Protective dolls played an important role in the life of the ancient Slavs. They helped to achieve various benefits - understanding in the family, wealth or prosperity in its broadest sense, and also protected. The most common type of such amulet were dolls made of fabric.

Today we will talk about one of them - Pelenashka. The Pelenashka doll was made for newborns to scare away evil and unkind people from them. This article will tell you how mothers protected their children with these dolls, using special rules for the creation and use of talismans.

The Pelenashka amulet arose thanks to the beliefs and traditions of the ancient Slavs. They believed that throughout life every person is subject to the influence of evil spirits. To protect themselves and loved ones from troubles - diseases and failures, our ancestors turned to the light gods for help and created special amulets with.

One of these was Pelenashka. It was a fabric talisman, and it was made for a child, because children are the most defenseless against dark forces. Men were not allowed to participate in this activity - the pregnant woman herself or her mother did the dolling. According to tradition, Pelenashka was supposed to be born exactly one month before the baby was born. The doll was placed in a cradle, where she waited for the baby to appear. This amulet helped to fool the evil spirits, pretending to be a child and taking upon himself all the dashing things that were intended for him.

The diaper protects children, because they are the most vulnerable to evil.

Several ancient traditions are associated with this children's talisman:

1. In some cases, the Diaper was given long before labor began. Such a gift was presented to a young bride who had moved into her husband's house and placed on her lap. They did this so that the girl would feel maternal strength, soon delighting her relatives with the news of a new addition to the family.
2. There is another ritual associated with this doll. The man in labor dressed in women's clothes, taking the Pelenashka with him, and imitated the process of childbirth. The purpose of this action was similar - the performance helped to deceive Navi’s creatures, preventing them from getting to the mother and child and harming them.

The meaning of the amulet doll Pelenashka

Outwardly, Pelenashka looked like an ordinary children's doll, but in fact she became not just the first toy, but also the first protector after her mother. No matter how hard the mother tries, she, busy with everyday worries, will not always be able to make sure that everything is in order with the child.

Therefore, the Slavs made a special motanka to protect babies. The diaper performed one single task, but a very important one, because the Slavs respected the tradition of procreation. They valued family.

Lyalka helped to ward off any negativity from the kids: the evil eye, unkind words, the machinations of dark entities. All this bypassed the owner of such a doll without touching him.

This amulet for a child has one feature - it does not reflect negativity from the owner, but takes it upon himself. For this reason, the doll needs to be replaced with a new one from time to time. Having collected a lot of nasty things, she will no longer be able to ward off the evil eye and damage as well as before.

How to use a doll amulet for a child

According to the rules, the Pelenashka amulet, made by the mother with her own hands, must accompany the child everywhere. Being in close proximity to the child, he will be able to protect him from morning to evening, wherever he is.

The diaper should accompany the baby absolutely everywhere.

When your baby is at home, you can hang him over the cradle or by the bed. It is better not to give the doll directly into your hands, because while playing with it, the child can pull the doll into his mouth and choke.

When you go out for a walk, don’t forget to take your Pelenashka with you. Our ancestors believed that young children are most susceptible to negative energy attacks. This way you can divert attention from the child, directing the gaze of neighbors and passers-by to the doll.

Rules for creating a do-it-yourself diaper doll

Each reel is known for its own characteristics. This is not only the appearance of the doll, something that distinguishes it from others, but also special manufacturing rules, as well as its capabilities.

These are not just rules invented out of nothing to do, but ancient traditions that came to us from the past. Some simply do not think about their existence, while others know but neglect them. Such a frivolous attitude will have to be put aside when creating a talisman, otherwise it will not be able to acquire real magical power.

When making a doll, ancient rules and traditions must be observed.

How to make a Diaper correctly:

• For the doll, you need to take not new, but already used fabric. The one that served as clothing for the mother and father of the child. The Slavs believed that in this way they conveyed the strength of the parents to the doll, and therefore to the child himself. A rag amulet became a powerful protection for children.
• The traditional way of depicting a baby in the form of a doll included not only the torso with the head, but also the navel. The latter was usually “showed” with a thread, tying a knot in the front of the doll. Three vital forces were hidden in these elements - body, spirit and soul. The thread used was red wool.
• When creating the Pelenashka, another sacred number is involved - seven. The fabric representing the baby's body must be folded exactly seven times.

