Decoration of the hut. How to build any type of hut with your own hands. Hut made of gymnastic hoop and fabric
The hut is naturally the most main element the holiday from which the name comes.
Hut - סוכה suka (Hebrew). From this word comes the name of the holiday, Sukkot. Why a hut?
The Torah answers in the book of Vayikra, in ch. 23rd: “You shall live in booths for seven days: every native inhabitant of Israel must live in a booth, so that all your generations may know that I lodged the children of Israel in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
What were these huts in which the Jews lived after leaving Egypt?
It is believed that we are talking about huts in the literal sense of the word: temporary buildings in which nomads usually live in the desert.
The hut should not be located under any building, it cannot be covered with any canopy, it must be in the open air.
The hut should have a roof made of cut branches, which on the one hand should not be solid, the stars should be visible through it at night, and on the other, it should be thick enough to provide shade during the day. You can use a mat as a roof. This is important, since many people live in huts for the entire week of the holiday, that is, they sleep and eat.
I would say that a modern hut is not very aesthetically pleasing on the outside, but it is cheap, reliable and practical... On the other hand, what kind of aesthetics can be demanded from the housing of nomads in the desert? :)
Often we see fabric a budget option hut, which is sold in stores.
Turns out fabric version has been known since ancient times: the Babylonian Talmud tells us about the use of panels as the walls of a hut. Some of the decorations of the hut were hung on these walls, the rest hung from the non-solid roof. The use of sheets in our area, in Eretz Israel, is fully consistent with the hot climate. The Talmud describes these sheets as being painted, and on them were hung nuts and fruits such as peaches, pomegranates, grapes, as well as wreaths of ears of grain, baskets of wines and oils.
In more northern communities, huts were made from more permanent materials, such as carpets and even the curtains of the synagogue ark.
Here are modern options, more capital, but also ready-made. Teenagers in Mea Shearim are just assembling such a hut; parts that have not yet been installed are visible nearby.
Restaurants also build huts for their customers.
Who has a balcony of sufficient size, can put a hut right on the balcony. Here are the two most common types of huts: on the left is a solid wooden one, and on the right is a fabric one. The wooden one is covered with a mat.
So far I have not been able to find images of ancient huts, earlier than the images of the 14th century, and I don’t know whether they have survived.
In all the images that I found, the observance of Jewish tradition is clearly visible, despite different times and different countries. The non-solid roof of the hut is especially emphasized.
1374
By unknown to me - http://samgrubersjewishartmonuments.blogspot.com/2010/07/sukkah-for-new-york.html , Public Domain, Link
1662
By The National Library of Israel Sukkot Collection - The National Library of Israel collections, Public Domain, Link
1722, engraved by Bernard Picart
By Bernard Picart - http://samgrubersjewishartmonuments.blogspot.com/2010/07/sukkah-for-new-york.html , Public Domain, Link
1724, Germany. There is a very interesting roof of the hut here; there is a part of the continuous roof that can open and close, apparently in case of rain.
By Paul Christian Kirchner, Jungendres, Sebastian Jacob, 1684-1766, Georg Puscher;
- Flickr : Sukkot, 1724, from Juedisches Ceremoniel, Public Domain, Link
Hut from Turkestan, 1860 Please note that its walls are made of carpets.
http://dl.wdl.org/10716.png
Gallery: http://www.wdl.org/en/item/10716/ , Public Domain, Link
This is what this hut might have looked like from the inside.
By Kun, Aleksandr L., 1840-1888 - http://dl.wdl.org/10714.png
Gallery: http://www.wdl.org/en/item/10714/ , Public Domain, Link
Engraving from 1868 by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim.
By diverse - scan eines Bandes im Eigenbesitz
, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25528630
As you can see, this version of the hut is reminiscent of modern, wooden, permanent ones. This is a solid hut made of wood, which is not surprising - in European countries it is not as warm in September-October as in Israel.
Cardboard model of a hut, Breslau, Germany, 1925-1928.
Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Aluminum hut.
A story found on the web.
One of these persistent observants was an elderly Jew. Every year during Sukkot, he built a “roof” of branches and leaves on his small balcony and invited friends. He did not tell his children what and why he was doing, because he feared persecution by the regime. Nevertheless, he enjoyed what was happening.
