Description of the presentation by individual slides:

1 slide

Slide description:

Traditions, customs Buryat people Completed by: Lantsova Natalya, Banina Kristina, 8th grade students of the Municipal Educational Institution “Kalenovskaya” Secondary School Supervisor: Vasilevskaya O.I. 2018

3 slide

Slide description:

Traditions and customs of the Buryat people Many beliefs and prohibitions have common roots of Central Asian origin, therefore they are the same among the Mongols and Buryats. These include the developed cult of obo, the cult of mountains, and the worship of the Eternal Blue Sky (Huhe Munhe Tengri). You must stop near the obo and respectfully present gifts to the spirits. If you don’t stop at the obo and don’t make a sacrifice, there will be no luck.

4 slide

Slide description:

According to the belief of the Evenks and Buryats, every mountain, valley, river, lake has its own spirit. A person without spirits is nothing. It is necessary to appease the spirits that are everywhere so that they do not harm and provide assistance. The Buryats have a custom of “sprinkling” milk or alcoholic drinks to the spirits of the area. “Splash” with the ring finger of the left hand: lightly touch the alcohol and splash it in the four cardinal directions, sky and earth.

5 slide

Slide description:

One of the main traditions is the sacred veneration of nature. You can't harm nature. Catching or killing young birds. Cut down young trees. You cannot throw garbage or spit into the sacred waters of Lake Baikal. You cannot wash dirty clothes at the Arshana water source. You cannot break, dig up, touch the serge - hitching post, or light a fire nearby. One should not desecrate a sacred place with bad actions, thoughts or words. Traditions and customs of the Buryat people

6 slide

Slide description:

Fire is credited with a magical cleansing effect. Purification by fire was considered a necessary ritual so that guests would not create or bring any harm. There is a known case from history when the Mongols mercilessly executed Russian ambassadors only for refusing to pass between two fires in front of the khan’s headquarters. Purification by fire is still widely used today in shamanic practices Traditions, customs and the Buryat people

7 slide

Slide description:

When entering a Buryat yurt, you must not step on the threshold of the yurt; this is considered impolite. In the old days, a guest who deliberately stepped on the threshold was considered an enemy, announcing his evil intentions to the owner. You cannot enter the yurt with any burden. It is believed that the person who did this has the bad inclinations of a thief, a robber.

8 slide

Slide description:

There is a belief that certain objects, especially those associated with magic, carry a certain amount of power. It is strictly forbidden for an ordinary person to say shamanic prayers (durdalga) out loud for the sake of entertainment. Traditions and customs of the Buryat people

Slide 9

Slide description:

Life Traditions, customs of the Buryat people Traditional dishes were made of leather, wood and iron. Furniture - low tables, benches, cabinets for dishes, chests for storing clothes, low wooden beds with a felt mattress and pillows stuffed with wool. For sitting, felt mattresses were prepared, covered with fabric on top, which were piled on top of each other.

10 slide

Slide description:

Food. Traditions and customs of the Buryat people The food of the Buryats was determined by their nomadic life. It consisted mainly of meat and dairy products. In summer, fatty lamb, in winter, beef, meat was consumed only boiled, and cooked in lightly salted or not at all salted water. Mostly boiled milk was consumed. Varenets (tarag), curd cheeses (khuruud, bisla and khezge), artsy (aarsa), dried cottage cheese (airuul), foam (urme), and buttermilk (airak) were prepared from milk. The butter was obtained from sour cream. Kumys was made from mare's milk, and milk vodka (archi) was made from cow's milk. They drank brick tea, adding salt, milk and lard to it.

11 slide

Slide description:

The Buryats gave special meaning to one or another part of the carcass and, accordingly, the distribution of the head, shoulder blade, femur, etc., especially when receiving guests, was carried out according to established rules of etiquette. For residents of the Baikal coast, fish was as important as meat. The Buryats widely consumed plants and roots as food and stored them for the winter. Field onions, wild garlic, and saran were considered the most important. Strawberries and lingonberries were collected from the berries.

12 slide

Slide description:

The basis of the spiritual culture of the Buryats is a complex of spiritual values ​​that generally relate to the culture of the Mongolian ethnic group. In conditions when, for many centuries, the population of the Baikal region experienced the influence of many peoples Central Asia, and later with its stay as part of Russia, due to the fact that Buryatia found itself at the junction of two cultural systems - Western Christian and Eastern Buddhist- The Buryat culture seemed to be transformed, while remaining seemingly the same.

Family and household customs of the Buryats

The large patriarchal family constituted the main social and economic unit of Buryat society. The Buryat society at that time was tribal, that is, there was a division into clans, clan groups, and then tribes. Each clan traced its lineage back to one ancestor - the ancestor (udha uzuur), the people of the clan were connected by close blood ties. Strict exogamy was observed, i.e. Buryats could not marry a girl of their own kind, even if the relationship between them was very conditional, lasting several generations. A large family usually lived as follows - each ulus consisted of several villages. In the village there were one, two, three or more yurts with different outbuildings. In one of them, she usually stood in the center, lived the elder of the family, an old man with an old woman, sometimes with some orphans - relatives. Some Buryats, like the Mongols, had a family living with their parents youngest son- odkhona, who had to take care of his parents. The eldest sons and their families lived in other yurts. The entire village had common arable land, mowing areas, and livestock. Further in the ulus lived their relatives - uncles (nagasa), cousins.

At the head of the clan was a leader - noyon. When the clan grew greatly and generations grew up, due to the interests of its branches, they resorted to dividing it - a rite of departure from kinship was carried out, when the separated family formed a separate clan - obok. All the elders of the clan came to the ceremony. Everyone prayed to the spirits and ancestors. At the boundary—the border of the families’ lands—they broke a cauldron and a bow in two and said:

“Just as the two halves of a cauldron and an onion do not form a single whole, so the two branches of the family will no longer be united.”

So one clan was divided into clan divisions, an example is the Batlayev seven among the Bulagats. Several clans, in turn, made up a tribe; among the Buryats, a tribe is called by the name of its ancestor. Either a tribe was simply a community of people united by tribal ties, like the Bulagats and Ekhirits, or the tribe had a head - as a rule, the head of the oldest clan, like the Khoris - the Buryats. Separate groups of clans, in turn, could also be separated into a tribal formation, like the Ikinats or Ashaabgats. In Buryat communities there was a custom of mutual assistance during migrations, building yurts, rolling felt, organizing weddings and funerals. Later, in connection with the development of land ownership and haymaking, assistance was provided in harvesting grain and making hay. Mutual assistance was especially developed among women in tanning leather, shearing sheep, and rolling felt. This custom was useful in that labor-intensive work was completed quickly and easily through common efforts, and an atmosphere of friendship and collectivism was created.

