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Crimean Tatars: Rituals and holidays

Derviza

The specifics of calendar rituals are complemented autumn holiday- Derviza. It is celebrated on September 22, the day of the solar equinox. After this day, the “dying away” of the forces of nature begins, i.e. autumn begins. The name Derviz consists of two words: “der” means door, gate. The second word is “visa” - permission to enter. In other words, in accordance with the functional purpose of this day, Derviza means “entering a new world.”

Before the holiday, as usual, the house and yard are thoroughly cleaned. Housewives bake bread, kobete. On the day of the holiday, girls in elegant clothes scatter ashes on the field, in the vegetable garden, in the garden and vineyards. The boys clean the barn and fumigate it with smoke. This holiday is organized jointly by residents of several villages that are part of one community - “jamaat”. As always, the holiday begins with prayer and the sacrifice of a ram. After this, several girls aged 10-12 years put on sheepskin coats, symbolizing the approach of winter, while simultaneously announcing the beginning of the holiday. Women roll a sieve (elek) from the hills. If the sieve lies upside down, there will be a good harvest, but if upside down, then a small harvest is expected, if it stands on its side, the grains will grow tall. At this festival, competitions of dancers, singers, poets, and ditty connoisseurs are held, and competitions in national kuresh wrestling are organized. Only on this holiday they compete in throwing a stone into the distance, saying: “May the dark days return when this stone returns,” in other words, never. Fairs are a must. Usually the holiday ends with a general dance - a khoran, which appears as a dance of the unity of the people in achieving a common goal.

On this day, the Crimean Tatars sum up the results of their work from Khyderlez to Derviza, that is, they complete the sowing of winter crops, receive their sheep from the shepherds who have descended from the yayla, and the owners make mutual settlements with the shepherds. After this, the whole village chooses a new shepherd or remains the same. Then the wedding season begins.

Ashir kunyu

Crimean Tatars celebrate the Ashir Kunyu holiday, which comes after Ashir Gejesi (Night of Ashir), which is one of the 10 blessed nights revered by Muslims. Ashir Kunyu falls on the 10th day of the month of Muharrem (Ashir Ay). This day is celebrated as the day of remembrance of the fallen sons of the prophet Ali: Usein and Asan during one of the wars with the infidels. On this day, the Tatars, unlike the Shiites, do not reproduce the details of their murder, but limit themselves to lighting a candle and reading a prayer. This month, a ritual dish known as “ashir ash” (food on the day of Ashir) is prepared and consumed, and clean spring or well water is drunk.

According to the legend Crimean Tatars, during one of the wars against infidels, Muslim soldiers were surrounded by the enemy. The food ran out and hunger began. Everyone began to look in their pockets to see if there was any food left. And in the pockets of the seven warriors various products were found: grains of wheat, beans, corn, peas, walnuts, dried fruits. Having collected everything, we cooked food. In memory of this event, seven mandatory components are used when preparing this dish in the month of Ashir Ay: corn; purified, specially processed wheat; Crimean peas; beans; various dried fruits; Walnut; syrup.

