Udmurt legends about the creation of the world. Tag: Udmurt myths

Udmurt mythology existed many years ago, protected not only culture, faith, but also folklore.

In Udmurt mythology, there are a large number of negative creatures and gods that send misfortunes to the Udmurt people, for example, the spirits of diseases can send: damage, paralysis, evil eye.

Also in their mythology there are brownies - Korkakuzk, banniki - Minchokuze, garden ones - Bakchakuze. Ludmurt was considered to be the owner of the wild nature, he was the owner of meadows and fields, they asked him for good hunting, preservation of livestock and prosperity in honey, successful fishing.

Priests in ancient times were divided into higher servants, and the lower ones, the lower ones served the higher ones, carried out orders.

The chief priest did not take any part in the rituals, he was only present during them, consecrated the ritual with his presence, followed the sequence of actions performed during the rites. During the ritual, all the attendants dressed in snow-white clothes.

The main sanctuary, in which all the rituals were held, was built from tree logs, the floor was also covered with wood, it kept the most valuable relics that belonged to the patron of the family, the main spirit.

Depending on the ritual, it was necessary to make a sacrifice, in all rituals there should have been a tree and a sacrifice (cattle of different colors and breeds).

Today, the Udmurts glorify the Orthodox faith with elements of pre-Christian beliefs.

They still perform the old rites, follow the old customs and do not want to adapt to the modern world and its currents.

The Udmurts have three places of worship:

• nor worship the family patron;
• the owner of the wild;
• places of burial and funeral rites.

The Udmurts, an ancient Turkic people, represent their own mythology, very similar to the myths and ideas of neighboring peoples. Their beliefs were greatly influenced by Islamic shades and some points from the aforementioned religion.

So, among the Udmurts, the main deity bore the name Inmar, and it performed the functions of the creator of the world, the creator who is “guilty” of literally everything on Earth. If you delve into theological and linguistic studies, you can pay attention to the fact that the name of this deity is very reminiscent of other major gods from nearby religions.

The mythology of the Udmurts says that Inmar had to monitor the normal work of the elements so that it rains and the sun shines in time, and that the climate in the world is optimal and comfortable. As elsewhere, the Udmurts also had a negative deity, Keremet (an analogue can be considered the Islamic Shaitan), who is responsible for evil forces. According to legend, at the very beginning the gods were friends, but Keremet deceived Inmar, after which they quarreled.

Udmurt mythology has changed over time and in line with emerging world religions, in particular with Christian principles. In particular, as they say, after “communication” with them, a legend arose about a huge bull that holds our planet on its horns and is responsible for all the shocks of the firmament.

According to the Udmurts, and the traditions of the Finns and some other peoples close to them, the world is divided into 3 regions, heaven, the place of residence of earthlings - the planet, and hell, which was cold and dark. In many variants, one can find a central axis that holds all these areas together, which could be a tree (like the Slavs), a rock, and other similar objects. Accordingly, deities lived at the top, and only the upper ones from the pantheon, in the middle part there were usually beautiful halves of the divine society, as well as demigods, patrons of natural elements - in particular, water, goblin, etc. In hell there were dark forces - and directly the symbol of the devil , Keremet, as well as dead souls.

As we said before chief god among the Udmurts it was called Inmar, their system of religion is dual, i.e. there is a confrontation between good and evil, in the role of the latter is Keremet. But they also have one more god from among the most noticeable and important - this is Kyldysin, who is responsible for our world with you, for nature, for the harvest, etc. Usually, by the way, in other religions, a lady performs such functions - for example, Hera among the Greeks, etc., but the Udmurts put a man in this position.

Many demigods inhabited the earth - there were both good and bad among them, Keremet fought with the good ones, Inmar fought with the bad ones. The demigods were responsible for diseases, for natural phenomena, for epidemics, etc.

All this you will find in the ancient beliefs and judgments of the people of Udmurtia, captured in unusual folklore, rituals and works of folk arts and crafts. In conscious mythology, family, tribal and tribal (territorial) holy places took the place of domesticated symbols. The traditions of sacrifices were also connected with this. They were in the nature of economic requirements (beginning of crops, harvesting), preventive measures against natural disasters and diseases (drought, pestilence of domestic animals, hunger), household requests (birth of children, successful marriage).

Later, you can find variants of dual beliefs, when the inhabitants who converted to Orthodoxy, making sacrifices, did this with Christian prayers. The explanation for this is the late, in comparison with other nationalities, Christianization of the Turkic people. At the present time, there is a noticeable tendency of the Udmurts to reanimate mythological beliefs through the prism of pagan ideas about the structure of interaction between people and the forces of the elements. A significant role in this is still given to the traditions of inspiring surrounding nature, which is a strong indicator of "Udmurtness", one of the defining features of the ethnos of the Udmurt culture.

In principle, the mythology of the Udmurts is quite standard and similar to Islam - there is also a shaitan, but only in the form of small demigods, there are also peri - genies or something like that of a female, and many others. But the Udmurts also took a lot from the Slavs, which testifies to their closeness and commonality in mentality and human self-consciousness.

- a complex of ancient ideas and beliefs of the Udmurt people, preserved in folklore, rituals and elements of folk arts and crafts. There are more than four dozen gods, divine and mythological beings in the Udmurt divine pantheon. The supreme god is Inmar (Immar), a powerful, bright, white, great deity. Another god, carrying a positive, good beginning, is Mukyl-chin, the god of the Earth, the creator and creator of everything. Their main enemy is Lud or Keremet, the concentration of destructive forces hostile to man.

Udmurt mythology includes a whole pantheon of negative characters, which include, first of all, the spirits of diseases: male (spoilage), cher (disease), shukkem (paralysis), sin usen (evil eye). The lower deities and spirits of the Udmurts: Korkakuze - brownie, Minchokuze - bannik, Bakchakuze - garden. The ancient Udmurt priests were divided into servants of the highest rank and their assistants.

The most revered priest (toro) did not directly participate in the rites. With his presence, he, as it were, sanctified ritual actions and followed their order. During the ceremony, the clergy and other participants dressed in white clothes. The sanctuary (kuala) was a log building with an earthen floor. It kept sacred objects belonging to the patron spirit of the clan. When performing magical rituals intended for various deities, victims and trees should have been present. For example, when worshiping Inmar-Kuazyu - a pet of white color and spruce, etc.

The basic basis for the development of Udmurt mythology is Finno-Ugric mythology.

As the Finno-Ugric and Proto-Permian linguistic communities collapsed, Udmurt mythology proper began to form. In the course of its formation, it experienced a significant influence of the spiritual culture, first of the Iranian-speaking steppe peoples (Scythians, Sarmatians, Alans), then the Turkic nomadic peoples and especially the Volga Bulgars, and, finally, starting from the middle of the 2nd millennium AD. e. the spiritual culture of the Udmurts begins to experience a huge influence from the Russian state and Russians, which was even more intensified during the Christianization of the Udmurts in the 17th-19th centuries. Describing the influence of Islam and Christianity on Udmurt mythology, some researchers speak of religious syncretism.

Researchers in Udmurt mythology distinguish several layers: Finno-Ugric (heavenly deity, the myth of diving behind the earth); Iranian (cult of the bull, horse); Turkic Muslim (antagonism of positive and negative deities); Russian Folk Christian. There is an opinion that the ancient Finno-Ugric cosmogonic myth about diving behind the earth could not be preserved among the Udmurts, but was re-borrowed from neighboring peoples or during Christianization.

Sacrifices among the Udmurts were personal, family and public.

The latter were associated with economic needs (the beginning of field work, the collection of grain) or with misfortunes and disasters (famine, more livestock, drought). Among the baptized Udmurts, there were elements of dual faith, when the Orthodox made sacrifices, lighting them up with a Christian prayer service. At present, the Udmurts of the Republic of Bashkortostan (Tatyshlinsky district, etc.) have a certain tendency towards the revival of ancient mythological ideas through pagan beliefs.

Lit .: Sergeev Yu.N. etc. Paganism // Bashkortostan: Brief Encyclopedia. - Ufa, 1996; Vladykin V.E. Religious and mythological picture of the world of the Udmurts. - Izhevsk, 1994.

