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Item description: Russian Old Believers Orthodox The Podruchnik (Russian: Подручник) is a small prayer carpet or cushion, once used in prayer for ground bow by all Russian Orthodox Christians in Old Russia, but currently only in use by the Old Believers. Measuring roughly 30cm by 30 cm, the Podruchnik takes the form of a small cushion, often with patchwork decoration which varies from region to region. Its sole function is to keep the worshipper's hands and face clean during the frequent prostrations that occur in church services, as it is felt that the fingers used to make the Sign of the Cross must remain clean during the prayers. During Church services, when prostrations are made, as the worshipper lowers his torso, he flips the Podruchnik onto the ground in such a way that when he is kneeling and prostrate on the ground, the Podruchnik protects his hands and forehead from the dirt and grime of the floor. When not in use, they are stored at the side of the church, stacked up in such a manner that the dirty sides touch each other and the clean sides only touch other clean sides.

Originated: from tradition of Russian Christian Orthodox Fundamentalists Old Believers (concervative group of Russian religious dissentents). All Old Believers items like icons, crosses, books never have any mark of factory or print house, a stroke of codes, dates of the edition or producing and other numbers. Such marks, numbers or digits are considered by Old Believers belonging to the world of the AntiChrist. All items made by Old Believers, are rare and unique and it is never sold in shops and  distributed only inside community due to this religious restrictions.

Material: textile

Measurements: 31x31 cm

Condition: very good

Lacks, defects, damage: no

Item story: I have received this Podruchnik at annual fair in Moscow where christians belonged to Old Believers communities from distant villages of Russia sell they products and artifacts.

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An Explanation of the Russian Orthodox Podruchnik given by Old Believers: Russian Old Believers Orthodox The Podruchnik (Russian: Подручник) is a small prayer carpet or cushion, once used in prayer by all Russian Orthodox Christians in Old Russia, but currently only in use by the Old Believers. Measuring roughly 20cm by 20 cm, the Podruchnik takes the form of a small cushion, often with patchwork decoration which varies from region to region. Its sole function is to keep the worshipper's hands and face clean during the frequent prostrations that occur in church services, as it is felt that the fingers used to make the Sign of the Cross must remain clean during the prayers. During Church services, when prostrations are made, as the worshipper lowers his torso, he flips the Podruchnik onto the ground in such a way that when he is kneeling and prostrate on the ground, the Podruchnik protects his hands and forehead from the dirt and grime of the floor. When not in use, they are stored at the side of the church, stacked up in such a manner that the dirty sides touch each other and the clean sides only touch other clean sides.

Poyasny ("little bow", literally belt bow) and zemnoy poklon ("great bow", literally ground bow) are different kinds of bows used in an Eastern Orthodox worship service.
Different types of bows

The different kinds of bows one could encounter at an Eastern Orthodox service are shown in the picture on the right. Only types 2, 5 and 6 have their own independent meaning and rules of usage; the other types are either "lightened" or "weighted" versions of these three "basic" versions. Strict rules exist as to which type of a bow should be used at any particular time. These rules are very complicated, and are not always carried out in most parishes. Old Believers are generally much more punctillious about bows in comparison with the official Orthodoxy.

1. The first type is a 'head-only bow'. This type of bow does not have its own assigned usage, but can be used only instead of a 'belt-low bow' (2) in some situations, such as when one cannot make a lower bow since there are too many people in the church, or due to back problems. People also should keep standing in this position during reading of Gospels and some other important periods of the service.
2. 'Belt-low bow' (поясной поклон) can also be called an 'ordinary bow', since it's the most widespread type of bow. Most bows during the Eastern Orthodox service are of this kind. However sometimes, for example, during the Lent, the bows became lower and 'earth-low bows' (5) should be used instead.
3. 'Belt-low bow with touching earth by a hand'. This type of a bow could be treated in two ways: sometimes it's only the 'very thoroughly done type 2 bow'. Sometimes, on the other hand, it's a 'lightened' version of an 'earth-low bow' (5). For example, when Popovtsy Old Believers ask their priests for a blessing, they should, theoretically, perform a 'earth-low bow'. But since one could ask a priest for a blessing during an occasional meeting on a street, where it is rather uncomfortable to make a full 'earth-low bow', usually one only touches the earth with one's right hand (usually the back side of a hand).
4. Metanoia (метание , 'metanie) is also a 'lightened' version of a 'earth-low bow' that is used in Old Believers services sometimes.[dubious – discuss]
5. Zemnoy poklon (земной поклон, full earth-low bow) is a special type of bow which is especially important for Old Believers.
6. Prostration is used only during the service of imposition of holy orders.