These are the basic rules that apply to the Diaper rag doll. But do not forget about the general recommendations that are useful when creating any amulet: you need to do it on a waxing moon, in pleasant weather, when you are feeling well.

Master class on making a Pelenashka doll

Making a Pelenashka doll is possible not only for skilled craftswomen, but also for beginners in needlework, because this is one of the simplest Slavic reels.

But don’t think that the amulet can be done in a hurry, literally on your knees. Take this matter seriously: select nice materials, fully concentrate on the work, putting aside all worries and any rush. This will charge the doll positively, saturate it with your energy and prepare it for use.

The materials for making the Diaper doll must be natural.

Materials for the doll:

• a piece of white fabric 30x30 cm;
• fabric of any color - also 30x20 cm;
• a bright piece of cloth for a scarf – 10x10 cm;
• a piece of fabric for a diaper – 25x25 cm;
• red thread;
• bright lace for tying;

With everything laid out on the table, take a few minutes to create a work environment. Close the door to your room if you are not alone in the house, turn off the music and put your phone on silent mode. Now you can get started!

Step-by-step master class on making reel:

As you can see, making a Diaper is really simple. But behind the external simplicity lies an ancient tradition and great power that can protect the baby from anything bad.

We create a doll-amulet for a child “Kaluga Baby”

The above method of making reels is considered classic. But this is not the only technique that helps create a talisman for kids. There is another option. It is called “Kaluga Baby”. It differs not only in the way of swaddling, but also in its disproportionately large head.

How to make such a talisman:

There is another way of swaddling, a little different from the previous one. The difference is that here you need to put an additional piece of material on the upper corner of the blanket, and then wrap it around the doll’s head, like a cap.

Hello to all needlewomen!

Remember the TV show “While Everyone is Home”? There is a phrase: “You will have a child!”

So, if your family is expecting a new addition, you should look for everything necessary for the baby in advance, so that later you can slowly buy all the best.

In ancient Slavic villages, the whole family prepared for the birth of a child.

The eldest of the family, the grandmother, made a talisman for the newborn, the so-called “Pelenashka” twist - a baby in a diaper without the designation of eyes. The “diaper” was placed in the cradle along with the baby. It was believed that the amulet would protect the baby from the evil eye, since his eyes were not marked, and therefore the evil spirit would not be able to settle in the “twist”.

When the baby turned 2-3 years old, a new amulet “Bereginya” was made for him. This is a rag doll and also without the marking of the eyes.

The amulets made from multi-colored shreds of the doll without using a needle or marking eyes turned out to be very elegant. Therefore, the ancient Slavs considered them not only as amulets, but also used them as a baby’s first toy.

Currently, in the Russian outback they are still making amulets for children. Only some craftswomen still pin a pin inside the doll. Just to be sure!

How to make a amulet doll Pelenashka

A diaper doll is the very first amulet in a person’s life. The diaper even protects the conception of a child. When a young couple gets married, the midwife or another adult woman places a swaddling doll on the young wife’s lap in order to deceive the evil forces. He sees evil - people are getting married, want to have a child, and begins to wait. And then suddenly a young “baby” appears on her lap, so they move into him instead of the real one.

And before giving birth, such a doll is placed in the crib so that it warms the bed for the baby. After the birth of a baby, this doll becomes both the first amulet in life and the first toy. I advise you to definitely make such a doll if you want to have a child, and also if you are going to become a mother-in-law or mother-in-law in order to protect your future grandchildren from evil.

Attention! Before making a doll, read carefullygeneral recommendations , as well as recommendations for manufacturingVepsian pupa .

