In the 20th century, the Russian Old Believers, who reached the eastern borders of Russia after 400 years of persecution, had to finally become emigrants. Circumstances scattered them across the continents, forcing them to establish a life in an exotic foreign land.
Old Believers, or Old Believers, is a common name for religious movements in Russia that arose as a result of the rejection of church reforms in the 17th century. It all started after the Moscow Patriarch Nikon undertook a number of innovations (correction of liturgical books, change of rites). Archpriest Avvakum united those dissatisfied with the "antichrist" reforms. The Old Believers were subjected to severe persecution by both ecclesiastical and secular authorities. Already in the 18th century, many fled outside Russia, fleeing persecution. Both Nicholas II and, subsequently, the Bolsheviks did not like the stubborn ones. In Bolivia, a three-hour drive from the city of Santa Cruz, in the town of Toborochi, 40 years ago, the first Russian Old Believers settled. Even now, this settlement cannot be found on maps, but in the 1970s there were absolutely uninhabited lands surrounded by dense jungle
Old Believer village in the jungles of Bolivia. There, women wear woven sundresses and embroider shirts for their husbands. They weed gardens that grow pineapples, not radishes or potatoes. They are exceptionally well adapted to local conditions.
Many men are millionaires, brilliant entrepreneurs who combine a farmer's acumen with an incredible sense of the new. So, the Old Believers in Bolivia have modern equipment with a GPS-based control system in their fields - that is, cars drive without a driver, receiving commands from a single center. At the same time, the Old Believers do not use the Internet, do not watch TV, are afraid of banking transactions, preferring cash...+
These are the descendants of those few surviving strong peasant families who were massively destroyed after the Jewish revolution of 1917. 
A version of this film, which also contains an interview with a priest and a brief official history of the Old Believers in Russia:
Many travelers often call Bolivia one of the most attractive and interesting countries: here you can find unusually beautiful places, strange-looking plants and animals. Everyone who comes to Bolivia certainly becomes a hostage to their own unforgettable experiences. But what really awaits the one who decided not only to drive through the impressive environs of Bolivia, but also to stay in the country, which is often called the "Tibet" of South America.
To begin with, I would like to note that about 50% of the total population are Indians, who have preserved most of their folk traditions until the 21st century. They do not care about high technology and many signs of civilization - they feel quite well without hot water and a comfortable toilet. That is precisely why one can often find statements that Bolivia is a country where a high percentage of the population lives below the poverty line, does not have a stable income and access to the basic benefits of a developed state. But for many Bolivians, it is enough that they have a roof over their heads, arms and legs to work, and food to live on.
Bolivia is a country with a developed industry, but a low standard of living - any foreigner with a sum of several tens of thousands of dollars can freely plunge into a rich life by local standards.
Bolivia is also known to many thanks to coca freely growing throughout the country. It is grown in whole plantations and freely sold and bought literally on every corner. It is believed that chewing coca leaves has a tonic effect on the whole body, although all tourists are strongly advised to be as careful as possible about the use of coca, especially within the highlands. In addition to the fact that coca is grown under absolutely legal conditions, the production of drugs in this country is one of the most profitable activities, although it is still a shadow industry in the Bolivian industry.
About adaptation in Bolivia
Interestingly, those few who, having visited Bolivia as a tourist-traveler, having seen enough of its beauty and decided to settle here for permanent residence, later regret their choice. Although this does not mean that it is really difficult to exist in this country normally, it is not in vain that the proverb “everywhere is good where we are not” exists, and tourism and emigration should not be confused.
The Bolivians themselves, despite the very significant number of emigrants who have settled here since time immemorial, do not really favor visitors. Among such vivid examples are the Old Believers, who preserved the traditions and customs of their Russian ancestors, creating their own tiny states on the territory of Bolivia, which Bolivians sometimes even perceive as foreign, often without even looking at their places of settlement.
For the indigenous people of this country, that the Mennonites, that the Old Believers, that the Japanese are strangers, for a strange reason living in Bolivia. By the way, for example, the Old Believers, having a Bolivian passport, and therefore citizenship, speaking Spanish, often giving work to people around them and participating in the economy, do not consider themselves Bolivians, so such an attitude towards them is quite natural.
A real Bolivian, in fact, can be considered one who, among other things, was born in Bolivia and loves the country in which he lives, rightfully calling it his homeland. Moreover, it does not matter at all what color his skin is - there are a lot of “white” indigenous people in this country.
Today's immigrants often say that even after several years of legal residence in Bolivia, they feel more like tourists than residents. The fact that many Russians complain of bouts of disgust and discontent can also be attributed to negative factors and difficulties in adapting to a new country. It is possible that the reasons for such an attitude will seem insignificant to someone, but this is only until you plunge into this yourself.
Living in La Paz, many emigrants recall the bread sold in vacuum packs in their hometowns and countries - in Bolivia, one can often see an unflattering picture when splashes of mud from puddles, exhaust fumes from rudimentary buses fly onto lying bread, and dirty the hands of the loader, literally throwing loaves on the pitiful-looking counters.
