Ethnographic groups of the Mari. History, customs, rituals and beliefs of the Mari people (14 photos)

Mari

MARI-ev; pl. The people of the Finno-Ugric linguistic group, constituting the main population of the Mari Republic; representatives of this people, the republic.

◁ Mariets, -riytsa; m. Mariika, -i; pl. genus.-riek, date-riikam; and. Mari (see). In Mari, adv.

(self-name - Mari, obsolete - Cheremis), people, indigenous population of the Mari Republic (324 thousand people) and neighboring regions of the Volga region and the Urals. In total there are 644 thousand people in Russia (1995). Mari language. The Mari believers are Orthodox.

MARI (obsolete - Cheremis), people in the Russian Federation, the indigenous population of the Mari Republic (312 thousand people), also live in neighboring regions of the Volga region and the Urals, including Bashkiria (106 thousand people), Tataria (18 ,8 thousand people), Kirov region (39 thousand people), Sverdlovsk region (28 thousand people), as well as in the Tyumen region (11 thousand people), Siberian Federal District (13 thousand people .), Southern Federal District (13.6 thousand people). In total there are 604 thousand Mari in the Russian Federation (2002). The Mari are divided into three territorial groups: mountainous, meadow (or forest) and eastern. Mountain Mari live mainly on the right bank of the Volga, meadow Mari - on the left, eastern - in Bashkiria and the Sverdlovsk region. The number of Mountain Mari in Russia is 18.5 thousand people, the Eastern Mari are 56 thousand people.
According to their anthropological appearance, the Mari belong to the sub-Ural type of the Ural race. In the Mari language, which belongs to the Volga-Finnish group of Finno-Ugric languages, mountain, meadow, eastern and northwestern dialects are distinguished. Russian is widely spoken among the Mari. Writing is based on the Cyrillic alphabet. After the Mari lands became part of the Russian state in the 16th century, the Christianization of the Mari began. However, the eastern and small groups of meadow Mari did not accept Christianity; until the 20th century, they retained pre-Christian beliefs, especially the cult of ancestors.
The beginning of the formation of the Mari tribes dates back to the turn of the first millennium AD; this process took place mainly on the right bank of the Volga, partially capturing the left bank areas. The first written mention of the Cheremis (Mari) is found in the Gothic historian Jordan (6th century). They are also mentioned in The Tale of Bygone Years. Close ethnocultural ties with the Turkic peoples played a major role in the development of the Mari ethnic group. Russian culture had a significant influence, especially intensified after the Mari joined the Russian state (1551-1552). From the end of the 16th century, the resettlement of the Mari began in the Cis-Urals, which intensified in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The main traditional occupation is arable farming. Of auxiliary importance were gardening, breeding horses, cattle and sheep, hunting, forestry (harvesting and rafting of wood, tar smoking), beekeeping; later - apiary beekeeping, fishing. The Mari have developed artistic crafts: embroidery, wood carving, and jewelry making.
Traditional clothing: richly embroidered tunic-shaped shirt, trousers, swinging summer caftan, hemp canvas waist towel, belt. Men wore felt hats with small brims and caps. For hunting and working in the forest, a headdress like a mosquito net was used. Mari shoes - bast shoes with onuchs, leather boots, felt boots. To work in swampy areas, wooden platforms were attached to shoes. A woman's costume is characterized by an apron and an abundance of jewelry made of beads, sparkles, coins, silver clasps, as well as bracelets and rings.
Women's headdresses are varied - cone-shaped caps with an occipital blade; magpies borrowed from the Russians, head towels with a headband, tall spade-shaped headdresses on a birch bark frame. Women's outerwear - straight and gathered kaftans made of black or white cloth and fur coats. Traditional types of clothing are common among the older generation and are used in wedding rituals.
Mari cuisine - dumplings stuffed with meat or cottage cheese, puff pancakes, cottage cheese pancakes, drinks - beer, buttermilk, strong mead. The Mari families were predominantly small, but there were also large, undivided ones. The woman in the family enjoyed economic and legal independence. Upon marriage, the bride's parents were paid a ransom, and they gave a dowry for their daughter.
Converted to Orthodoxy in the 18th century, the Mari retained pagan beliefs. Public prayers with sacrifices are typical, held in sacred groves before sowing, in the summer and after harvesting. Among the Eastern Mari there are Muslims. Wood carving and embroidery are unique in folk art. Mari music (harp, drum, trumpets) is distinguished by its richness of forms and melody. Among the folklore genres, songs stand out, among which “songs of sadness,” fairy tales, and legends occupy a special place.

encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .

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Mari ... Wikipedia

- (self-name of the Mari, obsolete Cheremis), nation, indigenous population of the Mari Republic (324 thousand people) and neighboring regions of the Volga region and the Urals. In total there are 644 thousand people in the Russian Federation (1992). The total number is 671 thousand people. Mari language... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (self-names Mari, Mari, Cheremis) people with a total number of 671 thousand people. Main countries of settlement: Russian Federation 644 thousand people, incl. Republic of Mari El 324 thousand people. Other countries of settlement: Kazakhstan 12 thousand people, Ukraine 7 thousand… … Modern encyclopedia

MARI, ev, units. yets, yitsa, husband. Same as mari (1 value). | wives Mari, I. | adj. Mari, aya, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

- (self-name Mari, obsolete Cheremis), people in the Russian Federation, indigenous population of the Mari Republic (324 thousand people) and neighboring regions of the Volga region and the Urals. In total there are 644 thousand people in the Russian Federation. Mari language Volga... ...Russian history

Noun, number of synonyms: 2 mari (3) cheremis (2) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

Mari- (self-names Mari, Mari, Cheremis) people with a total number of 671 thousand people. Main countries of settlement: Russian Federation 644 thousand people, incl. Republic of Mari El 324 thousand people. Other countries of settlement: Kazakhstan 12 thousand people, Ukraine 7 thousand… … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Mari- (self-named Mari, obsolete Russian name Cheremisy). They are divided into mountain, meadow and eastern. They live in the republic. Mari El (on the right bank of the Volga and partly on the left mountainous, the rest meadow), in Bashk. (East), as well as in a small number in neighboring republics. and region... ... Ural Historical Encyclopedia

Mari Ethnopsychological Dictionary

MARI- representatives of one of the Finno-Ugric peoples (see), living in the Volga-Vetluzh-Vyatka interfluve, the Kama region and the Urals and in their national psychology and culture are similar to the Chuvash. The Mari are hardworking, hospitable, modest,... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy

The Mari emerged as an independent people from the Finno-Ugric tribes in the 10th century. Over the millennium of its existence, the Mari people have created a unique culture.

