Chuvash traditions and customs summary. What do the Chuvash people do, their traditional activities

The rituals of the Chuvash are associated with their pagan religion, which is based on the worship of the spirits of the natural elements. From time immemorial, the most important milestones in the life of each of the inhabitants of Chuvashia have been associated with the agricultural calendar, and the main traditions were those related to the meeting of the seasons, preparation for spring sowing, harvesting or the end of the agricultural period. Despite the fact that the Chuvash today live a modern life and enjoy all the benefits of civilization, they cherish traditions and rituals sacredly and pass them on to the next generations.

Chuvash family traditions

The family for the Chuvash has always occupied a central place in life and therefore, over the long years of the existence of this people, family traditions, like no other, are observed very strictly and are expressed in the following.

The classic Chuvash family consists of several generations - grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren. All relatives, as a rule, live under one roof.

The most revered members of the family are the father, mother and the most elderly relatives. The word "atash" means "mother" and is a sacred concept that is never used in any humorous or offensive context.

Wife and husband have almost the same rights, and Chuvash divorces are extremely rare.

Children are happiness for the Chuvash, while the gender of the child is completely unimportant, they are equally happy about the birth of both a boy and a girl. Chuvash living in rural areas will always adopt an orphan child, so orphanages are rare here. Children up to 3 years old are in the care of grandparents, then they begin to gradually join the work. The youngest son always stayed with his parents and helped them run the household, take care of livestock, and harvest - such a Chuvash tradition is called "minorat".

Do you know which proverb is the motto for the Chuvash in life?

In Chuvash, the phrase sounds like “Chăvash yatne an çĕrt”, and literally means the following: “do not destroy the honest name of the Chuvash”.

Chuvash wedding ceremonies

A wedding between a Chuvash boy and a girl can take place in three versions. The first meant a traditional celebration with the obligatory observance of all stages - from matchmaking to a feast, the second was called a "wedding leaving", and the third looked like a bride kidnapping, which usually took place with her consent. The marriage ceremony was accompanied by the rites:

• after the future wife was dressed for the wedding, the girl had to cry loudly and lament, expressing the sadness associated with leaving for a new home;
• the groom was met at the gate with beer and bread and salt;
• everyone who was part of the wedding procession was seated at a table set in the yard;
• a woman gave birth to her first child with her parents, the umbilical cord of a boy was cut on an ax handle, of a girl - on the handle of a sickle;
• the celebration was celebrated for two days - the first day in the bride's house, the second - in the groom's;
• after all the festivities, the young husband beat his wife three times with a whip so that the spirits of her family would leave her, and the newlywed had to take off her husband's shoes;
• sign married woman was considered a headdress "hush-pu", which was worn the next morning after the wedding.

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Introduction

The basis of the social organization of the Chuvash was the community, which initially (XVI - XVII centuries) coincided with the settlement, that is, the village, the village. Subsequently, with the appearance of daughter villages that spun off from the parent village, the community was already a whole nest of settlements with a common land area: arable land, forest. The complex communities formed in this way consisted of 2-10 settlements, located at an insignificant (2-3 km) distance from each other. Complex communities arose in the forest belt, since the development of new lands was associated with the clearing of land for arable land and the formation of kassi neighborhoods, while in the south, due to the lack of forests, villages formed settlements and communities remained simple. Complex communities existed not only among the Chuvash, but also among the Mari, Udmurts, and less often among the Tatars.

The community served as the main economic unit, within which the issues of land use, taxation, and recruitment were resolved. The village assembly, the supreme governing body of the community, regulated the terms of agricultural work, the performance of religious rites, performed primary judicial functions - punishment for theft, arson. The community also took care of the moral character of its members, condemning the violation of generally accepted norms, such as drunkenness, foul language, immodest behavior. The community, followed by the family, regulated the behavior of the common man.

The purpose of this work is to consider the social and family life of the Chuvash. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to perform the following tasks: consideration of the Chuvash wedding; study of family and marriage relations; description of the social life of the Chuvash.

Structurally, the work consists of an introduction, three paragraphs, a conclusion and a list of references.

1. Chuvash wedding

Our ancestors considered birth, marriage (tui) and death to be the most important events in human life. The rites that accompany these events are called "rites of passage" by scholars. At the time of birth and death, a person "passes" into another world. During the wedding, his position in society changes dramatically, he “transfers” to another social group.

The Chuvash wedding is a very bright and interesting spectacle, a theatrical performance in which a certain set of characters participate: haymatlakh - the planted father, man-keryu - the elder son-in-law, kesenkeryu - the younger son-in-law, her-sum - bridesmaids, tui-pus - wedding leaders etc., each of whom performs during the wedding the duties assigned to him. The wedding began in the afternoon, in the evening, and continued for several subsequent days. Marriage was associated with the introduction of a new member into the house, family - daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law, so special attention was paid to this moment. The bride was supposed to go, accompanied by the groom's relatives, to fetch water from the spring and thereby, as it were, honor the spirit of the water, as a token of respect she distributed gifts to new relatives.

The transition to the position of a married woman was recorded in the rite of putting on a female headdress khushpu.

The Chuvash wedding, unlike the Russian one, was held in the summer, in late June - early July, before the start of the harvest. This is probably why the Riding Chuvash have preserved to this day the custom of decorating the place of the alleged festival with linden or mountain ash branches.

In a modern Chuvash wedding, many traditional features lost and replaced by elements of Russian wedding rituals. This influence was especially noticeable at the wedding of the Chuvash living outside the Chuvash Republic.

In matters of marriage, the Chuvash did not adhere to strict rules in relation to the nationality, age of the bride and groom. Marriages were allowed with Russians, Mordovians and representatives of a different faith - the Tatars, and by age the bride could be 6-8 years older than the groom. The Chuvash had a custom to marry sons very early (at 15-17 years old) and quite late to marry off daughters (at 25-30 years old). This was done for economic reasons.

Marriage was concluded in two ways: by kidnapping the bride and by tui wedding. The first was used when the groom was not able to pay a ransom for the bride. The wedding was preceded by an engagement, at which they agreed on the size of the ransom and dowry, the timing of the wedding. The wedding began after 2-3 weeks after the engagement and lasted from 3 to 7 days. Until now, regional differences in departure have been preserved. wedding ceremony: in the set of actors, musical accompaniment and others. There are 3 main types of weddings according to the three ethnographic groups of the Chuvash living within the Chuvash Republic.

The Chuvash considered it a great misfortune and a sin to die unmarried or unmarried. A person, coming into this world, must leave behind his continuation - children, raising them and teaching everything that he knew how to do, what his parents taught him - the chain of life should not be interrupted. The life goal of every person was to create a family and raise children.

Many researchers noted that the Chuvashs cared more not about themselves personally, but about the well-being of the family, about the exaltation and strengthening of their kind. In this, as it were, they “reported” to their ancestors, they prayed for this to the supreme deities. Therefore, it is clear that the choice of future fathers or mothers, and then the wedding, was one of the most important events in the life of a person, family and the whole family ...

The whole concern of the Chuvash in the local life is not in preparation for the future life, but in the exaltation and strengthening of his kind. For this purpose, he works and saves money, denying himself even improved food. VC. Magnitsky

Dating and choosing a bride and groom

According to the traditions of many peoples, it was impossible to choose a wife or husband from relatives. Among the Chuvash, this prohibition extended to the seventh generation. For example, it was impossible to marry seven cousins ​​and sisters, but it is already possible for eight cousins. This prohibition is due to the fact that in closely related marriages, children are very often born sick. Therefore, the Chuvash guys were looking for brides in neighboring and distant villages, because it often happened that the inhabitants of one village came from one relative.

To meet young people, various gatherings, games, holidays, common to several villages, were arranged. They looked especially carefully at future wives and husbands at joint work: haymaking, neem, etc.

When a guy announced his desire to marry, the parents first of all found out what kind of bride he was, whether she was healthy, hardworking enough, smart, what kind of character she had, what appearance, etc.

Sometimes the bride was several years older than her husband, for example, the groom could be 18-20 years old, and the bride under 30. The groom's parents tried to quickly take a new worker into the house, especially if there were few women in the family. And the bride's parents were in no hurry to marry a skilled girl, because she could still work at home.

Sometimes parents themselves chose brides and grooms for their children. But without their consent, weddings were rarely arranged.

The Chuvash believed that the older the bride was, the more valuable she was, the more she knew how and the richer the dowry, which they began to prepare from childhood.

Before the wedding

To get acquainted with the bride's family and preliminary agreement, matchmaking, the parents of the young man sent matchmakers. They were relatives or close acquaintances.

A few days later, the parents and relatives of the groom came to the bride's house for the final courtship of the bride. They brought gifts: beer, cheese, various cookies. From the side of the bride, relatives also gathered, usually the eldest in the family. Before the treat, the door was slightly opened and they prayed with pieces of bread and cheese in their hands. Then the feast, songs, fun began. On the same day, the bride gave gifts to future relatives: towels, surpans, shirts and treated them to beer, in response they put several coins in the empty ladle. During one of these visits, the matchmakers agreed on the day of the wedding and the amount of bride price and dowry.

Wedding preparations

The wedding was great holiday for both villages. Each locality had its own differences in the conduct of wedding celebrations. But everywhere the Chuvash wedding began almost simultaneously in the groom's house and in the bride's house, then the weddings were joined in the bride's house - the groom came and took her to him, and the wedding ended in the groom's house. In general, wedding celebrations took several days, and they were often held in a week.

As always, before special celebrations, they arranged a bath, dressed in the best elegant clothes, festive hats and jewelry. Among relatives or good acquaintances, special people were chosen who organized the wedding celebration and carried out special assignments. The leader of the wedding was chosen both from the side of the groom and from the side of the bride. Be sure to invite planted ..

The beginning of the wedding at the bride's house. By the beginning of the wedding, guests gathered, brought refreshments, the elders prayed to the gods for a successful wedding and the future happiness and well-being of the young family.

By Chuvash traditions, and the bride and groom were seated on pillows with special embroidered patterns. Russians put newlyweds on fur skins so that they could live richly.

Perhaps during these visits they were solemnly invited to a wedding (in fact, the whole village had long known and happily expected this wedding).

Returning home, the groom and his retinue asked their parents for blessings to go for the bride. They usually leave in the evening. Together with the groom, a noisy, cheerful, musical and elegant wedding train rode - several dozen carts and many riders, only a few hundred people. Near the gates of the village or at the crossroads, prayers were made, pieces of food and coins were left.

Wedding at the bride's house

In front of the gates of the bride's house, they could sing a song-dialogue. The boy who opened the gate was given a coin. In the courtyard three times they circled around the house or around a specially arranged place.