Reflections on poverty in Bolivia
As mentioned above, Bolivia and Bolivians in particular cannot be called poor. In this context, this word is somewhat inappropriate, if only because there are practically no starving people among them.
Travelers unfamiliar with the local way of life can be amazed by the fact that a completely beggar-looking bomb with a bowler hat in his hands can afford to go to a restaurant to taste hot soup. By the way, it should be noted that there are practically no beggars here, or they look quite wealthy - with gold teeth and a lot of tasteless jewelry.
In Bolivia, even the poorest Indian family allows themselves the first, second and third courses at the table. Of course, this does not mean that they live well, but if a person is not hungry, then his existence, perhaps, can be considered acceptable.
A feature of the “common people” (that is, the majority, since in Bolivia most of the population is a category of people belonging to the middle class - they are not rich and not poor) is that in ordinary everyday life they look bad because of the shapeless, patched and dirty national clothes. Here it is not customary to dress up when going to the market. All the best clothes and jewelry are saved for the carnival - then brocade skirts and other attributes are fished out "to the light".
The same applies to basic living conditions - electricity, hot water, a toilet in the house, etc. Not every peasant who is able to improve his living conditions will go for it. For a Bolivian, this is not usual, and therefore not necessary.
It also speaks in favor of Bolivia that most of the buildings are fundamental brick structures with a good roof and windows. Here you will not find shacks built from improvised materials (cardboard, plywood) and more reminiscent of dog kennels than normal housing for a civilized person. True, along with this you will not find supermarkets and megacenters.
As one Russian emigrant who lived in Bolivia for more than three years said: “I returned to Russia with a light heart and soul. I rejoiced at this event like a child. I thought that after living in Bolivia, my former life would seem like paradise to me. But I was bitterly disappointed and suddenly I was drawn back .... To the country of color, vivid impressions and too simple-hearted inhabitants.
He lives in a special dimension, where the connection between man and nature is unusually strong. In the vast list of amazing phenomena that travelers encounter in this incomprehensible, mysterious country, a significant position is occupied by Russian Old Believer settlements. The village of Old Believers in the middle of the South American selva is a real paradox, which does not prevent Russian “bearded men” from living, working and raising children here. It should be noted that they managed to arrange their lives much better than most of the indigenous Bolivian peasants who have lived in these parts for many centuries.
History reference
Russians are one of the ethnic communities of the South American Republic. In addition to family members of Russian embassy employees living in Bolivia, it includes about 2,000 descendants of Russian Old Believers.
Old Believers or Old Believers is the common name for several Orthodox religious movements that arose in Russia as a result of the rejection of church reforms by believers (XVII century). Patriarch Nikon of Moscow, the "Great Sovereign of All Russia" from 1652 to 1666, started church reforms aimed at changing the ritual tradition of the Russian Church in order to unify it with the Greek Church. "Antichrist" transformations caused a split in the first, which led to the emergence of the Old Believers or Old Orthodoxy. Those dissatisfied with "Nikon's reforms" and innovations were united and headed by Archpriest Avvakum.
The Old Believers, who did not recognize the corrected theological books and did not accept changes in church rites, were subjected to severe persecution by the church and persecution by state authorities. Already in the XVIII century. many fled from Russia, at first they fled to Siberia and the Far East. Stubborn people irritated Nicholas II, and later the Bolsheviks.
The Bolivian Old Believer community was formed in stages, since Russian settlers arrived in the New World in “waves”.
The Old Believers began to move to Bolivia as early as the 2nd half of the 19th century, arriving in separate groups, but their massive influx occurred in the period 1920-1940. - in the era of post-revolutionary collectivization.
If the first wave of immigrants, attracted by fertile lands and the liberal policies of local authorities, came to Bolivia directly, then the second wave was much more difficult. First, during the years of the civil war, the Old Believers fled to neighboring Manchuria, where a new generation had time to be born. In China, the Old Believers lived until the early 1960s, until the “Great Cultural Revolution” broke out there, led by the “great pilot”, Mao Zedong. The Russians again had to run away from the construction of communism and the mass drive to the collective farms.
Some of the Old Believers moved to and. However, exotic countries, full of temptations, seemed to the orthodox Old Believers unsuitable for a righteous life. In addition, the authorities gave them lands covered with wild jungle, which had to be uprooted by hand. In addition, the soil had a very thin fertile layer. As a result, after several years of hellish labor, the Old Believers set off in search of new territories. Many settled in, someone left for the USA, someone went to Australia and Alaska.
Several families made their way to Bolivia, which was considered the wildest and most backward country on the continent. The authorities gave the Russian wanderers a warm welcome and also gave them plots overgrown with jungle. But the Bolivian soil was quite fertile. Since then, the Old Believer community in Bolivia has become one of the largest and strongest in Latin America.