The book talks about rituals, customs, ancient beliefs, folk arts and crafts, blacksmithing, the art of songwriters, storytellers, guslars, folk music, includes texts of songs, legends, fairy tales, stories, poems and prose of the classics of the Mari people and modern writers, talks about theatrical and musical art, about outstanding representatives of the culture of the Mari people.

Included are reproductions of the most famous paintings by Mari artists of the 19th-21st centuries.

Excerpt

Introduction

Scientists attribute the Mari to the group of Finno-Ugric peoples, but this is not entirely true. According to ancient Mari legends, this people in ancient times came from Ancient Iran, the homeland of the prophet Zarathustra, and settled along the Volga, where they mixed with local Finno-Ugric tribes, but retained their originality. This version is also confirmed by philology. According to Doctor of Philology, Professor Chernykh, out of 100 Mari words, 35 are Finno-Ugric, 28 Turkic and Indo-Iranian, and the rest are of Slavic origin and other peoples. Having carefully examined the prayer texts of the ancient Mari religion, Professor Chernykh came to an amazing conclusion: the prayer words of the Mari are more than 50% of Indo-Iranian origin. It is in the prayer texts that the proto-language of the modern Mari has been preserved, not influenced by the peoples with whom they had contact in later periods.

Externally, the Mari are quite different from other Finno-Ugric peoples. As a rule, they are not very tall, with dark hair and slightly slanted eyes. Mari girls at a young age are very beautiful and they can even often be confused with Russians. However, by the age of forty, most of them become very old and either dry out or become incredibly plump.

The Mari remember themselves under the rule of the Khazars from the 2nd century. - 500 years, then under the rule of the Bulgars for 400 years, 400 years under the Horde. 450 - under Russian principalities. According to ancient predictions, the Mari cannot live under someone for more than 450–500 years. But they will not have an independent state. This cycle of 450–500 years is associated with the passage of a comet.

Before the collapse of the Bulgar Kaganate, namely at the end of the 9th century, the Mari occupied vast areas, and their number was more than a million people. These are the Rostov region, Moscow, Ivanovo, Yaroslavl, the territory of modern Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod, modern Mari El and the Bashkir lands.

In ancient times, the Mari people were ruled by princes, whom the Mari called Oms. The prince combined the functions of both a military leader and a high priest. The Mari religion considers many of them saints. Holy in Mari - shnui. It takes 77 years for a person to be recognized as a saint. If after this period, when praying to him, healings from illnesses and other miracles occur, then the deceased is recognized as a saint.

Often such holy princes possessed various extraordinary abilities, and were in one person a righteous sage and a warrior merciless to the enemy of his people. After the Mari finally fell under the rule of other tribes, they had no princes. And the religious function is performed by the priest of their religion - karts. The Supreme Kart of all Mari is elected by the council of all Karts and his powers within the framework of his religion are approximately equal to the powers of the patriarch of Orthodox Christians.

Modern Mari live in the territories between 45° and 60° north latitude and 56° and 58° east longitude in several rather closely related groups. The autonomous Republic of Mari El, located along the middle reaches of the Volga, declared itself in its Constitution in 1991 a sovereign state within the Russian Federation. The declaration of sovereignty in the post-Soviet era means adherence to the principle of preserving the uniqueness of the national culture and language. In the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, according to the 1989 census, there were 324,349 residents of Mari nationality. In the neighboring Gorky region, 9 thousand people called themselves Mari, in the Kirov region - 50 thousand people. In addition to the listed places, a significant Mari population lives in Bashkortostan (105,768 people), Tatarstan (20 thousand people), Udmurtia (10 thousand people) and in the Sverdlovsk region (25 thousand people). In some regions of the Russian Federation, the number of scattered, sporadically living Mari reaches 100 thousand people. The Mari are divided into two large dialectal and ethnocultural groups: the mountain Mari and the meadow Mari.

History of the Mari

We are learning more and more fully and better about the vicissitudes of the formation of the Mari people based on the latest archaeological research. In the second half of the 1st millennium BC. e., and also at the beginning of the 1st millennium AD. e. Among the ethnic groups of the Gorodets and Azelin cultures, one can assume the ancestors of the Mari. The Gorodets culture was autochthonous on the right bank of the Middle Volga region, while the Azelinskaya culture was on the left bank of the Middle Volga, as well as along the course of the Vyatka. These two branches of the ethnogenesis of the Mari people clearly show the double connection of the Mari within the Finno-Ugric tribes. The Gorodets culture for the most part played a role in the formation of the Mordovian ethnic group, but its eastern parts served as the basis for the formation of the mountain Mari ethnic group. The Azelinsk culture can be traced back to the Ananyin archaeological culture, which was previously assigned a dominant role only in the ethnogenesis of the Finno-Permian tribes, although this issue is currently considered by some researchers differently: perhaps the proto-Ugric and ancient Mari tribes were part of the ethnic groups of new archaeological cultures - successors that arose on the site of the collapsed Ananyin culture. The Meadow Mari ethnic group can also be traced back to the traditions of the Ananyin culture.

The Eastern European forest zone has extremely scanty written information about the history of the Finno-Ugric peoples; the writing of these peoples appeared very late, with few exceptions only in the newest historical era. The first mention of the ethnonym “Cheremis” in the form “ts-r-mis” is found in a written source, which dates back to the 10th century, but dates back, in all likelihood, to a time one or two centuries later. According to this source, the Mari were tributaries of the Khazars. Then kari (in the form "cheremisam") mentions composed in. beginning of the 12th century Russian chronicle, calling the place of their settlement the land at the mouth of the Oka. Of the Finno-Ugric peoples, the Mari turned out to be most closely associated with the Turkic tribes that moved to the Volga region. These connections are still very strong. Volga Bulgars at the beginning of the 9th century. arrived from Great Bulgaria on the Black Sea coast to the confluence of the Kama and Volga, where they founded Volga Bulgaria. The ruling elite of the Volga Bulgars, taking advantage of the profits from trade, could firmly maintain their power. They traded honey, wax, and furs that came from the Finno-Ugric peoples living nearby. Relations between the Volga Bulgars and various Finno-Ugric tribes of the Middle Volga region were not overshadowed by anything. The empire of the Volga Bulgars was destroyed by Mongol-Tatar conquerors who invaded from the interior regions of Asia in 1236.

Collection of yasak. Reproduction of a painting by G.A. Medvedev

Batu Khan founded a state entity called the Golden Horde in the territories captured and subordinated to them. Its capital until the 1280s. was the city of Bulgar, the former capital of Volga Bulgaria. The Mari were in allied relations with the Golden Horde and the independent Kazan Khanate that subsequently emerged from it. This is evidenced by the fact that the Mari had a stratum that did not pay taxes, but was obliged to perform military service. This class then became one of the most combat-ready military formations among the Tatars. Also, the existence of allied relations is indicated by the use of the Tatar word “el” - “people, empire” to designate the region inhabited by the Mari. Mari still call their native land Mari El.

