The History of the Russian Spinning Distaff

Spinning distaffs have been known to humanity since the times of Ancient Rome, but they acquired such a deep and at times mythical meaning only in Russia. The distaff became not only a working tool but also a very precious and special gift. It is worth noting that you will not find identical distaffs in any Russian museum. Each of them is an exclusive item decorated with various patterns. Incidentally, most types of decorative painting appeared thanks to distaffs. Besides ornaments, they were supplemented with dedicatory and instructive inscriptions, as well as scenes of village life. In some regions of Russia there was also a wedding tradition: the groom broke the distaff given by the bride's parents and made another one himself in its place. This was a symbol of the beginning of a new life, the "birth" of a new family. A godchild was handed to the godmother over a distaff, and a child's umbilical cord was cut on a distaff or spindle. So one could say it accompanied a girl throughout her life. One's spindle had to be protected and hidden from "unclean" forces.

There were two types of distaffs – with a blade and with a comb. They differed not only in appearance and thread-making technology but also in geographical distribution. In the Urals and in the north of Russia, blade distaffs were mainly used; in the south, comb distaffs. Each region had its own characteristic decorations – carving, painting or a combination of both. Some distaffs even had mirrors.

Distaffs were made of wood. There were distaffs made from a single piece of wood and those where each part was made from a different kind of wood. For example, the spindle was carved from birch, the bases were of aspen or lime, and the combs were carved from hardwoods.

Spinning and weaving were exclusively women's work. When the field-work season ended, women sat down at their distaffs. The laborious work lasted about five months. Spinners often worked late into the night, so they used a splinter of wood for light. An interesting fact is that a bowl of cranberries stood next to the distaff. The sour berry stimulated salivation, and saliva was used to moisten the threads.

In general, making thread was an extremely laborious and slow process, so girls learned the art of spinning from childhood. To keep this time from dragging on painfully, spinners gathered together. Such evenings were called "zapryady"; at them girls sang songs, talked and dreamed. Young men were also admitted to these evenings. Here they looked the girls over, got acquainted and courted them. If a girl spun alone, she whispered wishes as she made the thread, "programming" the yarn.

But the distaff is known not only for making threads. The mystical side of this important household object was passed on by word of mouth. There were so-called transitional moments when spinning spirits appeared. On these days only "those who know", who are able to influence human life, spun. Spinners who broke the rules were punished. Such "forbidden" days for spinning included Fridays, the days of the solstice, and the time when the rye was in bloom (Rusalia week). Threads spun on New Year's Eve and on Maundy Thursday were believed to have healing and protective powers. It is not for nothing that there are expressions like "the threads of fate" and "bound by fate".

Over time, the need for down items grew, and spinning wheels came to the spinners' aid. Spinning wheels first appeared in Rus in the 15th century. Over several centuries spinning wheels underwent many improvements; they are widely used in our lives and are indispensable helpers for our down knitters.