Flax as a culture began to be cultivated back in the Neolithic era (VIII-III centuries BC). This is confirmed by samples of linen fabrics found during excavations of an ancient village built on piles on one of the Swiss lakes. During the fire, the village burned down and its remains were buried at the bottom of the lake. Under these unusual conditions, samples of linen fabrics have survived to this day. Other, more recent samples have come down to us with the remains of the Egyptian pharaohs. Their preservation was influenced by the special conditions inside the Egyptian pyramids and, perhaps, by the embalming substances used during mumminization.
The ancient technology of obtaining and processing flax fiber can be judged by Egyptian wall paintings dating back to the era of the New Kingdom (IV century BC), by frescoes of the III century. BC BC, drawings on Greek vases of the 500s BC. e. These drawings show how flax was processed: it was pulled, laid, dried, crumpled, ruffled, combed and spun manually with the help of a spindle hanging on a thread. From these pictures, you can also get an idea of \u200b\u200btissue formation.
Herodotus, referring to the gifts brought by one of the pharaohs to the temple of Athena of Rhodes, writes that the most valuable gift was linen fabric, each thread of which consisted of 360 fibers.
Flax is mentioned in the Bible and the New Testament. The peoples of Asia Minor, the Mesopotamia of the Tigris and the Euphrates knew flax, they made coarse fabrics from it. Flax was cultivated in Colchis, on the fertile lands along the banks of the Phasis River. Colchis paid tribute to the Turks with linen. Linen products from Colchis came to Europe through the Black Sea colonies of Rome.
I. Mashnikov in 1987 put forward a version that the campaign of the Argonauts and, in particular, the famous Jason from Greece to Colchis for the "golden fleece" was in fact a campaign for the secret of obtaining the finest yarn from flax, which was sold worth its weight in gold. According to a number of authors, fabrics made from the first-class linen grown in Achaia were sold literally worth their weight in gold, when fabrics were placed on one side of the scales and gold bars on the other. The blue corolla of linen, said the priests of Isis, corresponds to the blue color of the sky, and they wore no other clothes than linen.
In Greece, flax was almost never produced; it was imported from Egypt. In Hellas, white linen fabrics trimmed with purple were famous.
During the reign of Emperor Augustus (1st century BC, 1st century AD), linen was exported. The main development of linen craft in Rome falls on the II -1 century. BC e. After the seizure of Gaul by Julius Caesar, workshops arose there that produced linen sails. In Gaul, flax began to be cultivated much earlier than in the Roman Empire, it was used to make bags for sugar, fabrics for sheets and clothes. Thin colored and printed linen fabrics came to Rome from Egypt and Syria. Linen was used to sew not only clothes, but sheets, tablecloths, sun covers, curtains.
Much later, linen production emerged in Italy and Spain. In 1500, there were 16,000 looms in Seville (Spain).
Still later, flax growing was developed in France, Belgium, Holland, and then in Flanders.
In the 5th and 6th centuries, flax growing began to develop in England and Germany.
In the VIII century, flax products were brought to Russia on the plains of the upper Volga. The Novgorod principality traded and profited from flax.
In the X-XIII centuries. flax widely spread to geese, in the XIII-XVI centuries. Novgorod and Pskov became the main centers of flax production and trade.
“The Russians spread out flax straw, and after the August fog and the sun separated the fiber from the stalks, it was collected, dried, crumpled, ruffled, combed, separating the silky fiber from the tough chaff. On the day of Praskovya-flax, the patroness of flax growers (October 28), the first linen of the new crop was spread for bleaching. The fruits of the labor of Russian peasants - raw linen, shirts, sundresses were bought up by merchants from Flanders, Germany, Byzantium ”(“ The Tale of Bygone Years ”). Under Peter the Great, large linen manufactories began to operate in Russia, mainly for the production of sails.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Russian linen clothed the peasants and the Russian nobility and was exported in large quantities to the countries of Eastern and Western Europe.
Until the 19th century, the preparation of trusts in Russia, France and Belgium was carried out by spreading linseed straws in meadows, and in some areas with a cold water lobe in Kopanets, followed by drying in cones. At the beginning of the 19th century, in Belgium (on the Lys River), a double lobe of flax in cylinders with intermediate drying was first carried out. Then they began to use a lobe followed by spreading. The first experiments with an industrial heat lobe were carried out in 1790 in Curando (France), but a patent for a lobe was issued only in 1845, and the first flax mill was established in Ireland in 1848. The construction of lobe workshops began in other countries as well. However, the fiber quality was not always satisfactory. The study of the chemical composition of interfiber substances began (Fremy in 1848, Havenstein in 1875), the process of the lobe - its microbiology (Berne, Greklu, Van Tisma, etc.), the morphology of flax (Tina Tames).
In 1902, a prominent Belgian flax specialist Ba-stensta received a patent for boiling flax straw in autoclaves. In 1912, he also organized a heat lobe in concrete tanks with wooden gratings and pipes for heating water to 32 degrees, followed by natural drying. At the same time, in Russia, in the Yaroslavl province, it was proposed to process flax straw with hot water and steam. If the heat lobe lasted 3-4 days, then the cooking was carried out for 2 hours. Installations for artificial drying of flax trees appeared. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, more than 85 methods of preparing flax trusts were proposed, using hot water, solutions of alkalis, acids, salts, but all of them were not widely used. There was a deep study of the anaerobic microbiological process of the heat lobe. Was isolated the main culture of bacteria "bacillus felseneus", which provided the fermentation of pectin and other substances of the adhesive complex. Industrial cooking trusts attracted a short and stable cycle, the ability to control and manage the process, to conduct it all year round, regardless of the weather, and the possibility of mechanizing the process.
But the lobe process had many drawbacks. It required huge expenditures of water, heat and energy, construction of treatment facilities and did not provide high quality fiber. For a long time in Russia, France, Belgium, Holland and other countries, the processes of lobe and spreading coexisted, until in the 60s of our century a complex of machines was created that combined the harvesting of flax straw with its spreading, machines for turning over the layer of trusts and its lifting and packing ... Many countries (Czechoslovakia, France, part of Belgium, etc.) have completely eliminated the flax lobe. In recent years, the volume of heat lobes in our country has also decreased, the quality of fiber has improved, but the risk of losses has increased, and high efficiency was required during harvesting.
Until the middle of the 19th century, the processing of flax trees was carried out on slotted crushers, and scutching with the help of a hand ruffle. In 1840, K. Weber invented a crusher with grooved rollers. At the end of the 19th century, a “Belgian” wheel appeared, which made it possible to somewhat mechanize the process of fluttering, but in Russia manual fluttering was preserved until the 30s of the XX century.
The emergence of spinning proper, i.e. the formation of a continuous thread from fibers limited in length, even refers to the era of a clan society, to the stage of completion of matriarchy (15,000 BC). The process of weaving fabrics from ready-made silkworm threads, long animal hair, plant stems, etc., like the process of forming felt, was probably known even earlier. The first spinning device was apparently a stick. A ready-made thread was wound on it so that the thread did not get tangled. Then the stick was used to twist the yarn. At first, twisting was carried out by rolling a stick with a thread along the leg and thigh. This method of spinning has survived to this day among some Australian tribes. Then the twisting began to be carried out due to the rotation of the stick suspended from the thread, which turned into a spindle.
Later, the spindle began to be driven into rotation from a hand or foot wheel.
The process of twisting or winding was carried out with a varying angle of approach of the thread to the spindle. In the XV century. Leonardo da Vinci proposed a self-spinning wheel with a flyer and a reel. Undergoing several improvements, the self-spinning wheel with a foot drive existed until the 20th century. But at the same time, the pulling of a thin thread and an even sliver from the fiber bundle was carried out manually.
Flax spinning machines were first copied from wool spinning machines. In 1737, folding machines were created to form a ribbon from handfuls of combed flax. This was the beginning of machine production. In the same period, ribbon thinning machines and the Kendrew dry-spinning rotor were developed. Similar spinning machines were invented in France by Robinson (1798) and Leroy (1807).
During the competition between France and England, Napoleon 1, seeking to free himself from economic dependence, in 1810 issued a special decree granting a prize of one million francs to the inventor of the best flax spinning machine. This competition gave impetus to the development of new machines for producing fine yarn from flax. Even before the competition, in 1802, Gay-Lussac conducted experiments on leaching flax fibers, which gave them the appearance of cotton paper (in fact, these were experiments on the cottonization of flax). On this basis, the method of chemical preparation for wet spinning was born, which was further developed by Leroy and the Girard brothers. One of the brothers, chemist and mechanic Philippe Girard, in 1810 proposed a process for preliminary chemical treatment of linen ribbon in perforated tanks, and then after pressing it, processing it wet, and in fact was the ancestor of wet spinning. However, a real revolution took place in 1825, when John Kay received a patent for a wet-spinning machine for flax, in which, in addition to the chemical preparation of the ribbon, a drafting apparatus was proposed with a wiring between the rollers 21/2 inches (63 mm), due to which the prepared technical fibers were crushed into elementary and a fine yarn could be obtained.
