Smells That Accompanied Women In Russia

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

7 scents that accompanied women of different classes in Russia

In the days of Ancient Russia, every smell could mean something. In everyday life, folk remedies were used for prevention, which, as a rule, were made from numerous herbs, plants and not only. By the aroma emanating from the girl, it was possible to determine which class she belonged to.

Onion or garlic

As you know, onions and garlic are considered healthful vegetables, they are used to prevent colds.

In winter, the scent served as a prophylaxis against viruses. It was believed that such a tool is the most effective.

Smoke

This smell haunted the young peasant women, because they lit the stoves like black.

But that was only in those rare moments of the bath day.

Meadow grasses

The peasant women were engaged in herbal gathering and herbal medicine, so in addition to their main activities on the farm, they went to meadows and forests, collecting herbs. This aroma enveloped them, because the girls prepared various tinctures and dried the plants.

Some herbs also healed the skin and relieved irritation.

Animal odor or sweat

This smell was inherent in people from the lower classes. There was always not enough money to live on, so they had to work hard and sweat.

And all this together gave one of the most unpleasant aromas for peasant women.

Church incense

God-fearing ladies and girls spent most of their time in church.

In their hands, as a rule, they had oil lamps filled with special oil.

The aroma of "Russian skin"

This fragrance was produced by a Parisian perfumer, it was called "Cuir de Russie", which means "Russian leather" in Russian.

These could be noble women who were considered one of the most beautiful and educated young ladies.

Various tinctures

The aroma of tinctures was a sign of high origin and was only among noble and bourgeois women.

If the plant could be found nearby or bought on the market, then nannies and maids were involved in the creation of tinctures. If they wanted something imported, they turned to merchants from the East.