The Crimean Tatar people perceive May 18 as a special day. This is a day of mourning for those killed in the past, as well as in the deportation of 1944, this is a call to unite in the name of returning the people to their historical homeland. The world knows May 18, 1944 as the last day of demographic policy...

The word Ramadan (Ramadan) is translated as “burn”, that is, during this month, when fasting is observed, all sins “burn” and the doors of heaven open, and the doors of hell close. Ramadan is the best remedy atonement for sins committed during the year. Currently...

Navrez is ancient holiday landowners, it is celebrated as the beginning of spring and the new economic year. The name is given from the Iranian words: nav means “new” and rez (ruz) - “day”. On March 21, a holiday is celebrated when the Sun enters the constellation Aries (the Sheep), Crimean Tatars They say...

Muslims observe five obligatory conditions, the fourth of which is fasting. The beginning of fasting is the first day of the new moon in the month of Ramadan (Ramadan) and fasting is observed for 30 days. The meaning of the word Ramadan (Ramadan) is to burn, that is, all sins “burn away” if you observe...

A special place in the calendar holidays of the Crimean Tatars is occupied by the ancient family celebration Yil Gejesi. His rituals are quite simple. It is celebrated as the beginning of winter, namely on December 22, when the most long night per year. All Crimean Tatars celebrated this holiday, but...

Kurban Bayram is one of the most important holidays for Muslims. It begins on the tenth day of the month called Dhu al-Hijjah and is celebrated for four days. These days, all wealthy Muslims slaughter a goat, sheep, camel or bull, depending on their financial...

Traditional holiday of the Crimean Tatars Ashir kunyu. It comes immediately after Ashir Gejesi (Night of Ashir), this particular night is one of the ten blessed nights that Muslims revere. The 10th day of the month of Muharrem (Ashir ay) became the day of Ashir Kunyu. This is considered the day to remember...

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, the 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 compress static communities in order to destroy and transform them, wrote one of the Western researchers, robbery arises, a protest that is weak and non-revolutionary, but capable of restoring justice and “proving that sometimes oppression can 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 organizations, this “gang” took revenge only on some Khakass, but mainly attacked 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 countryside, increasingly splitting Khakassian society, was accompanied by cases of counter-resistance. On March 28, the Balganov ulus was visited by 15 “bandits” led by the “kulak” Takhtobin, who explained his behavior to the residents as follows: “The Soviet government is ruining the Khakassian peasants, forcing them into collective farms. So we are organizing to protect the peasants, both Russian and Khakass." This is how the “gangs” of E.N. were formed. (Elizara) Tinnikova and E.I. (Khyylaga) Kidiekov, 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 troops attack, shoot to the last bullet, there is a good reserve, although We are few 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 “disenfranchised 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 is a family holiday that 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 by 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).

Tatarstan is one of the most distinctive regions Russian Federation. The culture of the region is of interest both within the country and in the rest of the world. There is no doubt that there are individual Tatar holidays that are unique. Like the culture of this entire people, they are of particular interest.

Traditions of the region

In Russia it is still difficult to find such an entity that would so carefully protect its national memory and pass it on from generation to generation. Tatar traditions originate in hoary antiquity, intertwined with religion, they result in that very original culture.

As examples of things unique to Tatarstan, one can name special rituals at the birth of a child (includes a whole set of sequential rituals - ebilek, avyzlandyru, babai munchasy, babai ashy), the groom's courtship of the bride (it is from here that such a ritual became known throughout the country, like bride price), wedding (this ritual took place in several stages and could last up to six months).

Faith and rituals

Tatars are long-time followers of the Islamic religion. Islam has deeply penetrated the very essence of this nation, thereby having a huge impact on its self-awareness. Islamic traditions are still alive today, so it is not surprising that Tatar national holidays of a religious nature are actively celebrated today. To denote celebrations associated with faith, there are even separate names - Gayet and Bayram. They are especially respected Religious holidays dedicated to fasting, sacrifices and significant dates from the life of the prophet Muhammad.

Spring holidays

Spring is a special time in life Tatar people. This time of year always brings with it long-awaited warmth, which has long been regarded, regardless of religion, as the beginning of something new, the return of nature to life. Therefore, it is quite understandable that quite large Tatar celebrations are celebrated during this season. One of the most ancient such celebrations is called “Boz karau, boz bagu” and is associated with the long-awaited thaw. As you know, the first thing a thaw brings with it is the disappearance of ice from reservoirs, so such an event is usually celebrated as the first victory of spring over winter, which has been staying away for too long.