In Russia, at the beginning of the 19th century, linen yarn and fabrics were made in factories or handicraftsmen in the villages. The handicraftsmen worked in light houses built separately from the dwellings on the edge of the village in the lower reaches of the river.
In the second quarter of the 19th century, self-spinning wheels and machine tools with aircraft shuttles became widespread. The total number of linen manufactories was 190, and along with coarse ones, they also produced fine fabrics for linen and clothes. They employed 27,000 people, i.e. 16% of the total number of workers in Russia. Handicraft linen production with self-spinning wheels was preserved in Russian villages even when factory machine production was created. The products were sold at local fairs in the village of Veliky, in Rostov, Kineshma, Yuryevets, Vichuga, Nikologory. The goods bought at these fairs went to regional fairs, the main of which were Nizhegorodskaya and Ilyinskaya near Poltava. The total turnover of the flax trade in the middle of the 19th century was 6,300,000 rubles.
Beginning in the 50s, mechanical flax spinning factories were created: in 1848 in the village of Krasavino near Veliky Ustyug, in 1853, a Ierekht merchant and flax buyer Bryukhanov and a Moscow merchant Zotov built a spinning mill for 1500 spindles in Kostroma. In 1859, 3500 were already working on it, and in 1861 - 6000 spindles. In the same year, flax buyers Dyakonov and Syromyatnikov founded a flax-spinning factory in Nerekhta with 3000 spindles. Osip Senkov built a flax spinning mill in Puchezh in 1861. A small factory in Romanovo-Borisoglebsk (now Tutaev) was built in 1864 by an Arkhangelsk merchant, Dane by origin, Klassen. In 1865, the Vyaznikovsky merchant and manufacturer Demidov rebuilds a cotton factory into a linen one in the village of Yartsevo. At the same time, the Kazan merchant Alafuzov, a supplier of the military department, built a Kazan factory at the leather factory. In 1866, merchants Tretyakov, Kashin and Konshin set up a spinning mill for 4000 spindles of the Big Kostroma Manufactory. At the beginning of the 60s, Volkov's factory appeared in the town of Melenki (Vladimir province). In 1870, Lokalov built a large factory with 8000 spindles near Yaroslavl (Gavrilov-Yam). In 1871 Shcherbakov's factory appeared in Kokhma, and in 1872 one of the Senkov brothers built a factory in Losev (Vyaznikovsky district). In 1873 Bakakin and Bryukhanov build factories in Yuryevets. At the same time, the merchant Sosipatr Sidorov built a three-story building in the village of Yakovlevskoye with hand-held machines and a bleaching factory. Soon, half a mile from him, near the village of Vasilevo, the peasant Dorodnoye founded the production of tablecloths, and, finally, the resourceful captenarmus Krymov in the village of Rogachevo built two buildings for weaving looms. So by the 80s, a bush formed in Privolzhsk, which first competed, and then merged into the Yakovlevsky Combine.
From these old enterprises later developed large linen mill, which in Soviet times were named: Gavrilov-Yamsk mill - “Zarya socialism”, Kostroma and Kazan flax mill - named after Lenin, Kostroma: spinning mill - “Iskra Oktyabrya”, weaving mill - “October revolution ". The factories of the Vyaznikov group were named after Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg and the Paris Commune. Most of these enterprises have now become joint stock companies and have changed their names.
The industry grew rapidly. The following are data on the growth in the number of workers employed in manufactories and the number of spindles and machine tools from 1850 to 1875.
The decrease and then the complete cessation of the export of flax fiber is due to:
- reduction in acreage and low yields;
- construction of new and radical reconstruction of existing enterprises.
NI Vavilov identifies 4 main centers of distribution of flax: Central Asian, Anterior Asian, Middle Amphibian and Abyssinian. According to EN Sinskaya, there are 3 primary foci of flax distribution: Indian, Indo-Afghan, Colchis. It is believed that the northern Russian fibers (continental forms) are of origin from the Indo-Afghani hearth. Western longs (coastal forms) are common from the Colchis hearth.
Cultural flax is subdivided into five groups: fiber, mezheumok, curly, large-seeded and creeping semi-winter. In fig. 51 shows the geographical distribution of flax varieties (according to Vavilov, 1935) in our country.
Flax, due to its high species adaptive properties, is able to grow in different geographic and soil-climatic conditions. It is grown in more than 35 countries (Fig. 52). The statistics on the cultivated areas of flax are quite contradictory. According to FAO, flax is grown worldwide on more than 7 million hectares, mainly oilseed. According to the USDA (1988): in 1979 - 81. the sown area was 5448 thousand hectares, in 1985 - 4811 thousand hectares, in 1986 - 4855 thousand hectares, in 1987 - 4372 thousand hectares. The area of \u200b\u200bspinning and fibrous flax is about 1.5 million hectares. Oilseed flax is widespread in North and South America (Canada, USA, Argentina, etc.), Asia (India, China, etc.), and also slightly in Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia. Fiber flax is cultivated mainly in the countries of Central and Northern Europe (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, France, etc.), as well as in Asia (China, etc.).
After the revolution and the civil war, the sown area in Russia sharply decreased (to 550 - 650 thousand hectares), then began to grow, reaching a maximum before the Second World War (2 million hectares). After the war, a significant part of the area was restored, but from the 60s, a slow decline began, which accelerated since 1985. A similar picture is observed in fiber production.
In 1960, the cultivated area and production of textile fibers in the world were:
- cotton - 33,700,000 ha and 10,900,000 tons (with a yield of 3.25 kg / ha);
- flax - 2,020,000 hectares and 650,000 tons (with a yield of 3.2 c / ha);
- jute - 2,020,000 ha and 2,600,000 tons (with a yield of 12.8 kg / ha).
Along with the construction of new ones, the old enterprises of the linen industry were reconstructed. In 1925, 20 imported automatic flax-combing machines were purchased, according to the type of which domestic machines were later created. A new building was built and equipped with new dry spinning machines with hanging flyers and a self-dumping mechanism at the Vyaznikovskiy combine. At another Vyaznikovskaya factory, a workshop for the production of trash thread was created, which supplied the enterprises of the shoe industry. Another one - organized the processing of flaxseed waste according to the wigony spinning method. Talented engineers and inventors I.D. Zvorykin, G.P. Vershinin, K.G. Nosov, M.A. Ratov and others did a lot for the production and improvement of machines. The first organizer of the unification of the linen industry was A.A. Nolde.
In 1932–34, the mass construction of flax factories began. But mechanization has led to the creation of significant scattering waste, which was originally used only in tow. Science was tasked with finding a use for this waste. Scientists have developed a technology for processing flax flax waste into cotton fiber - cottonin. Cotonin has been used in blends in the processing of cotton and wool, as well as in wadding.
After the organization of cotton growing in Uzbekistan and other Central Asian republics, the cotton industry was liquidated. However, the problem of using scutching waste remained. Employees of the Research Institute of Bast Fibers proposed a new method for cleaning waste and created a technology for making burlap from dry-spinning linen yarn (previously imported jute was used). After the Second World War, construction of new and radical reconstruction of existing enterprises continued. In Russia, for the first time in the world, wet-spinning ring spinning machines with high-drawing apparatus were created. Machine builders created machines for primary processing, spinning, and weaving, and many of these machines began operating in other parts of the world. For example, the Harbin Flax Mill was built in China. Instead of the coiled method of bleaching and drying the yarn, a process and equipment for processing yarn in bobbins was developed, and then this process was replaced by chemical treatment of roving before spinning. The Russian linen industry, having eliminated age-old backwardness, has become the most advanced in the world. Earlier than in other industries, the linen looms were replaced by automatic looms, and in recent decades by shuttleless looms. On the basis of scientific research by Russian technologists and designers, it was possible, even in conditions of decreasing crops and declining quality of raw materials, to increase the production of linen fabrics and raise productivity at all crossings.
High consumer properties and limited areas of flax growth have led to intensive foreign trade in linen fabrics and products from them. The countries of North and South America, some countries of Africa and Oceania are interested in purchasing, and the countries of Eastern and partly Western Europe and Asia, which produce flax and cannot sell it in their countries, sell these fabrics and receive foreign exchange earnings. It should be borne in mind that in Western Europe, the linen industry mainly ends with spinning. Weaving and finishing factories, buying marketable yarn, manufacture and finish fabrics obtained from yarns of various fibrous composition.
France, Belgium, Austria and England produce more yarn than they consume, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, on the contrary, consume more than they produce. A number of countries process from 30 to 50% of flax into blended yarn. Russia and other CIS countries process almost all of the yarn produced at the same enterprises and do not sell it, except for a small amount of carpet. For example, Western European enterprises in 1985 produced 12.5% \u200b\u200bmore yarn than was consumed in these countries. This yarn was either exported to third countries, or fabrics were made from it, which were also exported.