ADDITION

UDMURT MYTHOLOGY

Beliefs of the Udmurts(history and present)

Udmurts are one of the Orthodox peoples of Eastern Europe. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, despite the general dominance of Orthodox ideology, elements of pre-Christian beliefs were preserved at the family level, in the inner-village environment. They had a special stability among the unbaptized South Udmurt population, and partly among the Christianized Udmurts of the northern and central regions of modern Udmurtia.

In the period under review, the folk religion of the Udmurts was a bizarre synthesis of predominantly Christian and pre-Christian beliefs with the inclusion of pre-Islamic, Muslim and some other elements 1 . A number of circumstances contributed to this. The most important feature is the late, in comparison with other peoples, Christianization of the Udmurts.

Adherence to ancient customs and beliefs was due to the level of socio-economic and spiritual development of the Udmurt environment, which was not ready to accept the religion of a socially ranked society.

A significant role was played by the traditions of spiritualization of the forces of the natural environment, the strong conjugation of the ethnic group with the environment. In addition, traditional beliefs were one of the ethno-defining features of the Udmurt culture, a strong indicator of "Udmurtness". The rivalry between the Russian-Orthodox and the Turkic-Muslim religions for influence on the Finno-Ugric population of the region contributed to the preservation of the syncretism of the Udmurt beliefs.

The main pre-Christian deities: their functions, place in the pantheon

The pantheon of gods and spirits was in charge of various natural elements, phenomena of the visible and invisible world, the functions and spheres of influence between the deities were not always clearly demarcated. Ideas about deities and spirits underwent a strong transformation under the influence of Orthodoxy. The pantheon of pagan gods was reconstructed on the basis of data from researchers and local historians of the 18th–19th centuries. 2

supreme deities were the sky god Inmar(now meaning the Christian God), creator god, and god of earth and fertility Kyldysin(now means guardian angel). Among the northern Udmurts, the deities of the highest rank also included Kuaz(god of the atmosphere and weather phenomena). These gods were addressed during ritual ceremonies with requests and thanksgiving prayers.

Inmar- the main heavenly god, non-anthropomorphic, non-personalized heavenly deity of Udmurt mythology. Theonym is etymologized as "sky, heavenly" ( inm‘sky’ + suffix ar), "celestial something" ( in'sky', mar'something'). It is believed that the image of the Udmurt Inmara goes back to the ancient Ugric deity, whose name was associated with the name of the sky, air ( elma, yuma): Fin., Kar. Ilmarinen, Saami. Ilmaris, Komi yong and other gods of the Finno-Ugric peoples.

Ideas of the Udmurts about the Supreme God Inmare fairly homogeneous, stable and quite definite.

He is the source of all good and good, the creator of people and the whole world. The appearance of this character symbolizes the traditional ideas of people about the sky, the celestial sphere. Elevation Inmara over the rest of the deities happened under the influence of world religions - Islam and Christianity.

Meaning Kyldysin determined by the two most important points. The first is associated with the patronage of a woman and her ability to give birth to children. The second point was determined by the fact that Kyldysin patronized the fertility of the earth and all the plants growing on it - herbs and bread. The offspring of livestock and wild animals (perhaps a successful hunt for animals and birds) depended on its location with people.

Linguists (V. I. Lytkin, E. S. Gulyaev, T. E. Uotila) believed that the theonym Kyldysin has a common Permian origin, formed from the word kyldis‘creating, creating, fertilizing’ plus yin, yin‘wife, woman, mother, mother-in-law, female’ (in the Komi, Vodi and Sami languages). According to sources from the early 20th century, this Kyldysin dwells in heaven, ranks after the sky god Inmara second place in the pantheon (performs the functions of the deity of the earth and fertility), mediates between the main god Inmar and people.

Earth twin Kyldysin – Mu-Kylchin/Kylchin-mumy retains a feminine appearance, lives inside the earth, combines the functions of Mother Earth ( Muzem-mums). Kyldysin exerted a huge influence on people and determined the fate of each of them, because happiness, tranquility, well-being and well-being of a person were in his charge. The many faces of the deity Kyldysin, the multiplicity of its characteristics, its spillage in mythological time and space are explained by the fact that it symbolized the female creative principle in nature, which controls the life of the entire Universe.

tribal deities

In the mythological consciousness, family, tribal and tribal / territorial sanctuaries acted as symbols of the developed, domesticated space. They were inhabited by tribal patron deities. The greatest amount of information is available about Vorshude. This is the guardian of the happiness of the family and clan. Symbolic images of the deity Vorshuda were kept in the Great Kuala.

The owner of the local tribal territory mudor (mu‘land, piece of land’ and dor‘land, side, homeland, native home', literally " native side, habitat") was associated with a tree and a local river.

mudor was a local “master”, a kind of sacred center of the tribal territory (that is, the territory of residence of a certain tribal group) and, in turn, was associated with the water element as a horizontal axis (world river?) and with the heavenly and underground spheres as a vertical axis (world tree?).

Deity Yinwu (in / inm‘sky, heaven, heavenly’, woo‘water, water, water’) - literally “heavenly water”. Information about him is scarce. This is the only deity in kuala who has a connection with the upper heavenly element, heavenly water. Probably, this deity symbolized the sacred heavenly center of a certain tribal group. There was a special sacred "melody of the search for heavenly water" ( Inwu utchan gur), which was performed by female harpists on the "great harp".

In the traditional ideas of the Udmurts, tribal deities were creatures of the earthly middle world.

Worshud provided communication between different generations of relatives. mudor and/or Yinwu they were responsible for the well-being of members of the tribal community living within this local territory, and also symbolized the sacred center of the area associated with all three cosmic spheres (their connection with a tree, a river, heavenly water). In ideas about the appearance and functions of these three generic patron deities reflected the idea of ​​a close relationship and interdependence of the human team with the environment natural environment, with all three levels of the universe, the idea of ​​interconnection and interdependence of several generations of people (living people, deceased ancestors and future generations).

To the masters of the Wild include water, foresters, meadows, etc. Guardian of meadows and fields Ludmurt(lud‘field, field; wild', murt‘man, man’) appears in Udmurt mythology in two versions. The first image is a field worker, a meadow worker. A later character is the owner of the Sacred Grove Lud/Keremet southern Udmurts. Up to the present day, the views of the Udmurts on Luda/Keremet as a deity borrowed from the Tatars. Owner of the forest Nylesmurt was considered one of the main deities among the northern Udmurts. He had wide spheres of influence, he was in charge of forests, he was asked to give good luck in hunting, beekeeping, and save livestock.

The deities of the Wild Nature were also the inhabitants of the middle world and constituted a kind of opposition to the family and tribal patron gods. They were the owners of vast territories - forests, meadows, swamps used by people as pastures, hayfields and hunting grounds. Places of worship to the owners of the Wild Nature designated the male sphere of activity associated with hunting, fishing, animal husbandry, wild beekeeping, as well as farming in areas cleared of forests 3 .

Sacred places and objects

Accordingly, the veneration of the three main groups of sacred characters: firstly, family and tribal and tribal patrons ( Worshud, mudor, Yinwu, Immala, Bulda); secondly, the owners of the Wild Nature - Lud/Keremet(owner of meadows, forests, fields; owner of a sacred grove), Nylesmurt(owner of forests); thirdly, the dead ancestors - there were three main groups of places of worship. The first is for worshiping family and tribal / tribal patrons; the second group - for prayers to the "owners" of forests, meadows and fields, springs, rivers, etc.; the third - for burial and for performing funeral, propitiatory rites yyr-pyd slton,kuyaskon inty, kur kuyan,Belgians and others. Such prayers are performed in our days, in various places. Let's look at some examples.

Cult monuments of the village of Kuzebaevo.

In the vicinity of the village of Kuzebaevo (Alnashsky district of Udmurtia) there are three main temples: the sacred grove Lud, the sanctuaries of Great Kuala and Bulda. All the inhabitants of the village are subdivided into three social and religious associations: the clan of the Great Kuala, the clan of the Sacred Grove, Bulda. Representatives of the three structural divisions used to pray strictly separately, the priests were chosen from their midst, marriage unions between them were prohibited. Recently, such strictness is no longer observed: they can attend each other's prayers and get married, despite the former taboo. In the village of Kuzebaevo, there used to be family sacral buildings kuala, however, during collectivization, all items from them (wooden utensils, tables, chairs, etc.) were taken by people to the ancestral Great ( Budzyn) kualu.

sacred grove Lud (Keremet) is located on the site of a medieval settlement (photo 1). Ritual ceremonies in the grove were dedicated to the deity Ludu- one of the influential owners of Wildlife. In honor of him, a white ram is sacrificed, meat and porridge are cooked. The most sacred part of the cult place is rectangular, fenced, and only priests are allowed to visit it. Here sacrificial food is boiled in cauldrons and other offerings are made. Within the fenced area, a stump from a revered tree has been preserved.

