The people of Kalmykia: culture, traditions and customs. Kalmyk folk customs

Vintage folk customs and rituals of the Kalmyk people

Purpose of the event:

Preservation of culture and traditions of peoples living on the territory of the Republic of Kalmykia;

Development of creativity and initiative of students;

Acquaintance of children with the history, traditions of ancient customs and rituals of the Kalmyk people.

Event progress:

Hello guys! Today we will talk about the ancient customs and traditions of our people.

Way of life Kalmyk people has been formed for centuries. It was determined mainly by the labor rhythm of life. There were among the people and their moral criteria, its unwritten code of politeness and cultural behavior of people - folk ethics.

For example, if a young person is rude to an older person, this was considered tantamount to the fact that he was rude to his parents.

When two people are talking, and a third intervenes from the side or eavesdrops on their conversation - it was very indecent. In general, any curiosity was considered indecent: peeping, eavesdropping.

When there is grief or misfortune in any family, and when someone who comes to their house raises a fuss or scandal, this is shameful for such a person.

When a person, meeting, cordially greeted his acquaintance, and he seemed not to notice and passed by - this was considered arrogance and was condemned by everyone.

If someone who was visiting after a tea party turned the cup upside down, this was considered extremely indecent, because. characterized him as an ungrateful person and meant that he would not come to visit these people again. Or when a person, having visited and spent the night there, did not bother to say goodbye to the hosts in the morning and, leaving, also slammed the door hard - this meant the same thing.

The Kalmyks, like all peoples, had many traditional customs and rituals. Some of them remained almost unchanged, while others became obsolete, forgotten and disappeared over time. Many customs came from the depths of centuries, they also affected the craving common people to adorn his life, and his moral and aesthetic ideals, and ancient superstitions.

It was so established, for example, that in the morning women opened the chimneys of the wagons from left to right; a person, leaving for work or other business, also walked around the hearth from left to right, approached the destination from the left side, when meeting with a person they passed to his left. That is, everything was done in the direction of movement of the source of life - the sun - from left to right. Many customs were created and spread under the influence of religion. For illiterate Kalmyks, gelungs, bagshis and lamas were almost holy. They were strongly believed and highly respected. Servants religious cult were literate people. The best of them were sent to Tibet and Mongolia to master the Buddhist religious science. After studying there for several years, they returned home as the most revered people, with spiritual titles and dignity.

Dark steppe Kalmyks spoke with admiration of them: "Look, not only in Cherya ( main temple Kalmyk clergy), but even visited Tibet and Mongolia, mastered the great religious science!

People prayed daily to the Burkhans, went to the monastery (khurul) for services four or five times a year, made offerings to God - some with money, some with cattle, cleansed themselves of "sins", made offerings to earth, water, fire. And, in any case, they turned to the clergy for guidance and guidance.

SOUL DEPARTURE

When, due to old age, illness, or as a result of an accident, a person in the family died, they would definitely invite a lama to send the soul of the deceased to the next world.

Lama, who arrived to send the soul of the deceased, spread out a prayer book in front of him, read it aloud and from time to time rang small bell. Then he made various figures from the clay or rye dough prepared for this occasion - a man, a sheep, a cow, a horse and a camel. After reading prayers over them, he blew and spat on each figurine, forcing all members of the deceased's family to follow him.

After that, the lama asked one of them to throw all these figurines on the north side of the wagon. At the end of the ritual, he said:

