This is one of the most ancient symbols, which accompanied our ancestors for hundreds and even thousands of years. The mother put the motanka doll in the baby’s cradle, in a chest with towels and shirts when her daughter got married. Motanka protected and protects the homes of Ukrainians. The silent doll keeps the secrets of an entire family, because it is passed down from generation to generation, from mother to child.

The history of the motanka doll

More than one thousand years ago, the motanka doll entered the lives of our ancestors. Even in ancient times, mothers wrapped a piece of soft bread in a cloth and gave it to the baby. They called it a “doll.” She calmed the child down until pacifiers were invented. Subsequently, when the child grew up, he needed something to amuse himself with. Here they tied another piece of fabric to the “doll” in the form of a skirt. Such a doll might not even have arms. And what’s important is that the motanka did not and does not have legs.

Motanka was made from old clothes- skirts, embroidered shirts of family members. When creating a doll, the woman put sincere feelings into it. They made it for a happy destiny, good health or marriage. Therefore, it is believed that the doll has strong energy and is capable of protecting. Both an individual person and the whole house. Therefore, it was often hung above the door. They also put it on pokuti.

On the territory of our country, motanka dolls were common in the Dnieper region. Nowadays these are the territories of the Kyiv, Poltava and Cherkasy regions. However, the famous motanka with a cross instead of a face most likely came to us from Asia, where such dolls were also common.

Motankas and ancient magical rituals

Such a talisman with strong energy, of course, they were and are still used in various rituals. Some of them can even be called magical. That’s why motanka is made without a face. After all, our ancestors believed that having eyes or a mouth, a motanka could be personified with a child who played with it. And therefore - and tie his soul to you. And this was considered not very desirable, because it could be used with bad intentions. Therefore, instead of a face, the motanka doll has a cross - a symbol of the sun.

It’s hard to believe, but even the stuffed animals familiar to the countryside are also ancient amulets. The same applies to the stuffed animals that are burned on Maslenitsa. These and other symbols that surround us are also related to small motanka dolls that protect our family comfort, well-being, and health. Other objects that we now perceive as toys also had sacred meaning for our ancestors. You can read more about them in the material "".

Photo source: chask.net.

The reels that the mother gave to her daughter were taken by the girl into her own after marriage. new house. She was allowed to continue playing with the dolls. Our ancestors believed that this would make it more likely for a young couple to have children. When the baby appeared, the mother put a doll in the cradle, which protected the new descendant of the family.

Sometimes motanka dolls were made for a specific purpose. For example, to make it rain in a drought. Or for a good harvest. There was also interesting custom make 12 small reels and one large one. Each personified some kind of disease. They were made to protect people from illness. Often, healing herbs for diseases were placed in the middle of the dolls and given to children to play with. Typically, such dolls were burned after they had completed their mission.

One of the ancient traditions associated with dolls has survived to this day. Almost all of us have seen beautifully dressed dolls on the hood of newlyweds’ cars. Nowadays, however, they just prefer flowers or American Teddy bears.

Photo source: euphoria.lviv.ua.

And in ancient times, a doll was tied to a cart on which the newlyweds rode to church for their wedding. And this reel was special: the dolls depicted a man and a woman. However, they shared hands.

Photo source: pustunchik.ua.

This symbolized love and harmony in the future married life. After all, from the moment of marriage, a woman and a man seemed to become one.

What you need to know to make your own sacred amulet

Considering that the motanka doll is a sacred amulet, its creation must be approached with good mood and pure thoughts. And to make it you will need things that can be found in every home: several pieces of fabric (for the head - white), thread (for hair - floss), a piece of foam rubber, cotton wool.

Photo source: pustunchik.ua.

We wrap the foam rubber in white cloth and tie it with thread. We tie a thread of a different color around the head, creating a sacred cross.

Photo source: pustunchik.ua.

Next, we take the fabric that we prepared for the skirt. It can be multi-colored to make our motanka bright. We wrap this fabric in folds around the doll. Don't rush to cut the thread. It needs to be wrapped around the waist from the head. In the process, you can also use this thread to attach an apron for our doll.

Photo source: pustunchik.ua.