Prayers at this place were previously held without alcoholic beverages, later in the village they treated each other with wine. Only men participate in ritual ceremonies in Lud.

Prayers are held at night once a year - on St. Peter's Day, in the past they were performed twice a year - on St. Peter's Day and on Intercession.

The village of Kuzebaevo. View of the medieval settlement of Kargurez and the sacred grove of Lud

Great ( Budzyn) Kuala is located on the river bank in the forest. Ritual actions are carried out here in honor of family and tribal gods. The territory of the sanctuary is rectangular, fenced. Within the site there is a log building ( kuala). Previously, a shrine was kept in kuala mudor in the form of a birch bark or bast box. Outside, in front of the kuala, there is a long table with benches for a meal.

At the beginning of the XX century. they prayed here four times: on Maslenitsa, Easter, on St. Peter's Day, Intercession. They sacrificed a heifer, bull, foal, ducks. In our time, they pray in kuala on St. Peter's Day, ducks are sacrificed. Sacred accessories - hearth and hearth accessories, sacred shelf mudor and etc.

The village of Kuzebaevo. View of the Great Kuala Sanctuary

The place of prayer Bulda is located on the slope of the hill, on the banks of the river. The sacred part of the sanctuary is polygonal in shape, fenced. Religious festivities dedicated to the tribal deity Bulde were held on Trinity every three or four years. Residents from a dozen surrounding villages gathered for prayers. White sheep or foals were brought as a public sacrifice, and white geese or sheep as a private, family sacrifice. Towels and other gifts were hung on the trees. IN

during the prayers they performed on the "great harp" a melody specially dedicated to this ceremony.

In addition to the three main sanctuaries, there were other sacred objects in the village. The Aktash prayer place, dedicated to the evil god acting after sunset, was located near the village in the log (Turk. Aktash'White stone'). There they prayed at the farewell to the army and when there were illnesses and misfortunes in the family. Among other revered places, the mountain should be mentioned. Zachchagurez‘mountain Zaccha’, on which the youth performed the ceremony gurez sektan‘treat of the mountain’; a place to commemorate dead ancestors Yir-pyd Shoton; two places smokingcon, where the personal belongings of the deceased person were thrown 4 .

Prayers in the village of Porvay(Igrinsky district of Udmurtia).

By the beginning of the XX century. the inhabitants of the village of Porvay were Orthodox people, however, they prayed in parallel in the village-wide sanctuary Velikaya ( Bydzym) kuala. This sacred building with a hearth was located in the upper reaches of the river, in the forest. Ritual ceremonies were performed three times a year - on Easter / Trinity, Petrovka, Ilyin's day. In the autumn, in Pokrov to the owner of the forest Nyulasmurt donated a goose. The prayers were led by the "very knowledgeable/able" priest Pavel Yemelyanov.

In the eyes of the village community, the prayer led by this priest was considered very effective.

They say that the chairman of the collective farm himself turned to him for help for the sake of a good harvest. Even a calf was allocated for prayer from the collective farm. The rituals ceased in 1942, the village priest died of starvation. IN Soviet years when unfavorable circumstances occurred, the Porvaians secretly visited Kuala with requests.

In 1994, the grandson of the former priest German Yemelyanov revived prayers at the sacred place. He considers himself Orthodox, but continues to perform the functions of a priest. At first, prayers were held under open sky in front of a fir tree with an icon. Later, a new building was erected (photo 3). Nowadays, prayers are performed in front of the icons on the Trinity and St. Peter's Day (photo 4). In autumn, in a pagan way, without an icon, under a spruce in a log, a goose is slaughtered as a gift to the owner of the forest Nyulasmurt. Then ritual porridge is boiled from cereals and meat in a large cauldron (photo 5).

All bones, legs, head, down, feathers, wings are taken to the spruce in the log and make up a dummy of a whole goose. Cooking for the upper gods is folded on the branches of a tree.

Rorvay village. View of the Great Kuala Sanctuary

Rorvay village. Interior of the Great Kuala

Rorvay village. Hearth at the Great Kuala Sanctuary

The active participants of the ceremony are elderly and middle-aged Porvais. Often, journalists, representatives of the administration and scientists are present at the prayers. The villagers believe that the performed sacrifice helps them in life. So, at the first prayer they asked for rain - it started to rain, at the second they prayed for a good harvest - in all the surrounding villages hail passed and broke the harvest, but in the village of Porvai there was no hail 5 .

The rich religious heritage of the Udmurts, which included both archaic and modern, universal and unique features, contributed to the treasury of the world spiritual culture of mankind. The ways of formation of Udmurt religious ideas, the vitality of ancient customs, rituals, views, the stages and features of the evolution of these ideas are of great scientific importance and allow for a retrospective study of the spiritual life of the population of the Kama-Vyatka region of earlier eras.

Modern tendencies

After a period of unbelief, the Udmurts, along with other peoples of Russia, are returning to the bosom of Orthodoxy. This return takes place not only on a formal level (baptism, church attendance, nominal identification with the Orthodox), but also on a qualitative level (desire for a deeper knowledge of the foundations of Holy Scripture, active participation in the life of Orthodox parishes, purposeful work on churching).

In Udmurtia, despite the active missionary activity of Protestant preachers, 6 the Russian Orthodox Church enjoys the greatest influence, abandoned churches are being restored and new churches are being built, and pilgrimage traditions are being revived.

Our believers take part in religious processions held both in Udmurtia and in neighboring regions.

Visiting the Velikoretsky sacral complex (Yuryansky district, Kirov region) is very popular. The Udmurt and Izhevsk diocese organizes regular pilgrimage groups for those wishing to get in touch with the Orthodox shrines of Russia, near and far abroad. Udmurt protodeacon, philologist M. G. Atamanov, with the methodological and financial assistance of the Lutheran Church and the Helsinki branch of the Institute for Bible Translation, translated into Udmurt language and dozens of scriptures and other books on spiritual topics have been published.

Work is underway to prepare for the publication of the entire Holy Scriptures. One of the important activities of the All-Udmurt Association "Udmurt Kenesh" is cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church in order to promote the spread of the Christian spirit and Christian morality among the Udmurts.

Since 2005, divine services have been held in the Udmurt language in Izhevsk for more than ten years; with sermons by M. G. Atamanov in the Udmurt language 7 . Through the combined efforts of scientific organizations, church structures and government authorities in Udmurtia, scientific and scientific-practical conferences on religious topics are systematically held, enlightenment, catechism and educational work is being carried out to spiritually enlighten the population of the region.

The article was prepared with the financial support of the Fundamental Research Program of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences "Traditions and Innovations in History and Culture". Project "Ethno-cultural heritage of the Kama-Vyatka region: sources, materials, research". Published in abridged.

2019-02-04T20:30:58+05:00 Culture of the peoples of BashkortostanFolklore and ethnography Udmurtia history, local history, Udmurtia, UdmurtsUDMURT MYTHOLOGY - a complex of ancient ideas and beliefs of the Udmurt people, preserved in folklore, rituals and elements of folk arts and crafts. There are more than four dozen gods, divine and mythological beings in the Udmurt divine pantheon. The supreme god is Inmar (Immar), a powerful, bright, white, great deity. Another god, carrying a positive, good beginning - Mukyl-chin, god ...CULTURE OF THE PEOPLES OF BASHKORTOSTAN CULTURE OF THE PEOPLES OF BASHKORTOSTAN Dictionary-reference[email protected] Author In the middle of Russia

The Udmurt people have a rich cultural heritage. Many people - scientists, local historians, teachers, students and schoolchildren - collected and described oral folk art Udmurts in order to preserve and convey it to future generations.

Udmurt mythology is an extremely interesting system of heroes, spirits, giants and heroes. It consists of a huge number of legends and tales. And in the same way, Udmurt mythology is the cultural heritage of the Udmurt people, which is a source of themes and inspiration for artists, playwrights, sculptors and the whole world for study by philologists, ethnographers and linguists.

Heroes of fairy tales

fairy tale hero of the Udmurts.