The soul of the deceased is sent along the right path, it will not wander. Then the lama rolled up the prayer book, tied it with a cord, and lightly tapped the prayer book on the head of each person present. On this he ended the memorial service, for which he was rewarded with money and things. The rich gave animals. DAMAGE OF THE EVIL LANGUAGE When a child fell ill in the family, they first turned to the gelung for help. Gelung, having examined the child and looking into the prayer book, established the disease: "An evil tongue darkens, it is necessary to shorten it - and everything will pass." Then the priest forced one of the women to twist a thin rope about a meter long out of white and black sheep's wool. At one end of the rope, he made a loop, which he put on the neck of a sick child. The other end of the rope was held by a man with a sharp knife in his hand. At the command of the priest, he cut the rope into short pieces. The priest said to the child: - Pray to God and the clergy! (The child prayed, nodding his head in agreement.) The priest, reading a prayer, said: - Free, God, from the envy of people - cut off evil tongue! (The man cut off a piece of rope). - Free, God, from the poison of callous people - cut off the evil tongue! (The man cut off a piece of rope). - Free, God, from the disease - cut off the evil tongue! (The man cut off a piece of rope). - Free, God, from the envy of people who say that he is rich - cut off the evil tongue! (The man cut off a piece of rope). - Free, God, from the envy of people who say that he lives on someone else's good - cut off the evil tongue! (The man cut off a piece of rope). - Release, God, from any curses - cut off the evil tongue! (The man cut off a piece of rope). And so it continued until the rope ran out. Then the priest gave the order to remove the noose from the child's neck and, together with the pieces of rope cut off earlier, burn it and bury the ashes at the threshold of the dwelling. The child's parents, satisfied that the "evil tongue" had been tamed and the child "liberated" from the disease, made offerings to the gelung. RESPECT FOR ELDERS Kalmyks have a long-established custom - to respect the elderly, senior comrades, guests. There are instructive Kalmyk sayings on this score: "Respect your elder brother by an arshin, and your younger brother by an inch", "A man has elders, and a fur coat has a collar." These moral rules were fulfilled from generation to generation and were expressed as follows: - when the elder or the guest was going on the road, the young ones prepared him for the road and saddled the horse; - when old man entered the house, then the young people supported him and opened the door for him; - before the older or elderly young man did not enter the wagon and did not sit down; - when the elders were talking, the younger ones did not enter into conversations; - at weddings, holidays, housewarmings and other solemn occasions, good wishes were first pronounced by the older ones, and then by the rest - the daughter-in-law with her father-in-law should not take off her headdress and be barefoot; - the younger ones had to obey the elders, did not have the right to enter into disputes with them, raise their voice in their presence; - Give way to the elderly. Here it should be noted that pregnant women received special respect from those around them. If a young woman, say, a daughter-in-law, was in a position, then even her father-in-law made way for her, saying at the same time: "Come in, dear! You have two souls, two hearts! .." There was such a good custom among our people - young do not drink vodka, and especially with older people. At holidays and weddings, vodka, or rather moonshine (araka), was served only to elderly guests, it was not given to young guests. Guys and girls did without strong drinks: they danced, sang and played various games. Interesting games. If anyone got drunk, it was a disgrace. Such young man long condemned, and he was ashamed of his misdeed. Therefore, older, wiser people always warned young people: "Vodka destroys everything except its own dishes." This proverb does not lose its instructive meaning even now. WISH ON THE OCCASION OF A HOUSEWARE Kalmyks often migrated from place to place in search of good pastures. Having settled in a new place, they made sure to arrange refreshments for the elderly in order to receive a blessing from them. The old men and women said good wishes - yorels: - Live happily in a new place! - Let your house be like a palace with open doors so that no one passes or passes by you, so that you always have guests and so that you always have abundance! And in our time, this custom is observed. When the family moves in new apartment, in new house- first of all, they arrange a treat, invite all relatives and listen to well-wishes from relatives, friends, comrades. PURIFICATION BY FIRE Nomadic Kalmyks from November to March left for the winter. With the onset of spring, when the snows began to melt and the steppes were covered with green grass, the Kalmyks left their winter quarters for summer pastures. Before leaving the wintering place, tents and home belongings were put on carts, loaded onto camels. Fires were lit in two places. They threw old unusable things and handfuls of salt into them. Between these fires they drove themselves and drove the cattle. This so-called "Cleansing by fire" was carried out to get rid of pathogenic microbes and all kinds of junk that had accumulated over the long winter days. They prayed to the fire - these cleansing fires, giving the rite great value.

"Customs and traditions of the Kalmyk people"

Kalmyks the only people in the European part of Russia, speaking one of the Mongolian languages. They live in the Republic of Kalmykia and neighboring regions, their number is about 200 thousand people. The ancestors of the Kalmyks are Western Mongols. Until the end of the XVI century. they lived in the steppes of Central Asia, bred cattle, roamed with cattle in search of good pastures. At the beginning of the XVII century. Kalmyks turned to the Russian Tsar with a request to allow them to settle in Russia and received land in the lower reaches of the Volga. Kalmyks are excellent riders and warriors.

New Year's lights

Zula is the holiday of the New Year. It was usually celebrated at the end of December, on the winter solstice (December 22), from which the day became longer. Basically it is an ancient folk holiday, but since the Kalmyks have been practicing Buddhism for six centuries, it was also celebrated in Buddhist temples. "Zula" is translated from Kalmyk as "lamp", "lamp", "fire". On this day, bonfires were lit.

The stronger the fire, the better: it was believed that this returns to the sun its magical power and that from this day on it will warm better and stronger. And in churches these days they also burned lamps and, by the way the fire burned, they wondered whether the next year would be successful. And then they walked around the temple around the sun, holding sacred books, icons with images of Buddhist deities, and left their gifts - dairy products and sweets on a sacrificial table taken out of the temple into the courtyard.

Spring has come - celebrate Tsagan cap

Tsagan cap is the first month of spring. From the Kalmyk language, the name of the holiday is translated as the White month. Everyone congratulates each other on the end of the cold and hungry winter and the onset of spring. At this time, they are preparing for migration to spring pastures, after the livestock has offspring. It was celebrated on the first spring full moon in every nomadic wagon, in every house. The younger ones went to visit the older ones, treated each other to food. The congratulator stood on his right knee and touched his forehead with folded palms. The main event of the holiday was the expectation of dawn. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. all those who were waiting for the dawn gathered in the courtyard of a Buddhist temple and, with the first rays of the sun, made a common prayer, made a sacrifice - meat and dairy products, and then went around the temple clockwise. The holiday combined folk and Buddhist features.

Holiday of unity of earth and water (Uryus)

The main holiday of summer was celebrated on the day of the full moon of the first summer month. folk calendar. It was a holiday of great sacrifice to the spirits of earth and water in order to beg them for good grass in the pastures, so that the cattle could feed in plenty, and then have a healthy, numerous offspring. If all this is provided, then the families of pastoralists will live richly, there will be plenty of food, children will grow up healthy, which means there will be many weddings and fun. To accomplish this important task, the following rituals were performed: they gathered all the available cattle near the tent of their owner, and he sprinkled milk and the first koumiss of the summer on their heads.

Jangar and Jangariada

In 1990, Kalmykia celebrated the 550th anniversary of the creation of the heroic epic "Dzhangar". Her main character- Dzhangar, a fighter for the freedom and independence of his compatriots, who, together with his friends, the heroes, defeats all the enemies of his people. He is looking for the country of universal happiness and prosperity Bumba - a place where there are no wars and everyone is happy - and finds it for his subjects. The anniversary of the epic was celebrated as a holiday, which included a theatrical performance on the plots of the epic and sports competitions in national types sports in the stadium. The holiday was called Dzhangariada. Since then, Kalmykia celebrates it annually. Its day is the second Sunday in September.

