Interesting Khanty traditions. Traditions of the Khanty peoples

Mansi is a small ethnic group living in Russia in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. It is the "brothers" of the Magyars and Khanty. The Mansi even have their own, Mansi language, but most of The people now speak Russian.
The Mansi population is about 11 thousand. At the same time, it was revealed that several hundred people settled in the Sverdlovsk region. AT Perm region you can also meet single representatives.
The word "Mansi" in the Mansi language means "man". Also, this word comes from the name of the area "Sagvinskie Mansi". Since it was there that the first Mansi lived.

A little about the Mansi language

This language belongs to the Ob-Ugric group. Mansi writing arose in 1931, based on Latin. Merging with the Russian language happened a little later - in 1937. Mansi literary language takes the Sosva dialect as its basis.

History reference

The development of the ethnos was strongly influenced by interaction with others. ethnic groups. Namely with Ugric tribes, indigenous tribes of the Kama region, the Urals and the Southern Trans-Urals. In the second millennium BC. e. all these peoples migrated from Northern Kazakhstan and Western Siberia.
A feature of the ethnic group is that the culture of the Mansi people includes the culture of fishermen and hunters, along with the culture of nomads and cattle breeders. These cultures coexist with each other to this day.
At first, the Mansi settled in the Urals, but were gradually forced out in the Trans-Urals. From the 11th century, the Mansi began to communicate with the Russians, mainly with the inhabitants of Novgorod. After the merger of the Russians with Siberia, the nationality began to be more and more forced out to the North. In the 18th century, the Mansi officially recognized Christianity as their faith.

Mansi culture

The Mansi accepted Orthodoxy formally, but in reality shamanism has not gone anywhere from their lives. The culture of the Mansi people continues to include the cult of patron spirits, as well as bear holidays.
The traditions of the Mansi peoples are divided into two groups - Por and Mos. An interesting fact is that the Mansi were allowed to marry only with people who belonged to another group. For example, a man Mos could only choose a woman Por as his wife. Por descended from people from the Urals. The tales of the Mansi people say that the bear was the ancestor of the Por people. About the Mos people, it is said that they were born by a woman who can turn into a butterfly, a goose and a hare. Mos are descendants of the Ugric tribes. Everything indicates that the Mansi were good warriors and regularly participated in hostilities. As in Russia, they had heroes, combatants and governors.
In art, ornament was the leading element. As a rule, rhombuses, deer antlers, and zigzags were inscribed in it. And also often there were drawings with images of animals. Mostly bear or eagle.

Traditions and life of the Mansi people

The traditions of the Mansi people included fishing, deer breeding, raising livestock, hunting for wild animals, and farming.
Women's clothing Mansi consisted of fur coats, dresses and robes. Mansi women liked to put on a lot of jewelry at the same time. Men preferred to wear wide shirts with trousers, and also often chose things with hoods.
The Mansi ate mainly fish and meat products. Mushrooms they categorically rejected and did not eat.

Legends and myths

Tales of the Mansi people say that the earth was originally in the water and the Luli bird pulled it out of there. Some myths do not agree with this and claim that the evil spirit Kul-Otyr did it. For reference: Kul-Otyr was considered the owner of the entire dungeon. The Mansi called the main gods Polum-Torum (the patron of all animals and fish), Mir-susne-khum (connecting between people and the divine world), Tovlyng-luva (his horse), Mykh-imi (the goddess who gives health), Kaltash-ekva (patron of the earth), Hotal-ekwu (patron of the sun), Nai-ekwu (patron of fire).
Men have at least 5 souls, and women are smaller, at least four. The most important of them are two. One went missing in underworld, and the other moved into the child. It was about this that all the tales of the Mansi people repeated.

