This is a photo taken in Mexico sometime in the late 40′s I think. A Molokan Community was established in Baja California years ago. This shows the typical Molokan outfit that married Molokan women wear to Church functions then and now. The head coverings are called a Kasinka. If you visited a Molokan church today you’d see this exact look that the women are sporting here. I think it’s a wonderful photo and wanted to add it to my Molokan Posts. My other posts besides my Russian Recipes can be found here and here. If anyone out there knows who these ladies are just leave a comment and let me know. Most of my immediate family left the Molokan church in the 60′s. I left well before I’d have to wear this outfit and I never intended to marry a Molokan so I never was in the position to have to wear it…
Oh my goodness! Where did you snag this photo from? This is great and excuse me but their legs are crossed – tisk tisk tisk!
How interesting — so, do the women also wear similar clothing in their daily life?
Wendy, No, they dress like the average modern woman on other days.
They look rather cloned; pretty yet cultish. Very interesting. Thank the Lord your father saw the “light”!
Hmmm, there’s a lot of ankle showing there. And the shoes are very stylish!
My mother in law (no longer living) looked just like these ladies. I am not Molokan; my husband was raised in the religeon and culture, but he married nenosh
The women are indeed beautiful. Many Molokans have the last named Delmatoff, Volkov or Kasaroff. I’ll ask around.
gonna have to google molokan….never heard of it.
Second woman on the right looks like Xenia (sp?) Petakoff married to Walter Petakoff. The rest of the women look familiar but can’t remember their names.
The things I learn in the Land of Blog! I had never heard of this group. Interesting!
Who are the Molokans? I think its time to bring up wikipedia
I came across your comment today (9-16-10).
If you did look up Molokan in Wikipedia, it is not very accurate.
There is no other Lord and Savior but Jesus Christ.
The person wrote about the Molokans and posted it on Wikipedia did not portray Molokans correctly.
Very interesting heritage Ellen B. So I guess your not of Jewish descent. While I like their little outfits I’d have a problem with the whole Trinity theory, but then things we don’t understand we often try to rationalize.
Have a wonderful evening.
Cori G.
ok – too funny – I thought the same thing as Lana with the legs crossed – LOL – and was thinking the same thing about the second woman on the right being a Petikoff, but unless she was visiting in Mexico it may not be her because I think the Valoffs (her maiden name) came thru Iran too – I’ll ask Pop today – picking them up in a couple of hours
very interesting post! never knew some of that stuff. My grandfather was from Russia, but he died when I was about 6 so I never really learnt much about it.
I’m reading a book “The Town” by Bently Little, that is a fictional thriller about a family with a Molokan mother-in-law who are now looking into their histories. That is what brought me on my Internet search. I find it all very interesting. The book seems to be handling it well, but I would be curious to see what someone who is Molokan would think.
Interesting. My husband’s grandfather (recently deceased) was Molokan. Last name Nazeroff. Pretty sure this is the town he grew up in. I’ll ask my Mother-In-Law about this picture.
My family is of Russian descent and traveled from Russia to Mexico. I am almost sure that they were part of this community. The last name is Nazaroff.
My deceased father-in-law Morris was born in Mexico, the Afonin family, they later moved to Los Angeles.
Does anyone know of a website where books on the Molokan faith, outfits and kasinkas are sold? Basically items that might be sold at the UMCA if I were there.