How Kalmyk youth respects their elders

Old age and its inherent wisdom have always been respected by the Kalmyk people. For centuries, a set of moral rules has evolved, in which the ratio of the younger to the older was one of the main ones. These rules were handed down orally from father to son, from son to grandchildren, and when they grew up, they taught their children. Here are some of those rules. If an elderly person enters a wagon, and now a modern house, young people are obliged to support him from both sides under the right and left hand and open the door for him.

If one of the elders in the family was going on a trip, the young men should help him pack his things in a travel bag, saddle a horse, help him sit on a horse. When the elders are talking, the younger ones should not interrupt them. And during a feast on the occasion of a wedding or any other occasion, drinking wine, vodka and other strong drinks in the presence of adults was not allowed at all.

Tulip Festival

Where? In Holland? No, in Kalmykia! This is the youngest Kalmyk holiday. It was invented by Kirsan Ilyumzhinov shortly after he was elected the first president of the republic in 1993. However, it wasn't that hard to figure it out. Why? Yes, because in April the whole of Kalmykia is covered with a multi-colored carpet of tulips - white, red, yellow, yellow-red and some other motley ones, the color of which is even difficult to determine. It is celebrated on the second Sunday in April. The ground is still black, the snow has recently melted, there is still almost no greenery anywhere, and only the heads of small steppe tulips peep out everywhere. On this day, young people and schoolchildren walk everywhere. In all concert halls there are performances dance ensembles. The most popular and beloved ensemble "Tulip" has existed for several decades. It was he who traveled all over the world and revealed to everyone the beauty of the Kalmyk dance.

Kalmyks are the inhabitants of the European part of our vast homeland. They speak Mongolian. This article is devoted to what bright traditions are inherent in the people.

New Year in Kalmykia

New Year in Kalmykia is called Zula. It was customary to celebrate it in last days December (December 22 on the day of the solstice). This holiday is folk, ancient. But given the fact that the Kalmyks are Buddhists, the festival took place in Buddhist temples. On the Kalmyk language, zula means lamp, fire. On New Year's Eve it was customary to kindle a fire. In this case, the fire had to be as large as possible. It was believed that this fire returns all its strength to the sun, which means that the sun will warm even warmer. As for the temples, on this day it was customary to light lamps here. According to the manner of fire, people read their future. After that, it was necessary to go around the temple in the sun, in the hands there should be a sacred object - an icon with Buddhist deities, books and others. And also it was necessary not to forget to leave gifts (sweet foods, dairy products) on the sacrificial table.

Tsagan cap

Tsagaan Sar means the first month of spring. If this phrase is translated from Kalmyk, then it means "white month". At this time, it is customary to congratulate everyone on the end of the cold and winter, as well as the fact that spring has come. Also, this time is known for the fact that they are preparing for migration at the end of the offspring of livestock. The holiday is celebrated on the first full moon of spring. This holiday was celebrated in every home. Everyone went to visit each other, treated them to dishes. The person who came to congratulate on the holiday had to get on one knee and press his palms to his forehead. The biggest expectation of this holiday is the dawn. Several centuries ago, it was customary to gather in the courtyard of the temple, and when the first rays of the sun appeared, a common prayer took place. After all the actions, the temple was bypassed clockwise.

Is there a gift offering this holiday?

Yes, as in the previous case, there were some gifts (sacrifices). Dairy products and meat were donated. By the way, the temple was bypassed after the sacrifice.

Holiday of unity of earth and water (Uryus)

Uryus - main holiday summer. It was celebrated on the first summer full moon. On this day, it was customary to make a sacrifice to the spirits so that they would give suitable grass on pastures for excellent feeding of livestock, and also so that the livestock would be fruitful and multiply well. If the cattle are healthy and multiply, then the pastoralists will also live richly with an abundance of food, their children will be healthy and there will be no need for anything. In order for the Kalmyk people to have all this, on this holiday it was customary to gather all the available cattle near the house, sprinkle the heads of the cattle with milk, koumiss.

Jangar and Jangariada

In 1990, it was the 550th anniversary of the creation of the Jangar epic. The hero personifies a real fighter for freedom and independence, who bestows these benefits on the people along with his friends. In honor of the anniversary of the epic, they decided to coincide with the holiday.

Advice

If you want to visit some Kalmyk folk festival, we recommend that you go here on the second Sunday of September. On this day, the celebration of Dzhangairiada takes place - a sports and athletics event created in honor of the Dzhangar epic. On this day, bright festivities, sports competitions, as well as theatrical performances take place.

Kalmykia is famous for its tulip fields. In April, the whole of Kalmykia is illuminated by the bright beauty of tulips of various colors. The Tulip Festival falls on the second Sunday in April. In Kalmykia, both old and young walk on this day.

Conclusion:

Kalmykia is an original country that will not leave anyone indifferent. The traditions and customs of Kalmykia are bright festivities, festivities, amazing stories.

Purpose of the event:

• Preservation of the culture and traditions of the peoples living on the territory of the Republic of Kalmykia;
• Development of creativity and initiative of students;
• Acquaintance of children with the history, customs and traditions of the religious rites of the Kalmyk people.

Preparation for the event:

The class is divided into six groups. Each group needs prepare information about a particular rite, as well as select a designer who will prepare a draft of this rite.

(Before the event, students are divided into groups to prepare class hour material).

Class hour is held in the form of a round table.

Teacher: Our Classroom hour dedicated to the religious rites of the Kalmyk people. All students were divided into groups, each group prepared information about a particular rite, and each group had its own designer who prepared a draft of this rite. Let's listen to the first group.