When he died, his son Moshe decided to also “cover” the balcony every year. He was sure that his father used the leaves and branches out of poverty, since he did not have money for a real roof. He decided that he would do everything differently: he had a friend who worked with aluminum and Moshe ordered an aluminum roof for the balcony. And he installed this roof on the balcony on Sukkot, all the years that the USSR existed. When the Soviet regime ceased to exist and it was finally possible to openly study Judaism, a rabbi appeared in the small Jewish community of the shtetl where Moshe lived. On Sukkot, the rabbi built a hut and invited all the Jews of the town to this hut. When Moses entered the hut and looked up, he saw that the roof was made of branches. The rabbi used branches just like Moshe's father. Moshe asked the rabbi about the roof and he explained to him why the roof was like that. And then Moshe realized that for many years he had been building a “wrong, unkosher hut,” thinking that he was improving what his father had done. And I really regretted it. But the rabbi told him that he was sure that heaven was very pleased with his “aluminum tent”, since he did not teach Halacha, but wanted to keep the commandments, like his father.
The hut is supposed to be decorated and this is done in a variety of ways. 
Here, as you can see, is a modern hut, simply decorated.
The main plant material used in modern Israel for the construction of huts is date palm branches. They are most often used to make a roof, but can also be used to decorate a hut.
It is believed that it is important to decorate the entrance to the hut, since it is through it that important guests (ushpizin) will enter the hut.
There are options for decorating huts that can be seen in museums.
In a surprising way, paintings on fabric that were hung on the walls in the hut of the Chief Rabbi of Denmark, Rabbi Friedenger, have reached us. During World War II, the rabbi was arrested and his wife fled to Sweden. For some time she lived in Stockholm with the Etlinger family and in gratitude she gave them these paintings.
Themes of the paintings: events from the life of Moshe and the wanderings of the Jews in the desert.
Watercolor drawings on fabric, Denmark, Copenhagen, late 18th - early 19th century. Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
"The sea parts for the children of Israel."
"Moshe and the Tablets of the Covenant."
"Jerusalem"
Decoration of a hut, 1886, Alsace.
By Alphonse Lévy (1843-1918), "La Vie juive" de Léon Cahun publié en 1886. - Collection Emmanuel Haymann, Public Domain, Link
The Israel Museum houses a complete, painted wooden hut from the second half of the 19th century from Fischach, Southern Germany.
The hut belonged to the Deller family. The painting on the hut was commissioned from a local artist by Tsilya and Naftali Deller in the second half of the 19th century. Before the Nazis came to power, their descendants erected this hut in the courtyard of their house. In 1935, with the help of family friends, the hut was transported to Jerusalem and was located at the Bezalel Academy.
The main painting of the hut is a depiction of Jerusalem with the Western Wall (Kotel Maaravi), a copy of a depiction of Jerusalem by a 19th-century Jerusalem artist.
As they say, there are earrings for all sisters, and on the other wall of the hut... 
... depicted as a local baron, patron of the Jews of this town, going out hunting.
To the right of the baron is the house of the Deller family.
Panel from the Sukkot hut "Receiving the Torah", wood painting, Venice, Italy, 19th century.
Museum of Italian Jewry (Jerusalem)
Decoration for the walls of a hut from Szeged (Hungary), late 19th - early 20th centuries. painting oil paint on fabric, then glued to boards. Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
The Zohar writes: “The children of Israel who leave their homes for the sake of the Sukkah are honored with the presence of the Divinity, and all the seven faithful friends of the King descend from Gan Eden (paradise) to visit them there and enjoy their hospitality.”
We see images of these seven guests (ushpizin). 
From right to left Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
From right to left Yosef and Moshe
From right to left are Aaron and David, as well as a washbasin for those accompanying them.
Menorah-seven-branched.
It is believed that the laver and menorah were added to the design of this hut later to indicate that the guests (ushpizin) of the hut would accompany the Messiah and the construction of the Third Temple.
1938, Georgian Jews celebrate Sukkot. Artist Shalom Koboshvili.
Pay attention to the design of the ceiling.
By Shalom Koboshvili - www.amuse-all.net, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18843590
The theme of decorating huts in Eretz Israel has changed over time, similar to the change in theme of Shana Tova greeting cards.
During the time of the old Yishuv (18th century), before the First Aliyah (starting from 1882), the main design motifs were landscapes of Eretz Israel: the tomb of Mother Rachel, the Western Wall (Kotel), the Cave of Machpelah (the tomb of the patriarchs) in Hebron, and also images of shofars , Torah scrolls, synagogue arks and the like.