The dominant form of family was the individual monogamous family, which included the head of the family, his wife, children and parents. The custom allowed polygamy, but it was found mainly among wealthy people, since a ransom (kalym) had to be paid for a wife.

All aspects of family and marriage relations were regulated by customs and traditions. Exogamy, which survived until the beginning of the 20th century, did not allow persons belonging to the same clan to marry. For example, the Buryats of the Gotol clan took wives from the Irkhideevsky, Sharaldaevsky and Yangutsky clans. There was a custom of conspiring with children in infancy, even when they were still in the cradle. As a sign of the conclusion of the marriage contract - khuda orolsolgo - the parents of the bride and groom exchanged belts and drank milk wine. From that moment on, the girl became a bride, and her father had no right to marry her off to someone else.

In order to avoid expenses for bride price, they sometimes resorted to the custom of “andalyat” - an exchange that consisted of two families, each having sons and daughters, exchanging girls. According to customary law, the dowry - enzhe - was the complete property of the wife, and the husband had no right to it. In some places, in particular among the Kudarino Buryats, kidnapping was practiced - kidnapping the bride.

The wedding ceremony usually consisted of the following stages: preliminary agreement, matchmaking, setting the wedding, the groom and his relatives traveling to the bride and paying the bride price, a bachelorette party (basaganai naadan - a girl’s game), searching for the bride and departure of the wedding train, waiting in the groom’s house, marriage, consecration new yurt. Wedding customs and traditions in different ethnic groups had their own characteristics. According to existing traditions, all the bride's relatives had to give her gifts during the wedding. The parents of the newlyweds remembered well those who presented gifts, so that they could later repay them with an equal gift.

Children occupy a significant place in the life of the Buryats. The most common and kind wish among the Buryats was: “Have sons to continue your family, have daughters to marry.” The most terrible oath consisted of the words: “Let my hearth go out!” The desire to have children, the awareness of the need to procreate was so great that it gave rise to the custom: in the absence of one’s own children, to adopt strangers, mainly the children of one’s relatives, most often boys. According to customary law, a man could take a second wife into his home if he had no children from his first marriage.

The child's father and mother were not named proper names: the child’s name was added to the words “father” or “mother” (for example, Batyn aba - Batu’s father).

Six or seven days after the birth, the ritual of putting the baby in the cradle was performed. This ritual was essentially a family celebration, where relatives and neighbors gathered to give gifts to the newborn.

The name of the child was given by one of the older guests. In families where children often died, the child was given a dissonant name in order to distract the attention of evil spirits from him. Therefore, names denoting animals were often encountered (Bukha - Bull, Shono - Wolf), offensive nicknames(Khazagai - Crooked, Teneg - Stupid) and names such as Shuluun (Stone), Balta (Hammer), Tumer (Iron).

Children from an early age were taught knowledge native land, customs and traditions of fathers and grandfathers. They tried to instill labor skills in them, to introduce them to the productive activities of adults: boys were taught to ride a horse, shoot a bow, harness horses, and girls were taught to crumple belts, sheepskins, carry water, light a fire, and babysit. From an early age, children became shepherds, learned to endure the cold, sleep in the open air, stay with the herd for days, and go hunting. In the Buryat family there were no strict measures for offenses.

Settlement and dwellings. Life of the Buryats

The nomadic way of life has long determined the type of hermetically sealed compact dwelling - a prefabricated structure made of a lattice frame and felt covering, round at the base and with a hemispherical top. Under certain conditions, a yurt is a perfect structure both practically and aesthetically.

The dimensions of the yurt correspond to the scale of a person. The internal layout takes into account the interests and tastes of its inhabitants and ensures household activities. The Buryat name for a felt yurt is heeey ger, and for a wooden one – modon ger. A yurt is a lightweight, prefabricated structure, adapted for transportation by pack animals.

In the 19th century a significant part of the Buryat population lived in settlements - uluses, scattered along river valleys and highlands. Each ulus consisted of several families - ayls or khotons, united according to their clan. The population spent the cold season in the uluses, which is why they were also called winter roads. The number of courtyards in them varied - from 10 - 12 courtyards to 80 dozen. On the winter roads there were multi-walled wooden yurts, Russian-type huts, outbuildings. In the summer, the Buryats of the Cis-Baikal region migrated to summer camps, which were located near pastures. They usually lived there in felt or wooden yurts. In the Baikal region, felt yurts began to disappear even before the arrival of the Russians, and in Transbaikalia they were widespread until the revolution.

Wooden yurts, common in the Cis-Baikal region, had a sloping roof and were most often built with eight walls of round larch or half logs laid in 12–14 rows. The diameter of the yurt reached 10 meters. In the center, to support the ceiling, pillars with a beam were installed. The ceiling of the yurt was covered with soaked bark, turf and planks. Inside, the yurt was divided into two halves. In the western part - baruun tala - there were harnesses, tools and weapons, ongons - images of spirits - hung on the wall, and in the eastern part - zuun tala - there was a kitchen and pantry. According to custom, a married woman was forbidden to enter the western half. Northern part yurts - hoymor - were located opposite the door. Here, under the protection of fire, they placed a shaky corner (corners) with a baby and seated guests. In the middle of the yurt there was a hearth and a togoon - a large cast-iron cauldron. Smoke rose up and came out through a hole in the ceiling. The hearth was considered sacred, and numerous rules and rituals were associated with it. A wooden bed was installed in the northwestern side, and shelves for utensils were built into the wall of the northeastern side or simply placed. Sometimes a porch was built outside, and a hitching post - serge - was dug in, the top of which was decorated with carved ornaments. Serge served as an object of special veneration and was an indicator of the family’s wealth, since its absence meant horselessness and poverty.

Cattle breeding and agriculture

The traditional economy belongs to the economic and cultural type of pastoral nomads of the dry steppes of Eurasia, which existed in this area for three millennia. Cattle breeding, the main occupation of the Buryats in the 17th–20th centuries, determined the way of life of the people and the specifics of their material and spiritual culture. On the Buryat farm in the 17th century. The dominant role was played by nomadic (Transbaikalia) and semi-nomadic (Baikal region) cattle breeding. Hunting and farming were of secondary importance, and the degree of their development depended on cattle breeding. The annexation of Buryatia to Russia gave a new impetus to the further development of the Buryat economy: the natural economic structure was being destroyed, commodity-money relations were deepening, and more progressive forms of farming were being formed. Sheep were of particular importance. Meat was used for food, felt was made from wool, and clothing was made from sheepskin.

