Our vacation is over and it was a fantastic one! We did so many interesting things, met so many wonderful people and just had a good time :) I still haven’t unpacked all my stuff, but already uploaded some photos and I’m ready to share some of my impressions with you!
The camp where we stayed is like a big friendly family - we all come back to that place every summer so that's why we all know each other and we do a lot of activities together.
One day all the women of our camp decided to make a "bereginja".
"Bereginja" is a traditional Russian doll which symbolizes a female spirit in Slavic mythology. "Bereginja" is a "hearth mother, protectoress of the home". "Bereginja" had a very special meaning. The word "bereginja" comes from the russian words "cherish", "guardian". She guarded the house from all the misfortunes. Its presence in the house scared away demons and evil spirits. So we made this doll in order to protect our camp and people who stay there from all the bad things that can happen.
The shape of the doll is usually very simple - it symbolized the image man in general. But the clothes was very beautiful, bright and festively decorated (we did it with flowers, dog rose, riddons).
"Bereginja's" head is always covered with white cloth. The head symbolizes the spiritual essence of man. "Bereginja" never has a face. To depict a person forbidden, so the doll is not possessed by an evil spirit, which can hurt a person whom it is protecting. Also the eyes - a mirror of the soul - must be closed to protect the inner world of unexpected effects of the outer world.
The doll signifies the union of man and nature, solitude and our closeness to the mysterious forces of nature.