Great expanses of the North. Small Khanty settlements are scattered hundreds of miles from each other. Rare were the holidays, which brought together many families. These are “Varnga Khata” (Day of the Raven) - a spring holiday, the Bear Festival, which was held when a bear was caught, and “Lungutop Khatl” - a mid-summer holiday.
The rest of the time - hard everyday life. The men were engaged in hunting and fishing. Women dressed skins, sewed warm clothes, took care of the housework, raised children. The smallest were caressed and groomed. While the mother was doing housework, the child slept or played in a cradle made of birch bark, suspended from a tent pole. The child had two cradles: day and night.
The night cradle was a birch bark box with rounded corners, with strings over the child's body. Sawdust or dried, ground wood was poured inside. The contents of the cradle well absorbed moisture. On the cradle they depicted a capercaillie - the keeper of sleep. If the child was left alone, a symbol of fire - a knife or matches - was placed in the cradle to protect from evil spirits.
Each mother gave her baby a "personal" song. Khanty women mostly composed songs for their children themselves. This happened because the villages are located far from each other, and it was not possible to adopt the words and melody of songs composed earlier. If the mother borrowed the song, she would definitely add words to it own composition related to her baby. Comparing him with some animal, the mother praised his virtues, pointed out his shortcomings, prophesied to the baby happy life. Such songs were called "shikanschop", in translation - "children's songs".
If the “personal” song composed by the mother did not suit the child who had become an adult, he composed himself new song or changed the old one, supplementing it throughout his life. This is how “songs of fate” were born, which were performed both by its owners themselves and by other residents. Sometimes a "personal" song went a long way. It could turn out that the "owner" of the song lived at the mouth of the river, and the song was performed at its source. From this song, people could find out who her "owner" is, what he does, what kind of family he has.
Toys, in the current sense, were few then. The toys were miniature copies of the clothing set of adults. Girls, for example, have a needle case, a box with sewing accessories, and a cradle. Dolls had one feature - they did not have eyes, nose and mouth. A figurine with facial features was already considered an image of a spirit. Therefore, the old people disapproved of the imported bought dolls.
Khanty children grew up early: at the age of two or three, a girl already knew how to assemble a bracelet from beads; a boy at this age already knew how to throw a lasso on any object that reminded him of a deer. Among the toys of the boys were a boat, a bow with arrows, figurines of deer, a set of bones that played the role of a deer herd, a sled. Roman Rugin, a famous poet of our region, has a poem called "Luk":
When I start thinking about childhood,
Among old friends and girlfriends,
One of the first I often remember
Your inseparable larch bow ...
At the age of six, a child could get a reindeer team to independently manage, collect tens of kilograms of berries in a season. From the age of 12, the girl was able to independently manage the household, and the boy went hunting alone.
Khanty dances and songs are a poetic reflection of their everyday worries. An example of this is the song-dance "Picking Berries".
The spiritual world of the child was rich. Children were brought up to be attached to animals, whether it be a deer, a tamed bird or an otter. The child perceived them as equals and only eventually learned that they were creatures of a different kind and they lived according to their own laws.
People personified themselves as part of the nature that surrounded them. It was she who gave all the necessary colors and all kinds of sounds for creativity: a splash of water, the creak of runners, the rhythmic run of deer, the whistle of the wind, the voices of birds and animals. People often depicted birds and animals in various scenes.
For entertainment, they usually gathered in the chum when the day's business was over. Both children and adults attended. They sang songs, tales, played musical instruments. So Castren (1839) mentions playing the dombra, in the Ostyak language - "Nars-yukh". This is the most famous instrument, carved from a single block, looks like a flat-bottomed boat. Unfortunately, today only a few instruments are played, although the musical “arsenal” of the Khanty is very diverse. For example, the stringed plucked instrument "Toor" (crane) - an arched harp with a carved bird's head or "Torop-yukh" - with a swan's head.
Strings belong to another group. bowed instruments("Nerp" - violin). There were also wind and noise musical instruments: pipes, whistles, tweeters; as well as drums - a tambourine - a symbol of music, the personification of the masculine principle, as well as a magical intermediary between people and spirits. wow everything seems to be

From this article you will learn:

What are the customs and traditions of the northern peoples

What holidays do northern peoples celebrate?

How the tambourine was used in the tradition of the northern peoples

How magic was used in the traditions of the northern peoples

Life is the natural way of life of an ethnic group, which includes certain traditions and religious beliefs. The culture of each nation is unique in its own way. We will consider the traditions of the northern peoples.

Northern peoples: customs and traditions

The living of the northern peoples in the wild and harsh climate has become a determining factor in the formation of the life and traditions of this ethnic group. The world of the north is unpredictable: it can both harm a person and be favorable to him. Lack of scientific knowledge about the essence natural phenomena led to the fact that people began to associate natural processes with the existence of good and evil spirits, with whom they subsequently tried to live in peace and harmony.

For hundreds of years, the people of the north formed a peculiar culture, which they brought to our time. Their philosophy is simple - everything in the world is connected by one common beginning, and a person on earth is just a tiny speck of dust. The northern peoples believed that nature is the mother of all living, and the harm done to it will return to everyone doubly. These postulates are the basis of the entire culture of the northerners, their laws and magical rites.

According to the traditions of the northern peoples, nature is alive. Everything around has its own soul: lakes, taiga, fields and plains.

Concerning magical rites communication with spirits, their coaxing, feeding is a kind of moral lessons and rules for everyone.

very interesting in terms of religious cult and its features were the Nenets. Distinctive feature This ethnic group had interesting legends about the heroes of the past who fought with gods and evil spirits. By the way, earlier the Nenets lived on the territory of the modern Tyumen region.

To be precise, the Nenets were representatives of the Samoyedic people, one of the most numerous at that time. There are two groups of this nationality: tundra and forest.

The main occupation of these northern peoples was reindeer herding. The Nenets were engaged in this craft all year round. Grazing animals were guarded by specially trained dogs, and the northerners' main means of transport were sleds with a single rear back, which harnessed dogs or deer.

Narts could be made in two versions - for women and for men. Up to 7 deer can be harnessed to such a sleigh. When catching animals, a special corral was made from the same sleigh.

Nenets were nomadic people. For their living, they built plagues. Such a house was built from thirty poles and was additionally covered with birch bark on top during the warm months, and in very severe frost, animal skins were used instead of birch bark. For heating, a fire was lit, usually this was done in the center of the building. The flame was used to cook food. To do this, they hung a bar over the fire, where a kettle or a kettle was attached to a hook. Currently, conventional iron stoves are heated in tents.

Sun loungers were equipped next to the fire, and household and religiously significant items were usually placed opposite the entrance to the tent.

In general, the culture of this ethnic group is extremely interesting. Each migration was accompanied by dismantling of dwellings, parts of which were placed in specially designed sledges. In addition to reindeer herding, the Nenets also hunted wild animals. reindeer, arctic foxes, wolverines, foxes, etc. Women sewed clothes from the skins.

Holidays and traditions of the northern peoples

The Spring Festival is named after the crow for a reason. According to the traditions of the northern peoples, the arrival of this bird is associated with the end of severe frosts. The crow, which is among the first to arrive in the northern regions after winter, according to the beliefs of the northerners, awakens life in the tundra. Because this bird is considered the patroness of women and children, a special holiday is dedicated to it.