Along with cattle breeding, the Buryats had arable farming. Before the arrival of the Russians, it was predominantly a hoe, that is, in the same form in which it was inherited from the Kurykans. Later, mainly under the influence of the Russians, the Buryat farmers acquired wooden harrows and plows, into which a horse was harnessed. Bread was harvested with pink salmon scythes, and later with Lithuanian scythes.

They threshed bread with flails and winnowed with wooden shovels and sieves. In the 19th century Alar, Udi, and Balagan Buryats, who lived in fertile river valleys, were widely engaged in agriculture. In the open steppe regions, the fields were located close to housing and did not require much effort to cultivate, but the yield was low due to frost and winds. Preference was given to mountainous and wooded areas, although uprooting forests and plowing land required great effort and was accessible only to wealthy people.

The Buryats sowed rye and, in smaller quantities, wheat, oats and barley. Among the large crops, millet and buckwheat were sown in some places. Agricultural work usually fit into traditional deadlines, which were very tight, for example, sowing of spring crops began on May 1 and ended on the 9th.

Hunting

The Buryats have long had two types of hunting: collective hunting (aba) and individual hunting (atuuri). In the taiga and forest-steppe zones, the Buryats hunted such large animals as elk, wapiti, and bear. They also hunted wild boar, roe deer, musk deer, and hunted squirrel, sable, ermine, ferret, otter, lynx, and badger. A seal was caught on Lake Baikal.

Individual hunting, widespread throughout the ethnic territory of the Buryats, in the forest-steppe zone was represented by active and passive forms, various methods and techniques: tracking, pursuit, luring, ambush, catching a bear “in a den.” The passive form of hunting known to the Buryats was for the production of wild meat and fur animals.

In the taiga zone, the Buryats installed various traps on animal trails and in other narrow places: they dug trapping holes, adjusted crossbows, hung loops, built mouths, stationary traps, sacks and sacks, and built ambushes. In the steppe zone, wolves and foxes were caught using poisoned baits and traps. The hunting equipment of the Buryats consisted of the following production tools: bow, arrows, spear, whip, stick, knife, gun, crossbows, loops, sack, bag, mouth, die, decoy for wapiti, roe deer and musk deer.

Crafts Buryat

Buryat artistic metal is a culture that is both material and artistic. It was created by the creative efforts of blacksmiths, whose artistic products served as one of the most effective means of aesthetic design folk life. The artistic metal of the Buryats was closely connected with the everyday life of the people and reflected the aesthetic concepts of the people.

Monuments of the jewelry art of past centuries are iron and steel plates with silver notches and a silver surface with niello patterns. The shape of the plates varies in complexity - circle, rectangle, rosette, combination of triangle with rectangle and circle, oval. In order to enhance the decorative effect of the plates, semi-precious stones were used - carnelian, lapis lazuli, malachite, as well as coral and mother-of-pearl.

In jewelry practice, the Buryats excelled in using silver and tin incisions on steel and iron, filigree and granulation, silvering and gilding, engraving and openwork carving, mother-of-pearl inlay and simple cutting of colored stones, bluing and blackening, casting and stamping.

The scope of wood as a construction and finishing material is extremely wide. In Buryat life, many items of constant use are made from accessible, good stuff, easy to process. Artistic processing of wood is carried out with notched-flat, notched, relief and volumetric carvings. In the past, the technique of notched-flat carving was used to decorate some things, the technique of relief carving was used to decorate thematic images, and the technique of volumetric carving was used to decorate toys, chess, and architectural works.

As for ceremonial horse equipment, metal plates were used in the bridle, saddle, breastplate, and backrest. The basis of these things was leather, on which were applied ornamented silver notches or silver plates with niello and colored stones. The saddle plates were processed using a combined technique of notching and silvering, inlaying with coral, niello, engraving, openwork slotting and granulation.

Many items of women's and men's jewelry are cast from precious metals and undergo final processing by forging and grinding. These are silver braids, rings and bracelets. Jewelry is divided into head, oblique, ear, temple, shoulder, waist, side, and hand jewelry.

Traditional food

Nomadic farming also determined the nature of food. Meat and various dairy products were the basis of the Buryat diet. It should be emphasized that meat and especially dairy foods had ancient origins and were very diverse.

Dairy products were consumed by the Buryats in liquid and solid form. Tarag (yogurt), huruud, ayruul (dry cottage cheese), urme (foam), airig (buttermilk), bislag and heege (varieties of cheese) were prepared from milk. Butter was made from whole milk and sometimes sour cream. Kumis was prepared from mare's milk, and arkhi (tarasun) from cow's milk. The abundance of dairy food among the Buryats began in early spring, when cows began to calve.

Meat food occupied an extremely important place in the diet of the Buryats. The importance and quantity of its consumption increased in winter. Horse meat was considered the most satisfying and best-tasting meat, followed by lamb. For variety, they consumed animal meat - goat meat, sokhatina, hare and squirrel meat. Sometimes they ate bear meat, hog meat and wild waterfowl. There was also a custom of storing uuse - horse meat - for the winter.

The distribution of boiled meat at the table depended on the degree of honor and social status guests. The head (toolei) was served to the most honored guest, to other guests: shoulder blade (dala), femur (possibly semgen), two lower large ribs (under khabhan), humerus (adhaal). The closest guest was treated to the aorta (golto zurkhen) along with the heart. Expensive treats for visiting relatives included: lamb brisket (ubsuun), lamb sacrum, dorsal spine (heer), large intestine (khoshkhonog). When slaughtering an animal and treating guests, blood sausage was always prepared in different variations. In winter, raw horse liver (elgen), kidneys (boore), and lard (arban) were especially tasty.

Traditional Buryat clothing

Traditional Buryat men's clothing is a robe without a shoulder seam - winter degel and summer terlig with a thin lining.

Traditional men's outerwear was straight-backed, i.e. not cut at the waist, with long hemlines flaring downwards. Men's robes from the Buryats of Transbaikalia and Cisbaikalia differed in cut. The Trans-Baikal Buryats and Mongols are characterized by swinging clothing with a wrap around the left hem to the right with one-piece sleeves. The deep smell provided warmth to the chest, which was important during long horseback riding. Winter clothes were made from sheepskin; 5–6 skins were used to sew one degel. Initially, degel made of smoked sheepskin was not decorated; fur protruded along the edges of the collar, sleeves, hem and bodice.

