Friday, November 26, 2021

Soviet Corn

 


My husband's Grandmother had a corn Christmas ornament like this for many years. We don't know where she got it. In 2014 when she passed, it became ours. Sometime later it crumbled into dust when a heavier ornament fell on it. Of course, we set out to replace it. Thank God for the Internet! We found one and a bit of history along with it. This ornament came from Estonia and was from the era of the Soviet Union. They typically hung on trees for New Year's, as Christmas wasn't a popular holiday...was greatly discouraged...under Communism. The corn and similar ornaments celebrated a plentiful harvest. Our new corn ornament arrived wrapped in newspaper with Cyrillic writing. Our oldest son translated it, a typical sale paper advertising produce. We kept it, of course, to wrap the ornament in each year. The cob is too fragile for the tree. We place it on the mantel instead. I am wondering what the story is behind this frail little thing. 


Who owned it originally? What was their story? 


What is yours?


47 comments:

  1. I love this story and I would wonder about its history too. I didn't know that corn grew in Russia, it's not grown in Sweden. I never tasted corn until I came here. My special thing is a Santa that my grandfather made ca. 1904 out of pipe cleaners and yarn. He will show up on my blg for Christmas.

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    1. I can't wait to hear about your grandfather's Santa. 1904! Times flies.

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  2. Oh, That is so interesting.
    We do have a number of similar ornaments (and we had such ones in my parents' home too) only maybe they are a bit shorter. But we have always spoken of them as cones :), like fir cones or spruce cones :)
    So, If I had seen that picture before I read your post, I would have spoken about a big silver cone ;)

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  3. That is very interesting. I don't have anything like that on my tree...

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  4. That is a very special ornament indeed.

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  5. Santi,
    I have exactly the same ornament as yours.
    Here's the story. In the 60s of the last century, one of the Soviet leaders visited the United States and was shown the corn fields and its harvest. This leader decided to grow corn in the Soviet Union as well to feed livestock. Then, already by the New Year, cobs of corn of golden color appeared like Christmas tree ornaments. I also bought it for our tree. Unfortunately, corn did not grow well in the USSR due to the cold climate. Now it is grown too, but it rarely grows high.
    My corn ornament adorns the Christmas tree every year.
    By the way, the newspaper in which your ornament was wrapped is from Estonia, so there are 2 inscriptions - in Estonian and in Russian.

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  6. Corn had its role. Now we only remember him in photos.

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  7. Interesting story! Yes, I definitely would not put it on the tree!

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  8. Hi Sandi,
    how strange that you managed to find another corn ornament. I would love to know the history of many things we own. One of them is a painting of a woman called Fabiola. I inherited it from my aunty who lived in France for fifteen years. It appears to have a signature that is painted over, and I do wonder if it is the original of one that went missing in the late nineteenth, early twentieth century. The Fabiola story has a long connection in my life, and I found it strange how I was led to see the whole picture through a mixture of situations and happenings.

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    1. It would be amazing if you have the original!

      If it's okay to ask, I'd love to hear more about the connection it has to your life.

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  9. Dear Sandi I am so glad you were able to obtain another lovely ornament like the previous one. I know you are treasuring it and will once again be putting it on your mantle. These gifts from the past are so meaningful. I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. God Bless!

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  10. Interesting story. I think that it's very important to keep our family traditions alive.

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  11. Hello Sandi, thanks for stopping and commenting on my blog. I really like the story of your Soviet cob ornament. Precious memory triggers. I am glad you do have it on the mantle. Interesting story.
    Sue of photowannabe.

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  12. It's really beautiful. I often wonder the stories behind things I have bought used or secondhand. It would be interesting to know this story, too. You never know -- maybe one day....

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  13. HaHa on the Brontosaurus steaks..what ever they were they were sure delicious.
    Sue

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  14. That was a very interesting story. I'm so glad you were able to get a replacement cob.

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  15. Fascinating!!!
    I am so glad you shared this. I have several ornaments from Ukraine.

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  16. What a wonderful ornament. Like all of us, we all have a story to tell.

    God bless.

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  17. Nice ornament and nice story behind it1
    If your son can read and understand russian, he could find out more about what interests you in this story.

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  18. Здравствуйте, Сэнди!
    Мне знакомо такое украшение для ёлки. Раньше оно было очень популярным в Советском Союзе. С того времени прошло немало лет, теперь совсем другие игрушки.
    А кукуруза и сейчас растёт на полях в нашей области. Её выращивают для корма животных (стебли). А початки (так называется плод кукурузы) часто продаётся в магазинах и наших рынках. Её перед употреблением нужно варить. Есть даже кукурузная мука, из неё пекут лепёшки. А ещё варят кукурузную кашу, её дети едят с удовольствием.

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    1. Спасибо, Людмила! 😊 Звучит как здесь.

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  19. i love a good story like this!! i have replaced a few "important to me" items that have broken over the years!! i too am grateful for the internet!!

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  20. The Internet is very convenient. Your good memories will be staying in the new dear corn.

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  21. It's interesting to learn about other cultures. Thank you for sharing your story, Sandi. Enjoy the season! xx

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  22. It looks beautiful..wonderful story

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  23. i like this post!Old christmas decorations are a treasure!

    I think it is interesting of that story of the cornIt sure helped many people from starvation in the old days and may today too

    Wishing you a peacful day!

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  24. Enjoyed the story and happy you found a replacement. My father's friends and a couple brothers left the church (cult) they were part of after immigrating to the U.S. to start their own church to be free to celebrate Christmas and Easter. We ended up in a Russian Baptist Church that our maternal grandmother belonged to after our 'Pop' was born again and the time came for us to leave that cult...No ornaments that have a story behind them from my parents growing up or me growing up.

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  25. I love things like that. What a wonderful history! Oh if only objects like that could speak! I have some very old ornaments and a music box from Germany from my father's side.

    Blessings!

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  26. That's really cool Sandi, I loved reading about that! Celebrating the harvest is always good! :)

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  27. I have never seen an ornament like that - and I love it. Thank you for sharing the story of the tradition.

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  28. I have also never seen a corn ornament before and found the story behind them fascinating. Thanks for the share Sandi.

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  29. I have not seen an ornament like that, such an interesting story.

    All the best Jan

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  30. That's fascinating. Sorry the first one got broken but am glad you were able to replace it. Have you traced your family tree? Do you know if you have ancestors from Estonia? I spotted you on a mutual friends blog and thought I'd pop over, one Sandy to another.

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    1. Nice to meet you, Sandy!

      As far as I know we have no connections to Estonia. The mystery continues. 😊

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  31. I have see that ornament before, it is a beauty!

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  32. Perhaps your second cob comes from someone who is glad to let go of sad memories of failed corn crops.
    I miss those pretty glass ornaments. On my tree hangs a blue fir cone - from my childhood.

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    1. ooh, Diana, I hope it was not given up because of sad memories.

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