During these years, the export of linen fabrics amounted to: in Poland - 21, Hungary - 5, Czechoslovakia - 29, France, Belgium and England - 13 and in Romania - 18 million square meters. in year.
Russia sold and sells linen fabrics, mainly to neighboring countries, and mainly technical. In recent years, it has been expanding the export of household linen fabrics.
It is possible to estimate the consumption of linen fabrics based on the 1985 statistics. France consumed 2 sq.m. per person per year, Belgium - 1.5; Sweden - 2–2.1; Poland - 2.4-2.5; Czechoslovakia - 3.5; Hungary - 2-2.8; Romania - 2.0; USA - 0.4; England - 0.67 and the USSR - 2.2 sq.m. (now the share of consumption in Russia has dropped sharply).
Conclusion
The more intensively the industry develops, the worse the ecology of the environment, the stronger man's craving for nature, for those born by nature, to which he has already adapted for millennia. The growth of the population of the Earth, especially in the last two centuries, and at the same time the growth of needs forced people to seek more and more new sources of raw materials for the creation of various fabrics and textiles for both household and technical purposes - from the finest cambric to tarpaulin and from surgical threads to ship ropes ... Despite the fact that in the 19th century, crops of cheap cotton began to spread rapidly and the cotton industry developed, and in the 20th century the chemical industry for the production of artificial (from natural cellulose) and synthetic fibers (from fossil raw materials), the production of flax and linen fabrics did not decrease. The properties of new fibers and the costs of their production turned out to be completely incomparable. Instead of competition, a commonwealth emerged. At first, cotton was used in the production of semi-linen fabrics, the warp of which was cotton, and the weft was flax. Then chemical fibers were added to linen fabrics.
Flax is the only natural, easily reproducible cellulose raw material in Russia, which has unique properties and, due to the soil and climatic conditions of our country, can be cultivated on huge areas. More than two million hectares were occupied by flax crops in the former USSR. Agricultural technology in our country is still low and the yields of flax are small - 3-4 centners of flax fiber per hectare, meanwhile, genetically possible yields of more than 30 centners per hectare, and then its production on the same areas can increase tenfold. With an increase in yield, the profitability from flax growing also increases. And if flax in the past was the breadwinner of the peasants of the non-black earth zone of Russia, then with the rise in the harvest, it can become a treasure (in 1994, many farms have already received 7-10 c / ha). Linen fiber and linen fabrics are in demand on the world market, and therefore flax was a source of significant foreign exchange earnings before the revolution, in the thirties and post-war years. A large amount of flax fiber, obtained in the form of scuttling waste, is still poorly used and from them sacking and twine are produced.
At present, the problem of converting this waste into cotton fiber and processing it in a mixture with cotton into fashionable fabrics and summer outerwear has been technically solved. This more than doubles the resources of flaxseed raw materials for household fabrics. Domestic science has created the latest technology and techniques for processing flax, including spindle-less pneumatic spinning, which allows yarn to be produced at high speeds and onto large-capacity bobbins that do not require rewinding. Linen does not go out of the world fashion, it is used in the production of clothing, linen, shoes, haberdashery, wallpaper, interior items, etc. Flax, as already noted, provides not only fiber for textile production. Linen fires are used to make slabs for the furniture and construction industries.
The use of a flax fire can save forests for humanity. Fibrous flax waste is used for the decoration of car interiors, insulated linoleum, geotextiles for soil protection from erosion, protection of slopes, reclamation of quarries, pots for growing plants are made from linen nonwoven materials. In medicine, linseed threads are used as sutures, absorbent cotton, etc. Linseed oil is used for food, in the production of medicines, and is the best natural drying oil. Linen fabrics and paints on linseed oil have been preserved for centuries. An example of this canvases by Italian Renaissance artists and frescoes in ancient temples.
Flax, when grown, not only does not deplete the bowels of the earth, as in the production of chemical fibers, and does not pollute the land with difficult-to-decompose wastes, on the contrary, flax crops extract radionuclides and heavy metals from radiation-contaminated lands and create prerequisites for the production of clean food products.
In 18 regions of Russia, regional programs are being developed to revive the flax complex. Large-scale use of flax products in many sectors of the national economy is envisaged.
Cotton does not grow in Europe and flax for it, as well as for Russia, is a strategic raw material, therefore flax growing countries of Europe strongly support the development of flax growing. The plantings of flax and its processing in China and Brazil are significantly increasing, and a state program for the development of the flax complex in South Africa is being created.
From all that has been said, it can be argued that flax has served humanity well for about ten thousand years. In the foreseeable future, as an efficient and environmentally friendly product, it will take a more worthy place in the human environment. In Russia, this will be facilitated by the state program "Flax for Russian goods" developed by TsNIILKA, on the instructions of the RF Goskomprom.
Let me introduce you to flax. These delicate blue flowers are forgotten today, and in the past, almost every family cultivated flax, along with rye and wheat. Special holidays were dedicated to flax.
Flax has been known to man since ancient times; linen is considered the oldest. The official science knows finds from flax about 10 thousand years old. Flax was widespread in Russia, India, Assyria, Persia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. The weavers of antiquity possessed the spinning technique, which made it possible to make such a transparent and light linen fabric that through its five layers the body shone through, and the outfit itself passed through the ring. In Russia, flax was treated with respect and awe; flax was valued for its protective and purifying properties. Linen clothes were considered ritually clean and protected the body of the person who wears them.
Today the world is experiencing a flax boom again. It's not just the fashion for everything natural: cotton is also a natural material, but it's not so useful for health. Flax is an excellent antiseptic, it suppresses harmful microflora, relieves itching, burning and other inflammation.
Tensile linen yarn is almost 2 times stronger than cotton and 3 times stronger than woolen.
Linen fabric is hygroscopic - not only absorbs moisture, but also “removes heat”, ensuring excellent well-being, especially in hot and humid climates. Water evaporates from it at almost the same rate as from the surface of the reservoir, as a result of which the linen fabric is always fresh and cool. Flax does not cause allergies and inhibits the growth of bacteria. The silica contained in flax protects it from rotting.
A linen bed, scientists say, weakens the impact of unfavorable ecology, does not accumulate static electricity, and therefore stays clean longer, does not stick to the body and does not fold into folds. Linen warms well in winter, and on sweltering summer nights it creates a feeling of coolness, removing excess heat from the skin: under a linen sheet it seems that the temperature has dropped by 4-5 °. Unlike cotton sets, which turn yellow over time, linen sets become whiter as they go on!
Doctors recommend sleeping on linen for people with problematic, sensitive skin, suffering from dermatological diseases, allergy sufferers and asthmatics. And not on colored sets, but on those made of unbleached (gray) flax. Sorted out the sun's rays on the beach, and now your whole body is on fire? Relax on a linen sheet and you will feel much better.
It is no secret that radioactive gas, radon, accumulates in houses, especially after the installation of sealed plastic windows. It is formed by the decay of uranium contained in soil and building materials. There are only two rescues from the ubiquitous gas: always keep the window window open in the bedroom and lay linen on the bed - it several times reduces the level of radiation and halves gamma radiation.
Linen outerwear protects the human body well from solar radiation; linen and linen-containing fabrics and products lend themselves well to washing in hot water, boiling, drying in the sun, ironing with a hot iron, which allows them to achieve maximum sterilization;
Why is flax famous in the ancient world?
The mummies of the pharaohs of Egypt were wrapped in linen bandages, which have survived to this day thanks not only to special balms, but also to the special properties of linen; linen bandages, in which the mummies were wrapped, retained their strength and elasticity through the millennia.
The shroud in which the body of Jesus was wrapped was linen.
Alexander the Great wore a protective linen carapace that protected him in battles.
In ancient times, flax was highly valued, the cost of a linen shirt was determined by weight: a product was placed on one side of the scales, and gold on the other.
When there was still no paper, many books were written on cloth. So, one of the famous books - "The Linen Book" of the ancient Etruscans was written on linen fabric in the 7th century. BC e.
The ancient historian Herodotus mentions a linen fabric donated to Athena of Rhodes, where each thread consisted of 360 finest threads. The flax culture flourished in Colchis, which paid tribute to the Turks with flax. There is a version that the campaign of the Argonauts from Hellas to Colchis for the "golden fleece" was in fact a campaign for the secret of obtaining the finest yarn from flax, which was sold literally worth its weight in gold.
Roman patricians, soldiers and sailors of the Peter's army wore linen clothes, spinning factories supplied the royal court of the Romanovs with linen.
Interestingly, in ancient Egypt and the ancient world, linen clothes were considered the privilege of the nobility, and in Russia, flax was considered the standard for the entire people. Eastern authors of antiquity, describing the Slavs as an indispensable attribute of clothing, indicate flax. Linen was also used to produce canvas, ropes and linseed oil.