Russians quickly adapted to South American living conditions. The Old Believers endure even the exhausting tropical heat with firmness, despite the fact that it is not permissible for them to open their bodies excessively. The Bolivian selva has become a small homeland for the Russian "bearded men", and the fertile land provides everything necessary.
The country's government willingly meets the needs of the Old Believers, allocating land for their large families and providing soft loans for the development of agriculture. The settlements of the Old Believers are located far from large cities on the territory of the tropical departments (Spanish LaPaz), (Spanish SantaCruz), (Spanish Cochabamba) and (Spanish Beni).
It is curious that, unlike communities living in other countries, Old Believers in Bolivia practically did not assimilate.
Moreover, being citizens of the republic, they still consider Russia to be their real homeland.
Lifestyle of the Old Believers in Bolivia
The Old Believers live in remote quiet villages, carefully preserving their way of life, but not rejecting the life rules of the world around them.
They traditionally do what their ancestors lived in Russia - agriculture and animal husbandry. Old Believers also plant corn, wheat, potatoes, sunflowers. Only in contrast to their distant cold homeland, here they still grow rice, soybeans, oranges, papayas, watermelons, mangoes, pineapples and bananas. Labor on the ground gives them a good income, so basically all the Old Believers are wealthy people.
As a rule, men are excellent entrepreneurs, who combine a peasant acumen with an incredible ability to capture and perceive everything new. So, in the fields of the Bolivian Old Believers, modern agricultural equipment with a GPS control system works (that is, the machines are controlled by an operator transmitting commands from a single center). But at the same time, the Old Believers are opponents of television and the Internet, they are afraid of banking operations, preferring to make all payments in cash.
A strict patriarchy prevails in the community of Bolivian Old Believers. The woman here knows her place. According to the Old Believer laws, the main purpose of the mother of the family is to preserve the hearth. It is unsuitable for a woman to flaunt herself, they wear dresses and sundresses to the toes, cover their heads, never use cosmetics. Some indulgence is allowed for young girls - they are allowed not to tie their heads with a scarf. All clothes are sewn and embroidered by the female part of the community.
Married women are forbidden to protect themselves from pregnancy, so Old Believer families traditionally have many children. Children are born at home, with the help of a midwife. Old Believers go to the hospital only in extreme cases.
But one should not think that Old Believer men are despots who tyrannize their wives. They also have to follow many unwritten rules. As soon as the first fluff appears on the young man’s face, he becomes a real man who, along with his father, is responsible for his family. Old Believers are usually not allowed to shave their beards, hence their nickname - "bearded men".
The Old Believer way of life does not provide for any secular life, reading "obscene" literature, cinema and entertainment events. Parents are very reluctant to let their children go to big cities, where, according to adults, there are a lot of “demonic temptations”.
Strict rules forbid the Old Believers to eat food bought in the store, and, moreover, visit public eating establishments. They usually only eat what they have grown and produced themselves. This setting does not apply only to those products that are difficult or simply impossible to obtain on your farm (salt, sugar, vegetable oil, etc.). Being invited to visit by local Bolivians, the Old Believers eat only food brought with them.
They do not smoke, do not chew coca, do not drink alcohol (the only exception is home-made mash, which they drink with pleasure on occasion).
Despite the external dissimilarity with the locals and the strict observance of traditions that are very different from Latin American culture, the Russian Old Believers never had conflicts with the Bolivians. They live amicably with their neighbors and understand each other perfectly, because all the Old Believers are fluent in Spanish.
Toborochi
How the life of the Old Believers in the country developed can be found by visiting the Bolivian village Toborochi(Spanish: Toborochi).
In the eastern part of Bolivia, 17 km from the city, there is a colorful village founded in the 1980s. Russian Old Believers who arrived here. In this village you can feel the real Russian spirit; here you can relax your soul from the bustle of the city, learn an ancient craft or just have a wonderful time among amazing people.
As a matter of fact, the Old Believer settlement in the open spaces of Bolivia is an unrealistic spectacle: a traditional Russian village of the late 19th century, which is surrounded not by birch groves, but by the Bolivian selva with palm trees. Against the backdrop of exotic tropical nature, a sort of fair-haired, blue-eyed, bearded Mikuly Selyaninovichs in embroidered shirts-kosovorotkas and in bast shoes are walking around their well-groomed possessions. And ruddy girls with wheaten braids below the waist, dressed in long-sleeved colorful sundresses, sing heartfelt Russian songs at work. Meanwhile, this is not a fairy tale, but a real phenomenon.
This is Russia, which we have lost, but which has been preserved far beyond the ocean, in South America.
Even today, this small village is not on the maps, and in the 1970s there was only impassable jungle. Toborochi consists of 2 dozen courtyards, quite distant from each other. Houses are not log, but solid, brick.
The families of the Anufrievs, Anfilofievs, Zaitsevs, Revtovs, Murachevs, Kalugins, Kulikovs live in the village. Men wear belted embroidered shirts; women - cotton skirts and dresses to the floor, and their hair is removed under the "shashmura" - a special headdress. The girls in the community are great fashionistas, each of them has up to 20-30 dresses and sundresses in her wardrobe. They themselves come up with styles, cut and sew new clothes for themselves. Seniors buy fabrics in the cities - Santa Cruz or La Paz.