During the First Aliyah, and especially in the 20s of the last century, many agricultural settlements were founded by newcomers and huts began to be decorated with images peasant farms; the peasants themselves working the land; images of agricultural crops, etc...
The decorations of the hut at the beginning of the last century were of poor quality, but from the 40-50s. When the quality of color printing improved, bright and beautiful printed jewelry appeared on sale. In the 50s, with the development of color photography, jewelry appeared based on color photographs, to which “gold” was added, as on greeting cards. At a time when it was customary to send beautiful cards“Shana tova”, it was customary to decorate huts with them.
The euphoria of victory in the Six-Day War was also reflected in the decorations of the hut: steel decorations bigger size and more chic, the subjects of their images were the Israel Defense Forces and its commanders; views of liberated Jerusalem; photographs of soldiers; Rabbi Goren blowing the shofar near the Western Wall and the like...
In more recent times, along with the economic boom, decorations appeared based on family photographs demonstrating economic prosperity: a family at the entrance to a new home; family travels by car; The family is sitting in the living room of the apartment watching TV.
Nowadays, the hut is decorated different ways, often using elements of home creativity: these can be children's drawings or homemade decorations. In addition, there is a variety of jewelry on sale to suit every taste and budget.
Ready-made jewelry that can be bought at the market before Sukkot.
Paper cut image of a hut by Tzipporah Ne'eman.
From my story The art of paper cutting - an ancient Jewish tradition
As we have seen over the long years of Israel’s existence, much of what we build causes an inadequate reaction in the world... So is the hut discussed in the satirical song Latma channel (לאטמה). Although the song was written in 2010, almost nothing has changed.
Boxes for etrogs
"Sukkot", by Leopold Pilichowski, 1894/95
By Leopold Pilichowski - easyart.com , Public Domain, Link
We all know about the four types of plants that are important to Jews on Sukkot. These are etrog, lulav (unopened palm branch), myrtle and river willow. Here we just see them all in the hands of the elderly man standing on the left.
And on the bench, the heroine of this part of my story, is a box for etrog.
Etrog Citrus medica var. Ethrog Engl. is a variety of citron (Citrus medica).
Citron (Citrus medica), a plant of the genus Citrus of the rue family, has the largest fruits of all citrus fruits. Their length is 12-40 cm, diameter - 8-28 cm. They are oblong, yellow, like lemon, sometimes orange color, with an unusually thick (2.5-5 cm) peel and sour or sweet-sour, slightly bitter, not juicy pulp.
In Israel, etrog is grown specifically on plantations.
There are also hobbyists who grow etrogs themselves. 
This is how etrogs grow on a tree in the settlement of Rotem, which I wrote about
I’ll talk about etrog separately some other time.
Before the holiday, most people buy etrogs at special bazaars before Sukkot.
Until the end of the 19th century. the center of etrog cultivation was Fr. Corfu, from where the fruit came to the Jewish communities of Europe. Later, etrog began to come to Europe from Eretz Israel. Today, Israeli etrog producers fully satisfy local demand and export the fruit to many Jewish communities around the world.
There are serious requirements for the etrog itself, and buying a good etrog is neither easy nor cheap. 
These are in a box at the market, obviously cheap, but very picturesque.
It is precisely because of the importance and high cost of etrog on Sukkot that this fruit is stored in a special box during the holiday. The box itself can be a work of jewelry; it is often made of silver and has a variety of shapes. It was often an item of luxury and pride for the owners and was passed on by inheritance.
I have not yet found any materials about the history of the appearance of these boxes, but I hope to catch up in the future.
The box, made in the 19th century, has an image of an etrog on top.
By Center for Jewish History, NYC - https://www.flickr.com/photos/center_for_jewish_history/4570671179/ , No restrictions , Link
19th century box made of Bohemian glass (cobalt) with gilding, Bohemia.
Cardboard model of a hut, Breslau, Germany, 1925-1928.
Box made by the Bezalel School (Jerusalem), 1908-1929, silver, filigree, semi-precious stones. Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
The box is decorated with quotes from the Torah. The front depicts a Jew plowing the land, as a symbol of Zionism's core idea of returning the people to the land.
In 2013, an image of this box was used on an Israeli stamp.
Second half of the 19th century, silver, Lemberg, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Lviv, Ukraine).
Cardboard model of a hut, Breslau, Germany, 1925-1928.