At this time, the bride and her friends were sitting in the barn or in the house of some relative. There was also music, singing and dancing. Then, in the morning, the bride was brought to the house, where her parents blessed her. The bride said goodbye to all her relatives and her homeland - she sang a sad song-cry. Usually, during the performance of this song, even men could hardly keep from crying. Each girl composed the words of this lamenting song in her own way.

social family life

2. Family and marriage relations

family like small group had an internal organization that ensured its biological, economic, ethno-cultural functioning. It was built on traditional social, ethnic and moral principles. Attention should be paid to the composition of the rural Chuvash family, the position and duties of its head, the status of family members, and the attitude to property within the family.

According to the ideas of the ancient Chuvash, each person had to do two important things in his life: to take care of old parents and worthily lead them to the “other world”, raise children as worthy people and leave them behind. The whole life of a person passed in the family, and for any person one of the main goals in life was the well-being of his family, his parents, his children.

Parents in a Chuvash family. The old Chuvash family kil-yysh usually consisted of three generations: grandfather-grandmother, father-mother, children.

In Chuvash families, old parents and father-mother were treated with love and respect. This is very well seen in Chuvash folk songs, which most often tell not about the love of a man and a woman (as in so many modern songs), but about love to their parents, relatives, to their homeland. Some of the songs talk about the feelings of an adult going through the loss of their parents.

For a long time, the Chuvash had a type of large paternal family, consisting of several generations, as a rule, of three: children, a married couple and the parents of one of the spouses, most often the husband's parents, since patrilocal marriage was common among the Chuvash, i.e. . After the marriage, the wife moved to live with her husband. Usually, the youngest son remained in the family with his parents, that is, there was a minority. There were frequent cases of levirate, when a younger brother married the widow of an older brother, and sororate, in which the husband, after the death of his wife, married her younger sister.

The head of a large patriarchal family was the eldest man - the father or the eldest of the brothers. He managed the economic activities within the family, income, kept order. Women's work was more often led by the eldest of the women, asanne-grandmother.

They treated their mother with special love and honor. The word “amgsh” is translated as “mother”, but for their own mother, the Chuvash have special words “anne, api”, pronouncing these words, the Chuvash speaks only about his mother. Anne, api, atgsh - for the Chuvash, the concept is sacred. These words were never used in swear words or in ridicule.

The Chuvash said about their sense of duty to their mother: “Treat your mother with pancakes baked in your palm every day, and you won’t repay her with kindness for kindness, work for work.” The ancient Chuvashs believed that the worst curse was the mother's, and it would certainly come true.

Wife and husband in a Chuvash family.

In old Chuvash families, the wife had equal rights with her husband, and there were no customs that humiliated a woman. Husband and wife respected each other, divorces were very rare.

About the position of the wife and husband in the Chuvash family, the old people said: “Kherargm-kil turri, arzyn-kil patshi. A woman is a deity in the house, a man is a king in the house.

If there were no sons in the Chuvash family, then the eldest daughter helped the father, if there were no daughters in the family, then the younger son helped the mother. Every work was revered: even female, even male. And if necessary, a woman could take on male labor and a man could perform household duties. And no work was considered more important than the other.

Children in a Chuvash family.

The main purpose of the family was to raise children. They were happy with any child: both a boy and a girl. In all Chuvash prayers, when they ask the deity to give many children, they mention in gl-her-sons-daughters. The desire to have more boys rather than girls came later, when land was distributed according to the number of men in the family (in the 18th century). It was prestigious to raise a daughter or several daughters, real brides. Indeed, according to tradition, a woman's costume included a lot of expensive silver jewelry. And only in a hardworking and wealthy family could it be possible to provide the bride with a worthy dowry.

The special attitude towards children is also evidenced by the fact that after the birth of the first child, the husband and wife began to address each other not upgshka and argm (husband and wife), but ashshe and amgshe (father and mother). And the neighbors began to call the parents by the name of their first child, for example, “Talivanamgshe-Talivan's mother”, “Atnepiashshe-Atnepi's father”.

There have never been abandoned children in the Chuvash villages. Orphans were taken in by relatives or neighbors and raised as their own children. I. Ya. Yakovlev recalls in his notes: “I consider the Pakhomov family to be my own. To this family, I still keep the warmest kindred feelings. In this family, they did not offend me, they treated me like their own child. For a long time I did not know that the Pakhomov family was alien to me ... Only when I was 17 years old ... I found out that this was not my family. In the same notes, Ivan Yakovlevich mentions that he was very loved.

Grandparents in the Chuvash family. Grandparents were some of the most important educators of children. Like many peoples, a girl, when she got married, moved into the house with her husband. Therefore, usually children lived in a family with their mother, father and his parents - with asatte and asanna. These words themselves show how important grandparents were for children. Asanne (aslg anne) in literal translation is the elder mother, asatte (aslgatte) is the elder father.

Mother and father were busy at work, older children helped them, and younger children, starting from 2-3 years old, spent more time with asatte and asanna.

But the parents of the mother did not forget their grandchildren, the children often visited the kukamai and kukazi.

All important problems in the family were solved by consulting with each other, they always listened to the opinion of the elderly. All affairs in the house could be managed by an older woman, and issues outside the home were usually decided by an older man.

One day in the life of a family. The usual day of the family began early, in winter at 4-5 o'clock, and in summer at dawn. Adults were the first to get up and, having washed, set to work. Women stoked the stove and put bread, milked cows, cooked food, carried water. Men went out into the yard: they gave food to cattle, poultry, cleaned the yard, worked in the garden, chopped firewood ... Younger children were awakened by the smell of freshly baked bread. Their older sisters and brothers were already up and helping their parents.

By dinnertime, the whole family gathered at the table. After lunch, the working day continued, only the oldest could lie down to rest.

In the evening they again gathered at the table - they had dinner. After, in inclement times, they sat at home, minding their own business: men weaved bast shoes, twisted ropes, women spun, sewed, and fiddled with the smallest. The rest of the children, sitting comfortably near their grandmother, listened with bated breath. old fairy tales and different stories. Girlfriends came to the older sister, started jokes, sang songs. The most nimble of the youngest began to dance, and everyone clapped their hands, laughed at the funny kid.

Older sisters, brothers went to get-togethers with their friends.

The smallest was laid in a cradle, the rest lay on the bunk, on the stove, next to the grandmother, grandfather. The mother spun yarn and rocked the cradle with her foot, a gentle lullaby sounded, the eyes of the children stuck together ...

Parenting, in the Chuvash culture

The oldest science on Earth is the science of raising children. Ethnopedagogy is a folk science about raising children. It existed among all the peoples of our planet, without it not a single people could survive and survive. The first researcher who developed and singled out ethnopedagogy as a science was the Chuvash scientist Volkov Gennady Nikandrovich.

Ziche drank. In Chuvash culture, there is the concept of ziche pil - seven blessings. It was believed that if a person corresponds to these seven blessings, then this is a perfect, well-mannered person. In different legends and records there are different references to zich pil. So, for example, in the Chuvash legends about Ulgp, seven reasons for a person’s happiness are spoken of: health, love, good family, children, education, ability to work, homeland.

I. Ya. Yakovlev in his "Spiritual testament to the Chuvash people" mentions friendship and harmony, love for the motherland, a good family and a sober life, compliance, diligence, honesty, modesty.

The Chuvash folk wishes for young children say: "Sakhalpuple, numayitle, yulhav an pul, zynran an kul, shyatsgmahnezekle, puznapipg an zekle." (Speak little, listen more, don’t be lazy, don’t mock people, take a joking word, don’t lift your head.)

Such wishes are found in many nations. Christians have ten commandments that mention the requirements: do not kill, honor your father and mother, do not covet the wealth of your neighbor, respect your wife, husband, do not lie. According to the rules of Muslims, everyone is obliged to help the poor and should not drink alcohol. In Buddhism, there are prohibitions on murder, theft, lying, debauchery, drunkenness.

Types of education.

In Chuvash ethnopedagogy, seven types of upbringing can be distinguished, as seven good wishes, in order to raise a child as a worthy and happy person.

1. Labor. This upbringing gave the child the ability and habit of work, knowledge of many crafts, and an aversion to laziness and idleness.

2. Moral. It developed in children the desire to be fair and kind, to respect old age, to take care of the family, to be able to make friends; brought up patriotism - love for the Motherland and people, respect for one's own and other people's traditions, languages.

3. Mental. This upbringing developed in children the mind, memory, taught them to think, gave different knowledge, taught them to read and write.

4. Aesthetic. To be able to see and create beauty is the goal of this education.

5. Physical. Raised the child healthy and taught to take care of their health, developed strength and courage.

6. Economic. This upbringing gave children the ability to protect things, people's work and nature; taught to be unpretentious.

7. Ethical. Raised in children the ability to behave in society, to communicate with people; made it possible to have a correct and beautiful speech, to be modest, and also instilled an aversion to drunkenness.

Labor education. The Chuvash considered labor education to be the most important. Only on its basis could all other types of education be given. A lazy person will not work to help someone. Only hard work can solve a difficult problem. To make something beautiful - you have to work hard. The best way to develop muscles is physical labor.

A Chuvash child began to work from the age of 5-6 - to help his family.

According to the notes of G. N. Volkov, in the 50s of the last century, Chuvash scientists interviewed old people of 80-90 years old and found out what kind of work they could do at 10-12 years old.

Our ancestors believed that a person needs not just to love work, but to have a habit, the need to work, not to waste time. Even the concept of "free time" in Chuvash translated not as "ireklevghgt" (irek - freedom), but as "pushvghgt" - empty time.

The little Chuvash started his labor school next to his father-mother, grandparents. At first, he simply gave the tools and watched the work, then he was trusted to “finish” the work, for example, cut the thread for sewing, hammer the nail to the end. Growing up, the child was drawn to more complex work and so gradually learned all the crafts that his parents knew.

WITH early age each child was given his own special beds, which he himself watered, weeded, competing with brothers and sisters. In autumn, the harvest was compared. The children also had “their own” animal-calves, which they themselves looked after.

So gradually, with feasible work, the children entered the working life of the family. Although the words "work" and "difficult" are very similar, but work for the benefit of the family brought a lot of joy.

Little Chuvashs showed love for work from an early age, and sometimes, imitating adults, they could overdo it in their zeal and “work hard” in the wrong way. For example, take and dig up a late variety of potatoes ahead of time, unripe, and manage to lower it into the underground. Here the adults did not know what to do, whether to praise or scold such "workers". But, of course, the children were serious and important helpers in all family affairs. The old traditions of labor education are still preserved in many Chuvash families.

Moral education. How to teach a child to always act in a way that does not harm either people or himself? A small child, having been born, does not know how to live, does not know what is good and what is bad. In ancient times, people did not have televisions, the Internet, various magazines and videos. AND small man He grew up observing the people around him and nature. He imitated and learned everything from his parents, grandparents, relatives, neighbors. And gradually he understood that everything on earth lives and works, that people strive to help each other, that a person yearns for a homeland and that everything in the world has its own language, and that not a single living creature can do without a family and cubs. So the little Chuvash received moral education.

Mental education. In ancient times, Chuvash children did not have school buildings, special textbooks, or teachers. But village life, all the surrounding nature, the adults themselves gave children different knowledge, developed their mind, memory.

