How they live
Life
Molokan life is order, labour and the warmth of home. The Russian stove, homemade bread and sour cream, embroidered towels and long-drawn songs have survived here almost unchanged.
How they live
Molokan life is order, labour and the warmth of home. The Russian stove, homemade bread and sour cream, embroidered towels and long-drawn songs have survived here almost unchanged.
The Molokan way of life took shape over centuries and has barely changed: a sturdy household, a clean home, plain and hearty food, and respect for labour and elders.
Life
At the centre of a Molokan house is the Russian stove, giving warmth and bread. Dairy products, home baking, pickles and honey form the basis of a plain but hearty table.
Hospitality here is sincere: a guest is always fed, and old songs often ring out around the table.
What life is built on
Farming, livestock and dairy as a way of life.
Milk and sour cream, homemade bread, pickles and honey.
Traditional clothing and embroidery, carefully kept in families.
Long Russian and spiritual songs at festivals and in the gathering.
Life
Old utensils, spinning wheels, chests and embroidered towels pass from generation to generation. In these objects lives the memory of ancestors and of distant Russia, from which the Molokans came.
Much of this can be seen today in the homes and small museum corners of Ivanovka.
Everyday details and customs vary from family to family; a generalised way of life is described here.