Traditional household items Chuvash drawings. Basically, public relations in the Chuvash villages at the beginning of the 20th century

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Introduction

basis social organization The Chuvash were a community that originally (XVI - XVII centuries) coincided with a settlement, that is, a village, a 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 thus formed consisted of 2-10 settlements located at a small (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 the most important events human life considered birth, marriage (tui) and death. 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.

Transition to position 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 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 the administration of the wedding ceremony have been preserved: 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 a big celebration 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.

According to Chuvash traditions, both the groom and the bride 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 the Chuvash families, the elderly parents and the father-mother were treated with love and respect. This is very clearly visible in the Chuvash folk songs, in which most often it is not about the love of a man and a woman (as in so many modern songs), but about love for one's parents, relatives, and one's homeland. Some of the songs talk about the feelings of an adult going through the loss of their parents.

Chuvash for a long time there was a type of large paternal family, consisting of several generations, as a rule, of three: children, 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 more often the eldest of the women, asanne-grandmother, led.

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. One of the most important educators The children were grandparents. 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 - older mother, asatte (aslgatte) - 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- 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 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 free time" in the Chuvash language is 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. ancient traditions labor education is 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? 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 I 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 native language, and that none Living being does not 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 - woodcarving. 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 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.

Children often engaged in physical labor, played fresh air, did not eat sugar and sweets, always drank milk, and, most importantly, they did not have a TV, which makes 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 trade in grain and signed the necessary documents for him.

At all Chuvash language indeed it is 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

The whole personal and social life of the 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. Rituals such as Chuk, when people made sacrifices to the great god Tura, his family and assistants in order to maintain universal harmony and pray for good harvest, offspring of livestock, 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 kindred 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.

At the beginning of the XVIII century. 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 did not differ from those prevailing in the peasant environment of the Russian and other peoples of the region. Only complex family and kinship relations have preserved remnants of more ancient social norms.

In the territorial, or neighboring, communities, family ties continued to persist steadily. 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, with the 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 workers under general management. 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 big family ceased to reckon with their poor relatives, they still involved them in necessary cases, 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 hot topic, because in Lately discussions on this issue can be observed.

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 17th - 19th centuries. The specifics of rituals 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. Tutorial 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 of the ethnography of the Chuvash // 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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Chuvash wedding traditions and rituals

The wedding traditions of the Chuvash people have ancient roots and are dictated both by everyday realities (for example, kalym or dowry, which reimbursed families for the cost of a wedding, helped young people to settle down financially), and religious beliefs(defence from evil spirits, attracting happiness). The wedding process from matchmaking to marriage ritual took several weeks. It was performed in a certain order, followed by a specially selected man from the groom's relatives.

Dating and choosing a bride and groom

It was customary for the Chuvash to search for a soul mate away from their native village. It was better if the girl lived in neighboring and distant settlements, so as not to accidentally choose one of her relatives as a wife. Residents of the same village could be close or distant relatives, and according to Chuvash traditions, it is forbidden to marry relatives up to the seventh generation.

In this regard, holidays common to several villages were commonplace - there, as a rule, acquaintances between Chuvash youth took place. Sometimes parents were involved in the choice of the groom / bride, but at the same time, according to tradition, it was customary to ask the consent of the young before the wedding. The manifestation of sympathy for the girl was expressed by giving a hand-embroidered scarf to the chosen one, and the guy treated his beloved with gifts.

Having chosen a betrothed, the future groom announced this to his parents, who had to make sure before the wedding that they were taking a healthy, well-bred girl into their family. Since the future wife was to become a full-fledged worker in her husband's house, her diligence and housekeeping skills were evaluated especially carefully. Mature Chuvash brides were traditionally considered more valuable than young ones, because. the latter usually have less dowry and management experience.

matchmaking ceremony

The Chuvash consider spring to be the most popular time for matchmaking. According to tradition, matchmakers were sent to the girl: the elder boyfriend (a close relative of the groom who negotiated with the bride’s parents), the younger boyfriend (chosen among the groom’s young relatives, he was responsible for communicating with the bride’s retinue, singing songs at the wedding) and other relatives or close friends. The total number of matchmakers must necessarily be odd.

