The book is dedicated to the ethnography of the Upper Don. The author describes the beliefs, superstitions, customs, traditions and folk culture of the region. D.A. Lyapin did not set his task simply to describe, fix certain customs and traditions, but tried to understand the roots of the phenomena described. In the book, the reader will not find a complete list of all the signs, beliefs and customs of local residents with a detailed indication of the names of the informants. These are small non-fiction essays in which the author shares his thoughts on the origin of some customs and beliefs, and the rites of the Upper Podonya population.