Photo source: pustunchik.ua.

For hair we take floss threads. On one side we cut, on the other we tie a thread at the place of the section. We fasten the hair by winding it with a thread to the neck.

Photo source: pustunchik.ua.

The bereginya should have braids, and you can also tie a ribbon on the doll’s head or make a wreath. You can decorate the motanka with beads and in general anything that your imagination suggests.

Photo source: pustunchik.ua.

However, it is worth remembering that a motanka doll should absolutely not be pierced with a needle, pins or sewn on anything at all. After all, then the whole meaning of the reel is lost.

Where to buy a motanka doll

You can make a motanka doll yourself, or you can do it under the supervision of an experienced craftswoman. Usually such master classes are quite cheap, because you only have to pay for the materials that are used. In recent years they have become quite popular.

Often craftswomen organize master classes or sell reels at fairs, where they raise funds for the military who are in the ATO zone.

Photo source: culturno.te.ua.

You can attend a master class on making windings in almost every museum in Ukraine. You just have to follow the announcements of the establishments. In particular, you can learn how to make a motanka at.

Where is: Nikolaevka village, Kyiv region.

Cost of the master class: negotiable.

Motanka dolls of famous craftswomen are also often exhibited in museums. One of them is Varvara Mazella. A craftswoman from the Kiev region has devoted the last decades to creating reels. In the 1930s, when Varvara was still a little girl, she had no toys. Only one straw doll with stone hands was given to her by her godmother. And the doll broke. The craftswoman took up the creation of reels already in the 1980s, in retirement. Her works are exhibited in museums not only in Ukraine, but also around the world.

Photo source: qha.com.ua.

Motanka dolls are a popular souvenir. Prices for such amulets vary. A motanka can cost 20 hryvnia, or 600. It all depends on the material from which the motanka is made, what kind of craftsman it was made from. If the doll is decorated satin ribbons, lace, silk, then the price will be appropriate.

The author's amulet doll can be bought in Obukhov, in the Design store. The craftsmen note: they do not make identical dolls, each is individual in its own way. The doll can be purchased directly in the store or ordered online on the website. A craftswoman can spend 5 days or even two weeks on making a designer doll!

Photo source: netherlands.mfa.gov.ua.

Where is: Kiev region, Obukhov city, Kyiv street, 119.

In Dnipro and Kyiv, sacred amulets can be bought at the Ethnodom. And also choose for yourself national clothes and decorations for any special event.

Where is: Kyiv city, Verkhniy Val street, 58/28; Dnipro city, Dmitry Yavornitsky Avenue, 22.

Usually craftswomen cooperate with souvenir shops. Therefore, the amulet can be bought in stores or online on the Internet. In particular, in this way you can find the pages of craftswomen: Oksana Bogumil, Tatyana Bilokrylets. Also, the works of craftswomen can be easily found in online communities of handmade artists on social networks.

The first motanka doll was made more than 5 thousand years ago. Such dolls can be found in any country. This was not just a toy. It was believed that she protected a person from troubles and misfortunes. The doll was often used in rituals. When making a ritual doll, everything that a person wanted to get rid of (troubles, illnesses) was woven into it and burned at the stake or drowned in water.

In any peasant house one could see dolls. They performed different functions - they protected housing, children, sleep, and took care of the household. The children loved to play with them.

A hand-made motanka doll is considered one of the most powerful amulets. Initially, they were made as various amulets. Now all kinds of souvenir dolls are in demand.

When creating a classic reel, which should protect the home from evil spirits and/or evil people, the use of scissors and a needle is unacceptable - everything is torn off and wound exclusively by hand.

The motanka doll is made without a face. According to ancient beliefs, a doll without a face cannot become someone else’s double, which means it will never cause harm. The Slavs were sure that amulets dolls should not have their faces painted on, also because an evil spirit could enter its owner through the doll’s eyes.

The materials used for production are natural materials (hay, straw, wood, herbs, dry leaves, seeds, grains). The motanka was decorated with folk ornaments and embroidery.