The annexation of the Mari region to the Russian state was greatly influenced by the contacts of some groups of the Mari population with the Slavic-Russian state formations (Kievan Rus - northeastern Russian principalities and lands - Muscovite Rus) even before the 16th century. There was a significant limiting factor that did not allow the rapid completion of what began in the 12th–13th centuries. the process of becoming part of Rus' is the close and multilateral ties of the Mari with the Turkic states that opposed Russian expansion to the east (Volga-Kama Bulgaria - Ulus Jochi - Kazan Khanate). This intermediate position, as A. Kappeler believes, led to the fact that the Mari, as well as the Mordovians and Udmurts who were in a similar situation, were drawn into neighboring state formations economically and administratively, but at the same time retained their own social elite and their pagan religion .

The inclusion of the Mari lands into Rus' from the very beginning was controversial. Already at the turn of the 11th–12th centuries, according to the Tale of Bygone Years, the Mari (“Cheremis”) were among the tributaries of the Old Russian princes. It is believed that tributary dependence is the result of military clashes, “torture.” True, there is not even indirect information about the exact date of its establishment. G.S. Lebedev, based on the matrix method, showed that in the catalog of the introductory part of “The Tale of Bygone Years” “Cheremis” and “Mordva” can be combined into one group with all, measure and Muroma according to four main parameters - genealogical, ethnic, political and moral-ethical . This gives some reason to believe that the Mari became tributaries earlier than the rest of the non-Slavic tribes listed by Nestor - “Perm, Pechera, Em” and other “pagans who give tribute to Rus'.”

There is information about the dependence of the Mari on Vladimir Monomakh. According to the “Tale of the Destruction of the Russian Land”, “the Cheremis... fought against the great Prince Volodymer.” In the Ipatiev Chronicle, in unison with the pathetic tone of the Lay, it is said that he is “especially terrible at the filthy.” According to B.A. Rybakov, the real reign, the nationalization of North-Eastern Rus' began precisely with Vladimir Monomakh.

However, the testimony of these written sources does not allow us to say that all groups of the Mari population paid tribute to the ancient Russian princes; Most likely, only the Western Mari, who lived near the mouth of the Oka, were drawn into the sphere of influence of Rus'.

The rapid pace of Russian colonization caused opposition from the local Finno-Ugric population, which found support from the Volga-Kama Bulgaria. In 1120, after a series of attacks by the Bulgars on Russian cities in the Volga-Ochye in the second half of the 11th century, a retaliatory series of campaigns began by the Vladimir-Suzdal and allied princes on lands that either belonged to the Bulgar rulers or were simply controlled by them in order to levy tribute from the local population. It is believed that the Russian-Bulgar conflict broke out primarily due to the collection of tribute.

Russian princely squads more than once attacked Mari villages along their route to the rich Bulgarian cities. It is known that in the winter of 1171/72. Boris Zhidislavich's detachment destroyed one large fortified and six small settlements just below the mouth of the Oka, and here even in the 16th century. The Mari population still lived alongside the Mordovians. Moreover, it was under this same date that the Russian fortress of Gorodets Radilov was first mentioned, which was built slightly above the mouth of the Oka on the left bank of the Volga, presumably on the land of the Mari. According to V.A. Kuchkin, Gorodets Radilov became a stronghold military point of North-Eastern Rus' in the Middle Volga and the center of Russian colonization of the local region.

The Slavic-Russians gradually either assimilated or displaced the Mari, forcing them to migrate east. This movement has been traced by archaeologists since about the 8th century. n. e.; the Mari, in turn, came into ethnic contact with the Permian-speaking population of the Volga-Vyatka interfluve (the Mari called them Odo, that is, they were Udmurts). The newcomer ethnic group prevailed in the ethnic competition. In the 9th–11th centuries. The Mari basically completed the development of the Vetluzh-Vyatka interfluve, displacing and partially assimilating the previous population. Numerous legends of the Mari and Udmurts testify that there were armed conflicts, and mutual antipathy continued to exist for quite a long time between representatives of these Finno-Ugric peoples.

As a result of the military campaign of 1218–1220, the conclusion of the Russian-Bulgar peace treaty of 1220 and the founding of Nizhny Novgorod at the mouth of the Oka in 1221 - the easternmost outpost of North-Eastern Rus' - the influence of the Volga-Kama Bulgaria in the Middle Volga region weakened. This created favorable conditions for the Vladimir-Suzdal feudal lords to conquer the Mordovians. Most likely, during the Russian-Mordovian war of 1226–1232. The “Cheremis” of the Oka-Sur interfluve were also involved.

The Russian Tsar presents gifts to the mountain Mari

The expansion of both Russian and Bulgarian feudal lords was also directed into the Unzha and Vetluga basins, which were relatively unsuitable for economic development. The Mari tribes and the eastern part of the Kostroma Meri lived here mainly, between which, as established by archaeologists and linguists, there was a lot in common, which to some extent allows us to speak about the ethnocultural community of the Vetluga Mari and the Kostroma Merya. In 1218, the Bulgars attacked Ustyug and Unzha; under 1237, another Russian city in the Volga region was mentioned for the first time - Galich Mersky. Apparently, there was a struggle here for the Sukhon-Vychegda trade and fishing route and for collecting tribute from the local population, in particular the Mari. Russian domination was established here too.

In addition to the western and northwestern periphery of the Mari lands, Russians from approximately the turn of the 12th–13th centuries. They also began to develop the northern outskirts - the upper reaches of the Vyatka, where, in addition to the Mari, the Udmurts also lived.

The development of the Mari lands was most likely carried out not only by force and military methods. There are such types of “cooperation” between Russian princes and the national nobility as “equal” matrimonial unions, company of companies, complicity, hostage-taking, bribery, and “doubling.” It is possible that a number of these methods were also used against representatives of the Mari social elite.

If in the 10th–11th centuries, as archaeologist E.P. Kazakov points out, there was “a certain commonality of Bulgar and Volga-Mari monuments,” then over the next two centuries the ethnographic appearance of the Mari population - especially in Povetluzhye - became different. The Slavic and Slavic-Merian components have significantly strengthened in it.

Facts show that the degree of inclusion of the Mari population in Russian state formations in the pre-Mongol period was quite high.

The situation changed in the 30s and 40s. XIII century as a result of the Mongol-Tatar invasion. However, this did not at all lead to the cessation of the growth of Russian influence in the Volga-Kama region. Small independent Russian state formations appeared around urban centers - princely residences, founded during the period of the existence of the united Vladimir-Suzdal Rus'. These are the Galician (appeared around 1247), Kostroma (approximately in the 50s of the 13th century) and Gorodets (between 1269 and 1282) principalities; At the same time, the influence of the Vyatka Land grew, turning into a special state entity with veche traditions. In the second half of the 14th century. The Vyatchans had already firmly established themselves in the Middle Vyatka and in the Pizhma basin, displacing the Mari and Udmurts from here.