Picture 1

1 group of students.

Students: We have prepared a ceremony called "Appeal to heavenly patrons", and also our designer has made a calendar. (See Annex 1 for an example project)

APPEAL TO HEAVENLY PATRONS

In search of the best pastures, the Kalmyks wandered from place to place. It is quite natural that each time the ancestors became more observant, judicious, far-sighted. Like all peoples, at a certain stage of development, the nomads worshiped the deities of the Sun, Sky, Moon, Earth, etc. However, the steppes did not rely on divine patrons in everything, so they knew all the signs associated with the weather. The sages could predict what the coming day, week would be like, guided by the state of the sky, stars, etc. The old people sincerely believed that the stars give a person physical health: "May you have as many years as there are stars in the sky," sounded the standard well-wishing. The Kalmyk people so fervently revered heaven, and from time immemorial, what is the attitude towards higher power, probably, makes a person still in times of great misfortune, experiences, turn to heaven with a prayer: "Tengr burkhn orshyathya!" (May heaven have mercy on me!). Here are some signs that have survived to this day:

Figure 2

If you see a shooting star, you need to spit three times over your shoulder. You can't count the stars in the sky. In no case should you point your finger at the Sun, Moon, stars. As for the latter, the Kalmyks animated them, considered them alive. The brightest even had their own names: Altn Gasn (Golden Pillar) - Polar Star, Tsolmn ( morning Star) - Venus, Dolan Burkhn (Seven Gods) - Ursa Major, Tenrgin Uidl (Heavenly Seam) - Milky Way, Gurvn Marl (Three Marals) - Orion, etc. Nomads unerringly found their way by the stars if they happened to get lost in the endless steppe. But this happened extremely rarely, the shepherds were so close to environment who were true children of nature. So, the ancestors believed that the Big Dipper protects the flock from wolves, increases the number of livestock. And it was enough for a person who committed any offense to ask for forgiveness by repeating the prayer "Dolan burhn" seven times. It is believed that the repentant receives stellar forgiveness, and his sins are removed. The steppes have always been very afraid of thunderstorms with their thunder and lightning. When bad weather approached, the nomads only prayed that the electric discharge would not hit a person, cattle, or dwelling. The old people say: "In heaven, two (Tel and Vel) heroes came together in a fight." Mortals could only pray that after the rain good grass for livestock feed, and the animals were full and fat.

The place where the lightning hit was considered "burnt by heavenly fire, they bypassed it. If necessary, they tried to move to another land. In the old place they arranged a sacrifice to the fire. After that they prayed, splashed milk, as if removing the curse. But if lightning hit a tree , then it became sacred.People came to him and prayed.

When a person was killed by lightning, the old people said that the gods urgently needed him, because they took him in so quickly, and his soul immediately went to heaven.

Centuries-old observations of natural phenomena have allowed the Kalmyk people to make up their own signs related to the weather. For example, white clouds portend bad weather. And if the whites are going Cumulus clouds, then wait for the weather to change: either rain or strong wind.

“If you argue noisily, it’s not far from a quarrel, if the wind catches up with clouds, then expect bad weather,” says an old Kalmyk proverb. Surprisingly, no one doubts that if you contradict each other, argue, then a quarrel will certainly break out, in the same way, attentive people are sure that if clouds gather in the sky, then bad weather will certainly come. The Kalmyks also had such a funny sign, rather controversial in terms of accuracy: in the old days, women were not supposed to leave the house without a headdress, otherwise they would go heavy rain.

Even nomads predicted the weather by sunrise and sunset: if the dawn is yellow at sunrise, the weather will be clear; yellow sunset - expect bad weather. When a rainbow appears in the sky during rain, it means that soon the rain will stop.

2 group of students.

Students: We have prepared a ceremony called "Ceremonies of Worshiping the Earth and Sky", and also our designer has made a postcard. (See Appendix 2 for an example of a project).

EARTH AND SKY WORSHIP CEREMONIES

Figure 3

When moving to a new place, which happened quite often, since Kalmyk nomads were constantly moving from place to place, people, before leaving their homes, always held a big prayer service: they cleaned the old place, left nothing, buried or burned everything superfluous. No wonder, because the ancestors treated the earth and heaven very carefully and respectfully, treating them as deities. So, when leaving, the Kalmyks always said a special prayer, designed to propitiate the geniuses of the place:

Oh Gods!
This land has done nothing to us.
We lived well here, raised children, grandchildren, livestock,
They didn’t starve, they didn’t get cold, they lived well.
May the strength and wealth of this land follow us!

Before settling in a new place, a great cleansing and prayer was necessarily arranged: they asked the heavens, the merciful gods to wish prosperity for people and livestock.

Historically, people did not dare to be offended by the sky, threaten and send curses, when, for example, there was no rain for a long time, a drought set in, the earth cracked from the incredible heat. For pastoralists there was no greater misfortune than the dry steppe. This meant a lack of fodder, which was fatal for the cattle. In such cases, the old people went out into the steppe, looked for a hill and held a big prayer service (Gazran taklgn) on it. The old people kindled a fire, made a deezh (offering), threw oil, fat into the flame, sprinkled milk, tea, while sorting out the rosary, praying. People asked heaven to show mercy to people, livestock, to all living things:

Oh, merciful gods! Heaven is our divine!
We dedicate this hot meal to you.
We ask you to drink and feed us,
Let everything be in abundance
May we live in good health.
We ask you for help
And we lift up our prayers to you!
Here is another prayer:
May the heavens and the merciful gods have mercy on us!
May the heavens send their love upon us.
Let nature show us favor,
Let him send water to quench our thirst!