Matchmakers always brought booze and gifts (the latter - in odd number). This Chuvash tradition is connected with the fact that in fact there are no couples (groom + bride) before the matchmaking. If the bridegroom was chosen by the parents, the groom was taken to the first matchmaking so that he could take a closer look at the bride and get to know each other. If the girl did not like, the guy could refuse the wedding.

Arriving at the bride's house, the matchmakers sat in the middle of the hut and began a cunning conversation with the girl's father, avoiding communicating their intentions. As a rule, it was about selling something. The bride's parents, supporting the Chuvash tradition, answered that they were not selling anything, after which the matchmakers invited the bride herself to the conversation, revealing the purpose of the visit.

If the matchmakers managed to negotiate with the girl's parents, a few days later the boyfriend's parents came to the bride with gifts to get acquainted and finalize the bride price and dowry. The bride's relatives prepared a reciprocal treat, and the bride, following the tradition, gave towels, shirts and other gifts to her future relatives. At this celebration, they agreed on the day of the wedding - as a rule, three or five (necessarily an odd number) weeks after the matchmaking.

Household utensils, clothes, livestock and poultry were given as a dowry for the wedding. The dowry that the groom had to pay included money, animal skins, products for the wedding feast. This Chuvash tradition has survived to this day, but only money is given as a kalym, its size may not be agreed in advance (someone pays a large amount, someone - symbolic, just to keep the tradition).

The transfer of money kalym always takes place before the wedding in the house of the bride and groom. Her relatives put bread and salt on the table, and according to tradition, the groom's father must put a purse with kalym on the loaf. The girl's father or, if there is no father, relatives in seniority, having taken the dowry, return the purse without fail with a coin put in it, so that the future relatives do not transfer money.

Wedding preparations

The Chuvash wedding ceremony included many rituals and traditions, which differed depending on the geographic location of the Chuvash. Great importance for the performance of the rites, it was how the bride was given out - with kidnapping (when the girl was forcibly taken to the groom's house) or by agreement. The Chuvash wedding traditionally begins at the same time in the homes of the spouses, then the groom goes to the house of the betrothed, picks her up, takes her to him, where the holiday ends.

2-3 days before the wedding, the young (each in his village), together with friends and relatives, went around all the relatives. Beer for the wedding, according to tradition, was also brewed in advance. The Chuvash wedding began with cleaning and a bath for the young and their relatives. After the usual bath for cleanliness, the newlywed was given another one - for the rite of purification from evil spirits. Then the young people dressed in new clothes, asked the old people to bless the wedding, after which all ceremonies and rituals began.

Chuvash folk song

In some Chuvash ethnic groups (grassroots, middle-grass) at the wedding, the ritual of the bride's crying was necessarily performed. This tradition has been preserved in some places to this day. On the day of the wedding, before finally leaving her parental home to go to her betrothed, the Chuvash girl had to sing a sad lamentation song with lamentations about how she did not want to leave her home for someone else's, to break away from her relatives.

According to tradition, the married sister (or relative) first began to wail, showing the young woman how to. Then the newlywed picked up and lamented tearfully at the top of her voice, remembering her parents, brothers, sisters, childhood, native places. Each Chuvash bride composed the song in her own way. Continuing to howl inconsolably, the girl hugged all her relatives, friends and fellow villagers in turn, as if saying goodbye.

While crying, the newlywed gave the approaching ladle of beer, where he had to put the coins. This money, according to the Chuvash tradition, was called “tribute to crying” (or “vytnye money”), later the young woman put it in her bosom. The rite of crying lasted for several hours, until the girl was taken away to her betrothed. It is noteworthy that during the crying of the newlywed, those gathered in the hut had to dance and clap, trying to amuse the young.

Wedding at the bride's house

While the guests gathered in the house, prayed for the well-being of the young, prepared refreshments and waited for the groom's train, the young woman and her girlfriends dressed up in a separate room. It was not customary to let the entire procession of the groom into the bride's house at once. According to the Chuvash tradition, at first the bridesmaids had to pay the father of the newlywed a symbolic payment (not a bride price). After that, the guests were allowed inside, the young one was given beer to drink and seated in a special place where the girl's parents put money in, and the guy took it for himself.

