"Symbols of Periods" rubric.
Carpet cracker.
During the Soviet Union, a carpet rug (or rug) was an obligatory feature of the household and an invariable element of court life.
In the days of the Soviet Union, firecrackers were often made of elastic steel wire or ribbon, intertwined in the form of a round, oval "racquet" or in the form of a "racquet" with a long handle. There were also wicker options made of rattan, wicker or thick leather strips.
The racket was shaped like a tennis racket. The long handle allowed it to be swung with greater force, and the flexible working part made the same strong flapping sound when hitting the fabric, thus the object got its name.
Carpet waving is an ancient custom rooted in the lives of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia. With the development of cities and the appearance of multi-story buildings, the tradition migrated to Europe and Russia.
In Soviet Russia, cleaning yard rugs was a ritual that usually took place on weekends or before holidays.
A heavy wool/synthetic carpet (or carpet) was removed from the wall, rolled up and taken out into the yard by two (or three).
In the yards of almost every residential building or Soviet block there were special U-shaped metal or wooden crossbars for beating carpets and drying clothes. Some simply hung rugs on fences.
The carpet was hung on the crossbar face down, and then they took a cracker and began to hit it with rhythm and force. A cloud of dust rose into the air, and there was a characteristic resounding crash throughout the yard. Many had to wake up on Sundays to the measured "throws" of the carpet thrown out by their neighbors.
Taking out carpets in winter was considered acrobatics. The carpet was spread directly on clean, crisp snow, face down, covered with snow, and then beaten with a cracker and swept with a broom. It was believed that the snow vacuums up all the dust and refreshes colors better than any vacuum cleaner.