ANCIENT RUSSIA

Rosiches related to their gods as their friends, which helped them in their life or assisted in their business. But if the gods offended the Rosiches, they were later punished. They were deprived of a meal. This was included in the general religious ideas of ancient Russia. For Rosiches, the god was more of an older brother or a teacher, then the modern understanding of God.



All religions of the world have worship for a God, but in Russia, gods lived with relatives as members of the same social group. Thus, it is reasonable to say that social stereotypes existed in the Ancient Russian Society.



If the god of the Hunt did not give the bag to the Rosich (the name for the Ancient Russians), it was then possible for the Rosich to punish this god. A Rosich had the power to crush the god (to fire him) or to deprive the god of a meal (sacrifice). If a god’s destruction occurred, a new one was later produced.


The supreme god was the god of the Sun, named PERUN. There was a T’MA of gods (T’MA = one thousand).

What was the basis of this partnership?
Who were the leaders? The Rosiches or the gods?

The sacredness of a Rosich depended on the cleanliness of his nature – internal, spiritual cleanliness; cleanliness of body; cleanliness of his environment; including social, moral and economic cleanliness of trade relations. Thus, the process of cleansing spiritual “dirt” was the process of increasing the degree of the “Sacredness” of members of the Ancient Society, and consequently, to present them to their gods.

Because of the fact that the Rosiches considered themselves to be demigods and their sacredness depended on the process of cleansing, when Russia converted to Christianity it seemed to be the beginning of the end of Ancient Russia’s Social Society from the formal point of view. The closest picture one can get of the Conversion is the 300 years of Mongolian rule (1227-1480) (Mongolian Yoke) and the destruction of the Roman Empire from the Vandals’ invasion. In the history of Ancient (Pre-Christianity) Russia there was not the slightest hint that incoming tribes could win a battle over the Rosiches.

A Christian who worships God immediately becomes as God-slave. Therefore, he has no psychological protection from external factors, unlike the pagan, who is accustomed to satisfying the instinct of self-preservation using natural forces without relying on help from any magic. Christian psychology during that time period in no way differs from slave psychology.



The essence of Christianity when it arrived in Russia was the social structure of total slavery to worship and subordination to Christian symbols and their presenters.

Nevertheless, people do things relating to Christianity, without first considering their consequences. In the past and present, as well as everywhere, Christian activists and Christianity itself is guilty of this. Even in the modern world under their guise of using Christ’s name, terrible crimes are committed. And what can one say about times when information exchange between social groups
barely exists.

The epochal achievement of Mankind appears to be the knowledge of how to separate “the grain from kernel”, that is, determining that which is from the Lord and that which is made in his name by the people! Idle talks and conclusions on Christ’s behalf, purported to be Christian Morality, have caused war, ideological genocide and inquisitions.

The attitude of the Rosiches to natural resources (Flora & Fauna)

Rosiches took both fish and animal. They took both to store, and for exchange, but they only took as much as necessary. The stocks were calculated with the utmost care as were the exact amount of the needs (requirements) of society, thereby, “business-plan” was created over the span of many years.

The development of the pre-historical business plan was by the main economist-manager, generally the Chief of the community (president, chairman of the board), who used expert statistics from the Council of Olderman (board, Board of Directors).

The decisions of the Council of Oldermen, in agreement with decisions of the Chief, determined how many fish (animals, birds) would be taken; how many mushrooms, berries and meal-roots it was necessary to be prepared; the how much grain was necessary to sow for the purpose of a bountiful harvest; how many cows were necessary to be kept, and how many had to be slaughtered for their meat, etc.

Thus, the pre-Russian community could be a good model of an economic-balanced society. But such self-closed societies have very little stimulus for development.

For the development of any self-organizing system, including social, it is necessary to have the availability of not a static, but a dynamic balance between negative and positive factors, that is –Homoeostasis. HOMOEOSTASIS (from Greek –homoios / like/ + stasis) the tendency towards relatively stable dynamic equilibrium between inter-dependent elements especially as maintained by physiological processes and high-complicated self-regulated systems.

Homoeostasis provides the support for the essential features needed for the system’s self-care in allowable limits. This concept was introduced by the American physiologist Walter Cannon (1871-1945). The basis of concepts such as: cybernetics, psychology, sociology, etc.