When creating a motanka doll, you must adhere to some rules:

A doll-amulet can only be created with a good mood, in a healthy state (except for a doll to get rid of an illness), with a pure heart and good thoughts;

Forming an image and setting a goal - you need to decide what the doll will help its owner with, what tasks it needs to accomplish (reconcile, heal, bring good luck, etc.);

- Choosing the day to create the amulet (if the goal is fertility, you need to choose the day when the moon is waxing; if the motanka doll is a talisman of family well-being or the successful completion of a business - the full moon; if you need to make a lapel from illnesses and problems - the doll is made on the waning moon. Mandatory condition – you cannot wind the doll on Rod’s day – Sunday and on the day when Makosh reigns – Friday);

Using only natural threads, materials, fabrics, and better yet, pieces of old “happy” clothes of older family members (clothes in which something good and significant happened to grandparents or mother);

The started doll must be finished winding on the same day, otherwise the protection will be interrupted and instead of the amulet, its owner will receive a negatively charged object.

The best amulet is a amulet made with your own hands. The motanka doll that you will make yourself should not have any knots. We allow only one - in the symbolic area of ​​the navel. This is a symbol of birth, an umbilical cord tied for future life. By tying this knot, the doll's creator makes his deepest wish.

You can allow knots on the doll's arms, but only if they are made separately from her body and then screwed to it. In the process of winding the doll, no piercing or cutting tools should be used. Otherwise you will cut off your destiny or make a hole in it. Therefore, all outfits for the doll, symbolic embroidery on aprons and skirts are made in advance.

Embroidery on motanka clothes is also a talisman, as is the color of threads and fabric:

Red the color is considered a talisman (protective). A motanka doll in red will protect you and your home from evil energies and bring good luck.

Green color with floral patterns - a symbol of Mother Nature. Nature was respected because it provided everything for life and health. Green symbol of growth and birth, health and longevity.

Yellow color - abundance and wealth. The color yellow symbolizes the Sun, as the energy of all life on Earth.

- Diamond with a dot in the middle– a sign of the Goddess of Fate, a call to her to grant prosperity and well-being;

- Eight-pointed star symbolizing the Eye of the Family, a request to grant the mercy and support of the ancestors;

- cornflower cross-stitched - helped to cope with vision problems;

- Hop(cross) protected against frequent cases of colds and fever;

- Cross stitch sign of the fiery rotating Cross, reliably protected from the evil eye, damage, love spells;

- Oak leaves- a protective sign for a boy or man who gave him strength of body and strength of spirit;

- Peahen- this ornament is always depicted in pairs and means youth and the prime of life. Respectful and beautiful peahens or firebirds are even today embroidered on wedding towels. They seem to radiate the energy of the sun and life, blessing the newlyweds for family happiness;

- The nightingale and the cuckoo very often they find a place on the towels of girls who have not yet found their match;

- Doves and bright roosters are characteristic symbols of a wedding towel. In the ornament, these birds are arranged in such a way that their heads are inclined towards each other. If they hold a twig of viburnum in their beaks, or sit at the roots of a tree, then this is a sign of the birth of a new family;

- Martin- a sign of good news related to starting a family and strengthening and expanding the economy;

Pattern viburnum symbolized the immortality of the family, as well as the Renaissance;

-Grape bunches They represent the joy associated with starting a family. The garden ornament - grapes symbolizes the field of life, where a man plays the role of a sower, and a woman is a keeper who grows and cherishes the family tree.

One of the main patterns is red poppy. It was believed that embroidery with poppies should protect its owner from any evil.

- Chernobrivtsy refer to healing symbolism that can heal the soul and body. Their images also represent a love for nature and all living things.

There are three types of motanka dolls:

Swaddle blankets (babies) for a newborn. Mothers or grandmothers make them with their own hands to place a baby in a cradle, protecting him from restless sleep, illness, and the evil eye. By the way, after the doll has been taken away by the disease, it must be burned so that it does not return. You can wrap a walnut in the doll’s head, and three buckwheat grains in the middle. So the diaper became a three-calorie rattle, driving away evil spirits with its noise (they are afraid of him).

Motanka-bride in wedding dress . Young wives kept it until the birth of their first child, adopting the maternal experience of the women of the clan and driving away the attacks of evil spirits.