Subsequently, all edges began to be sheathed, edged with velvet, velvet or other fabrics. Sometimes degels were covered with fabric: for everyday work - cotton (mostly dalemba), elegant degels - silk, brocade, semi-brocade, chesus, velvet, corduroy. The same fabrics were used to sew elegant summer terlig. The most prestigious and beautiful were considered fabrics woven with gold or silver - Chinese silk - patterns, images of dragons were made of gold and silver threads - probably, the traditional love of metal was reflected here. Since such fabrics were very expensive, not everyone had the opportunity to sew a robe entirely from silk. At that time, expensive fabrics were used for appliqué, trimming bodice, sleeves, and sleeveless vests.

Male and female degels have all genders - upper (urda hormoi) and lower (dotor hormoi), back (ara tala), front, bodice (seezhe), sides (enger). Fur products were sewn using the huberdehe method, stitching loops over the edge, the seam was then sealed with decorative braid. Clothes from fabrics were sewn using the khushezhe method - “needle forward”. One piece of fabric was sewn onto another, then the edge of the bottom layer was folded over and stitched again.

Funeral customs and traditions

Buryat ethnic groups had different forms of burial. The saddle of a slaughtered favorite horse was left at the burial site. Buryat cemeteries were located near Taman groves. Sometimes they were buried just somewhere. The coffin was not made everywhere and not always. It was not uncommon for the deceased to be left directly on the ground, slightly covered with branches. Another form of burial was the burning of corpses.

People killed by lightning were buried as a shaman, because they believed that heaven had chosen him. Wine and food were placed next to the arang.

With the appearance of the lama, the rituals changed somewhat. They made the deceased look like he was asleep, put his right hand to his ear and bent his knees.

The grave was dug shallow, but with the spread of Christianity in the Baikal region, changes were made: the grave was dug deep, and a wake was held on the 40th day.

Buryat settlements - uluses - appeared on the shores of Lake Baikal in the 17th century. The family structure was based on the patriarchal-tribal system. Groups of Mongols-Dzhugars and Sartols, who fled Mongolia due to tribal strife, settled together with the Buryats. When a Buryat is asked to name his clan affiliation, he begins to list his ancestors in the male line up to the seventh generation.

The Buryats survived in the harsh Siberian conditions only thanks to their experience of mutual assistance; with common help, yurts were erected, women made felt, and family rituals (weddings, funerals) were performed. Even with such a strong tradition of mutual assistance, social inequality existed among the clans. The top of the clan was richer, while ordinary members of the clan fell into servitude to the rich, who found a way to use the poor cattle breeders in their own interests.

Among the Buryats, the following centuries-old traditions were strictly observed:

• If a cattle breeder slaughtered livestock, then all the closest neighbors were invited to the fresh meat;
• Hunters had their own tradition, according to which they took part of their catch to a neighbor if he could not come to the hunter for a treat.
• The Buryats are famous for their hospitality and revere the poor, to whom they generously distribute alms. They do not deprive both visiting guests and travelers of their hospitality, providing them, if necessary, with a table and a house.

Hosting is one of the ancient traditions when guests gather and go around the nearby uluses. Typically, such visiting occurs in the summer during a religious holiday - tailagan.

Holidays and entertainment of the Buryats

The life of a Buryat herder was not monotonous. They entertained themselves by dancing, games and choral singing. The games were mainly an expression of hunting traditions:

• "Hurain naadan" (grouse dance);
• "Baabgain naadan" (Bear game).

Special ongon-naadans were invited to youth parties, where they entertained the assembled youth. Some games and dances were of a ritual nature. The mass game “Zemkhen” was organized so that young people from neighboring uluses could get to know each other. During the game, couples could form and, if mutual understanding was reached between the parents of the bride and groom, then the bride’s parents would throw a bachelorette party.

Author: teacher of chemistry and biology Batomunkueva D.B.

Introduction

In the world there were and are many differentdifferent cultures formed in the process of lifeity of various ethnic communities.Traditional culture reflects the peculiarities of the history of a particular people,his way of life and activity, the uniqueness of the natural environmentdy, which is organically woven into the life of the ethnos, forming a unity with it. Cultural context developmentof each people, the historical features of its existence, the dominant religious beliefs, customs,traditions, education system, value orientations, ideas about the normativity and non-normativity of certain types of behavior influenceimpact on perceptions of individual and community health. At the same time dos The developments of modern official medicine have not led to the complete displacement of traditional medical cultureand, accordingly, did not completely supplant the idea ofhealth and illness preserved in ethnic culture.

The traditions of a people largely determine the collective psychology, the level of health of each people, even the definition of the essence of health. Thus, in some societies the expression of health is considered to be longevity, in others - physical strength, and thirdly - fullness of the body. The idea of ​​appetite as an expression of health is quite widespread in the world, and among people engaged in physical labor, muscular strength is considered health. Close to this view are ancient ideas about the health of a man - a warrior, who was considered healthy if he could mount a horse himself without outside help.

In turn, health is the first and most important need of every person and people, determining the ability to perform any activity and ensuring the harmonious development of the individual and ethnic group. It is the most important prerequisite for understanding the world around us, for self-affirmation, happiness and well-being. Culture, including traditional, cultural traditions in their totality are important factor ensuring human and social health.

Cultural traditions Buryat people as the basis healthy image life

Health in the traditional culture of many peoples, including the Buryat people, is understood as a state of harmony with the people around them,nature and even the cosmos. Consider the diseaseis expressed as a loss of harmony by a person and (or) society, which is expressed in disharmony. Health and illness tractappear not as states that are different in nature, but as twosides of the unified process of development of the individual and society. Health is a “companion” and the result of harmonious development, and disease is disharmony.

In traditional Eastern medicine, diagnosis and treatment of humans is carried outare taken into account the time of year, environmental factorsliving environment, social conditions, human behavior and his values.For example, health, from the point of view of traditioncultural culture of the Buryats, it is impossible to achieve by ignoring spiritual harmony, moralproper and responsible behavior of a person towards himself, ancestors, parents, other people, nature, spirits and deities. The person is considered healthy and happy,if it does not violate the laws of nature, society and the universe.

According to the religious traditions of the people, the understanding of health and a healthy lifestyle is inextricably linked with religion.

Since ancient times, traditional health culture has been based on values, attitudes and healing practices shamanism. Shamanism is a system of religious beliefs that suggests the existence of good and evil spirits inhabiting mountains, forests, waters and the underworld. The leading figure in shamanism is the shaman - a person who is an intermediary between humans and spirits. It is believed that the help of spirits gives the shaman supernatural powers, so he is able not only to ensure successful fishing, predict the future, but also to find out the causes of diseases and cure people. The causes of diseases were considered, first of all, in the context of the behavior and worldview of the patient.