Children especially knew a lot about nature - plants, insects, birds, animals, stones, rivers, clouds, soil, etc. After all, they studied them not from "dead pictures" in books, but live.

In general, riddles played a special role in the mental education of children. They taught to see objects and phenomena with unusual side and developed abstract thinking.

A modern child usually plays with toys that someone has already made for him, or makes toys from ready-made parts, such as a designer. In ancient times, children not only made themselves, but also found and chose material for toys themselves. Such actions greatly develop thinking, because in the "natural designer" there are much more different details than in the plastic one.

If the villages of different ethnic groups were nearby, then usually 5-6-year-old children were already fluent in 2-3 languages, for example, Chuvash, Mari, Tatar, Russian. It is known that the full knowledge of several languages ​​greatly affects the development of thinking.

Older children were given special mathematical problems, and they were solved in the mind or with a stick drawing a diagram in the sand. Many of these tasks had to be solved during the construction or repair of buildings, fences, etc.

aesthetic education. Many researchers noted the high artistic taste of Chuvash products.

In addition to all the skills, each girl was taught embroidery, and the boy - wood carving. Of all the surviving samples of Chuvash embroidery (and there are several hundred of them), no two are the same. And among all the carved ladles there are no copies.

Every Chuvash woman was a real artist. Every Chuvash man owned an artistic craft.

The musical education of children was one of the first educations and began from the very beginning. early childhood. Music and songs surrounded the child from all sides both in games and in work. At first he sang and danced, imitating adults, and then he composed poetry and composed music himself. Every Chuvash child knew how to sing, dance and play musical instruments. Every adult Chuvash was a songwriter and knew how to dance. Compared to modern children, Chuvash children received a full-fledged aesthetic education.

Physical education. Many children in the past were physically much stronger than their contemporary peers.

The children often did manual labor, played outdoors, did not eat sugar and sweets, they always drank milk, and, most importantly, they did not have a TV, which makes them modern man sit still for a long time.

A lot of children's games were real sports - racing (especially over rough terrain), throwing, long and high jumps, ball games, skiing, wooden skates (tgrkgch).

For their children, the Chuvash made special small musical instruments: violins, psaltery, pipes, etc.

Small children from birth until the child began to walk were bathed every day. Older children spent the whole summer in nature, swimming in a river or a pond, but only in certain non-hazardous places. Boys and girls - separately, because they swam naked, and it was much more useful than running around in wet clothes later. In the warm season, the children went barefoot. All this was a real hardening.

The best way of physical education was work. Chuvash children dug garden beds, swept the yard, carried water (in small buckets), chopped branches, climbed into the hayloft for hay, watered vegetables, etc.

Economic education. The Chuvash child began to participate in work from an early age. And he saw with what difficulty things and food appear, so he treated all this with care. The children usually wore out the old clothes of their brothers and sisters. Torn and broken things were necessarily repaired.

The Chuvash always tried to have a good supply of food, while eating without frills. We can say that children received economic education, taking an example from adults.

Those children whose parents were engaged in trade or made something for sale helped them and from an early age began to engage in entrepreneurship. It is known that the first Chuvash merchant and businessman P.E. Efremov from childhood helped his father to trade in grain and signed the necessary documents for him.

In general, the Chuvash language is indeed considered very soft, it does not contain rude curses and obscene words.

The ability to behave in society was considered very important. And children were taught to do this in advance. Older people were required to be treated with respect, and younger ones - affectionately, but in any case politely.

Many researchers spoke of Chuvash children as calm, reserved, modest and polite.

3. Public life of the Chuvash

All personal and public life Chuvash, their economic activity was associated with their pagan beliefs. Everything living in nature, everything that the Chuvash encountered in life, had its own deities. In the assembly of the Chuvash gods in some villages, there were up to two hundred gods.

Only sacrifices, prayers, slander, according to the beliefs of the Chuvash, could prevent the harmful actions of these deities:

1. Chuk-type rituals, when people made sacrifices to the great god Tura, his family and assistants in order to maintain universal harmony and pray for a good harvest, livestock offspring, health and prosperity.

2. Rites such as Kiremet - when residents of several villages gathered for a ritual sacrifice in a specially designated place. Large domestic animals in combination with prayer served as victims in the rite.

3. Rites addressed to spirits - deities. They had a certain sequence in execution, while addressing they observed the generally accepted hierarchy. They asked their deities for health and peace.

4. Rites of purification, which implied prayer in order to release curses and spells from ve: seren, virem, vupar.

If a person violated the generally accepted norms of behavior and morality, an adequate response followed. Violators were subject to inevitable punishment:

“I will send horror, sickness and fever upon you, from which the eyes will tire, the soul will be tormented. The Lord will strike you with sickness, fever, fever, inflammation, drought, scorching wind and rust, and they will pursue you until you perish.

Therefore, the sick hurried to their spirits and deities with requests and brought gifts to them. The Chuvash shaman - yomzya - determined the causes of illness, misfortune, expelled an evil spirit from a person.

The main garden crops of the Chuvash were cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, onions, garlic, beets, pumpkins, and poppies. Since ancient times, the Chuvash have been engaged in beekeeping. They arranged apiaries from logs (welle) in the forest clearings. Since the beginning of the twentieth century. frame hives are spreading. IN late nineteenth V. weaving and felting become women's craft among the Chuvash. Among the riding Chuvash, the manufacture of wicker, bent furniture was widespread, which at the beginning of the 20th century. Acquired a commercial character Fishing was carried out by residents of riverine and lakeside areas, mainly for their own consumption and small-scale trade.

In the public life of the Chuvash, remnants of primitive communal relations were preserved for a long time. They manifested themselves in the feudal period, in particular, in the fact that in the village community, related families often settled nearby, as evidenced by the presence of the so-called ends (kasa) in many northern Chuvash villages, as well as their peculiar intricate layout, in which the presence of former family nests is felt. .

The communities owned certain plots of land, and as they grew, settlements emerged from the central settlement and were located on the territory of communal lands. As a result, nests of settlements were obtained that had common land; later they turned into so-called complex communities, consisting of a number of settlements with a common land plot. Many such communities survived until the October Revolution.

Before joining the Russian state, the Chuvash yasak communities were subordinate to the Kazan feudal lords, and later to the Russian administration. After joining the Russian state in the Chuvash communities, the leadership passed to the wealthy elite (ku-shtan), which was supported by the tsarist administration and faithfully served it.

IN early XVIII V. yasak were turned into state t and partially (into southern regions) in specific peasants. From that time on, the communities were ruled by a formally elected, but actually appointed from above administration, elders and clerks.

Mostly public relations in Chuvash villages at the beginning of the 20th century. almost indistinguishable from those prevailing in peasant environment Russian and other peoples of the region. Only complex family and kinship relations have preserved remnants of more ancient social norms.

In territorial, or neighboring, communities continued to be steadily preserved family ties. The inhabitants of one end of the village and even the inhabitants of separate settlements from one nest maintained closer relations with each other than with representatives of other nests and ends. The disintegration of large families among the Chuvash was a very long process and ended only in late XIX V.

In the past, in the presence of a slash-and-burn system of agriculture, the existence of large families was to a certain extent stimulated by the very technique of farming, which required a large number of workers under the general leadership. A small family could not run such a household. Only when the Chuvashs basically cleared the former dense forests for arable land and got the opportunity (after becoming part of the Russian state) to partially move to new forest-steppe lands with large open spaces, the interests of a separate marriage couple prevailed, and big families began to disintegrate into small, with their own economy. The Chuvash often organized help (pulash) during the construction of houses, and sometimes during some agricultural work; First of all, relatives were called to these aids. Even during the period of sharp class stratification of the peasantry, when the wealthy members of the former large family ceased to reckon with their poor relatives, they still attracted them to work when necessary, using folk tradition for exploitative purposes. Numerous relatives took part in various affairs of individual families: in the division of property between children after the death of their parents, in organizing and conducting weddings, etc.

Conclusion

social family life

This work was done on a topical topic, since recently one can observe discussions on this issue.

The work is devoted to the analysis of the norms of customary law regulating the complex of marriage and family relations of the Chuvash peasants in the XVII - nineteenth centuries. The specificity of rites and ceremonies at the conclusion and dissolution of marriage, the influence of the pagan cult, the prescriptions of customary law and the dogmas of the Orthodox religion on the marriage and family sphere are shown.

The undoubted advantage of this work is the consistency of the presentation of thoughts, the normative legal acts and scientific literature are creatively used.

The purpose of this work - the consideration of the social and family life of the Chuvash - has been completed in full.

To achieve this goal, tasks such as consideration of the Chuvash wedding were completed; study of family and marriage relations; description of the social life of the Chuvash.

List of used literature

social family life

1. Ashmarin N. I. Bulgarians and Chuvashs - [Electronic mode] - URL: www.cap.ru/cap/foto/ashmarin/

2. Danilov V.D., Pavlov B.I. History of Chuvashia (from ancient times to the end of the XX century): Textbook. - Cheboksary: ​​Chuvash book. publishing house, 2013. - 304 p.

3. Enkka E.Yu. Motherland. Textbook for grades 6-7. - Cheboksary: ​​Chuvash book. publishing house, 2014. - 219 p.

4. Culture of the Chuvash region / Ed. V.P. Ivanov, G.B. Matveev, N.I. Egorov. - Cheboksary: ​​Chuv.knizhnoe publishing house, 2013. - 350 p.

5. V. Nikolaev, G. Ivanov-Orkov, V. Ivanov. research them. K.V. Ivanova; per. in Chuvash. lang. G.A. Degtyarev; translation into English lang. V.Ya. Platonov. - M.: Cheboksary; Orenburg, 2012. - 400 p.

6. Nikolsky N.V. Brief summary on Chuvash ethnography // Nikolsky N.V. Sobr. op. T.1. Works on ethnography and folklore of the Chuvash people. - Cheboksary: ​​Chuvash.kn. publishing house, 2014. - S. 251-304.

7. Petrov I.G. Chuvashs // Encyclopedia of Bashkortostan [Electronic mode] - URL: www.bashedu.ru/encikl/ch/chuv.htm

8. Failures V.A. Notes about the Chuvashs. - Cheboksary: ​​Chuvash.kn. publishing house, 2014. - 142 p.

9. Traditional economy and culture of the Chuvash: Sat. Art. / Scientific research. Institute of Languages, Literature, History and Economics under the Council of Ministers of Chuvash. ASSR. - Cheboksary, 2012. - 120 p.

10. Chuvash. History and culture: historical and ethnographic research: in 2 volumes / Chuvash.state. in-t humanitarian. sciences; ed. V.P. Ivanova. - Cheboksary: ​​Chuvash.kn. publishing house, 2014 - Vol. 1. - 415 p.

11. Chuvash: Ethnic history and traditional culture / ed. - comp. V.P. Ivanov, V.V. Nikolaev, V.D. Dimitriev. - M.: DIK, 2013. - 96 p.