Motanka-Bereginya , such a talisman, in its most varied interpretations (Easter, Palm, Herbal, Kolyada, Fertility, Ten Handles, Zhelannitsa, etc.) was used to protect the house and its household from all evil misfortunes, misfortune, sadness, bad and bad words, evil eye and damage. Such a doll should be located in the corner of the house that corresponds to the rising of Yaril (on the eastern side), just above head level. Or on the contrary front door to immediately greet with joy those who come into the house with good intentions, and sternly those who come with bad thoughts. Sometimes grains of wheat or a coin were wrapped in it to attract wealth and prosperity. As a rule, Beregini should have big breasts- a symbol of maternal care and love.

After the doll is created and wound, nothing is cut off or torn off. This is already the “doll’s body” and nothing can be removed from it. It can be “made good” by pulling the fabric where necessary, or by tucking the weave wooden stick. The doll turns out the way it should be for this person at this time.

Special rules for how to deal with a talisman doll that has served its purpose or is not to your liking. In this case, the doll is burned or drowned in a river (the water should not be “stagnant”). Before such a ritual, you need to thank the doll for its work.

Some dolls must rest, for example, at Zernushki-Krupenichek's in the spring - in May - the cereal is poured out and used in porridge, the grain is added to the seed - for a good harvest, and in the fall, the doll is filled with new selected cereals or grain. In Kubushki, the grass needs to be renewed once every two years. New herbs with renewed vigor will take care of you.

When making play folk dolls or souvenir dolls, you can use whatever is at hand. Deviations from technology and replacement of materials are allowed. You can be more creative in dressing and decorating the doll.

Motanka doll is a special type made from fabric with different fillings using the winding method. Hence the name. Rag dolls became an important part of Slavic culture. They were made to protect themselves from visible and invisible evil, to become luckier, richer, happier. There are a huge number of traditions associated with dolls that have survived to this day.

This article will tell you a lot of interesting things about this type of amulets, teach you to distinguish motanki by external signs and select spells for activation. This information will be very useful when you decide to make a fabric doll with your own hands.

Motanka dolls appeared a very long time ago. According to historians, this happened at a time when people learned to process flax, turning an ordinary plant into fabric for clothing.

Initially, dolls, now considered a children's toy, had a completely different purpose. They were created with the goal of warding off bad energy from a person, as well as attracting good energy. Some motanki embodied the faces of deities, others symbolized a good spirit, and still others depicted the person himself, helping to fool evil spirits, diverting attention to themselves.

The Slavs made amulets in the form of takani dolls to protect themselves from visible and invisible evil, to become luckier, richer, happier.

The Slavs made dolls from a variety of materials. Ash, vines, tree branches, and fabric were used. The latter material took root best in Rus', because fabric amulets, unlike herbal ones, can be refreshed by washing or unraveled, making new ones out of them. Slavic amulet dolls contain many ancient traditions associated with superstitions, holidays, customs, fears and hopes of our ancestors.

How to use a fabric doll

Amulet dolls made of fabric were used by the Slavs everywhere. They were made for a whole family or for an individual. Motankas were received as gifts by people of any age and status. Children, women and men - everyone could receive their own amulet, traditionally made by a relative. Sometimes it was a sister, in other cases the eldest woman in the family, and sometimes even relatives of the husband or wife.

The reasons for making them were very different - for a holiday, for good luck, for protection from damage and the evil eye, for the fulfillment of desires, or as a talisman for a certain personal event.

Folk rag dolls had unique external differences and enjoyed not only popularity, but also honor. Family amulets were treated with special reverence - they were placed in the most visible and clean place in the house, regularly cleaned of dust and accumulated negativity, and also passed on the reels from generation to generation.

Usually this fate awaited dolls who attracted positive energies. But protective dolls were burned to get rid of the evil that the rag amulet had taken upon itself. It was customary to carry personal protectors with you - in your pocket or bag. Among these, for example, and. Some of them were allowed to be touched only by the owner and the craftsman who made the amulet.