Spring New Year

Nowadays, perhaps the most important holiday of spring is Novruz Bayram - a celebration of In fact, on this day, according to the lunar Muslim calendar, the real New Year begins. In Tatarstan, this day is celebrated on a grand scale; it is customary to celebrate it with several families, and dishes of beans, peas, and rice must be present on the table. These celebrations are special for the entire people; they are celebrated noisily and joyfully, which, according to legend, will bring good luck and joy for the whole next year. In a word, this Tatar spring holiday is of a family nature, helping to strengthen family ties.

Hydyrlez

The ancient culture of many peoples is in one way or another connected with cattle breeding and agriculture. The Tatars were no exception. For a long time they held the craft of a shepherd in high esteem. The Tatar holiday Khydyrlez, celebrated in early May, is full of pastoral traditions. In ancient times, this celebration was especially revered and celebrated, as a rule, for two or three days.

As a ritual on this holiday, there must be the making of special bread - kalakaya, which is baked in hot ashes. The main festivities on the occasion of Hydyrlez take place in the evening. A traditional element for these celebrations is bonfires, over which both adults and children jump. On Khydyrlez, it is customary for the Tatars to begin spring cattle-breeding work, which once again refers to the ancient occupation of this people. It is worth saying that this celebration is also very popular among the related Gagauz people.

Sabantuy

Not a single celebration is known outside the republic as well as Sabantuy - a Tatar holiday dedicated to the beginning of agricultural work. Now this celebration is celebrated on June 23, but in ancient times the date was chosen by the elders of individual villages. Shortly before the start of the holiday, children went to the guests asking them to give them treats. The kids brought the collected food home, and there the female half of the family prepared treats from it for the morning table. Particular attention was paid to festive porridge; this ritual was called “Rook porridge”. After breakfast they started holiday events, the first of which is the collection of eggs by children. These eggs were then painted in different colors. In the houses they baked buns, pretzels, and small balls of dough - baursaks.

The main celebrations should take place in squares (in Tatar - “Maidans”). One of the most famous competitions is sash wrestling, kuresh. At the same time, running competitions take place, where all participants are divided into age groups. The competition ends with races.

Nowadays, Sabantuy is a Tatar holiday, which has received the status of the main national celebration of Tatarstan. It is celebrated not only in villages, but also in the squares of large cities. Talent competitions among singers and dancers also began to be held.

Zhyen

Traditional holidays of the Tatar people most often have a rationale associated with the beginning of one or another stage in agricultural processes. Zhyen is no exception - a celebration marking the completion of work in the field and the beginning of hay cutting. In ancient times, Zhyen was celebrated after the return home of the elders of Tatar villages, who came home after kurultai (general meetings of the leadership of various Tatar communities). However, over time, the tradition of this celebration has changed. Residents of some villages were invited to others by their neighbors. The guests brought gifts with them: food, jewelry, crafts made of wood and metal, fabric products, and went to the celebration on carts painted for a special occasion. A new dinner was served for each person who arrived. The general dinner began in the full presence of all guests.

Zhyen can also be called a kind of holiday for brides and grooms. According to Tatar tradition, there are very few celebrations at which both boys and girls could freely communicate with each other. Zhyen is one of these holidays. On mass celebrations young people tried to find a soul mate, and their parents, in turn, also tried to find a worthy match for their children.

Salamat

Among traditional holidays Tatarstan, celebrated in the fall, the most notable is Salamat - a celebration dedicated to the end of the harvest. The holiday got its name from the main treat of the festive table, salamata porridge. It was made from wheat flour and cooked in milk. This dish was made by the female part of the family, while the male half invited relatives and friends to visit. Then everyone gathered for festive table, where, in addition to porridge, there were dishes from those products that were collected. Everyone was given tea as a treat after meals.

Ramadan

The culture of Tatarstan, as has already become obvious, is closely intertwined with Islam. So residents of the region consider it their religious duty to fast during the ninth, holy month of the Muslim calendar, called Ramadan.

Fasting is one of the many pillars of Islam. In fact, this month is nothing more than a period for the self-purification of the believer, both physically and spiritually. Fasting (or soum) involves abstaining from eating food, liquids, drinking alcohol, smoking, and intimate contacts. The prohibition on this lasts from dawn to dusk of each day of the holy month. All of these measures should push the believer to renounce sinful intentions and evil plans.

All adult and healthy Muslims, regardless of gender, are required to observe soum. Only travelers, as well as women (due to menstruation or breastfeeding), can receive relief from fasting. To repay the indulgence, they must somehow help another fasting person. Tatar traditions honor fasting. Ramadan ends large-scale holiday called Eid al-Adha.