Traditionally, fiber quality is determined by the length of the yarn obtained from 1 kg of yarn. Today, 40 kilometers of yarn are obtained from 1 kg of yarn. In Egypt, 240 kilometers were obtained from 1 kg of yarn, the thread was so thin. That is why the fabric obtained from Egyptian threads was precious and worth its weight in gold. Only royal persons and powerful priests could wear clothes made of such fabric, and then only during divine services in temples.
Special holidays were dedicated to the flax culture in Russia. The first was associated with sowing, it was celebrated on the last day of May, and it was called the "Seven Virgins". The people still say: they sow flax at seven Alen.
In Russia, newlyweds were laid on linen so that no ailment would become attached to them, newborns were taken into linen to keep them healthy, warriors were bandaged so that wounds would heal faster.
Ancient folk signs have survived to this day: if you put a flaxseed in your shoes, it will last longer, and if you sew a few flax seeds into your clothes, you can protect a person from damage and the evil eye.
In the days of our great-grandmothers, it was believed that you can save on clothes, and bed linen should be expensive and look royal. We spend a third of our lives in bed, and our well-being, health and even ... the number of children in the family depends on what we sleep on. Incredible, but true: the chances of conceiving a child on a linen sheet are higher than on fabric with a fair amount of synthetics!
How to care for linen fabrics:
White and natural (sour) linen fabrics can be washed at temperatures up to 90 degrees. They can withstand long-term washing well.
Dyed fabrics should be washed separately from whites. When washing, it is advisable to adhere to a uniform color scheme of the processed fabrics (only light or only dark, etc.)
- Wash gently in an aqueous solution of detergent intended for this type of fabric, without adding chlorine or bleaching agents
- Iron at a temperature not exceeding 200 degrees
- Dry flat.
Flax in the tradition of the Russian people
Linen thread in the East Slavic folk tradition was surrounded by reverent attitude, as a sacred, pure and mysterious material. Among the many rituals associated with the thread, GS Maslova notes the following, which was common in the Serdobsky district of the Saratov province: “when going to the groom with gifts, the bride's bridesmaids always attached a harsh thread made in a special way to them. The bride spun it secretly on the stove post (and in this case the stove post is an analogue of the spinning wheel. - S. Zh.), Rotating the spindle to the left - "on the wave", twisted it also "on the wave", tied six knots, again still "on the go": the first two - on the threshold of the hut, the other two - on the threshold of the entrance, the last - at the gate. She kept half of this thread for herself, and gave the other to the groom. This was done in order to allegedly "take away the power of the sorcerers" who do not know how and where this thread was made "[Maslova GS Folk clothes in East Slavic traditional customs and rituals of the 19th early 20th centuries - Moscow: Nauka, 1984 .FROM. 37-38].
With a harsh linen thread they remove all the "lessons and troubles" in conspiracies. “The spinner must burn and eat the thread of the first disciple” [Dal V. Proverbs of the Russian people. T. 2. - M .: Hood. Literature. 1984. S. 347].
During Christmas divination in some districts of the Vologda region, girls lowered two threads into a vessel with water and watched. If the threads connect, then the guy and the girl will get married, if they do not connect, then no.
In general, the Eastern Slavs attributed cleansing and averting evil powers to the fiber of flax, so the linen thread and fabric from it were considered ritually pure and were the guardians of the human body. A special relation to the flax flower, to the flax fiber, to the linen thread goes back millennia in the East Slavic tradition. Flax - one of the oldest Indo-European cultivated plants - has been widespread since ancient times in the north of Eastern Europe, where the most optimal conditions for its cultivation were: long daylight hours, no overheating from direct sunlight and an abundance of moisture in the soil. The term "flax" itself is known in the common Indo-European proto-language, which broke up into separate dialects not earlier than the 4th millennium BC. Only fiber flax (125 cm), cultivated in the northern regions, is used for fiber, since it germinates at + 3 ° - + 5 ° С, and temperatures of + 15 ° - + 18 ° С are optimal for it. In the south, only short-fiber curly flax grows for oil. LB Smirnov notes that in the epic of Ancient India Krishna's eyes are compared to the blue colors of flax, and although “at present, the dark color of the iris predominates among Indians (as well as among the Ukrainians), blue eyes are not so rare (for example, from R. Tagore). Emphasizing the color of the eyes of a national hero such as Krishna cannot be ignored, it is not accidental, but expresses a well-known ideal of the national type. From a historical point of view, this feature is important for determining the national origin of the cult of Krishna, and, consequently, for the question of the connection of the newcomers, carriers of the Vedic religion with blue-eyed peoples ”[Mahabharata. Book III. Forest. - Ashgabat. 1963, p. 566].
The fact that it is the blue flowers of flax (and not any other blue flower) that are used for comparison indicates that already in Vedic times (i.e., long before the 2nd millennium BC), flax played a significant role in the life of the ancient Aryans. ...
Seeds of cultivated flax were found together with the remains of tissue at the Modlon settlement (basin of Lake Vozhe, Vologda Region), dating back to the 3rd millennium BC, and wild flax was found in the Kaninskaya tundra, where no one has been farming for the last two thousand years. was engaged.
A special attitude towards flax, linen fabric was manifested in Russia at the end of the 19th century, and this is natural, since it was in Russia that it was grown by the beginning of the 20th century. up to 70% of the world's flax [Kryshtofovich O. Agriculture // IAOIRS. - 1911. - No. 4. S. 142]. In many regions, flax was sown in a new linen shirt. In the Moscow province "they sowed flax without trousers or even naked ..." In Olonets province, women, leaving to sow flax, put on a new linen shirt, but when sowing they took it off (and the men did ports) "so that the flax came out good."
Environmentally friendly materials. What is it and why is it important.
When choosing furniture or clothes for a baby or baby, you need to be sure that it does not cause allergies, that the child will be comfortable, that he will not breathe harmful substances. Many are talking about this now, but factual information, as always, is not enough.
For example, you know that chipboard is usually used in the production of cabinet furniture - an environmentally unsafe material containing resins that emit formaldehyde, which is harmful to humans? Moreover, in Russia, manufacturers quite often produce low-grade, cheap stoves, the release of formaldehyde from which significantly exceeds the MPC.
What kind of fabric is used in the production of upholstered furniture? What harm does the production of polyester and other synthetic materials do to the planet? Why children are getting sick more often - bad ecology, everyone will answer. And what should each of us do to improve it somehow?
So what are the options for eco-friendly textile materials?
What are the options?
Organic cotton. No pesticides or other chemicals are used for its cultivation, the production of such cotton is certified by OEKO-TEX, Organic Exchange or GOTS, confirming that no harmful chemicals and azo dyes are used here. Unlike ordinary cotton, in the production of which all these chemicals are actively used.
Organic cotton is very soft, breathable and easy to care for. But there is a significant but. Organic cotton is produced almost exclusively in Europe and is very expensive.
Polar fleece is a synthetic material made from cleanly washed beverage bottles. Its production is also not harmful to the environment, unlike conventional production. This will not work for a kid, overheating often occurs from synthetics and, as a result, sweating.
Remi is a material made from a plant native to western Asia. It is 5 times stronger than cotton, absorbs moisture very well and dries quickly.
Sasawashi is a material made from a mixture of Japanese paper and the Kumazasa plant. It resembles flax and has hypoallergenic and antibacterial properties.
Sicel - contains Lyocell (about him below). This cellulose, consisting of a natural polymer that preserves living plant cells in its structure, and fibers based on seaweed. Has antibacterial properties.
Silk - this material has long been known for its antibacterial properties and exceptional tenderness. In addition, now there are companies that organize their production in such a way as to collect cocoons from silkworms after they got out of there, instead of killing them, this is the so-called humane silk.
Soy - It turns out that soybeans can also be made into an ecological, lightweight and cashmere-like material.
Liosel is a wood pulp material. It is made only from trees grown without chemicals.
Bamboo. This material is made from a mass of bamboo grass. Bamboo grows one meter a day, so no pesticides or other chemicals are required to grow it.
Flax is still grown and produced "the old fashioned way", without pesticides and herbicides. Let's list the main advantages of flax:
Flax is good for human skin. In a person wearing linen clothes, many skin diseases go away - from elementary prickly heat to chronic eczema.
Linen fabric has antibacterial properties
Linen fabric eliminates unpleasant odors thanks to natural antibacterial and antifungal components and a decrease in moisture levels.
Linen fabric has anti-static properties. Linen fabrics are not charged and do not retain static electricity.
Linen products are less dirty and wash better. Linen fabrics are more resistant to mechanical stress and with each wash, linen fabric becomes only softer. Studies show that people who have used linen in their clothes and everyday life from the moment of birth live on average 10 years more.