The feast began, the guests had fun, danced, then they led out the bride, covered with a wedding veil. The girl began to sing a traditional Chuvash lamentation song with lamentations, after which she was taken to the house of her betrothed. When leaving the outskirts, the groom performed the rite of expelling evil spirits - hit the betrothed three times with a whip. The wedding train was returning with songs and music.

Wedding at the groom's house

While the guests were gathering (relatives, friends, fellow villagers of the groom), the future husband was dressed in a wedding Chuvash costume by close relatives. Then the newlywed went out into the courtyard with the guests, where the first dances with songs began (the friend and the bachelors danced). After the dance, everyone went into the house, treated themselves to a drink. The groomsmen and the bachelors danced again, everyone had fun, then went to the house future wife. Traditionally, such a train led by the groom was accompanied by music and songs all the way.

They returned from the house of the newlywed, as a rule, in the evening. Observing the Chuvash rite, the young woman was sent to sleep with the groom's relatives, all participants in the ceremony and relatives of the newlywed stayed in his house to spend the night. The next morning, the wedding ceremony took place in the church. After the wedding, everyone returned to the house, the wedding veil was removed from the young woman, then, according to tradition, they were dressed in the clothes of a married woman, and the wedding continued.

After the wedding, many different Chuvash rituals were performed. So, at the gate of the father-in-law, near the young, they broke a raw egg. In the husband's house, the couple was always fed liquid scrambled eggs with milk - this tradition at the wedding symbolized a happy family life. All significant rituals ended with the newlyweds being escorted to the marriage bed: the couple was simply locked in a room for an hour or two, then they were raised by the daughter-in-law (or matchmaker).

After the young people were on the marriage bed, the newly-made wife was traditionally sent for water. The young woman had to collect a bucket of water from any source and bring it into the house. At the same time, the sister-in-law kicked the full bucket three times with her foot, and the young one had to draw again, only for the fourth time she was allowed to carry away the water. After all the rituals, the guests feasted for another day - this was the end of the Chuvash wedding.

Post-wedding customs

The first three days after the wedding, the newly-made wife cannot be cleaned. This is done by close relatives, and the young woman gives them small gifts for this. The newlywed must, after the wedding, give gifts to the mother-in-law seven times. In the first year after the day of the wedding, according to the Chuvash tradition, the families that became related go to visit each other. This strengthens family ties.

A week after the wedding, the young with their parents had to visit their father-in-law. Three weeks later we again went to the father-in-law, but with the parents and one of the relatives. Six months later, 12 people went to the father-in-law's house (with the parents of the newly-made husband and relatives), this visit lasted three days, and the young family received the rest of the dowry (livestock).

Another Chuvash tradition forbids newlyweds to sing and dance on wedding ceremony. It was believed that if the groom would sing songs or start dancing at his wedding, then it would be difficult for the young wife to live in marriage. For the first time, young people could have fun only on the first visit after the wedding day, visiting their father-in-law. But modern Chuvash newlyweds often break this tradition by performing the first a wedding dance immediately after the ceremony.

National Chuvash wedding clothes

The groom, according to the Chuvash custom, put on an embroidered shirt and caftan for the wedding, girded himself with a blue or green sash. Mandatory attributes were boots, gloves, fur hat with a coin near the forehead, neck decoration with coins and beads. The embroidered handkerchief presented by the bride during the matchmaking was hung on the back of his belt, and he had to hold a whip in his hands. By tradition, the groom was not allowed to shoot all of the above during the wedding, even in hot weather.

The full wedding dress of the Chuvash bride, together with jewelry, weighed more than 15 kg, of which 2-3 kg accounted for silver coins, which were abundantly embroidered on the headdress and a special cape ribbon over the shoulder. The shirt, apron and outerwear (robe or caftan) were also traditionally decorated with embroidery. Mandatory attributes of the Chuvash women's wedding attire were numerous jewelry: rings, bracelets, neck, chest and waist pendants, a purse and a pocket mirror, hung on the belt.

According to tradition, wedding clothes, especially the bride's hat, were completely embroidered with beaded patterns, shells and coins. The drawings on the Chuvash costume, as a rule, were geometric and had a secret ritual meaning, and the coins were sewn on so that they could make a melodious ringing when moving, so the Chuvash never had silence at a wedding. The bride's veil must be white, with embroidery along the edges.