KHASKHYLAR: PROTEST BEHAVIOR OF THE KHAKASSES (late 1919 - early 1930s) Pushed by Russian colonization into the depths of their territory and classified as sedentary, the Khakassians were forced to use more intensive methods of agricultural production. Their economy, in which livestock farming remained a priority, was multi-structured and characterized by a low level of marketability. In economic management, the Khakass put first place not so much on its efficiency, but on a certain fairness in the distribution of produced products. The Khakass public primarily built its relations with any Russian administration by seeking from it the administrative-territorial formalization of the consolidation of the Achinsk and Minusinsk “foreigners.” Being strongly dependent on the human environment and being protected in case of trouble, the Khakass were constrained in their actions by a system of traditional values. At the everyday level, behavioral stereotypes of the indigenous population were formed under the influence of established views, norms and habits characteristic of the free and collective life of yesterday's semi-nomads, living in steppe spaces surrounded by mountain-taiga terrain, and the specifics of population settlement, which gave rise to some of their characteristics. For example, the tribal composition of the population dictated that 75% of all Khakass lived compactly in villages where many residents belonged to the same clan and often bore the same surname. This concentration of the related population, strengthening blood ties and relationships within the rural community and, on the contrary, generating distrust of strangers and hostility towards informers, contributed to the creation of mutual responsibility. Meanwhile, the main motives of behavior of the Khakass, aimed primarily at the preservation and reproduction of life, were also determined external factor – the policies of the state, the activities of its representatives and simply individuals who tried to solve their problems at the expense of the local population. Red banditry While clearing the territory of the remnants of Kolchakites and supporters of their regime, partisans, security officers, Vokhrovites and policemen confiscated food and property from the Khakassians, destroyed not only “suspicious” persons, but also, through provocations, residents of entire villages. In the winter of 1921, government troops and self-defense forces, pursuing peasant rebels who broke into the Khakass-Minusinsk basin, but, finding themselves unable to cope with local “banditry,” took out their powerlessness on civilians. Spreading rumors about the presence of a “gang” in some village, they burst into it, subjecting the population to arrests and executions, and their property to be plundered. Some leaders in the Kyzyl and Sharypov volosts of the Achinsk district used mass strangulation and drowning in reservoirs of persons suspected of complicity in the fight against the insurgency. There, in April–May 1921, detachments of communists and policemen, moving through the uluses and demanding that the population hand over the “gangs” as soon as possible, killed several Khakass. The behavior of government officials exacerbated the attitude of the Khakass towards the Russians to such an extent that the national congress that met in June 1921 in the Tartachakov ulus decided to create a new Cherno-Podkamenskaya volost in the Minusinsk district in order to separate itself from the Russian population. However, with the intensification of the insurgency and the introduction of special forces units (CHON) into the territory of the Achinsk-Minusinsk region, red banditry continued to exist, causing acute discontent among the indigenous population. Prodrazverstka Having switched from the summer of 1920 to confiscating food from the peasantry through emergency measures, the Soviet government also involved the Khakass population in surplus appropriation. But its collection, which continued even after the Tenth Congress of the RCP(b) (March 1921), which announced the transition to a tax in kind, led to the fact that, due to constant malnutrition, typhoid diseases began to spread among the Khakassians. Livestock procurement was accompanied by its death and a sharp deterioration in the population’s attitude towards the communist regime. An eyewitness who toured the district wrote to the Minusinsk leadership on May 15, 1921: “Having passed both sides of the Abakan River, I had to observe a picture of complete destruction; the widest steppes are full of strewn corpses of fallen horses and cattle, there is a stench everywhere... The mood of the foreigners is in the full sense anti-government... The people the district has been brought to the highest degree of tension against the actions of the district food authorities." In addition, local authorities demanded that the Khakass surrender their hunting weapons, which deprived the taiga inhabitants of their main livelihood, used young people in logging, condoned law enforcement agencies in the execution of voluntarily surrendered rebels and hostages, and the poor in settling personal scores with “class enemies.” The reciprocal attitude of the “foreigners” towards the Soviet government was one that the police called “hostile from the very beginning.” Later, Western sources informed their readers that the Khakass in 1918–1923 opposed the communists. Rebellion The protest behavior of the peasantry, as is known, was often expressed in the form of rebellion. In Soviet times, this phenomenon was simplistically combined with criminality and was hidden under the concept of “banditry.” But, contrary to the legal terminology that had become established in society at that time, the Khakass called their “bandit” “khaskhy” (“fugitive”), and the group of “bandits” - “khashylar” and saw them primarily as persons forced to flee from persecution by the authorities to the taiga , people's defenders and avengers. In the past socio-political life of the relatively small Khakass ethnic group, the Khashylar were not an ordinary phenomenon. Evidence of this is the folk memory, which was preserved in legends and the following, for example, fragments of Khakass chants (translated by K.T. Nerbyshev and in the publication of V.A. Soloukhin), which was considered in traditional society a manifestation of the highest wisdom: Violent Iyus behind the back with us, the Land of our fathers is behind us. We left the peaceful hearth, It was ruined by a fierce enemy. But the gun is in the hand, and the bullet is in the barrel And the saber is sharp on the side. I cannot fight against those who are committing outrages on my native land. Oh, my bay horse that carried me, Where are you and where is your saddle? My last hour has come, They are leading me out of the village to be shot. This time will come, my friend, The dawns of happiness will come. Our voices will not die Among the white birches and happiness! On the contrary, in memoirs and local history publications of the Soviet era, khashylar were almost not mentioned or presented in a purely negative light, and later this topic was not highlighted or studied as a separate aspect. For the first time, this form of struggle and survival was used by the population of the Sagai uluses of Upper Askiz, when in late November - early December 1919, partisans of the Tal regiment of the army of A.D. Kravchenko - P.E. Shchetinkin, advancing along the Yenisei left bank, appeared on their territory. Perceiving its fighters as a destructive force capable of destroying an established life, and trying to escape from them to neighboring Uriankhai (now Tyva), the “foreigners” complicated the advance of the partisan units and created a situation, the resolution of which their commander reported to the General Staff like this: “Force is needed here.” good and then go through the whole damned Tatarva and drive it (her - A. Sh.) to Achinsk district." At the same time, in the Achinsk-Minusinsk region there were Khashylar groups led by Averyan (Averko) Argudayev, Philip Karachakov, Nikita (Miki) Kulakov, Mansar (Mantsyrka) Mainagashev and Matykh (Matyga) Shadrin. Soviets and the indigenous population The spread of Soviet power in the national outskirts was hampered by the lack of appropriate workers from among the indigenous population. Back in the spring of 1920, the Minusinsk district revolutionary committee appointed Khakass who knew Russian as chairmen of lower bodies in the national volosts, but they turned out to be “the first exploiters of their relatives.” Therefore, at first, in leadership work, mainly visiting appointees were used, which allowed the indigenous