To make a diaper you will need:

1) A piece of white fabric approximately 8x18 cm in size

2) A triangle of colored fabric for a scarf

3) A beautiful ribbon or braid to decorate the child’s face (optional)

4) Colored bright fabric measuring approximately 10x15 cm

5) Narrow braid or yarn for tying a diaper

6) Red thread

rice. 1 pic. 2

Before making this doll, clear your thoughts. Imagine a healthy, beautiful, smart child. Fill yourself with good thoughts and feelings, then get to work. Take a white cloth (Fig. 1) and roll it into a tube (Fig. 2).

rice. 3 fig. 4

Tie the roll in the middle, forming the waist, and also in the middle of the upper part, forming the head (Fig. 3). Throw a beautiful braid or ribbon over your head and wrap it back behind your head (Fig. 4).

rice. 5 fig. 6

Prepare a beautiful piece for the scarf (Fig. 5). Put on the scarf like a woman, overlapping under the neck, and wrap it behind your back, carefully, without pressing, tie the ends (Fig. 6).

rice. 7 fig. 8

Prepare a colored cloth and place the doll on it so that the head protrudes slightly above the middle of the long side (Fig. 7). Wrap the right end of the fabric around the pupa (Fig. 8).

rice. 9 fig. 10

Fold the lower end of the fabric hanging under the pupa upward (Fig. 9). Now wrap the doll with the left end of the diaper, you will get a package (Fig. 10).

rice. 11 fig. 12

Secure the bundle with red thread in the middle and prepare thin braid or wide yarn (Fig. 11). Wrap the diaper with braid along the entire height of the diaper, tie it carefully, and hide the ends under the wrapping. The doll is ready. Don’t forget to think good thoughts about your future child all the time. Be happy!

During the wedding, after the bride moved to the groom's house, a small child was placed on her lap or a swaddled doll was placed - it was believed that after this maternal strength came to the young wife.

The swaddled doll was placed in the baby’s cradle, where it was before baptism, in order to confuse evil spirits and take upon themselves all the misfortunes that threatened the baby unprotected by the cross. After baptism, the doll was removed from the cradle and stored along with the baptismal shirt.

For newborns, the mother made a “baby diaper” doll. The doll was sewn immediately before the birth of the child, with prayer, with thoughts about the future child; the fabrics used for making were original - from a sundress, from a shirt from a father, grandfather, etc. - all this preserved ancestral and genetic memory. The doll was placed in the palm and, clenching his fists, the baby himself massaged the entire inner surface of the palm. Nowadays, many children are born with various birth injuries, and osteopaths prescribe a similar massager, but it is made of synthetic material and is not made by the hands of a loving mother. A simple doll - a baby - is quite complicated to make and, accordingly, carries a lot of important and necessary information.

At the birth of a child also in the maternity ritual, a “swaddle” doll was used. The lower part of her figure was wrapped in cloth seven or ten times (a symbol of the oldest model of heaven). Immediately after birth, the baby was hidden in a stable or closet. At this time, a “diaper doll” was brought to the husband lying on the bed in a woman’s dress and moaning, depicting his wife giving birth. It was believed that this ritual diverted danger from mother and child.

The diaper was also an invariable doll for the child in games.

Based on the rules for making the Diaper, they reproduced the main signs of human resemblance: the body, head and center of vitality - the navel. The doll was made from a piece of worn homespun clothing, which had absorbed the warmth of the hands that made it and was soaked with labor sweat. It was believed that a piece of vitality was transferred to the doll with native, homemade material. When made, the doll in the hands of a person seemed to repeat the sacrament of birth. A tight knot tied in the middle of the roll symbolized the navel (the knot is located in the front of the doll!). The remaining ends of the cord were bitten off in the same way as the umbilical cord at the birth of a child. The second significant detail is the head. To designate it, the ray was tied with threads, highlighting a third of the length from one end of the ray - from this point on, the proportions of the doll were commensurate with the proportions of the baby.

To confuse the evil spirits, a swaddled doll was placed in the baby’s cradle, where it remained until the child’s baptism, in order to take upon itself all the misfortunes that threatened the child not protected by the cross. Only after baptism, which confirmed the baby’s human status, was the doll removed from the cradle. The doll was kept in the house along with the child’s baptismal shirt.

This doll reproduced the peculiarities of the worldview of Russian peasants. It was believed that restricting movement would make the child invisible to evil spirits, so the baby spent almost the entire first year of his life tightly swaddled in the cradle.

The rules for making the Pelenashka doll are based on the traditional peasant understanding of the universe. In it, using the simplest manufacturing techniques, they reproduced the main signs of a human likeness: the body, head and center of vital force, which, according to popular belief, is located in the navel area.

