Peasant's yard

A peasant’s yard is a piece of land with residential and outbuildings. In the "Explanatory Dictionary …" V.I. Dahl gives the following explanation of this word: "A yard is a place under a residential house, a hut, with well-groomed and fenced, a fence; space between buildings of one farm; in villages a house, a hut, smoke, a burden, a family with their own housing."

In the old days, the dwelling of Russian old-timers was located behind a high fence "tyn" and resembled a small fortress. Gradually, the house moved to the front of the estate and looked out onto the street. There were two exits from the house — to the backyard and to the fence. The "backyard" was called a cattle pen, a barn ("flocks").

Through the vestibule, the exit went to the "fence" (front yard) — a clean part of the yard, which rich peasants paved with planks. The entrance to the fence was the pride of the owner, so they tried to decorate the gate with carvings. The barns were log cabins with a gable roof. The floor was laid inside. Bins were fenced off along the walls of the barn, and shelves were made on the walls to store household supplies. In addition to the barns, there was another log building that served as a warehouse for various purposes — a delivery room. It was intended for storing carts, sledges, and harnesses. There were also woodsheds and sheds.

Barns

The word barn came into our everyday life from the Turkic languages and means "storeroom". It is noteworthy that in the old days in Russia barns were called granaries and they were intended for storing grain (rye). Barns were called wooden buildings for storing grain, flour, salt, dried fish, etc., and peasant tools are also stored in barns. Inside the barns, compartments were made of planks, which were called bins. Barns in the folk tradition were used in ritual and magical actions associated with New Year and wedding ceremonies.

In Soviet times, barns continued to be found on a private peasant farmstead, but collective grain storage buildings were replaced by elevators and granaries.

The woodshed

A woodshed is a peasant outbuilding that was used to store firewood. Literally, a woodshed. Its main task was to protect the firewood — the fuel necessary for the house. Interestingly, the word "firewood" ("drova") in Slavic languages is the same root as the word "tree" ("drevo").

The best firewood for a peasant’s house was birch firewood. Pine and alder firewood were worse in quality. And aspen firewood was considered the worst. The aspen gave off a large flame, but sparks flew from the furnace in different directions.

Zavoznia

The zavoznia room is a covered room attached to the barn for carts and sleighs. In fact, this is a shed that was used to store vehicles, as well as collars, saddles, and harness. Often in Siberia, the zavoznia was called the "entrance". In addition to transport, anything could be stored: fishing rods, brooms, scythes, sickles, etc.

The hayloft

A hayloft is an outbuildings for storing hay, which is obliged to protect this summer-harvested livestock feed from rain and snow. A hayloft can be a separate building or a room on the top floor of a peasant house, above living rooms or a stable.

In Russia, the hayloft was called in different ways: price tag, hayloft, mortar, valuable dryer. In addition, local names are known, for example, in Tambov region the hayloft was called lopas, in Ryazan — punya, povet, in Nizhny Novgorod — pelevnitsa, in Pskov region — selnitsa.

The peasants slept in the hayloft in the summer. There is an ancient custom of the wedding night, when the young couple was taken to the hayloft. In Russian literature, the hayloft has become a symbol of romantic love.

In Soviet times, large farms began to arrange hay storage facilities.

The barn

A barn is a room for keeping large domestic animals (cows, sheep, pigs and others), an indoor paddock. The barn is often called a "flock". Livestock has long been kept separately from human habitation, which is associated with hygiene requirements (smell, manure), as well as religious prohibitions, traditions and superstitions. However, for convenience, the barn is located next to the farmhouse.

The barn is obliged to protect animals from wind, rain and snow. In winter, the animals are not on free grazing, but in a barn.

Other words from peasant life are also associated with the concept of a barn: stable, cowshed, sheepfold, pigsty.

A stable is a room for keeping horses. It represents a covered building, divided for each horse into stalls or stalls. Horse stables must have feeders (mangers) for oats and hay and watering buckets.

A cowshed is a room for keeping cows, which has stalls with feeders, leashes, a manure channel and a window for removing manure. Modern cowsheds are equipped with various mechanisms: feed grinders, straw cutters and manure conveyors.

A sheepfold (koshara) is a room for keeping sheep. In different parts of Russia, it is called differently: in Tambov region — ovcharukh, in Tver — ovchanik, in Orenburg — koshar, in the south — kosh. The sheepfold should be dry, warm, spacious and draughty. Inside, feeders, watering troughs and cages are installed for the separate maintenance of sheep with lambs, rams and young animals.

A pigsty is a pen or room for fattening and rearing pigs. Pigs are extremely voracious and eat everything. Pigs do not have sweat glands, so they must be provided with water and dirt to regulate their own body temperature.