One of the customs of the northerners says that you need to strictly monitor the things of babies so that misfortune does not happen to them. And this also applies to those items that were no longer needed by children. So, for example, rotten, which are soft wood shavings that were used in infant beds instead of diapers, were not thrown away after use, but were stored in a secluded place. The Nenets believed that the crow, having flown from the southern regions, to frosty days warms her paws in this shavings and says: “I wish more children would come to the earth so that there would be somewhere for me to warm my paws.”

In ancient times, only elderly women and girls came to the holiday, who prepared various treats. Salamat porridge was an obligatory dish. Dancing was an integral part of the holiday. Often this holiday was associated with the goddess Kaltash, who was considered an assistant in childbirth, as well as the arbiter of destinies. People believed that it was she who drew them life path on sacred tags.

The bear holiday is very significant for northerners. The bear, according to the traditions of the northern peoples, is the son of Torum, the supreme deity. Also, according to legend, he is the son of the mother-grandmother and the brother of her children, which means that he is the brother of the people of the north. In the end, he personifies the highest justice, is the master of the taiga.

At the end of the hunt for this animal, a holiday was organized, the purpose of which was to remove the guilt for the murder of the “brother” and make all participants happy. The bearskin was rolled up, the head and paws were decorated with rings and scarves and placed in the front corner of the dwelling in a sacrificial position, with the head between the outstretched front paws. Then there were masked performances. Until midnight, dances were performed, which were dedicated to the main deities. The main importance was attached to the middle of the night and the time after midnight - during this period they ate bear meat, arranged the send-off of the bear's soul to heaven, and wondered about the future hunt.

According to traditions, the northern peoples revered many animals, but the deer was the most respected. This is easily explained by its great importance in everyday life. In addition, they hunted mainly wild deer. Its prey was usually engaged in autumn, at the crossings, when these animals went south in herds. Often, the people of the north used trained deer decoys.

The antlers were tied with straps to the domestic deer and allowed to approach the wild brothers, who fought with the decoys and in the process of the struggle got tangled in the straps.

For the Nenets, the deer was a cult animal, because their main occupation was reindeer herding. Their herds were the largest in the north. Traditionally, white deer were considered sacred by the Nenets, so they were not used as mounts, they were not killed in order to obtain food and skins. White deer were decorated with red ribbons, signs of the sun were cut out on their wool or the spirit of fire was depicted. It was believed that these animals belong to the supreme deity Num. The northerners believed that Num is the creator of the earth and all who inhabit it.

Tambourine is a sacred instrument for northerners. According to their traditions, the shaman's tambourine is a deer on which the healer is able to travel to heaven. However, for this, the shaman had to breathe life into the tambourine. Usually the ceremony was held in the spring, with the arrival of birds, because it was believed that the birds are the closest relatives of the northern peoples, who even often called themselves people of an eagle or black grouse.

The “revival” of the tambourine took 10 days. The apogee of the ceremony was the shaman's reaching the land, "where 7 suns shine, where the stone reaches the sky." The proof that the sorcerer was in this magical country was the sweat that rolled off him in streams. The ceremony ended with a general feast and feeding of idols, which personified the ancestors.

This holiday was considered the most significant among the northern peoples and was associated with the end of the polar night. The period of celebration is the end of January - the beginning of February.

A special, “pure tent” was built on the holiday. In it, for several days without a break, the shaman performed magical rites. To the sounds of a shaman's tambourine, young northerners performed traditional dances and arranged games. The northern peoples believed that these actions would make the next year successful.

The holiday could have taken place in a different scenario. For example, instead of a “pure plague”, “stone gates” were built, which were something like a tunnel. For three days, the shaman communicated with the spirits, and then he and the rest of the participants of the festival passed through the stone gate three times.

At the end of the fishing season (end of autumn - beginning of winter), the northern peoples held a whale festival. On this day, people dressed in festive clothes and asked for forgiveness from the animals they had killed - seals, whales, walruses. In honor of the holiday, fights were held, dances and performances were held showing scenes of deadly fights between hunters and their prey.

On this day, the northerners always made offerings to Karetkun, who is considered the master of all marine animals. People believed that hunting would be successful only if the deity treated them favorably. Usually, in the yaranga where the festival was held, a net of Keretkun woven from deer tendons was hung out, and figures of animals and birds were exhibited - they were carved from wood and bones. One of the figures depicted the ruler. At the end of the holiday, people lowered whale bones into the sea. They believed that in the sea water the bones would turn into new animals, and next year the whale hunt would be no less successful.

Tambourine in the traditions of the northern peoples

The most important instrument for conducting rituals is a tambourine. According to the traditions of the northern peoples, it was customary to apply images of the world as the shaman sees it on the outer side of the covering. All communication with spirits took place only with the use of a tambourine.

According to the traditions of the northern peoples, a tambourine is a shaman's mount, and it personified exactly the animal with the skin of which it was covered. While communicating with the spirits, the shaman traveled on a tambourine, like on a horse or a deer, to the heavenly (upper) world - the abode of good spirits. If the shaman went to the underground/underwater world where evil spirits lived, then the tambourine served as a boat for him, on which he sailed along the underground river. The main thing is that the tambourine helped the shaman to enter a trance to communicate with the spirits.

Communication with spirits began with the "revival" of the tambourine - heating it on fire. Then the shaman beat the tambourine. The strikes and singing of the sorcerer is a kind of call for spirits, which, according to the traditions of the northern peoples, flew in and sat on the pendants of a tambourine. The northerners believed that the spirits themselves point to the tree from which the shaman should make the rim (shell) of his tambourine.

The ancient northern peoples believed that the tambourine contained the whole life force shaman. During his life, a shaman could have no more than nine tambourines. After the last tambourine broke, they said that the shaman must die. If it happened that the shaman died earlier, then the tambourine was also "dead" by releasing the spirits from it - they pierced it by planting it on the bough of a tree growing near the burial place of the shaman.