It is also important to note that traditionally, the Eastern Orthodox service has no kneeling in the Western sense of standing on one's knees, but nowadays many churches of mainstream Eastern Orthodoxy have begun to use pews and kneelers, and thus have begun kneeling in some parts of the service. This is a custom borrowed from Roman Catholics. Traditional Orthodox and Old Believers reject kneeling and keep themselves in the zemnoy poklon (5) position during these parts of the service.

Orthodox tradition specifes that the faithful are not to prostrate themselves in prayer from Pascha (Easter) until Pentecost, or on any Sundays throughout the year. There is some variation in interpretation of this tradition. Old Believers tend to limit the prohibition to only those portions of worship which are specifically "prayer"; whereas mainstream Orthodox do not prostrate themselves at all on these days (with certain exceptions, such as when the Exaltation of the Cross falls on a Sunday).

About Old Believers: Russian Christian Orthodox Fundamentalists or Old Believers, or more correctly, Old Ritualists are Orthodox Christians who adhere to the service books and ritual of the Russian Orthodox Church prior to the reforms made to those books and services by the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Nikon beginning in the year 1653. Opponents of the ecclesiastical reforms of Nikon emerged among all strata of the people and in relatively large numbers. The Old Believers fiercely rejected all innovations, and the most radical amongst them maintained that the official Russian Church had fallen into the hands of the Antichrist. The State church anathematized both the old rites and books and those who wished to stay loyal to them. From that moment, the Old Believers officially lacked all civil rights. The State church had the most active Old Believers arrested, and executed many of them some years later in 1682. After 1685 a period of persecutions began, including both torture and executions. Many Old Believers fled Russia altogether. However, Old Believers became the dominant denomination in many Russian regions, including North and Siberia. Before the Russian Revolution in 1917 there were probably more than 20 million Old Believers located throughout the Russian Empire and in Diaspora, but now after nearly a century of Communist persecution and simple secularization of Russian people, that number probably does not exceed 2 million. Old Ritualists are known for their strict adherence to the practices of the Russian Orthodox Church as it existed prior to Patriarch Nikon. Additionally, Old Ritualists have preserved ancient customs, traditional way of life, ancient clothes of Old Russia, natural rural economy, ancient form of church prayer singing, known as Znamenny Chant, that continues to draw the attention of other Orthodox Christians, as well as scholars and historians.

Group of Russian Christian Orthodox Fundamentalists Old Believers. Village near Volga river. Circa 1916

Russian Christian Orthodox Old Believers confidently speak about themselves: "Orthodoxy means right teaching, correct doctrine. Orthodox Christianity is the true doctrine of Christ. When Orthodoxy came to the Slavic lands, the term was rendered as pravoslavie – right glorification, which fits the importance attached to worshipping God in beauty as well as in truth. Christianity is concerned with man's salvation from evil. The belief of the mind and the praise of the lips would be hollow if not joined to virtue. And so, true belief and true worship must bear fruit in right conduct, good morals and righteous actions. In Orthodox Christianity, man's mind, soul and body are elevated and ennobled to rise above the merely mundane and to lead what one writer has given as the very definition of Orthodoxy: new life in the Holy Spirit."  Now it is still possible to meet this people in remote parts of Russia, mostly in Siberia.

Russian Christian Orthodox Fundamentalists Old Believers.

Village in Syberia, Altay mountains. Nova days, 2007