Very similar to the box we see above, 1780, made in Moscow and located in the Museum of Italian Jewry (Jerusalem).
Box on the left 1860, silver, Australia; right in the form of a duck: 19th century, Iraq, silver.
Cardboard model of a hut, Breslau, Germany, 1925-1928.
In 2013, an image of a duck box was used on an Israeli stamp.
Etrogs are also sold in paper boxes in which they can be stored.
Happy Sukkot to all those celebrating!
The whimsical outlines of the branches involuntarily attract attention, and you want to capture this subtle beauty not only in memory or in photographs, but also in real life. If desired, you can add an unusual decorative touch to the interior by creating interesting compositions or creative products with utilitarian features. Crafts from tree branches are a great hobby that allows you to create beautiful decorative elements with your own hands without investing any financial costs. Home interior decorated with this natural material, acquires a special sophistication, where everything is aimed at emphasizing his individuality. Before starting work, the blank for the future craft should be carefully prepared, taking into account the individual characteristics of the wood.
Crafts from branches - material preparation
For creative activity To decorate the chosen room (it could be, or even) you will need well-dried branches. They are easy to collect during forest walks, and also to pick up in a public garden or park. You can independently dry the branches that remain after performing sanitary pruning measures.
Before working, dry the material carefully for further use:
Inspected for cracks;
Cleaned from dust and dirt;
Peeling areas on the bark are sanded.
To prevent the appearance of unwanted larvae in the house, it is necessary to carry out disinfection using a low concentration solution of potassium permanganate, known to many. Depending on the design, the branches can be painted in the desired tone, covered with stain or varnish.
Decoration of various items
Having brought home a bouquet, you can quickly make a creative vase using branches. To do this, take any suitable jar - tin, glass, and cut pieces of branches slightly longer than the height of the container.
They are placed close to each other in a vertical direction on the outer surface of the jar and secured by tying it with a beautiful braid or ribbon. You can plant twigs on glue. Flower pots are decorated in the same way.
To make this wonderful vase, in addition to the glass base, you will need: a glue gun, dry willow or birch sticks, and wire cutters.
- Harvested branches need to be cleared of bark. It is better to do this when the wood has not yet dried, so it will be much easier to remove the bark;
- Next, using wire cutters, cut the bare branches into small pieces. Their size should be calculated based on the height of your workpiece;
- After the material has dried, we glue each stick to the base so that we get a kind of lathing;
- It remains to give the glue time to dry for 10-15 minutes. Congratulations, the twig vase is ready!
Crafts made from branches will always find their worthy use in decorating the interior of a house or apartment. Their shape and size can be completely different, because for their manufacture you can use various material. Products made from bark, wood chips, driftwood, sawn logs or large branches, etc. will look good. It all depends on your imagination and personal preferences.
Branches installed inside a glass jar in a continuous layer along the entire side plane will look no less original. To prevent them from falling apart in a makeshift vase, the bouquet should be quite voluminous.
For the products described above, you will need fairly even trimmings from the lower ends of the branches. The upper thin stems will help create a delightful evening with the flickering of candles. To do this, simply place them in a glass container so that they rise above it, pour no more than half the volume with water and lower the floating candles.
Charming compositions from branches
To bring an unusual accent to a room, for example, a bedroom, trunks topped with a web of thin branches, placed at the head of the bed in a niche cut into one side of the coffee table top, will help. A tall floor vase containing dried cereals along with branches will look elegant in a dining area or office.
Bizarrely curved branched thin tree trunks are placed in a vase and decorated with colors that match the interior decorative elements. These can be sparkling stars or snowflakes on the eve of the New Year, bright valentines on the eve of the corresponding Valentine's Day, or simply butterflies with fancy patterns on their wings, birds, flowers, fruits, leaves from any available material.
By attaching graceful branches to velvet fabric, the color harmonizes with the overall decor, and placing, after gluing on cardboard, the resulting composition in a wooden frame, you can get an elegant interior decoration.
A beautiful branch can be complemented with golden bows, New Year's balls or forest cones. This decoration will help good mood and evoke only positive emotions. In addition, New Year's decorations will create a festive atmosphere on the eve of the main winter celebration.
Branches in the interior: step-by-step master class
Tall trunks of shrubs (usually willow) will allow you to do this in an unusual way. For example, separate the sofa corner from the rest of the space in the living room. This partition is made very simply:
- To do this, use it as a stand wooden beam the required length. You can use absolutely any type of wood.