According to legend, a long time ago a man lived in one of the Udmurt villages. It was hard for him to live, but fun, because one day he knew the secret of life. The Udmurts know that a long time ago they had a Holy Book, according to which they built their lives. Over time, it was lost, the leaves of the Holy Book scattered all over the world.

During the next walk around his relatives, he was lucky to find one of the pages of this wise book, on which it was written: “Do not take everything to heart, look at everything cheerfully, and luck will not bypass you.”

Since then, any work in his hands has been arguing, and he became a source of inexhaustible humor, wit, worldly cunning. The people called him Lopsho Pedun.

Batyrs - frequent characters of Udmur fairy tales and heroic epos. There are legends about batyrs.

When batyrs began to appear on earth, then Eshtarek was one of the first. Tall, broad-shouldered, strong - a real hero was Pazyal. Not just anywhere - just in our area, once upon a time, two brothers, two batyrs, lived. The eldest was named Mikol, junior - Danil. Mardan and Tutoi. In ancient times, batyrs had to defend themselves from enemy raids. It was then that they had a leader Yadygar. Once upon a time, north of the possessions of the Donda tribe, the batyrs of the tribe lived calmes. Idna-batyr, the son of Donda, lived in the area, which later on he began to be called Idnakar. Idna was engaged in one hunting. Batyrs from the tribe Chud were characterized as follows: "they were very tall in stature, exorbitant in strength, and independent in character."

Creation myth

in Udmurt mythology - the supreme god, the creator of all that is good and good in the world. The name Inmar is related to the names of other demiurges of Finno-Ugric mythology - En and, possibly, Ilma (Ilmarinen, etc.). The heavenly god takes care of the clouds: he draws water with a golden ladle and waters them so that they do not dry out from the sun's rays. This good god confronts his brother Keremet(Lud, or Shaitan, sometimes - "the owner of the water" Vukuzyo), the creator of evil. Initially, both gods were good. At the behest of Inmar, Keremet took out earth from the bottom of the oceans, bringing it in his mouth. Part of the earth he spat out, part he concealed. When the land, at the behest of Inmar, began to grow, Keremet was forced to spit out the rest, which is why mountains appeared on the flat surface of the land. Inmar also created plants and animals.

Another myth tells how Inmar sails on a boat on the oceans. Suddenly, out of nowhere, appears Satan. At the behest of Inmar, he dives to the bottom of the ocean behind the earth: under the water, Shaitan meets a cancer, and he assures the diver that he has not seen any land. Satan dives even deeper and finally gets some sand. He hides part of it in his mouth and creates mountains on the earth, which tear the clouds with their peaks. Inmar had to raise the sky higher - it became unattainable. The first creature that Inmar created was a dog, but it did not have a skin. Satan skins her.

Christian and Muslim apocrypha (Greek apokryphos - secret, secret) influenced the mythological picture of the world of the Udmurts. According to their beliefs, a large black (or red) bull lives underground - museum utis osh("the earth guarding the bull"). He stands on the back of a giant fish swimming in the oceans, and holds the Earth on his horns. When he moves his horns, an earthquake occurs.

Characters and cult objects of Udmurt mythology

- in Udmurt mythology, the supreme god, the demiurge (Greek demiurgos - making things, worker, creator, master, artisan). Inmar is the supreme deity in Udmurt mythology (or his epithet), the creator god, the creator of all good things, he opposes Keremet (Lud, Shaitan).

Alangsar- a giant, whose body, cut into pieces by enemies and scattered on the ground, is searched for by his wife, riding a cart drawn by two gray-gray oxen. With their gigantic horns they tear the earth, hence the presence of dunes and irregularities. It was not possible to resurrect the giant due to the fact that his wife did not find his head. His bones, as well as a giant cauldron and tagan, protrude from the water at low tide.

Vorshud (shud vordys)- in Udmurt myths, the anthropomorphic spirit is the patron of the clan, family. Lives in a chapel (kuale), where his idol may have been kept in a special “box of Vorshud”; in kuala they sacrificed animals and birds, bread and pancakes - a treat to Vorshudu. The owner, who acquired a separate house, invited him to his new kuala, arranging a feast on this occasion and transferring a handful of ashes - the incarnation of Vorshud - from the hearth of the old kuala to his own; Vorshud's move was accompanied by wedding ceremonies and songs. Vorshud was asked for patronage in all enterprises (especially during illness). Those who offended Vorshud (including those who converted to Christianity) he can persecute, strangle at night, send illness, etc. (analogy: Slavic brownie). Vorshud is associated with the cult of ancestors: in some prayers, Vorshud was called together with the ancestors.

Wukuzyo ("master of water")- in the myths of the Udmurts, the ruler of the water element, the inhabitant of the primary ocean. In dualistic cosmogonic myths, Vukuzyo (in other versions - Keremet, Lud, Shaitan) is the opponent of the demiurge Inmar, who takes the earth from the bottom of the ocean. Spoils (spits) the Alangasar giants created by Inmar, deceiving the dog guarding them. Imitating the creation of Inmar - a dog, he creates a goat, then water - wu-murts. Vukuzyo was represented as an old man with a long beard (analogy: Slavic water).

Wu-murt (Udmurt wu - "water", murt - "man")- in Udmurt myths, a water anthropomorphic spirit with long black hair, sometimes in the form of a pike. Created by the "master of water" Vukuzyo. Lives in the depths of large rivers and lakes, but likes to appear in streams and mill ponds. It can drown people and send diseases, wash away dams, exterminate fish, but sometimes it helps a person. He has his own house in the water, great wealth and a lot of livestock, a beautiful wife and daughter (analogy: Mansi Wit-kan); wu-murt weddings are accompanied by floods and the like. Wu-murt appears among people at fairs, where he can be recognized by the wet left field of his caftan (analogy: Slavic water), or in the village, at dusk; his appearance portends misfortune. Wu-murt is chased away by banging sticks and axes on the ice. To pay off the wu-murt, animals, birds, and bread are sacrificed to him.

Keremet (/from the Chuvash Kiremet/, Lud, Shaitan) - in the myths of the Udmurts, the creator of evil, opposing his virtuous brother Inmar. Prayers to Keremet were made during epidemics, etc. in the sacred groves - keremets (luds), where a special priest of the Tuno sacrificed animals of black color to the god. Close ideas about Keremet (and his cult) existed in Mari mythology, where Keremet is the deity of evil, brother and opponent of the demiurge Kugu-yumo. According to a late Mari legend, Keremet held up the conversation with the elder of the Mari, Bedoya, when he went to the god who distributed religions among the peoples of the earth; for this, God forced the Mari to worship Keremet .

Yagperi- one of the creations of Vukuzyo, the spirit or creature of boron, pine forest. A meeting with him for a man of the earth threatened with disaster.

Vozho live in abandoned huts and baths, where they host at night, and do not like to be disturbed. In order not to anger them and not bring trouble on himself, a person should not go into a bathhouse or an abandoned building at night.

Kutys - in Udmurt mythology, the spirit of disease. Kutysi live in ravines, at the head of streams and rivers; they terrify people and cattle (sometimes with their terrible cries), while remaining invisible, they send diseases (mainly skin diseases). It was believed that you can pay off him if you throw pieces of food, rooster feathers, salt, coins into the river and leave without looking back.

Kyldysin (Kyldysin-mu, Kylchin) - god in Udmurt mythology. It lives in the sky, from where it controls the universe. In ancient times, he lived on earth among people, liked to appear on the fields of farmers in the form of an old man in white clothes, walk along the borders and straighten spikelets of bread that fell on the borders (analogy: Russian ideas about Elijah the prophet). People, consumed by greed, expanded their fields so much that Kyldysin had nowhere to go; they stopped dressing like Kyldysins, having dyed their clothes blue, and the offended god went to heaven (according to other versions, underground; analogy: the myth of two Kyldysins - heavenly and underground, shaitan). People for a long time prayed to God at the sacred birch to descend to them again. Finally they begged him to at least appear to them in some other form. Then Kyldysin appeared on the top of a birch in the form of a red squirrel. Udmurt hunters, intending to force God to stay on the ground, shot a squirrel, but as it fell, it turned into a hazel grouse, when they shot the hazel grouse, it turned into a black grouse, then into a perch and disappeared into the river (analogy: shamanic myths about transformations). Among the fetishes kept by the Udmurts in a vore box are squirrel skin, birch chips, hazel grouse wing, black grouse feathers and dried fish - a memory of Kyldysin's last return. He and Inmar are gods of earth and sky; their images sometimes merged, hence - Inmar-Kylchin .