population to consider the councils to be a purely Russian government. However, under the influence of various factors and, above all, the stabilization of the situation, the population reconsidered their relations with the new administration. The peasantry of even neighboring volosts treated it differently. For example, rebellious residents, frightened by rampant criminality By the time the Solovyovism was liquidated, the Kyzyl volost had already spoken out in favor of supporting the communists. On the contrary, in the Sinyavinskaya volost, judging by the rumors spread in the spring of 1923, the creation by the authorities of a “foreign region” was perceived by some residents as a “concession” allegedly carried out by them out of fear of armed uprisings of the Khakass, which would be followed by complete “autonomy” of the region, and then eviction of Russians. Outwardly, at the official level, national relations, relations between the Khakass and the authorities, thanks to the activities of activists, looked quite decent. But already in the summer of 1924, 8 thousand new settlers lived in Khakassian villages. Penetration as a result of the massive influx of migrants and the construction of the Achinsk-Minusinsk railway the Russian population deep into the territory inhabited by the Khakass caused a negative reaction from them. In response to the disdainful attitude of individual Russians, who considered the indigenous inhabitants “lazy”, and the seizure of Khakass lands, for example, by residents of the station village of Shira, at the Charkovsky and Bogradsky district congresses of councils in 1924 and 1925, representatives of the “foreigners” raised the issue of dividing one of the districts into Russian and Khakassian. In 1925 - 1926, residents of some villages of the Askiz region refused to purchase houses and allocate land to the settlers, which ended in fights between them, had a negative attitude towards the Russians nominating their representatives to the village councils, and even made decisions to close the Khakass territory to accommodate the visiting population and completely eviction. During zoning, the district revolutionary committee received dozens of applications from Khakassians who refused to enter communities with a predominance of non-indigenous residents. The negative attitude of the Khakass towards Soviet power was expressed not only in their support for Solovyovism. Representatives of the indigenous population were reluctant to join the police, where in 1925 they made up only 4%, or, being teachers, refused to work in the apparatus of the Soviet authorities. By the autumn of the same year, there were only 12 communists and 92 Komsomol members from the indigenous population in the region. Criminal protest of the Khakass. Joining the security forces in the struggle. With the end of the Civil War, the crime situation in the Khakass-Minusinsk Basin also remained tense. The rise in crime contributed to psychological condition a society brought up on the extremism of the Civil War, the extreme nature of war communism and determined to survive at any cost. “When the jaws of the dynamic modern world clamp down on static communities in order to destroy and transform them,” wrote one Western researcher, “robbery arises, a protest weak and non-revolutionary, but capable of restoring justice and “proving that oppression can sometimes be carried out in the opposite direction.” According to the police leadership, the elusiveness and activity of Sarazhakov’s “gang” were generated by the support of the Khakass population, which, in turn, was determined by the direction of its activities.Unlike other criminal entities, this “gang” took revenge only on some Khakassians, but mostly attacked on government officials and the Russian population, and also carried out raids on state or public institutions. The situation in Khakassia remained turbulent: the state’s tax offensive on the village, increasingly splitting Khakass society, was accompanied by cases of counter-resistance. On March 28, 15 “bandits” visited the Balganov ulus in led by the “kulak” Takhtobin, who explained his behavior to the residents as follows: “The Soviet government is ruining the Khakass peasants, forcing them into collective farms. So we are organizing to protect peasants, both Russian and Khakass." This is how the “gangs” of E.N. (Elizar) Tinnikov and E.I. (Khyylaga) Kidiekov were formed, numbering 20–25 rebels by May 1930. Khyylag Kidiekov Former khashylar later recalled that the dispossessed Khyylag, being a developed and authoritative person among the Khakass, taught them: “As long as Soviet power is stronger, we will wait for a coup in the taiga. When the red detachments attack, shoot to the last bullet, there is a good reserve, although we are small in number." Having conceived an anti-Soviet uprising, Kidiekov tried to prepare for it armed forces and for this purpose he carried out agitation among the population against the eviction of the “kulaks”. Despite the presence of seksots, the Khakass population mainly supported Kidiekov’s “gang”. In the winter of 1931, the rebels descended from the mountains at night and hid in the uluses of the Esinsky and Kazanovsky village councils. Their concealers were respected and influential former clan elders among the Khakass, 70-year-old A.N. Chankov (Kartoev ulus), 60-year-old E.A. exit of the “gang” from the taiga, prepared horses for it, collected food. Handing a rifle and cartridges to the arriving Khaskha Adai Kyzlasov, one of them admonished him: “Beat the bastard collective farmers, the communists!” Such villages were subjected to cleansing by the authorities: on April 29, 1931, 54 concealers and accomplices of the “gang” were arrested. In order to completely eliminate the “gang,” a detachment of 15 operatives arrived in the Kyzlasov ulus in May 1931. But the remnants of the gang continued to be active. Along with Kidiekov's "gang" a short time there were protest groups created directly in the villages. For example, in the village of Chaptykov in June 1930, 30 “dispossessed kulaks” were engaged in anti-Soviet agitation and theft of collective farm property, and were soon arrested by the police. A series of attacks on collective farmers in May 1931 were carried out by 11 Khakass from the village of Monok, Tashtyp district, who were also detained. The last “gang” in Khakassia, apparently, was a community of deserters led by Patkachakov, which arose already during the Second World War. They attacked collective farms, stole livestock, robbed residents of the mining village of Nemir and were liquidated by the Askiz police at the end of 1942. Quintessence The above indicates that the attitude of the population of one of the country's national outskirts towards Soviet power was not simple. The Khakassians did not immediately move to cooperation with the communists, and the policies of the Soviet government caused them a peculiar reaction. The so-called Khashylar movement, emerging periodically, existed from the end of 1919 to the beginning of the 1930s, that is, during the construction and debugging of the mechanisms of the communist regime, when it, not yet having a powerful and monolithic support among the masses, was maintained through the use of emergency measures , which, in turn, provoked people to disobedience. The most powerful and socially active representatives of the national peasantry resisted the communist regime. The behavior of some of them was anti-Russian, but more was anti-communist. The behavior of these individuals did not fit into the framework of a certain form identified by specialist scientists: at the same time it was an armed struggle against the communists, “passive” resistance and criminal banditry. Until 1923–1924, the activities of the khashylar were dominated by political motives, in 1924–1928 by criminal ones, and in 1930–1931 by political motives again. Meanwhile, the basis of the protest behavior of the Khakass, which was expressed in the form of flight, insurrection and destabilization of the situation through numerous robberies, was the ethnic group’s desire to survive, and the khashylar phenomenon was also a way of protecting traditional values. Fleeing from the actions of the communists, who were destroying the established way of life, the indigenous population tried to establish communal living in a pristine environment and delayed their transition to existence according to someone else’s rules. In the conditions of the strengthening political regime and communist modernization of the country, the Khashylar were doomed to historical oblivion, but remained folk heroes. A.P.Sheksheev