In the 60–70s. XIV century Feudal unrest ensued in the horde, which temporarily weakened its military and political power. This was successfully used by the Russian princes, who sought to break out of dependence on the khan's administration and increase their possessions at the expense of the peripheral regions of the empire.

The most notable successes were achieved by the Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal Principality, the successor to the Principality of Gorodetsky. The first Nizhny Novgorod prince Konstantin Vasilyevich (1341–1355) “commanded the Russian people to settle along the Oka and Volga and Kuma rivers... wherever anyone wanted,” that is, he began to sanction the colonization of the Oka-Sur interfluve. And in 1372, his son Prince Boris Konstantinovich founded the Kurmysh fortress on the left bank of the Sura, thereby establishing control over the local population - mainly Mordvins and Mari.

Soon, the possessions of the Nizhny Novgorod princes began to appear on the right bank of the Sura (in Zasurye), where the mountain Mari and Chuvash lived. By the end of the 14th century. Russian influence in the Sura basin increased so much that representatives of the local population began to warn the Russian princes about the upcoming invasions of the Golden Horde troops.

Frequent attacks by ushkuiniks played a significant role in strengthening anti-Russian sentiments among the Mari population. The most sensitive for the Mari, apparently, were the raids carried out by Russian river robbers in 1374, when they ravaged villages along the Vyatka, Kama, Volga (from the mouth of the Kama to the Sura) and Vetluga.

In 1391, as a result of Bektut’s campaign, the Vyatka Land, which was considered the refuge of the Ushkuiniki, was devastated. However, already in 1392 the Vyatchans plundered the Bulgar cities of Kazan and Zhukotin (Dzhuketau).

According to the “Vetluga Chronicler”, in 1394, “Uzbeks” appeared in the Vetluga region - nomadic warriors from the eastern half of the Jochi Ulus, who “took people for the army and took them along the Vetluga and Volga near Kazan to Tokhtamysh.” And in 1396, Tokhtamysh’s protege Keldibek was elected kuguz.

As a result of a large-scale war between Tokhtamysh and Timur Tamerlane, the Golden Horde Empire was significantly weakened, many Bulgar cities were devastated, and its surviving inhabitants began to move to the right side of the Kama and Volga - away from the dangerous steppe and forest-steppe zone; in the area of ​​Kazanka and Sviyaga, the Bulgarian population came into close contact with the Mari.

In 1399, the appanage prince Yuri Dmitrievich took the cities of Bulgar, Kazan, Kermenchuk, Zhukotin, the chronicles indicate that “no one remembers only that far away Rus' fought the Tatar land.” Apparently, at the same time the Galich prince conquered the Vetluzh region - the Vetluzh chronicler reports about this. Kuguz Keldibek admitted his dependence on the leaders of the Vyatka Land, concluding a military alliance with them. In 1415, the Vetluzhans and Vyatchans made a joint campaign against the Northern Dvina. In 1425, the Vetluga Mari became part of the many-thousand-strong militia of the Galich appanage prince, who began an open struggle for the grand-ducal throne.

In 1429, Keldibek took part in the campaign of the Bulgaro-Tatar troops led by Alibek to Galich and Kostroma. In response to this, in 1431, Vasily II took severe punitive measures against the Bulgars, who had already suffered seriously from a terrible famine and plague epidemic. In 1433 (or 1434), Vasily Kosoy, who received Galich after the death of Yuri Dmitrievich, physically eliminated the kuguz Keldibek and annexed the Vetluzh kuguzdom to his inheritance.

The Mari population also had to experience the religious and ideological expansion of the Russian Orthodox Church. The pagan Mari population, as a rule, negatively perceived attempts to Christianize them, although there were also opposite examples. In particular, the Kazhirovsky and Vetluzhsky chroniclers report that the Kuguz Kodzha-Eraltem, Kai, Bai-Boroda, their relatives and associates adopted Christianity and allowed the construction of churches on the territory they controlled.

Among the Privetluzh Mari population, a version of the Kitezh legend became widespread: supposedly the Mari, who did not want to submit to the “Russian princes and priests,” buried themselves alive right on the shore of Svetloyar, and subsequently, together with the earth that collapsed on them, slid to the bottom of a deep lake. The following record has been preserved, made in the 19th century: “Among the Svetloyarsk pilgrims you can always find two or three Mari women dressed in sharpan, without any signs of Russification.”

By the time of the emergence of the Kazan Khanate, the Mari of the following regions were involved in the sphere of influence of Russian state formations: the right bank of the Sura - a significant part of the mountain Mari (this can also include the Oka-Sura “Cheremis”), Povetluzhie - northwestern Mari, the Pizhma River basin and the Middle Vyatka - northern part of meadow mari. Less affected by Russian influence were the Kokshai Mari, the population of the Ileti River basin, the northeastern part of the modern territory of the Republic of Mari El, as well as the Lower Vyatka, that is, the main part of the meadow Mari.

The territorial expansion of the Kazan Khanate was carried out in the western and northern directions. Sura became the southwestern border with Russia; accordingly, Zasurye was completely under the control of Kazan. During 1439-1441, judging by the Vetluga chronicler, Mari and Tatar warriors destroyed all Russian settlements on the territory of the former Vetluga region, and Kazan “governors” began to rule the Vetluga Mari. Both Vyatka Land and Perm the Great soon found themselves in tributary dependence on the Kazan Khanate.

In the 50s XV century Moscow managed to subjugate the Vyatka Land and part of Povetluga; soon, in 1461–1462. Russian troops even entered into a direct armed conflict with the Kazan Khanate, during which the Mari lands on the left bank of the Volga mainly suffered.

In the winter of 1467/68. an attempt was made to eliminate or weaken Kazan's allies - the Mari. For this purpose, two trips to Cheremis were organized. The first, main group, which consisted mainly of selected troops - the “court of the great prince’s regiment” - attacked the left bank Mari. According to the chronicles, “the army of the Grand Duke came to the land of Cheremis, and did much evil to that land: they cut people off, took some into captivity, and burned others; and their horses and every animal that could not be taken with them was cut up; and what was in their bellies, he took everything.” The second group, which included soldiers recruited in the Murom and Nizhny Novgorod lands, “conquered the mountains and barats” along the Volga. However, even this did not prevent the Kazan people, including, most likely, the Mari warriors, already in the winter-summer of 1468 from destroying Kichmenga with adjacent villages (the upper reaches of the Unzha and Yug rivers), as well as the Kostroma volosts and, twice in a row, the outskirts of Murom. Parity was established in punitive actions, which most likely had little effect on the state of the armed forces of the opposing sides. The matter came down mainly to robberies, mass destruction, and the capture of civilians - Mari, Chuvash, Russians, Mordovians, etc.