The doll was made from a piece of worn homespun clothing, which had absorbed the warmth of the hands that made it and was soaked with labor sweat. It was believed that a piece of vitality was transferred to the doll through native, homemade material. When made, the doll in the hands of a person seemed to repeat the sacrament of birth.

The diaper or baby doll has a talismanic design. The doll is placed in the child’s hand as a natural massager, and when guests arrive, it is inserted into the folds of the child’s handkerchief and then the guests, so as not to “jinx” the child, say about the doll: “Oh, how good the doll is!”

The Diaper doll is a very simple doll in appearance - a baby in a scarf, swaddled in a diaper and wrapped in a swaddling blanket.

The first time I saw this doll was probably at the Museum of Ethnography. There we have such a workshop of folk crafts “Paraskeva”. Here they have it at their stand. And I learned how to do it from the book “Russian Rituals and Traditions. Folk doll” by Kotova I. N. and Kotova A. S. St. Petersburg. Ed. “Parity” 2003 Like many other dolls. That’s why I miss the images that are transmitted directly by knowledgeable people.

It was placed in the cradle of a child before his baptism, as a talisman against evil spirits. And I don’t know who these evil spirits are. But it seems to me that these are spirits that are stuck here for revenge or other unfulfilled tasks. Those who move into someone else's body. But all this needs to be studied and researched.

It could have been a talisman during childbirth. It was placed on the moaning husband of the woman in labor in place of the baby, again to avert the eyes of evil spirits. And one more application - they placed it on the newlywed’s lap so that maternal strength would come to the woman. I don’t know anything about maternal strength either.

The diaper is simple to make. It is made from a long piece of white, worn fabric. The flap is so long and different. It's like this word. And the worn fabric is thin, so it takes quite a long time to roll up. It was believed that worn fabric carried a piece of vitality.

The fabric is tightly rolled into a roll and tied in the middle with a specially made belt. And the belt is simply twisted from two threads. Someone told me that the Old Believers wore such belts on their bodies all their lives. And now we saw our guys in the bathhouse. But that man said that he only wears it in the bathhouse against the evil eye. A knot is tied, symbolizing the navel - the center of vitality. The ends of the belt are bitten off, just like the baby’s umbilical cord.

Then they designate the head. To do this, tighten the roll with threads, highlighting a third of the length. They tie a scarf, swaddle it tightly in a diaper and wrap it with a swaddling blanket. The doll is ready.

It is amazing how much skill is transferred in the making of this simple doll! I can almost see my grandmother saying as she makes a doll: “Let’s just bite off the umbilical cord, but wait until it stops beating. Then we'll call it a day. And then the tips will dry out. Let's swaddle. Like this. Yes so. Well, that's good. And okay." And now if they find childbirth in an inopportune place, the woman in labor will not be confused, and the knowledge gained in childhood will come to light.

The manufacturing process itself symbolizes the separation of man from the natural world. It was a shapeless rag, but became a doll. The condition that occurs during rolling is also interesting. It is close to the state of contemplation. The state of contemplation, as I think, is such calm attention, as if without thoughts, and is thought there in images. Or thoughts there flow smoothly and flow out one after another. And somehow it’s good to solve problems in it. The hands do it themselves. And I somehow expand and just look. If it does not occur, twisting does not work. It either crooks or falls apart.

I think that when making twisted belts, children gain the experience of a state of contemplation, which is necessary when creating something new. And by what difficulties a child encounters when making a doll, and how he overcomes them, one can judge his character.

The very method of rolling also conveys the long labor of bearing a child. And also the method of winding the body of the diaper, as well as the dolls with twists and columns, conveys the image of the layered structure of the subtle bodies of a person, the image of gradual incarnation. The layers of personality also respond here. But all this requires more detailed study. So a simple doll turns out to be not so simple.

Information from Vejena:

About babies - the designs are different for everyone, the Kaluga one has a disproportionately large head. Kaluga and Tula (diaper) are spun BEFORE childbirth, even for a woman who is not yet pregnant (for example, a newlywed) to invite the soul of the baby. Kaluzhsky was made about two weeks before the birth, it was a talisman for the cradle and then hid in the chest until the next baby. The Vyatka baby, and not one, but seven at once, spun during labor between contractions, as a talisman for the passage of the walking soul through the Gate between worlds. If the woman in labor did not have time or could not do it herself, relatives helped.