Gidmurt (udm. stable man) - the spirit of the stable and barn in the traditional beliefs of the Udmurts. Gidmurt is the helper of a brownie (korkamurt), the patron of courtyard buildings, in particular, stables and barns, as well as the cattle living there. Gidmurt may refer to different horses in different ways. If he loves a horse, he will comb and braid its mane, and even shift hay and oats from neighboring horses. Most often, if the gidmurt loves all horses, then he can transfer neighboring hay and oats to the stable. If the gidmurt disliked some horse, then he can ride it all night long and exhaust it with heavy loads.

Nulesmurt - owner of the forest . Sometimes he was called Bydzym nurse -“Great grandfather, father. Nyulesmurt is the owner of the animals (in particular, he orders where which bear should lie in the den), hunters turn to him for help and assistance in hunting, well-being also depended on Nyulesmurt, sometimes he was even somehow connected with dead ancestors. Dear Nyulasmurt was called the blockages of the forest, where a hurricane passed, a tornado, which is why Nyulasmurt was sometimes considered the deity of the wind. Fierce battles took place between the Nyulasmurts and the Wumurts; it was believed that they usually happened at noon, so people were afraid to swim, to enter the river at this time.

Ludmurt(Udm. Lugovik, Polevik) - in Udmurt mythology, a creature responsible for meadows and fields. Ludmurt was represented as a little man, no taller than a child, dressed in white. He also guarded animals, followed the crops. In the field, he is as tall as an ear, in the meadow - as tall as grass. Ludmurt is one of Nylesmurt's relatives or is in his retinue. Sometimes Ludmurt was called Mushvozmas (udm. - guarding bees), when they began to cut the honeycombs (August 1), a duck was sacrificed to him in the apiary.

Palasmurt(Udm. Palesmurt "half-man") - a character of Udmurt folklore, an evil one-eyed man living in the forest. Popular character fairy tales. It is as if dissected along a person - with half a head, half a body, one arm and a leg, the insides are visible (according to another version, the second half is there, but “shines through”). Lives in the forest, may appear on the edge or even approach the fence around the dwelling, go out to the fire. You can not shout or whistle in the forest - otherwise he may respond and leave the forest. To protect yourself from it, you need to remember the heavenly god Inmar or hide behind a mountain ash. Appears as a harbinger of misfortune. Calls a person by name, can tickle him to death, like Slavic mermaids. It can take animals that have gone to pasture, then one bast shoe is woven for it, and it is hung on a bough in the forest (donate) so that the animal returns.

Kuaz (Kvaz)- one of the supreme deities in the traditional beliefs of the Udmurts, associated with weather and atmospheric phenomena. The character of fairy tales ("Favorite Kvazya", etc.). He was the giver of rain. Kuaz is the ruler of the space between heaven and earth, that is, the atmosphere and atmospheric phenomena.

Korkamurt (udm. - brownie)- brownie in the traditional beliefs of the Udmurts. In appearance, Korkamurt looks like an elderly man in a sheepskin coat turned inside out. There are bylichki telling how a man caught a korkamurt in the dark, and after turning on the light, it turned out that the man was holding a fur coat sleeve in his hands. In this regard, there is a belief: if you see Korkamurt in the light, then he will have to fulfill all the requests of the person who caught him.

Literature

1. S.Yu.Neklyudov. Mythological dictionary.

2. V. Petrukhin. Myths of the Finno-Ugric peoples

This is what we dedicated to the project "Legends of the Spring Region", organized by "AiF in Udmurtia" together with the Ministry of National Relations of the UR and the House of Friendship of Peoples.

Each nation invests its wisdom, talents and labor in the region where it happened to live. And the main partners and participants of the project are public national associations: it is they who are aimed at the creative activity of the peoples who have recognized Udmurtia as their second homeland. Let's talk together about national traditions and holidays, about amazing stories that happened to our contemporaries in the Udmurt land, about the legends that Udmurtia gives new Age and its new residents.

Happiness is from the mind

All-Udmurt Association "Udmurt Kenesh" shared with us an ancient Udmurt legend.

Once upon a time, only two people lived in the world: Inmar - the Master of the sky and Vukuzyo - the Master of the water. And so Inmar decided to make the earth and the living creatures on it. And he ordered Vukuzyo to get the earth out of the water. Thus began the creation of the world, in which Vukuzyo constantly spoiled the ideal ideas of Inmar.

It came down to a man. Inmar made a beautiful couple and went away in his cares, leaving the dog to guard people. Immediately the Master of the Water appeared, but the dog did not let him near the creations of Inmar, preventing him from touching people. Then Vukuzyo asked: “Let me at least spit on them!”. The dog was surprised, but did not smell evil in this. And Vukuzyo's saliva was poisonous, and people became covered with ulcers from it. Inmar saw how disfigured his creatures were, thought about how to hide the sores, and turned people inside out, hiding the ulcers. Since then, all the ailments and illnesses of people are hidden inside.

When the new inhabitants of the earth were already ready for independent life, Inmar remembered his great omission - he did not give people reason. Without reason, people are not people; neither strength nor health can replace it. Without the mind, a person will not be able to appreciate the beauty of the earth and therefore will not be happy, - Inmar realized and went for the mind, which he had already prepared and lay in a birch bark box. But the wukuzyo was ahead of him. And he decided to destroy the mind: he drowned part of it in water, buried part in the ground, and scattered part in the air. Here appeared Inmar. Vukuzyo was frightened of his anger, but confessed to his deed. And Inmar broke into a satisfied smile: “You did everything in the best way: the mind will enter people with air, they will pass it on to their children, and generation from generation will become smarter. When people are completely wiser, they will love the earth and make it beautiful!

Dream of generations

The main pride and concern of the President Tatar Public Center of the UR Fnuna Mirzayanova- the central mosque in Izhevsk.

Religion today provides a link between times and gives the right vector of morality, he believes. - For us, the mosque is not only a religious object, but also a center of communication between people of different cultures, a place of charity. Officially, the mosque on the street. K. Marx will open in 2016. At the same time, in the month of Ramadan, for the past three years, we have been making free meals for all parishioners.

This mosque is the dream of many generations of the Tatars of Udmurtia, and it was built on donations from people. Muslims should give 1/40 of their profits to charitable causes. And people donate: a fund was created for the construction of the mosque, and contributions to it were different - from a few rubles to 10 thousand dollars. During the training camp, we collected three buckets of change and changed it at the bank.

Tatar mosque in Izhevsk. Photo: AiF

We want, - says Fnun Gavasovich, - that a person of any nationality and confession could enter the mosque. There are imams with a legal education who are able to give advice themselves or suggest the right specialists. But the main thing that the mosque gives is the norms of morality. The fact that black ideas are now passing off as Islam is extremely cynical. Allah created people for creative work and moral life, and not for "cannon fodder".

About 3,000 members of the Tatar public center are like-minded people in acceptance healthy lifestyle life, in preserving traditions and holidays, in maintaining ties with their historical homeland - Tatarstan and Bashkiria.

Russian song over the Kama

IN Society of Russian Culture UR we were told that the Old Believers, persecuted by the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, in the 17th century went to remote, inaccessible places, including along the rivers Vyatka, Kama and their tributaries. They never accepted the church changes, and have retained their faith and culture to this day. Especially many Old Believers live in the north of Udmurtia. The Kez and Krasnogorsk districts can be safely called "Old Believers". All Old Believers are characterized by strict adherence to the customs of ancient Rus', their unique traditions and rituals are a valuable intangible heritage of the Russian people.

Back in 2003, the Society of Russian Culture of the UR (this year it is 25 years old) in the village of Kuliga, Kezsky district, for the first time held a republican holiday of the Old Believer culture “The Origins of What We Are”. The holiday, reviving the traditions of folk life, was such a success that it turned into an interregional festival of the Old Believer culture.

Representatives of almost all peoples living in Udmurtia join the holidays. Photo: From the personal archive

And so it has been since then: on fine summer days, guests not only from different parts of our republic, but also from the Kirov region, Perm Territory, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and even far abroad come to visit the Old Believers living at the source of the Kama. People go to the outback to listen to the authentic songs of the Old Believers, to become participants in fun round dance games, and to taste delicious mead, which Kuliga is famous for.

