Space ‘clothing’: soft borders - strict rules

The article is concerned with the functionality of symbolic and practical space of the village house. Along with the practical reasons textile valances on the windows and other places inside the house have a particular symbolic meaning. They act as “borders” separating public and private zones. Hanging a valance the village peasants separate the space between a stove and a wall (“solnysha”) from the rest of the house area. Only a mistress (“bol shukha”) of the house can enter “solnysha”. The sleeping area can also be partitioned by the textile valance (“polog”). The careless use of a valance by a girl who sleeps behind a polog on her own can be perceived by a young man as an erotic message. For a townsman, on the contrary, a closed door would be a habitual and evident sign of no trespassing. The door provides a visual and acoustical impenetrability for one standing behind it. Textile borders are more passable and soft. This discrepancy determines responsibility for keeping familiar borders. When people use visual and acoustical impenetrability (closed door), this responsibility is reciprocal for both sides. When people use a textile valance for keeping a familiar space, the responsible side is the one who looked behind the valance. A peeking person disturbs the border of the private zone. The researcher concludes that a habit of not looking into the private zone is developed through ritual practices, which later are incorporated into the everyday life. Herewith textile valances play a role of a special tool for practicing this habit. The second conclusion is related to the gender aspect. In villages, the women were the ones who controlled the soft borders of private zones both in daily practice and rituals. The article is based on the materials collected by the author of the article during multiple expeditions to the Russian North (1984-2017).