After such a big prayer service, indeed, rain soon came to the earth, which brings joy with it. Moisture is quickly absorbed by the dry firmament, the steppe is again ears of greenery, everything around comes to life in the literal sense. In recent years, this ancient custom is gradually being revived. Many began to gather with their countrymen, to travel to the lands where they lived before the Kalmyk people were subjected to brutal deportation. It's no secret that after the Siberian exile, not everyone was able to return to their native places, and some settlements and completely disappeared from the face of the earth. Modern residents of the republic travel to small homeland and they will arrange a big prayer service (Gazran taklgn) there: they light a fire, throw oil, fat, tea, milk into it, read prayers, remember their ancestors, and ask for prosperity, health for posterity, leave coins. Most often, Gelung is specially invited to such events. During Ghazr taklgn, food is brought, which remains untouched. Only birds and animals can touch the remaining food. All this cannot but rejoice.

The revival of traditions, customs testifies to the revival of the self-consciousness of the people, their originality, uniqueness. Old customs and faith will help to find their own unique national flavor, young people will be taught love and pride for their homeland, for their people.

3 group of students.

Students: We prepared rituals related to natural phenomena, and our designer also completed the bulletin. (See Appendix 3 for an example project.)

RITUALS RELATED TO NATURAL PHENOMENA

For any nation on earth, one of the most important natural phenomena, which has even been elevated to the rank of a deity, is, of course, the Sun. Today we know very well that the star is the center of our system. But we never forget that thanks to sunshine there is life on planet earth. Kalmyks are no exception in this sense. And the steppes had many customs associated with the heavenly body.

• So, the whole life of the Kalmyks in those distant times, when there were no blessings of civilization, built on the Sun. As soon as its rays touched the ground, the nomads began to work: milk cows, cook food, let cattle out to pasture, collect dung (cow cakes used as fuel), dress skins, cook araka (Kalmyk vodka), churn milk and much more. This is how the life of the nomads was arranged, not a single moment of peace. With the sunset, all work had to be completed, because, according to legend, with the onset of darkness on earth, evil spirits take power into their own hands.
• In the old days, Kalmyks, having fallen ill, were treated by the Gelungs. Gelung - the doctor gave the layman medicine, which had to be taken in the morning, at dawn. Only in this case, the effect of the drug was beneficial and the disease ended with a favorable outcome for the patient. And today Gelungs are doctors when they give out to the suffering medicinal products, stipulate taking the medicine at sunrise.
• Kalmyks traditionally start any important business in the morning and finish in the afternoon. Such a rule has existed for a long time, moreover, it has become a tradition that must be respected and observed. For example, the departure for the bride and the arrival of the wedding train, when the bride is brought into the groom's house, is done only before dinner. This is because in the afternoon the Sun begins to tend to set, and during this period it was not customary for the Kalmyks to make any undertaking. Today with this custom modern people are not considered, although it contains a strong positive beginning. After all, in the well-wishes to the young it says: "May your happiness be illuminated by the Sun, may your faces never be darkened by a shadow (troubles)!"
• It was not allowed to sleep in the evening at dusk, it was believed that this could cause illness.
• At dusk, they did not do needlework, as the evil spirits (shulmus) confuse the threads.
• In no case could one turn to the Sun and the stars by pointing at them with a finger or nodding one's head, so strong was the respect of the Kalmyks for the heavenly bodies in the old days.

Figure 4

During solar eclipse the ancestors of the nomads always went out into the street, hit the iron, made noise, shouted, in other words, made a loud noise. Thus, with a roar and prayers, people were punished to frighten the Shulmus, who, in their sincere conviction, had swallowed up the solar deity. In the folklore of any nationality, there are similar legends, epics to this day. Science, of course, has long revealed all the secrets of this mysterious natural phenomenon. Moreover, with the help of modern telescopes and other achievements of technological progress, every person saw the solar eclipse on the screen, and in great detail. But this simple, somewhere even naive custom, in any case, you need to know.

• When the Sun set in the clouds and they turned red at the same time, the Kalmyks believed that the weather would deteriorate the next day: there would be heavy rain or wind. The most interesting thing is that this sign is usually accurate.
• In summer, during a drought, when the sun burns grass, crops, etc., the nomads believed that the deity was angry with them, and therefore sent a curse on the earth in the form of starvation, crop failure. In such cases, the ancestors went far into the steppe, more often to the shore of a reservoir and performed a ceremony of worshiping nature: earth, water, sky and sun. They asked nature to have mercy and send grace. Nomads had to perform such rituals of worshiping the forces of the four elements annually.
• The first spring storm, thunder and lightning also had, so to speak, their own rites of worship. Kalmyks in ancient times were terribly frightened by these natural phenomena, which could bring a lot of trouble overnight, and therefore tried to appease them, as they imagined. Usually the hostess took out milk - this product is considered sacred by the Kalmyks - dipped her thumb and ring fingers and sprinkled it up, saying: "Let the sky and the gods protect, and thunder and lightning will pass by." And this is done three times.
• Almost every Kalmyk settlement had a large body of water (a pond, a lake, a river) on which the Gelungs performed traditional rituals of offering. Mortals were never to defile it by bathing.
• Each person once a year must perform a rite of thanksgiving to the earth and water, and then gather the old people and treat them, commemorate their ancestors.
• It was not customary for Kalmyks to scold the weather. Neither the sweltering heat, nor the strong wind, nor the blizzard should have caused indignation in a person. The people believed that "Nature lives according to its own laws, man is not in power here." The only thing that could be done was to pray and ask for mercy from higher powers.
• Kalmyks were forbidden to dig in the ground unnecessarily, to drive in a stake, pin, etc. If it was necessary to use a shovel, then after work the tool had to be laid horizontally. Sticking a shovel upright was considered a great sin: the earth may not forgive if a person inflicts a wound on it.
• If hail falls on the ground, three snow peas should be put in the mouth. It is believed that it will bring health and good luck.
• During the feasts, the Kalmyks never forgot to present the first drops of chia or vodka to the fire, the sky. They do this ceremony like this: with the thumb of the ring finger they sprinkle on the four cardinal points.
• Nomads had to not only know the signs that portend natural phenomena, but also navigate by the moon and stars. In the end, the nomads lived precisely according to the lunar calendar, which allows them to calculate the weather.
• Numbers 8,15, 30th lunar calendar are called "Matzg". These days you need to light a lamp and pray. This ritual is performed when the stars appear in the sky.