12. Ethnic history and culture of the Chuvash people of the Volga and Ural regions / V.P. Ivanov, P.P. Fokin, A.A. Trofimov, G.B. Matveev, M.G. Kondratiev. - Cheboksary, 2012. - 269 p.

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Surkhuri. This is an old Chuvash holiday. In an older version, he had a connection with the worship of tribal spirits - the patrons of cattle. Hence the name of the holiday from "surah yrri" - "sheep spirit"). It was celebrated during the winter solstice, when the day began to arrive. Surkhuri and lasted a whole week. During the celebration, rituals were held to ensure economic success and personal well-being of people, a good harvest and livestock in the new year. On the first day of Surkhuri, the children gathered in groups and went around the village door-to-door. At the same time, they sang songs about the coming of the new year, congratulated fellow villagers on the holiday, invited other guys to join their company. Entering the house, they wished the owners a good offspring of livestock, sang songs with spells, and they, in turn, presented them with food. Surkhuri later coincided with the Christian Christmas ( rashtav) and continued until .

One of the holidays of the New Year cycle - nartukan ( nartavan) - common among the Zakamsky and Ural Chuvash. It began on December 25, on the day of the winter solstice, and lasted a whole week. It corresponds to the holiday of Surkhuri - among the riding and Kher Sări - grassroots Chuvash.

A new house erected in the past year was chosen for the celebration. So that the owner would not refuse, during the construction of the house, the youth arranged collective assistance ( nime) - worked for free on the removal of building materials and the construction of a house. This house was called nartukan parche - the house where the nartukan was held.

During the nartukan, the children went sledding down the mountains in the morning. At the same time, special couplets were sung - nartukan savvisem. With the onset of twilight over the village, here and there, exclamations were heard: “Nartukana-ah! Nartukan-a!”, i.e. “To Nartukan!”. The guys gathered in groups and, having agreed among themselves, went home to dress up as Christmas grandfathers ( nartukan old manĕ) and in Christmas attendants ( nartukan karchăkĕ). The guys dressed up mainly in women's clothes, girls - in men's. After a while, the mummers poured out into the street and began to walk from house to house. Among the mummers one could meet: a Tatar merchant, and a comedian with a bear, and a Mari matchmaker, and a camel with a horse, and a gypsy fortune teller... The procession was led by an old man's nartukan with a whip and a karchăk' nartukan with a spinning wheel and a spindle... Guys , first of all, they were interested in those houses in which their chosen ones live or guests invited to the holiday nartukan from other villages. On ordinary days it was not customary to enter such houses, but on a holiday this could be done under the cover of masquerade clothes.

The procession began at the predetermined houses. In each hut, with different variations, the following funny scene was played out. A guy dressed as an old woman sat down at the spinning wheel and began to spin. A girl disguised as a wanderer, waving a broomstick, began to scold and reproach, threatened to stick the old woman to the spinning wheel. At the same time, she snatched a bottle of water from one of the escorts and poured water onto the hem of the clothes of those present. All this was done with great humour. In the end, all the mummers began to dance to the music and the noisy accompaniment of the stove damper, rattles. The owners of the house, especially girls, were also invited to the dance. The guys in women's costumes and masks tried to look out for the girls-guests, calling them to a dance ... Having amused the hosts enough, the crowd of mummers with dancing and noise went to another house. Even in the afternoon, the guys, through sisters and relatives, invited all the girls to the house chosen for the holiday. The girls came in their best clothes and sat down along the walls. The best places were given to girls who arrived from other villages. When all the invitees gathered, games, dances and songs began.

Finally, one of the girls reminded that it would be time to go for water and start fortune-telling on the rings. Several guys responded, invited the girls to accompany them to the river. After some persuasion, the girls agreed and left the circle. One of them took a bucket, the other - a towel. The guys took an ax to cut a hole, as well as a bunch of splinters and lit it. By the light of the torches, everyone went to fetch water.

On the river, the guys redeemed from the water ( shivri) water - they threw a silver coin into the hole. The girls scooped up a bucket of water, threw a ring and a coin into the water, covered the bucket with an embroidered towel, and returned without looking back. At the house, a bucket was handed over to one of the guys, and he, carrying a bucket filled with water on his little finger, brought it into the hut and deftly put it on the place prepared in the middle of the circle. Then one of the girls was chosen as the host. After much persuasion, she agreed and, with a lit candle in her hands, sat down by the bucket. The rest of the girls sat around the bucket, and the guys stood in a circle behind the girls. The presenter checked whether the ring and the coin were in place.

Kasharni, ( in some places kĕreschenkke) , - a holiday of the New Year cycle. It was celebrated by the Chuvash youth during the week from Christmas ( rashtav) before baptism. After the introduction of Christianity, it coincided with Russian Christmas time and baptism. This festival originally celebrated the winter solstice.

The word kăsharni, apparently, only outwardly resembles Russian baptism (to the variant kĕreschenkke ascends to him). In the literal sense, kăsharni is “winter week” ( cf. Tat.: kysh = "winter").

To hold kăsharni, young people rented a house and brewed the so-called girl's beer in it ( khĕr sări). To do this, they collected purse from the whole village: malt, hops, flour and everything necessary to treat fellow villagers, as well as guests invited on this occasion from neighboring villages.

The day before the baptism, young girls gathered in this house, brewed beer and cooked pies. In the evening, the whole village, young and old, gathered in the house. The girls first treated the elderly and parents to beer. Having blessed the young for a happy life in the new year, the old people soon went home. The youth spent this evening in amusement. Music and singing sounded all night, boys and girls danced to ditties. An important place in the celebration of kăsharni was occupied by all kinds of fortune-telling about fate. At midnight, when the village was already asleep, several people went to the fields. Here, at the crossroads, covered with blankets, they listened to who would hear what sound. If someone heard the voice of some domestic animal, they said that he would be rich in cattle, but if someone heard the sound of coins, they believed that he would be rich in money. Bell ringing and bagpipe music shăpăr) predicted the wedding. If these sounds were heard by a guy, then he will certainly get married this year, and if a girl, he will get married. There were many other fortune-telling that night, but young people more often guessed about marriage and marriage. This is explained by the fact that, according to the Chuvash custom, it was during the New Year period that the parents of the young sent matchmakers. During the celebration of kăsharni, mummers walked around the yards. They acted out all sorts of scenes from village life. The mummers certainly visited the house where the youth celebrated kăsharni. Here they showed various comic skits. However, initially the role of the mummers was to expel evil spirits and hostile forces of the old year from the village. Therefore, in the period from Christmas to baptism, in the evenings, mummers walked with whips and imitated the beating of all strangers.

The next morning came the so-called water baptism ( tură shiva anna kun). On this day, the baptism of the Lord was celebrated - one of the so-called twelfth holidays of the Russian Orthodox Church. This holiday was established in memory of the baptism of Jesus Christ described in the gospel by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.

The winter cycle ended with a holiday Çăvarni ( Maslenitsa) , which marked the onset of spring forces in nature. In the design of the holiday, in the content of songs, sentences and rituals, its agrarian nature and the cult of the sun were clearly manifested. To speed up the movement of the sun and the arrival of spring, it was customary to bake pancakes on the holiday, to ride a sleigh around the village in the course of the sun. At the end of the Maslenitsa week, an effigy of the “old woman of the çăvarni” was burned ( «çăvarni karchăke»). Then came the holiday of honoring the sun çăvarni ( Maslenitsa), when they baked pancakes, they arranged horseback riding around the village in the sun. At the end of the Maslenitsa week, they burned an effigy of the “old woman of the çăvarni” ( çăvarni karchăkĕ).

In the spring, there was a multi-day feast of sacrifices to the sun, god and dead ancestors mănkun ( coinciding then with Orthodox Easter), which began with kalăm kun and ended with or virem.

Kallam- one of the traditional holidays of the spring ritual cycle, dedicated to the annual commemoration of the deceased ancestors. Unbaptized Chuvash Kalam celebrated before the great day ( ). Among the baptized Chuvashs, the traditional mănkun coincided with Christian Easter, and kalăm, as a result, with Passion Week and Lazarus Saturday. In many places, kalam merged with, and the word itself was preserved only as the name of the first day of Easter.

Since ancient times, many peoples, including our ancestors, celebrated the new year in the spring. The origins of the spring holidays date back to the New Year celebrations. Only later, due to repeated changes in the calendar system, the original spring New Year ritual cycle fell apart, and a number of rituals of this cycle were transferred to Shrovetide ( ) and holidays winter cycle ( , ). Therefore, many of the rituals of these holidays coincide or have an unambiguous meaning.

The Chuvash pagan kalăm began on Wednesday and lasted a whole week until mănkun. On the eve of kalăma, a bathhouse was heated, supposedly for the departed ancestors. A special messenger rode to the cemetery on horseback and invited all the dead relatives to wash and take a steam bath. In the bath, the spirits of the deceased relatives were hovered with a broom, after themselves they left water and soap for them. The first day of the holiday was called kĕçĕn kalăm ( small kalăm). On this day, early in the morning, one guy was equipped as a messenger in each house. He rode a horse around all the relatives. On this occasion, the best horse was covered with a patterned blanket. Multi-colored ribbons and brushes were braided into the mane and tail, the horse's tail was tied with a red ribbon, a leather collar with bells and bells was put on his neck. The guy himself was also dressed in the best clothes, a special embroidered scarf with a red woolen fringe was tied around his neck.

Approaching each house, the messenger knocked on the gate three times with a whip, called the hosts out into the street and invited them in verse to “sit under the candles” for the evening. Parents at this time cut some living creatures. In the middle of the yard there was usually a specially enclosed place măn kĕlĕ ( main prayer place).

Seren- the spring holiday of the lower Chuvash, dedicated to the expulsion of evil spirits from the village. And the very name of the holiday means “exile”. Sĕren was held on the eve of the great day ( ), and in some places also before the summer commemoration of the deceased ancestors - on the eve of çimĕk. The youth walked in groups around the village with rowan rods and, whipping people, buildings, equipment, clothes, drove out evil spirits and the souls of the dead, shouting “Sĕren!”. Fellow villagers in each house treated the participants of the ceremony with beer, cheese and eggs. At the end of the nineteenth century. these rituals have disappeared in most Chuvash villages.

On the eve of the holiday, all rural youth, having prepared rattles and rowan rods, gathered at the venerable old man and asked him for blessings for a good deed:

Bless us, grandfather, according to the old custom to celebrate sĕren, ask Tur for mercy and a rich harvest, may he not allow evil spirits, devils to reach us.

The elder answered them:

Good work done, well done. So do not leave the good customs of fathers and grandfathers.

Then the youth asked the elder for land so that they could feed the sheep for at least one night. "0vtsy" in the ritual - children 10-15 years old.

The old man answers them:

I would give you land, but it is dear to me, you do not have enough money.

And how much are you asking for her, grandfather? the guys asked.

For a hundred acres - twelve pairs of hazel grouse, six pairs of rams and three pairs of bulls.

