AMONG THE MOUJIKS. 123 



They seem to be allied to somewhat similar dances 

 performed by the Greeks, and doubtless had their 

 origin in pagan ceremonies, when the devotees formed 

 in circles round their idols. Near Tula, the first large 

 town we rode through after leaving Moscow, is a ring 

 of stones, which, according to a legend of the dis- 

 trict, represents a khorovod of singing maidens, who, 

 while circling round, were suddenly transformed into 

 stones. 



In the winter, when the khorovods or other outdoor 

 games are out of season, the young people indulge in 

 social gatherings at each other's homes, called in some 

 districts Besyedi, in others Posidyelki. Special even- 

 ings are appointed by the social leaders of the com- 

 munity, and one of the moujiks offers them the use of 

 his house for the occasion. The maidens usually take 

 some light work with them, such as knitting, or spin- 

 ning wool or flax. The young men who may be pos- 

 sessed of musical talents bring their instruments, 

 which are usually a rude sort of flageolet or flute made 

 of lengths of reed, or the balalaika of Little Russia, a 

 simple stringed instrument. Refreshments, consisting 

 of kwass and rye cakes, or if the entertainers for the 

 occasion are able to afford the luxury, piroghi, a sort 

 of meat pie, that Russians of the better classes eat at 

 the beginning of their dinner with the soup, are pro- 

 vided. The evening is spent in singing songs with a 

 rousing chorus, dancing, and listening to stories from 

 the lips of long-tongued old women, or garrulous old 

 moujiks with a reputation as story-tellers, and deposi- 

 tories of folk-lore and tradition. 



The dances consist of standing in rows or in a circle, 