As you can see, the Kalmyks have a great many signs and rituals associated with natural phenomena, all of the above is only part of folk wisdom. However, it is very useful to know and take into account this, albeit a small list.

4 group of students.

Students: We prepared fire rites, and our designer also made a booklet. (See Appendix 4 for an example of a project).

RITES OF FIRE

Fire is considered by the Kalmyks to be a great deity. That is why many traditions, customs and beliefs are associated with fire. The most common custom - when opening a bottle of vodka, the first few drops are sprinkled on the fire. Thus, those gathered at the table thank the merciful gods.

In ancient times, when the Kalmyk people were still leading nomadic image life, before setting up a wagon, people treated the chosen place with fire. The rite of purification by fire is alive to this day, according to tradition, Kalmyks, entering a new place of residence, carry a bowl of fire through the rooms.

Highly ancient custom- "feeding the fire", usually takes place in the month of the mouse (October). For thirty days, it was supposed to throw pieces of sheep fat or oil into the fire. It was not customary to play weddings in this month, since this month is the holiday of the deity of fire and people should not be equal to him or interfere with him with their noise. In addition, in each month there are three holy days - Matsg (the eighth, fifteenth and thirtieth day of the lunar calendar), when, according to custom, zul (lamps) are lit in houses, and the house is fumigated with incense. This is also considered fire worship. For the holidays. Zul and Tsagan is a mandatory rite.

The bride, entering the house of her husband, first of all performs the sevenfold worship of fire.

After the funeral, a fire is traditionally lit near the house. People returning from the cemetery must wash their hands and be cleansed by fire.

In addition, after dirty, unclean work, it will also not be superfluous to undergo a rite of purification by fire. And even folk remedy against some sores (herpes on the lips) is cauterization and fumigation. The fact that the Kalmyks are very respectful and respectful of fire is also evident from the fact that a burning flame is by no means filled with water. Moreover, it is considered a great sin. The hearth, the fire is extinguished, falling asleep with sand or earth.

The words: "Let your hearth fill with water" were considered a terrible curse. From the height of today, these customs and beliefs seem naive and outdated. But do not forget that they live with the people for a great many years, are passed down from generation to generation. This is how the connection of times and generations is established, this is how the uniqueness and uniqueness of the nation must be preserved.

Rite of purification by fire.

Figure 5

In the old days, Kalmyk nomads often had to move from place to place in search of fresh water, good and rich pastures. And sometimes they left their homes due to unfavorable events, diseases, crop failure, loss of livestock, etc. In any case, when leaving their former place of residence, the steppe dwellers performed a rite of purification by fire so that everything bad would remain in the old place, and not go after them. Usually this procedure consisted of bonfires kindled on both sides of the road, into which salt was thrown to enhance the effect. Cattle, horses with carts, camels in packs were led between the fires, people also went there. The Kalmyks sincerely believed that in this way "at once they would be cleansed of all the filth accumulated over time, living in the old place. By the way, when moving from place to place, people were not supposed to leave garbage behind. Therefore, rags, junk, unnecessary things were carefully cleaned up, buried ", were burned. Even traces of human presence should not have remained on the earth. After all the procedures, the Kalmyks always prayed to the land that once sheltered them, said goodbye to it, thanked it for all the good: "Let the bad remain here, and let the fire cleanse everything," the old people said.

The time of the move, as well as the new place of residence, were not revealed to anyone for the time being. The Kalmyks did this because they believed: only in this case, all the preparations, departure, the road would be calm, without delay. The wagon was quickly dismantled, belongings were collected, loaded onto camels. It is noteworthy that nothing was distributed to anyone, everything had to be carefully packed. In a new place, before proceeding with the actual arrangement, they first consecrated the new place with the same cleansing fire. And so on until the next move.

Figure 6

Sacrifice to fire

One of ancient customs- Sacrifice to fire. The meaning of this rite is very deep and serious, and therefore it is performed at a certain time, on a significant occasion. Traditionally, only men take part in the sacrifice. Naturally, the people performing this rite must be believers, as well as well aware of all the intricacies of the religious procedure. Women, as a rule, are not supposed to participate in the ceremony. So, in what cases do Kalmyks make sacrifices to fire?

1. After seeing off the bride. After seeing off the bride, the relatives begin to perform the rite of sacrifice to the fire. For this, a sheep is used, which was brought by the groom's side. Why is this actually being done? Of course, relatives wish her happiness, so that in new family the girl was waiting for the love and respect of new relatives, so that she always had a lot of food, clothes, and with her husband there was harmony and mutual understanding until old age. It looks like this: they kindle a fire, where they throw pieces of mutton fat, and at the same time say a prayer. And the representative of the groom should slaughter the ram, moreover, guided by Kalmyk customs and traditions. In addition, this person had to be distinguished by skill and dexterity, because he still had to catch up with the wedding train and arrive at the groom's house along with everyone. No one was to fall behind and get lost on the way home. The Kalmyks firmly believed that the life of the young then would be the same: without losses, quarrels and partings.

