The young people visited the Open Air Museum of Architecture and Ethnography (Semenkovo) dedicated to the life of Russian peasants.
The employees of the museum told the students who of the peasants was considered wealthy, and why the position of the headman was a burden for peasants. As a rule, a peasant who was believed to be guilty for wrongdoing was elected to this post, as one of the headman’s duties was to pay off all shortfalls in taxes, he also had to resolve disputes among the villagers, and monitor sowing and harvesting.
In addition, the students learned about peasant’s traditions and customs. For example, they found out why a cat was the first to enter a newly built house.
We should mention that the tour was organized by the Department of Educational Work and Youth Policy of Vologda State University.