Video: Chuvash wedding ritual before the wedding

The Chuvash wedding is a noisy process filled with numerous rituals. The fun lasts for several days, the whole village participates in it. Modern Chuvash rarely observe wedding traditions in full, but some customs are still popular. The outfits of the newlyweds and the rituals at the Chuvash wedding are a vivid sight, which people come to see even from afar. You can admire the amazing rituals of the Chuvash people by watching the video below.

The traditions and customs of the Chuvash are associated with the worship of the spirits of nature, agriculture, seasons, family and the continuity of generations. Today, the population of the Chuvash Republic is modern democratic people who dress fashionably, actively use the achievements and benefits technical progress. At the same time, they sacredly honor their culture and historical memory are passed down from generation to generation.

Several generations in one house

Family - main value for every Chuvash, therefore, family values \u200b\u200bare revered sacredly. In Chuvash families, spouses have equal rights. Several generations are encouraged to live in the same house, so families where grandparents, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren live under the same roof and lead a joint life are not uncommon.

The older generation is especially revered. A child and an adult will never use the word "mother" in a sarcastic, humorous, and even more offensive context. Parents are sacred.

Help with grandchildren

The birth of a child is a great joy, the gender of the newborn does not matter. Grandparents help parents with raising children - grandchildren are in their care until they are 3 years old. When the child grows up, the elders involve him in housework.

There are practically no orphans in the villages, because the village families will gladly adopt a child who refuses or has lost his parents.

Minorate

A minority is a system of inheritance whereby property passes to younger children. Among the Chuvash, this tradition extends to younger sons.

When they reach adulthood, they stay with their parents, help with housework, with livestock, participate in planting gardens and harvesting, and other daily activities.

wedding dresses

The family begins with a wedding, which are fun, on a grand scale. Residents from different regions Russians come to see this action. By national custom the groom on a solemn day should be in an embroidered shirt and a caftan, belted with a blue sash. Sometimes the sash is green.

On his head is a fur hat with a coin, a young man is shod in boots. National Costume for all seasons. It is forbidden for the groom to take off his hat and caftan - you need to walk in them until the end of the wedding.

The ceremonial attire of the bride consisted of a shirt, an apron, and an embroidered robe. The head was decorated with a cap, hand-embroidered with beads and silver coins. On the shoulder there is a special cape decorated with silver coins, on the arms and neck there are multiple decorations.

There are so many decorations that they often weighed more than 2-3 kg. And the whole outfit was tightened by 15 kg or more. Coins were sewn on for a reason - when moving, they made a melodic ringing, announcing the approach of the newlywed.

wedding customs

Many ancient traditions are found at Chuvash weddings today. Among them is the meeting of the groom.

Guests and relatives of the newlywed gather in her house and wait for the groom at the gate. They meet him, as expected, with bread and salt, and also with beer.
In the yard, a table is laid in advance for guests - all those who arrived in wedding procession should sit down for him, drink to the health of the young.
Weddings are celebrated for two days. The first day of fun takes place in the bride's house, on the second day the invitees move to parental home groom.
In the morning after the celebration, the bride is put on a hush-pu - a headdress worn by married ladies.

Lamentations and lamentations

Lamentation is another original rite. In some ethnic groups, it is still relevant today. The girl, leaving her parents' house, already dressed in wedding dress, should sing a sad song with lamentations. Crying symbolizes the departure from the parental home, the beginning of adulthood.

Tribute to lament

This ritual is a continuation of the previous one. While crying, the newlywed hugged relatives and friends, as if saying goodbye. To each person who approached her, she held out a ladle of beer. The guest threw coins into it.

The tribute of crying lasted for several hours, after which the girl took out the coins, put them in her bosom. All this time, the guests danced, amusing the hero of the occasion. Then the bride was taken to the house of the chosen one.

Without songs and dances

At Chuvash weddings, the newlyweds did not sing or dance. It was believed that a dancing and singing newlywed would become a frivolous spouse. Wife with him will not be easy.

The newlyweds could sing and have fun when they first came to the father-in-law's house after the wedding, but now as guests.

