PAUK

Wickerwork.

Wickerwork is an original phenomenon of Belarusian national culture that has no analogues in the world.

Straw as a material for weaving was used by the Eastern Slavs at the turn of the 2nd-1st centuries. BC.;

XX century - the flourishing of Belarusian wickerwork.
In Belarus, wickerwork has been practiced for a long time. The roofs of dwellings were covered with straw, it was used as bedding and feed for livestock, for shoes and clothing for people, it served as a bed, and in lean years it was mixed into bread. Household utensils, hats, toys and jewelry were made from it.

Our ancestors believed that straw stored the living energy of nature, so in ancient times products made from it were endowed with magical powers and were considered amulets.

A mysterious talisman, with which many legends and traditions are associated, was the straw “spider”. According to tradition, straw spiders were hung from the ceiling on Christmas Eve in the most honorable place - in the red corner of the peasant hut. For a year, the spider “protected” the owners of the house, and all misfortunes and illnesses were “entangled” in its web. Since the Slavs from ancient times revered fire as a symbol of purification, a spider that had “served” for a whole year was necessarily burned before Christmas, and a new one was hung in its place.

These amulets were woven from golden straw, assembled from many figures in the form of pyramids or rhombuses. Ball-shaped spiders, which resembled the sun with their ray-like legs, were also common. The weightless openwork product protected, brought prosperity, health and at the same time decorated the house.