If in the ancient Russian Society there existed such a dynamic balance, they would be so engaged with decisions pertaining to practical tasks that they would simply have no time for abstract and religious thinking.

The stagnation of the Roman Empire before the Vandals' invasion shows the total absence of a homoeostatic structure in the Roman Society, and consequently, on lowered social resistance against the Vandals.

While the Rosiches were pagans, no one was able to defeat them on their land or to take away their material and spiritual values. 300 Rosiches once reached Constantinople (865) but were forced to retreat because there was not enough room in their telegas (telega = wagon) to include values. The details of the actual events can be found in Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamsin’s (1766-1826) works. The Byzantines were very concerned about the situation, so they sent their troops of Christianity to Russia and began its degeneration!

Briefly: the technique of “gods’ application”

he relationship between gods and people was definitely simple. The Rosiches addressed the god, as if a father, a senior brother, or a teacher (guru). People performed large sacrifices to gods that is to say that the god was fed, given water, and dressed (decorated). If a god defaulted on a request, the meal was being taken away from him and sometimes he was even fired and a short time later a new god was created.

The night of Ivan-Kupala’s day-eve

The Rosiches were a militaristic people who constantly showed a deficit in the male population –there were an extremely small number of males due to constant losses to forays and wars. The main matter on this holiday’s-eve night was to provide the cleansing rituals with psychological, magical, mystical and social preparation of each Holiday participant in order to free the consciousness.

On this Night of Love everyone absolved everyone. It was the Night of Love for every believer of the Holiday (sexual intercourse between a daughter and her father was forbidden –the beginning of genetic knowledge was already taking place). It was accepted as normal when a husband chose another woman or girl from his wife’s girlfriends and his wife was with another man from the neighbors. All this had only one goal: to get the maximum number of pregnancies

In Ancient Society the children were brought up and educated by the entire community, therefore there was very little interest to which the children were born to. Consequently, surnames were taken away. In Western Europe the genealogical (family) tree played a considerably more important role. Summary: The main purpose of the Holiday was the Duplication of Life instead of making pleasure for the gods.

The evening of Ivan-Kupala’s day
(*comment: The Sun – “He”, not “It”!)

On the day (Solntzevorot-day) of Summer Solstice, it was the shortest night and the longest day of the year. The ancient belief was that the sun is forced down from his way and the clear-eyes girl Zarya (Daybreak) helps him on his way again. She not only conducts him across the sky, but also cleans him with water (wash him) with the help of the early-morning dew from the summer well which fragranced the fields of grass. Therefore when the morning dew was on the grass, people bathed with the power over each other using cold water and floated in the river. They believed that the water on this day has a specific cleansing force.

For the cultivator, Solntevorot-day, was June 24. It was a time when Nature opened to him all its vital forces and natural treasures of the ground. On this turning point day, Kupala’s Day was celebrated. The name “Kupala” was the ancient image of the fertility of the land during summer and the holiday was in its honour, which preceded tne gathering.

On Kupala’s Holiday, bonfires lit up the fields, river banks and hills. The fire of Kupala’s bonfires, prepared by rubbing wood together, was named “Living fire”. The fire was the symbolic representation of the Sun’s power and the ritual worship based on the increasing reproductive activity of both the people and Nature (fertility of the land and fruiting of the trees). It was believed that jumping through the bonfires people would be cleansed before the beginning of harvest and they became more healthy and powerful.

Traditionally, on Kupala’s day, it was believed that many grasses and plants acquired specific healthcare forces. The young people went out on the morning of Kupala’s Day to the fields to collect the grasses, such as “kupalenka”, “medvez’ye ushko” (little bear ears), “bogatenka” (the grass of the rich men), “razryv-trawa” (love-break-grass). These grasses were then placed under the head of the bed to help having dreams which on this night were considered to be prophetic.

The Mongolian Yoke had come to Russia. Along with its arrival came the loss of the ancient Russia’s joyful holidays. The Great Trouble had come and there was no room for holidays in Russian life.