In this allegorical answer, hazel grouse means songs that young people should sing while walking around the village, sheep - eggs, bulls - kalachi, which should be collected by the guys taking part in the ceremony.

Then the old man rolled out a barrel of beer, and as many people gathered here as the yard could accommodate. With such an audience, the old man jokingly interrogated the elected if there was any complaint. The elected officials began to complain about each other: the shepherds guarded the sheep poorly, one of the elected officers took a bribe, embezzled public property ... The old man imposed a punishment on them - a thousand, five hundred or a hundred lashes. The guilty were immediately "punished", and they pretended to be sick. They brought beer to the sick, and they recovered, they began to sing and dance ...

After that, everyone went out to the pasture outside the outskirts, where the whole village gathered.

Mănkun- a celebration of the meeting of the spring new year according to the ancient Chuvash calendar. The name mănkun is translated as "great day". It is noteworthy that the pagan East Slavic tribes also called the first day of the spring new year the Great Day. After the spread of Christianity, the Chuvash mănkun coincided with Christian Easter.

According to the ancient Chuvash calendar, mănkun was celebrated on the days of the spring solstice. Pagan Chuvashs started mănkun on Wednesday and celebrated for a whole week.

On the day of the Mănkun offensive, early in the morning, the children ran out to meet the sunrise on the lawn on the east side of the village. According to the Chuvash, on this day the sun rises dancing, that is, especially solemnly and joyfully. Together with the children, old people also went out to meet the new, young sun. They told the children ancient tales and legends about the struggle of the sun with the evil sorceress Vupăr. One of these legends tells that during the long winter the evil spirits sent by the old woman Vupăr constantly attacked the sun and wanted to drag it from the sky to the underworld. The sun appeared less and less in the sky. Then the Chuvash batyrs decided to free the sun from captivity. The squad gathered good fellows and, having received the blessing of the elders, she headed east to rescue the sun. The batyrs fought with the servants of Vupăr for seven days and seven nights and finally defeated them. The evil old woman Vupăr with a pack of her helpers fled into the dungeon and hid in the possessions of Shuitan.

At the end of the spring sowing, a family ceremony was held aka pătti ( praying for porridge) . When the last furrow remained on the strip and cover the last sown seeds, the head of the family prayed to Çÿlti Tură for a good harvest. Several spoons of porridge, boiled eggs were buried in a furrow and plowed it.

At the end of the spring field work, a holiday was held akatuy(plow wedding), associated with the idea of ​​the ancient Chuvash about the marriage of a plow ( masculine) with earth ( feminine). This holiday combines a number of ceremonies and solemn rituals. In the old Chuvash way of life, akatuy began before going to spring field work and ended after the sowing of spring crops. The name Akatuy is now known to the Chuvash everywhere. However, relatively recently, riding Chuvash called this holiday sukhatu ( dry "plowing" + tuyĕ "holiday, wedding"), and grassroots - sapan tuyĕ or sapan ( from the Tatar saban "plow"). In the past, akatuy had an exclusively religious and magical character, accompanied by collective prayer. Over time, with the baptism of the Chuvash, it turned into a communal holiday with horse races, wrestling, youth amusements.

The groom was accompanied to the bride's house by a large wedding train. In the meantime, the bride said goodbye to her relatives. She was dressed in girl's clothes, covered with a veil. The bride began to cry with lamentations ( xĕr yĕrri). The groom's train was met at the gate with bread and salt and beer. After a long and very figurative poetic monologue of the eldest of the friends ( măn kĕrya) guests were invited to go into the courtyard at the laid tables. The treat began, greetings, dances and songs of the guests sounded. The next day, the groom's train was leaving. The bride was seated astride a horse, or she rode standing in a wagon. The groom hit her three times with a whip to “drive away” the spirits of the wife’s clan from the bride (t Yurkian nomadic tradition). The fun in the groom's house continued with the participation of the bride's relatives. The newlyweds spent the first wedding night in a crate or in another non-residential premises. As usual, the young woman took off her husband's shoes. In the morning, the young woman was dressed in a women's outfit with a women's headdress "khushpu". First of all, she went to bow and made a sacrifice to the spring, then she began to work around the house, cook food. The young wife gave birth to her first child with her parents. The umbilical cord was cut: for boys - on an ax handle, for girls - on the handle of a sickle, so that the children would be industrious. (see Tuy sămahlăhĕ // Chăvash literature: textbook-reader: VIII class Valli / V. P. Nikitinpa V. E. Tsyfarkin pukhsa hatierlenĕ. - Shupashkar, 1990. - S. 24-36.)

In the Chuvash family, the man dominated, but the woman also had authority. Divorces were extremely rare.

There was a custom of a minority - the youngest son always remained with his parents, inherited his father. The Chuvashs have a traditional custom of arranging aids ( nime) during the construction of houses, outbuildings, harvesting

In the formation and regulation of the moral and ethical norms of the Chuvash, the public opinion of the village has always played an important role ( yal mĕn kalat - “what will the fellow villagers say”). Immodest behavior, foul language, and even more rarely encountered among the Chuvash until the beginning of the 20th century, were sharply condemned. drunkenness. There was lynching for theft.

From generation to generation, the Chuvash taught each other: “Chăvash yatne an çĕrt” ( do not shame the name of the Chuvash).

Rites and customs of the Chuvash people

through the prism of centuries

(Reflection of the rituals and holidays of the Chuvash people in modern life.)

Place of work

Secondary school No. 16, Novocheboksarsk

Scientific director

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….....3p.

Purpose and objectives………………………………………………………………………….….4p.

Results of the study……………………………………………………….....4-17p.

Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………….…..18p.

Bibliographic list…………………………………………………..…..…19-20pp.

Application…..……………………………………………….………………..…21-37p.

National origins of character native people become more clear and conscious,

when revealed through the study of rites and customs.

"Folk rites of the Chuvash".

Introduction

One of the essential characteristics of any ethnic group is its inherent ritual: calendar, family, professional and other types of rituals.

The system of customs and rituals was formed at the early stages of development human society. In "primitive" societies, it performed the functions of management, integration and transfer of social experience and was one of the forms of transmission of culture and social control. As the social organization of society became more complex and with the advent of state administration, the system of customs gradually lost its monopoly position. However, its functions continue to retain a certain significance even in highly organized formations. Customs and rituals play a certain role in the life of any nation even today. As part of modern life, they play an aesthetic, educational function, influence social behavior, and the best of them contribute to the formation of a worldview.

Knowledge of the Chuvash rituals and holidays is relevant in our time, when everyone more people, including among young people, want to know the history of their homeland, their people, their roots. That's why this topic remains relevant to this day.

Under the influence of socio-economic transformations in the life of a certain people, not only the functions of customs and rituals change, but their form and content. These changes occur relatively slowly and unevenly. Usually the content of the rite changes faster than its form. Sometimes the original meaning of the rite is forgotten, and the traditional form is filled with new content.

Goal and tasks

Target: To reveal how the rituals and holidays of the Chuvash people are reflected in the spring - summer cycle in the poem "Narspi", as well as in modern life.

To achieve our goal, we set the following tasks:

To get acquainted with the poem "Narspi" in the translations of B. Irinin and P. Khusankay. Identify what rituals of the spring-summer cycle are found in the poem. Give them a brief description. Determine which rituals and in what form have survived to this day. Conduct a comparative analysis of the reflection of rituals from the time of writing the poem "Narspi" (from the beginning of the 20th century) to the present day.

4. Conduct a survey of three age groups of students about rituals.

5. Make a presentation.

6. Learn to work with literature on the Internet.

7. Learn to analyze works of art.

Methodology

In the course of writing the work, the poem "Narspi" was read in the Chuvash language and translated by B. Irinin and P. Khuzankay. We got acquainted with the rituals and customs that are found in it. In this work, we deliberately focus on the analysis of the rituals of the spring-summer cycle of the poem "Narspi". Later, a comparative analysis of the rituals that have survived to this day was carried out.

Main part

System of customs and rituals

2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of Konstantin Ivanov's poem Narspi. This lyrical-epic poem is the pinnacle of creativity of the author, who wrote it at the age of 17. "Narspi" is a truly deeply folk work, which, on the one hand, continues the traditions of the Chuvash folk art, and on the other hand, stands at the level of the best examples of Eastern and Russian epic poetry of the early 20th century. For 100 years, the poem was published only in the Chuvash language as a separate book edition 21 times with a total circulation of about 150 copies. The poem crossed the borders of republics and countries, overcame language barriers. Only in Russian it appeared in six translations of such prominent masters of the word as A. Petokki, V. Paimenov, P. Khusankay, B. Irinina, A. Zharov, N. Kobzev, translated into the languages ​​of the peoples of Russia and foreign countries. "Narspi" was illustrated by such artists as Petr Sizov, Elli Yuriev, Vladimir Ageev, Nikita Sverchkov, Nikolai Ovchinnikov.

The work has long become a textbook, and for sure there is not a single student in the Chuvash schools who would not know its content.

Based on the poem, a performance was staged that does not leave the stage of the Chuvash Academic Drama theater them. for several decades now, an opera has been created, a ballet performance has been staged, and in 2008, the rock opera Narspi was presented to the audience. Broadcasting and television also remember Narspi, they bring to the attention of viewers and listeners various programs on the study of the poem.

The students of our school also staged this performance on their stage. As part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the poem, interesting competitions were held: a drawing competition, a reader competition, and an essay competition.

In the poem "Narspi" with great realistic power and artistic penetration, a picture of the life of the old Chuvash village, its way of life, traditions and customs is given.

In it, the author mentions and reveals almost all the holidays of the spring-summer cycle: Aslă çăvarni (Great Maslenitsa), Kalăm, Çinçe, Çimĕk; a rite of divination by a healer, a wedding, commemoration of the dead and sacrifices to ask for rain.

The poem begins with a description of the arrival of spring in the Chuvash village of Silbi. Nature is awakening, everything around is filled with spring smells, bird choirs are singing, herds are grazing near the forest, grandfather is already fishing quietly. Together with all this beauty comes the spring holiday Big Kalym ( Aslă Kallam).

Calam- one of the traditional holidays of the spring ritual cycle, dedicated to the annual commemoration of the deceased ancestors. Unbaptized Chuvash Kallam celebrated before the big day Mănkun(Easter). The baptized Chuvashs have a traditional Mănkun coincided with Christian Easter, and Kalăm, as a result, with Passion Week and Lazarus Saturday.

The Chuvash pagan Kalăm began on Wednesday and lasted a whole week until Mănkuna.

A special messenger rode to the cemetery on horseback and invited all the dead relatives to wash and take a steam bath. In the bath, the spirits of the deceased relatives were hovered with a broom, after themselves they left water and soap for them. The first day of the holiday was called Kĕçĕn Kalăm

(Small kalym). On this day, early in the morning, one guy was equipped as a messenger in each house. He traveled around relatives on horseback. On this occasion, the best horse was decorated with a patterned veil, multi-colored ribbons and brushes were braided into the mane and tail, a leather collar with bells and bells was put on the neck. The guy himself was dressed in the best clothes, an embroidered scarf was tied around his neck.