Types of motanka dolls and their meaning

Motanka dolls, like Slavic dolls made from other materials, are divided into three types:

• gaming;
• ritual;
• protective;

The first dolls made by our ancestors had a sacred meaning. But then some of them began to be used as toys for children. Ritual dolls were made for important holidays: Maslenitsa or Ivan Kupala.

But the Slavs sought to receive the blessing of the gods not only on holidays, but also on ordinary days. That is why the most popular type of dolls has become protective reels. Fabric, as the cheapest raw material, was available to people of any income. This influenced the fact that rag dolls, called motankas in honor of the manufacturing method, were made most often in Rus'.

There are quite a lot of types and names of motanka dolls, which is explained by their popularity. Each has its own purpose, manufacturing rules and special properties. Let's get acquainted with the most popular ones.

One of the most common reels has become. A rag female figurine was filled with various herbs. Most often, having medicinal properties or the ability to repel evil spirits. The pagans believed that evil spirits were capable of bringing misfortune and illness to a person, so in some cases they used herbalism, combining different plants for enhanced protection.

The herbalist could become a family amulet or personal protector. In the latter case, the doll was made during illness, placed in the bed of the sick person, and when he recovered, the motanka was burned.

Some fabric figurines were filled not with grass, but with cereals. A doll with such contents was called Zernovushka or . Her task was to improve the well-being of the family. But she did not care about money, but about the presence of well-fed dishes on the table.

Each protective motanka doll has its own special task. The dolls Krupenichka and the peasant Bogach take care of the availability of well-fed dishes on the table.

There was a special tradition of filling Krupenichka with buckwheat after the harvest. It was also stuffed with rice, pearl barley and oats. Each of these grains had its own significance, but the overall purpose of creating Zernovushka was to provide food. The doll also helped improve the harvest. The best grains collected that year were hidden in a rag amulet and the fields were sown with it for the next year.

Dolls often appeared in Slavic homes. They were given to newlyweds for a wedding to protect and strengthen the union, to wish happiness in family life. To attract good news, they used a motanka, and to fulfill wishes, they made a special doll for good luck, which fit on half of the palm.

Features and secrets of the amulet

A rag doll amulet must be made in accordance with the special rules that guided our ancestors. Many people ignore these parting words, thinking that they arose out of superstition. But these rules are ancient traditions handed down to us by relatives from the past, they should be respected.

If you want to make a correct and strong amulet in all respects, you should not forget about these rules.

So that a fabric doll turns into a talisman with magical properties– be sure to follow the rules for its creation.

Here are some of them:

• Motanka dolls are created without the use of sharp objects. No scissors or needles. It is difficult to make such a talisman without a needle at all, but the rules allow preliminary preparation of materials. Before making the doll's body, prepare the clothes - sew and cut everything you need, and then put the tools aside.
• Finished body parts cannot be sewn together. Just fasten with threads. Natural, of course. Any artificial element will spoil the natural energy of the amulet.
• Motanks are not given faces - noses, lips, eyes should not be marked on their faces, otherwise evil spirits can enter the doll’s face and cause harm to its owner.
• The doll's head must have a headdress. Nowadays women rarely wear them, preferring to show off their hair. But Slavic women hid them under a scarf, because they believed that loose braids contributed to the outflow of energy, which would be taken away by unkind people or dark forces.
• The color of the thread used to create the reel is also important. According to tradition, the elements of the trap figurine were held together with red threads. It was believed that this color could protect a person from evil and give him vitality. The shades used in the clothes of the dolls played a similar role. For example, green often appeared on the clothes of healing dolls, red on amulets for family happiness, and yellow on motankas that lured well-being or granted wishes.

Knowing these secrets, you can put them into practice when making your amulet. But the main difficulty lies not in following the established rules, but in believing in the amulet. Only sincere faith and a positive attitude can charge the doll so much that it will turn it into an attribute of good luck and a powerful protective artifact.

DIY fabric amulet doll

On the pages of our website you can find detailed master classes for making motanka dolls. After familiarizing yourself with them, you can make your own Herbalist, Krupenichka, Podorozhnitsa, Bell and other wonderful dolls according to all the rules.

Here we will focus on these same rules that need to be followed during manufacturing:

You only need to start creating a motanka auberge doll with your own hands in a good mood.