In the summer of 1468, Russian troops resumed their raids on the uluses of the Kazan Khanate. And this time it was mainly the Mari population that suffered. The rook army, led by governor Ivan Run, “fought Cheremis on the Vyatka River,” plundered villages and merchant ships on the Lower Kama, then rose up to the Belaya River (“Belaya Volozhka”), where the Russians again “fought Cheremis, and killed people and horses and every kind of animal." From local residents they learned that nearby, up the Kama, a detachment of 200 Kazan warriors was moving on ships taken from the Mari. As a result of a short battle, this detachment was defeated. The Russians then followed “to Great Perm and to Ustyug” and further to Moscow. Almost at the same time, another Russian army (“outpost”), led by Prince Fyodor Khripun-Ryapolovsky, was operating on the Volga. Not far from Kazan, it “beat the Kazan Tatars, the court of the kings, many good ones.” However, even in such a critical situation for themselves, the Kazan team did not abandon active offensive actions. By introducing their troops into the territory of the Vyatka Land, they persuaded the Vyatchans to neutrality.

In the Middle Ages, there were usually no clearly defined boundaries between states. This also applies to the Kazan Khanate and neighboring countries. From the west and north, the territory of the Khanate adjoined the borders of the Russian state, from the east - the Nogai Horde, from the south - the Astrakhan Khanate and from the southwest - the Crimean Khanate. The border between the Kazan Khanate and the Russian state along the Sura River was relatively stable; further, it can be determined only conditionally according to the principle of payment of yasak by the population: from the mouth of the Sura River through the Vetluga basin to Pizhma, then from the mouth of Pizhma to the Middle Kama, including some areas of the Urals, then back to the Volga River along the left bank of the Kama, without going deep into the steppe, down the Volga approximately to the Samara Luka, and finally to the upper reaches of the same Sura River.

In addition to the Bulgaro-Tatar population (Kazan Tatars) on the territory of the Khanate, according to information from A.M. Kurbsky, there were also Mari (“Cheremis”), southern Udmurts (“Votiaks”, “Ars”), Chuvash, Mordovians (mostly Erzya), and Western Bashkirs. Mari in sources of the 15th–16th centuries. and in general in the Middle Ages they were known under the name “Cheremis”, the etymology of which has not yet been clarified. At the same time, this ethnonym in a number of cases (this is especially typical for the Kazan Chronicler) could include not only the Mari, but also the Chuvash and southern Udmurts. Therefore, it is quite difficult to determine, even in approximate outlines, the territory of settlement of the Mari during the existence of the Kazan Khanate.

A number of fairly reliable sources of the 16th century. - testimonies of S. Herberstein, spiritual letters of Ivan III and Ivan IV, the Royal Book - indicate the presence of Mari in the Oka-Sur interfluve, that is, in the region of Nizhny Novgorod, Murom, Arzamas, Kurmysh, Alatyr. This information is confirmed by folklore material, as well as toponymy of this territory. It is noteworthy that until recently among the local Mordvins, who professed a pagan religion, the personal name Cheremis was widespread.

The Unzhensko-Vetluga interfluve was also inhabited by the Mari; This is evidenced by written sources, toponymy of the region, and folklore material. There were probably also groups of Meri here. The northern border is the upper reaches of the Unzha, Vetluga, the Pizhma basin, and the Middle Vyatka. Here the Mari came into contact with the Russians, Udmurts and Karin Tatars.

The eastern limits can be limited to the lower reaches of the Vyatka, but separately - “700 versts from Kazan” - in the Urals there already existed a small ethnic group of Eastern Mari; Chroniclers recorded it in the area of ​​the mouth of the Belaya River back in the middle of the 15th century.

Apparently, the Mari, together with the Bulgaro-Tatar population, lived in the upper reaches of the Kazanka and Mesha rivers, on the Arsk side. But, most likely, they were a minority here and, moreover, most likely, they gradually became Tatarized.

Apparently, a considerable part of the Mari population occupied the territory of the northern and western parts of the present Chuvash Republic.

The disappearance of the continuous Mari population in the northern and western parts of the current territory of the Chuvash Republic can to some extent be explained by the devastating wars in the 15th–16th centuries, from which the Mountain Side suffered more than Lugovaya (in addition to the incursions of Russian troops, the right bank was also subject to numerous raids by steppe warriors) . This circumstance apparently caused an outflow of some of the mountain Mari to the Lugovaya Side.

The number of Mari by the 17th–18th centuries. ranged from 70 to 120 thousand people.

The right bank of the Volga had the highest population density, then the area east of M. Kokshaga, and the least was the area of ​​settlement of the northwestern Mari, especially the swampy Volga-Vetluzhskaya lowland and the Mari lowland (the space between the Linda and B. Kokshaga rivers).

Exclusively all lands were legally considered the property of the khan, who personified the state. Having declared himself the supreme owner, the khan demanded rent in kind and cash rent - a tax (yasak) - for the use of the land.

The Mari - nobility and ordinary community members - like other non-Tatar peoples of the Kazan Khanate, although they were included in the category of dependent population, were actually personally free people.

According to the findings of K.I. Kozlova, in the 16th century. Among the Mari, druzhina, military-democratic orders prevailed, that is, the Mari were at the stage of formation of their statehood. The emergence and development of their own state structures was hampered by dependence on the khan's administration.

The socio-political system of medieval Mari society is reflected in written sources rather poorly.

It is known that the main unit of Mari society was the family (“esh”); Most likely, “large families” were most widespread, consisting, as a rule, of 3–4 generations of close relatives in the male line. The property stratification between patriarchal families was clearly visible back in the 9th–11th centuries. Parcel labor flourished, which mainly extended to non-agricultural activities (cattle breeding, fur trading, metallurgy, blacksmithing, jewelry). There were close ties between neighboring family groups, primarily economic, but not always consanguineous. Economic ties were expressed in various kinds of mutual “help” (“vyma”), that is, mandatory related gratuitous mutual assistance. In general, the Mari in the 15th–16th centuries. experienced a unique period of proto-feudal relations, when, on the one hand, individual family property was allocated within the framework of a land-kinship union (neighborhood community), and on the other, the class structure of society did not acquire its clear outlines.

Mari patriarchal families, apparently, united into patronymic groups (Nasyl, Tukym, Urlyk; according to V.N. Petrov - Urmatians and Vurteks), and those - into larger land unions - Tishte. Their unity was based on the principle of neighborhood, on a common cult, and to a lesser extent on economic ties, and even more so on consanguinity. Tishte were, among other things, unions of mutual military assistance. Perhaps the Tishte were territorially compatible with the hundreds, uluses and fifties of the Kazan Khanate period. In any case, the tithe-hundred and ulus system of administration, imposed from outside as a result of the establishment of Mongol-Tatar domination, as is generally believed, did not conflict with the traditional territorial organization of the Mari.