Women are traditionally engaged in needlework and housekeeping, raising children and grandchildren. Once a week, women go to the nearest city fair, where they sell milk, cheese, pastries.
Most Old Believer families have many children - 10 children are not uncommon here. As in the old days, newborns are named according to the Psalter according to the date of birth. The names of the Toborochins, which are unusual for a Bolivian, and for a Russian person sound too archaic: Agapit, Agripena, Abraham, Anikey, Elizar, Zinovy, Zosim, Inafa, Cyprian, Lukiyan, Mamelfa, Matrena, Marimiya, Pinarita, Palageya, Ratibor, Salamania, Selyvestre, Fedosya, Filaret, Fotinya.
Young people strive to keep up with the times and master smartphones with might and main. Although many electronic devices are formally banned in the countryside, today even in the most remote wilderness one cannot hide from progress. Almost all houses have air conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens, and some have TVs.
The main occupation of the inhabitants of Toboroch is agriculture. Around the settlement are well-groomed agricultural lands. Of the crops grown by the Old Believers in vast fields, the first place is occupied by corn, wheat, soybeans and rice. Moreover, the Old Believers succeed in this better than the Bolivians who have been living in these parts for centuries.
To work in the fields, the “bearded men” hire local peasants, whom they call Kolya. At the village factory, the harvest is processed, packed and sold to wholesalers. From the fruits that grow here all year round, they make kvass, mash, make jams and jams.
In artificial reservoirs, the Toborians breed Amazonian freshwater pacu fish, whose meat is famous for its amazing softness and delicate taste. Adult pacu weigh more than 30 kg.
They feed the fish 2 times a day - at dawn and at sunset. The food is produced right there, at the village mini-factory.
Here everyone is busy with their own business - both adults and children, who are taught to work from an early age. The only day off is Sunday. On this day, members of the community have a rest, go to visit each other and attend church. Men and women come to the Temple in elegant light clothes, over which something dark is thrown over. The black cape is a symbol of the fact that everyone is equal before God.
Also on Sunday, men go fishing, boys play football and volleyball. Football is the most popular game in Toborochi. The local football team has won amateur school tournaments more than once.
Education
The Old Believers have their own education system. The very first and main book is the alphabet of the Church Slavonic language, according to which children are taught from an early age. Older children study ancient psalms, only then - the lessons of modern literacy. Old Russian is closer to them, even the smallest fluently read the Old Testament prayers.
Children in the community receive a comprehensive education. More than 10 years ago, the Bolivian authorities financed the construction of a school in the village. It is divided into 3 classes: children 5-8 years old, 8-11 and 12-14 years old. Bolivian teachers regularly come to the village to teach Spanish, reading, mathematics, biology, and drawing.
Children learn Russian at home. In the village, only Russian is spoken everywhere, with the exception of the school.
Culture, religion
Being far from their historical homeland, the Russian Old Believers in Bolivia have preserved their unique cultural and religious customs better than their co-religionists living in Russia. Although, perhaps, it was the remoteness from their native land that caused these people to protect their values and ardently defend the traditions of their ancestors. The Bolivian Old Believers are a self-sufficient community, but they do not oppose the outside world. The Russians were able to perfectly organize not only their way of life, but also their cultural life. Boredom is unknown to them, they always know what to do in their free time. They celebrate their holidays very solemnly, with traditional feasts, dances and songs.
Bolivian Old Believers strictly observe strict commandments regarding religion. They pray at least 2 times a day, morning and evening. Every Sunday and on religious holidays, the service lasts for several hours. Generally speaking, the religiosity of the South American Old Believers is characterized by zeal and steadfastness. Absolutely in each of their villages there is a prayer house.
Language
Unaware of the existence of such a science as sociolinguistics, Russian Old Believers in Bolivia intuitively act in such a way as to preserve their native language for posterity: they live apart, honor centuries-old traditions, at home they speak only Russian.
In Bolivia, the Old Believers who arrived from Russia and settled far from large cities practically do not marry the local population. This allowed them to preserve the Russian culture and language of Pushkin much better than other Old Believer communities in Latin America.
“Our blood is truly Russian, we have never mixed it, and we have always preserved our culture. Our children under the age of 13-14 do not learn Spanish, so as not to forget their native language, ”the Old Believers say.
The language of ancestors is kept and instilled by the family, passing it on from the older generation to the younger. Children must be taught to read in Russian and Old Slavonic, because in every family the main book is the Bible.
It is surprising that all the Old Believers living in Bolivia speak Russian without the slightest accent, although their fathers and even grandfathers were born in South America and have never been to Russia. Moreover, the speech of the Old Believers still bears shades of the characteristic Siberian dialect.
