Snokhachestvo

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Snokhachestvo (Russian: снохачество; Ukrainian: снохацтво; Bulgarian: снахачество) was a form of sexual relationship historically attested among several Slavic peoples, particularly among Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Bulgarians, and Serbs, in which the head of a patriarchal extended peasant household had sexual relations with his daughter-in-law (his son's wife). Such relationships most commonly arose while the son was still underage or during his prolonged absence, were associated with the organization of the traditional peasant household, and survived in some regions until the early 20th century. Historical accounts commonly describe a characteristic form of snokhachestvo as involving the marriage of an underage son to an older woman brought into the household as an additional worker, while the father assumed the role of her de facto husband until the son reached maturity.

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