Approaching each house, the messenger knocked on the gate three times with a whip, called the owner out into the street and in verses invited him to “sit under the candles” for the evening.

Parents at this time cut some living creatures. The carcass was cooked whole. For commemoration, pancakes and other flour products were necessarily baked, and porridge was cooked in meat broth.

In the evening, all relatives gathered in the house of the head of the clan. At the beginning, a prayer and treats for the dead were performed. Then the meal began, and after it - the usual fun with dances and songs.

During Kalăm, in this way, they went around the houses of all relatives in turn, the celebrations continued for several days. Everyone walked with all their heart, as the author of the poem "Narspi" Konstantin Ivanov confirms to us:

Yes, who does not fit

Walk in Big Kalym?

In the cellars we are not enough

Do we store beer for the holiday?

ChapterI. In Sylby. pp. 15.

The last day of the week is called Aslă Kallam(Big kalym). On this day, the guys "cast out" evil spirits, the "overstayed" dead, illness and sorcerers. A bonfire was made near the cemetery and specially made rods and rattles were burned. Then they jumped over the fire, threw clothes up, and, in no case looking back, fled to the village in a race. In many places now Kallam merged with Mănkun. And the word itself was preserved only as the name of the first day of Easter.

Man kun - Joyful New Year's Eve. Early in the morning, young people, children and old people gathered at the edge of the village to meet the sun - the first sunrise of the new year. At the time of sunrise, the old people said prayers. Children lay on the ground, wrestled jokingly, sprinkled them with grain and hops so that they would grow up strong and healthy. Then the children went with songs and good wishes home, the owners always gave them colored eggs, cookies. At the entrance to the house, they tried to let the girl through, because it was believed that if the first person who entered the house was female, then the cattle would have more heifers, ewes, and not bulls and lambs. The first girl who came in was put on a pillow, and she tried to sit quietly, so that chickens, ducks, geese just as calmly sat in their nests and brought out their chicks. All day the children had fun, played on the street, rode on a swing.

Adults went to visit relatives and neighbors: they ate, sang, danced. But before the feast, the old people always prayed to the deities, thanked for the past year, and asked for good luck next year. Godparents brought gifts to children - all sorts of tasty things and new embroidered shirts. And in general, it was customary to wear new shirts for the first time in Man kun.

Another year ended - a new one came, and people added another year to their lives. In ancient times, it was not customary to celebrate birthdays annually.

Man kun (Easter) is one of the main holidays in our time. It is celebrated from Sunday to the following Sunday inclusive. It usually falls on various dates according to the Christian calendar. Many elements of the ancient rite of celebration have survived to this day: exorcism of evil spirits on the eve of Saturday by kindling bonfires, shooting from hunting rifles; washing in a bath, dyeing eggs, presenting them to those who come in the Easter week, preparing various treats, giving gifts godparents, bypassing relatives during the week, visiting the graves of the deceased and treating them with Easter eggs.

At the beginning of the second chapter, the heroine of Narspi's poem appears as the author. Narspi, the daughter of the wealthy Miheder, personifies the best that is in the girls of the village: she is beautiful, like a flower, hardworking, modest. Her father had already chosen a rich groom for her and betrothed her. He did it after Maslenitsa ( Çăvarni), as it happened in the old days:

Look - and in fact

For all neighbors:

After oil week

Mykheder betrothed his daughter. ChapterII. Red Maiden, p.24

Çăvarni - a holiday of seeing off winter and meeting spring, corresponding to the Russian Maslenitsa. celebration Çăvarni among the Chuvash, it was timed to coincide with the period of the vernal equinox and lasted two weeks, that is, it was celebrated earlier Kalama And Mănkuna. Later, in connection with the spread of Christianity, the Chuvash Çăvarni coincided with the Russian Maslenitsa, and it began to be celebrated within one week. During the holiday in the villages, young people arranged horseback riding, hung with bells and bells, decorated with scarves and towels. Everyone dressed up in holiday clothes. The children rode down the mountains on a sled. In some areas, on Maslenitsa week, dressed up "Shrovetide grandmothers" went ( çăvarni karchăkĕ). They rode around the village on decorated horses and beat everyone they met with whips. According to folk beliefs, these costumed characters were called upon to drive out evil spirits and diseases, that is, the spirits of winter, from the village. In the center of the village, on a high place, they arranged a scarecrow of the “Shrovetide woman” ( çăvarni karchăkĕ). It personified the decrepit mistress of winter. On the day of seeing off Shrovetide, the stuffed animal was set on fire and rolled down the hill.

The day of seeing off Shrovetide was especially solemnly celebrated. Skating children and youth continued until late in the evening. Adults and old people arranged traditional feasts with pancakes (ikerchĕ) and koloboks (yăva). This is a ritual cookie. yava certainly done with an oil hole on top. Everyone treated each other with pancakes, nuts, seeds. Shrovetide songs and dances around the scarecrow continued for a long time, while it was burning.

In our time of celebration Çăvarni also continue to give great attention. The last Sunday of Shrove Tuesday is the farewell to winter. The whole village gathers at the stadium or a specially designated place, rides on decorated horses, bake pancakes and treat each other, put on a concert on an impromptu stage. Usually girls wear large elegant shawls, dance and sing. The guys compete in the ability to quickly ride horses, arrange other competitions. Be sure to burn an effigy of winter. In the village of Shikhabylovo, Urmarsky district, there are still çăvarni Shrovetide grandmothers walk around all week, playing with children, throwing them into a snowdrift, and beating oncoming whips. And the children sentence, as if teasing the mummers, various jokes and jokes . And in the cities, some elements of the celebration of Shrovetide are still preserved. On the last day of this holiday, a whole program is planned for seeing off winter: pony and horseback riding, a fun concert, various games and competitions, treats with pancakes and tea.

For several years now, our school has been holding a competition for the best scarecrow between classes, on the last Saturday of Shrovetide week, scarecrows are burned, at the stadium we hold fun games, competitions for lugers and skiers. A day of pancakes is held in the dining room, the guys are treated to pancakes and hot tea.

Reading the poem, we meet the mention of another holiday of the spring-summer cycle - Zinze. Zinze - a traditional pre-Christian ritual cycle dedicated to the time of the summer solstice. During Zinze it was strictly forbidden to disturb the earth in any way: it was forbidden to plow, dig the earth, take out manure, throw heavy things on the ground, cut wood, build houses, climb trees and buildings. For the Chuvash peasants, time Zinze was a period of complete inactivity. Here is what the author says about him:

Ah, when will Xinze arrive?

How can we pass the time?

How far is merry Simek?

How can we wait until then?

Everyone is waiting next holiday, as in idleness and time flows very slowly. considered during the period Zinze it is unacceptable to take a bath, wash clothes, light stoves during the daytime, walk on the ground with bare feet, or pollute the ground in any other way. Violation of prohibitions and restrictions allegedly caused drought or hail. During the period of observance of the rest of the earth in the daytime, it was forbidden to whistle or play musical instruments, as it was believed that this could cause strong winds, storms and lead to shedding of the crop. But in the evening, these bans were lifted, the youth danced in circles until the morning. These days, the girls certainly embroidered on a white canvas, the old people remembered the good old days, told fairy tales to the children and made riddles.

This agricultural holiday now corresponds to the Russian holiday known as Mother Earth Birthday Girl or Spirits Day. Usually it is now celebrated immediately on the day after Trinity. In the Chuvash settlements and villages, they try to observe the old custom - not to disturb Mother Earth on this day, not to work in the fields, in gardens and orchards. The very word "çinçe" as the name of the holiday is no longer in everyday conversation, in different areas the day is called differently: Çĕr kunĕ, Çĕr uyavĕ, Çĕr praçnikĕ. And some of the city dwellers also do not work on the ground on this day.

In general, the Chuvashs honored and respected the land, so there were many holidays dedicated to it - this akatuy, ută pătti(holiday at the end of haymaking), ana văy ilni(feast of thanksgiving to the earth for the harvest), feasts of sacrifice.

The respect for the land among the Chuvash is preserved in modern life. No wonder the President of the Chuvashskaya Fedorov declared 2009 the Year of the Farmer. It is held in order to improve the quality and standard of living in the countryside, to preserve and develop the unique values ​​of the traditional way of rural life and culture.

In the series of spring and summer holidays, a special place is occupied by Zimĕk.

Zimĕk- summer holiday dedicated to the commemoration of deceased relatives with a visit to cemeteries. celebration Zimĕk among the Chuvash it spread relatively recently, apparently not earlier than the middle of the 18th century. Chuvash Zimĕk began seven weeks after Easter, on Thursday before Trinity, ended on Thursday of Trinity week. The first day was called Aslă çimĕk, and the last one is Kĕçĕn çimĕk. the day before Aslă çimĕk women and children went to the forest, ravines, collected medicinal herbs and roots there. Usually they said: “Seventy-seven types of different herbs must be collected for Simek from the edge of seven forests, from the tops of seven ravines.” They returned from the forest with brooms and branches various trees. These branches were stuck to the windows, gates and doors of buildings, believing that they protect from evil spirits. On the eve of Zimĕk, everyone heated the bathhouse, where it was supposed to prepare a decoction “from seventy-seven branches”. Dead ancestors were invited to the bath, for which one guy was specially sent to the cemetery. In the bath they steamed with brooms from different breeds trees, washed with a decoction of different types of herbs. At the time of writing the poem Zimĕk kept the same way:

Dawn - and over the village

Blue smoke floats in the morning:

As ancient custom dictates,

People are steaming in the bath.

Be with a drunken head

And so it went to Simek,

So that dirt simek - grass

The whole man steamed.

ChapterIII. Wedding, p.39.

The next day, the whole world performed a commemoration of the dead. Beer was brewed in advance, pancakes, pies and other edibles were baked on the day of remembrance. Just like on kalam, cut living creatures - usually a bird. When everything was ready, they gathered it on the table, made a home wake. After the completion of the home commemoration, everyone went or went to the cemetery "to see off the dead." They rode on tarantasses decorated with green branches. The branches were placed so that the souls of the dead settled on them and did not disturb the living.

At the cemetery, prayers were made to the spirits of ancestors, as a gift to the dead, a new embroidered towel, surbans and head scarves were hung on the grave post, a tablecloth was laid on the grave, dishes brought with them were arranged and treated to the dead. They invited their relatives, neighbors, acquaintances to commemorate their dead relatives, treated them to beer and wine. According to ancient Chuvash notions, it was impossible to cry for the dead. Therefore, music played in the cemetery, a special funeral melody sounded. Usually they sang guest songs, as those who came to the cemetery were visiting relatives who had gone to another world. Before leaving home, they broke dishes with sacrificial food, asking the deceased not to disturb the living and live their lives until the next commemoration. After çimĕk it was possible to have fun and dance.

