What is threshing? General concept, features

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In our time, many concepts that were relevant many centuries ago remain incomprehensible to residents of megacities. Those who are interested in the peculiarities of life in the countryside will certainly be interested to know what threshing is. The article will be devoted to this issue.

General information

Threshing is an agricultural operation in which the grain is separated from the chaff or seeds are extracted from the ears.

Today this type of work is done with combines or threshers. And in the old days, threshing was done by hand.

So, what is threshing in the general sense, it becomes clear. But the process itself has many nuances, which we will consider further.

From history

Among the ancient Slavs, threshing was the final stage of the agricultural cycle. At this time, rituals were performed that were supposed to increase the yield.

South Slavs performed threshing with the help of animals - oxen, horses, etc. These "helpers" trampled the sheaves, and the workers manually separated the grain from the chaff.

There was another way of threshing whenchains were used. What is flail threshing? In this process, the simplest tool was used, which was called a threshing machine. A threshing tool could also be called a flail. But all these names speak of the same working tool.

The tool consisted of two sticks connected to each other. One stick was long - up to two meters, and the second - short, up to 80 cm. The long part served as a handle, and the short one was working, they hit the cereals with it. Between these two sticks there was a leather layer. Later, edged weapons arose from flails.

Machines for threshing began to appear only in the XVIII century. They were called threshers.

The best time to start

So, what is threshing, we now understand. But this is not all the subtleties of such an important operation. The time of the described process played a big role.

Our ancestors believed that Monday or Thursday could be favorable days to start this type of work. These days were considered the easiest. But Tuesday and Saturday were not recommended.

The first day of threshing was called "threshing". On this day, the owner, in order to ensure a good harvest, fed the workers with porridge cooked from various cereals.

Some Slavs on the first day of threshing sacrificed a rooster, in extreme cases a chicken. The work ended in the same way - with the offering of a sacrificial bird.

Other beliefs

The serious stage of spreading the sheaves was entrusted to a woman who had many children, orwho was expecting a baby. Such a status was considered an auspicious sign.

In some areas, the head of the family made a cross on the harvested wheat with a shovel, this drove away unclean spirits.

At the end of the threshing work, a stormy feast was arranged with an obligatory treat of poultry or any animal (pig, ram, lamb). Eastern Slavs finished their threshing with a feast of cereals and chicken.

The process itself

Threshing, or beating the grain out of the ears, was often done after the crop had dried out a bit.

When threshing with flails, the sheaves were punched from both sides, turning them over several times. The more such flips, the cleaner the threshing. However, the process was slow.

If animals trampled grain, it happened faster, as with carts and rollers.

Threshing waste (chaff, chaff) consists of small particles of ears and other plants, various films, scraps, etc. Chaff is stored under sheds or in a shed to protect it from precipitation. Used as feed for livestock. To make it softer, the chaff is often steamed with boiling water and only then fed to the animals. Otherwise (dry) it can lead to dangerous consequences, up to the death of livestock, due to its natural rigidity.

That, in fact, is all about such a thing as threshing.