- Two rows of non-through holes are drilled in the timber in a checkerboard pattern, in which prepared branches are fixed vertically to glue. Their length should be about a meter less than the height of the room. The step depends on how openwork the resulting screen should be.
- To make the product look stylish, it is varnished.
Current bedroom design ideas are limitless - birch trunks in the interior are proof of this
Trimmings of trunks with a diameter of 8-10 cm with strong branches extending upward from the side at an acute angle easily turn into dear hangers. They can be mounted on the wall in the hallway, creating a natural corner with a specific purpose. Among the designer finds you can find birch trunks that act as cornices and even posts near the bed for attaching a canopy.
Will complement the picture coffee table, the base of which is a bundle of branches fastened vertically into a stable cylinder, and the tabletop is durable glass of a round or oval shape.
You can make an option with an unexpected effect by fastening the branches in the shape of a cube and laying it on the floor on the side edge. A plastic or glass square table top is placed on top.
Wall mirrors are often decorated with branches. They can be glued along the entire perimeter perpendicular to the frame or along it. There can be many options. Craftsmen easily make frames for photographs, children's drawings, and reproductions of favorite paintings from scraps of thin trunks.
A gracefully curved thick branch can become the basis table lamp. A branch with many branches, mounted on the wall near the mirror on the dressing table, will allow you to easily place all the jewelry.
This type of work requires gentle female hands and special attention.
Creative inspiration is the main incentive for a person who wants to create beautiful crafts from branches with your own hands.
In spacious hallways, one wall can be turned into a fairy forest by installing trunks reaching to the ceiling behind a high plinth with a wall mounted near the floor. LED backlight. This is one of the best ways Give your interior a picturesque look. Both thin and thick tree branches can be used as material.
Small items made from dried driftwood will look original. For variety, you can use tree bark and wood chips, later combining everything into a single composition.
We make decor from branches with our own hands
Crafts made from branches are always distinguished by their originality and unique design. With the help of these simple sticks and twigs you can create beautiful designer decor on absolutely any theme. , paintings, wreaths, flower pots, fancy animal figurines - this is just a small part of what can be created from this wonderful natural material.
- Making a wreath from branches is probably one of the simplest tasks that even a child can handle. Take thin rods willow tree and weave them together into a tight ring, then carefully tie them with copper wire. As an additional decoration for the wreath, you can use tree leaves, flowers, and forest cones.
- You can revive an inconspicuous tree branch using ordinary snowflakes. Cut them out of paper, foil or colored felt and hang them on each branch. Such compositions will look great in the house against a wall with beautiful wallpaper.
- If you have any broken light bulbs, they can also be used as decoration. Make it from soft wire special mount, with which they can be hung on a branch so that the bulb base is at the top. Next, through a hole specially made in the base, the light bulb is half filled with water. All that remains is to give our miniature an elegant look. To do this, the branch can be decorated with decorative braid, ribbons and bows.
Despite the fact that the process of creating some crafts is quite long and labor-intensive, the result of the work done will be amazing.
Even the most ordinary painted twigs can be an excellent material for making fun crafts. For example, unique products made from star-shaped branches will look very beautiful and fun in interior design. You can make them with your own hands on a regular table.
- Preparation of material. For each craft we will need 5 sticks. These can be branches of any tree, the main thing is that they are even and of the same length. The material should be dried and varnished in advance, so your products will last longer. We also need thread, rope or thin ribbon. With their help we will tie the ends of our sticks.
- Making a star. Place the sticks on the table so that they form a closed pentagonal star shape. Tie each formed corner with thread or rope and decorate with satin ribbons. The resulting star can be hung on the Christmas tree or given to friends.
To create something unique for your interior, do not copy someone else’s ideas, but try to do everything yourself. Feel the mood of your home, think about what exactly is missing in it, what things and objects could highlight your own style. Write down everything that comes to your mind in a notebook - these thoughts may be useful to you when creating an interior design.
Pay attention to the little things. They are the ones who are in creative union with non-standard design solutions create an unsurpassed atmosphere and focus on a specific element of the interior.
An original floor lamp is a creative interior decoration
Crafts from branches are not only beautiful, but also profitable. The main advantage is that their production does not require any funds, because the material itself is literally lying under our feet. Moreover, all compositions can be created with your own hands, involving your children in this entertaining process.
Crafts made from branches can be easily and quickly sold, because this unique decor, which is always in high demand. You can also earn extra money by teaching paid master classes on creating designer jewelry for beginners.