As you know, the main form of communication between shamans and spirits is various prayers and sacrifices, called rituals, from the Turkic word “kam” - shaman. A shaman performs a ritual in a special costume (orgoi) and with a tambourine. To become a shaman, a person must have shamanic heredity, have certain qualities (memory, intuition, imagination, extrasensory perception, poetic gift), and have some sign on the body - tengariin temdeg (“divine mark”, “strange behavior”). It is impossible to become a shaman at will. A shaman was a representative of a certain tribe, an exponent of the will of the sacred spirits, who at a certain turning point could consolidate the tribe.

Shamanism is as close to nature as possible. Unlike Christians or Buddhists, adherents of shamanism do not have special temples for performing services. Public, collective and some family-individual prayers are held in the open air at the foot or top of a mountain, on the banks of a river or lake, near an unusual rock or tree, which, according to shamanism, are sacred places.

According to S.O. Daribazarova, “Buryat shamans”the root of all diseases was considered to be a violation of harmony betweenman and the surrounding world, which led to the invasioninto the human body of hostile spirits or complete losssouls as a result of physical or mental trauma.A person is part of this world, so his healthdepends on the exchange of positive energies between living and non-livinghowl of matter. Shamans tried to find a connection between man and the events occurring in society and nature, forto build a bridge between illness and healing I eat.

Considering the importance of shamanism in the healing of the Buryats, it can be noted that this type of religion is the basis of psychological charging and accumulation of positive energy through communication between people and with nature during various rituals, especially tailagans.

Religion as the basis for the formation of a culture of health among the Buryat people

The first religion - Buddhism, which became widespread among the Buryats, Kalmyks, Tuvans and partly Altaians - is Tibetan Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, belonging to the Gelukpa school, the founder of which is the great reformer of Tibetan Buddhism Tsonghawa (1357-1419). To the territory modern Russia Buddhism came from Tibet, together with Indo-Tibetan medicine at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. and, in comparison with the prevailing shamanism here, became a powerful stimulus for the social and cultural development of the peoples who professed it. This phenomenon can be compared with the influence of Byzantine Christianity on the pagan Kievan Rus.

The very essence of Buddhism lies in the awakening of the human spirit and its achievement of nirvana, which can be considered as absolute health. Buddhism preaches only the positive emotions that arise in a person (happiness, kindness, cordiality, enthusiasm, love). From a psychological point of view, Buddhism is the most psychologically optimal and health-promoting religion. Buddhism develops in a person the desire and desire to avoid bad (negative) impressions in life. When fulfilling the prescribed principles of morality, Buddhism presupposes a healthy lifestyle in its comprehensive understanding. To form a healthy system of society, not only economic and political conditions are necessary, but, most importantly, the health of the people, cultural progress and a high level of social consciousness, the achievement of which requires a long process of upbringing and education of the masses.

If you come to datsan without an accompanying person, you need to know several rules from the “code of conduct” in a Buddhist monastery. By the way, they are posted at the entrance to the territory of the Ivolginsky datsan.

All datsan gates consist of three parts - the central entrance, which is usually opened only on major holidays, and two “wickets”, right and left. You should enter the territory through the left gate, and do not break into the central gate.

You should inspect the territory of the datsan “from left to right”, walking along the path in the direction of the sun. Such a circular walk is called “goroo”; it is a kind of purification rite. This rule is also useful for non-Buddhists; it introduces some systematization into the inspection process. Those who don’t know usually rush from dugans to stupas, from stupas to lamas’ houses, missing a lot of details and, in fact, the meaning.

Near the temples, in the direction of travel, there are prayer drums-khurde, filled with the texts of Lamaist prayers. Khurda must be “twisted”, strictly clockwise. This action is considered equivalent to perfect prayer. You can also pray using himmorins - pieces of fabric blessed by the lama, with your name and the text of the prayer. They are tied in large numbers to the bushes and trees surrounding the datsan; each sway of the khimmorin in the wind is also considered a prayer.

You can enter all open temples. Non-Buddhists are allowed to attend prayer services, which at the Ivolginsky Datsan usually begin at 9 a.m. and last about an hour and a half. During the prayer service, people sit along the walls on their knees. It is recommended to leave offerings in temples - either money or food, usually milk or sweets.

Smoking, littering and swearing are prohibited on the territory of the monastery, this goes without saying. It is advisable for women not to wear miniskirts, however, if there is no other one at all, no one will kick you out of the datsan. Inside temples, it is recommended to take off your hats, take off your bags and backpacks from your shoulders, take them in your hands or leave them at the entrance - again, for non-Buddhists this is only a recommendation, there are no angry shushing old ladies here.

When visiting temples, you should not turn your back on the statues of Buddha and saints, you should not point your finger at them (this will not be easy). While in temples during prayers, you should not cross your arms or legs. At the exit of each temple there is an arshan, a vessel with holy water. You should take it with your right hand, pour a little water into your left, take three sips, and apply the rest of the moisture to your head. However, non-Buddhists do not have to follow this rule.

Pay attention to signs with a picture of a crossed out camera. In the universal language of symbols, this means that photography is prohibited. And this is perhaps the only strict prohibition on the territory of the datsan.

For advice on which lama to contact on a specific issue, it is better to go to the main temple, Sogchen Dugan. And if you just want to communicate “for life,” you can contact any clergyman. After the conversation, you should thank the lama with money - there is no fixed amount, but you should not be greedy.

Meditation has been found to reduce indicators of stress such as increased heart rate and sweating. These studies became the basis for the “relaxation response,” which was introduced to the general public by Professor G. Benson of Harvard in the 1970s.

The second religion, which is of key importance in preserving and strengthening the health of the Buryats, is Orthodox Christianity. Since the spread of the Orthodox faith in Siberia, many Buryats have become dual-religionists and adopted the Orthodox religious stereotype of behavior. It is not uncommon for Russians to visit Buddhist datsans, and Buryats to Orthodox churches.

The interaction of the Buryats with the bearers of the Orthodox mentality and spiritual culture, primarily with the Russians, influenced the way of life and culture, including relationships related to the maintenance and protection of health. In addition, the tolerant nature of Orthodox Christianity led to the same attitude towards it on the part of the Buryat people. The absence of wars, armed conflicts, stress associated with national and religious intolerance has a beneficial effect on the spiritual, mental and physical health of people.

Thus, the Buryats who adopted Christianity with its humanistic moral content bring to the masses the foundations of love, compassion, mutual respect and mutual assistance, which is one of the factors of moral health modern society. In addition, the Buryats, who converted to Christianity and adhered to the traditional way of life, which includes fasting, systematically cleanse their body, their consciousness and spiritual world. The health-improving effect of the revival of Orthodoxy in modern Buryatia is enormous both for the Orthodox and for the entire population of the Republic.