Recent studies have found that linen fabric lowers radiation levels by several times, halves gamma radiation, and protects against a chemically aggressive environment.
It turned out that flax is able to partially extinguish electromagnetic waves penetrating our space, exhausted by all conceivable radiation from household and industrial appliances.
So, linen fabric is the only correct one in all respects, especially for children. By the way, since ancient times there is a tradition to take a newborn on linen - this is the guarantee of the future health of the baby.
We examined the main types of materials from which eco furniture can be made. These are solid wood (pine and beech are most suitable for children) and natural fabric materials (linen is most suitable for children).
If you have seen a field during flax flowering, most likely you have not forgotten this marvelous sight. Flax has unique properties that help humanity to turn to it for more than one millennium. And today, despite the tremendous development of the chemical industry for the production of various artificial fibers and synthetic materials, the cultivation of flax and the production of fabrics and threads from it has not decreased. Flax remains as popular as it was many thousands of years ago.
You can read about linen fabrics already in the Bible, and samples of these fabrics, which were used by people in the VIII-III centuries. BC e., were discovered in ancient excavations in Switzerland. This is confirmed by the museums that store ancient finds. Even ancient frescoes and drawings on Greek vases tell us about the methods of obtaining flax. It was spread, dried, then crushed, ruffled, scratched, and then spun. Ships sailed under linen sails, masterpieces of painting have come down to us on linen canvases. Linen fabrics have supplanted even clothing made of animal skins.
Linen gives people oil, clothes, threads from which the finest fabric is made, Brussels, Yelets, Vologda laces, bed linen, tablecloths, linen. All products made from it are distinguished by excellent hygienic qualities, strength, durability, and resistance to decay.
But still, it is believed that the production of linen fabrics was taken seriously in ancient India almost 9000 years ago. Since then, flax has been cultivated as a spinning crop. Then Assyria, Babylon, Egypt and other countries borrowed this business. Especially for the manufacture of linen fabrics, Egypt became famous, where they received the finest, almost transparent fabrics - through five layers of such fabric, the body shone through.
The quality of the linen fabric is determined by the length of the yarn obtained from 1 kg of yarn. For example, if 10 km of thread is obtained from 1 kg of yarn, then the number of such a thread is 10. Now imagine that the Egyptian weavers were spinning the thread with the number 240. How did the Egyptians manage it? The answer to this question is simple - mankind has lost the secret of making such threads. Such fabric was valued at the price of gold. Therefore, only royal persons and priests wore clothes of the finest linen. And they also made bandages from flax for swaddling the embalmed bodies of the dead.
Flax moved from Egypt to Greece, the ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote about it. He brought to us information that a cloth was brought as a gift to Athena of Rhodes, the thread of which consisted of 360 finest threads. Such fabric, valued for its weight in gold, was also produced in ancient Colchis, that is, they also knew about this secret. Historians suggest that the campaign of the Argonauts to Colchis for the "golden fleece" was connected precisely with the purpose of unraveling the secret of making the finest linen fabric. The secret has not reached us.
Linen clothes fell in love and, and from the Romans, the Gauls and Celts borrowed flax, in other words, the whole of Western Europe. In the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance, linen was the most common fabric. But gradually the ancient secrets of making fine fabrics were lost, and linen in some countries began to be used at a primitive level. One way or another, flax was used in Central Asia, Australia, and Eastern Europe.
Where did the flax culture come from to us in Russia? Historians suggest - from. In any case, before the formation of Kievan Rus, Slavic tribes had long been engaged in flax growing; in the Baltic states in pagan times there were patron gods of flax. Chronicler Nestor in "The Tale of Bygone Years" tells about how flax was cultivated, as well as about the production of linen fabrics and oil by the Caves monks.
In Russia, flax was treated with special respect, it was valued for its healing power, and clean, white linen clothes were a symbol of moral purity. In the XIII century, the flax trade occupied a prominent place in Russia, the center of commercial flax growing was in Pskov, Novgorod and Suzdal. Russian princes collected taxes with flax.
The processing of flax is a laborious process, and therefore, without mechanization, many countries ended this difficult business. The chemist Gay-Lussac and the mechanic F. Girard solved this problem - the mechanical method of processing flax was invented, but in France no one was interested in their business, but in Russia they continued to process flax, so the inventor F. Girard was forced to look for an application for his inventions precisely in Russia. At the suggestion of Alexander I, he founded the first linen mechanical factory here, later the famous Zyrardovskaya manufactory.
As a result, spinning productivity has tripled. Demand for Russian flax increased in Great Britain - in the second half of the 19th century, the share of Russian flax in this country was 70%. Linen soon became an important Russian export. Russia supplied flax not only to Great Britain, but also to many Western European countries.
The emergence of new fibers - synthetic, it would seem, endangered the production of linen fabrics, however, natural fabrics have survived, since, combining them with different fibers, more and more new fabrics were obtained. The production of linen fabrics is expanding thanks to the use of cottonin (modified flax fiber).
To obtain costume and dress fabrics, flax lavsan (50 - 60% lavsan fibers), flax capron, flax nitron fabrics are used. For example, linen lavsan fabrics have a woolly, beautiful appearance. With an increase in their composition of lavsan fibers by more than 50%, the fabrics do not wrinkle, as is the case with pure linen. They have good dimensional stability, fit well into folds, but their hygroscopicity compared to linen is lower and hygienic properties are also not the same as those of linen fabrics.
Linen-viscose fabrics are silky, very beautiful, drape well, but wrinkle, like linen.
Linen fabrics for shape-stable are produced with expressive relief surfaces, plastic ones - with a variety of weave patterns, which can be both openwork and imitating hemstitching, as well as with the effect of overhead stitches and with jacquard patterns.
There are fabrics with a melange effect, which are obtained through the use of a mixture of fibers that differently perceive dyes. Fabrics with a grainy effect are obtained from linen threads twisted with nylon threads, which, due to their elasticity, pull the linen threads together. Suits and women's summer coats are easy to sew from such fabrics.
And recently, interest in purely linen fabrics has grown for the reason that humanity has appreciated the environmental friendliness of flax in this world, where so much has been lost not only material, but also spiritual and moral.
The main stages of the production of linen fabric
First, flax is collected and flax straw is obtained. This is done by machines. Then it is soaked, for which the flax is spread in the fields for 2-3 weeks (the dew will soak). Finally, primary processing is carried out: drying, crushing, scuttling. This is followed by spinning production: yarn, which alternately includes carding, ribbon formation, and from the ribbon - roving (a thin twisted ribbon).
The next operation is finishing production: bleaching and coloring.
For the manufacture of linen: sheets, towels, light suit fabrics, combed linen is used. Thinner and better quality linen yarn is obtained from it. From the fleece (short fiber) and bast, a coarser yarn is obtained, from which coarse fabrics are made: sack fabrics, canvases and other fabrics.
Waste from linen production is also used - they are used as fuel, and not only as fuel, but also, they are used to make slabs for wall partitions, and also used in the production of flooring for parquet and furniture. So flax is used in many areas of production, and not a single part of it is lost.
But since we are more interested in linen fabrics, we will consider their main properties.
Wear resistance and strength.
Environmental friendliness.
Air permeability.
High thermal conductivity.
Minimum electrification.
The ability to remove heat and moisture. What do you think is best to wear in hot weather - synthetic or linen? Each of you has already guessed - of course from flax.
It is linen fabrics, by the way, one of the few that are made from absolutely natural raw materials. Linen fabrics are less dirty, so they can be washed less often, and this increases the life of the product. During wearing and washing, unlike cotton, linen does not turn yellow, but retains both whiteness and freshness.
And it would be good for all girls to know that linen clothes also prevent some diseases, because flax also has bacteriological properties, so no fungi or bacteria can get along on it. Linen fabric is considered a natural antiseptic, microbes and various infections on it die, wounds heal much faster under linen bandages. Namely, the silica contained in flax inhibits the development of bacteria. Now think about what kind of underwear is better to wear on yourself. Flax is also used in surgery when suturing, which the human body does not reject, but completely absorbs.
Linen fabric care
White and natural linen fabrics can be easily washed at 90 ° C, and not only, you can also boil them.
It is better to wash colored products at a temperature not higher than 40 ° C, because you do not know what dyes were used. It is better to wash such things in a gentle mode and with appropriate detergents, without using bleaching and chlorine-containing preparations, which can contribute to the rapid destruction of linen fibers.
The only drawback of linen fabric is that it crumples easily, so during drying, things should be straightened well, and it is better to dry it outdoors. Remove things from drying slightly damp, and start ironing. You need to iron through a damp thin cloth (gauze), only then your clothes will be perfect. If you are using a steam iron, the temperature should not exceed 200 ° C.
If you adhere to all the recommendations for the care of linen clothes, it will serve you for more than one year. By the way, gradually over time your linen clothes become softer, and you will notice that it becomes easier and easier to care for them.
