About the life of the Old Believers in Bolivia

Reaching 400 years of persecution to the eastern borders of Russia, Russian Old Believers at the beginning of the twentieth century finally became emigrants. Scattered circumstances in different continents, they had to shut down their lives in different countries, sometimes exotic. About how the life of the Old Believers in Bolivia is formed, I will tell on the example of Toborota, a small Bolivian village.

Help: Old Believers (Staroviers) are several Orthodox religious flows arising in Russia in the XVII century due to the revenue of the then church reforms. Old Believers still do not recognize the corrected liturgical books, changes in the liturgies and rites introduced by the Patriarch Nikon, for which in Russia was undergoing constant persecution.

Russian Old Believers in Bolivia settled on eminent lands in the jungle more than 40 years ago, having moved here in Toborota, from Neighbor Brazil.

Tatiana and Fedor Anufriev – Some of the first settlers Toborota. They moved from Brazil here, and were born in China. And in Bolivian Selver, Zaitsev, rhovars, Murachev, Kaluginov, Anfilofievs live ..

In the village of Toborota – two dozen yards at a decent distance one from another. Almost all houses – brick.
Around the villages for thousands of kilometers – agricultural land and only ground roads.
Mosquitoes luxury in Bolivia almost all year round ..

Shubach with a belt – traditional clothing of Russian Old Believers. Pants have to buy.

Women carry sundresses and long, to toe, dresses. Hair girls grow from birth and be sure to braid into the braid.

The younger generation is not lagging behind and masters smartphones. Old Believers are disapprovingly belong to modern electronics, but progress struck the road even in such wilderness, adding televisions, microwaves, air conditioners and washing machines in their lives. Adults communicate with distant relatives and municipalities through mobile Internet.

Twice a day in artificial reservoirs fisher. Agriculture and breeding Amazonian fish Paku – the main classes of the Old Believers. Feed produce on its own mini-factory.

Hardworking Old Believers grown in the tropics of beans, corn, wheat, mined in the jungle Eucalyptus. The inhabitants of Toborota brought the only one in Bolivia a local grade of beans spreading across the country.

Local variety of coconuts grown by Old Believers.

Traditional Russian needleworks Women in Toborota are engaged in free from economic affairs and parenting. Families are many families, children give names, unusually sounding not only for Latin Americans: Zasim, Fedosya, Mamelf, Stefan, Kuzma, Agriphen, Inafa, Cyleryan ..

Watermelons, as well as pineapples, mango, papaya, grow in Bolivia all year round. Russian Old Believers learned how to make kvass, braga, cook jam.

Women from the toborer once a week are sent to trade on the city fair. Cheese, milk, baking them buy willingly, sour cream and cottage cheese did not fit.

Jungle – Nearby, on fish in the ponds, monkeys, poisonous snakes, crocodiles ..

Collection of Russian songs usually give an adult girl for his birthday.

Although the "dress code" in the old-supplied medium is pretty severe, girls in Toborochi are big fashionable, and changing outfits almost daily. Come up with the style and sew themselves, and the fabrics are bought in the city. The usual wardrobe of old supplies – 20-30 dresses and sundresses.

Old Believers are learn at the State School. In three grades, boys and girls are engaged in 5-8 years old, 8-11 years and 12-14 years old. Learn Spanish (state in Bolivia), as well as mathematics, biology, drawing. Russian language training – home.

Primary education in Bolivia is not compulsory, but the government encourages students all the state. Schools: Once a year, the military arrive at them and pay each student of 200 Boliviano (about 30 USD).

Twice a week, as well as on the days of Orthodox holidays, the Old Believers visit the Church. At the same time, men and women are pure output clothes, but on top of her – special black robe to emphasize the equality of all before God.

Old Believers in the tropical wilderness in Bolivia do not lose spiritual communications with their homeland, although most never happened in Russia.

This is how the Great Patriotic War is reflected in children’s artistic work.