Religion, as one of the factors in the formation of the health culture of the Buryat people, points to other factors that together will make it possible to form a healthy personality that will spread its experience in society.

Researchers record a situation where traditionallyIn culture, frequent and minor changes in health are explained in much the same way as in scientific medicine(fatigue, poor diet, stress, etc.), while severe disorders or sharply worseninghealth is linked to the factors of the mystical, metaphysicalethical and moral order.

All cultural traditions of the Buryats reflect the peculiarities of the path of their historical development.Over the centuries, an integral system of ecological principles and traditions of a humane, deeply moral, reverent attitude towards nature and its creations has evolved. In addition, in Buddhism, which absorbed and reworked the traditions of shamanism, a person is considered not as a special being standing above nature, but as a representative of one of the types of “living beings.” All this was reflected in the folklore of the Buryat people, their knowledge and ideas about health.

The formation and development of the traditional culture of the Buryats is directly and directly related to the history of the people, which is reflected in ideas about health and a healthy lifestyle, and three religions played an important role: shamanism, Buddhism and Christianity.

Buryat family and household traditions

It was the custom of the Buryats to instill a love for their native antiquity, to pass onThey have knowledge of their genealogy, associated legends, traditions and tales. This type of Buryat traditions is mainly viewed through the prism of folk holidays.

Holidays and festive culture have a significant healing effect.

This healing function (primarily in the spiritual and mental components) has been performed for many centuries by the traditional Buryat New Year holiday “Sagaalgan”. This holiday, with all its customs and rituals, is an integral part of the culture of the Buryat people and is celebrated by virtually the entire population of Buryatia, as well as Buryats living outside its borders. Its stability is explained by the fact that Sagaalgan reflected the cultural traditions of the social structure, family and everyday relations, psychology, morality, and spirituality.

The health-improving impact of the Sagaalgan holiday lies in both the spiritual-symbolic and cultural-psychological context. The spiritual and symbolic context is associated with the burning in a ritual fire of pieces of dough, rags (new handkerchiefs, pieces of fabric, napkins) with which people were previously wiped. The Buryats see in this the purifying function of the ritual - purification by fire. Burning off all the illnesses, misfortunes, and sins that have accrued throughout the year, a person celebrates the New Year with a clean soul and body, freed from all filth.

As you know, the last day of the old year is called “butuu uder”. According to the ancient beliefs of the Buryats, the life of a person and living beings originates in a deaf, closed space (mother’s womb, shell, cocoon, egg, egg, etc.), and when the time comes, they must come out of there to begin a new round in samsara . The spiritual and symbolic component is also manifested in the preparation of the annual “symbolic” path or road of success. To clear your path, the direction of the path is determined in advance by a lama - an astrologer. Early in the morning on the day of Sagaalgan, the owner or mistress of the house performs a ritual in the indicated direction, 100-200 meters from the house. Candies, small change, grains, new pieces of fabric or multi-colored ribbons taken from home are presented as gifts to the mystical owners of the road. Thus, a symbolic cleansing of the path for the entire year is performed.

In the event that a person begins “his” year, and this happens every eleven years, then he must order a prayer-amulet at the datsan and perform some rituals. Thus, psychologically a person tunes in to constructive social activity, healthy lifestyle, spiritual development. It is important to note that during the fifteen days following the first day of the New Year, prayers are read, first of all, for the New Year to be happy for everyone, for the health and well-being of people. Consequently, a person desires good and health not only for himself, but also for all people, which contributes to the improvement of society.

The cultural and psychological context is associated with preparations for the Sagaalgan meeting. Traditionally, they stockpiled firewood, cleaned in and around the house, and burned garbage and unnecessary old things in the southeast direction from the home. Then they fumigated family members, the house, and all buildings with fragrant herbs (a manifestation of the cleansing and healing function of rituals). In the old days, women sewed new clothes, the men restored or ordered new horse harnesses, since on holidays they had to ride horses to datsan, to neighbors and relatives. Married women living away from their parents' home traditionally had the “legal right” to visit and congratulate relatives once a year during Sagaalgan, so they looked forward to the New Year with great impatience. The healing effect is associated with the cleansing of the surrounding world, the mood for triumph and good wishes.

One of the important elements of Sagaalgan is the decoration of the festive table. What is important is the abundance of food; it is always supplied with a large supply and, as a rule, remains. This spiritual and symbolic meaning of the festive table is expressed in the traditional feasts of many peoples. As noted in the literature, Sagaalgan food is primarily ritual food. Most food, placed on the table, was as if “closed, deaf” - poses, heart, kidneys, tibia. When they are “discovered” - this is a modern form of manifestation of the ancient magical action they open what is closed to give way to new life.” The cultural and psychological context is associated with psychological satisfaction from wealth in the house and the abundance of guests. Both meant a harmonious, righteous, “healthy” life.

Great value was given to the design of the ritual structure - tabag. On a large flat dish (plate) a “pyramid” is constructed from baked goods - boobos, gingerbreads, sweets, cookies, dairy products - foam (urme) - modern substitutes - waffles, cheeses, etc. All these products are arranged in layers, the number of layers should be odd 3-5-7-9. Each layer of the “pyramid” has a symbolic meaning in the following sequence:Ilayer - 10 years of a person’s life - means “jargal” - happiness, layer 2 - the next 10 years of life “zobolon” ​​- suffering, layer 3 - again - “jargalal” happiness. A “pyramid” of 3 layers is built for young people under 30 years old, of 5 layers - for parents who are 50 years old and over. The “Pyramid” of 7 layers is dedicated to grandparents. The ninth layer is dedicated to the nine spirits “9 tengeriin ezedte” - the nine heavenly guardian deities. This structure was placed on the shrine or on the table in front of it and stood there for the first three days. Thus, a person psychologically prepared not only for happiness, but also for possible suffering, which increased the stress resistance of the person and the entire people.

Everyone tried to be at home on the eve of the New Year, among their loved ones, so that they could all perform two rituals together - “Burkha delgekhe” and “Dalga”. The “Burkha delgekhe” (worship of household deities) ritual includes the following points: sculptures are placed on the shrine and images of Buddhist deities painted on canvas are hung. Basically, these were images of the White Elder - Sagaan Ubgen - the owner of the Earth, the patron of the hearth. In any ulus, in a yurt, he was the personification of people's memory, life wisdom and experience. In addition to this character, in many houses there were often images of Namsarai - a deity who gives wealth to people, Ayushi - a deity who gives longevity, Sagaan Dara ehe (White Tara) - the patroness of women and children. A lamp was lit in front of them, sacrificial cups with different types of treats were placed. The healing effect lies in the joy of the unity of family and people, respect for folk culture, and appeal to spiritual values.