Hundreds, uluses, fifties and tens were led by centurions (“shudovuy”), pentecostals (“vitlevuy”), foremen (“luvuy”). In the 15th–16th centuries, most likely, they did not have time to break with the rule of people, and, according to K.I. Kozlova, “these were either ordinary elders of land unions, or military leaders of larger associations such as tribal ones.” Perhaps the representatives of the top of the Mari nobility continued to be called, according to the ancient tradition, “kugyza”, “kuguz” (“great master”), “on” (“leader”, “prince”, “lord”). In the social life of the Mari, elders - “kuguraki” - also played a large role. For example, even Tokhtamysh’s protege Keldibek could not become a Vetluga kuguz without the consent of the local elders. The Mari elders are also mentioned as a special social group in the Kazan History.

All groups of the Mari population took an active part in military campaigns against Russian lands, which became more frequent under Girey. This is explained, on the one hand, by the dependent position of the Mari within the Khanate, on the other hand, by the peculiarities of the stage of social development (military democracy), by the interest of the Mari warriors themselves in obtaining military booty, in the desire to prevent Russian military-political expansion, and other motives. During the last period of the Russian-Kazan confrontation (1521–1552) in 1521–1522 and 1534–1544. the initiative belonged to Kazan, which, at the instigation of the Crimean-Nogai government group, sought to restore the vassal dependence of Moscow, as it was during the Golden Horde period. But already under Vasily III, in the 1520s, the task was set of the final annexation of the Khanate to Russia. However, this was achieved only with the capture of Kazan in 1552, under Ivan the Terrible. Apparently, the reasons for the annexation of the Middle Volga region and, accordingly, the Mari region to the Russian state were: 1) a new, imperial type of political consciousness of the top leadership of the Moscow state, the struggle for the “Golden Horde” inheritance and failures in the previous practice of attempts to establish and maintain a protectorate over Kazan khanate, 2) interests of state defense, 3) economic reasons (lands for the local nobility, the Volga for the Russian merchants and fishermen, new taxpayers for the Russian government and other plans for the future).

After the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible, the course of events in the Middle Volga region, Moscow was faced with a powerful liberation movement, which involved both former subjects of the liquidated Khanate who managed to swear allegiance to Ivan IV, and the population of peripheral regions who did not take the oath. The Moscow government had to solve the problem of preserving what was won not according to a peaceful, but according to a bloody scenario.

The anti-Moscow armed uprisings of the peoples of the Middle Volga region after the fall of Kazan are usually called the Cheremis Wars, since the Mari (Cheremis) were most active in them. The earliest mention among the sources available in scientific circulation is an expression close to the term “Cheremis war”, found in the quitrent letter of Ivan IV to D.F. Chelishchev for rivers and lands in the Vyatka land dated April 3, 1558, where, in particular, it is indicated that the owners of the Kishkil and Shizhma rivers (near the city of Kotelnich) “in those rivers... did not catch fish and beavers for the Kazan Cheremis war and did not pay rent.”

Cheremis War 1552–1557 differs from the subsequent Cheremis wars of the second half of the 16th century, not so much because it was the first of this series of wars, but because it was in the nature of a national liberation struggle and did not have a noticeable anti-feudal orientation. Moreover, the anti-Moscow insurgent movement in the Middle Volga region in 1552–1557. is, in essence, a continuation of the Kazan War, and the main goal of its participants was the restoration of the Kazan Khanate.

Apparently, for the bulk of the left-bank Mari population, this war was not an uprising, since only representatives of the Prikazan Mari recognized their new citizenship. In fact, in 1552–1557. the majority of the Mari waged an external war against the Russian state and, together with the rest of the population of the Kazan region, defended their freedom and independence.

All waves of the resistance movement died out as a result of large-scale punitive operations by the troops of Ivan IV. In a number of episodes, the insurgency developed into a form of civil war and class struggle, but the struggle for the liberation of the homeland remained the character-forming one. The resistance movement ceased due to several factors: 1) continuous armed clashes with the tsarist troops, which brought countless casualties and destruction to the local population, 2) mass famine, a plague epidemic that came from the Volga steppes, 3) the meadow Mari lost support from their former allies - the Tatars and southern Udmurts. In May 1557, representatives of almost all groups of Meadow and Eastern Mari took an oath to the Russian Tsar. Thus the annexation of the Mari region to the Russian state was completed.

The significance of the annexation of the Mari region to the Russian state cannot be defined as clearly negative or positive. Both negative and positive consequences of the Mari’s entry into the Russian state system, closely intertwined with each other, began to manifest themselves in almost all spheres of social development (political, economic, social, cultural and others). Perhaps the main result for today is that the Mari people have survived as an ethnic group and have become an organic part of multinational Russia.

The final entry of the Mari region into Russia occurred after 1557, as a result of the suppression of the people's liberation and anti-feudal movement in the Middle Volga region and the Urals. The process of gradual entry of the Mari region into the system of Russian statehood lasted hundreds of years: during the period of the Mongol-Tatar invasion it slowed down, during the years of feudal unrest that engulfed the Golden Horde in the second half of the 14th century, it accelerated, and as a result of the emergence of the Kazan Khanate (30-40- e years of the 15th century) stopped for a long time. However, having begun even before the turn of the 11th–12th centuries, the inclusion of the Mari in the system of Russian statehood in the middle of the 16th century. has approached its final phase - direct entry into Russia.

The annexation of the Mari region to the Russian state was part of the general process of formation of the Russian multi-ethnic empire, and it was prepared, first of all, by prerequisites of a political nature. This is, firstly, a long-term confrontation between the state systems of Eastern Europe - on the one hand, Russia, on the other hand, the Turkic states (Volga-Kama Bulgaria - Golden Horde - Kazan Khanate), secondly, the struggle for the “Golden Horde inheritance” in the final stage of this confrontation, thirdly, the emergence and development of imperial consciousness in government circles of Muscovite Russia. The expansionist policy of the Russian state in the eastern direction was to some extent determined by the tasks of state defense and economic reasons (fertile lands, the Volga trade route, new taxpayers, other projects for the exploitation of local resources).

The Mari economy was adapted to natural and geographical conditions and generally met the requirements of its time. Due to the difficult political situation, it was largely militarized. True, the peculiarities of the socio-political system also played a role here. The medieval Mari, despite the noticeable local characteristics of the ethnic groups that existed at that time, generally experienced a transitional period of social development from tribal to feudal (military democracy). Relations with the central government were built primarily on a confederal basis.