In 2012, the Society came up with a republican festival of Old Believer culture "Petrovskoe Zagovene" and holds it in the village of Barany, Krasnogorsk region. The priority in the project is work with the Old Believer youth - the heir and "guide" of this original culture.

Both holidays are widely known in Udmurtia. They are joined by representatives of almost all peoples living in Udmurtia. Given the popularity and social significance of the festivals, the Board of the Society of Russian Culture of the UR, headed by Chairman Sergei Fefilov, decided to alternate holidays. This year, Petrovsky Zagovene was noisy and fun, and on next year- you are welcome - come to the "Sources of Kama"!

Night horse and ... veme

Shared an interesting story National Cultural Center "Zakama Udmurts".

It was in Kipchak, maybe in Shudek or in a completely different village. There once lived a lonely man. The villagers were surprised: he knows everything, knows how, never gets sick, and for some reason does not create a family. At night, the inhabitants of that village on the street or near the cemetery often saw white horse jumping somewhere into the darkness. "Maybe it's a ghost, or some kind of witch?" the villagers thought.

One beautiful girl from the same village was preparing to get married. But suddenly before the wedding, she fell ill. The groom left her and left the village. The same story happened to another girl. The villagers became worried: “Who is stirring up the life of the young like water?” Remember the white horse. Isn't she to blame?

At night, the inhabitants of that village in the street or near the cemetery often saw a white horse galloping somewhere into the darkness. Photo: AiF / Sergey Prokhorov

One day a few village boys arrange a veme ( free help) and catch that horse. And so they did. In one night, almost all the men and young guys took to the streets. Everyone was waiting for the appearance of the horse, and closer to midnight they saw it. The men chased her for a long time and still managed to pin the horse to one yard. The blacksmith was immediately invited. On the front legs of a white horse he nailed iron horseshoes. The horse was left in the yard, and in the morning it was no longer there. The next night she did not appear in the village.

At the same time, a rumor spread through the village: a bean fell ill, who still did not know what it was to be ill. The guys decided to visit him. Yes, the man was lying in bed, covered with a blanket. "What is hurting you?" they asked him. “Nothing hurts,” the bean replied.

The guys came to him several times: the neighbor was also lying, did not eat, but did not complain about his health either. One of the guys could not stand it, pulled the blanket off him. And everyone saw: horseshoes were nailed on the hands of a man. And then around the house of this loner people outlined a circle with an iron object. After that, no one saw a white horse in the village at night, and sad stories are over.

Veme is a force that can cleanse all evil spirits. Veme still lives in that Udmurt village and helps the inhabitants overcome any difficulties.

Udmurts from Bashkortostan and the Kuedinsky district of the Perm Territory were called Zakamsky by scientists. The Udmurts themselves from those places call themselves "tupal udmurtyos" - beyond the river.

Jewish Sabbath: Shabbat Shalom!

Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar, sending a Jewish ethnographic expedition to Izhevsk, said: “In the large cities of Russia, Jewish life is still more developed than in the regions. You can often hear the phrase: "I am a Jew, and this means almost nothing to me." Is it so?

Public Jewish life in Udmurtia is filled with national traditions, social projects to help the elderly and children, multinational projects aimed at strengthening good relations between people.

The youth of the Community Center of Jewish Culture of the UR are the winners in the Republican checkers tournament and in the game “What? Where? When? ”, They are regulars of dance evenings and interethnic shifts, they can always be found in the forefront of discussion platforms and festivals. Every year, schools of the republic hold lessons on the topic of the Holocaust in the Great Patriotic War. The community center of Jewish culture of the UR is also the organizer of the international project “With love for native land”, which includes representatives of six national-cultural associations that help low-income and large families in many regions of Udmurtia. In 2015 alone, the Community Center participates in five major multinational projects together with other NGOs.

The most blessed day among Jews is considered to be Shabbat (Saturday) - the day when a woman lights candles in her house - a symbol of peace and tranquility. On this day, Jews greet each other with the words "Shabbat shalom!".

Contribution through sports

Sport is important for the health of the nation, says spokesman Azerbaijan public center of Udmurtia "Dostlug" Zulfigar Mirzaev. - We are proud that many Azerbaijanis of Udmurtia not only successfully work in the field of medicine, education, law enforcement, but also have high achievements in sports. The success of young people is important to us, and this year the leadership of the diaspora awarded our graduates who received gold medals and red diplomas, and the best athletes.

Azerbaijanis are proud of their athletes. Photo: From the personal archive

Inscribed in the history of sports in Udmurtia whole line names of Azerbaijani athletes. Among them is the master of sports of the USSR and Russia, 3-time world champion in freestyle wrestling among veterans Qasimov Miradam Mirkamal oglu. His sons are also successful in sports: Mirkamal, 17 years old - champion of Udmurtia and Miraziz, 23 years old - master of sports of Russia.

Athletes of Azerbaijani nationality achieved high results in 2015 in competitions at the regional, district, all-Russian and international levels. Amalya Gmbarova, the Kasymov brothers Vugar and Yakov, Gadirli Gadir, Dmitry Mamiev, Ramazan Omarov, Munasib Mamedov, Javad Amishov, Mirkamal Gasimov, Amin Piraliev, Rail Ismailov adequately represented the interests of Udmurtia.

A student of the Izhevsk Medical Academy Gambarova Amalya Akhill kyzy grew up in an intelligent family in the village. Vavozh. The girl is extremely talented: the future doctor with a red diploma from IGMA, she is also a master of sports in weightlifting. In July, in the championship of Russia in Zelenegradsk, Amelya won a bronze medal. The roots of success are in the family: her father Akhil, after graduating from the Azerbaijan Institute of Physical Culture and Sports, taught at the university, then came to Udmurtia.

Mass involvement of members of the diaspora in physical culture, their successes in various competitions are indisputable proof of the viability and spiritual strength of the Azerbaijanis living in Udmurtia.

glorious name

More than 1 million Greeks lived in the Soviet Union, says chairman Society of the Greeks "Nicaea" Democritus Ananikov. - After the collapse of the country, especially many Greeks remained in Russia and Ukraine (Donetsk and Lugansk regions). Of course, “Soviet” Greeks live in Udmurtia: at one time they arrived by distribution after universities. And I must say that everyone had a successful professional career: many became leaders and entrepreneurs - there are no laborers among the Greeks.

There are names that are legendary inscribed in the history of the region. For example, Viktor Vasilievich Kovalenko. A street on the territory of the Izhevsk Automobile Plant is named after him. This man is unique: he devoted 45 years of his life to his native enterprise, was its chief engineer for 22 years, and ended his career at IzhAvto at the age of 80! This year he celebrates his 85th birthday.

Kovalenko was born in Ukraine, in the Donetsk region, lived under the German occupation. - After the hasty flight of a foreign army, a heavy military tractor remained in our yard. The sentries near the commandant's office fired without warning at anyone who approached the tractor. So, literally under fire, I took it apart to the last screw.

In Izhevsk, I started working in the design department of the motorcycle industry. It was not just a department - a whole academy! And in 1965 there was a car factory. Construction began, we kneaded the dirt together, took the first workers. My main professional achievement? In my 22 years of work as a chief engineer in the automotive industry, my team of specialists did not allow a single case of a production failure that would last more than 1.5-2 hours.

The Greeks of Udmurtia celebrate two main holidays: October 28 is the Day of "Ohy", when in 1940 the Prime Minister of the country Ioannis Metaksa said "No" to the proposal of the Italian fascists to surrender. March 25 is Greece's Independence Day and liberation from Turkish invaders.

Tyushti Games

Tyushtya - the hero of the Mordovian epic, similar to the ancient Greek Hercules, was told in Society of the Mordovian people UR "Umarin". He taught the Mordovians many crafts, founded the state. When it was time to defend against enemies, he gathered people and taught them martial arts. For all men, he conducted the first tests: those who climbed after him high mountain, became ushmans, that is, warriors. Competitions were held among the warriors, and those who won them were appointed ushmandey - military leaders.

After the victory over the enemy, games were held in which young guys competed in wrestling and mastery of weapons, measured their strength and prepared themselves for future battles. These were the Tyushti games.