Linguists know that in the case of emigration, people lose their native language already in the 3rd generation, that is, the grandchildren of those who left, as a rule, do not speak the language of their grandparents. But in Bolivia, the 4th generation of Old Believers is already fluent in Russian. This is a surprisingly pure, dialectal language that was spoken in Russia in the 19th century. At the same time, it is important that the language of the Old Believers is alive, it is constantly developing and enriching itself. Today it is a unique combination of archaism and neologisms. When the Old Believers need to designate a new phenomenon, they easily and simply invent new words. For example, Toboro residents call cartoons "jumps", and lamp garlands - "blinks". They call tangerines "mimosa" (probably because of the shape and bright color of the fruit). The word “lover” is alien to them, but “boyfriend” is quite familiar and understandable.
Over the years of living in a foreign land, many words borrowed from Spanish have entered the oral speech of the Old Believers. For example, they call the fair "feria" (Spanish Feria - "show, exhibition, show"), and the market - "mercado" (Spanish Mercado). Some Spanish words among the Old Believers have become “Russified”, and a number of obsolete Russian words used by the inhabitants of Toborochi are now not heard even in the most remote corners of Russia. So, instead of “very”, the Old Believers say “very much”, the tree is called “forest”, and the sweater is called “kufayka”. They don't have television, bearded men believe that television leads people to hell, but still they occasionally watch Russian films.
Although at home the Old Believers communicate exclusively in Russian, everyone speaks Spanish to a sufficient degree for a trouble-free living in the country. As a rule, men know Spanish better, because the responsibility to earn money and provide for the family lies entirely with them. The task of women is to run the household and raise children. So women are not only housekeepers, but also keepers of their native language.
Interestingly, this situation is typical for Old Believers living in South America. While in the USA and Australia, the second generation of Old Believers has completely switched to English.
marriages
Closed communities are usually characterized by closely related unions and, as a result, an increase in genetic problems. But this does not apply to the Old Believers. Even the ancestors established the immutable "rule of the eighth tribe", when marriages between relatives up to the 8th tribe are prohibited.
The Old Believers are well aware of their ancestry and communicate with all relatives.
Mixed marriages are not encouraged by the Old Believers, but young people are not categorically prohibited from creating families with local residents. But only a non-believer must by all means accept the Orthodox faith, learn the Russian language (it is obligatory to read the sacred books in the Old Slavonic language), observe all the traditions of the Old Believers and earn the respect of the community. It is easy to guess that such weddings occur infrequently. However, adults rarely ask the opinion of children about marriage - most often, parents themselves choose a spouse for their child from other communities.
By the age of 16, young men acquire the necessary experience in the field and can already get married. Girls can get married at the age of 13. The daughter's first "adult" birthday present is a collection of old Russian songs painstakingly handwritten by her mother.
Back to Russia
In the early 2010s For the first time in many years, Russian Old Believers had friction with the authorities when the leftist government (Spanish: Juan Evo Morales Ayma; President of Bolivia since January 22, 2006) began to show increased interest in the Indian lands where Russian Old Believers settled. Many families are seriously thinking about moving to their historical homeland, especially since the Russian government has been actively supporting the return of compatriots in recent years.
Most of the South American Old Believers have never been to Russia, but they remember their history and say that they have always felt homesickness. Even the Old Believers dream of seeing real snow. The Russian authorities allocated land to the newcomers in those regions from which they fled to China 90 years ago, i.e. in Primorye and Siberia.
The eternal misfortune of Russia - roads and officials
Today only in Brazil, Uruguay and Bolivia lives approx. 3 thousand Russian Old Believers.
As part of the program for the resettlement of compatriots to their homeland in 2011-2012. several Old Believer families moved from Bolivia to Primorsky Krai. In 2016, a representative of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church reported that those who had moved were deceived by local officials and were on the verge of starvation.
Each Old Believer family is capable of cultivating up to 2 thousand hectares of land, as well as raising livestock. The earth is the most important thing in the life of these hardworking people. They themselves call themselves in the Spanish manner - agricultors (Spanish Agricultor - "farmer"). And the local authorities, taking advantage of the settlers' poor knowledge of Russian legislation, allocated them plots intended only for haymaking - nothing else can be done on these lands. In addition, some time later, the administration raised the land tax rate for the Old Believers several times. Approximately 1,500 families left in South America who are ready to move to Russia fear that they will not be welcomed “with open arms” in their historical homeland either.
“In South America, we are strangers, because we are Russians, but nobody needs us in Russia either. Here is paradise, the nature is so beautiful that it takes your breath away. But officials are a real nightmare, ”the Old Believers are upset.
The Old Believers make sure that over time all barbudos (from Spanish - “bearded men”) move to Primorye. They themselves see the solution to the problem in the control by the administration of the President of Russia over the implementation of the federal program.
In June 2016, Moscow hosted the 1st International Conference “Old Believers, the State and Society in the Modern World”, which brought together representatives of the largest Orthodox Old Believer concords (Consent is a group of associations of believers in the Old Believers - ed.) from Russia, near and far abroad. The participants of the conference discussed "the difficult situation of the families of the Old Believers who moved to Primorye from Bolivia."