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The Khanty and Mansi have (and have had in the past) non-normative love relationship between man and woman. There is no strict taboo on premarital sex, respectively, parents did not particularly follow their girls on this occasion. Bastard does not prevent marriage, and infertility is considered a real tragedy. The Ob Ugrians say: "Tyu ar veling ne myrem enymtytne as pachamne" - "be fruitful and grow like a large herd of deer." If the wife could not get pregnant, bigamy was allowed. A wife for infidelity to her husband, as the Khanty and Mansi believed, was punished with a difficult birth. An unfaithful woman is called "posar-imi" and "orki pizymot" (literally: "plays too much"). There is a wedding sign: if the bride falls off the sledge while going around the groom's house, she will become a traitor, if she stays in the sledge, she will be a faithful wife. At summer weddings, the bride was rocked in a boat. Shouting and even laughter is assessed as a tendency to the negative qualities of the wife.

The data on the distribution of Khanty single-ethnic families by number testify to the changed family structure of the Khanty. For them, as well as for their kindred Mansi, large undivided families were characteristic in the past. For example, among the Mansi in the middle of the XIX century. a significant number of multigenerational families with the number of members up to 10-15 people or more remained. Today, most families consist of 3 people, with 1 or 2 children.

A traditional wedding with a full set of national ceremonies is possible only in a camp; in urban conditions, such a wedding ceremony is also observed, but in a rather abbreviated version, with a partial loss of national color and the original charm of the custom. It often happens that urban residents who have already registered a marriage in the registry office, at the insistence of their parents, honor traditions.

Third paragraph "Archetypes of the Funeral Rite". The funeral rite is a heterogeneous and complex phenomenon, uniting various elements of culture: ritual actions, symbols, sacred attributes, etc. The Ob-Ugric peoples considered the death of a person as a transformation of the way of existence. Immediately after the death of a person, preparations begin for his “relocation” to another world, a new habitat, where life continues according to the prototype of earthly life, but with certain specifics. Based on this idea of afterlife, the deceased was supplied with everything necessary for a new life in the lower world: clothes, tools, household utensils, food, etc. These things are chosen taking into account the age of the deceased, gender, and also in connection with his social position during life and occupation. The ritual actions of the funeral are also carried out in relation to the very body of the deceased: the body is washed in a certain way, dressed in the clothes that are provided for by this ceremony, the removal of the body from the house itself, etc.

In the funeral rite of the Ob Ugrians, there are many prohibitions for living relatives in order to put the soul of the deceased to rest, as well as to protect living people from premature entry into the other world. It was believed that the death of a person was determined by the spirit of the lower world - Kaltash.

The death of a person is immediately accompanied by the lighting of a fire in the hearth. Life is extinguished - a fire is kindled, it is kept continuously, as far as possible. A special relationship to fire is due to its functions.

The modern form of the custom to honor and remember the dead is rooted in deep antiquity and therefore the most mysterious. The secrets of the funeral rite are mainly devoted to elderly women, who know this rite in detail, which includes a long cycle of ritual actions. In the past and in the present, the Khanty and Mansi are alien to the understanding of complete death. Khanty and Mansi believe that those who have gone to another world, being in a different state, continue to participate in the fate of the remaining living, and if you show attention and care to the dead, then the dead will also show the same care for their descendants.

The complete absence of movement indicates that a person has died, but does not mean that a person has gone from everyday existence into non-existence, he passes into other existence. Therefore, the elderly Khanty and Mansi, when asked if he has parents, answer: “Yes, but they are dead.” "Tom Torma pitys", so the Khanty and Mansi say about the dead, which means - "I left for another Torum." Those who have lost the ability to move will regain it in the lower world or kingdom, where everything happens in reverse, as in a mirror image of the earthly world. What is dead on earth is alive there; when it is day on earth, then there is night. And time in the lower world goes in the opposite direction. Therefore, it was believed that the deceased should be provided with necessary things and objects in order to adapt to new conditions. Since everything is vice versa there, then the objects that will be used in other world, must be slightly spoiled.

If the deceased was an orphan, then his eyelids are covered with copper coins so that he cannot look back, i.e. expect something from strangers living people. Copper coins are also placed on the eyes of the deceased, whose eyes remained open. Otherwise, there will again be a dead person in the house along the family line, supposedly he is looking back, waiting for someone.

At night, the deceased is not left alone; they sit next to him throughout the night. Thus, the deceased is protected from various evil spirits. The deceased is kept in the house for 4 days - a woman, 5 days - a man. Currently - no more than 3 days. On the first or second day, a coffin is immediately made from a boat that belonged to the relatives of the deceased. If the family of the deceased does not have a boat, then the coffin is made of boards. According to the belief of the Khanty and Mansi, the coffin should be made from a boat, as the deceased will need it in the summer. An oar is also kept on the grave.

The deceased is taken out feet first. The roots of this ritual action go back to ancient times, when the dead were taken out of the house through a special hole, which was then carefully closed so that the soul of the deceased went to another world and forgot the way back. Since then, the ritual custom of carrying the deceased out of the house feet first has been preserved, so that he knows where he is being carried, but does not remember where. In the cemetery, the body is also lowered feet first.