Women led round dances, men competed: in a fistfight, in a wrestling or "wall to wall". Photo: From the personal archive

In many villages, games were held a week after the Trinity. Women led round dances, men competed: in a fistfight, in a wrestling or "wall to wall". This is how combat skills were practiced, and each person, in addition to his main business, was a warrior. In addition, the main thing in a national holiday is to express yourself emotionally. At the same time, an adult will receive a lot of impressions, and in the memory of a child, folk traditions will be preserved as a bright image. This is the best way to preserve folk culture.

For modern children who have changed walks and movement to the computer, folk games can be of great help. Their obligatory competitiveness reveals children emotionally. The games are attractive due to their simplicity and do not require prior training. Yes, and the inventory for them is the simplest: a board, a stick, a rope.

Mordovian national competitive traditions modern man give you the opportunity to realize yourself. It is also noteworthy that the folk principles of the game welcome the presence of parents. Remarkable workouts for the whole family, when dads or grandfathers work out with the boys, and mom or grandmother sits next to them.

It is national traditions that give us a chance to raise a healthy and successful young generation who knows the traditions of their ancestors and loves their Fatherland.

Paradise for modesty

About 1,000 Uzbeks live permanently in Udmurtia, says the President of the Uzbek national center social support and cultural development "Asia Plus" Mukhutdin Bakhridinov. - All of them have families, work, raise children - the heart is calm for them. The main concern of the Asia Plus center is Uzbek migrants. We deal with them so that in Udmurtia they, on the one hand, do not have crime, on the other hand, so that they themselves do not become victims of fraud. Uzbeks are good workers: hardworking, modest. They are expected at any construction site in the republic, but their working conditions are very difficult. And it is important that there are fellow tribesmen who can support and help.

There is a legend about modesty of Uzbeks. God distributed the land. The Uzbek was one of the first to come, but affably, putting his hand to his heart, let everyone go forward: “Please, markhamat. Please pass". When he entered, there was no more land left. God was surprised at the courtesy of the Uzbek and said: “I have heavenly place. I thought about keeping it for myself, but take it! Since then, the Uzbeks have been living on the blessed land.

The Uzbek boldly “appropriated” only one thing for himself - pilaf. Many nations have this dish, but who eats it like an Uzbek? Necessarily on Thursday and Saturday at gatherings with family and friends. He has the famous pilaf made of red rice that grows in the water of mountain rivers, there is the groom's pilaf ...

Uzbeks consider pilaf their dish. Photo: AiF / Gennady Bisenov

About pilaf there beautiful legend. In the 10th century, the ruler's son fell ill in Bukhara. The young man became weaker and weaker when the famous doctor Ibn Sina, who was able to determine the disease by heartbeat, was brought to him. The prince's pulse indicated love pains, but he did not name the girl. Then, keeping a finger on the pulse of the young man, Ibn Sina asked him to name the quarters of Bukhara, and by the pulse of the patient he guessed the name of the cherished place. Then they listed the names of everyone living there. When the name of the artisan's daughter was called, her pulse returned to normal. The cause of the disease was unequal love.

Ibn Sina wrote a recipe for a nameless dish on paper and ordered the young man to be fed with it for 7 days, and on the 8th to arrange a wedding. There were 7 ingredients for the dish: P iez (onion), A ez (carrot), l ahm (meat), O lie (fat), V eet (salt), O b (water) and w aly (rice). So the young man recovered, married his beloved and was happy. And the nameless dish was named by the first letters of 7 ingredients: it turned out “palov osh” - pilaf.

With a prayer to Osh Kugo Yumo

This year marks 415 years since the Mari settled in the Vyatka-Kama region. When they appeared, the local khan thought about what land to give to new people? And he said to the young Mari batyr: “How much land you go around from dawn to dusk, so much you will take!” And the batyr ran, trying to make his people get meadows, and forests, and rivers, and hills. So the Mari got the beautiful lands of the south of Udmurtia and live today in Alnashsky, Grakhovsky and, of course, Karakulinsky districts.

In 1996, in order to preserve the Mari folk culture, traditions and language, our society “Odo Mari Ushem” appeared, - says the head Odo Mari Ushem (Union of the Mari of Udmurtia) Nina Telitsyna.- Interest in native culture is not lost even in mixed marriages. Previously, it was actively promoted in schools: for example, in the villages of Mari Vozhai, Byrgynda, Nyrgynda, lessons in the Mari language were taught until the 8th grade. Now children learn their native language only in elementary school and optionally in secondary. Therefore, it is very important that the family and other adult environment support and develop this interest in the roots, love for the national culture. And this love, I must say, is characteristic of the Mari. We are an open, positive, singing and dancing people. And very hardworking.

The Mari people are open, positive, singing and dancing people. Photo: From the personal archive

Now the time has come for the revival of traditions: we are restoring prayer places - sacred groves that used to be near every village. There are also family places for prayer. The old people remember how they prayed for the harvest of Osh Kugo Yumo - the White Big God. And then, on the harvest festival itself, the weather was fine.

In October of this year, we opened our Sunday party in the House of Friendship of Peoples. national school, we want to make a Mari group in Izhevsk in kindergarten. Young parents are happy about this. And we, the older generation, like it when our grandchildren ask us Mari words, ask them to sew national costumes, and are ready to perform with us at national holidays. This means that a small but distinctive nation has a future.

Giorgoba will come to Udmurtia

"Georgian Community" exists in Udmurtia for the fourth year, and this summer its official presentation took place.

Our diaspora is small - there are about 200 people in it, - says its chairman David Bramidze. - And we communicate with wonderful communities in Tatarstan and Chuvashia. Although there are fewer and fewer Georgians left in Russia: the political situation is too complicated, and since 2006 there have been no relations between Russia and Georgia. But we remember not only the events of the last decades, but also the history of centuries-old friendship between our peoples and countries. Georgia and Russia are united by a single faith: we have the same Orthodox traditions, all the canons coincide, a procession has been adopted - it is not for nothing that the assimilation of Georgians in Russia, thanks to religion among other things, is happening very quickly. Is it true, Orthodox churches we have different architecture, but this is influenced by national traditions of architecture.

Georgian church. Photo: From the personal archive

It so happened that in Udmurtia there are different Caucasian peoples. It would seem that clashes are possible between us because of the recent Caucasian conflicts. And again, we are separated by recent history and united by centuries-old: Migrels and Abkhazians cannot be separated in it.

In October, Tbilisoba is celebrated - the Day of the City of Tbilisi and a great holiday for all of Georgia. It is regularly and magnificently celebrated in Moscow. On November 23 and April 23, Giorgoba is celebrated - the Day of St. George, the patron saint of Georgia. This saint is especially revered in Russia. In November, Giorgoba is held not only as an Orthodox holiday, but also as a celebration in honor of the last harvest. Next year we want to hold it on the central square of Izhevsk and invite professional Georgian dancers from Kazan and Moscow. The opening of the Russian-Georgian center "Izhevsk - Moscow - Tbilisi" will soon take place. Its goal is clear - to promote the strengthening of friendly relations between our peoples. Only peace and harmony give any person the opportunity to live prosperously and happily.

A place for all religions

Tall strict building of pink marble on the street. 10 years of October has been attracting the eyes of Izhevsk residents for several years now. By the way, such marble can only be found in Armenia! But for the big dream that brings people together different nationalities, nothing is impossible! And that is why the Armenian Apostolic Church is being built step by step, with the help of many friends of the Armenian national-cultural association.

A courtyard is being built next to the church. an exact copy Lake Sevan and Mount Ararat. And every evening people, having finished their business, come to the church under construction, take off their jackets and ties, roll up their sleeves and start sawing, planing, kneading concrete.

The Gregorian faith is based on joy and love. Photo: From the personal archive

The Gregorian faith professed by Armenians is based primarily on joy. On love. On unconditional trust in one's neighbor. Armenians are ready to build, sing, dance and work hand in hand with their Russian brother. They even address strangers on the street as "brother" or "sister". They know how to work and know how to relax. They get up from the table and interrupt men's conversations when a woman enters the house. They have an unbridled love for the children of the world.

The doors of the Armenian Church are always open. White walls, large floor-to-ceiling windows through which sunlight radiates, in the middle, between the benches, there is a passage to the altar. Children run around the church laughing. Women in the best dresses are happily discussing something. Men talk on the sidelines about their own. This place will always welcome people of various nationalities. On Easter, the hosts lay a large, generous table. On a hot summer day, the guest will be doused with holy water and sprinkled with rose petals. In April, everyone will be invited to a subbotnik and treated at home. “Because God is one. And it is located on a high mountain! Armenians often say. “And every religion goes to God on its own path!”.