Today, the heroes of the occasion are everywhere violating strange tradition. Immediately after the ceremony, they perform a mating dance, and then have fun with the guests.

Strengthening marriage

Three days after the wedding and the solemn banquet, the newly-made wife should not clean the house - relatives do the dirty work these days. The young wife thanks her with gifts. After the marriage, the daughter-in-law must present seven gifts to the mother-in-law.

In the first year, intermarried families often visit each other. This is done with the sole purpose of establishing contact, strengthening kinship.

A week after the wedding, the newlyweds come to visit their father-in-law. Three weeks later - a second visit to him, and after 6 months already 12 people are coming to visit: young spouses, husband's relatives.

The duration of the last visit is 3 days. With treats, conversations, songs, dances. The young family received the remainder of the dowry on this visit - livestock.

Kinship is one of the best and sacred traditions of the Chuvash. Perhaps that is why the families of the representatives of the people are strong, divorces occur much less frequently than among other nationalities living in the Russian Federation, and mutual understanding and communication between generations is not an empty phrase.

The ancestors of the current Chuvash considered birth, marriage and death to be the most significant events in life. The customs that accompany these important events are called rites of passage. It is believed that at birth and at death, a person simply makes a certain transition to another world. A wedding is an event that radically changes the position of a person in society and his way of life, marks the transition to a different social group.

For a person Chuvash nationality It is considered a great sin and generally a misfortune to die without marrying or without marrying. The purpose of the life of every person was considered to be the creation of a family and the continuation of the family, the upbringing of offspring.

Coming into this world, each person must leave his mark on this earth, his continuation. Continuation of the beliefs of the Chuvash in their children. According to the customs, children are supposed not only to give birth, but also to teach everything that you yourself know how and what your parents taught you.

Scientists note in the Chuvash people care not so much about themselves, but about their family, its well-being, strengthening the positions of their kind. Thus, they believed that they held an answer to their ancestors and kept it with dignity if the family rose with generations.

The national peculiarity of the Chuvashs is that they do not care about preparing for the future life, but about improving the position of their kind. It was all for this.

Like many peoples Chuvash traditions they do not allow the choice of a wife or husband of a person from among relatives up to the seventh generation. Marriages were allowed from the eighth generation. The ban, of course, is connected with meeting all the conditions for the birth of healthy offspring.

Among the Chuvash, it often happened that the inhabitants of one village descended from one of some kind of ancestor.
Therefore, young Chuvash grooms were looking for their future wives in neighboring and more distant settlements.

In order for young people to have the opportunity to get to know each other, gatherings were often arranged with all kinds of games, holidays and communication between representatives of several villages from the area. Another option to look after a wife or husband is general works in the field, for example, haymaking.

As in other nationalities, if a young Chuvash guy spoke about his intention to marry, then his parents, first of all, began to find out about the bride. What kind of family is she, what is her health, what kind of mistress is she. Isn't she a lazy person, what kind of mind and character, and the appearance of the girl mattered.

It happened that the bride was somewhat older than the groom. The age difference could be up to 10 years. This is due to the fact that the groom's parents tried to marry him faster so that additional hands would appear in the house. And the bride's parents, on the contrary, tried to hold their daughter longer next to them, for the same reasons.

It used to be that the parents themselves chose the future spouses for the children, but the consent to the marriage of the children themselves, of course, was necessary.

Before the wedding

When the choice of the bride was made, the parents wanted to get to know the bride's family, and a preliminary agreement had to be arranged. To do this, matchmakers from among close relatives or good friends were sent to the bride's house.

The bride was accompanied by her friends, as well as unmarried relatives from among the young guys.

Be sure to invite godfathers and mother, as well as musicians. The Chuvash wedding, like any holiday, was accompanied by great fun with songs and dances.

The wedding began at the bride's house. On the appointed day, guests gathered, brought refreshments with them, the older members of the family read prayers for the happiness of the young family and all its well-being.

The bride made preparations for the wedding with the help of her friends in the crate. The cage is a small stone building in the courtyard next to the main house..

The wedding dress of the Chuvash bride contained a richly embroidered dress, tukhya, silver jewelry, rings, and bracelets. Leather shoes were put on the feet, and a veil was thrown over the face.