Militta is sure that after reading about the merits of linen fabric, she convinced you of her choice for clothes in which you will be happy for a long time and feel great.
Flax is a cultivated plant (history, origin)
The ancient Arab scientist Ibn Faldan, traveling through the country of the Ross who inhabited the lands north of the Caspian Sea, was amazed by their snow-white clothes. The scientist knew perfectly well that they were sewn from linen fabrics - it was not a wonder for him. Another thing surprised me. Here they were all worn, and in Egypt, where Ibn Faldan was from, linen fabrics were so prized that only the high priests wore them, the pharaohs considered them the most exquisite clothes and even wrapped mummies in linen fabrics.
Flax in Russia began to be dealt with from the time of the invasion of the Scythians, who brought it here from Asia. Here, in Kazakhstan and the Pamirs, wild flax with excellent fiber quality is still found.
At the earliest time, the Slavs weaved sails from flax for their boats. Chronicles say that Prince Oleg, returning from a campaign to Constantinople, ordered to sew sails from silk, but the wind quickly tore them. And then the warriors set linen sails and safely passed the entire Black Sea. And the legendary Sadko sailed under them to the wonderland - India.
Of course, this son of Novgorod did not think that linen sails brought him to the homeland of flax, which the Russians from time immemorial considered their plant. Meanwhile, it was here, in the mountainous regions of India, about 4-5 thousand years ago, that the ancestors of the Indians were the first to grow blades of grass with bluish flowers and sewed clothes from linen fiber, removing animal skins from their shoulders.
Somewhat later, flax took a prominent place in the agriculture of ancient Egypt, where its importance was so great that the death of flax crops was equated with one of the "seven Egyptian executions".
At about the same time, flax appeared in our Colchis, began to be cultivated in Greece and Rome, was brought to the Gauls, and from them it was dispersed throughout Western Europe, including in Lithuania. Since then, Lithuanian legends have been told about the god Vaitgantas - the patron saint of flax, and the flax variety "Vaitgantas", named after the ancient god of the Lithuanians, has survived to this day.
In ancient times, flax passed all over the world, but nowhere has it taken root so widely as in our country, which owns 80 percent of the world's cultivated area.
Blue fields are widespread around the cities of Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Rostov, Uglich, Dmitrov. But the longest-staple, silky, fruitful flax was born among the Slavs-Krivichi in the Pskov lands. These lands are good for him. And the climate here is purely "flaxen": in summer it is humid, not hot, there are almost always clouds in the sky, and flax stalks stretch upward like slender blades.
But the labor of peasants-flax growers was hard in those distant times in Russia. In 1467, the Pskov veche, with a special document - a diploma - secured the linen obligation of the population. Eight years later, the peasants led by the mayor Afanasy Yuryevich, unable to withstand the oppression of the boyars, solemnly tore the letter and, as the chronicler wrote, "and all the peasants will be the joy of greatness. For eight years she was in lari, and there are many languor and losses for the peasants. the time was. " And after another two hundred years, the Pskov flax growers again rose up under the leadership of the peasant Timofey, nicknamed "Kodekusha the tremor", against the boyars and merchants who oppressed them.
By the middle of the 6th century, fine Russian flax had become world famous. The Persian writer Ed-Din wrote that linen clothes from the Russian land are known beyond Samarkand, in Northern India, in Calcutta and Delhi. Flax was eagerly bought by the Germans, British, Dutch and French. The Pskov flax and canvases of the Kadashevskaya Sloboda near Moscow were especially famous in the world market.
Linen is famous for a reason. It resists decay well, twice as strong as cotton and three times as wool.
Flax seed, which contains 35-40 percent fat, produces well-drying oils used in the production of drying oil, paints, varnishes, and soaps. From a by-product of flax processing - tow - ropes, twine, paper and thermal insulation materials are made.
The inhabitants of many countries used flax not only for fiber. Among the ancient peoples of Asia and the Greeks, bread made from toasted and ground flax seeds was highly valued and considered a delicacy. In Ethiopia, flax is still cultivated as a grain plant. Yes, and in Russia in lean years, flaxseed was used for food.
It is difficult to grow good flax. The work in the fields does not stop all summer. It is necessary to loosen the soil, apply fertilizers, fight pests and diseases. If you miss the time, flax is gone, about which the ancient Novgorodians used to say: "Flax blooms for two weeks, ripens for four weeks, and the seed flies in the seventh week." But today's flax growers have not lost the glory of their ancestors. If 50-60 years ago the peasants collected from their fields barely 1.5-2 centners of flax fiber per hectare, now you will not surprise anyone with a harvest of 4-5 centners. And the remarkable master D. M. Maksimov in the ancient Pskov land receives 10.5 centners of flax fiber per hectare and 6 centners of seeds. From this amount you can sew two thousand shirts, squeeze out two centners of oil, get four centners of good cattle feed, and make three centners of paper.
The summer ends and a new suffering begins. Flax needs to be soaked, crumpled and ruffled. In August, flax is spread in a thin layer on forest edges, meadows, glades with low, but dense grass. They are called stlisch. Here, in warm, humid weather with abundant dews, under the influence of the cladosporium fungus, pectin substances are destroyed, sticking bast bundles with stems. "Good dew is a fear for flax"; "Flax will be born twice: in the field and in the field," say wise proverbs.
Often flax is not spread, but wet. To do this, it is lowered into the backwaters of rivers with a quiet current, streams and lakes, where it lies for 10-12 days. Here pectin substances are destroyed not by the fungus, but by the Clostridium felsineus bacterium.
However, spreading and a lobe is not the end of the work. So far, the fungi and bacteria have released the bast tuft. "Prepared" the trust from straw. Now we need to isolate the silky fibers from the trusts. And in order to do this, the trust is crumpled with special machines, always remembering the proverb: "I think it is more - the fiber will share," and then they beat it on a flax machine.
Only then the fiber is easily separated from the stem and becomes elastic and silky, as it is appreciated in the industry.
Fairy tales, stories in pictures, riddles, songs, proverbs, calls about flax. Entertaining about the world around!
In this article you will find:
- Story for children in pictures about the cultivation and processing of flax.
- Video for babies "How the shirt has grown in the field."
- A video about Russian flax cultivation traditions.
- Fairy tale G.Kh. Andersen "Linen".
- Russian folk song about growing flax “We sowed, sowed flax”.
- Calls, riddles, sentences about flax.
- Presentation for classes with children "How the shirt grew in the field: growing flax".
Linen grown for over a thousand years. It takes an entire year for flax to turn into canvas, from harvest to sowing. Linen is used to make not only fabric, but also sacking, ropes, ropes, sails, fishing nets, and healthy linseed oil is made from seeds.
Flax is not easy to grow. There is even a proverb - "Len loves bowing."
Flax was considered a healing plant in Russia. It was flax that was laid for the newlyweds so that no illness would be terrible for them. It was in linen that newborns were taken. Wounds were bandaged with flax. Even now, there is a belief that if flax seeds are sewn into clothes, this will protect them from the evil eye.
What the clothes are made of: how the shirt grew in the field. Materials for lessons with children.
How is flax grown?
How the shirt grew in the field - video for kids.
What are the clothes made of? Ragged, crumpled, ragged (based on the story of A. Ivich). For children 6-10 years old.
1.What is the difference between linen and cotton?
Ask for a linen towel or a piece of canvas at home. Probably there will be. Pull it on and see through the matter. Almost nothing is visible: the fabric is dense, even, no gaps. And through the cotton fabric, which is made of cotton, you will see all the furniture in the room. There are gaps in the tissue: in some places it is denser, in some places less often.
You know what flax is: a plant, like cotton. It does not grow in the south, but in the north in a temperate climate. Linen is not as capricious as cotton. He doesn't need much sun. He can wait for the rain to fall — he doesn't need to supply water for his morning breakfast.
2.What is bast, or what are the fibers for linen threads made of?
We sowed flax, grew stems with panicles at the top. A thin flax stalk has the same structure as the trunk of a large tree: on top - bark, and under the bark - what? Lub!
Do you know what a bast is? This is the softest and most flexible part of the barrel. Their birch barks make baskets for mushrooms; before, bast shoes were woven from linden bark.
In the flax stem, the bast consists of strong, long and very fine fibers. Threads are spun from these fibers.
3. How are flax seeds harvested?
If you sow bread, everything is clear: the harvest must be removed when the grains, the seeds are ripe. And with flax, you can't wait until the seeds ripen - the fiber will become coarse and the threads from it will turn out to be bad.
But what about without seeds? After all, then next year there will be nothing to sow! And not only for sowing flaxseeds are needed - oil is squeezed out of them.
Here's what they came up with: they harvest flax before the seeds are ripe, and then leave the flax to lie in the field for two weeks. During this time, the seeds will ripen, and the fiber will not deteriorate.