The designs of diapers (which are before childbirth) are fundamentally different from each other in that Tula - twist, and Kaluga - knotted doll. The Vyatka Baby (also a twist) generally has the entire amulet enclosed in a structure - inside, under the diapers, everything is protected with red crosses and there is an amulet for the spine.

The diaper, like most folk rag dolls, is not only and not so much a toy. This is, first of all, a protective amulet. It was done by pregnant women according to strictly defined rules. Before rolling up the body-tube, the fabric was folded and unrolled six times with prayer, and only on the seventh was it finally rolled up and tied with thread. But even here everything is not easy. The thread had to be held in the right hand, and the twisted tube in the left hand. While winding the thread, the expectant mother whispered wishes for her baby: to be healthy, rich, smart, brave...

Seven of these dolls were supposed to be made. They were placed in the newborn's cradle, tied to the handle or on clothes. In terms of its “magical” purpose, the rag doll-diaper is close to another folk one.

And if you do without rituals and conspiracies, then such dolls became toys for girls. Despite all its apparent simplicity, making a diaper doll for a child is not so easy. If you are going to make folk rag dolls with a 4-6 year old child, then a diaper is not the simplest model. It's better to start with . In our opinion, it is one of the most accessible options for children.

How to make a diaper doll with your own hands.

The fabric sizes we used are shown in brackets, but you can use any other sizes.

Option 1 Classic version of the diaper

1. Making the body of the diaper. Take a rectangular piece of white fabric (fold 20x14 cm along the long side) and roll it into a tube.

We tie it with red thread (for example: floss in 6 folds) in the middle of the roll, the knot in the front is the baby’s umbilical cord.

Select the head of the diaper and tie it with thread at a height of 1/3 of the roll.

2. We tie a scarf on the head of the diaper (a right triangle with 10 cm legs)

3. Wrap the baby tightly in a diaper (10x7cm)

4. Place the baby on a blanket (12x12cm) and wrap it in any way. We tie the blanket with a swaddling stitch (6 folds of floss thread).

Option 2 Kaluga baby

1. Making the baby’s head. Place a rag or padding polyester on a square of white fabric (14x14 cm) in the center. We fold the fabric and tie it with a thread under the head. The Kaluga baby is traditionally made with a large head.

2. We make the body of the diaper. We wrap the workpiece with a rectangular piece of fabric (7x8cm) and tie it with thread in the middle of the roll, with a knot in front.

3. We tie a scarf on the head of the diaper. We take the ends of the scarf to the back and secure it with thread, making a knot in the front.

Natalia Pustacheva

I offer it for your viewing Master Class"Baby doll(baby) ".

Pelenashka (baby) - Slavic doll,Which was made for baby. Diaper (baby) always done without a face. It was believed that it protected the newborn from the evil eye.

Pelenashka, like most folk rag dolls, is not only a toy. This is, first of all, a protective amulet. It was done by pregnant women according to strictly defined rules. Before rolling up the body-tube, the fabric was folded and unrolled six times with prayer, and only on the seventh was it finally rolled up and tied with thread. But even here everything is not easy. The thread had to be held in the right hand, and the twisted tube in the left hand. While winding the thread, the expectant mother whispered wishes for her baby: to be healthy, rich, smart, brave...

Once upon a time in Rus', a diaper was placed in the cradle of an unbaptized person. baby, in order to confuse evil forces. Doll takes on all the misfortunes that threaten the baby’s unprotected soul and body. After the child's baptism, the diaper was kept together with the baptismal shirt, or it became for the child doll - talisman. In the first months of life, the child’s biofield is especially vulnerable to the evil eye. Until now, mothers of newborns are afraid to show their baby not only to friends, but also to relatives.

Comes to the rescue doll - diaper. When guests come to the house, the child is placed in the folds of the bed doll, and the guests, so as not to jinx them, They say: Why the doll is good!

PELENASHKA (BABY)

Goals and objectives:

Target:

Making folk dolls

Tasks:

Study folk history dolls, make doll.

For creating dolls you will need:

Several pieces of fabric of different sizes

Red thread

Scissors

Satin ribbon

Fabrics are taken natural (Linen, cotton, chintz, etc.)