Problems, of course, abound. For example, attending school by children is not included in the age-old traditions of the Old Believers. Their usual way of life is to work in the field and pray. “It is important for us to preserve traditions, faith and rituals, and it will be very disappointing that we have saved this in a foreign country, but we will lose it in our own country”, - says the head of the seaside Old Believer community.
Education officials are confused. On the one hand, I do not want to put pressure on the original migrants. But under the law on universal education, all citizens of Russia, regardless of their religion, are required to send their children to school.
The Old Believers cannot be forced to violate their principles, for the sake of preserving traditions they will be ready to break away again and look for another haven.
"Far Eastern hectare" - bearded men
The Russian authorities are well aware that the Old Believers, who managed to preserve the culture and traditions of their ancestors far from their homeland, are the Golden Fund of the Russian nation. Especially against the background of the unfavorable demographic situation in the country.
The plan for the demographic policy of the Far East for the period up to 2025, approved by the government of the Russian Federation, provides for the creation of additional incentives for the resettlement of fellow Old Believers living abroad to the regions of the Far East. Now they will be able to get their “Far Eastern hectare” at the initial stage of obtaining citizenship.
Today, about 150 families of Old Believer settlers who arrived from South America live in the Amur Region and Primorsky Territory. Several more families of South American Old Believers are ready to move to the Far East; land plots have already been selected for them.
In March 2017, Kornily, Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, became the first Old Believer primate in 350 years to be officially received by the President of Russia. During a lengthy conversation, Putin assured Kornily that the state would be more attentive to compatriots wishing to return to their native lands and look for ways to best resolve emerging problems.
“People who come to these regions ... with a desire to work on the land, create strong families with many children, of course, need to be supported,” Vladimir Putin emphasized.
Soon, a group of representatives of the Russian Agency for the Development of Human Capital took a working trip to South America. And already in the summer of 2018, representatives of the Old Believer communities from Uruguay, Bolivia and Brazil came to the Far East to get acquainted on the spot with the conditions for a possible resettlement of people.
Primorsky Old Believers are very much looking forward to moving to Russia for their relatives who have remained overseas. They dream that long-term wanderings around the world will finally end and they want to finally settle here - albeit on the edge of the earth, but in their beloved homeland.
Curious facts
- The traditional Old Believer family is based on respect and love, about which the apostle Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians: “Love endures for a long time, is merciful, love does not envy, does not exalt itself, ... does not behave violently, does not think evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; love covers everything, believes everything, ... endures everything "(1 Cor. 13:4-7).
- There is a popular proverb among the Old Believers: “In Bolivia, only what is not planted does not grow”.
- When it comes to driving, men and women have equal rights. In the Old Believer community, a woman driving is quite commonplace.
- The generous Bolivian land yields up to 3 crops per year.
- It was in Toborochi that a unique variety of Bolivian beans was bred, which is now grown throughout the country.
- In 1999, the city authorities decided to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Pushkin, and a street named after the great Russian poet appeared in the administrative capital of Bolivia.
- The Bolivian Old Believers even have their own newspaper - "Russkoebarrio" (Spanish "barrio" - "neighborhood"; La Paz, 2005-2006).
- Old Believers have a negative attitude towards any barcodes. They are sure that any barcode is a "devil's sign".
- The brown pacu is "famous" for its creepy teeth, which are strikingly similar to human ones. However, human teeth are not capable of inflicting such terrible wounds on the victim as the jaws of a predatory fish.
- In their bulk, Toboro residents are descendants of the Old Believers from the Nizhny Novgorod province, who fled to Siberia under Peter I. Therefore, the old Nizhny Novgorod dialect can be traced in their speech today.
- When asked who they consider themselves to be, the Russian Old Believers confidently answer: "We are Europeans".
Three women with completely different destinies. Nana, Sveta and Natasha.
RTW 2006-07: 18-19.04 sucre
Uyuni with a salt lake - Potosi with dynamite - and we arrived in Sucre, a city with a Russian hairdresser.
It's warm here. Height is only 2000 m above sea level.
In the whole city, I remember most of all Central market. A huge indoor space filled to overflowing with stalls of fresh fruit, smoothies, salads, juices and cakes. A mug of fruit cocktail with juice costs 4.5 rubles, a cup of fruit salad costs 3.5 rubles. Lunch - $ 2 for two, with meat and soup.
But our acquaintances became much more significant. In Sucre we met three Russian women who have been living in Bolivia for a long time.
Three women with completely different destinies.
Natashin The phone was given to us by friends from Moscow. She met us in her own car, with two children. Natasha is married to a Bolivian. He works in La Paz, but she does not like the noisy and dirty city, and they live in a pleasant and clean Sucre with her husband's parents. She has just opened her own furniture store. Dreams of creating a Russian settlement (Russian district). She also publishes a newspaper in Russian, sends it to the Russian embassy.