Cossack Circle - a holy cause!

They are from that rare generation of people who sincerely rejoice in friends, protect women and teach children to love and defend their homeland. These are deeply intelligent people, a mixture of beauty and spirituality. They say in the old Russian manner: “Why philosophize?” And when they agree with something, they answer in chorus: “Lubo!”.

The pinnacle of Cossack democracy is the Military Circle, where the Cossacks today decide all the questions that life puts before them. The traditional form of gathering in a circle came to us from ancient times and is revered by the Cossacks as the most sacred. The Cossack Circle acted on campaigns, at sea (when they swam to each other on boats), on the way (if they came together, they turned their horses with their heads to the center). The point of gathering in a circle is for each participant to see the faces of their comrades. And here it is simply impossible to cheat or waver!

Every year the chieftain gives the best gifts. Photo: From the personal archive

In addition to the Ataman of the troops, the Council of the Elders decides important issues. "Old men are the conscience of the Circle!" - say the Cossacks. The most respected warriors from 60 years of age and older are elected here. And every year, in the reporting and election circle, the ataman rewards the best soldiers and growing Cossacks with whips, whips, crosses and letters of commendation. And God grant them the former prowess, strength and endless love for the Fatherland!

Nobility of purpose

870 Russian citizens of Tajik nationality live in Udmurtia, and more than 2,000 of those who come here, work and receive a residence permit, says the chairman Tajik public center of Udmurtia "Orien-Taj" ("Noble") Mirzo Umarov. - There is a wise government in Udmurtia: it does everything so that representatives of different nationalities do not feel disadvantaged. The House of Friendship of Peoples is open for all our events, we were provided with a free office with all conditions for work - this is the attention of the state, which is highly valued. We, in turn, use our resources to make the life of the republic more interesting.

This year alone, we have held several large-scale events. "Oriental Beauty" - that was the name of the holiday in the Oktyabrsky settlement of the Zavyalovsky district: there were national dances and, of course, we treated the residents of the village to a real oriental pilaf. We honored the veterans of the Great Patriotic War- everyone who lived in the USSR should love and appreciate this generation of victorious soldiers. And we gathered these wonderful old men around a rich table of oriental cuisine. Many people know our center for the Navruz holiday, which we celebrate on a grand scale and sports. We recently invited national associations to checkers and volleyball competitions. We can only fight in sports arenas, and these "battles" lead us to peace and friendship.

Ulah: having fun together

There are few Chuvash in Udmurtia - only 2,780 people, - says Chairman of the Chuvash National Center Anatoly Igolkin. - But they live in almost all districts of the republic and most compactly in the Grakhovsky district, where not so long ago it was possible to learn the Chuvash language in a school in the village of Blagodatnogo. Now it is not easy to preserve the native culture: the people are dispersed in the city, there are more and more mixed marriages, the social circle is narrowing. mother tongue. And a good means of conservation national culture and traditions are holidays. They always bring people together, help to better understand each other, have a good time together. In the same village of Blagodatnoye, ulakh - gatherings are still held.

A good means of preserving traditions is the holidays. Photo: From the personal archive

Ulah - ancient custom, this is a night meeting of youth in autumn and winter. In these long nights, boys and girls gathered in the bathhouse to spend time together. Girls spun, knitted socks, mittens, embroidered. The guys weaved bast shoes, brought some musical instruments. Having worked, they started games, pranks, songs and dances - this is ulakh. Today, ulakhs are also held by people of mature age, and their gatherings (especially with the arrival of guests - Chuvash from other regions) turn into events for the exchange of experience, contests, watching videos of holidays and meetings in Chuvashia.

In the old days, the Chuvash youth had another winter holiday- surkhuri. In the recent past, he was accompanied by a special fortune-telling, when in the dark in a barn they caught sheep by the leg with their hands. Previously, it was performed on the third Friday after St. Nicholas Day, and later in different places they began to call surkhuri differently: Night before Christmas, Night before the New Year, Night before Epiphany. This holiday coincided in time with Russian Christmas and Christmas time with their fortune-telling and already represented a mixture of Chuvash and Russian holidays.

Now the holidays are changing and mixing, but the main thing is that they live in future generations. The Chuvash have on this score good proverb You will part with a friend - you will cry for one year, you will be separated from your family - you will cry for ten years, you will separate from the people - you will cry all the time.

Melody of Heavenly Dew
Udmurt legend

Once upon a time there lived an old wise spruce in a dense forest. Her name was Mudor-Kuz Les' mother. They say that the Forest began with it, and maybe the Earth itself. The sun rested on its branches. A timid spring was born from under its roots, then to turn into a mighty White Kama.

From afar people came to bow Mudor-Kuz. But one day the stepmother of the Sun, Evil Lightning, scorched Mudor-Kuz. Elle died.

But a man came and revived her. He made Gusli out of her - krez and invested in them human soul. So people got Bydzym Krez- Great Gusli. When they sounded, the Sun approached the Earth to listen to them. When they sang Yingwu Utchan Gur"- "Melody of Heavenly Dew", The sky was crying with rain.

How the earth was created
The myth of the creation of the earth

It was so long ago that no one even remembers when it was. No land, no people in the whole world: only sky, water and sun. The owner of the sky lived in the sky Inmar. His very name consists of the words "in" and "mar". Anyone who learns to understand the Udmurt language will recognize in "in" - the sky, and in "mar" - what. What is in the sky is Inmar.

And in the water lived the owner of the water Vukuzyo. The sky was clear, clear as snow, white as white as a birch. It hung so close to the water that Inmar Without descending, he scooped up water with a golden ladle with a long handle and watered the clouds so that they would not dry out from the sun. The owner of the sky did not know the care. And Vukuzyo did not know any work, he did nothing but dry his green beard all day long: he hung the end of his beard on a cloud, and he himself lay down on the water and lay to himself, dozing.

Although the beard Vukuzyo was longer Inmar was considered older by them, and therefore the owner of the water had to obey him. So they lived for many centuries in the neighborhood. One pastured the clouds, the other dried his beard and muddied the water from time to time.

once felt sad Inmaru, and it occurred to him to change occupation. He hung the ladle on his favorite cloud, which he always kept close at hand, took off his beard Vukuzyo from the cloud and ordered him to dive deeper - to get the earth from the bottom.

Did not like Vukuzyo, What Inmar prevented him from drying his beard and warming himself in the sun to his heart's content, but he did not dare to argue with the elder. To obey - obeyed, but held a grudge. "Look, since he Inmar agai(Udmurt. - older brother), then he urges! he thought, sinking to the bottom. - Get him the land and even give it to the grain. Everything is for him, but for me, take out(Udmurt. - younger brother) - nothing? He took two handfuls from the bottom and, in order to hide from Inmar, he put a part of the earth behind his cheek and emerged.

Inmar He carefully accepted the delivered earth, put it on his palm, leveled it, waited for it to dry, and then began to blow it off in all four directions. Having fallen on the water, warmed by the sun and Inmar's breath, the earth began to swell and grow and grow. It became more and more, so much that the end-edge could not be seen. Although it was visible far away: the earth turned out to be smooth, smooth, like a frying pan - no mountains, no hills, no ravines, no swamps.

The earth began to swell Vukuzyo hid behind his cheek. She grew, she grew - she was about to blow her head. It would have happened, probably, do not guess Vukuzyo spit that there is strength. And that land scattered in different directions, fell on the flat land of Inmar in mountains and swamps, bumps and ravines. Do not cheat, do not disobey Vukuzyo Inmara, the land would have gone to people completely flat - without hills and lowlands, without mountains and swamps.

Inmar, pleased with the accomplishment of an unexpected idea, did not even notice the change that happened to the earth due to Vukuzyo. He had already begun his usual occupation: he began to distill the clouds from place to place. I just noticed that they whip poorly, curl a little, it's time to pour some water on them. Took Inmar a ladle with a long handle drove the clouds away so that they would not interfere with drawing water. Only then did I see what had become of the earth, only then did I understand why the clouds had become crumpled and torn: the mountains scratched their belly, crushed and tore them apart. Whose trick it was, there was no need to guess: only two lived in the world. “Well, loafer, well, couch potato! Wait!” - angry for the first time Inmar. I left all my affairs and began to think how to teach a lesson once and for all Vukuzyo so that it was disrespectful to be self-willed.