6 main holidays in the Crimean Tatar calendar

The basis of the anthropological type is made up of representatives of the Caucasian race; some Crimean Tatars have Mongoloid features. The language belongs to the Oguz-Kypchak branch of the Kipchak group - the Turkic family of languages. They profess Sunni Islam.
The people were formed as a result of consolidation (based on the use of the Turkic language, the adoption of Islam) and synthesis of Turkicized and Islamized non-Turkic tribes (descendants of the Tauro-Scythians, Gotalans, Byzantines, etc.) with Turkic tribes (descendants of the Turko-Bulgars, Pechenegs, Kipchaks, etc.). Thus, as a result of a complex historical process in the IV-XVI centuries. the ethnic core of the Crimean Tatars was formed. Representatives of each group contributed to the formation of family rituals and calendar holidays.

Rarely does a Muslim nation boast such an abundance of national and religious holidays. Among the Crimean Tatars, 6 dates a year are especially revered.
Yil Gejesi (that is, New Year)
Crimean Muslims celebrate it on December 22, the winter solstice. It symbolizes the arrival of winter. This family celebration, which does not have complex rituals. Southerners call it Kantar Day (that is, Libra Day).
Families make special dishes for Yil Gejesi: white halva and pies with rice and meat, with an egg in the center. And before the evening family dinner, each family member tries to discreetly smear the face of relatives with soot from under the cauldron.
After the meal, when darkness falls, the boys put on their outerwear inside out and in a crowd they go to the nearest houses to “carol”, loudly shouting at the same time “Those who treated us will have a boy, and those who do not treat us will have a bald girl!” House owners give children sweets and nuts.


Another ritual of this holiday is a coal given by a guy to a girl he likes. If a girl accepts coal, the guy can send matchmakers to her parents.

Navrez

This is the day of all farmers, which is celebrated on March 20 or 21. It announces the beginning of spring and the first day of the year according to already eastern calendar, symbolizes the beginning of a new agricultural season.
It is now customary for all Turkic peoples to celebrate this day, and the Crimean Tatars have been celebrating it since ancient times.
The main version of the origin of this holiday says that when in ancient times the Turks were driven out by their enemies from their native lands, they for a long time they were sad and forced to live in sadness in the mountains, until one day a warrior-blacksmith showed them the way home. But an iron ore mountain lay on their road. And only after completely melting it, the Turks were able to return to their native land and marked this as the beginning of their new life and a new day (nav is translated as “new”, and rez is translated as “day”).
This holiday consists of several stages:
1. Conducted old year. The housewives are putting the house in order, the men are preparing to plow the land, the boys are preparing themselves a goat costume (they put on fur coats turned inside out, sew a tail to the back) and make a mask. Housewives bake meat pies and cookies shaped like a twisted horn.
In the evening, large fires are lit near the houses and boys jump over them. And when it gets dark, they put on their goat masks, the girls take bouquets of snowdrops - the children go to their acquaintances and friends to congratulate everyone on this holiday, the owners give sweets to the little guests. Singing a song about a goat, the children jokingly try to get into the house and steal the birthday cake, and the hostess also jokingly drives them away.
2. On the eve of this day, the girls prepare for fortune telling.
3. Welcome the new agricultural year. At the end of morning prayers, elderly Muslims visit cemeteries and clean the graves of their deceased loved ones. During the day, children go to the houses of friends and relatives, congratulate them on the New Year and sing songs.
On the same day, the men, going out into the fields, give the respected elder the right to lay the first furrow of the year, thus beginning plowing.

Hydyrlez

This holiday is celebrated in the first week of May, when the first ear of grain appears on the field. Holiday of economy and social activities.
Muslims tidy up their utility rooms, fumigate the barn with smoke, pour grain on the window sills, and spray the entrance to the barn with milk.


Residents gather together in a clearing where there is a hillock. It is considered necessary to wear green clothes or at least have something green on yourself. Girls ride on swings, boys and men compete with each other in fighting competitions, and women shower each other with greenery. Then they roll the bread down the mountain. If it fell upside down, the harvest this year will be good, but if not, the year will not be productive.

Derviza

Celebrated during the autumn solstice, September 22. The celebration necessarily takes place near a sacred place with the sacrifice of an animal (in Crimea this is a ram).
Before the celebration dear Old man must throw a stone tied to his belt at the side, saying at the same time: “So that everything bad this year goes away like this stone.”


At the celebration, singers, dancers, poets perform, sing ditties, and compete in national wrestling. After this holiday, cattle are returned from summer pastures.

Eid al-Fitr

One of the 5 obligatory conditions observed by Muslims is fasting. It begins in the month of Ramadan and lasts from the first day of the new moon for the next 30 days. There are a number of restrictions for Muslims at this time: it is forbidden to eat, drink liquids, smoke, use foul language, engage in intimacy, etc. All this is allowed only in the dark: after sunset at night and two hours before dawn.
“Ramadan” (Ramadan) is translated as “burn,” that is, Muslims believe that during this fast one can cleanse oneself of all one’s sins and burn them. The doors of heaven open at this time, and the doors of hell are closed for those who fast.
In addition to fasting, Muslims must also perform good deeds during this period: invite those who are fasting to their place to break the fast and feed them dinner, feed the hungry, help the suffering, etc.


The Eid al-Fitr holiday begins at the end of fasting. After the festive prayer, Crimean Tatars distribute alms to the suffering, the poor, orphans, the homeless, and lonely old people. On this day, everyone who was in a quarrel asks for forgiveness from each other and makes peace.
4 days before the holiday, the Crimean Tatars begin to put everything in order - men visit and clean the graves of deceased relatives, women clean the house, begin to prepare holiday dishes, clean up, buy food for children new shoes and clothes, sweets. On the eve of the holiday, everyone must wash themselves, put themselves in order, and put on new things. Neighbors exchange holiday dishes. You should definitely feed your dog these dishes. Young women should serve festive coffee to guests.