Eid al Adha

The next month after Ramadan is Shawwal. Its first day is the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, a celebration of the end of fasting. On this day, the believer finally awaits such a long-awaited breaking of the fast after a grueling fast. Like other religious Tatar holidays, Eid al-Fitr represents, first of all, one of the stages of self-purification for the believer and contributes to the formation of strong family ties. On this day, it is customary to gather as one large family and spend time like this from morning to evening, because according to ancient Muslim beliefs, the souls of deceased relatives also come to this meeting.

In general, the holiday is marked with a very joyful tone, everyone has hopes that Eid al-Fitr will bring them happiness and prosperity for the whole next year. On the day of breaking the fast, various entertainment events are supposed to be organized, and fairs with active trade are held in cities.

Eid al-Adha

Tatar holidays cannot be adequately described without mentioning such a celebration as Kurban Bayram. It is celebrated annually from the 10th to the 13th day of the Muslim month of Dhul-Hijjah. It is based on the end of the Hajj - the sacred Islamic pilgrimage to religious shrines. This holiday involves sacrifices for the sake of Allah. Kurban Bayram is the largest religious celebration not only in Tatarstan, but throughout the Muslim world.

This holiday goes back to the biography from the Koran of one of the prophets - Ibrahim. According to legend, one day the Almighty prepared a test for him: as proof of his love for him, Ibrahim was obliged to sacrifice his beloved son, Ismail, to heaven. Ibrahim was unshakable in his determination to fulfill this order, and therefore the Almighty, believing in the intentions of the prophet and not wanting the death of his son, allowed Ismail to be left alive and an animal to be sacrificed in his place.

Since then, Muslims, in honor of Ibrahim’s feat on Eid al-Adha, have performed the ritual of slaughtering an animal. The meaning of this ritual is to follow the example of one of the most famous religious prophets, who, in the name of love for the Almighty, was ready to make the greatest sacrifice. The meat of the animal after the offering is usually divided into three parts. One goes to the suffering, the other goes to the family of the believer, and every Muslim can keep the third for himself.

"Born by the Sun"

December 25th is a special day in terms of Tatar traditions. On this day, Nardugan is celebrated (translated from Tatar - “born of the sun”), which, like Novruz Bayram, can be considered another New Year's holiday. This is primarily a youth celebration. The main element of the holiday is traditional dances and songs. Young people, as usual, go from house to house, where, with the permission of the owners, these very festive numbers are presented to them. The dance part consists of several cycles: greetings, thanks to the hosts, fortune-telling dances, farewells. A special part of the celebrations should be a costume performance. Through dances and songs, young people tried in every possible way to appease the evil spirits - the devils. According to all sorts of beliefs, the outcome of the next agricultural cycle depended entirely on these same devils, so if you please them, they will not interfere with the harvest. To do this, they performed dances such as line dance, sheep dance, and dog dance. These rituals still exist today in some Tatar villages.

Public holidays

Tatarstan in our time is an integral subject of the Russian Federation. However, this region has long laid claim to self-government and independence. Having lost its sovereignty in 1552, it became part of the Moscow state, which later transformed into Russian Empire. In the state, these lands were simply called the Kazan province; there was no talk of any hints about renaming them to Tatarstan.

Only in 1920 was it separated into the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. On August 30, 1990, an attempt was made to gain independence: on this day, the Supreme Council of the TASSR decided to declare the state sovereignty of the republic.

However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, this region decided to remain part of the Russian Federation as one of its subjects - the Republic of Tatarstan. However, since then August 30 has been celebrated in Tatarstan as the Day of the Formation of the Republic. This date is a national holiday and the main public holiday the edges. Other Tatar holidays at the state level coincide with all-Russian ones - these are Victory Day, International Women's Day, Workers' Solidarity Day, Defender of the Fatherland Day.

Unique traditions

To sum up, one can only be amazed at the diversity of Tatar culture. In fact, everything is intertwined in it: folk experience, historical memory, religious influence and modern events. It is unlikely that you will meet another such people with such a variety of holidays. WITH last statement There is no need to argue - where else can you celebrate as many as three times? So there is only one conclusion: Tatar culture deserves to flourish and be passed on to younger generations.

An ancient holiday of farmers. Celebrated as the beginning of a new economic year and spring.

Navrez is an Iranian word: nav - new and rez (ruz) - day. The holiday is held on March 21, the day the Sun enters the constellation Aries (Sheep), in Crimean Tatar - K'ozu, when day is equal to night. The custom of celebrating Navrez among the Crimean Tatars arose no later than the 12th-13th centuries, along with the adoption of Islam.

