The Traditions of Fisticuffs in the North–West of Russia from the Early Middle Ages to the Modern Era

Abstract

Various forms of physical training were widespread in the national culture of the East Slavs. One of its original forms was fisticuffs. North-west of Russia was not an exception. There was a fisticuffs version called Skobar, which was practised in the territory where the Krivichi, the powerful union of the East Slavic tribes, used to live. One of the versions explains the word Skobar as an alteration of Pskovar, which denotes an inhabitant of the Pskov region. Traditions of fisticuffs are known to have continued up to the second half of the 19th century. Their descriptions published in the magazine Pchela (The Bee) in 1878 have survived until today. So, for example, in Pskov fights were held 'wall on wall - in an avalanche', some hundreds of people on each side. Other cities of the province were famous for fisticuffs as well. In Velikie Luki they were a usual youth entertainment at Christmastide and Shrovetide. Com- petitions were generally held in the city suburbs. City dwellers set out on a fight against peasants of Sergievskaya village, which was part of the city suburbs. At the end of the 19th century fisticuffs were banned by the authorities. But this prohibition was not always observed. Writer Yury Tynyanov mentioned that during his schooldays (1904) fisticuffs were held between city suburbs that were at war, and the pupils of Pskov Grammar School participated in them.