According to the custom, the bride should sing sad songs while dressing. Sometimes the sad chants of the bride were replaced by more cheerful songs of her friends. Having dressed up the bride, her friends brought her into the house.

The groom's feet were shod in boots, and leather gloves were put on his hands, with a handkerchief attached to the little finger. In the hands of the groom was given to hold a wicker whip.

According to tradition, the groom's friends should also be dressed in a peculiar way. Elegant shirts, aprons, beads, sabers and bows with arrows (in later years - weapons).

Having asked permission from his parents to go for the young bride and having received their blessing, the groom went to the bride's house.

When the groom took the bride from the parental home, they were accompanied by the relatives of the bride and her friend to the very end of the village. And when leaving the bride's village, the groom had to hit the bride three times, thereby driving away evil spirits that could go to his village.

Meeting the bride

Young people were met near the gates of the house and a raw egg was broken. A white felt cloth was placed under the bride's feet, and then the groom had to carry the bride into his house in his arms. The essence of the tradition is that a person who is still a stranger to this family does not leave traces on the land of this house.

A ceremony called "Inke salmi" followed in the house. The bride and groom were placed by the stove, covered with felt cloth, and small pitchforks with several pieces of salma were put into the hands of the groom. While dancing, the guy had to approach the bride several times and offer her salma.

At this time, it was supposed to splash the broth on the felt. This ceremony was symbolic of the common food of the newlyweds. Many peoples believed that the common food made the bride and groom relatives.

After this ritual, the veil was removed from the bride. The bride began to give gifts to her new relatives. These were towels, shirts.

It was considered a great sin in the Chuvash community to have sexual intercourse before marriage. The loss of innocence before marriage was condemned by the Chuvash society. But among the Chuvash, rude forms of ridicule of girls were not accepted even for this.

The final wedding ceremony was the ritual with water, adopted by many peoples.

They went to the spring: the bride, female relatives, youth.
It was necessary to throw coins into the water, read a prayer and draw a bucket of water three times and knock it over three times.
For the fourth time, having collected a bucket of water, it was necessary to take it into the house and cook soup from this water.
After the young bride cooked soup and fed her new relatives, it was customary to assume that she entered the clan of her husband.
After the completion of this ceremony, the guests walked for a couple more days and then dispersed.

Post-wedding customs

After the wedding, new relatives had to go to visit each other. On one of these visits, the rest of the dowry was given to the young family: cows, bees, sheep, etc.

It was believed that newlyweds were allowed to sing and dance after 40 days from the date of the wedding.

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(TITLE PAGE)

INTRODUCTION 3

Public life and interpersonal relations 5

Family and home rituals 7

wedding ceremony 8

Funeral 11

Rural rituals 12

Holidays 14

CONCLUSION 17

List of used literature 18

INTRODUCTION

Rite, custom, tradition are hallmark individual people. They intersect and reflect all the main aspects of life. They are a powerful tool national education and rallying the people into a single whole.

It often seems to us that the world of traditions is irrevocably a thing of the past, and least of all we are inclined to fulfill grandfather's rites and traditions.

But the norms of behavior, ethics, morality of interpersonal relations can neither be synthesized nor imported, and the loss of traditional culture in this area turns into lack of spirituality.

Society again and again turns to its origins. The search for lost values begins, attempts to recall the past, forgotten, and it turns out that the rite, the custom is aimed at preserving eternal universal values:

Peace in the family;

Love for nature;

Housekeeping care;

Male decency;

Cleanliness and modesty.

The system of customs and rituals was formed at the early stages of the development of human society. In primitive societies, they performed the functions of management, the transfer of experience.

Customs and rituals are formed under the influence of such factors as: beliefs, myths, folk knowledge, folklore, economic activity, geographical location.

A custom is a habitual way of behavior for the population, inherited from previous generations and changed by time.

A rite is a set of customary actions associated with religious beliefs or household traditions.

The Chuvash people have many traditions and rituals. Some of them are forgotten, others have not reached us. They are dear to us as a memory of our history. Without knowledge of folk traditions and rituals, a full-fledged education is impossible. younger generation. Hence the desire to comprehend them in the context of modern trends in the development of the spiritual culture of the people.

