Sabantuy is a celebration of the peoples of Bashkiria and Tatarstan in honor of the harvest, demonstrating the strength and dexterity of the Bashkirs and Tatars, promoting a healthy lifestyle. It has a long history, has preserved its traditions today.
Holiday Description
The word "sabantuy" comes from the Turkic lexemes "saban" - a plow and "tui" - a holiday. It is celebrated in June in honor of the completion of spring sowing. This event is national and beloved; both children and adults take part in its celebration.
Sabantuy is celebrated every year, it was not held only in those periods when there were wars or there were difficult times for the people. It is a celebration of labor, health, strength and dexterity. It has its own customs, rites, usually consists of various competitions, accompanied by numerous songs and dances.
This holiday is protected by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the oral heritage of mankind, because it is a real gem of national unity and friendship.
Sabantuy: the history of the holiday
Festivals have a long history. For the first time this holiday is mentioned in the notes of the Arab ambassador from 921 AD, who came to the lands of the Bashkirs and Tatars to study their traditions and life.
Initially, the holiday was sacred in nature, was held with the aim of appeasing the spirits and deities of fertility, so that they sent down a good harvest. Therefore, Sabantuy was celebrated in April before sowing. It was the young men who participated in ritual games and competitions, since the sacred custom implied a symbolic wedding with nature, therefore the word "thuja" in this case is more correctly interpreted as "wedding, marriage."
In addition, the ritual custom involved sacrifices and public prayers in honor of the god of the Sun and Heaven - Tengra and in honor of the spirits of the ancestors. Later, these pagan rites were replaced by the tradition of giving gifts.
Sabantuy national holiday was prepared in advance, back in winter. Young girls embroidered and sewed towels, shawls and shirts, which became the main award for dzhigits who participated in folk games and competitions. The most desirable and expensive reward was a towel decorated with embroidery from national patterns.
The main games and competitions were: horse racing, wrestling, competition in running and dexterity.
The modern status of the holiday
Festivities today are very common not only in the cities and villages of Bashkiria and Tatarstan, but also in other settlements.
The Tatar national holiday Sabantuy officially has the status of a state celebration, decrees and orders are issued on the date and place of its holding, responsible persons are appointed at all levels of government, a scenario is being considered, and the design of the holiday is being considered. Historically, festivities have clear rites and traditions, however, modern trends in its conduct also appear.
In addition, Sabantuy has the status of a federal holiday and is held in many cities of Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara and others.
How is Sabantuy celebrated?
National holiday Sabantuy usually takes place in June in 3 stages:
- the celebration begins in the villages and villages of the republic on the first Saturday after the sowing;
- in a week, festivities take place in cities;
- after another 7 days, a grandiose celebration is held in the capital of Tatarstan.
During the festivities, special administrative venues are held in all administrative regions, usually on a large field - the Maidan, where various competitions between real dzhigits, performances by masters of art and culture, and festivals are held. Horse racing is a must-have at the hippodrome. In addition, the tradition of collecting gifts is preserved in villages and villages.
Competitions and folk games
On Sabantui it is customary to conduct various competitions and games to demonstrate strength, dexterity and simply for the entertainment of the people. The most favorite fun of all dzhigits is kuresh, a belt wrestling that is held between men of different ages.
The goal of the competition is to grab the opponent by the belt and topple him to the ground. First, the fight is between the boys, then the boys enter the battle, the third pair are middle-aged men. The climax of the match is the struggle between two undefeated horsemen. The winner of kuresh (batyr) receives the main prize - a live sheep.
Another main competition is horse racing, which can be held separately at the hippodrome or arranged directly on the Maidan, and in the latter case, the distance is determined by eye to any point.
Sabantuy is a holiday of health, so quite often dzhigits compete in raising stones, demonstrating their strength. Weights or weights, the weight of which is 25 kg, act as gravity. The essence of the competition is to raise the stone with both hands and hold it in the right palm raised up.
This holiday is also fun, so comic contests are often held. The most common are various running competitions:
- with an egg in a spoon;
- with full buckets of water on the yoke;
- jumping in bags;
- paired races when the left leg of one person is tightly connected with the right of another.
The following folk games are very popular:
- fight with bags of grass or hay, which takes place on a slippery, unstable log;
- blindfolded with a stick, it is necessary to break clay pots that stand on the ground;
- team or single tug of war, sticks;
- climbing for a prize on a high and smooth column, the length of which can reach 15 m.
Holiday Treats
The cheerful national holiday Sabantuy, the description of which cannot be complete without an overview of traditional Tatar dishes, is also very hospitable.
Here it is customary to treat meat and sweet food. The following dishes are usually cooked at Sabantuy:
- Tatar pilaf on mutton with the addition of tomato paste or any vegetables;
- Peremechka - the most tender pies with meat, a feature of which is the presence of an opening on top of the bun;
- lamb stuffed with eggs, butter and spices;
- Belish with duck and rice in meat broth;
- chak-chak - a traditional sweet dish, which is a shortbread cookie filled with liquid honey.
Children's holiday Sabantuy
Festivities captivate everyone, adults and children love it. Initially, this tradition is preserved today, it was the children who started the celebration. They are the first to take part in competitions, enjoy playing folk entertainment. Therefore, Sabantuy also began to be carried out separately for children in schools and kindergartens.
Celebrate the holiday in early summer, when school holidays begin, in addition, children's Sabantuy coincides with the International Children's Day.
Festivities of children take into account all the traditions of this celebration:
- On the eve of collecting gifts for the winners, going around the house of neighbors, relatives, good friends. All the same scarves and towels act as presentations, and there can also be toys, sweets and other things.
- The main holiday consists of various competitions, games in which boys and girls compete in agility and strength.
- Traditionally, a talent contest is held. Children are happy to sing, dance, read poetry.
- The end of the holiday is the presentation of gifts to the winners.
The children hold the celebration themselves, the hosts are dressed in national costumes, the participants bring sweet treats, after the event they arrange tea drinking and funny dances. Children join the folk culture, imbued with the traditions of their ancestors.
Congratulations to Sabantuy
On Sabantuy - a holiday of labor and health - it is customary to say warm wishes to each other. In addition, congratulations are heard in newspapers and other media, from leaders at all levels and, of course, the president.
Wishes flow the most diverse, but the words about health, happiness, well-being remain unchanged. Worthy will be the wishes of success in work and all earthly goods.
You can give the following example of congratulations to Sabantuy: “I heartily congratulate you on the national holiday of Sabantuy - old and forever young! Holiday of labor, hospitality, a generous harvest. I wish you health, prosperity and happiness! May success accompany you in business, and all the blessings of the world accompany to your family. "
Tradition and innovation of the holiday
Festivities have their own structure, consists of certain ceremonies, games. However, it is developing, there are new, interesting trends that make it more diverse.
Sabantuy is a holiday combining the traditions of the people and various innovations, the main of which are as follows:
- rewarding of advanced workers and winners in contests of professions;
- new types of competitions: chess, cycling, arm wrestling, volleyball, stilt competition and others;
- races with the participation of the best trotters of Russia and abroad;
- in some localities, the holiday begins with a prayer read by the mullah (it should be noted that the event in question is not religious).
Thus, Sabantuy is a Bashkir holiday of labor, strength, dexterity, and health. General festivities, accompanied by a variety of competitions, games, songs and dances.