Beliefs

The Mari traditional religion is based on faith in the forces of nature, which man must honor and respect. Before the spread of monotheistic teachings, the Mari revered many gods known as Yumo, while recognizing the primacy of the Supreme God (Kugu Yumo). In the 19th century, the image of the One God Tun Osh Kugu Yumo (One Bright Great God) was revived.

The Mari traditional religion contributes to strengthening the moral foundations of society, achieving interfaith and interethnic peace and harmony.

Unlike monotheistic religions created by one or another founder and his followers, the Mari traditional religion was formed on the basis of an ancient folk worldview, including religious and mythological ideas associated with man’s relationship to the surrounding nature and its elemental forces, the veneration of ancestors and patrons of agricultural activities. The formation and development of the traditional religion of the Mari was influenced by the religious views of the neighboring peoples of the Volga and Urals regions, as well as the fundamental doctrines of Islam and Orthodoxy.

Admirers of the traditional Mari religion recognize the One God Tyn Osh Kugu Yumo and his nine assistants (manifestations), read a prayer three times daily, take part in collective or family prayer once a year, and conduct family prayer with sacrifice at least seven times during their lives, They regularly hold traditional commemorations in honor of their deceased ancestors, and observe Mari holidays, customs and rituals.

Before the spread of monotheistic teachings, the Mari revered many gods known as Yumo, while recognizing the primacy of the Supreme God (Kugu Yumo). In the 19th century, the image of the One God Tun Osh Kugu Yumo (One Bright Great God) was revived. The One God (God - Universe) is considered to be the eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnirighteous God. He manifests himself in both material and spiritual guise, appearing in the form of nine deity-persons. These deities can be divided into three groups, each of which is responsible for:

Calmness, prosperity and empowerment of all living things - the god of the bright world (Tunya yumo), the life-giving god (Ilyan yumo), the deity of creative energy (Agavairem yumo);

Mercy, righteousness and harmony: the god of fate and predestination of life (Pursho yumo), the all-merciful god (Kugu Serlagysh yumo), the god of harmony and reconciliation (Mer yumo);

All-goodness, rebirth and inexhaustibility of life: the goddess of birth (Shochyn Ava), the goddess of the earth (Mlande Ava) and the goddess of abundance (Perke Ava).

The Universe, the world, the cosmos in the spiritual understanding of the Mari are presented as a continuously developing, spiritualizing and transforming system from century to century, from era to era, a system of diverse worlds, spiritual and material natural forces, natural phenomena, steadily striving towards its spiritual goal - unity with the Universal God , maintaining an inextricable physical and spiritual connection with the cosmos, the world, and nature.

Tun Osh Kugu Yumo is an endless source of being. Like the universe, the One Light Great God is constantly changing, developing, improving, involving the entire universe, the entire surrounding world, including humanity itself, in these changes. From time to time, every 22 thousand years, and sometimes earlier, by the will of God, the destruction of some part of the old and the creation of a new world occurs, accompanied by a complete renewal of life on earth.

The last creation of the world occurred 7512 years ago. After each new creation of the world, life on earth improves qualitatively, and humanity changes for the better. With the development of humanity, there is an expansion of human consciousness, the boundaries of world- and God-perception are expanded, the possibility of enriching knowledge about the universe, the world, objects and phenomena of the surrounding nature, about man and his essence, about ways to improve human life is facilitated.

All this ultimately led to the formation of a false idea among people about the omnipotence of man and his independence from God. Changing value priorities and abandoning the divinely established principles of community life required divine intervention in people's lives through suggestions, revelations, and sometimes punishments. In the interpretation of the foundations of knowledge of God and understanding of the world, holy and righteous people, prophets and God's chosen ones began to play an important role, who in the traditional beliefs of the Mari are revered as elders - ground deities. Having the opportunity to periodically communicate with God and receive His revelation, they became conductors of invaluable knowledge for human society. However, they often communicated not only the words of revelation, but also their own figurative interpretation of them. The divine information obtained in this way became the basis for the emerging ethnic (folk), state and world religions. There was also a rethinking of the image of the One God of the Universe, and the feelings of connectedness and direct dependence of people on Him were gradually smoothed out. A disrespectful, utilitarian-economic attitude towards nature or, conversely, reverent veneration of elemental forces and natural phenomena, represented in the form of independent deities and spirits, was affirmed.

Among the Mari, echoes of a dualistic worldview have been preserved, in which an important place was occupied by faith in the deities of forces and natural phenomena, in the animation and spirituality of the surrounding world and the existence in them of a rational, independent, materialized being - the owner - a double (vodyzh), soul (chon, ort) , spiritual hypostasis (shyrt). However, the Mari believed that the deities, everything around the world and man himself are part of the one God (Tun Yumo), his image.

Nature deities in popular beliefs, with rare exceptions, were not endowed with anthropomorphic features. The Mari understood the importance of man's active participation in the affairs of God, aimed at preserving and developing the surrounding nature, and constantly sought to involve the gods in the process of spiritual ennoblement and harmonization of everyday life. Some leaders of Mari traditional rituals, possessing heightened inner vision and the effort of their will, were able to receive spiritual enlightenment and restore the image of the forgotten one God Tun Yumo at the beginning of the 19th century.

One God - the Universe embraces all living things and the whole world, expresses itself in revered nature. The living nature closest to man is his image, but not God himself. A person is able to form only a general idea of ​​the Universe or its part, on the basis and with the help of faith, having cognized it in himself, experiencing a living sensation of the divine incomprehensible reality, passing through his own “I” the world of spiritual beings. However, it is impossible to fully understand Tun Osh Kugu Yumo - the absolute truth. The Mari traditional religion, like all religions, has only approximate knowledge of God. Only the wisdom of the Omniscient embraces the entire sum of truths within itself.

The Mari religion, being more ancient, turned out to be closer to God and absolute truth. There is little influence of subjective aspects in it, it has undergone less social modification. Taking into account the perseverance and patience in preserving the ancient religion transmitted by the ancestors, dedication in observing customs and rituals, Tun Osh Kugu Yumo helped the Mari preserve true religious ideas, protected them from erosion and thoughtless changes under the influence of all kinds of innovations. This allowed the Mari to maintain their unity, national identity, survive under the conditions of social and political oppression of the Khazar Khaganate, Volga Bulgaria, the Tatar-Mongol invasion, the Kazan Khanate and defend their religious cults during the years of active missionary propaganda in the 18th–19th centuries.

The Mari are distinguished not only by their divinity, but also by their kind-heartedness, responsiveness and openness, their readiness to come to the aid of each other and those in need at any time. The Mari are at the same time a freedom-loving people who love justice in everything, accustomed to living a calm, measured life, like the nature around us.

The traditional Mari religion directly influences the formation of the personality of each person. The creation of the world, as well as man, is carried out on the basis and under the influence of the spiritual principles of the One God. Man is an inextricable part of the Cosmos, grows and develops under the influence of the same cosmic laws, is endowed with the image of God, in him, as in all of Nature, the physical and divine principles are combined, and kinship with nature is manifested.