In my essay, I want to introduce you to the complex of customs and rituals of the Chuvash people, in order to subsequently study them in more detail, revealing their unique, hidden meaning.

Public life and interpersonal relationships

The whole complex of customs and rituals can be divided into three groups:

1. Rites carried out by the whole village or a number of settlements, the so-called rural.

2. Ceremonies of family and clan, the so-called. home or family.

3. Rites performed by an individual or for him or individually, the so-called. individual.

The Chuvashs treated the ability to behave with dignity in society with special reverence and respect. The Chuvash taught each other: "Do not shame the name of the Chuvash."

Public opinion has always played an important role in the formation and regulation of moral and ethical standards: "What will they say in the village."

The following negative behavioral traits were condemned:

immodest behavior

foul language

Drunkenness

Theft.

A special need was the observance of these customs by young people.

1. It is not necessary to greet neighbors, fellow villagers, those who were seen every day, they greeted only respectable, old people:

Owl - and? (Are you healthy?)

Avan - and? (Is it good?)

2. Entering the hut to one of the neighbors, the Chuvashs took off their hats, put them under their arms and greeted “hert-surt” - brownies. If the family was having lunch at that time, then the person who entered was sure to be seated at the table. The invitee did not have the right to refuse, even if he was full, he still, according to custom, had to scoop at least a few spoons from the common cup.

3. The Chuvash custom condemned guests drinking without an invitation, so the host was forced to continuously offer refreshments to the guests, he scooped ladle after ladle, from which he often drank a little.

4. Women were always treated at the same table for men.

5. The peasants strictly observed the long-established custom, according to which once or twice a year he had to call all his relatives and neighbors to him, although in other cases these festivities carried away a good half of the meager reserves.

Family and home rituals

Family rituals are distinguished by a high degree of preservation of traditional elements. Associated with the main points of a person's life in the family:

Birth of a child;

Marriage;

Departure to another world.

The basis of all life was the family. Unlike today, the family was strong, divorces were extremely rare. Family relationships were:

Devotion;

Loyalty;

Families were monogamous. Polygamy was allowed in rich and childless families.

Unequal ages of spouses were allowed.

There was a custom of passing the wife of a deceased brother to a younger brother in order to preserve property.

There was a custom of a minority, when all the property was inherited by the youngest son in the family.

wedding ceremony

The Chuvash had three forms of marriage:

1) with a full wedding ceremony and matchmaking (tuila, tuipa kaini);

2) marriage by “departure” (hyor tukhsa kaini);

3) the kidnapping of the bride, often with her consent (her varlani).

The groom was accompanied to the bride's house by a large wedding train.

Meanwhile, 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 (hyor yorri). The groom's train was met at the gate with bread and salt and beer.

After a long and very imaginative poetic monologue of the eldest of the friends (man kyoru), the 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 on horseback, 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 family from the bride (Turkic nomadic tradition). The fun in the groom's house continued with the participation of the bride's relatives. The first wedding night the young people spent 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 "hush-pu". 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 birth of a child was perceived as a special joyful event. Children were seen, first of all, as future helpers.

Childbirth usually took place in the summer in the bath, in the winter in the hut. It was believed that the spirit gave the soul to the newborn. If a child was born prematurely, weak, then they performed a ceremony of letting the soul into him: immediately after the birth, three elderly women, taking iron things (a frying pan, a ladle, a damper), went in search of a soul. One of them went to the attic to ask for a soul from God, the other went underground, asked for it from the shaitan, the third went out into the courtyard and called on all the pagan gods to give the newborn a soul.

After the birth of a child, sacrifices were made to the spirits. The medicine man (yomzya) used a linden stick to smash two raw eggs and, tearing off the rooster's head, threw it out of the gate as a treat to the evil spirit - shaitan. The midwives also performed other actions: they threw hops over the collar; holding the child in front of the hearth, they threw salt into the fire, conjuring the evil spirits and the dead to go away and not harm the newborn. They expressed their wishes to the child to be brave, fast, hardworking, like a mother and father.