Before starting the meal, the owners performed the “dalga” ritual - an offering of treats to the owner of the hearth. It was accompanied by the words: “The old year has rung, the New Year is coming. I make a sacrifice with the brisket of a white sheep. Let the house be warm and light. May death and suffering disappear, may happiness and prosperity be established, may life force increase.” Vitality represented health in all three components. At the same time, they cut off three pieces of meat, took three pieces from all the dishes on the table and threw them into the fire, dripping milk vodka three times. Number three in in this case had an ancient magical meaning: Gal gurban khubuutey - there are three sons at the fire. Fire is a symbol of life, a symbol of rebirth, measured by the concept that we have our ancestors - our past; there is the present, and our children and grandchildren as a symbol of the future.

There is a belief that on these days Sagaan Ubgen visits every yurt, so on all days there should be an abundance of food, fun, laughter, good mood. This attitude was supposed to last for the whole year, setting people up for a healthy lifestyle in its comprehensive understanding.

Hanging “hii morin” is considered a mandatory ritual of healing significance. Among Mongol-speaking peoples, the term khii morin includes the following concepts:

a) this is the subtlest psychophysical substance “vital energy” (“vital breath”, “vital force”), in the image of a racing (i.e. in constant motion) “wind horse” and “four powerful animals: lion, tiger, dragon, bird Garuda;

b) a symbol of vital energy, well-being, prosperity, happiness and good luck, longevity, virtue.

When someone got sick or constantly had bad luck, they said: “Khii morinin dooshoo kharaa” or “helteegee” (Khii morin bent over, looking down). This means that his vital energy is not above his head, the power emanating from him has decreased. The concept of “hii morin” also means inspiration: a talented person with a bright soul is called hii morita hun, i.e. a person who has a celestial (air) horse. This is a male force, not the deity itself, but a good mediator between heaven and man, connected with both the world of people and the world of spirits. “Khii morin” served as amulets that brought happiness, health, and good luck. So, from the point of view of Buddhists, its hoisting is not only a blessing, but also a magical rite. Here, on the plane of the fabric, a prayer for well-being is inscribed and 8 Buddhist symbols are depicted - the emblem of happiness (naiman tahil), 7 jewels (doloon erdene). Thus, the considered ritual testifies to a complex understanding of health and a healthy lifestyle in traditional Buryat culture.

Sagaalgan is an ancient folk holiday, the rituals of which carry cleansing, healing, patronizing (protective), and redemptive functions. It manifests a desire to strengthen ties between generations, to create a healthy spiritual and psychological environment, and to ensure continuity in cultural and spiritual heritage.

The next most important holiday for Mongolian-speaking peoples is the oboo ritual, tailagan, which is held collectively.

The arrangement of oboos on the tops of mountains is associated with their cult, for all the hills on the surface of the Earth concentrate its vital energy. The important role of the mountain since ancient times was due to the fact that it allowed human interaction with cosmic forces, including astral objects. The mountain was not just one of the natural objects, but also the personification of all these forces. Thus, the cult itself is associated with the source of health and vitality, the energy of life.

Main mountain The area usually became a place of worship for the Buryats. The areas of modern settlement of Buryat and Mongolian clans in cult terms are divided into several zones, where each clan or tribe has a particularly revered obo. In Kizhinga, this is the sacred mountain Chelsana, Chelsaana Buural baabai.

The purpose of the rituals and cults of oboo and tailagans themselves is to appease the owners, the spirits of localities, so that they patronize the inhabitants of a given area, send rains on time, warmth, protect against various diseases, promote the reproduction of livestock, etc. In addition to treating the spirits with dairy and meat foods, they additionally tied strips of new fabrics to the branches of young trees and left sweets and money. They burned juniper on stone altars, the fragrant smoke from which was considered pleasant food for spirits and deities. All this was regarded as a sacrifice - a gift that did not require immediate material return. In response, the deities were supposed to promote the well-being of the family, the growth of livestock, wealth, health and other types of benefits over a long period of time. If the ritual is successfully carried out and the offering is received, signs of the host spirits’ favor appear: a light drizzle begins to fall, a rainbow appears in the sky. At the site of the ritual, the owner of the area himself may appear, turning into an animal or bird. According to eyewitnesses of Chelsaan, the buural baabai appeared in the form of a white old man on a horse.

Consequently, harmony with the surrounding world meant the need to give without demanding immediate return. The main thing was considered to be the achievement of harmony in life, which was personified by health.

Prescribed by traditiondetailed observance of all necessary holiday rites and rituals in strict sequence forces people to assimilate the embodied inthem ethical rules, style of communication and relationships, nature of actions andaction, the content of spiritual values.People's anxiety disappearssituation when moral qualities are perceived as somethingoffered from the outside, sometimes imposed. Rituals are combined into a coderules and laws, that is, mandatory and unchangeable actions thatare divided into two groups:

the first is general institutions: fasting, prayer, cleansing, abstinence, and so on;

the second is the sacraments, in other words, rituals performed by priestsor priests with supposedly special abilities and secretscommunication with God and influence on him.

As stated in the encyclopedic dictionary,ritual (ceremony, ceremonial) - an officially accepted routine for ceremonial receptions and processions. It represents a type of social action that sometimes goes beyond the framework of a holiday and ritual.

Otherwise ritual can be defined as external forms,observed in celebrations, or celebration according to a predeterminedplan, or ritual according to established rules. Rituals can be likereligious and secular in nature. The national holiday is broadly democratic in nature and includes a number of ritualized customs.procedure, regardless of whether a person knows about it or not.

An integral part national culture is the holding of sports or hunting festivals. In January-February, the sports and hunting festival “Zeegete aba” or “Aba haidag” was held. This holiday established the customs and traditions of round-up hunting, methods of training horses, places and rules of hunting, types of weapons, technology for their manufacture, rituals of hunters and traditions of environmental protection. The treatise “Training of Horses” is written in the old Mongolian language and is stored in the National Library in Ulaanbaatar. Before going out hunting, a ritual of sprinkling the spirits of the area was carried out. As for the ethics of hunters, there was an unshakable system of fines: if one of the hunters injured the index finger of another, then he gave away a cow or several calves; if the costume was accidentally damaged, then 1-2 sheep were given away.

In April, the festival of cutting the manes and tails of horses, “delelge” or “dalalga,” was held. This holiday was important because horse hair is actively used in household use. They are used to weave reins, girths for saddles, fetters for horses, reins for bridles, handles for buckets, nets for fishing, collars for calves, and various ropes.