The main stages of the Navrez celebration:

Farewell to the old business year
A week before the holiday, the housewife begins to prepare for it: she whitewashes, cleans the utility rooms, and sets aside old, unusable things for burning. Men are preparing for plowing, repairing agricultural equipment. The boys prepare masks and goat costumes (fur coat inside out with a tail attached to it). On the eve of the holiday, women boil eggs, but do not paint them. They bake kobete (layered meat pie) and all kinds of national cookies. On a festive evening, they make a fire, burn old things in it, and splash water on each other. At the beginning of darkness, the boys gather in groups of 3-7 people. One of them dresses up as a goat, the others put on prepared masks. In their hands they hold branches with strengthened snowdrop flowers. Boys move in groups from one yard to another and sing New Year's songs. The owners treat the children with sweets and nuts. Two days before Navrez, the girls gather in one of the houses where they make preparations for fortune-telling. New Year's Eve. To do this, they throw their rings or necklaces into a jug of water, and this jug is placed under a rose bush on the night before Navrez. The next night, on the eve of Navrez, the girls gather near this bush. The youngest of them is blindfolded, and she pulls out jewelry from a jug, jokingly predicts the fate of their mistress in the coming new year (whether she will get married this year, what her betrothed will be like, what house she will end up in)...

New Year's Eve
On the day of Navrez, after morning prayers, elderly people visit the cemetery, where they tidy up the graves, read funeral prayers in which they ask God and the spirits of the departed for a good harvest and an increase in the herd. Thus, the living seem to communicate with the souls of the departed. On the eve of the holiday, women boil eggs, prepare white halva, bake kobete, and prepare chicken noodle soup; It is considered a good omen if the noodles “run away” from the pan: this means that the year will be fruitful. On this day, girls and boys wear festive green outfits, symbolizing the awakening of nature.

First furrow

Navrez is the first month of the start of field work. The men went out into the field. The most respected elder, having read a prayer, made the first furrow and threw the first handful of seeds of the future harvest into the ground. Ethnographic materials indicate that Navrez (March 21) for the Crimean Tatars originally meant economic New Year, which ended on September 22 - after the holiday of Derviz.

The Khydyrlez holiday reflects the complex ethnic history Crimean Tatars. Its rituals and customs trace the origins of beliefs, social life and economic activities of the people. The holiday is celebrated on Friday of the 1st week of the month of Kuralai (May). After Hydyrlez, the social year begins. The day before, the housewives begin a thorough cleaning of the entire house, since, according to legend, Hydyrlez does not visit a dirty house. It is believed that if a pregnant woman breaks this tradition, the birth may be difficult. In the evening, housewives bake round bread (kalakai), kobete. In villages near the jami (mosque), young people are preparing to light a fire. In the evening, residents of the entire village gather at this place. After the evening namaz (prayer), the most respected resident of the village lights a fire and is the first to jump over it, followed by the rest of the men, then the young men and boys. Jumping, they say: “Difficulties for the Gentile, but prosperity for me.” Then the men leave. During this time, the flames die out, and then women and girls begin to jump over the fire.

According to legend, on the night before the holiday, children, fearing terrible dreams, smear garlic on their heads, lips and feet and read prayers for the night. In the evening, housewives scatter a handful of wheat on the windowsill, the cattle are taken out of the barn and fumigated with smoke from the “evil eye.” On the day of the holiday, after morning prayer, the housewife milks the cow and sheep and sprinkles the entrance to the barn with milk. On this day, every family tries to plant a tree (men - an apple tree, women - a pear) or flowers. Crimean Tatars try to celebrate this holiday in nature, near a spring. A swing is pre-installed in the clearing. The girls cover them with flowers and swing on them. Women sprinkle each other with greens and slide down the slide. An integral part of the holiday is the descent of pre-baked bread from a hill. If the loaf falls face up, then there will be a good harvest, but if on the contrary, then the year will be a bad harvest. Men compete in wrestling (kuresh). At this holiday, boys and girls get to know each other, brides are viewed and their choice takes place. The general fun ends with the obligatory performance of the general dance Khoran (group dance forming a circle).

From ethnographic materials it follows that the Crimean Tatars spring holidays Navrez and Hydyrlez represent a complex of rituals and customs that are aimed at appeasing the forces of nature in order to obtain a rich harvest and increase the number of livestock. They show elements of the culture of the farmer and pastoralist.