4.How is flax fiber harvested? What machines help people in their work?
Rye and wheat are cut off. And the flax is pulled out of the ground by the roots so that the entire stem is preserved. It is called "Fiddle with flax". Pulling with your hands is a long and difficult job. Now we have machines - flax pickers. Interesting name, isn't it? Why are they called that? Because they help a person - they pull flax!
First, the teamed flax is laid in the field - on "Stlische" (from the word "lay", "lay"). The seeds are ripening. But not only for this they put linen on the table. The fact is that the bast fibers are very tightly glued together, and the entire bast is firmly glued to the wood, to the inside of the stem. Therefore, it is not at all easy to get stem fibers. While the flax lies in the field, tiny fungi grow in the stem, which destroy the glue. They soften it. But they cannot remove all the glue.
When the seeds are ripe flax is threshed - grains are knocked out of the panicles. And straw - flax stalks - dipped into the river or again put in the field, under the autumn rains.
Living things - bacteria - grow in wet stems. They are so tiny that they can only be seen under a microscope. These bacteria feed on the glue that holds the fibers together. While the flax gets wet, bacteria “eat” all the glue.
There has already been a lot of work with flax: they fiddled with it, piled it, threshed and soaked it. But that is not all!
Now flax need dry, and after drying, divide the bast into fibers.This is done in the car. It crumples flax. What do you think, what is it called? (Try with your child to come up with different options, praise him for word-creation, and then tell how people agreed to call this machine. It is called a “crush.” Why? Because it crumples flax). Linseed straw is passed between round shafts. The bast in the machine is separated from the bark and wood.
And then the bast is sent to another machine, which will ruffle the flax. Ask the child what this machine can be called. Yes, it's called a bobber! Very interesting and accurate name! Ruffling linen means knocking out the remnants of wood, glue from the bast and separating the bast into individual fibers. The work of a beater is like knocking dust out of clothes.
Now the ripped, soaked, dried, crumpled, ragged flax can be sent to the factory.
The factory will spinning flax fibersthat's why such a factory is called ... what do you think, how? Spinning mill, because they spin on it! At a spinning mill, thin flax fibers will be twisted into threads.
Then at a weaving factory from threads to weave fabric. Linen is not only used for clothing fabrics. Linen is very dense, so even sails are made from it!
And then at a sewing factory from fabric will sew beautiful clothes, bed linen, curtains, tablecloths, napkins.
And from short flax fibers, which were not useful for yarn, they will make tow. What is it for tow? They caulk her - plug the cracks.
From the remains of flax stalks, which is called "Bonfire" will make fuel and paper. By the way, the name of the month “October” in some languages \u200b\u200b(for example, Belarusian or Lithuanian) derives from the name “fire”, because October is the time of processing spinning plants. In the Belarusian language, this month is called "kastrychnik".
This is how long it takes linen from the field to the store where we buy beautiful linen items. Therefore, they say that the shirt has grown in the field!
In one of the schools in the Kargopol District of the Arkhangelsk Region, children and teachers have completely restored the entire flax growing cycle. You will learn about Russian traditions from this video - TV show "Craft". Be sure to watch her entry. At the end of the video you will see all the tools that were previously used to process flax, see how they work, how people used them.
Video: Growing and processing flax. Russian traditions.
Project in kindergarten "How the shirt grew in the field"
And in one of the kindergartens, the teacher with the children decided to learn from their own experience how flax grows and how a shirt is made from it. You can learn about their research project in this video. Unfortunately, the author of the video did not indicate either the number of the kindergarten, or the city, or the surname, name and patronymic of the teacher.
The whole process of growing flax is very well conveyed in the Russian folk round dance song “We have sowed, sowed flax”, which can be learned even with preschool children and which they sing with pleasure.
Songs, poems, riddles, chants and fairy tales about flax.
Russian folk song of the spring ritual cycle "And we sowed, sowed flax"
In a round dance, movements are depicted - sowing and processing of flax.
Initially, in the tradition, only girls performed it, boys did not participate.
- The girls stand in two lines and opposite each other and walk in rows.
- The first two lines of each verse show movements according to the words of the song (sowing, flying, tearing, etc.).
- On the words "they nailed them with chebots," they tap them with their feet and dance to the words "My white strand."
- On the words of the chorus "My flax, flax" one of the lines goes 4 steps forward to the other line,
- On the words "White linen" this line takes 4 steps back - returns to its place.
- On the words "To the right on the mountain", the other line takes 4 steps forward.
- On the words "Left on the steep", this line comes back.
- At the words "Green flax" everyone stands out of place and, as it were, points to the flax with their hands.
You will find an audio recording of this song in our Vkontakte group "Child development from birth to school" (see the section of the group "Community audio recordings").
Already we sowed, sowed flax,
and we, sowing, sentenced
they nailed the chebots:
You succeed, succeed, Lenok,
you succeed, my white kuzh (a) lok,
Chorus. My linen, linen, white linen,
On the right on the mountain, on the left on the steep, my green flax.
And we weeded, weeded flax,
We weeded, we said
they nailed the chebots:
You succeed, succeed, Lenok,
The chorus is repeated.
So we tore, tore flax,
and we tore, sentenced,
they nailed the chebots:
You succeed, succeed, Lenok,
you succeed, my white strap,The chorus is repeated.
And we laid, laid linen,
and we laid down, sentenced,
they nailed the chebots:
You succeed, succeed, Lenok,
you succeed, my white strap,The chorus is repeated.
And we soaked, soaked the flax,
and we soaked, sentenced,
they nailed the chebots:
You succeed, succeed, Lenok,
you succeed, my white strap,The chorus is repeated.
We dried, we dried flax,
and we dried, sentenced,
they nailed the chebots:
You succeed, succeed, Lenok,
you succeed, my white strap,The chorus is repeated.
And we crumpled, crumpled flax,
and we crumpled, sentenced,
they nailed the chebots:
You succeed, succeed, Lenok,
you succeed, my white strap,The chorus is repeated: "My flax, flax", etc.
And we ruffled, ruffled flax,
and we ruffled, sentenced,
they nailed the chebots:
You succeed, succeed, Lenok,
you succeed, my white strap,Chorus.
And we scratched, scratched flax,
and we scratched, sentenced,
they nailed the chebots:
You succeed, succeed, Lenok,
you succeed, my white strap,Chorus.
And we spun, spun flax,
and we spun, sentenced,
they nailed the chebots:
You succeed, succeed, Lenok,
you succeed, my white strap,Chorus.
And we weaved, weaved linen,
and we weaved, sentenced,
they nailed the chebots:
You are worn, worn, lenok,
you are worn, my white strap,The chorus is repeated.
And we sewed, we sewed lenok.
And we sewed, sentenced,
They nailed the chebots.
That's a success, a success, Lenok!
Here is my white strap.Chorus.
KD Ushinsky "How the shirt grew in the field" (text from the book "Native Word")
Tanya saw how her father scattered small shiny grains across the field in handfuls, and asked: "What are you, daddy, doing?" - "And here I am sowing lenok, daughter: the shirt will grow for you and Vasyutka."
Tanya thought: she had never seen shirts grow in the field.
Two weeks later, a strip of green silky grass was covered, and Tanya thought: "It would be good if I had such a shirt!" Once or twice Tanya's mother and sisters came to weed a strip and each time they said to the girl: "You will have a nice shirt!"A few more weeks passed: the grass on the strip rose, and blue flowers appeared on it. "Brother Vasya has such eyes, - thought Tanya, - but I have never seen such shirts on anyone."
When the flowers fell off, green heads appeared in their place. When the heads became brown and dry, Tanya's mother and sisters pulled out all the flax by the roots, imposed sheaves and put them on the field to dry out.
When the flax dried out, they began to cut off its heads; and then they sunk the headless bundles in the river and piled them with a stone on top so that they would not float up.
Tanya watched sadly as her shirt was drowned; and the sisters here again told her: "Nice you, Tanya, will have a shirt!"About two weeks later, they took out the flax from the river, dried it and began to beat it first with a board on the threshing floor, then ruffled it in the yard, so that a boon flew from the poor flax in all directions.
Having frayed, they began to scratch the flax with an iron comb until it became soft and silky. "You will have a nice shirt!" - Tanya's sisters again said. But Tanya thought: “Where is the shirt? It looks like Vasya's hair, not a shirt. "
Long winter evenings came. Tanya's sisters put linen on the combs and began to spin threads from it. “These are threads! - thinks Tanya. - And where is the shirt? "
Winter, spring and summer have passed, autumn has come. My father installed a cross in the hut, pulled the warp over them and began to weave. The shuttle ran nimbly between the threads, and then Tanya herself saw the canvas emerge from the threads.When the canvas was ready, they began to freeze it in the cold, spread it over the snow; and in the spring they spread it on the grass in the sun and sprinkled it with water. The canvas has turned from gray to white like boiling water.
