Fairs and bazaars in the Kazan Province (based on materials from the newspaper “Kazanskie Gubernskie Vedomosti”)

Abstract

The authors investigate the fairs and bazaars of the Kazan province of the second half of the 19th century in this article which is based on the analysis of the materials of the newspaper "Kazanskie Gubernskiye Vedomosti." Their investigation considers the development of fairs and market trades. In addition to that, they identify the features of the location as well as the functioning of fairs and bazaars. The authors analyze their role as a center of social interaction of different categories residents of the province. The authors concluded that bazaars and fairs had different forms of holding (duration, scale, goods, timing and infrastructure) and were oriented towards different consumers. The bazaars were held weekly and played an important role for the local community, while the fairs were held once a year and were focused on large scale trade and a greater number of visitors, which included other regions. In contrast with the bazaars, the fairs played a more important role in public life in the form of special cultural centers. These venues encouraged interaction of different participating social groups. Fairs and bazaars were perceived by the majority of visitors as a holiday and a desirable form of recreation, which was facilitated by the infrastructure and cultural and entertainment program of these sites.