Eid al-Fitr holiday

Celebrated on the 10th day in the month of Zulhija. The celebration lasts 3 days. One of the main Muslim holidays.
On this day, a devout Muslim slaughters or asks another Muslim to slaughter a bull, goat, sheep or camel (in Crimea, as throughout Russia, this is most often a ram). The meat of the sacrificial animal is then divided into parts - 2/3 is distributed to the poor, lonely old people and orphans, and 1/3 is left for their family and all guests are treated to soup from this meat. Thus, Muslims atone for all their sins and ask Allah for blessings for their deeds.


Crimean Tatars prepare for the sacrifice several days in advance - they put their house, barn, yard, and themselves in order.
The ritual of sacrifice usually takes place after the morning holiday prayer on the day of Kurban Bayram, but according to Sharia it is allowed to do this on the next two days. The sacrificial animal must be at least 1 year old and without any defects. Before slaughter, a special prayer is said.
Then Muslims exchange congratulations, visit the graves of deceased relatives and go to aziz (holy places).

In this article we will talk about traditions Tatar people. Let's look at the main customs and holidays, and also get acquainted with very interesting features life of the Tatars. If you are interested in this aspect of their lives, be sure to read the suggested article.

Culture

As we know, every nation has its own specific traditions and rituals that are characteristic only of it. And very often, people who have many of these characteristics become recognizable. The roots of all traditions go back to the distant past, which in modern times comes to life thanks to the national holiday.

The Tatars have two main words that mean some kind of celebration. They call their religious holidays the word “gaet”, and all national holidays that do not relate to religious issues are called “beyram”, which literally translates as “ spring holiday" or "spring beauty".

Religious holidays

Let's start looking at the traditions of the Tatar people with religious holidays. Here you can find many similarities with Muslim customs. So, the morning on such a day begins with prayer, in which only men take part. After this, they get together and go to the cemetery, where they offer prayers at the graves of their departed relatives.

At this time, women are at home with their children and cooking festive table. By the way, here the culture of the Tatar people has a slight intersection with Russian traditions. We are talking about close communication with neighbors, who always come to visit each other during the day, bring some gifts or simply congratulate each other.

For example, on the holiday of Kurban Bayram (day of sacrifice), people treat each other to the meat of a killed lamb. It is believed that a large number of If people can be treated to delicious food, the better the year will be for this family.

Let us remember that the religion of the Tatar people is Islam. Although, to be precise, this is Sunni Islam. But among these people there is an exception in the form of a fairly large number of baptized Tatars who were converted to Christianity.

Ramadan

Ramadan is main holiday among the Tatar people. Some also call it Ramadan. In general, this is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, which includes strict fasting. If you delve deeper into Islamic traditions, you will find out that the Prophet Muhammad received a divine Revelation this month through the angel Jibril. It was included in the holy book of the Koran in different interpretations. And fasting in this month is the main duty of every self-respecting Muslim who wants goodness and happiness in life.

The purpose of fasting is to strengthen the will and self-discipline of a Muslim, and also to remind him that he must strictly fulfill all the spiritual commands of Allah. Eating, drinking, engaging in entertainment or pleasure is prohibited during the entire daylight hours, that is, from sunrise to sunset. All you can do during the day is work, read, pray, engage in good deeds or good thoughts.

Eid al-Adha

Many traditions of the Tatar people are associated with this holiday. This, as already mentioned, is the festival of sacrifice. It is associated with the end of the Hajj, which is celebrated on the 10th day of the 12th month of the lunar Islamic calendar. It is believed that on this day Jabrail appeared to the prophet Ibrahim in a dream and ordered him to sacrifice his son Ismail.

The man went on a long journey, exactly where Mecca stands today. All this turned out to be a strong test of will for him, but in the end he still made the sacrifice. After Allah saw that Ibrahim’s faith came first, she ordered to sacrifice only a lamb. The meaning of the holiday is to glorify the mercy and greatness of God. He seems to be saying that the best sacrifice for every person is his faith.

The celebration begins in the morning. All Muslims go to the mosque to pray - to perform namaz. After the prayer is completed, the imam asks Allah for forgiveness of various sins and goodness for all people, after which all believers begin to recite dhikr together. By the way, this ritual has special specifics. Dhikr can be read silently or out loud, but this is necessarily accompanied by some kind of body movements.

After this, Muslims go home. Around lunchtime, a ram, bull or camel is slaughtered and a meal is prepared. Also on this day, it is customary to give alms to the poor, and especially to share various lamb dishes.

The peculiarity of the traditions is that the believer keeps one third of the meat for himself and his loved ones, gives the second third to the poor, and gives the last third, as alms, to everyone who asks.

National holidays

Now let's talk a little about folk holidays and traditions that do not intersect with faith in any way. The culture of the Tatar people is characterized by the fact that most of these holidays occur in the spring.

The fact is that at this time nature itself awakens, life changes, everything is renewed. And if the spring is good, then this means that people will have a harvest, and, consequently, a good life during the whole year.

Wedding

Customs Tatar wedding very interesting and have many similarities with Russian traditions. Much attention is paid to the bride price. Unlike the purely symbolic Russian ransom, here it is real. It's called kalym. However, all this is just an introduction, after which an excellent banquet follows with a huge number of guests and relatives on both sides.

At the beginning of the holiday, the host introduces the guests to each other, after which they together choose a toastmaster, that is, the most cheerful and witty person at the wedding. But this is a tradition that is already becoming a thing of the past. Modern Tatar young couples still prefer a professional presenter.