2. After the funeral of the deceased, at the wake. On the seventh or forty-ninth day, relatives perform a ritual so that the path of the deceased to another world is smooth and prosperous, and a new rebirth is quick.

3. During the great prayer of worshiping the earth "Gazr taklgn". This ceremony is performed mainly in summer, when the intense heat does not subside, and due to the lack of rain, the earth dries up. In such cases, both humans and animals suffer. Elderly people sincerely believe that sacrificing to fire will help propitiate the elements, and she will take pity on her children.

4. For the recovery of the patient, relatives can perform this ceremony. From time immemorial, the Kalmyks healed a seriously ill person with the help of this ancient ritual: worship of the earth, water, sky, fire, and ancestors. All this together is designed to help the suffering.

Figure 7

"Gal tyalgn" is a special rite: the sacrifice is performed only by a ram. Pieces of fat are thrown into the fire, and three types of bones sprinkle vodka so that the flame flares up and sparks fall. An important point: manipulations are performed right hand, three times. All the action is accompanied by a big prayer service.

The rite of sacrifice to fire is complex and not everyone can do it. And earlier, in the whole khoton, only a few could do it. According to the words, this ceremony in all its nuances is impossible to perform, it can be understood and felt only by observing the actions of a connoisseur. Today there are almost none left, there is no hearth in the apartment, a ram is not bought every day, but if you really need to perform this ceremony, then do it at home, praying, throwing pieces of mutton fat into the fire three times. It must be done with the right hand.

Figure 8

5 group of students.

Students: We have prepared a ritual of sacrifice, and our designer has also made a wall newspaper. (See Appendix 5 for an example project.)

SACRIFICE

One of the most important Kalmyk rites, which has successfully survived to this day, is the rite of offering to the gods. There are many subtleties, nuances, rules and meanings. In every house, ideally, there is a special bowl for this.

Figure 9

The traditional offering (deezh) is made daily with exclusively fresh morning tea. At other times of the day, the ceremony is allowed only in special cases: someone goes to long way or important guests came to the house. In no case do you leave the dezh for the night, usually the youngest members of the family are given tea to drink. Food made from sheep's entrails (dotur) is especially revered by the Kalmyks. Therefore, before eating, they made an offering consisting of pieces of the heart, liver, kidneys, large and small intestines. Then the bowl was distributed to the children.

In addition, Kalmyks traditionally bring special offerings (butter, tea, sweets) to khurul once a year to commemorate their ancestors. In a word, deezh is not just food, but an opportunity to respect the guardian gods of the home and family. From the gift brought by the guests - usually these are wrestlers, sweets, cookies - it is necessary to set aside a little for deezh.

And also when the hostess escorts the guests and collects the treasured gift, a small part (deezh) is left in the house. This will mean that the house and family will never be left without the protection of the gods, the bowl of food will never become scarce and empty. By the way, it is customary to visit people and receive them at home: it is not customary for Kalmyks to visit people empty-handed, and also to send guests light.

Another custom associated with the offering, which young people should definitely know. From the first earnings, it is imperative to make an offering: they usually buy sweets, cookies to treat the elders, who, in turn, wish the young man good luck and success in his future work.

in ceremonial, holidays generally do not sit down at the table before they pay tribute to tradition. For example, wedding offerings consist of a bottle of vodka, sweets, cookies, wrestlers - tselvg (round cakes). Then the edibles are either taken to khurul or distributed to the elderly. A special wedding offering is a boiled sheep's head: its upper part is brought to the bride's house, and the lower part with the tongue remains in the groom's house.

The main Kalmyk holidays Zul and Tsagaan Sar are accompanied by their offerings, usually consisting of tea and wrestlers, which must be placed in front of the burkhan (deity). It is noteworthy that Kalmyk tea is drunk on the same day, and wrestlers are eaten no earlier than three days later and only by family members. "Tsaganovsky" wrestlers differ from the usual ones in a special form: round cakes, symbolizing the Sun, in the form of a sheep's head, twisted in the form of reins, balls (horcha bortsg).

Festive offerings are necessarily accompanied by special good wishes (yoryals). They are pronounced by the most respected person, the eldest in the family, the head of the family. In this case, there are rules. A young man brings freshly cooked meat into the room on a tray and faces the guests. The elder pronounces the traditional yoryal:

May we always make offerings,
And the food will be fresh and hot.
May we always be full
And may we always be joyful, satisfied.
May there always be happiness and peace in our native land!

This yoryal is dedicated to guests, all living on earth. Then the one holding the tray of meat is turned, and the following yoryal is pronounced:

Let the spirit of hot food reach those
Who has gone to another world.
May they rejoice with us.
May they rest in peace, without resentment towards us,

And we, their descendants, wish happiness and long life!

These wise customs, which have come down to us through the depths of centuries, have helped the Kalmyk people at all times. Largely due to the fact that our old people sacredly honored traditions, our people survived in difficult, troubled years, while maintaining their originality and mentality.

Figure 10

6 group of students.

Students: We prepared the sprinkling ritual, and our designer made the announcement. (See Annex 6 for an example of a project).