We really hope that this article was useful to you. Create, be creative, experiment and perhaps this interesting hobby will grow into yours. professional sphere activities.
The “architecture museum” of birds has a special section. The exhibits exhibited here, with their whimsical forms, meticulous decoration and richness of decoration, perhaps surpass everything seen before.
But for the competition bird's nests These structures definitely cannot be allowed, because their biological meaning is of a completely different kind, and scientists were not able to unravel it right away.
Opening of bowerbirds
When in rainforests When the first Europeans entered New Guinea, infested with mosquitoes, malarial mosquitoes and inhabited by warlike tribes of cannibal Papuans, they saw unusual buildings among the local wonders. Later they received the name bowerbirds or bower birds.
Intrigued travelers initially suggested that the mysterious sites in the wilds of the forest, carefully lined with moss, decorated with various objects and bizarre buildings made of branches, were the work of the Papuans, who were celebrating some especially gloomy religious rites here. It soon became clear, however, that for all the extravagance of their beliefs and rituals, the Papuans had nothing to do with it at all, and all these intricate fences, arches and huts were built by small birds.
Ornithologists spent a lot of work in order to find clutches or chicks of bowerbirds in these, as they believed for a long time, unusual nests. Only after many years of futile searches was it possible to establish that they are nothing more than specially equipped ritual sites for love affairs between males and females. The construction and decoration of gazebos and huts is carried out exclusively by males, who put their whole soul into this business and are not interested in anything else in life.
All the care of raising offspring, from building simple cup-shaped nests in a tree fork to feeding the chicks, lies with the hardworking females. But it would be wrong to think that the males, having withdrawn from caring for the chicks, spend their time in laziness and idleness. On the contrary, male bowerbirds are great workers, and during the breeding season they have almost more worries than females.
Construction of a nest - hut
First you need to find a construction site. This requires a small, well-lit clearing, surrounded on all sides by impassable jungle. A lot of work goes into clearing the place, removing dead wood, plucking out too tall grass, breaking off the branches hanging over the clearing, so that nothing will prevent the future friend from admiring the future building. Then the time comes to lay the foundation, and then you have to work hard.
The main material for the platform is ordinary moss. There is no shortage of it, but you need to collect about thirty kilograms of it in order to lay out on the ground a perfectly shaped, absolutely round platform with a diameter of about two meters. To this day, scientists cannot figure out what kind of “compass” bowerbirds use to mark the boundaries of their platforms.
Having finished with the platform, the male begins to erect vertical structural elements. Different types of bowerbirds act in their own special way, but two types of structures are most widespread. In some species, males stick branches vertically directly into the platform in a row one after another, and eventually the structure turns into narrow corridor, formed by two parallel walls of branches. In other species, the branches are laid at one end on a common vertical support, say, on the trunk of a young tree, and in this case the finished structure resembles a hut or gazebo. In some species of bower birds, only small twigs and sticks are used as material, which the males attach horizontally to the central support with their sticky saliva, so that something like a bottle brush is obtained.
Decoration
Then comes the turn of decorations, in search of which the males scour the entire area. You won’t find anything on their sites! There are colorful beetle elytra, butterfly wings, forest snail shells, all kinds of fruits and bright flower petals, bird feathers, pieces of lichen, and pebbles. If people live nearby, bowerbirds enthusiastically steal coins, metal and plastic trinkets, bottle caps, keys and the like from the village. It has been noticed that bowerbirds have a special passion for objects unusual shape or a rare color.
So, special demand blue and blue feathers, flowers and butterfly wings are used. Males arrange decorations in a strict order, in separate piles: acorns do not mix with shells, flower petals - with leaves, butterfly wings - with elytra (elytra) of beetles. Males perfectly remember the location of their wealth and religiously restore order after the daily midday shower. In between worries about replenishing the collection of decorations, males of some species of bowerbirds paint twigs and supports with dark brown fruit juice.
With the beginning of the wedding season, males spend the lion's share of time on the sites, sitting on a branch not far from the building, singing loudly and carefully peering into the bushes surrounding the clearing: will the modest “dress” of the long-awaited guest be glimpsed? Seeing the female, the male sings even louder, lowers himself onto the platform and begins to scurry between the walls of the hut, sometimes running into the corridor, sometimes running along the outer walls. At the same time, the feathered gentleman continually runs up to the decorations, touches and fiddles with them with his beak, as if showing off to the female the rich decoration of his bridal chamber.
