Granai della Memoria

Antonina Grigorevna Kobzova, interviewed in February 2012, is a housewife. She speaks about Maslenitsa (Russian carnival) and explains how it is celebrated in a small village of Vyezdnoe, near Arzamas (Nizhny Novgorod region - Russia). Almost all the information given in the interview has been handed down to Antonina Grigorevna from her grandmother, born in 1886. Not all traditions of that time have been preserved to the present day. Kobzova explains why the village Vyezdnoe is famous throughout Russia, thanks to the local production of steel guns and leather shoes made by hand.  She says that her grandfather produced boots for the Tsar Nicholas II (he was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs). In addition, Kobzova explains how to prepare some typical local dishes, both traditional and family. Finally she tells us about the habits of every day during the Butter week (Maslenitsa) and traditional games of the holiday.