Vod (Votes)

Subject / Ethnic culture/Ethnic communities
Subject / Ethnic culture/Ethnic communities/
Subject / Ethnic culture//
Votes (IN FORMER TIMES - Chud (Chudes), their own native name is Vad'alain (Vadjalain)) are an ethnic community, descendants of the ancient inhabitants of the Northwest of Russia. The Votic language is related to the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric branch of the Uralic language family. It's close to the Estonian language. Votes stood apart from Estonian tribes in c. 1000 AD; they were first mentioned in Russian chronicles of 1069. The land of Votes was a part of the Veliky Novgorod (see Vodskaya Land (Land of Votes). Since the 12th century the Orthodoxy began to spread; at the same time some vestiges of heathen beliefs (similar to Izhorsky ones; see Izhora) were remained till the 20th century. On the basis of archeological finds there are three groups of Votes singled out: northwest group (Nizhneye Poluzhye); northeast group (environs of Koporye), south group (environs of Gdov; the one had been assimilated by the Slavic by the 18th century). According to the population census in 1926 there were about 700 Votes (according to the data of the researchers there were more than 6 thousand ones) on the area of the Nizhnyaya Luga river and on the area of Kotly village and Koporye village (now it's Kingisepp District and the west of Lomonosov District). In 1980s Votes were recognized as a disappeared nation. According to the census in 2002 in Russian Federation there are 73 Votes (including 12 people living in the Leningrad Oblast and 12 pople living in S.Petersburg). According to the estimate of the researchers now in the Leningrad Oblast some scores of Votes live (they are mainly old people living in Krakolye village and Luzhitsy village of Kingisepp District). The traditional occupations of Votes were farming, animal husbandry, fishing. The ancient home of Votes (like the Estonians have too) was so-called "zhilaya riga" ("a dwelling threshing barn") - a place used both for living and for drying sheaves. Later, under Russian influence they began to build the houses (izbas) of the East Slavic type having an oven. In the 19th there was a difference between the clothes of single girls (they wore high-necked white sarafans without sleeves, small round caps "pyayasie" decorated with glass beads, kauri shells, tin pendants) and married women (they wore blue sarafans, headgears of conical form made of linen on the hard foundation - "paikas"; before giving birth to a baby they had to wear a white headgear, after that they wore a red one). In the 18th century the married women had their hair shaved; but till the end of the 19th century they had them cut shortly. In the 19th century Russian safafans and headgears like a soroka and povoinik were spread. The men's clothes didn't already have any specific traits. The folklore of Votes was kept and written down (it is presented by tales, songs, lamentations, proverbs, riddles); the kannyl, a string musical instrument, was well-known (see Kantele). The objects of Votes' culture are presented in the exposition of the local history museum of Kingisepp. In Luzhytsy village there is a private museum of Votes' folklore (the founder of the museum is T.V.Yefimova). Since 2000 in July the folk festival of the village has been held. The folk groups of Kingisepp District take part in the festival. Chistyakov, Anton Yuryevich
Yefimova, T.I.
Neighbouring Territories/Pskov Oblast, the/Gdov Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Lomonosov District/Koporye Village
Leningrad Oblast, the/Kingisepp District/Kotli Village
Leningrad Oblast, the/Kingisepp District/Krakolye Village
Leningrad Oblast, the/Kingisepp District/Luzhitsi Village
Topographical landmarks/Nizhneye Poluzhye
Historical Toponyms/Veliky Novgorod/Vodskaya Pyatina ("Fifth")
Мы живем на одной земле: Население Петербурга и Ленинградской области. СПб., 1992, С. 71-88
Прибалтийско-финские народы России. М., 2003., С. 555-591
Rank G. Vatjalaiset. Helsinki, 1960, С. 555-591
Ariste P. Vadja rahvakalender. Tallinn, 1969, С. 555-591
Holiday of Luzhitsa Village
Kingisepp Museum od the Local History, the
Vod Museum, the