Do you throw a pinch of spilled salt over your left shoulder, sit "for the road" before a long departure, refrain from whistling inside the house and avoid eating from a knife? Many of us perform these harmless actions for decades without thinking about their true meaning. But if you dig deeper, you'll find that every folk superstition has real justifications and reasons. If you're interested in the origins of traditional omens, you should visit the Museum of Myths and Superstitions of the Russian People in Uglich.
Museum interior
The Museum of Superstitions is a very original and extraordinary place. The exhibition is housed in a small wooden hut, inside which is a true realm of mysticism. The characters on display look lifelike and are made in full (life) size. The authenticity of the exhibits recreates the mysterious atmosphere of Slavic fairy tales and epics. All paintings, costumes and wax figures were made by artist Darya Chuzhoy, and the ethnographic material is part of her personal collection.
Part of Darya Chuzhoy's ethnographic collection
Visitors are in for a fascinating journey into the world of pagan rites and beliefs popular in the pre-Christian era of Rus'. A charismatic and somewhat somber guide tells about the traditions of burying witches, why houses were never built from aspen in Rus', about the sirin birds, yuletide divinations, domovoy, kikimoras, poleviks and other mythological creatures.
Domovoy
One of the highlights of the tour is the story of Baba Yaga and her real-life prototype. Many are used to considering Baba Yaga a negative character, but her role in reality was extremely important and responsible. Essentially, she was an elder, a mediator between worlds, and helped people through various initiation processes and transitions from one state to another.
Baba Yaga - bone leg
During the tour guests are asked riddle-questions, and correct answers are rewarded with gifts. There is also a souvenir shop in the museum where you can buy handmade whistles, domovoy figurines, lucky coins and other talismans that bring happiness and luck to their owners.
Clay domovoy figurines