The post-burial rite (funeral rituals) are also strictly regulated by the worldview of the Ob Ugrians. The actions of the memorial cycle begin from the moment of burial. In memory of a person who lived and died, they make an “ittyrma” doll. E. Martynova notes that not all local groups of the Khanty used to make dolls in the funeral rite. When they take funeral food, they put the “doll” at the table, put the most delicious treat. The doll is not considered a sacred object, but is recognized as an image of the deceased and is kept for approximately as long as the person lived. Some of the dead are transferred to the highest rank, into the image of an ever-existing spirit, each of them is named in a special way, and then it ceases to be called "ittyrma"; keep it in a closed box, outsiders do not see it and are not allowed to touch it.

Relatives from the day of death of a person during the seven days of great mourning walk with their hair loose, without combing it for all this time; The face is also not washed, only the eyes are washed. After seven days, relatives wash themselves, braid their braids, and do not decorate the braids. K.F. Karjalainen pointed out that the relatives of the deceased, as a sign of mourning, tied a red thread around the leg and did not remove it until it fell off by itself. On days of great mourning, relatives of the deceased are forbidden to do anything around the house: sweep, take out the trash, wash the floor, especially use a sharp object. This is due to the fact that a heartbroken person can get hurt during mourning. If they clean up, then supposedly all this dirt falls on their deceased. In ancient times, the Ob Ugrians had a custom to rub the earth from the grave of the deceased or apply it to the heart if relatives were too homesick for the deceased.

This whole complex ceremony, carried out with the death of a person over a very long period of time (4-5 years), apparently, was once created by the ancestors in order to somehow divert the attention of loved ones and relatives from great grief, from the most difficult loss native person. Comparing rites life cycle Khanty and Mansi in the context of traditions and modernity, we can assume that the rituals in question remain known to many, but some beliefs related to rituals are forgotten, i.e. the spiritual side of rituals is noticeably erased.

The third chapter "Problems of preserving and protecting the cultures of the Khanty and Mansi" includes three paragraphs traditional culture in modern industrial conditions of existence and the search for possible solutions.

The first paragraph "Saving national traditions in the fields of the Khanty and Mansi" contains the characteristics of the national Khanty and Mansi fishing activities, their features are determined. Hunting is one of the main occupations of the Khanty and Mansi, and is reflected in their culture. Khanty and Mansi hunt fur-bearing animals from autumn to spring. Hunting usually starts at the end of September and ends in April.

The traditional way of life of the Khanty and Mansi population has always been based on fishing and hunting. Hunting and fishing as the basis of the life of the Ob-Ugric peoples influenced their way of life, way of life and culture. Khanty and Mansi, leading a traditional way of life, have ancestral lands, which, as a rule, are located in the remote taiga. Here, willy-nilly, they obey the conditions that nature determines, and man adapts to its laws. Along with high-value fur hunting, such industries as fishing and large-scale reindeer herding also developed.

An indispensable assistant in the hunt is a dog. According to the ideas of the Khanty and Mansi, the dog is assigned the role of an intermediary between the house and the forest, they serve as intermediaries in negotiations between spirits and people. The dog is former man, who received his last appearance as a punishment for misconduct. Perhaps for this reason, the dog is served food in the owner's dishes, but after the owner himself has eaten. It deserves special attention and the fact that until now the indigenous people of the North, leading a traditional way of life, when meeting with strangers carefully observe the behavior of dogs. If the dog does not experience tension and does not show distrust of to a stranger, then the owner becomes gullible to him.

From the Khanta's house, the most trodden path always leads to the river bank. During the period of seasonal fishing, the Khanty and Mansi lived in summer dwellings, harvesting fish for future use. The fishing culture of the Ob Ugrians is unique. Khanty and Mansi own dozens various ways and methods of catching fish and its storage. The methods of fishing and the male utensils of the Khanty and Mansi are different. Khanty and Mansi put different kind braided traps and nets. In the past, nets were woven from nettles, dyed with herbal tinctures so that they would not be visible in the river.

The Ob-Irtysh basin and the Gulf of Ob are inhabited by many species of fish. Currently, the most valuable fish, i.e. “white fish” (sturgeon, sterlet, nelma, muksun, peled) are subject to a ban legalized by the Russian Federation. But fishermen belonging to the small peoples of the North (MNS) are issued with appropriate documents, according to which the Ob Ugrians have the opportunity to preserve their traditional forms of subsistence.

Up to the middle of the twentieth century. The economy of North-Western Siberia, figuratively speaking, "rested on three pillars": fishing, hunting and forestry. On operation traditional economy the consequences of the district's industry are negatively affected. For several decades, intensive oil and gas production has been going on in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, and for decades there has been a dialogue between the peoples of the North and the industrial innovations of the North. The intensive distribution of oil and gas fields in this area leads to environmental pollution of rivers. The construction of cities leads to an increase in domestic drains. For the arrangement of gas pipelines, huge sections of floodplain reservoirs are used. Winter roads destroy watercourses where there are winter distribution routes for fish and their wintering grounds. These facts adversely affect the reproduction of fish. In connection with the extraction of oil and gas, the changed ecology, it has become much poorer animal world taiga, hunting becomes more and more difficult, and fish have ceased to be found in some rivers.

From the above material, we can conclude that the whole life of the northern peoples is inseparable from the surrounding nature - flora, fauna, air, water, earth. This is what the peoples of the North need for normal life but it must be environmentally friendly. Khanty and Mansi are very careful about nature. A hunter will never leave a fire unextinguished, he will never cut a tree in vain, shoot an animal and a bird, and destroy nests. Fish are caught as much as is necessary to feed the family and feed the dogs, but no more. All Khanty and Mansi families had fishing grounds assigned to them. No one except this family had the right to hunt and fish on their territory.