The main dish on the wedding table is the chuk-chak dessert. This is a very tasty crispy cake, which is generously decorated with Montpensier sweets. And the main hot dish is baked goose with pilaf. After the feast, the guests begin dancing, and the bridesmaids come up with tests for the groom, which he must pass with dignity. Only in this case will he be able to visit his bride in a separate room.

The bulk of the guests unanimously head to the bathhouse. And by this moment the son-in-law’s pancakes are already ready. The son-in-law should eat them and discreetly slip in a coin for good luck. After lunch the caressing begins. The bride sits in the center of the room and begins to sing sad songs about her fate. Relatives take turns approaching her in order to stroke her and say some words of consolation, maybe even instructions.

The groom spends 4 days in the bride's house, during which he anoints future relatives. The bride is giving gifts at this time young man handmade gifts. Then, after he has paid the ransom in full, the celebration continues at the husband's house. All guests and relatives are invited to give the bride a viewing party.

However, Tatar weddings can be of three types. The first one we looked at involves matchmaking. In this case, both people want to be together and do everything according to established traditions. The second type of wedding can occur if a girl leaves her home without the consent and blessing of her parents. There is a third possible case, when the girl is kidnapped not as a joke, but for real. Even in modern world This sometimes happens in remote villages.

Tea parties

The tea drinking traditions of the Tatar people are no less interesting than the famous tea drinking of the British. Tatars drink black tea. They love very rich drinks and can drink quite a lot at one time. But at the same time, the tea table is considered the soul of the family, so such rituals are very family and cozy.

Tea is a national drink that accompanies the reception of any guest. In more ancient times, it was poured from large samovars and drunk from incredibly beautiful and fragile bowls. In the modern world, tea is mostly drunk from cups. But at the same time, the samovar, cleaned to a dazzling shine, still stands in the center of the table.

They never drink tea alone; they usually serve it with jam, fresh berries, lemon, milk, oregano, sweets, etc. But most of all, Tatars love to drink salty tea with milk. They say that it has a special taste and Europeans cannot understand this.

In general, these people are great skilled at brewing tea. They claim that the future taste of the drink largely depends on this process. To make it tasty, it is very important to brew it in a porcelain teapot, which must first be rinsed with boiling water. After that, add a little tea leaves and fill it with boiling water by only a third. All this is covered with a lid and wrapped. After a few minutes, add more water.

Tea with cream or milk is considered a special treat. For this, fresh milk is used, but the main thing is that it is hot. The welding with this method is made as strong as possible. First, it is poured into a cup, and then cream or milk. And only at the end boiling water is added.

Applied art of the Tatar people

The art of the Tatar people is a complex of very different cultures. Origins ancient art their roots go back to the time of the Volga Bulgaria, during the period of the Kazan Khanate. At the same time, folk art is characterized by its unified nature, stable complexes and motifs, which allowed it to develop characteristic features.

The Tatar people are most characterized by floral, plant, zoomorphic and geometric patterns. One of the most ancient and vibrant Tatar arts is jewelry making. Master jewelers knew how to combine different techniques cutting materials and using the best combinations of colors, achieving an incredible external effect of the products.

The products of Tatar jewelers are very diverse. It was mainly produced for women. And they are the ones who can boast of the most incredible jewelry. These are special clasps and brooches for collars, sleeves, etc. Craftsmen could create fabulous jewelry thanks to their wonderful mastery of casting, inlay, engraving, etc. techniques.

A unique type of applied art is leather mosaic, which has its roots in Bulgarian times. A special feature of the Tatars is their beautiful patterned shoes, which were characteristic of the upper classes of society. It was made by stitching leather of different colors, making it very colorful and unusual. For this, silver or gold threads were used. Let us note that such art has not been noted in any nation.

A more classic and understandable art for Russian people is embroidery, which is characterized by a wide variety of motifs and colors. At the beginning of the 19th century, gold embroidery became very popular. But weaving, of which there were several types, also occupied an important place.

Family traditions

The family traditions of the Tatar people have ordinary values. The most important of them are children and marriage. Creating a family is not a free expression of will, but a necessity. A gorgeous bride is considered to be one who is virgin, can give birth and has a noble origin. It is enough for the groom to be rich, healthy and from a good family.

The rituals and customs of the Tatar people are unique, but they still have many similarities with Muslim ones. For example, a wife cannot leave home to visit relatives or friends without her husband’s consent. Parents cannot interfere family relationships couples. For them, this is a taboo topic (no matter what happens between husband and wife). The family is completely patriarchal.

Sabantuy

The Sabantuy holiday is an annual celebration that marks the end of spring field work. Until the end of the 19th century, it was celebrated in the spring and summer before plowing began. This day was celebrated in the same way, but still with peculiar features among different ethnic groups. The Sabantuy holiday has survived to this day and is very popular among the people. In addition, all the existing differences have disappeared, and now ethnic groups celebrate it in the summer, after the end of spring work and before the start of the mowing season.

An interesting tradition of the Tatar people is that this holiday is gradual. First, individual villages celebrate it, a week later - the entire region, then - the regional center. Sabantuy ends in big cities or in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. Previously, it was not tied to a specific day, but nowadays it is celebrated only on Sunday.

Unfortunately, some of the old rituals inherent in this holiday have disappeared. Traditionally, during the holiday, people collected food, children collected colored eggs. However, due to religious restrictions in Soviet times, the custom was distorted, and collecting food began to be interpreted as scavenging. Currently, Sabantuy is a national holiday. Even those groups of Tatars who had not known about it before began to celebrate it. Recently he even became public holiday Tatarstan.