"The Legend of Kydyrlez"

"Kydyrlez washed his face with water, looked into the stream. - How many years have passed, he is young again. Like the earth - every year the old one falls asleep, the young one wakes up. He looked around. The sky became blue, the forest became green, every pebble in the stream was visible.
“It seems I’m not late,” thought Kydyrlez and began to climb the mountain. A flock was grazing near the mountain. Young lambs bleated and called Kydyrlez to come. - Why is it that on this day they don’t touch the horses and oxen, they don’t harness them, but they take us to a barbecue? - the sheep stopped, asking. The shepherd urged them on: “There’s no point in standing around for nothing.” A snake was crawling along the path. “Kydyrlez is apparently close,” the shepherd thought. - When Kydyrlez was young, he killed a snake from his horse with a spear. Since then, when he walks, the snake always runs away from him.

The shepherd picked up a stone to kill the snake. Kydyrlez shouted to him:
- It’s better to kill a lie in yourself than a snake on the road. The word did not touch the shepherd’s heart, and he killed the snake.
- It turned out well, Kydyrlez will be very pleased. Kydyrlez sighed and looked down

Below, in the gardens, under the trees, people were sitting, preparing a young lamb for barbecue.
- Oh, it will be delicious; when Kydyrlez comes, there is something to treat him.
“Maybe he used to walk, but now he doesn’t walk anymore,” said one.

Another laughed:
- Our Abibullah is waiting for him. He thinks that Kydyrlez will show him the gold at night; will be rich.
Abibullah sat on the cliff, silent.
- Why are you silent, Abibullah? When I became old, I used to always sing a good song.
And Abibullah sang:
- We are waiting for you, Kydyrlez, we are waiting; fly, Kydyrlez, to us today; come on light streams; play, music of the heart. Chal, chant, chant!..
Kydyrlez listened and thought:
- A man is looking for gold, and gold is his every word.
Hands stretched out to the sun. Rays splashed onto the ground. The golden moon glittered on the minaret. Abibullah sang -
- A golden day has come to the poor man - Kydyrlez will not offend people. Chal, chant, chant!.. He sang and suddenly fell silent.
Hatice does not love him, although he sometimes says that he loves him. She needs someone else, she needs someone young, she needs someone rich.
“Rich means smart,” she says. - The first husband was rich - I want the second one to be even richer. Then I’ll do everything, everything will be in my hands.

Abibullah looks ahead, does not see - what is close, what is far - he sees where others do not see. He searches with his eyes for Kydyrlez among the mountains and forests. He believes that he will come. He promises to put a wax candle, balmumu, on an old stone for him. Kydyrlez understood what Abibullah wanted and shook his head. - Those who drink and eat in the gardens are happier than this. People drank and ate in the gardens and forgot about Abibullah and Kydyrlez. They didn’t notice how night came. Abibullah lit a candle on an old stone and waits for Kydyrlez. Waits a long time.

The golden moon rose; heard a rustling in the bushes; I noticed how the branches moved and how the distant fire illuminated them.
“You wanted me,” said the voice. - Here I come. I know why I called. I was young and only loved songs, but now I’m old and want a woman. You are looking for gold for her.
“For her,” Abibullah said to himself.
- Do you hear, Abibullah, how the stream rustles, the young stream, how the grass sways, fresh grass. Only you, the old one, won’t hear tomorrow.
- You hear how your heart is beating, it wants to keep up with another, young one. He just won't have time.
- You had gold in you, it was light. You wanted it from the ground, but will you pick it up?
Abibullah listened no further; rushed into the bushes where the light came from.
- Don't be late.
He ran towards the light through the forest, tore his clothes on an elm tree, and wounded himself.
- Now it's close. I heard Kydyrlez’s voice myself. Just two steps away.

And Abibullah saw how, under one, another and a third bush, piles of gold burst into flames. He ran up to them; He took the burning pieces with his hands and hurried to hide them on his chest. He cried with joy and called out to the beautiful Hatice. It was hard to carry. My legs gave way, I didn’t remember how I got to the village. I didn’t even have the strength to knock on Hatice’s door. Fell at the threshold.
- Kydyrlez gave a lot of gold. All is yours. I brought it to you, my wonderful one.
The words went quietly and did not reach Hatice. She slept soundly, her arms wrapped around another. She doesn't need Abibullah anymore. And Abibullah died. Abibullah-oldu. Maybe it’s better that he died without holding something beautiful in his hands. If I took it, maybe it would stop being like that. Who knows. As Kydyrlez left those places, he thought:
- Abibullah the singer left the earth, it’s okay, another will come in his place. One summer will pass, another will come. That is why Kydyrlez will never die."