You cannot start working on the amulet if you are not feeling well. This way you will fill it with your negative emotions - pain, anger, disappointment, fatigue. Can an object with such energy bring happiness?

• Creating a motanka doll should occur in one stage. No putting off work until the evening after watching any TV program, and especially not shaking the amulet during lunch. When you sit down to reel, concentrate on your work, getting rid of all irritants.
• Most often, motanki are made during the waxing moon. This helps to additionally charge the doll with energy. However, if the doll is made not to attract something new, but to preserve the old, then it will be better if its production falls on the day of the full moon.

These rules do not require much effort, but at the same time guarantee the correct operation of the amulet, so do not forget about them.

Reeling Rules

There is one more manufacturing rule that relates specifically to reels. It is not used for dolls made of other materials, as it is related to the method of winding the threads.

Having chosen natural threads and chosen the color, do not think that this is enough. You need to think in advance and measure the length of the threads so that when tying the doll’s arms and legs to the body you no longer need to use scissors. Separately, it is worth mentioning how to wind the thread correctly.

The Slavs paid attention to the direction of winding threads and the direction of the rays of solar amulets. There are only two types of direction - with the sun and against it. The latter was sometimes used to create body amulets, but never when creating reels. They need to be wound only according to the movement of the heavenly body, that is, clockwise. This will help charge the doll with life-giving energy and give her strength.

Decorating a motanka doll

You can enhance the magical properties of the motanka doll by decorating it with special protective symbols in the form of embroidery on clothes.

Very often, motankas contain ancient symbols, their meaning complementing the properties of the pupa. Now some craftswomen hang small wooden pendants with signs carved on them on their dolls. But before, such symbols were embroidered. Usually embroidery decorated the apron of the motanka, and at times - her knapsack or even her scarf. On men's motankas, embroidered patterns and symbols appeared on shirts.

Almost never did needlewomen apply one single sign to the fabric, leaving the space around it empty. Most often these were combinations of symbols and curlicues, complementing each other. Even the smallest, insignificant details had their own meaning. The shades of the thread complemented it. Knowledgeable person could at first glance, by the color of the embroidery and its motifs, determine the capabilities of the amulet.

How to make a talisman magical

The finished rag amulet will remain a cute craft if you do not activate it. To charge amulets, the Slavs used natural elements or spells. Most The best way to make a motanka doll magical - combine these methods.

A special spell is read over the motanka, and then it is left in a sunny place or, if the weather is cloudy, the sun is replaced with candles. This must be done carefully, because a small flame can instantly ruin the reel.

The finished rag amulet will remain a cute craft if you do not activate it.

Our ancestors used a variety of conspiracies. Their meaning boiled down to what a person wants to get from the amulet. The Slavs asked the motanka for protection, a good harvest, healing from illnesses or the fulfillment of desires. So you can find a conspiracy that suits the occasion and pronounce it.

For example, like this:

(Doll’s name), keep the light, protect me, drive away the darkness.

This plot is well suited for a personal talisman with protective functions. And the next one is for family protective reels:

Be a support, be a shield, protect your family and home, take trouble and the evil eye away from us.

Any of the conspiracies can always be replaced with your own, unrhymed request. Be sure to clearly formulate it by writing it down on a piece of paper and read it to yourself several times before voicing it in front of the reel.

Creation of a motanka doll. Today we have reached a large number of ritual dolls that were an integral part of the life of our ancestors. Each doll performed its important function, protecting the house and everyone who lived in it.

In the article:

How to make a motanka doll - rules

In order to, prepare the necessary attributes:

• four pieces of white linen fabric;
• colored rectangles (you can take chintz);
• multi-colored threads, beads, braid.

The first thing you need to do is prepare your head for the future guardian. To do this, take a long strip of thick linen fabric and roll it up to make a barrel.

Cover the top of the finished head with a large piece of white cloth ( square shape). Next, you need to shape the doll’s neck. To do this, use a thread and make an accent, thereby securing the head. After this, you can make a pattern on the face.