Classes

The traditions of the Tatar people consist not only of holidays, but also of everyday work. The usual occupation of the Tatars is arable farming. They grew barley, lentils, flax, millet, hemp, etc. Many were involved in gardening along the way. Animal husbandry was stable and pasture, and had some nomadic features. For a whole year, horses could graze exclusively on pasture. Not everyone was involved in hunting. Manufacturing and handicraft production was well developed. Cloth and tanneries also operated, thanks to which trade developed.

Farewell to the dead

The Tatars also have such a ritual. It begins with the deceased being washed. Close people can also do this, the main thing is that they are of the same sex as the deceased. After this they put it on him special clothes, which is called kafenleu. This white fabric, which is sewn on the body by hand. The length is different for men and women. The first ones need 17 m of fabric, and the second ones need 12 m.

The deceased is usually buried on the same day. However, only men can attend the funeral itself. Note that the Tatars do not use a coffin, so the body is carried to the cemetery on a special stretcher. The deceased is placed in the ground according to the rules for the location of holy places - Medina and Mecca. The head points to the north and the legs to the south. The grave is dug by three men who are relatives of the deceased.

Funeral services are held on the 3rd day, after a week and 40 days. On the 3rd day only men gather. In a week, close women can remember the deceased. And only on the 40th day can everyone honor the memory of the deceased.

Music

Tatar music is very melodic. It is divided into several types:

• secular and spiritual songs, different in rhythm and intonation;
• bytes;
• melodies of poetic works;
• dance tunes;
• tunes;
• instrumental pieces.

When performing Tatar music, instruments such as gusli, kubyz, kurai and dumbyra are usually used. In modern music, classical instruments are more often used. Tatar music is characterized by monophony.

The concept of "culture of life", national characteristics of everyday culture . Crimean Tatars

Introduction

National characteristics
Life and culture of the Crimean Tatars
Culinary traditions of Tatar cuisine
Traditions of the holidays of the Crimean Tatars

Conclusion

List of references

On our home planet there are a huge variety of different countries with its own traditions, customs And culture. The relationship between these cultures and people is sometimes quite strained and tense, since there are national characteristics that are individual to each people.
It is no secret that those traditions that are considered the norm for Europeans are completely unacceptable, for example, for the peoples of Asia. It is very important to understand the various subtleties that relate to culturaltraditions and characteristics of the peoples of the world. After all, failure to comply with etiquette traditions and the cultural heritage of a particular country can lead to various conflicts. Today it is very important that the peoples of the world preserve their traditions and not succumb to the influence of an omnipresent civilization. The uniqueness of an individual nation lies precisely in its cultural characteristics, which are unique to it.
So, I want to talk about the Crimean Tatars, let's start:

Crimean Tatars (Crimea. q?r?mtatarlar, units h. q?r?mtatar) or Crimeans (Crimea . q?r?mlar, units h. q?r?m) - people living inCrimea. They speak Crimean Tatar language , which belongs to the Turkic group of languages. There are 3 dialects: northern (steppe), middle and southern (in accordance with the past settlement of the Crimean Tatars); the latter was strongly influenced by the Turkish language.
They live mainly in Crimea (about 260 thousand) and also inTurkey , Bulgaria , Romania , Uzbekistan , Russia . The Crimean Tatar diaspora in Turkey is very large. The vast majority of Crimean Tatars areMuslims - Sunnis , belong to the Hanafimadhhab .
The name “Crimean Tatars” has remained in the Russian language since the times when almost all Turkic-speaking peoplesRussian Empire were called Tatars:Karachais (Mountain Tatars),Azerbaijanis (Transcaucasian or Azerbaijani Tatars),Khakassians (Abakan Tatars), etc. The Crimean Tatars themselves today use two self-names: q?r?mtatarlar(literally “krytatarlar”)

The education of moral qualities among Tatars is carried out by parents, who warn their children against actions condemned by society. Parents try to prevent their children from drinking alcohol and smoking. Drunkenness and smoking, which were not common among Tatars in the past, are condemned by the older generation. In villages to this day, men rarely dare to smoke in front of their elders.
In a Tatar family, the father is responsible for the education, mainly labor, of sons, and the mother is responsible for daughters. The mother is more often involved with young children, monitors the children’s studies, and is interested in relationships with friends. The father most often talks about various social, political, cultural, and sporting events.
Among the Tatars, relations between parents and children are still influenced by folk traditions and restraint of their feelings. It was believed that children should not be spoiled too much with attention, especially from their father. In many Tatar families (mainly in villages) a unique relationship was preserved: children turned to their mother with their suggestions or requests, and she, in turn, turned to her husband. In the modern family, the traditions of adult members supporting the authority of the father over the children have been preserved. Nevertheless, absolute dictate on the part of parents, especially the father, and unconditional obedience and subordination of children, characteristic of their relationships in traditional Tatar families, are replaced by relations of mutual respect and mutual interest on both sides. Children are involved in discussing various issues of family life, and parents and all adult family members participate in resolving issues relating to the fate of children.

National characteristics
The most important and most attractive feature of national culture is its amazing diversity, originality and uniqueness.
By developing the characteristics of its culture, a nation avoids imitation and humiliating copying, and creates its own forms of organizing cultural life. If a culture does not have a special, unique aroma, it is like a faceless person. Like any manifestation of individuality, the identity of national culture is enriched simultaneously with the general flourishing of the nation and confidence in its future place in world civilization.
Each national culture has its own fruits: spiritual gains and discoveries, its own dramas and tragedies, its own vision of the world.
Nowadays, when in different countries and continents
hundreds of thousands of people of different nationalities live, abandoned by fate far from their native places, progressive national culture is called upon, on behalf of those united by a common ethnic origin or cultural heritage, to connect their spiritual interests, preserve and support
national traditions.
It is quite natural and natural for people to strive to understand their unique national culture. The importance of national self-awareness is that it morally strengthens a person, awakens his interest in national history, his values ​​and traditions. Severance from national roots inevitably leads to national nihilism and spiritual impoverishment.
Recently, the concept of national patriotism has entered the public language. It must be approached with all attention and caution, remembering that love for the fatherland has always been a holy and pure feeling. At the same time, love for one’s nation cannot be turned into thoughtlessly fanatical deification, one cannot fetishize one’s nation as God’s chosen, “the smartest and most talented.” Any exaltation of one’s nation and one’s people at the expense of others is not patriotism, but national arrogance, covered by a patriotic sign. A universal principle that cannot be opposed
patriotism lies in the fact that a person, loving his nation and national culture, understands that another culture always has something valuable and necessary.