Russian girls became the victims of slave trade among the Mongolian troops because they were generously gifted in the areas of beauty in both their face and body. In order to avoid Mongolian attention and slavery, Russian girls would intentionally ruin their beauty. They would dirty their face with smoke, swaddle their breasts with linen and walk with a stoop.

The effects of three centuries of the Mongolian Yoke are still being felt in the present. Russian women do not know how to show off their bodies, even when clothed. They seem to hide their body everywhere.

New Times have come and three hundred years of the Mongolian Yoke is buried in oblivion, though three centuries of violence and oppression as left an indelible mark on Russia’s cultural traditions.

Pristine Naturism of the Rosiches, as well as, the set of naturist elements in Russian society of later centuries was the general norm of behavior continuing down to the beginning of the reign of Empress Catherine II (1762-1796).

Russian Baths, from time immemorial, were communal for both males and females, though washing rooms were segregated by sex. The steam and dressing rooms were also communal. Nudity in Russian society was still not dishounarble as one of the main principles of Russian society was based on the principles of nudism/naturism. It was simply a natural, social style of behaviour.

 

Note should be taken that during the dark period of the Middle Ages as the flames of the Inquisition, on which were burned beautiful women, spread throughout Europe, it was not as severe nor as wide spread in Russia. There were weighty problems, to be sure, but fortunately, the “Witch Hunt” didn’t occur. There are several reasons for this:
1. There was no strong, centralized State authority until the reign of Peter the Great (1672-1725), as well as, no strong, centralized religious power as there was in Western Europe.
2. Christianity in Russia was Orthodox, as opposed to Catholic, as in the rest of Europe, so it had a more humanistic side.
3. Russia did not partake in Crusades.
4. Lastly, the tone of Russian life remained in some sense “pagan” or “natural”.

In Russia the natural economy continued until the second half of the 19^th century. To know the meaning of the term “the natural economy”, you have to understand that 90% of the Russian population was farmers. There was low population density and there was a low-level of culture from the standpoint of civilization as education, medicine, etc. were scarce. (Here we don’t touch upon the economic part of the term.)

Therefore in each Russian village, instead of a doctor, there was a folk leader. They healed with what is now referred mutual resource such as water, air, Russian Baths and herbs. All of these resources are elements of naturism.

Moreover, there are many national customs which could possibly be understood as the continuation of pagan or natural ways, since the old days determined conditions on when it was time to work the fields, sow the seed, etc. Peasants honor these ancient customs very much (and they stool alone from Christianity!)

In spring, before sowing has begun, a husband should make love to his wife on arable land. In so doing, insure that there will be a good harvest.

In summer, after the end of sowing, on the night of Kupala’s Day Eve, the same is done for the same purpose.

At the end of summer, after the last sheaf was made, naked women somersaulted and rolled on naked, arable land for the purpose of removing the tiredness from their bodies and from the land.


In winter, after a Russian bath, males swam in a hole in the ice of lakes and river and females rolled in the snow. It was done in order to catch the power of the water and for good health.


The Peasant tone of Russian life was very close to nature was natural and even expedient. Therefore, nudity was understood to be a part of nature.

The persecution of social nudity (hereafter SN) began with the rise to authority in Russia of the Prussian Princess who was born and raised in the center of Europe in a poor nobility family which had a set of sanctimonious elements of behavior. The Princess became the Empress Catherine II.



Religious authority rose in power and became Western European oriented. Already in the cities Russian Baths were prohibited, but in the villages the new fashion had not come, so nothing really changed.


If SN of the ancient Rosiches was the bright expression of ritual character. Russians from the time of the Mongolian Yoke to the reign of Catherine II considered it to be simply ordinary phenomenon. After the imposition of restrictions on SN, the notice the loss!


Europe had come to Russia and brought with it not only religious, secular education and temporal power, but also with European immigrants, the European fashion of milky-white skin. Now all women tried to protect themselves from direct sunlight. Umbrellas and swimming suits, which covered the body from the neck to the heels, appeared. Sunburn was considered to be extremely vulgar and was condemned by society.

A comment:

There is a novel by Aleksander Sergeevich Pushkin (1799-1837), “Baron’s Daughter-Peasant’s Daughter”, wherein a young noble lady born with light brown skin could pass herself off as a peasant girl and upon her “sunburned face” lies the basis of the main plot.



