Sabantuy
Sabantuy is a Tatar, Idel-Uralian, Bashkir and Kazakh ('Sabantoy') summer festival, that dates back to the Volga Bulgarian epoch. At first Sabantuy was a festival of farmers in rural areas, but it later became a national holiday and now is widely celebrated in the cities. In 2012, Kazan Sabantuy was celebrated on June 23.[1]
Nomenclature
Tatar-speakers call the holiday Sabantuy (Сабантуй, [sʌbɑnˈtuɪ]), or, more correctly, Saban tuyı (Сабан туе, [sʌˈbɑn tuˈjɯ]) - plural form: Sabantuylar [sʌbɑntuɪˈlɑr].
Other Turkic peoples living along the Volga also celebrate the holiday. Bashkir-speakers call it Habantuy (Һабантуй), Chuvash-speakers — Akatuy (Акатуй).
The holiday's name means "plough's feast" in Turkic languages. The synonym "plough's holiday", or Saban bäyräme (Сабан бәйрәме [sʌˈbɑn bæɪræˈme]) also occurs.
History
Sabantuy traces its origins to the pre-
Later, with the spread of
In the beginning of the 20th century Sabantuy gained recognition as the national festival of the Tatars. The Soviet authorities approved of this festival probably due to its humble rural origin. However, they moved Sabantuy to the after-sowing season, thus merging it with the ancient summer festival Cıyın (Cyrillic: Җыен, [ʑɯɪˈɯn]).
Recently, Moscow announced plans to nominate Sabantuy for the inclusion into the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity list in 2007.
Traditions
The main distinctive elements of Sabantuy include the traditional sporting competitions such as which would usually be located at the edge of a forest.
A tradition, called sörän,[3] was held to collect a fare for guests of the festival and prizes for the winners of the contests. Qarğa botqası (Rook's porridge),[4] a ritual porridge, was cooked before the Sabantuy to treat children in the village. Another tradition was praying at the cemetery.
In the recent years Sabantuy is also often combined with the
Kurash
The wrestling Kurash, is the main competition of Sabantuy. Wrestlers use towels and the aim is to knock down the opponent.
Usually young boys start the competition. At the end of Sabantuy, the main event of the festival is the final of köräş. The winner becomes the
Calendar of the festival
Sabantuylar do not have a set date. The festivities take place approximately from June 15 to July 1, and usually fall on a Sunday. Initially, Sabantuylar are arranged in villages, followed by Sabantuylar in rural districts, and the final ones taking place in major cities. The last Sabantuy is held in
In the last few years the Russian government arranged
Today Sabantuy can be characterized as an international festival attracting many people of various ethnicities who participate in Sabantuylar, both in Tatarstan, and all over the world.
Political traditions
Sabantuy is a symbol of Tatarstan. This is why every Russian president visiting the republic takes part in the Sabantuy held in Kazan. During his visit to Kazan in the mid-1990s Boris Yeltsin became the center of attention at a Sabantuy when he took part in a traditional competition in which the participants try to crash a clay pot while being blindfolded. Vladimir Putin took part in a humorous competition during which he tried to dip his face into a jar full of sour milk in order to fish out a coin without using his hands.[6]
Notes
- ^ a b Drayton, James (4 July 2012). "Sabantuy". home to roam. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ^ Мәйдан; [mæɪˈdɑn]; also maydan, майдан, [mʌɪˈdɑn] in spoken language
- ^ Сөрән; [sœˈræn]
- ^ Карга боткасы, [qʌrˈɣɑ bɔtqɑˈsɯ]
- ^ [bʌˈtɯr], also батыр batyr, паттӑр pattăr
- ^ "Новая газета - Novayagazeta.ru". Новая газета - Novayagazeta.ru.
References
- "Saban tuyı/Сабан туе". Republic of TatarstanAcademy of Sciences. Institution of the Tatar Encyclopaedia. 2002.
- (in English) 2012 Sabantuy celebrations in Kazan
- (in English) Traditions of Sabantuy, Ogonyok, photos
- (in English) Photos of Sabantuy
- (in English) History of Habantuy
- (in English) Photos of Akatuy
- (in Russian) Традиции Сабантуя, Огонёк
- Video on YouTube: Sabantui in Prague