On the occasion of the birth of a child, the whole family gathered in the hut. Bread and cheese were served on the table. The senior member of the family distributed them piece by piece to each person present. A treat in honor of a newborn could also be arranged on some holiday, but no later than a year after birth. The name was called at its discretion, or the name of an elderly person revered in the village. In order to deceive evil spirits, to ward off bad weather from the child, newborns were named after birds, animals, plants, etc. (Swallow, Oak, etc.). In this regard, a person could have two names: one for everyday life, the other for spirits. With the strengthening of Christianity, the name of the child began to be given in the church at baptism.

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.

Funeral

If the wedding ceremony and the birth of a child were of a cheerful and joyful nature, then the funeral rite occupied one of the central places in the pagan religion of the Chuvash, reflecting many of its aspects. Funerals and ceremonies reflected sorrowful experiences, the tragedy of the irretrievable loss of the only breadwinner in the family. Death was presented as an insidious force in the form of the spirit of Esrel - the spirit of death. Fear prevented significant changes in the traditional funeral rite, and many of its elements have survived to this day. According to Chuvash beliefs, after a year the soul of the deceased turned into a spirit to which they prayed, and therefore, when commemorating the Chuvash, they sought to propitiate him in order to enlist help in the affairs of the living. Funeral rite ended with the words: “Bless! May everything be in abundance before you. Eat here to your heart's content and come back to yourself."

After death, a welcome plaque was installed on the grave, which was replaced with a monument a year later.

Rural ritual

The entire personal and social life of the Chuvash, their economic activity was connected 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 from all curses and spells: 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.

Holidays

The rituals and holidays of the Chuvash in the past were closely connected with their pagan religious beliefs and strictly corresponded to the economic and agricultural calendar.

The cycle of rituals began with the winter holiday of asking for a good offspring of livestock - surkhuri (sheep spirit), timed to coincide with the time of the winter solstice. During the festival, children and youth in groups went around the courtyard of the village, entering the house, wished the owners a good offspring of livestock, sang songs with incantations. The hosts presented them with food.

Then came the holiday of honoring the sun savarni (Shrovetide), when they baked pancakes, arranged horseback riding around the village in the sun. At the end of the Maslenitsa week, an effigy of the “old woman savarni” (savarni karchakyo) was burned. In the spring, there was a many-day feast of sacrifices to the sun, god and dead ancestors mankun (which then coincided with Orthodox Easter), which began with kalam kun and ended with seren or virem - a rite of expelling winter, evil spirits and diseases. 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 “seren!”. Fellow villagers in each house treated the participants of the ceremony with beer, cheese and eggs. At the end of the XIX century. these rituals have disappeared in most Chuvash villages.

At the end of the spring sowing, a family ritual called aka patti (prayer for porridge) was held. When the last furrow remained on the strip and cover the last sown seeds, the head of the family prayed to Sulti Tura for a good harvest. A few spoons of porridge, boiled eggs were buried in a furrow and plowed it.

Short description

Rite, custom, tradition are a distinctive feature of a single people. They intersect and reflect all the main aspects of life. They are a powerful means of national education and rallying the people into a single whole.

It often seems to us that the world of traditions is irrevocably a thing of the past, and least of all we are inclined to fulfill grandfather's rites and traditions.

Traditional household items Chuvash drawings. Basically, public relations in the Chuvash villages at the beginning of the 20th century

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1. Chuvash wedding

2. Family and marriage relations

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

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 more often the eldest of the women, asanne-grandmother, led.

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.

Children in a Chuvash family.

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.

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

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

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.)

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.

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 free time" in the Chuvash language is translated not as "ireklevghgt" (irek - freedom), but as "pushvghgt" - empty time.

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.

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.

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 - woodcarving. 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.

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

Children often engaged in physical labor, played fresh air, did not eat sugar and sweets, always drank milk, and, most importantly, they did not have a TV, which makes 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.

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.

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.

At all Chuvash language indeed it is 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

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

1. Rituals such as Chuk, when people made sacrifices to the great god Tura, his family and assistants in order to maintain universal harmony and pray for good harvest, offspring of livestock, 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.

At the beginning of the XVIII century. 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 did not differ from those prevailing in the peasant environment of the Russian and other peoples of the region. Only complex family and kinship relations have preserved remnants of more ancient social norms.

Conclusion

social family life

This work was done on hot topic, because in Lately discussions on this issue can be observed.

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

List of used literature

social family life

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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.