He is not trying in vain, because female bowerbirds are among the picky brides and sympathize only with the most talented builders. The better the platform is lined with moss, the more neatly the hut is built, the richer the decorations look and the more rare things there are among them, the more the builder can count on the favor of the representative of the “fair sex”.
Lekking areas of males are usually located quite far from each other. Nevertheless, the neighbors are well aware of their location and regularly carry out pirate raids on other people's property in order to steal some rare decoration, throw the rest into disarray, and, if they're lucky, thoroughly damage the entire building. Of course, the alien dares to commit all these outrages only in the absence of the owner, so bowerbirds avoid leaving their sites unattended for a long time.
Young people gradually adopt the art of constructing and decorating huts from adult craftsmen, sitting for a long time near their sites and observing the construction process, the selection and methods of placing decorations, comprehending the science of mating dances and the correct treatment of “ladies.” Proceeding further to self-construction, young birds copy their teachers in everything, which is why a special style of buildings and decorations is gradually spreading among the bowerbirds of a given area, which may differ markedly from the artistic tastes established in other settlements of the same species.
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And here's another excerpt from the book by zoologist Gerald Durrell
Take bowerbirds, for example. In my opinion, in our world you don’t often come across such an irresistible manner of courtship. The satin bowerbird is a modest-looking bird, the size of a thrush, dressed in dark blue feathers that have a metallic sheen in the light. Hand on heart, this nondescript gentleman, like wearing a shabby cheviot suit to a shine, seems to never be able to make the female forget about his wretched attire and give him her heart. But he achieves his goal amazingly in a cunning way- he's building a hut!
Once again I was lucky enough to see at the zoo how the satin bowerbird builds its temple of love. He most carefully cleared the space around two clumps of grass in the center of the enclosure and built a path between them. Then he began dragging branches, straw, and pieces of rope, intertwining them with the grass to form a tunnel. I noticed his work when he had already built the tunnel and began decorating his house. First he brought in a couple of empty shells, then a silver wrapper from a pack of cigarettes, a piece of wool he had found somewhere, six multi-colored stones and a piece of string with the remains of a wax seal. I decided he could use a few more decorative items, so I brought a few strands of colored wool yarn, a couple of colorful sea shells, and old bus tickets.
Alashnik was delighted; he ran to the grate, carefully took the offerings from my hands and skipped to his hut to put them in place. He stood for about a minute, contemplating each decoration, then jumped up and moved a bus ticket or a thread of wool so as to achieve the best artistic effect. The finished hut really did look good, and the builder, standing at the entrance, preened himself, from time to time stretching out one wing, as if proudly offering to admire his masterpiece. Then he ran back and forth through the tunnel several times, rearranged the shells better and again stood proudly in a pose with one wing extended. He really worked on the hut, tirelessly, and I felt a sharp pity: after all, all his work would be in vain, because his female had recently died, and there was no one in the enclosure with him except a handful of noisy ordinary finches, who did not show the slightest interest in his talent as an architect and decorator.
In the wild, the satin bowerbird is one of the few birds that use tools; sometimes he paints the wicker walls of his hut with the juice of bright berries or wet coal, using a bunch of some fibers. Unfortunately, I remembered this too late, and when I finally brought him a pot of blue paint and a disheveled piece of rope - bowerbirds are partial to blue color, - he no longer occupied himself with his hut and was completely indifferent to a set of postcards from cigarette packs, which depicted military uniforms of all times.
Another species of bowerbird erects an even more monumental structure - from four to six feet in height, entwining branches with the trunks of two neighboring trees and covering the bower on top with vines. The inside of the room is carefully lined with moss, and outside this bowerbird - apparently a social bird with exquisite taste - decorates the mansion with orchids. In front of the entrance to the house, he builds a small flowerbed of fresh green moss and puts on it all the bright berries and flowers that he can find, and this neat guy changes the display every day, putting the lost decorations behind the house.
DIY hut for children: a corner of fairy tales and dreamsAll children love nooks and crannies. Only in solitude can you give free rein to your imagination and go on an exciting journey through imaginary worlds. This is why children often build homemade houses from pillows, blankets and other improvised means. But if you want your child to feel like a brave traveler or the hero of his favorite fairy tale, give him a hut. Moreover, making a hut for children with your own hands is quite easy, but the child will be able to fill his leisure time with exciting games.