We sat first in the park with ice cream, then in Natasha's salon. Sveta looks great, she has enough money to implement a wide variety of ideas. And yet she did not give the impression of a happy woman. Maybe it only seemed to us, but everything in her stories looked "seemingly not bad." I don't even know how to describe. No, she wasn't trying to look very successful and unnaturally pleased. Rather, on the contrary, she spoke quite honestly about everything. And some kind of slight dissatisfaction showed through in all the stories.
Having asked Natasha for advice on where to get a haircut, we immediately found the next acquaintance. Light. Sveta is studying to be a hairdresser and works in a salon. Rather, there is only one real salon in Sucre. But the one where Sveta works will soon receive equipment, and there will be a second salon in the city.
On the way, the taxi driver asked us what to see in Russia if he ever gets there, whether he can work there, and whether it is necessary to speak Russian (are Russian and Spanish so different? won’t they understand me there? how, the Russians won’t speak Spanish?).
Sveta is Natasha's friend. She is also married to a Bolivian. He studied in Ukraine, so he brought his wife with him. It was very difficult for Sveta there and it was not clear how to be and what to do next. So she actually ran away. It's not easy here either. Not much money. If Natasha can afford to open a furniture store that has not yet brought profit, she has to learn and work about Sveta. Uncertainty shines through in Sveta's words. Maybe something would work out at home? Or maybe it would be worse. She doesn't look very happy either. Not unhappy, no. But not entirely happy either. The most difficult thing in Sveta's life is the relationship with her husband's parents. Natasha is also not perfect in this regard, although she lives in Sucre voluntarily with her husband's parents.
We spent the evening with new friends at the Joyride cafe in the very center of the city. Cool place. Good and not cheap. Or rather, not cheap by local standards. For us, $1.50 for an alcoholic cocktail... well, you get the idea.
In general, in Bolivia we feel very strange. We look like hippie homeless people in our things shabby during the journey, in old shoes, with backpacks torn apart by crossings. And yet we can easily afford to pay for well-dressed local girls. We are even uncomfortable from the realization that here we can afford anything at all. Land and apartments in Bolivia cost next to nothing. But this is nothing here very difficult to earn. We honestly told Natasha and Sveta that we saved up $20,000 for a trip at home in 8 months, and spent $12,000 on the road in 6 months. And they were the first to be amazed by these amounts. Or rather, until now, everyone was also amazed, but in the vein of "you spent so little." Now the situation was reversed.
We go back to the hotel by taxi. Trading is easy here.
You sit in a taxi and already on the road you start a dialogue:
-How much will you take?
-4 bolivianos per person ($0.5).
- Is it possible for 3? Oh please!
- You can do it for 3.
Here I will tell you more about Nana, the owner of a Georgian cafe in the town of Oruro. Nana is from Tbilisi but has been living in Bolivia for 11 years. I came here for my daughter after the death of her husband. The daughter is married to a Bolivian. Nana has a good relationship with her daughter's husband's family. But, of course, she misses Tbilisi - you can even see it in her eyes. It's hard to get used to the new rules. But he does what he can. Here, she opened a cafe, from 5 to 9 pm she bakes cakes and eclairs, pancakes and khachapuri here.
Nana, Sveta and Natasha. Very pleasant and not very happy. I would like to believe that they are simply not very good at settling in life, and being in Bolivia was a good way out for them, and at home it would be harder.
But back to the city of Sucre. Sucre is the official capital of Bolivia.
Its real capital is busy, noisy and dirty La Paz. Sucre looks more like a rural seat of government. Historical, sophisticated, green, with wooden balconies and bright houses. With a whole one supermarket for the whole city in that distant 2007.
The main attraction of the surroundings are dinosaur footprints.
Once, not far from Sucre, they began to extract cement and dug up a layer with traces of dinosaurs. 68 million years ago it was the bottom of the lake. But then, due to tectonic processes, the lake reared up, and now its bottom has turned into a quarry wall.
The workers were driven away and the tourists caught up. They made something like a park. Very weak park. With a couple of dinosaur figures, a 15 minute tour and ice cream.
For several centuries, Russian Old Believers could not find peace in their native land, and in the 20th century many of them finally moved abroad. It was far from always possible to settle down somewhere close to the Motherland, and therefore today Old Believers can also be found in a distant foreign land, for example, in Latin America. In this article, you will learn about the life of Russian farmers from the village of Toborochi, Bolivia.
Old Believers, or Old Believers - a common name for religious movements in Russia,
resulting from the rejection of church reforms in 1605-1681. It all started after the Moscow Patriarch
Nikon undertook a number of innovations (correction of liturgical books, change of rites).
Archpriest Avvakum united those dissatisfied with the "antichrist" reforms. Old Believers were severely persecuted
from both ecclesiastical and secular authorities. Already in the 18th century, many fled outside Russia, fleeing persecution.
Both Nicholas II and, subsequently, the Bolsheviks did not like the stubborn ones. In Bolivia, three hours from the city of Santa Cruz,
40 years ago, the first Russian Old Believers settled in the town of Toborochi. Even now this settlement cannot be found on the maps,
and in the 1970s there were absolutely uninhabited lands surrounded by dense jungle.