Nowadays, Zimĕk in different villages and villages continues to be celebrated on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. For example, the villages of Novoe Yanashevo (Pittepel), Urazmametevo (Tărmăsh) of the Yalchik region, Kriushi, Kinery (Kĕner), Mozhary (Mushar), Shemeneevo (Khuramal), Karamyshevo (Elchĕk), Marsakassy, ​​Merten (Khyrkassi) of the Kozlovsky region, Shamal (Chamal ), Tuzi (Tuçi), Nizhery (Nisher) of the Mariinsky Posad region, Khorui (Khurui) of the Urmar region of the Chuvash Republic, Lower Savrushi (Hĕrlĕ Shur), Emelkino (Yĕtem shu), Old Savrushi (Kivĕ Savrăsh) of Aksubaevsky region, Shama of Alekseevsky region The Tatar Republic is celebrated on Thursday. There are villages in the Kanashsky region - Atnashi, in the Tsivilsky region, the village of Kondrata in the Alekseevsky region of Tatarstan, celebrating Sunday. Basically, the day of visiting the dead is Saturday. Usually on çimĕk everyone who was born and raised in this village is leaving. They also heat a bathhouse, try to bathe with brooms from different herbs, decorate window frames and gates with tree branches, carry these branches to the cemetery. Commemoration in the cemeteries is performed by the ministers of the church, the people take part in prayers, light candles on the graves, lay tablecloths and bedspreads, cover them with various treats, treat themselves and invite relatives.

Reading the poem, we can only be surprised that Konstantin Ivanov managed to designate all the holidays that were celebrated in the village of Silbi. After Zimĕk, the villagers spent Uchuk.

Uchuk - a feast of sacrifice or a field prayer performed by the people in order to contribute to a good harvest. Usually uchuk (uy chukĕ) was held after çimĕk. The solemn ceremony was performed by the most respected elders, only adult family people were present during the prayer. Be sure to bring a sacrificial animal - a horse or a bull. It was considered the most valuable. They sat down on the lawn for a joint meal. They always ate their fill, and took the rest of the food with them. After the meal, the youth at a distance led round dances, had fun, arranged vyav (văyă). Now it was possible to get to work, haymaking would soon begin. The author of Narspi also notes this:

After seeing off Uchyuk, the villagers

We immediately went to the meadows.

Like hills on a battlefield

There were mop and haystacks. ChapterXI. In Silby, p.97.

Of all the feasts of sacrifice Uchuk, chak in our days, the most preserved is the petition of rain - çumăr chukĕ. In many villages of Alikovsky (Kagasi, Hurazany, Chuvash Sormy, Martynkino), Krasnochetaisky districts, this ceremony is performed during a drought. Usually, beer and porridge are brewed by the whole village, then they are sure to gather near the river. Here the old and the elderly pray, and then they treat themselves to beer and taste porridge. Be sure to play with water - splash or pour over each other.

Of the series of rites, a large place in the poem is occupied by the description of the family ceremony - the wedding.

A wedding is one of the most important events in a person's life. The Chuvash considered it a great misfortune and a sin to die unmarried or unmarried. A person, coming into this world, must leave behind a continuation - children, raising and teaching them everything that his parents taught - the chain of life should not be interrupted.

Many researchers noted that the Chuvashs were more concerned not about themselves personally, but about the continuation and strengthening of their kind. Therefore, it is clear that the choice of future fathers or mothers, and then the wedding, was one of the most important events in the life of a person, family and the whole family. This is confirmed by his poem, where the author pays great attention to the wedding - a whole chapter of stanzas - describes the wedding from beginning to end.

The full wedding ceremony included negotiations led by the matchmaker. (evchĕ), matchmaking - that is, the agreement of the groom and his father with the bride's parents about the wedding day and dowry, the actual wedding both in the groom's house and in the bride's house , entering the young into the circle of her husband's relatives ( çĕnĕ çyn kĕrtni), a visit by newlyweds to the parents of the young.

According to the traditions of the Chuvash, it was impossible to choose a wife or husband from relatives. This prohibition extended up to the seventh generation. Therefore, the Chuvash guys were looking for brides in neighboring and distant villages, because it often happened that the inhabitants of one village came from one relative.

To get acquainted with the bride's family and preliminary collusion, matchmaking (kilĕshni), the boy's parents sent matchmakers (evchĕ). These evche were either relatives or close acquaintances of the groom's family. A few days later, the parents and relatives of the groom came to the bride's house for the final matchmaking of the bride. (khĕr çuraçni). They brought cheese, beer, various pastries. From the side of the bride, relatives also gathered. On this day, the bride gave gifts to future relatives: towels, surpans, shirts and treated them to beer, in return they put a few coins in the empty ladle.

The wedding was a big celebration for both villages. These celebrations took several days, they were often held in a week Zimĕk.

This is such glorious news!

The world is saying:

If the son-in-law is not worse than the father-in-law

So, there will be a glorious feast. Chapter 2. Red Maiden, p.24.

In the house of both the bride and the groom, a rich meal, horses, and a wedding cart were prepared.

In the house, mother bakes pancakes,

As always, generous with scolding,

Mihider kibitku gets along

For the wedding in the morning.

Fry, steam, knead the dough,

House - upside down from the bustle,

Fat child of the bride's relatives

As if smearing oil on the mouth.

Celebrate the wedding on a grand scale ... ChapterIII. Evening before Simek, pp. 30, 31.

The parents of the bride and groom, each for their part, went from house to house and invited relatives and fellow villagers to the wedding - that is, they performed a household ritual. And Narspi's parents begin the wedding with the above ceremony:

Waiting for guests - it's time!

And the wife delivers beer

From yard to yard.

Beer foams and ferments

Turns the head ... Good!

ChapterIII. Evening before Simek, p. 33.

By the beginning of the wedding guests gathered, brought refreshments. At this time, the bride in the crate of her friend was dressed up in a wedding attire: a richly embroidered dress, tukhyu, silver jewelry, rings, bracelets, leather shoes, elegant sahman, from above, covering the face, they threw covers - pĕrkenchĕk. While dressing, the bride sang lamentations - hĕr yĕrri. She said goodbye to her parents' house, bowed to her parents, parents blessed their daughter.

Then the bride, along with her relatives, friends, to the music of violins, drums and shăpăra with songs and dances went to visit relatives.

In turn from Turikas

The girl's wedding is buzzing ...

When the bride returned home, she was blessed in her parents' house, her father and mother said parting words:

"God help you

An honest husband to be a wife,

May your whole life be lived

Be meek with him, submissive,

Look after the house, carry the children.

Know work, from shameful

Leni - God save us! .. " ChapterIII. Evening before Simek, pp. 33,37

On the day of the wedding, his relatives and friends also gathered in the groom's house, who made up the wedding train. The groom was dressed up, the obligatory attributes were a silver necklace, a wedding scarf folded diagonally, and a wicker whip in his hand. The groom traveled all over the village with musicians and friends. Upon returning home, the groom's parents blessed their son, and the wedding train left for the bride's house:

The groom's train is waiting.

Just managed to call the matchmaker -

Look - the groom is right there.

Where a light veil

Dust hung like fog

ChapterXII. Two weddings, p.61

"Before the dead ancestors were bought

And separately remembering

Sprinkle the bread with coarse salt

As usual in the old days:

The grave would not be empty

Bread and salt were there,

So that posthumously, the ancestors were,

ChapterIII. Evening before Simek, p.36

Relatives met the guests from the side of the groom. In front of the gates of the bride's house, they could sing a song-dialogue. Forward acted măn kĕrya(planted father) and uttered a long wedding song-speech. After such a greeting, the guests were invited into the house. The wedding fun began: people ate, sang and danced. At this time, while the bride was sitting with her friends in the barn or in another house of some relative. There was fun there too. Then, in the morning, she was brought into the house and blessed. The bride was taken out into the yard and mounted on a horse led by hăymatlăh(witness) for a reason made of a towel. It was followed by the entire wedding train of the groom and wagons with the bride's dowry. Almost the entire village accompanied the bride to the outskirts. Near the cemetery, they made sure to stop in order to commemorate the dead. We see the same in the poem:

Father-in-law stopped the train

A man, probably from a hundred

Huddled in a heap among the graves.

ChapterXII. Two weddings, page 66

When leaving their village, the groom lashed his bride three times, driving out evil spirits that could come to the village. Now the wedding began at the groom's house.

Walked up with the bride

With the Khuzhalgin groom,

And today - honor and place

They have a girl's wedding.

The bridegroom carried the bride in his arms, so that there would be no trace left on earth from a stranger to this kind of person. After performing a series of rites and accepting "common food" -salms the bride became a relative of the groom and his relatives.

A little later, the bride's relatives came to the groom, the fun continued in the groom's house again.

Horses are galloping, scattering

Ringing cheerful on the run,

Big girl's wedding

With noise goes to Khuzhalga.

The first wedding night was spent by the young in a cage, barn or in another non-residential premises.

When they arrive, you need to spend the night

Bring the young to the barn,

To be a husband's wife there

Become a bride locked up.

. ChapterVIII. In Khuzhalga, p.71.

The last wedding ceremony was the ceremony of the bride walking for water - shiv çulĕ. Her husband's relatives accompanied her to the spring. It was required that the spirit of water did not spread damage to the young. They threw coins into the water, said the necessary words. on the water she brought, she cooked a dish for a treat on the second day.

The modern Chuvash wedding takes place with the inclusion of traditional elements to one degree or another. In the Chuvash villages, a detailed traditional rite occupies a significant place, so the wedding takes several days.

The main elements of the wedding ceremony have been preserved in our days in the city. Still remain: matchmaking, the arrangement of a wedding train, the bride giving gifts to the groom's relatives, the blessing of the parents, the hiding of the bride, the meeting of the young by the groom's parents (the bride is met with bread and salt, the groom either carries the bride in his arms or leads into the house on a specially laid carpet); the dance of the bride and groom, accompanied by the sprinkling of coins, grain, showing the young woman the well on the second day of the wedding. And in the Chuvash villages, the bride is dressed in a Chuvash women's costume.

Fortune-telling rituals among the Chuvash were widespread in the same way as among many pagan peoples. Many sought to predict the future, to find out what awaits them in the future. And there were a great many ways of divination. For example, to find out a betrothed, girls on a holiday Surkhuri exactly at midnight they went to the bathhouse, put a mirror in front of them, lit a candle, covered themselves with a blanket and peered into the mirror. At the same time, it was believed that exactly at midnight the personality of the groom would appear in the mirror. If the youth mostly guessed at the betrothed, the adults were interested in the views of the harvest, the fate of loved ones. On the same holiday Surkhuri adults went to the threshing floor to the haystacks. They stood with their backs to the haystack and, bending back, pulled several stalks with ears of corn out of the haystacks with their teeth. Carefully brought these ears home. At home, they peeled and counted the grains, saying: “Barn .. Bag .. Susek .. Empty” If the last grain came to the word “barn”, they were glad that the year would be fruitful. There were many healers, fortune-tellers in the Chuvash villages, yumca- people who were definitely engaged in this craft. For work they took coins, things. To find out what fate has prepared for her son, Setner's mother also goes to the healer. As expected, she brought the old medicine man a reward for his work: a shirt and a pair of woolen stockings. With difficulty, the old man agreed to tell everything about the young guy:

Dressed in a warm coat

He took his hat under his arm,

Put a coin on the table

Silently he stood on the scratcher;

Beard like shaggy wool

Leaning heavily to the ground

ChapterV. At the healer, p.50.

