in nature, they cannot be compared with fairs.

Fairs in the full sense of the word appeared only in the 15th century, when trends in the development of market relations were emerging in the economy with the expansion of the geographical coverage area and the involvement of the most remote territories.
Fairs became actively widespread in the Petrine era, and the immediate prerequisite for this was manufacturing production.

Fun at fairs

The fair was not just a gathering place for traders, where one could purchase almost any utensil (often completely unnecessary). To amuse the public, demonstration performances of jesters and buffoons were organized. They were often used to present goods in a more favorable light, and jesters obediently praised grain or horses. By the way, a lot of animals were sold at fairs: there were not only horses suitable for farming, but also bears. Many of the animals were stolen and old. Cunning traders used a variety of tricks in order to quickly sell live goods from their hands and get money for them: horses were repainted in different colors, saddles and arches were installed to hide external defects.

What else was sold at fairs?

A variety of medicines, potions and infusions were in great demand among the population: the Russian people then readily believed in traditional medicine and did not spare money on it. There is no need to talk about delicacies, since gingerbread cookies, candies and other delicacies were sold on every corner and were in great demand.
The fair served not only as a place for selling goods and for general entertainment. Here one could become involved in a variety of activities and crafts, and appreciate the latest achievements of science and technology.
The fair lasted several months a year, so everyone who wanted to had time to stock up on goodies and gifts for themselves and their relatives.