The Dymkovo toy is one of the visiting cards of not only the Vyatka region, where it is made, but also of the whole of Mother Russia. It has almost the same global significance as the balalaika and nesting doll. These dazzling white clay figures with bright, unique designs win the heart of the one who sees them once and for all.
Dymkovo toy. Story
There is no greater joy for children than to whistle in a painted whistle. And looking at this, I want to laugh and joke, because bright colors and contrasting drawings set in an extremely positive way, as our contemporaries say. And our ancestors, who invented this miracle, would say that such a toy heart rejoices!
The technology for making these clay souvenirs originated in Vyatka province (now Kirov region), in a pottery settlement called Dymkovo, about 400 years ago. Here Dymkovo toy appeared . A goat, a rooster, a ram, a woman in a bright sundress - initially, mainly women and animals served as models for future painted crafts. Later, the plots expanded, male figures and children's figures, carousels and entire sculptural groups appeared. Manufacturing technology was inherited. At first , this fishing was a family affair, and later exclusively women began to deal with it.
Holiday "Whistlers"
The impetus for the emergence of these unique figures was the celebration of "Whistler". It was for this holiday that the Dymkovo toy was made. The story, for children and adults, is not without interest, it tells about the emergence of this tradition.
We began to celebrate this day in memory of the Vyatchans and Ustyuzhans who died in 1418. At first, every year they celebrated a feast on the dead. Then she grew into a festivities, accompanied by a whistle from clay whistles. For this holiday, local craftsmen got the hang of making bright and loud figures, which later became known as the Dymkovo toy. The story, which began for children and their funny whistles, was continued, because adults also fell in love with these whistles. And later toys were added to them.
At the end of the nineteenth century, the manufacture of Dymkovo toys ceased. And only in the thirties of the twentieth century was reborn again.
The technology by which the Dymkovo toy was made
The story told for children and adults told about when and for what purpose painted clay figures were made in Vyatchyn, but it did not say how they were made.
They were molded of red clay, then dried (for 20-25 days), and then fired in an oven. Finished figures were covered with chalk diluted with cow's milk, painted with egg colors, supplemented with rhombuses from potali (imitation of gold). Traditional colors: bright red, yellow, blue, green. The pattern is geometric (circles, rhombuses, stripes, cells) with the addition of floral motifs. To make the colors brighter, the painted toy was smeared with a beaten egg.
Dymkovo toy today
Today, the old Vyatka craft is widely known and popular in our country and abroad. For us, this is the same symbol of the homeland as Gzhel, Palekh, Khokhloma. In the center of the city of Kirov, a sculptural composition “Family” was installed, depicting toys that made these places famous. In 2011, a museum was opened, the main and only theme of which was the Dymkovo toy. Dance with the same name is performed in children's and adult dance groups throughout Russia.
Let's hope that for many more years we, our children and grandchildren will admire these fun and elegant statuettes.