The book is the first study of folklore and ritual practices related to wires for military service in the Russian village of the late XIX - XX centuries. During this time, the attitude towards military service, which determined the general tonality of wires, changed from the absolute rejection of army service at the end of the XIX century to its high prestige in the 1960s and 1980s. The book analyzes the reasons for these changes. In this regard, issues such as the structure of collective identity and the perception of the state by traditional society, the system of life cycle rites and the construction of rituals are considered.