Since it is impossible to draw eyes, nose or mouth, our ancestors decorated the doll’s face with threads. Most often it was a cross. It was an important carpentry symbol for our ancestors. You need to wrap the threads around your face very carefully.

Make sure that they lie side by side and do not get mixed up, the pattern should be beautiful. If you didn’t succeed in making a beautiful cross the first time, unravel the threads and repeat this action again.

Facial decoration may be various colors. It is best to use gold, blue, and red colors; they will symbolize prosperity, harmony, and love. Remember, you can wind the thread only according to the movement of the sun, the number of skeins must be odd.

After everything is ready, take a white coarse thread and make a clear accent on the doll's neck. Now you will need two pieces of white thick rectangular fabric. One piece should be larger than the other.

The torso is twisted from the larger flap. To prevent it from unraveling, you can wrap it along the entire length with a coarse light thread. Arms are twisted from a smaller piece of paper. They are secured at the ends with thread.

The arms are attached to the body with a thread; it must be wound crosswise. A barrel head should be tied on top of the body.

Take the colorful scraps that were prepared for the dress. You can create clothes for the future guardian yourself. Remember, the main thing is availability long skirt and an apron.

You can put a scarf on the doll's head, hang beads on the neck, and decorate the belt with braid. Clothes can be decorated with embroidery in advance. But remember, this needs to be done before you start making the doll itself (so that it doesn’t turn out chipped).

How to speak a talisman

Quite often, people cast ready-made amulets on their own or do it while working. What you say when creating a doll will depend on what properties it will have.

If you can’t find the right words, use ready-made spells. Often, amulets are created so that she protects the family from illness and adversity. Therefore, for a standard motanka doll, the following plot is suitable:

Zarya-Zaryanitsa, the red maiden, mother and queen herself. The month is bright, the stars are clear - take from me insomnia, sleeplessness, sleeplessness. Zarya-Zarenitsa, in the middle of the night, come to me, even as a red maiden, even as a queen mother, and take away (my name) from me and take away from me the cursed power, all the ailments of adversity. Now and forever, and from circle to circle! So be it, so be it, so be it!

If you use this spell, then making a motanka doll will turn from simple fun into a real ritual, and you will be able to fill the future amulet with the necessary magical properties. Remember that everything you put into your treasure will come back.

Often, in order to direct the guardian’s energy in the right direction, our ancestors allocated her a special corner in the house and put things there that would symbolize their desires.

So, for example, if you want to make a profit, you can put a coin on the bank, if it’s a child, then tie a baby doll to the arms (you also need to do it yourself) or make a very long apron, which was a symbol of fertility. Each housewife can independently modify the doll and fill it with new magical properties.

Nadezhda Khalimullina

Which ones you can make dolls with your own hands: both ritual and protective, and playful! I want to show how we made a play doll-motanka. Such dolls parents with children did in our family club “We create miracles with our hands” V kindergarten, as well as with colleagues at master-class at the regional methodological association.

To make it we will be needed:

Simple pencil;

Scissors;

Circle templates with a diameter of 35cm, 25cm, 17cm;

Multi-colored fabric for a dress, preferably with a small pattern;

White strip of fabric 30cm by 12cm;

Sintepon or cotton wool (small piece);

6 rubber bands (instead of elastic bands, you can simply wrap them with threads without tying them).

1. Draw circles on colored fabric according to the template and cut them out.

2. For the scarf, cut out a triangle (the ends for tying must be long);

3. Cut out a strip of white fabric 30cm long and 12cm wide - this will be the face and hands.

4. Place padding polyester or cotton wool in the middle of the largest colored circle - this will be the head.

5. Wrap with an elastic band.

6. We wrap a circle of fabric of a different color around the first layer of the dress and also wrap it with an elastic band.

7. The third circle of colored fabric is the same we do on top of the first two layers and wrap with an elastic band.

8. At the white stripe, bend the edges inward.

9. Stretch a strip of white fabric over the head and secure it again with an elastic band.

10. We wrap the handles at the ends - if they are very long, cut off the excess.

11. We tie a scarf on top.

Face we don’t draw on a doll: It develops children's imagination.

Here's ours motanka doll and ready! Let your children, like ours, also play with pleasure!