Winter has come again. Mother cut shirts from canvas; the sisters began to sew shirts and for Christmas they put on Tanya and Vasya new shirts, white as snow.
Linen. The tale of G. H. Andersen
Flax bloomed with wonderful blue flowers, soft and tender, like the wings of moths, even more tender! The sun caressed him, the rain watered him, and it was just as useful and pleasant for flax as for small children, when a mother first washed them and then kissed them, the children prettier from this, and flax became prettier.
- Everyone says that I was ugly! - said flax. - They say that I will still stretch, and then a great piece of canvas will come out of me! Oh, how happy I am! Indeed, I am the happiest of all! It's so nice that I will be useful for something! The sun cheers and revives me, the rain nourishes and refreshes! Oh, I'm so happy, so happy! I am the happiest of all!
- Yes Yes Yes! - said the stakes of the fence, - You still do not know the world, but we know so - see how knotty we are! And they creaked plaintively:
You won't have time to look back
How the song is over!- It's not the end! - said flax. - And tomorrow the sun will be warming again, it will rain again! I feel like I'm growing and blooming! I am happier than anyone in the world!
But once people came, grabbed the flax by the top of the head and pulled it out by the roots. It hurt! Then they put him in water, as if they were going to drown him, and after that they held him over the fire, as if they wanted to fry him. What a horror!
- We do not live forever for our pleasure! - said flax. - We have to be patient. But you'll get smarter!
But flax was doing very badly. Something they did not do with him: they crumpled, and squeezed, and ruffled, and scratched - but you just can't remember everything! Finally, he found himself on a spinning wheel. Lzhzh! At this point, against my will, all my thoughts went wild!
“I've been incredibly happy for so long! - he thought during these torments. - Well, we must be grateful for the good that fell to our lot! Yes, we must, we must! .. 0x! "
And he repeated the same thing, even when he got on the loom. But finally a large piece of magnificent canvas came out of it. All the flax, down to the last stalk, went to this piece.
- But this is incomparable! I never thought, I never wondered! How lucky I am, however! And the stakes kept repeating: "You won't have time to look around, the song is over!" They understood a lot, there is nothing to say! The song is not the end! It is only now beginning. Here is happiness! Yes, if I had to suffer a little, but now something came out of me. No, I'm happier than anyone in the world! How strong, soft, white and long I am now! This is probably better than just growing or even blooming in the field! Nobody looked after me there, I could only see the water in the rain, and now a servant was assigned to me, every morning they turn me on the other side, every evening they pour it from a watering can! The pastor herself kept a speech over me and said that there was no better piece in the whole neighborhood! Well, can you be happier than me!
The canvas was taken into the house, and it fell under the scissors. Well. he got it! They cut him, and cut him, and pricked him with needles - yes, yes! This is not to say that it was pleasant! But twelve pairs came out of the canvas ... of such toilet accessories that are not customarily named in society, but which everyone needs. As many as twelve pairs!
- So that's when something came out of me! That was my purpose! Why, it's just grace! Now I also bring benefit to the world, and this is the whole point, this is the whole joy of life! We are twelve couples, but still we are one, we are a dozen! That's so happiness!
Years passed and the linen was worn out.
- Everything in the world comes to an end! It said. - I would be glad to serve again, but the impossible is impossible!
And then the linen was torn into rags. They already thought that they were completely finished, so they began to chop, crumple, cook, squeeze ... But, lo and behold - they turned into thin white paper!
- No, here's a surprise so surprise! - said the paper. - Now I am thinner than before, and you can write on me. What will they not write on me! What happiness!
And the most wonderful stories were written on it. Listening to them, people became kinder and smarter - they were written so well and cleverly. What a blessing that people were able to read them!
- Well, I never dreamed of that even in a dream, when I bloomed with blue flowers in the field! Said the paper. - And could I at that time think that it will be my lot, happiness to bring people joy and knowledge! I still can't come to my senses with happiness! I don't believe myself! But this is so! God knows that I myself have nothing to do with it, I tried only to the extent of my weak forces, not for nothing to take a place! And so he leads me from one joy and honor to another! Every time I think: “Well, this is the end of the song,” this is where a new, even higher, better life begins for me! Now I think to go on a journey, to go around the whole world so that all people can read what is written on me! This is how it should be! Before I had blue flowers, now every flower bloomed with the most beautiful thought! There is no one in the world happier than me!
But the paper did not go on a journey, but ended up in a printing house, and everything that was written on it was reprinted into a book, and not one, but hundreds, thousands of books. They could benefit and please an infinitely more people than the one paper on which the stories were written: running around the world, it would have frayed halfway.
“Yes, of course, that will be more correct! - thought the scribbled paper. - It never entered my head! I will stay at home to rest, and they will respect me like an old grandmother! After all, everything is written on me, the words flowed from the pen straight to me! I will stay, and the books will run around the world! This is the case! No, how happy I am, how happy I am! ”
Then all the individual sheets of paper were collected, tied together and put on the shelf.
- Well, you can now rest on your laurels! - said the paper. - It does not interfere, too, collecting thoughts and focus! Now only I understood properly what is in me! And knowing yourself is a big step forward. But what will happen to me then? One thing I know is that I will certainly move forward! Everything in the world is constantly moving forward towards perfection.
One fine day the paper was taken and put into the stove; They decided to burn it, since it could not be sold to a small shop for a wrapper for butter and sugar.
Children surrounded the slab; they wanted to see how the paper flared up and how then playful, shiny sparks would start to run across the ash and go out one after another! Just like the kids are running home from school! After all, the teacher comes out - this is the last spark. But sometimes they think that he has already come out - but no! It comes out long after the very last student!
And now the fire engulfed the paper. How she flared up!
- Phew! - she said and at the same moment turned into a column of flame, which soared into the air high, high, flax could never raise its blue flower heads so high, and the flame shone with such a dazzling brilliance that a white canvas never shone. The letters written on paper blushed in an instant, and all words and thoughts turned into a flame!
- Now I will fly straight to the sun! - said the flame, as if in thousands of voices at once, and soared into the pipe. And in the air, tiny invisible creatures fluttered, lighter, of the air flame from which they were born. There were as many of them as there were once flowers on flax. When the flame was extinguished, they once again danced over the black ash, leaving on it shiny traces in the form of golden sparks. The children ran out of the school, followed by the teacher; it was nice to look at them! And the children sang over the dead ash:
You won't have time to look back
How the song is over!But invisible tiny creatures said:
- The song never ends - that's the most wonderful thing! We know this, and therefore we are the happiest of all!
But the children did not hear a single word, and if they did, they would not understand. And don't! Children do not know everything!
Proverbs about flax
Ask the children why they say so about flax?
- Len loves to bow.
- Flax loves handles.
- Sow flax - reap gold.
- Flax will succeed - so silk. But flax fails - so teeth snap.
- The longer the flax (i.e. longer), the greater the income.
- A lot of flax - bins' money.
- Whoever is dressed in linen will live to be a hundred years old.
- Flax will exhaust - flax and gilded.
- Think flax, fiber will be more.
Riddles about flax
Why is it said about flax in the riddle: how did he “go into the damp earth”? What “blue hat did he find”?
- Small babies, I went into the ground in the cheese, found a blue hat.
- They beat me, beat me, promoted me to all ranks, and made me sit on the throne with the king.
Sentences and exclamations about flax
- Laying out flax on the field, they said: "Lie down, flax is white as snow, soft as silk."
- In gloomy rainy weather they said:
Khmarina - gloom,
Not beyo flax yes yar.
Hit harder -
Reed and burr!
- Walking next to the field where flax was sown, the children said - they wished:
Be ugly, white lenok,
Slim, long and high!
Up - heady,
Down - rooted
With a blue flower
With a golden root!
After introducing the children to how “the shirt grew in the field”, show your child the beautiful linen clothes that you or your grandmother have at home, in the store. Remember, together with the children, what a long way linen has gone from a seed to a sewn linen tablecloth or linen towel.
That is why you need to be very careful about things, because the work of a large number of people has been invested in their creation. And without this work we would not have such beautiful and useful things!
I hope that the materials in this article will help you in your studies with children at home, in kindergarten, in the children's center, at school.
Presentation "How the shirt grew in the field: growing flax"
A presentation with all the pictures of the article, available for editing and convenient for classes with children, can be downloaded:
- here at this link,
- in our Vkontakte group "Child development from birth to school" (see the section of the group "Documents" under the group videos).
In it you will find high quality pictures from this article for viewing with children and other useful materials.
A fairy tale for younger preschoolers about flax "How Krotik got his pants" (dubbed filmstrip)
Many other useful and interesting materials for classes with children to familiarize themselves with the outside world You will find in the heading
Russian traditions, songs, lullabies, pestushki, folk games for children You will find in the heading
Until next time on the site "Native Path"!