Fedor and Tatyana Anufriev were born in China, and went to Bolivia among the first settlers from Brazil.
In addition to the Anufrievs, the Revtovs, the Murachevs, the Kaluginovs, the Kulikovs, the Anfilofievs, and the Zaitsevs live in Toborochi.
The village of Toborochi consists of two dozen households located at a decent distance from each other.
Most of the houses are brick.
Santa Cruz has a very hot and humid climate, and mosquitoes pester all year round.
Mosquito nets, so familiar and familiar in Russia, are placed on windows and in the Bolivian wilderness.
Old Believers carefully preserve their traditions. Men wear shirts with belts. They sew them themselves, but they buy trousers in the city.
Women prefer sundresses and dresses to the floor. Hair grows from birth and is braided.
Most Old Believers do not allow strangers to photograph themselves, but there are family albums in every home.
Young people keep up with the times and master smartphones with might and main. Many electronic devices are formally banned in the village,
but progress cannot be hidden even in such wilderness. Almost all houses have air conditioners, washing machines,
microwave ovens and televisions, adults communicate with distant relatives via mobile Internet.
The main occupation in Toborochi is agriculture, as well as the breeding of Amazonian pacu fish in artificial reservoirs.
Fish are fed twice a day - at dawn and in the evening. The feed is produced right there, in a mini-factory.
In the vast fields, the Old Believers grow beans, corn, wheat, in the forests - eucalyptus.
It was in Toborochi that the only variety of Bolivian beans that is now popular throughout the country was bred.
The rest of the legumes are imported from Brazil.
At the village factory, the harvest is processed, bagged and sold to wholesalers.
Bolivian land bears fruit up to three times a year, and fertilization began only a couple of years ago.
Women are engaged in needlework and housekeeping, raise children and grandchildren. Most Old Believer families have many children.
Names for children are chosen according to the Psalter, according to the birthday. A newborn is named on the eighth day of his life.
The names of the Toborochins are unusual not only for the Bolivian ear: Lukiyan, Kipriyan, Zasim, Fedosya, Kuzma, Agripena,
Pinarita, Abraham, Agapit, Palagea, Mamelfa, Stefan, Anin, Vasilisa, Marimiya, Elizar, Inafa, Salamania, Selyvestre.
Villagers often encounter wildlife: monkeys, ostriches,
poisonous snakes and even small crocodiles that love to eat fish in the lagoons.
For such cases, the Old Believers always have a gun ready.
Once a week, women go to the nearest city fair, where they sell cheese, milk, pastries.
Cottage cheese and sour cream did not take root in Bolivia.
To work in the fields, the Russians hire Bolivian peasants, who are called Kolya.
There is no language barrier, since the Old Believers, in addition to Russian, also speak Spanish,
and the older generation has not yet forgotten Portuguese and Chinese.
By the age of 16, boys gain the necessary experience in the field and can get married.
The Old Believers strictly forbid marriages between relatives up to the seventh generation, so they are looking for brides in other villages
South and North America. Rarely get to Russia.
Girls can get married at the age of 13.
The first "adult" gift for a girl is a collection of Russian songs, from which her mother takes
another copy and gives her daughter for her birthday.
Ten years ago, the Bolivian authorities financed the construction of the school. It consists of two buildings and is divided into three classes:
children 5-8 years old, 8-11 and 12-14 years old. Boys and girls study together.
The school is taught by two Bolivian teachers. The main subjects are Spanish, reading, mathematics, biology, drawing.
Russian is taught at home. In oral speech, Toboroch people are used to mixing two languages, and some Spanish words and
completely ousted by the Russians. So, gasoline in the village is called nothing more than “gasoline”, the fair is called “feria”, the market is called “mercado”,
garbage - "basura". Spanish words have long been Russified and are inclined according to the rules of their native language. There are also neologisms: for example,
instead of the expression "download from the Internet", the word "descargar" is used from the Spanish descargar. Some Russian words
commonly used in Toborochi, have long gone out of use in modern Russia. Instead of "very" the Old Believers say "very much"
the tree is called "forest". The older generation mixes Portuguese words of the Brazilian spill with all this diversity.
In general, there is a whole book of material for dialectologists in Toborochi.
Primary education is not compulsory, but the Bolivian government encourages all students
public schools: once a year, the military comes, paying each student 200 bolivianos (about $ 30).
Old Believers attend church twice a week, not counting Orthodox holidays:
Services are held on Saturday from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm and on Sunday from 4:00 am to 7:00 am.
Men and women come to church in all clean clothes, wearing dark clothes over them.
The black cape symbolizes the equality of all before God.
Most of the South American Old Believers have never been to Russia, but they remember their history,
reflecting its main moments in artistic creativity.
Sunday is the only day off. Everyone visits each other, men go fishing.
It gets dark early in the village, they go to bed by 10 pm.