SPRAYING

The unusual custom of "Sprinkling" (Tsatsl tsatslgn) has existed among the Kalmyks since time immemorial. Any celebration, reception of guests or just a festive event is not complete without this interesting ceremony. For example, when opening a bottle of wine, vodka, the first drops are dedicated to fire (sprinkling on fire) or heaven (sprinkling on the ceiling, some prefer the right corner). As has been repeatedly mentioned, the Kalmyks traditionally revered fire as a deity that must be propitiated, at least in this way. Sprinkling on the fire, you must definitely say:

Tsog hyayarhn" (Divine fire, be merciful!). Drops, of course, should be small, otherwise it's not far from the fire.

The Kalmyks have a great many reasons to perform the rite "Tsatsl Tsatslgn": it is obligatory on the holidays of Zul and Tsagan. In general, this custom must be performed at least once a year, as well as the offering of "deezh", prayers.

The arrival of dear guests, of course, is not complete without refreshments. Be sure to open a bottle of alcohol at the table. In these cases, tsatsl tsatslgn is done twice. The owner of the house, treating guests with hot freshly brewed tea, dedicates the first drops to the fire. And then, having started the actual feast, conversations, communication, they open the bottle brought by the guest, and again treat the fire with the first drops. At weddings, when opening the food brought by the bridegroom, they always put a deezh (offering), and from the bottle the first drops are sprinkled into the fire.

The rite "Tsatsal" is performed by a man, and this is done exclusively with the right hand. A woman is not supposed to do this ritual. If there is no owner in the house, then tsatsl tsatslgn may well be produced by his son or the eldest of his relatives.

Recently, when the Kalmyks began to celebrate their birthdays, it is also possible to perform the Tsatsal ceremony at celebrations on this occasion. “In other words, there are plenty of reasons to perform this ritual, the old people always said that in order to do “tsatsal”, one must not lose one’s head. After all, wine and vodka are dangerous food. No wonder one of the popular Kalmyk sayings says: “Vodka spoils everything except the utensils." Many should think about the meaning of this folk wisdom and try to keep themselves in check. it is needed only for significant events.

For example, visiting native land, performing a large prayer service to Water, ancestors, home, descendants. When people bring offerings: sweets, cookies, butter, milk, meat, vodka, etc., in this case, tsatsl tsatslgn is necessarily performed - the first drops of alcohol must be dedicated to the gods. This is done in this way: the first drops splash upwards to the east, the next drops - to the houses, if any, or to the place where they used to stand, to the ground. The rest, with prayers and good wishes, people drink.

The ancestors of the Kalmyks performed tsatsal when I returned from afar: they stopped in the steppe, on the border of their native hoton, opened a bottle and brought a small offering in the form of the first drops of a drink. The man thus thanked the gods that he returned to his native land in full health. It was believed that the ancestors who had gone to another world, treated themselves with him and rejoice at the safe return of their child.

There are others important events, of which there are a lot in the life of any person: for example, a son has grown up and goes to serve in the army or goes to study, etc. Then, according to tradition, the Kalmyks bless the road and wish them good luck. They also perform the rite "Tsatsl tsatslgn", the older generation sincerely believes that the simple wisdom of the ancestors will help the young in later life.

Seeing off the guests on the road, they also perform "Tsatsal", saying at the same time: "May the god of fire save you in well-being", most often they add: "Let the plan come true, the work goes on, let the joy not leave you, and do not forget the way to this house !" After that, everyone is poured a little from the bottle, washed down with tea and set off on the road.

Without "Tsatsal" wedding ceremonies are not complete. When leaving for the bride, "they set off only after the rite" Tsatsl tsatslgn ". But in different places this rite is performed in different ways: someone sprinkles on the fire, someone - up, someone - over the shoulder, someone - in the right corner. It is difficult to indicate which method of them is the most correct. Probably, all are permissible, because in this form the rite came from the depths of centuries, which means that this is exactly what the ancestors did. Important nuance: "Tsatsal" is performed only with vodka; This rite is not performed with wine.

Paternal relatives, and this applies only to men, are considered among themselves as one blood, one fire, one hearth. Girls, women do not belong to this circle, because when a girl gets married, she will belong to another clan, her husband's family. But if a girl does not have a father and mother, then her uncles, brothers, i.e., marry her. paternal relatives, the so-called people of one "Tsatsal" (one fire, hearth). And the vodka brought by the matchmakers is sprinkled in the house of an uncle, brother, etc. This is acceptable. It is impossible to give a girl in marriage from the house of maternal relatives, since these are people of more than one kind, and therefore the rite of "Tsatsal" cannot be performed among them. So, if an orphan was going to get married, she had to find at least distant relative by her father, so that the wedding train would take her away from his house.

Of course, the rite "Tsatsl tsatslgn" is associated primarily with the use of vodka. But this does not mean at all that he calls for drunkenness, which is fundamentally wrong, who exactly understands this folk custom in this way. The meaning of the ceremony is that the Kalmyks traditionally revere the earth, fire, ancestors, heaven. The latter, in turn, always kept their children, especially in the most difficult times for them.

Teacher: Our class hour dedicated to the religious rites of the Kalmyk people has ended. I hope that today, at this round table, you have learned a lot of interesting, informative and new things.

Now listen to the blessing:

Bowed round head
And on my knees,
Choosing the best of the months
Choosing the best day
I sacrifice a white ram
With a yellow head
I ask the fiery Windows-Tengri
Happiness and prosperity
Khurei! Khurei!
Let prosperity prevail
From yellow-and-white cows,
Like lions and with planted horns,
Arshin thighs.
Khurei! Khurei!
Let there be happiness from red-brown
Sheep with silky wool
Beautiful tail and belly.
Khurei! Khurei!
Let there be happiness from a herd of horses
With tousled manes and long tails.
Khurei! Khurei!
Let there be happiness from a lacquered camel
And a camel.
Khurei! Khurei!