The situation continued until the reign of Nicholas II (1894-1917), who not only removed all restrictions on SN but he was also an avid participant and believer in nudist ideals. The thought that nudity could help preserve and improve the health of society. His entire family and their attendants were also followers of nudism. One can readily see this from the photographic and cinematic records of the Tsarist family.

At the same time, there was no philosophic basis for nudism in Russia at all. It was the natural nudity of individuals based on the primordial Russian style of behavior.



Why was there a prohibition on SN during the reign of Empress Catherine II? The fact is, in Russian history. Catherine II is considered to be the most extravagant of all Russian Empresses. The lifestyle forced upon the Russian court by Catherine II resulted in extravagance of the entire ruling clique. This extravagance may be considered to be the major factor in the prosecution of SN. Nudity was declared to be a sin, i.e. to be harm to society.



From the start of the reign of Bolshevism until the creation of the U.S.S.R., SN was not considered to be harm to society. It is rumored that Lenin himself enjoyed the pleasure of being naked in the sun. Then Stalin came to power, creating a totalitarian society and almost immediately began prosecuting SN.



It seems that in a society where the ruling clique is very extravagant, from the standpoint of common morality; where totalitarianism is present (it can be qualified as extravagance of power and policy); where there is infringement upon the vital interests of the social majority; there is complete absence of social and body freedom.


During the time of Khrushchev’s “thaw” in the mid-sixties, Soviet naturists began to spread across the land naturally, illegally and in secret locations.


But in the country named “The Country of Socialist Victory”, there was no place for each human behavior. It was considered that in the U.S.S.R. there was no prostitution, no Western-style Sexual Revolution –there was no sex at all! Under these conditions there were no nudists/naturists either. Nudists were considered to be mentally deranged.


Since 1986 with the arrival of “Reorganization” and general democratization (Perestroika) of society, first in the former Soviet Baltic States and later in the major cities of Russia, the legalization of naturist societies has begun. It is interesting to note that nearly all officially registered Russian societies are not referred to as being nudist. There are societies of “Healthy Lifestyle,” the “Societies of Sun Fans,” “Free Body Culture Society,” various clubs named “Harmony,” “Sun,” “Aqua,” etc. Why?


The foreign word, “nudism,” has no roots in Russia because of past history. It was definitely connected with bad behavior from the point of view of Soviet leaders. Russian naturism has a multi-century link with the defense of nature. Its motto is “The Health of Spirit, the Health of Body and the Health of Nature”. It seems like the other side of the religious “coin,” named the Russian Holy Trinity.


The following are brief remarks not relating to the main article:

1. We would like to consider here the aspect of Russian naturism.
As a rule, the average Russian naturist is representative of the middle to lower economic classes of Russians.
Representatives of the “New Russian Rich People” (major businessmen), presently would not prefer to relax on a common-clothing-optional beach.

The social mask of big businessmen imitates the lifestyle of the prosperous Western nouveau riche.

Such a lifestyle includes some compulsory (from the nouveau riche viewpoint) elements:
- relax on the most fashionable beaches of the West
- following fashion, particularly the present Western fashion of snow-white skin among the upper class
- the belief that sunburn and intense solar radiation is harmful!


It is very important for Russian big businessmen to achieve a preferential level of safety. This includes body protection and defense against unauthorized photo or film of them in public places.


On the other hand, many of our famous businessmen, actors and other unsanctimonious people would like to become naturists, but they are forced to follow the rules of behavior for their class.


It is well known here that most Russian naturists are intelligent people: students, small businessmen, doctors, etc. By the way, there are very few workers as well as big businessmen in naturism.


2. We certainly do not think that Russian naturism is a unique one. Probably, the history of naturism is closely linked with the history of other peoples and has historical roots. It would be interesting to get acquainted with the history of other nations with respect to naturism. Perhaps we have more in common than sunburns in certain places!


3. Russia has only just recently learned about the effects of long-term exposure to sunlight and its effect on mental and psychical health.


We are very interested in learning about how you deal with these problems.


We are very interested in how you save the history of naturism.


We are very interested in how you understand the healthy lifestyle of naturism.

Michael M. Rusinov