"Because of the sea - the ocean

Grandma Shabadan is riding *

Soup to cook for Tokhtaman

For Tokhtaman to perish.

Over the mountains, over the seas

A copper chair jumps up and down.

ChapterX. Crime of Narspi, p.91

In our time, fortune-telling, quackery, removal of damage are also widespread. Being good psychologists, these so-called "healers" are quite active in profiting from this craft. And the newspapers are full of various ads, and on the television screens, the running magpie invites visitors to their place for a cure, love spells. Of course, many fall for the bait of these healers and healers, hoping for good results.

Rituals were obligatory for every inhabitant of the village. Violators of rural rituals will not live. Everyone believed in the power of the rite, they thought that in this way they would ensure a decent life without troubles and misfortunes. Ignoring traditions, according to the Chuvash, brought disaster to rural society, could cause drought, cold or hail.

The rituals, in turn, brought a unique festive flavor to the monotonous everyday life peasant life.

We conducted a survey of students, the results of which are presented in Appendix No. 1. The students were asked the following questions:

1. Do you know about customs and rituals?

2. Have ancient customs and rituals been preserved to this day?

3. How often do you see the use of ritual elements in modern life?

conclusions

In the course of writing the work, we got acquainted with the poem "Narspi". In this poem, the author mentions and reveals almost all the holidays of the spring-summer cycle: Aslă çăvarni (Great Maslenitsa), Kalăm, Zinçe, Zimĕk, the rite of divination by the healer, wedding, commemoration of the dead and sacrifices to ask for rain. - Calam- one of the traditional holidays of the spring ritual cycle, dedicated to the annual commemoration of the deceased ancestors.

- Mănkun - joyful celebration of the new year.

- Çăvarni- a holiday of seeing off winter and meeting spring, corresponding to the Russian Maslenitsa.

- Zinze - a traditional pre-Christian ritual cycle dedicated to the time of the summer solstice.

- Zimĕk- a summer holiday dedicated to the commemoration of deceased relatives with a visit to cemeteries.

- Uchuk - a feast of sacrifice or a field prayer performed by the people in order to contribute to a good harvest.

- Wedding - ceremony of marriage

Elements of the Chuvash rituals are reflected in modern life. This can be seen on the example of the Chuvash holidays, which are held in our time: Çimĕk, Măn kun, Akatuy, Uchuk, the wedding ceremony. It was also reflected in the rituals associated with the funeral. It is important to note that over time, under the influence of socio-economic transformations in the life of a certain people, not only the functions of customs and rituals change, but their form and content. Usually the content of the rite changes faster than its form. Based on the survey, we can conclude that students in grades 8-11 are thinking about the fact that the ancient rites and holidays of the Chuvash people are reflected in modern life.

Bibliographic list

Aleksandrov Konstantin Ivanov. Questions of method, genre, style. Cheboksary. Chuvash book. Publishing house, 1990.-192s. Volkov folk pedagogy. Cheboksary, 1958 , Trofimov art of Soviet Chuvashia. Moscow. Publishing House "Soviet Artist", 1980, 222p. , etc., Chuvash: modern ethno-cultural processes - M .: "Nauka", 1988 - 240 pages. "History and culture of the Chuvash Republic". Cheboksary, Chuvash book publishing house, 1997 , "History and culture of the Chuvash Republic" Cheboksary, ChRIO, 1996. Denisov Chuvash beliefs: Historical and ethnographic essays. Cheboksary, Chuvash book publishing house, 1959 , Chuvash historical traditions; Cheboksary, Chuvash book publishing house; Part 2, 1986; , Chuvash historical legends; Cheboksary, Chuvash book publishing house, 1993. The second supplemented edition Elena Enkka "Native land" Textbook for grade 5. Cheboksary, Chuvash book publishing house, 2005 Elena Enkka "Native land" Textbook for grades 6-7. Cheboksary, Chuvash book publishing house, 2004 , Nikolaev, VV, Dmitriev: ethnic history and traditional culture. M.: Publishing house DIK, 2000.96s.: ill., maps. Konstantin Ivanov. Narspi. Translation by Boris Irinin. - Cheboksary, Chuvash book publishing house, 1985. Konstantin Ivanov.Chyrnisen pukhkhi. Shupashkar, Chăvash Kĕneke Publishing House, 200-ç. , etc., Culture of the Chuvash region; Part 1. Tutorial. Cheboksary, Chuvash book publishing house, 1994 Misha Yukhma "Song of Chuvashia". Chuvash printing house No. 1 of the Ministry of Information and Press. Cheboksary, 1995 "Worldview and Folklore". Chuvash book publishing house, 1971 Salmin rites of the Chuvash. - Cheboksary, 1994.-339s.: diagrams. , Nine villages. Scientific archive of ChNII, pp.100-101 Chăvash halăh pultarulăhĕ. Khalăkh eposĕ. - Shupashkar: Chăvash kĕneke publishing house, 2004.-382 pp. Chuvash folk tales. Cheboksary, Chuvash book publishing house, 1993

Glossary of definitions and terms

Shabadan is a fabulous image, like Baba Yaga.

Surkhuri is an old Chuvash holiday celebrated during the winter solstice.

Narkămăsh - poison, poison.

Annex 1

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There are almost one and a half million in Russia, they are the fifth largest people in our country.

What do the Chuvash people do, their traditional activities

Plowed agriculture has long played a leading role in the traditional economy of the Chuvash. They cultivated rye (the main food crop), spelt, oats, barley, buckwheat, millet, peas, hemp, and flax. Horticulture was developed, onions, cabbage, carrots, rutabaga, and turnips were planted. From the middle of the 19th century, potatoes began to spread.

The Chuvash have long been famous for their ability to cultivate hops, which they also sold to neighboring peoples. Historians note that back in the 18th century, many peasants had capitally built, with oak pillars, field hop farms. At the beginning of the 20th century, wealthy owners got their own dryers, presses for obtaining hop briquettes, and instead of traditional, only slightly cultivated varieties, more productive varieties are introduced - Bavarian, Bohemian, Swiss.

In second place in importance was animal husbandry - they bred large and small cattle, horses, pigs, poultry. They were also engaged in hunting, fishing, beekeeping.

Of handicrafts, woodworking was mainly widespread: wheel, cooperage, carpentry. There were carpenters, tailors and other artels. Many carpenters in coastal villages were engaged in the manufacture of boats and small boats. On this basis, at the beginning of the 20th century, small enterprises arose (the cities of Kozlovka and Mariinsky Posad), where they built not only boats, but also schooners for the Caspian trades.

Of the crafts, pottery, basket weaving, and woodcarving were developed. Utensils (especially beer ladles), furniture, gate posts, cornices, and architraves were decorated with carvings.

Until the 17th century, there were many metalworking specialists among the Chuvash. However, after the ban on foreigners to engage in this craft, even at the beginning of the 20th century, there were almost no blacksmiths among the Chuvash.

Chuvash women were engaged in the manufacture of canvas, dyeing of fabric, sewing clothes for all family members. Clothes were decorated with embroidery, beads and coins. Chuvash embroidery of the 17th-19th centuries is considered one of the peaks folk culture, is distinguished by symbolism, a variety of forms, restrained brilliance, high artistic taste of craftswomen, and precision of execution. A feature of Chuvash embroidery is the same pattern on both sides of the fabric. Today, modern products using the traditions of national embroidery are made at the enterprises of the association "Paha teryo" (Wonderful embroidery).

By the way, the Chuvashs are the most numerous Turkic people, most of which profess Orthodoxy (there are a few groups of Muslim Chuvashs and unbaptized Chuvashs).

One of the most famous ancient holidays associated with agriculture that exists today is. Literally translated as a wedding of arable land, it is associated with the idea of ​​​​the ancient Chuvash about the marriage of a plow (male) with the earth (female). In the past, Akatuy had an exclusively religious and magical character, accompanied by a collective prayer for a good harvest. With baptism, it turned into a community holiday with horse races, wrestling, and youth amusements.

To this day, the Chuvash have preserved the rite of help - nime. When there is a big and difficult job ahead, which the owners cannot handle on their own, they ask for help from their fellow villagers and relatives. Early in the morning, the owner of the family or a specially selected person goes around the village, inviting them to work. As a rule, everyone who hears the invitation goes to help with tools. Work is in full swing all day, and in the evening the owners arrange a festive feast.

Traditional elements are also preserved in family rituals associated with the main moments of a person's life in the family: the birth of a child, marriage, departure to another world. For example, the Riding Chuvash had such a custom in the last century - if children died in the family, then the next one (regardless of the name given at baptism) was called the name of birds or wild animals - Chokeç(Martin), Kashkar(Wolf) and so on. They tried to make it a false name that was fixed in everyday life. It was believed that in this way they would deceive evil spirits, the child would not die, and the family would be preserved.

Chuvash wedding ceremonies were distinguished by great complexity and variety. The full ritual took several weeks, consisted of matchmaking, pre-wedding ceremonies, the wedding itself (and it took place both in the house of the bride and the groom), post-wedding ceremonies. A specially selected man from the groom's relatives followed the order. Now the wedding has been somewhat simplified, but the main traditional elements have been retained. For example, such as "buying out the gate" at the entrance to the bride's yard, the bride's lamentation (in some places), the change of the girl's headdress to the headdress of a married woman, the newlywed's walking for water, etc., special wedding songs are also performed.

For the Chuvash, family ties mean a lot. And today, the Chuvash tries to observe the long-established custom, according to which once or twice a year he had to invite all relatives and neighbors to his feast.

Chuvash folk songs usually do not talk about the love of a man and a woman (as in many modern songs), but about love for relatives, for their homeland, for their parents.

In Chuvash families, old parents and father-mothers are treated with love and respect. Word " amash"translated as" mother ", but the Chuvash have special words for their own mother" Anna, api", pronouncing these words, the Chuvash speaks only about his mother. These words are never used in swear words or in ridicule. The Chuvash say about a sense of duty to the mother: "Daily treat your mother with pancakes baked in your palm, and then you will not repay her good for good, work for work."

In the formation and regulation of moral and ethical standards among the Chuvash, public opinion has always played an important role: "What will they say in the village" ( Yal myung poop). The Chuvash treated with special respect the ability to behave with dignity in society. Immodest behavior, foul language, drunkenness, theft were condemned. Young people were especially required in these matters. From generation to generation, the Chuvash taught: "Do not shame the name of the Chuvash" ( Chăvash yatne an çört) .

Elena Zaitseva