In the summer, the holiday Surkharban or “eryn gurban naadan” (three games of husbands) was held. The health value of such holidays is obvious, and specifically in the physical component. At the same time, the spiritual and psychological components of sports festivals are indisputable.

Buryat rites, rituals and ceremonies arose and were improved under the influence of religious, cultural and educational traditions and were mainly associated with health and safety. TOEstablished and generally accepted include rituals that are performed at the moment of birth of a child and are mainly magical -protective nature, which is described quite fully and in detail in the works of K.D. Basayeva.

The group of rituals consists of: name naming - milaaga(“tooito taiha”), laying in the cradle, (“ulgydo oruulha”), firstcutting of uterine hair at 1-3 years of age, a number of magical rituals separately forgirls and boys, initiation into men of 13-14 year old boys. All this was aimed at ensuring the spiritual, mental and physical health of the younger generation.

Household traditions include the Buryat idea of ​​a specialdangerous years - the years of their birth, which came according to popularcalendar after a certain period. In connection with what was carried outa certain ritual to avoid a possible threat to well-being and health.

Healing traditions are based on traditional methods of treatment. Among them various types massage, heating pads and compresses (salt, sand, felt), hydrotherapy (bathing in mineral and hot springs - Arshan), moxibustion, herbalism. In traditional Buryat medicine there were treatment methods that had a deep spiritual and even mystical meaning. Thus, an unusual procedure was practiced for the treatment of serious illnesses - wrapping in “zhen tabiha” skin, which has come down to us unchanged since ancient times. The patient is wrapped in a warm, freshly removed animal skin, surrounded by quivering, living internal organs: the heart is placed on the heart, the liver is placed on the liver, and so on.

Conclusion

The traditions of the health culture of the Khorin Buryats, as well as the entire Buryat people, are of key importance in ensuring the health of individuals and society, form the moral and ethical foundations of a person’s righteous life, improve the health of people’s interactions with each other and with the outside world, and spiritualize the process of life.

IN modern world There are many problems related to human and social health. As a result of globalization processes, value orientations towards health and a healthy lifestyle are becoming very relevant.

The lack of culture causes particular concern and anxiety, because it becomes a global disaster, evidence of the loss of spiritual guidelines and responsibility to the present and future.

It is found in many everyday phenomena: in the slovenliness of people’s appearance, the neglect of urban and rural environments, the spread of rudeness and vulgarity passed off as the norms of communication, aggressiveness and hostility in relations between people. The understanding of a healthy person and a healthy lifestyle is mainly focused on the spiritual, moral, and cultural values ​​of the West.

Therefore, the study and new understanding of the rich ethnic heritage of the culture of health and healthy lifestyle of the Buryat people, accumulated over a long period of historical development, is of particular importance for our generation.

Used literature:

Babueva V.D. The world of Buryat traditions / V.D. Babueva. – Ulan-Ude: Ulzy, 2001. – 142 p.

Daribazarova S. O. Traditional methods of treatment among the Buryats / S. O. Daribazarova // Ethnic processes and traditional culture. – M.; Ulan-Ude, 2005. – P. 165.

Egunov N.P.Buryatia before joining Russia / Ulan-Ude, 1990. – 162 p.

Galdanova G. R. Pre-Lamaist beliefs of the Buryats / G. R. Galdanova; Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Sibirsk. department, Buryat, fil., Buryat. Institute of Societies. sciences; resp. ed. L. P. Potapov. – Novosibirsk: Science, Sibirsk. department, 1987. – 115 p.

Mikhailov T. M. Buryat shamanism: history, structure and social functions / T. M. Mikhailov; Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Sibirsk. department, Buryat. phil., BION; resp. ed. I. A. Asalkhanov. – Novosibirsk: Science, Sibirsk. department, 1987. – 288 p.

Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Belarus

GBOU "Kizhinga boarding school of secondary general education»

Cultural traditions of the Khorin Buryats

as the basis for a healthy lifestyle

Completed by: Bodieva Saryuna, 11th grade.

Head: Batomunkueva D.B.

Kijinga

The Buryats have lived near the legendary Lake Baikal since time immemorial. The culture of this people is a vibrant interweaving of the traditions of Asia and Europe, combined with their unique, original embodiment. What traditions of the Buryat people are considered the most interesting, and what should a tourist going on vacation to Buryatia know?

Attitude to the outside world

Buryats spiritualize the world around them. Any grove, valley or body of water, according to representatives of this people, has its own spirit. You cannot treat any tree or stone with disdain. Spitting on the ground or in lakes is prohibited in these parts. It is also prohibited to break trees, pluck grass or kill animals unless absolutely necessary. The traditions of the Buryat people also include worship of special sacred places. It is forbidden to light a fire, commit unclean acts, or even think badly in them. Even today, in many regions of Buryatia, sacrifices to the spirits living around people are common. Fire and smoke are considered sacred; they are often used in various shamanic rituals and ceremonies.

Family values

Traditions of the Buryat people: photos of national and family holidays

One of the most interesting local holidays is Surkharban, the day of honoring the spirits of the Earth. The celebration began with rituals of sacrifice and prayers, after which there were mass festivities with games, competitions and general refreshments. The traditions of the Buryat people are inextricably linked with the most important holiday of the year - Sagaalgan (the Beginning of the White Month). This date is celebrated according to the lunar calendar on the first day of the first spring month. Celebrating the beginning of the new year begins the day before; the Dugzhub ritual is performed, during which “Litter” is burned. On this magical night, special prayers are read, and from the first day of the new month, praises of the miracles of Buddha are offered for another 15 days. Buryatia also has its own Santa Claus - his name is Sagaan Ubgen (White Old Man). But in this country it is not always celebrated on a grand scale. Weddings and the birth of children among the Buryats are associated with rituals, receiving the blessings of spirits and protection from evil entities.

National games, dances and other arts

All holidays in Buryatia are accompanied by national dances and games. Such actions can have a ritual meaning or be purely entertaining. Some games and dances were invented specifically to unite unfamiliar participants in the holiday. The traditions of the Buryat people are inextricably linked with local folklore. Often in this country there are even separate competitions for readers, tellers of folk legends, storytellers and bards. Such impromptu festivals have always attracted huge numbers of spectators. “Sese bulyaaldakha” (a verbal play on wit), which is appropriate for all holidays, is also very popular. This action involves two people taking turns asking each other questions that need to be answered quickly. Interesting traditions of the Buryat people are associated with physical culture. This country regularly hosts real Olympics local significance. Moreover, not a single major holiday is complete without sports competitions. During such competitions, all boys and men can find out which of them is the most dexterous and strong, and then celebrate the winner’s victory together.