Not so long ago, about fifteen years ago, many Khanty and Mansi families still kept domestic deer, sometimes up to thirty heads. The main reason for the disappearance of deer is the intensive development of oil fields in traditional grazing areas. Now "in turn" their hunting grounds. The very basis of life of the Ob Ugrians is under threat. Uncontrolled deforestation is also of great concern. In the course of searching for possible ways to preserve the national crafts (hunting, fishing and reindeer husbandry) of the Khanty and Mansi, the author came to the conclusion that the preservation of traditions in fishing activities is possible only if the traditional way of life and culture as a whole is preserved. As a result of industrial development northern region there has been a decline in traditional forms of activity in everyday culture Khanty and Mansi.

The second paragraph "The culture of relations between men and women in the traditions of the Khanty and Mansi" reveals the features of the customs, customs and beliefs of the peoples of the Khanty and Mansi in their Everyday life and in modern conditions. Each culture creates stereotypes that distinguish women and men in physical, psychological and social qualities.

The distance between the sexes is a characteristic feature of almost all cultures, with a few exceptions. In the culture of the Khanty and Mansi, a woman was assigned a subordinate position, limited both legally and by the cultural norms of everyday life. The division of labor between the sexes was constant in the traditions of the Ob Ugrians. In the case when they enter into marriage on their own, the Ostyaks are not guided by beauty and age in choosing a spouse, all attention is focused mainly on health and physical endurance. According to tradition, if the elder brother successfully married, then younger brother later chooses a girl from the same family.

A woman is evaluated depending on her social role: sister, wife, mother. Based on this, the following qualities of a woman are emphasized: cooking, caring for domestic animals, the ability to needlework, processing traditionally used animal skins, raising children, and traits of character and appearance are the last thing. A man is assessed, first of all, by his occupation, skill and ability for commercial activities (hunting, fishing, reindeer herding). Male strength and maturity in the Ob-Ugric legends is determined by the skills of making a bow or a boat. Each parent is proud of his daughter, who knows how to perfectly do everything around the house, and his son, who skillfully participates in traditional crafts.

There was also a narrower division of duties: a woman owned almost all types of ornaments known to the Ob Ugrians, but the man applied patterns on birch bark, and the woman made birch bark dishes. At the same time, the division of duties was not strictly regulated. Among the women there were great craftsmen and hunters, but a man, if necessary, could cook food on his own. The man was sometimes on the hunt for several days, and one can imagine what a long rest was required to restore strength.

Family way was and remains patriarchal. The man was considered the head of the family, and the woman was largely subordinate to him, but each of them had his own duties, his own functions. According to these criteria, interpersonal relations were regulated, due to which conflicts were avoided whenever possible.

In the culture of many peoples there is the concept of sexual modesty. Khanty and Mansi women, being in a male society, can freely breastfeed a child, which causes complete bewilderment among tourists and travelers. The explanation for this custom should be sought in the fact that a man has five souls, and a woman - only four. Women's jewelry is worn in accordance with the presence of four souls - charms on four parts of the body: 1) on the head (as one of the souls) and braids (as a continuation of the head) - all kinds of bandages, braids, scarves; 2) on the shoulders (closer to the heart) - beaded collars, metal pendants and other breast decorations; 3) on the stomach - belts; 4) on the feet - ornamented shoes. Jewelry serves as amulets of souls. Men have four souls the same as women, and there is still a fifth - "soup". The only male adornment and sign of manhood was a richly decorated belt with pendants tied low. It is with the closure of the soul that the custom of avoidance, widespread in the Ugric environment, is also connected. Decorations female body they are divided into several parts, and the male - only into two equivalent parts - the upper and lower. Top and bottom halves male body correspond to the upper and lower kingdoms. A woman is subject to the "lower world", and evil spirits freely guide her behavior. As a result, the lower part of the female body is considered “unclean”, and all kinds of prohibitions are accordingly prescribed for the woman: do not step over, do not step on children's toys, and even more so - male objects and things, do not go up to the attic, etc. From the data of B. Kalman it is known: "If women accidentally stepped on an item of men's clothing or stepped over it, then the item must be fumigated before it is used again." It was believed that fire was able to purify defiled objects.

In the presence of strange men, a woman should behave with restraint, not speak loudly. Men, in turn, were not supposed to look at her directly, but to pronounce the speech intended for her as if unaddressed. Women were protected, and restrictions for them - in food, in communication with spirits, in communication with the dead, were dictated solely as a concern for a woman.

social role women with her functions as a mother, wife was quite high. And after the birth of a child, her status increased even more. In the past, not always young spouses were united by a feeling of love, but the awareness of duty to each other, the children held together family bonds. Therefore, modern Khanty and Mansi spouses have the following confession: "I love my spouse because she is the mother of my children." Divorces in Ob-Ugric families were very rare, but in these rare cases, a woman could also act as an initiator.

Babintseva Polina

I live in an unusual region, the name of which sounds very beautiful - Yugra. This is the land where people with very interesting customs live - the Khanty-Mansi. Every blade of grass, every animal has a special meaning for them.

Every person born in this region should know the history of his people.

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Introduction

I live in an unusual region, the name of which sounds very beautiful - Yugra. This is the land where people with very interesting customs live - the Khanty-Mansi. Every blade of grass, every animal has a special meaning for them.

Every person born in this region should know the history of his people.

Once upon a time, the helpers of the Khanty ancestors in their difficult hunting life were not spirits, but the animals themselves: animals and birds or figurines of these animals. In addition, they used to believe in the relationship of one or another group of blood relatives (kind) with some animal. There is a ban on killing and eating this animal, various variants of its veneration or even a cult are formed. In various places of residence, separate forms of veneration of certain animals, birds and fish were observed.