Making a hut for children yourself - some interesting ideas
1. Sheet and rope
To make a hut, just stretch a rope between the trees, throw a sheet over it and secure its edges with wooden pegs or other suitable means. To make the child comfortable, lay soft blankets, blankets or pillows on the ground. And even though there is nothing supernatural in such a “structure,” a child’s imagination can fill it with an exciting story. A homemade hut for children on the street will give a lot of interesting games and, moreover, will protect babies from solar overheating.
When choosing a place for a hut, give preference to darkened and level areas.
2. A hut made of gymnastic hoop and fabric
An ordinary gymnastic hoop can be an excellent basis for a children's hut. It is enough to sew a long fabric to the hoop and hang it in a horizontal position, for example, from a tree branch at such a height that the edges of the fabric reach the ground. Alternatively, you can simply throw a large piece of thick fabric over the hoop, build a cone-shaped roof and secure the frame at a convenient level. Then, to hang the hut you only need a reliable strap or ribbon.
3. Hut made of branches
Probably every child dreams of traveling around the world, dangerous adventures and exciting journeys. You can help a child realize his cherished dream without going beyond your own summer cottage plot. Since brave travelers prefer to sleep not in a warm bed, but in a hut made of tree branches, made with their own hands, the baby will certainly be delighted with such a gift.
But how to make a children's hut from branches? There are several interesting options:
- Firstly, you can build a hut from flexible and long branches left after pruning trees and shrubs. To begin, collect as many branches as possible and select the largest specimens. At the site of the future hut, draw a circle and dig branches around its circumference, tilting them so that they create a cone-shaped frame. Install only two branches at a fairly wide distance from each other, because they will serve as the entrance to the future hut. Make sure the branches are firmly installed and supplement them with remaining material. It’s okay if the walls of the hut are “transparent” - being in such a house, the baby will still feel like, at least, Robinson Crusoe.
- Secondly, you can make a “living” hut by decorating it with foliage and plants. If you are in no hurry to build a miracle house, plant around the perimeter of the frame climbing plants, for example, grapes, bindweed, etc., which, as they grow, will beautifully entwine the walls of the hut. If you want to give your child a holiday “here and now,” simply cover the frame of the hut with branches and greenery.
4. Wigwam hut in the nursery and outside
Wigwam hut is traditional house Indians This structure has a cone shape and a strong structure. Previously, the Indians built their homes using thick branches, which were then covered with thick canvas fabric. We can also make a children's hut based on the wigwam principle. To do this, you need to select 5-7 flexible but strong twigs, and then install them in the shape of a polyhedron or semicircle. The tops of the twigs should be connected in such a way that they fit together like flowers in a bouquet, overlapping each other. At the junction, the twigs must be secured with a strong rope or a piece of fabric.
If you are installing your teepee outside, dig the bases of the twigs into the ground a little. If the wigwam is located indoors, tie transverse rods at the bottom of the structure that will secure the structure.
After this, decorate the wigwam with fabric. Most often, triangles are formed between the nearby twigs of the hut, so you just need to cut out pieces of fabric in this shape and sew them around the frame. However, it is much more beautiful if the wigwam hut is decorated with a specially sewn cover, to create which you will need to carefully measure the height of the frame and the width of each of its parts.
Hut-tent for children
Wigwam in the nursery
Wigwam for a child
5. Gable hut
Having done simple design from several wooden slats, you can create a beautiful gable hut or hut-tent. The most important thing in this structure is to choose the right fabric. If you are setting up a hut in the yard, it is best to use tent fabric that will not fade from the sun or become deformed due to high humidity. If the structure is located in a child’s room, cotton or any other natural material will do.
Indoor huts
If you are not confident in your abilities or simply do not want to waste time making a homemade hut, you can purchase finished design. For example, beautiful and easy-to-play huts are produced by the Swedish IKEA brand. Such structures are suitable not only for games, but also for storing toys. In addition, the branded hut will certainly become the main decoration of the children's room.
Children's hut wigwam
Hut in the children's room
You can also use a stylized awning or a roof over a bed as a hut. This accessory will not only give your baby a world of exciting games, but will also provide him with a sound and restful sleep.
A hut for children is not just another toy that quickly gets boring. It will help kids develop their own imagination and open the door to the world of a fairy tale. And for older children, the hut will become a cozy place of solitude, where you can calmly think about the world around you, read an interesting book or dream about a wonderful future.