Life and culture of the Crimean Tatars

Crimean Tatar settlements and dwellings absorbed the richest building traditions of many ethnic groups that took part in its formation, primarily the Taurians, ancient and medieval Greeks, Goths, and Turkic peoples. The peculiarity of settlements and dwellings was also determined by differences in economic structures: settled agriculture and traditional cattle breeding.
Traditional settlements and dwellings of the Crimean Tatars had their own characteristics depending on the natural and climatic conditions and landscape Crimean peninsula(mountains, foothills, coast, steppe).
The Crimean Tatar dwelling, created as a result of the complex historical past of Crimea, fully complied with local climatic conditions and basic requirements regarding air, light, and heat standards.
The surviving traditional settlements and dwellings of the Crimean Tatars must be taken under state protection, as well as a comprehensive scientific study of them must be carried out, because Their systematic destruction is still ongoing (destruction of the Crimean Tatar quarter in Alushta in 1990, bulldozing of an 18th century mosque in the village of Kuchyuk-Ozenbash, Bakhchisarai district in 1989, etc.).
It is necessary to restore Crimean Tatar place names in Crimea, which are part of the culture of the people and contain a wealth of material on their history and ethnogenesis.

When Islam became the religion of the Crimean ulus, monumental buildings of mosques, minarets, madrassas, durbe mausoleums and magnificent palaces for the nobility appeared. This architecture widely used decorations with glazed multi-colored ceramic tiles and gold leaf coating. Geometric patterns were combined with bright plant vignettes, garlands written in artistic fonts, texts from the Koran, poems, etc.
Culinary traditions of Tatar cuisine
The culinary traditions of Tatar cuisine have evolved over many centuries. While maintaining its originality, a lot in the kitchen changed: it was improved, enriched with new knowledge and products that the Tatars learned about from their neighbors
As a legacy from the Turkic tribes of the Volga Bulgaria period, Tatar cuisine included katyk, bal-may (butter with honey), kabartma (flatbread), dumplings and tea were borrowed from Chinese cuisine, pilaf, halva, sherbet from Uzbek cuisine, and from Tajik - pahleve. In turn, the experience of Tatar chefs was also in demand. Did you know that Russian chefs adopted the technology of frying food from the Tatars? In his book, William Pokhlebkin writes that at the court of Ivan the Terrible, fried dishes were prepared exclusively by Tatar cooks, because At that stage in Russian cuisine, the cooking process was reduced to boiling or baking in the oven.

Since ancient times, the Tatars have been engaged in settled agriculture and animal husbandry, which contributed to the predominance of flour and meat and dairy dishes in their food. Lamb has always been considered the favorite meat of the Tatars, although it did not occupy an exclusive position, like among the Kazakhs or Uzbeks. Along with it, they prepared dishes from beef, horse meat, and poultry meat (chickens, ducks and geese). The meat was eaten boiled, salted and dried, in the form of sausage (kazylyk). The recipe for kyzdyrma has survived virtually unchanged to this day.
Sweets are a special part of national cuisine. They occupy a separate place and play a special role in the life of the Crimean Tatar family. If meat, fish, and vegetable dishes in the family serve mainly for everyday food, for food, to preserve strength, then sweets are mainly festive food, used for receiving guests. With the help of sweets, the owners try to surprise their friends who come to the light.
Sweets among the Crimean Tatars are divided into two categories - everyday and festive. Everyday ones include solid lump sugar (katty sheker), various dried fruits (kurular), raisins (yuzyum kurusy), but sheker kyik, kurabye, baklava are usually prepared on holidays. Crimean Tatars usually celebrate special events and hold national and family holidays with these sweets.

Tatar cuisine also has its own food prohibitions. Thus, according to Sharia, it was forbidden to eat pig meat, as well as some birds, for example, falcon, swan - the latter were considered sacred. One of the main prohibitions concerns wine and other alcoholic beverages. The Koran notes that in wine, like in gambling, there is good and bad, but there is more of the former.

But, probably, the greatest variety in Tatar cuisine to this day exists in the recipe for baking from unleavened, yeast, butter, sour, and sweet dough. The symbol of prosperity and prosperity among the Tatars was bread - ikmek, which used to be baked for future use 2-3 times a week.
Crimean Tatar table etiquette had its own characteristics. So, for example, in the place of honor at the head of the table (ter), the head of the family, the father, sat next to him, the mother, then the older and younger children. If there were old people or guests in the family, then the most honorable places were given to them. Elders were respected as guardians of family traditions and bearers of the cultural values ​​of the people. The head of the family was the first to start eating with the word “Bismillah” (“In the name of Allah!”), and then all the other participants in the meal. Violation of this order was considered a sign of bad manners. After finishing the meal, they did not get up from the table until the elder read a short prayer (sofra duwasy), which included a verse from the Koran and wishes to everyone sitting at the table.

Traditions of the holidays of the Crimean Tatars

Eid al-Adha
etc.................