Khanty and Mansi, two Finno-Ugric peoples closely related in language and culture, live in the north of Western Siberia - in the Tyumen, Tomsk and Sverdlovsk regions. They are often united under the general name "Ob Ugrians", as they are settled along the Ob River and its tributaries. Khanty and Mansi are engaged in hunting and fishing, part of the population are reindeer herders. Khanty and Mansi lived settled along the rivers or made small movements during the year. Their holidays and ceremonies reflected the richest experience of the development of northern nature by man.

Target: Study the sacred holidays of the indigenous peoples of the Khanty and Mansi, draw up a calendar of holidays.

Tasks:

To study the literature about the ancient holidays of the peoples of the Khanty and Mansi;

Consider public holidays

Drawing up a calendar of national holidays of the Khanty and Mansi.

Customs related to nature

Prohibitions play an important role in the life of the Khanty and Mansi. This is especially evident in relation to the earth, which cannot even be injured with a sharp object. There were separate plots of land, the shores of some lakes, rivers, on which it was impossible to walk. In extreme cases, it was necessary to tie birch bark to the soles. Passing or passing by such places, the Khanty and Mansi perform certain rituals - they make a sacrifice (food, butts made of cloth, etc.). Khanty and Mansi performed sacrificial rites at the beginning of the fishery, for example fishing or hunting. During such sacrifices, they turned to the spirits - the owners of certain places with a request to give more booty in the coming season.

crow day

The crow arrives to the North one of the first, in April, when there is still snow and frosts. With her cry, she seems to awaken nature and, it seems, brings life itself. This is probably why the Khanty and Mansi consider this bird the patroness of women and children and dedicate a special holiday to it. In a crow song recorded on the Severnaya Sosva River, there are these words: “With my appearance, little girls, little boys, let them be born! I will sit down on a hole with melted rotten (from their cradles). I will warm my frozen hands, I will warm my frozen feet. Long-living girls, let them be born, long-living boys, let them be born!” According to the customs of the Khanty and Mansi, all things of small children must be strictly monitored so that misfortune does not happen to the child. This also applies to those items that the baby no longer needs. Therefore, rotten - softwood shavings, which were poured into the cradle instead of diapers, were folded after use in a secluded place. The Khanty believed that a crow, arriving from the south, warms its paws on these warm shavings on cold days and says: “I wish more children would come to the earth so that I had somewhere to warm my paws.” Previously, only older women and girls gathered for the holiday. They prepared treats, among which there was always a thick porridge-talker "salamat". Dancing was an indispensable element of the holiday. Some groups of Khanty and Mansi associated this holiday with the progenitor goddess Kaltash, who determined the fate of people, marking their life path on sacred tags, and helped with childbirth. At women's holidays, held in certain places, shreds of fabric were often tied to a tree. The purpose of such holidays was the desire for well-being, in the first place - taking care of children.

Olas Day

Every year in summer period on the territory of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra, sports competitions in rowing on oblas (boats) are held.

Reindeer herder's day

Reindeer herder's day - traditional, annual National holiday Nenets associated with their economic activity It is arranged on a district or county scale, and usually takes place in the spring. A large number of people gather for it. On this holiday, of the national types of competitions, the most common are reindeer sled racing, throwing a tynzei (lasso), an ax, jumping over sleds, and pulling a stick.
Reindeer sleigh racing is a beautiful, exciting spectacle. The best deer are selected, the harness is decorated with ribbons, stripes of rovduga, multi-colored cloth. Depending on the season, four to six deer are harnessed. Competitions are held at speed, but those present invariably appreciate the beauty of the running of deer, their color (white deer have always been considered the most beautiful), etc.
Tynzei is thrown on a vertical stick, trochee, on the heads of the sled. The ax is thrown at a distance.
The traditional sled jumping competitions are interesting. Several sledges (usually as many as there are free empty sledges) are installed parallel to each other at a distance of half a meter. Jumps are made with two legs together, first in one direction, then in the opposite direction, as long as there is enough strength. Good jumpers jump over 30 or more sledges without rest. The stick is pulled while sitting, resting your feet on each other (there are options). All these types of competitions are male. Women occasionally participated only in reindeer races. Of the other games and fun in the open air, women's games can be noted - blind man's buff, ring, - which differ from similar Russian games. So, for example, when playing the ringlet, it was often passed simply from hand to hand, and not along a rope.
On the Day of the Reindeer Breeder, national treats are usually prepared (reindeer meat, struganina). Fairs are organized where products of national crafts are sold (bone crafts, fur products, beads, etc.).

