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…
Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage and demanding a ransom for me to access them. I’m slowly cleaning up many of my posts where PB have added ugly black and grey boxes where my photos used to be. So frustrating!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
Oh my goodness! Where did you snag this photo from? This is great and excuse me but their legs are crossed – tisk tisk tisk!
Hi,
The photo shows 5 of the 7 daughters of George & Hazel (Samarin) Babeshoff, born and raised in the Guadalupe Valley (near Ensenada, Mexico):
The photo’s caption says:
“Taken in 1947, this photograph demonstrates the influence of American fashion on traditional Russian dress. The lace shawls of these women are called kascinkas [kasinki]; their high-heeled shoes are American.”
From this website:
http://www.molokane.org/places/Mexico/
I don’t see the photo being discussed here but from the comments I know the photo very well. I grew up with it. They are my aunts. They are daughters of George and Hazel (Samarin) Babeshoff.
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”!
I’m a Russian Molokan and to say that is CRUDE. I love my faith and being a strong Russian woman. And I love the clothes Married Women wear NOT Single. And we wear everyday clothes as well.
Hmmm, there’s a lot of ankle showing there. And the shoes are very stylish!
Usually the outfits are longer.
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.
My grandparents emigrated to Ensenada (last name Kashirsky) and I may well still have relatives (descendents) living there. I loved reading this background information. Thank you!
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.
I agree. And people get the wrong Idea about us Molokan’s. Sad that those who marry out post about us, but yet quite a bit is incorrect.
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.
We celebrate Paska (Easter) 7 days as the Jewish people do and if you marry out your not welcome to participate in Church tho you can come to a wedding, funeral.But having a problem with something you don’t understand…wow! We have had many American’s tell us they wish they have what we have. Beautiful Weddings, And we sing to the Lord.
Its not fair or nice to ban others for marrying out!
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.
The author, Bentley Little, is from a Molokan family. His grandmother was amongst one of the many Molokan families that lived in Guadalupe…
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.
You can contact the U.M.C.A Library & Heritage Room at 626-330-9330 or write them at 146 Orange Grove Avenue, Hacienda Heights, California 91745. Last time I was there Onya Koretoff was in charge of the gift store.
Correction: Address is 14635 Orange Grove Avenue, Hacienda Heights, California 91745.
are those maxims wives?!
Katie, hmmm I wouldn’t know but that’s a creepy thought for me. Were the front row gals in church of the same idea?
I know the second lady from left to right Anita. She passed away yesterday 6-20-2015. My mother and aunt were her caregivers. She talked about her life but since all of this was new to us. We decided to do some research and found this. She has this same photo in her home.
Maria, thank you for leaving a comment.
This photo is in David Babiyoff”s museo at his vinnacola in the Valle de Guadalupe. Molokon’s moved here in the 1910’s growing wheat, dairy cows and grapes. George Mohoff has written books on this.I have taken pics. of the Cemeteries, old adobe ruins of their houses, churches and the current ancestors living there.