We take a rectangular flap and twist it into a tube - a twist.

Drag the doll in the middle. Tieable knot.

After cutting the umbilical cord, the newborn received his first thing - infant belt. A thin red woolen belt was woven for the child by the mother during pregnancy. The belt was worn on the naked body, under diapers, and should have been worn until the child reached 3 years of age.

Take the next piece, it should be triangular in shape to create a scarf. Carefully, removing and straightening excess folds, we put on the scarf. We do not tie the ends, but lay them evenly behind the back of our Pelenashka.

The first or bottom diapers for newborns were made from the parents' old clothes. A convenient diaper size is rectangle. Wrap the diaper in a diaper.

We sorted out the bottom diaper. During the cold season, the child was also wrapped in a warm diaper or blanket.

So we will wrap our diaper. Many people have swaddled their babies and know how it’s done. First, we fold one edge of the blanket, bend it to the legs and then fold the other edge of the blanket.

You should get such a strong, non-scattering package.

We begin tying the ribbon from the bottom and from the front to the back.

We tie a beautiful bow at the front and our Diaper is ready.

Dolls helped to live: they protected and protected, attracted wealth and deceived evil spirits, helped to cope with many events inexplicable to ancient man.

Publications on the topic:

We present to your attention a detailed photo report for an integrated lesson in the senior group on the topic “Diaper doll”.

This school year, our teachers were asked to lead clubs for children. Since my hobby is dolls, I decided to tell the children about folk dolls.

The traditional amulet doll Ryabinka is one of the most powerful female dolls. A symbol of female wisdom, motherhood and hearth. The strongest.

Each of us made a doll with our own hands as a child. I invite you to return to childhood with me. For work we need a sheet.

Master class “Doll from napkins” For the Maslenitsa holiday, you can make a ritual doll from paper napkins with your children. For the manufacture of.

To make a diaper doll you will need: a piece of light fabric, a piece of colored fabric, a narrow ribbon, thread. Take a piece of light color.

This is a traditional protective doll of the Slavs. The swaddled doll was placed next to the baby in the cradle, where it necessarily remained until baptism. It was believed that the doll protected the child from danger, protected from evil spirits and took upon itself all the misfortunes that threatened the baby unprotected by the cross. Only after baptism was the doll removed from the cradle.

Another Russian ritual is associated with the Pelenashka doll. After the bride moved to the groom's house, a swaddled doll was placed on the bride's lap. It was believed that after this maternal strength came to the young wife.

The Pelenashka doll was also made for children to play with. Then they usually used household items - sheets, blankets, etc. Having wrapped the folded sheet in a column, they wrapped the doll in a blanket and tied it with a belt or rope. Later, older girls could make such a doll for younger ones. After the game, the doll was unwrapped, and the things were again used for their intended purpose.

The Pelenashka doll is very easy to make. This is a baby in a scarf, swaddled in a swaddling cloth and wrapped in a swaddling blanket. The doll is made from a piece of white worn fabric. It was believed that worn fabric contained a piece of the life force of the person who wore clothes made from this fabric or in the home where it was used. Let's try to make a small Pelenashka doll. Such dolls were usually made for other large mother dolls and tied to them with a belt (for example, the Moskovka doll).

How to make a amulet doll Pelenashka

We prepare the necessary materials.

Fold the white fabric in half and roll it tightly from the bottom up.

To designate the head, we drag the roll with threads, highlighting a third of the length from one of the ends.

We drag the doll in the middle. The knot being tied symbolizes the navel - the concentration of vitality.

Fold the fabric for the doll's scarf diagonally.

We tie a handkerchief onto the head of the Pelenashka doll, placing the ends behind the back crosswise, without tying a knot.

We place the doll on top of the diaper, having first slightly bent its upper edge.

We wrap the roll in the diaper, taking turns bringing the corners of the fabric diagonally behind the roll. We bend the bottom part of the diaper, throw it over the Diaper and pull it back by the roll.

We wrap the Diaper doll with a swaddling wrap (a narrow long strip of fabric, rope or ribbon). We start by winding it behind the head, then cross it in front and pull both ends at the bottom.

The Diaper doll is ready!

“Protective doll-Pelenashka” video