Black hen is a mystical being

Chicken and chicken, only black suit - what's so special about it? However, so many interesting things are connected with the usual blackie, that it's time to write about her a separate article. Whatever you say, a black chicken is a character of fairy tales, fortune-telling and superstitions.

A hen is not a bird?

This contemptuous remark does not apply to the black chicken, although it can not fly, nor its relatives. But, unlike other domestic birds, it is she who is considered a mystical bird. Examples? You are welcome. Some Scandinavian peoples have a belief that a black chicken has a connection with the other world and even feels its vibrations. That's why she was allowed into the cemetery in search of vampires. The chicken is on the grave - it means that it is here that the ghoul lies, it only remains to prepare the aspen stake. Many dream books attach great importance to dreams, in which there is a hen with black plumage. Most often she warns about future troubles in the family or with close people.

Some peoples of the Caucasus still have a tradition left from the time of paganism, to celebrate the New Year in the spring. The Adygs, for example, call this celebration only as the day of the sacrifice of the black chicken. In each family, in honor of the holiday, this bird is cut. It is the black chicken that is most sacrificed to the gods of the sun and fertility.

A bit about the breed

Chickens black - this is not one breed. Poultry with dark plumage is of different types and sizes. Especially popular are the hoods - the hens' favorites, who are also housewives. Austrolorp, minor, Sumatra are all also black chicken. Of course, black with their feathers, meat and eggs they have - the most that neither is ordinary. Although not always. There is, for example, a special breed of chickens with black feathers, beak, legs ... and even with black meat, bones and entrails! By the way, it was known back in the 16th century, so this is not the result of breeding or mutation. One of the varieties of such a miracle is the Chinese silky chicken, which is bred in Europe with pleasure, however, more with a decorative purpose. And in China its meat is considered delicious and is very expensive to sell.

Fairy-tale character

Written in the 19th century, a story-tale by Anton Pogorelsky "Black Chicken, or Underground inhabitants" is popular to this day. Books with colorful pictures were reprinted hundreds of times, came out on the screen cartoons. The movie of the Ukrainian film director Victor Gresya, shot in 1980 based on the plot of the magic novel "The Black Hen", was called a movie masterpiece by a film critic. The content is briefly as follows. The boy Alyosha, who lives in a boarding house away from his parents, once saved a blackie from the cook's knife. She, as usual, was not a simple chicken, but a magical, even minister of the underworld. This starts a fabulous adventure. For his courage, Alyosha receives an award from the underground king: now he can know all the tasks without taking lessons. And then the boy is experiencing a real break-up of character: he begins to bite the teachers, naughty and enter. And then he will have to be corrected: his friend-minister does not approve of this behavior and deprives him of the magic gift.

This is such an extraordinary character of fairy tales and superstitions - an ordinary black chicken.