Children of the earth and fires - this is how the followers of Tengrianism, an ancient Tatar belief, call themselves. They study ancient customs and rituals that were adopted by the Türko-Tatars in the pre-Islamic period.
The customs and culture of the ancient Turkic religion, Tengrianism, which came to the territory of Tatarstan from the Far East, have practically not survived; only a few holidays have survived to the modern Tatars. But now about a hundred adherents of Tengrianism, studying folklore, holding conferences, are trying to revive the traditions of the ancient beliefs of the Tatars.
During the conference of adherents of Tengrianism / Ayrat Galimzyanov.
“Studying history, we realized that the Turko-Tatars had a very interesting culture in the pre-Islamic period, interesting customs and rituals. Now we are trying to restore them from folklore and according to historical data,”Airat Galimzyanov, poet-translator, member of the Writers' Union of Chuvashia, adherent of Tengrianism, told TASS.
Religion without idols
Scientists are still arguing about the essence of Tengrianism. Some believe that this is a doctrine of a single deity, others believe that Tengrianism is based on the concept of three worlds, while others generally attribute it to paganism.
The adherents of Tengrianism themselves, or Tengrism, still call it the religion of monotheism. They worship Tengri - the deified sky. The ancient Tengrians believed that the supreme god controlled the weather, provided a rich harvest, and he also had 16 assistants.
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This religion is mainly present among the Turkic and Mongolian peoples and originated in the pre-Islamic period. Now Tengrianism is intertwined with Islam. Sometimes, instead of the word "Allah", Muslims use "Tengre" (or "Tengri"), Azat Akhunov, assistant professor of the Department of Oriental Studies, African Studies and Islamic Studies at the Institute of International Relations, History and Oriental Studies at Kazan Federal University, explained to TASS. Also, Tengrianism means the free religiosity of the Turks without strict cults.
“Supporters of Tengrianism say that the Tatars already had this religion in the form of monotheism, their ancestors worshiped Tengre, therefore the word has survived to this day, it is still used in the Tatar language on a par with“Allah”. The revival of Tengrianism in Tatarstan and other Turkic republics, the CIS countries began in parallel with the restoration of Islam after the 90s. It's just that the Tatars understood spiritual restoration in different ways: some believed that it was a return to Islam, others - to their ancient Turkic roots. But now the traditions of Tengrianism are tightly woven into the “fabric” of Islam,”said Azat Akhunov.
Sometimes meetings of like-minded people take place in Old Kazan / Yegor Aleev / TASS.
Difficulty for scientists in the study of religion is also the fact that the Tengrians practically did not erect temples, but performed rituals in forests, mountains and fields. However, in Tatarstan, there are still holy places that are especially revered by adherents of this belief. “Tengrianism has no special temples, nature itself is sacred. There are, of course, revered places in Tatarstan, for example, in Old Kazan (the State Historical, Cultural and Natural Museum-Reserve is a symbolic center for the formation of the Kazan Tatars ethnic group), which was founded 30 km from the modern capital of Tatarstan, sometimes meetings of like-minded people take place there. , - says Ayrat Galimzyanov.
Bavyrsak on Nardugan, bonfires on Sabantuy
One of the most favorite holidays among the Tatars-Tengrians is Nardugan, or New Year. It is celebrated by Bashkirs, Udmurts, Chuvashs and other Volga peoples. Nardugan is celebrated after the winter solstice in late December or January. At this time, they read fortune-telling on the rings, arrange theatrical performances with disguises and go from house to house, singing songs, and they also bake bavyrsak (a sweet treat in the form of small balls).
House of adherents of Tengrianism / Yegor Aleev / TASS.
“Nardugan is translated as 'born light'. On this day, the girls especially loved to tell fortunes. Girls from a Tatar village went to the river, took water from the hole, and it was necessary with this water in buckets on the yoke, without turning around, to return to the hut, where other girls were waiting. They put the bucket on the table, each one threw her own ring into the bucket, the youngest took out a ring during the performance of each song: what was said in the song, such a fate was supposedly awaiting the girl whose ring was taken out at that moment,”explained Galimzyanov.
In the spring, on the day of the equinox, from about March 21 to March 24, Navruz was widely celebrated among the Kazan Tatars during the Tengrian period. It was celebrated near rivers and lakes, where bonfires were lit, jumped over fires, sang songs and danced. Before Navruz, it was customary to carefully clean the houses and give each other gifts. During the celebration, young people went from house to house and sang special songs, recited poems, and the owner of the house treated them.
Now, festivities are also organized in honor of Navruz, and girls compete to get the title “Navruzbike” and “Navruz Guzele” (“Beauty of Navruz”). Girls compete with each other in the knowledge of Tatar songs, dances, wit.
After Navruz, it was customary to carry out the ceremony "Karga botkasy" ("Crow porridge") on the tops of the mountains or near the water - to cook porridge for a good harvest.
“There is another very interesting ancient holiday - Sabantuy, which has become secular, but is considered Tengrian in origin. This holiday was celebrated closer to spring to ensure the fertility of the soil: bonfires were made, in the center of the circle of which a boy and a girl hugged. It was believed that fire is a messenger, a representative of the Sun on Earth,”Galimzyanov said.
Mountain ash and juniper - from the evil eye
Shamanism and clairvoyance were integral parts of Tengrianism. Tatars treated measles, hernia, convulsions and other diseases with conspiracies. To protect the child from the evil eye, the cradle was hung on a mountain ash pole, and branches of bird cherry and mountain ash were tied to the baby's hat. In ancient times, the Tatars believed that mountain ash and juniper have magical powers, explains Ayrat Galimzyanov.
To protect the child from the evil eye, the cradle was hung on a mountain ash pole, and branches of bird cherry and mountain ash were tied to the baby's hat / Yegor Aleev / TASS.
Also Tengrians revered water and wind and tried to "appease" the spirits. They believed that there was a master of water, to whom a horse had to be sacrificed. With the onset of dusk, it was not customary to draw water from the well, and if the need arose, then, before drawing water, they asked permission from the spirit.
Spirits, in the opinion of the Tengrians, also lived in the house, and they also had to be honored. Therefore, food was left at the hearth for the house spirits. And before building a house, the Tengrians left a bowl of milk at a chosen place overnight. A place was considered approved by the spirit if the milk in the bowl did not subside by morning.
Ribbons with wishes on the trees / Egor Aleev / TASS.
One of the distinctive features of Tengrianism is the tying of ribbons with wishes on trees in holy places. Initially, they were blue and light blue - these shades were considered Tengre colors, but later they began to use ribbons and other colors.
Gulia Kerlin