Sabantui (holiday): description and history

Sabantuy is a holiday of the peoples of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan in honor of harvesting, demonstrating the strength and dexterity of Bashkirs and Tatars, which promotes a healthy lifestyle. It has a centuries-old history, preserved its traditions today.

Description of the holiday

The word "sabantui" comes from the Turkic lexemes "saban" - plow and "tui" - a holiday. It is celebrated in June in honor of the completion of spring sowing works. This event is national and loved, in its celebration take part and children and adults.

Sabantui is celebrated every year, it was not held only in those periods when wars were going on or when the people had hard times. It is a holiday of labor, health, strength and agility. It has its own customs, rituals, consists usually of various competitions, accompanied by numerous songs and dances.

This holiday is under the protection of UNESCO as a masterpiece of the oral heritage of mankind, because it is a real precious stone of national unity and friendship.

Sabantuy: the history of the holiday

The folk festival has 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 Bashkirs and Tatars to study their traditions and way of life.

Initially, the feast was of a sacred character, conducted with the aim of coaxing the spirits and fertility deities, so that they could send down a good harvest. Therefore Sabantuy was celebrated in April before sowing works. In ritual games and competitions, it was the young guys who participated, as the sacral custom assumed a symbolic wedding with nature, therefore the word "tui" in this case is more correctly treated as "wedding, marriage".

In addition, the ritual custom presupposed sacrifices and public prayers in honor of the Sun God and Heaven - Tengre and in honor of the spirits of ancestors. Later, these pagan rites were replaced by the tradition of offering gifts.

People's holiday Sabantuy prepared in advance, even in winter. Young girls embroidered and sewed towels, scarves and shirts, which became the main reward for the jigits, who participated in folk games and competitions. The most cherished and expensive reward was a towel decorated with embroidery from national patterns.

The main games and competitions were: horse racing, wrestling, competitions in running and dexterity.

The modern status of the holiday

People's festivities are very common today not only in the towns 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, place of its holding, responsible persons are appointed at all levels of government, the scenario is considered, the holiday is designed. Historically, the folk festival has clear rituals and traditions, however, there are also modern trends in its conduct.

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 to celebrate Sabantuy?

The Sabantuy national holiday 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 completion of the sowing campaign;
• A week later, festivities take place in cities;
• Another 7 days later grandiose celebration is held in the capital of Tatarstan.

During festivities, special festive grounds are arranged in all administrative districts, usually on a large field - the Maidan, where various competitions take place between real jigits, performances by masters of arts and culture, folk festivals. At the racetrack, jumps are mandatory. In addition, in villages and villages the tradition of collecting gifts is preserved.

Competitions and folk games

It is customary for Sabantuy to hold various competitions and games to demonstrate strength, agility and just for the entertainment of the people. The most favorite amusement of all jigits is kuresh, wrestling on belts, which is held between men of different ages.

The purpose of the competition is to grab the enemy by the belt and put him on the ground. First, the fight is held between the boys, then the boys enter the fight, the third pair - middle-aged men. The culmination of the match is the struggle between two undefeated jigits. 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 racetrack or set up directly on the maidan, and in the latter case, the distance is determined by eye to any point.

Sabantuy is a holiday of health, therefore quite often jigits compete in raising stones, demonstrating their strength. As weights are weights or bars, the weight of which is 25 kg. The essence of the match is to raise the stone with both hands and hold it in the right palm, raised upwards.

This holiday is also cheerful, therefore quite often joke competitions are held. The most common are various competitions in the race:

• With an egg in a spoon;
• With full buckets of water on the rocker;
• Jumping in bags;
• Paired races, when the left foot of one person is tightly connected with the right of the other.

The following folk games are very popular:

• Fighting with bags of grass or hay, which runs on a slippery, unstable log;
• With blindfolds using a stick, it is necessary to break clay pots that are on the ground;
• Command or single tug of war, sticks;
• Lasagne after the prize on a tall and smooth pillar, the length of which can reach 15 m.

Treats at the feast

The cheerful Sabantuy national holiday, the description of which can not be complete without a review of traditional Tatar dishes, is also very hospitable.

Here it is customary to treat meat and sweet food. Sabantuy usually prepare the following dishes:

• Tatar pilaf on lamb with the addition of tomato paste or any vegetables;
• Interchanges - delicate pies with meat, the feature of which is the presence of a hole on top of a 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.

Sabantuy Children's Festival

The people's holiday captures everyone, it is loved by both adults and children. Initially, this tradition is still preserved today, it was the children who started the celebration. They are the first to take part in competitions, they play with pleasure in folk entertainment. Therefore, Sabantuy began to be held separately for children in schools and kindergartens.

Celebrate the holiday in early summer, when the school holidays begin, in addition, the children's Sabantuy coincides with the International Children's Day.

The folk festivals of the children take into account all the traditions of this celebration:

• On the eve of collecting gifts for the winners, bypassing the home of neighbors, relatives, good acquaintances. As the presents are all the same scarves and towels, and also can be toys, sweets and other things.
• The main holiday consists of various competitions, games in which boys and girls compete in dexterity and strength.
• Traditionally, a talent contest is held. Children with pleasure sing, dance, read poetry.
• The end of the holiday is the presentation of gifts to the winners.

The children spend the festivity themselves, the hosts dressed in national costumes, the participants bring sweet treats, after the event they arrange a tea party and merry dances. The children are attached to the folk culture, imbued with the traditions of their ancestors.

Congratulations with Sabantuy

At 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 of all levels and, of course, the president.

Wishes flow the most diverse, but the words about health, happiness, well-being remain unchanged. It is not out of place that wishes for success in working life and all earthly goods.

One can give the following example of congratulations to Sabantuy: "From the bottom of my heart I congratulate Sabantuy on the national holiday - an ancient and eternally young holiday of labor, hospitality, generous harvest. I wish you health, prosperity and happiness! Let success accompany you, and all the benefits of peace accompany Your family. "

Traditions and innovation of the holiday

The folk festival has its own structure, consists of certain rites, games. However, it is developing, new, interesting trends appear that make it more diverse.

Sabantuy - a holiday that combines the traditions of the people and various innovations, the main ones are as follows:

• Rewarding foremost labor and winners in the competitions of professions;
• New types of competitions: chess, cycling, armwrestling, volleyball, competition on stilts and others;
• Running with the participation of the best trotters of Russia and abroad;
• In some settlements 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, agility, and health. A general folk festival, accompanied by a variety of competitions, games, songs and dances.