Spring gifting of the heavenly thunder god

Nenets old-timers remember how in old days they themselves and their ancestors celebrated the spring holiday of gifting the heavenly God-Thunder with a deer. In the family of Pankhi Pyak, this event happened like this. The family of Pankhi Pyak went to his sacred hill "Kavr nat ka" to sacrifice deer to the Gods of Water, Sky and Thunder. Pyak Panhai climbed the ridge of the hill, tied a gray coat to a tree, took off his belt with a small bag on a suede cord, took out a bundle from it and put it at the roots of a larch. The deer was taken to a level place with its muzzle to the east. Three men killed a deer, and when he published last breaths Raising his head to the sky, Pyak untied the bundle and tied it to a larch branch. Having torn open the deer's belly, the men took out and laid its insides on the snow. When hot blood filled his belly, the man who sacrificed him scooped up warm deer blood and slowly walked to the Pur River. He knelt down and poured blood into the fast flow of the river, while bending over the water, saying a sacred prayer to the God-spirit of Water. “Omnipresent, give us good luck in the summer catch of fish so that our children can eat well! Do not take away the spirit of my people during the autumn and summer seasons.” Do not disturb us with the noise of strong waves. Save the number of our deer." Having finished the sacred prayer, they sat down around the carcass of the deer. They put a fish to the head of the dead deer, sprinkled deer blood on its mouth, and began to eat. Meanwhile they scored white deer Hora (male deer), sacrificing it to the God of Heaven - Thunder. And they made an image of a symbol of the God-Thunder in the form of a bird from a twig, anointing with its blood and a birch at the roots. At the same time, a prayer is said: “O great master of the sky, we live under you. Our life is visible at a glance. We ask you, the eye looking from above, bring good luck to our tribe, a warm summer, a lot of game, berries, mushrooms for deer. To avoid mosquitoes and gadflies, there was no strong heat. Save us and our pastures from fires, thunder and lightning. All the relatives of Pankhi Pyak sat around the slaughtered deer, ate, drank fresh deer blood and tea from fragrant leaves. By evening, everyone went to their plagues, joyful from the fact that they had fulfilled their duty to the God of Heaven.
This custom is gone. The law of nature: everything flows, everything changes.

SEEING OFF THE SWAN

Few people know that the Khanty people, in addition to the revered day "Vorna Khatla" - "Crow's Day", have another holiday - Seeing the Swan, which is dedicated to the meeting and seeing off of the sacred bird - the swan. This event is preceded by a holiday, accompanied by a special ritual. Here is what I.S. Posokhov, old man, Khanty by nationality, about the ritual of such a holiday of Seeing the Swan, which he witnessed once in the fall. The day before, the residents of the yurts agreed on the time of departure for the holiday. On the day of the holiday, they drove up to the sacred place, and the male hunters announced their arrival with three volleys from hunting rifles. The trustee of the holy place, having heard the shooting, went ashore to meet the smartly dressed guests. Arriving, having moored their boats to the boardwalk, they walked in a string to the village along a path lined with branches and hay. Then the women set fire to the stacked firewood, put food on the board near the fire. They sprinkled alcohol on the fire, threw a coin into the fire and then lined up in a row and, sending bows, whispered:
"You are our sacred bird, we came to visit you and from the bottom of our hearts brought everything we needed with us ... Separation will come soon, you will leave your native land ... We are waiting for your return in the spring. On your mighty wings, rush over mountains, taiga! clear sky we wish you over our beautiful land. "Then the women turned over their right shoulders, finishing the ritual, and began the meal. At the side, bundles with gifts were hung on a peg. It was a common place for the ceremony. Old and small in a crowd, stood here and asked for a swan accept their gifts.
The main ceremony was held in a sacred place where only men were allowed to go. This is where the sacrifice took place. This place was founded from time immemorial by distant ancestors.
The men brought a sacrificial animal, tied it under the thick reddish, and on another tree a primitive table was already made, under it poles were passed between the branches of the tree. The trustee of the holy place arranged refreshments, untied bundles with gifts, enveloping each item in the smoke of smoldering chaga. hung on poles. Those present threw coins on the table, stood in front of the table, and bowed. Then the trustee brought the animal out and began to lead it in the course of the sun.
- Ah! - a calling cry was heard after each turn - and this cry was echoed seven times... ceremonial ritual, then he took a piece of the neck, heart and eyes of the sacrificed animal from the cauldron, stabbed them on the branches of the pole, put it on a table attached to a tree.
This is where the holiday ended.

Wagtail Holiday

This spring holiday of the Mansi people. Wagtails among this people are considered the messengers of the Great Light and the Red Spring. In a day holiday a long table is placed on the square of the village, a treat is set on it, among which the main thing is the ritual salamat porridge with pine nuts and wagtail figurines made of dough. All residents gather. Ritualconducted by the oldest woman in the village. She says, “Our spring bird, the Wagtail, has arrived! The sacred bird has arrived - winter will not return. I ask the Spirits of Heaven, let them send us a long hot summer, warm rains, so that the berries will bloom soon. May rivers and lakes be replenished with fish, and forests with animals.Then the girls perform the Wagtail dance, imitating the impetuous, quick movements of the bird.And now the girls will dance the Wagtail!
The girls stood up, spreading their arms to the sides, as if they had grown wings. And suddenly they fled, scattered, like a flock of multi-colored birds. They waved, the skirts of their brightly embroidered robes scattered. The older girls were followed by the little ones. All movements were free. Whoever could, waved his little hands. Some, springing up, clapping their hands, turning their heads, took off from their seats and ran skipping, as if flying over a clearing - a square.
There were many hidden smiles of adults, when the smallest girls, with their still clumsy movements, tried to imitate the older ones.

Conclusion.

In the process of research, it was found that closely related cultures of the Khanty and Mansi were enriched in certain historical periods foreign elements of cultures in contact with neighboring peoples or during wars.
The traditional cultures of the Khanty and Mansi have a generic similarity, and their differences can be considered as species diversity, complementarity in everyday life. This fact confirms the common pantheon of deities, although it has local differences, as well as common holy places for the Khanty and Mansi.

Literature

http://www.surwiki.ru/wiki
Gondatti, N. L. Bear cult among foreigners of North-Western Siberia / IOLEAE, vol. 48, no. 2, - 1888. - S. 74, 79.
Kharuzin, N. N. Bear oath among the Ostyaks and Voguls. - M., 1899. - S. 7-8; Lukina, N.V. General and special in the cult of the bear among the Ob Ugrians / Rites of the peoples of Western Siberia. - Tomsk, 1990. - S. 179 - 191.
Fraser, J. The Golden Bough. The study of magic and religion. - M., 2006.