The life of every child, long before his birth, begins in the celestial zone of the Universe. Initially, it does not have an anthropomorphic form. God sends life to earth in materialized form. Together with man, his angels-spirits - patrons - develop, represented in the image of the deity Vuyymbal yumo, the bodily soul (chon, ya?) and doubles - figurative incarnations of man ort and syrt.

All people equally possess human dignity, strength of mind and freedom, human virtue, and contain within themselves the entire qualitative completeness of the world. A person is given the opportunity to regulate his feelings, control his behavior, realize his position in the world, lead an ennobled lifestyle, actively create and create, take care of the higher parts of the Universe, protect the animal and plant world, the surrounding nature from extinction.

Being a rational part of the Cosmos, man, like the constantly improving one God, in the name of his self-preservation is forced to constantly work on self-improvement. Guided by the dictates of conscience (ar), correlating his actions and deeds with the surrounding nature, achieving the unity of his thoughts with the co-creation of material and spiritual cosmic principles, man, as a worthy owner of his land, with his tireless daily work, inexhaustible creativity, strengthens and zealously runs his farm, ennobles the world around him, thereby improving himself. This is the meaning and purpose of human life.

Fulfilling his destiny, a person reveals his spiritual essence and ascends to new levels of existence. Through self-improvement and the fulfillment of a predetermined goal, a person improves the world and achieves the inner beauty of the soul. The traditional religion of the Mari teaches that for such activities a person receives a worthy reward: he greatly facilitates his life in this world and his fate in the afterlife. For a righteous life, deities can endow a person with an additional guardian angel, that is, they can confirm the existence of a person in God, thereby ensuring the ability to contemplate and experience God, the harmony of divine energy (shulyk) and the human soul.

A person is free to choose his actions and actions. He can lead his life both in the direction of God, the harmonization of his efforts and aspirations of the soul, and in the opposite, destructive direction. A person’s choice is predetermined not only by divine or human will, but also by the intervention of the forces of evil.

The right choice in any life situation can be made only by knowing yourself, balancing your life, everyday affairs and actions with the Universe - the One God. Having such a spiritual guideline, a believer becomes a true master of his life, gains independence and spiritual freedom, calmness, confidence, insight, prudence and measured feelings, steadfastness and perseverance in achieving his goal. He is not disturbed by life's adversities, social vices, envy, selfishness, selfishness, or the desire for self-affirmation in the eyes of others. Being truly free, a person gains prosperity, peace of mind, a reasonable life, and protects himself from any encroachment by ill-wishers and evil forces. He will not be frightened by the dark tragic sides of material existence, the bonds of inhuman torment and suffering, or hidden dangers. They will not prevent him from continuing to love the world, earthly existence, rejoicing and admiring the beauty of nature and culture.

In everyday life, believers of the traditional Mari religion adhere to such principles as:

Constant self-improvement by strengthening the inextricable connection with God, his regular involvement in all the most important events in life and active participation in divine affairs;

Aiming at ennobling the surrounding world and social relations, strengthening human health through the constant search and acquisition of divine energy in the process of creative work;

Harmonization of relations in society, strengthening collectivism and cohesion, mutual support and unity in upholding religious ideals and traditions;

Unanimous support of your spiritual mentors;

The obligation to preserve and pass on to subsequent generations the best achievements: progressive ideas, exemplary products, elite varieties of grain and livestock breeds, etc.

The traditional religion of the Mari considers all manifestations of life to be the main value in this world and calls for the sake of preserving it to show mercy even towards wild animals and criminals. Kindness, good-heartedness, harmony in relationships (mutual assistance, mutual respect and support for friendly relations), respect for nature, self-sufficiency and self-restraint in the use of natural resources, the pursuit of knowledge are also considered important values ​​in the life of society and in regulating the relationship of believers with God.

In public life, the traditional Mari religion strives to maintain and improve social harmony.

The Mari traditional religion unites believers of the ancient Mari (Chimari) faith, admirers of traditional beliefs and rituals who have been baptized and attend church services (marla faith) and adherents of the “Kugu Sorta” religious sect. These ethno-confessional differences were formed under the influence and as a result of the spread of the Orthodox religion in the region. The religious sect “Kugu Sorta” took shape in the second half of the 19th century. Certain inconsistencies in beliefs and ritual practices that exist between religious groups do not play a significant impact in the daily life of the Mari. These forms of traditional Mari religion form the basis of the spiritual values ​​of the Mari people.

The religious life of adherents of the traditional Mari religion takes place within the village community, one or more village councils (lay community). All Mari can take part in all-Mari prayers with sacrifice, thereby forming a temporary religious community of the Mari people (national community).

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Mari traditional religion acted as the only social institution for the cohesion and unity of the Mari people, strengthening their national identity, and establishing a unique national culture. At the same time, folk religion never called for artificially separating peoples, did not provoke confrontation and confrontation between them, and did not assert the exclusivity of any people.

The current generation of believers, recognizing the cult of the One God of the Universe, is convinced that this God can be worshiped by all people, representatives of any nationality. Therefore, they consider it possible to attach to their faith any person who believes in his omnipotence.

Any person, regardless of nationality and religion, is part of the Cosmos, the Universal God. In this respect, all people are equal and worthy of respect and fair treatment. The Mari have always been distinguished by religious tolerance and respect for the religious feelings of people of other faiths. They believed that the religion of every people has the right to exist and is worthy of reverence, since all religious rites are aimed at ennobling earthly life, improving its quality, expanding the capabilities of people and contributing to the introduction of divine powers and divine mercy to everyday needs.

A clear evidence of this is the lifestyle of adherents of the ethno-confessional group “Marla Vera”, who observe both traditional customs and rituals and Orthodox cults, visit temples, chapels and Mari sacred groves. They often conduct traditional prayers with sacrifices in front of an Orthodox icon specially brought for this occasion.

Admirers of the Mari traditional religion, respecting the rights and freedoms of representatives of other faiths, expect the same respectful attitude towards themselves and their religious actions. They believe that the worship of the One God - the Universe in our time is very timely and quite attractive for the modern generation of people interested in spreading the environmental movement and preserving pristine nature.

The traditional religion of the Mari, including in its worldview and practice the positive experience of centuries of history, sets as its immediate goals the establishment of truly fraternal relations in society and the education of a person of an ennobled image, protects itself with righteousness and devotion to a common cause. It will continue to defend the rights and interests of its believers, protect their honor and dignity from any encroachment on the basis of the legislation adopted in the country.

Admirers of the Mari religion consider it their civil and religious duty to comply with the legal norms and laws of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Mari El.

The traditional Mari religion sets itself the spiritual and historical tasks of uniting the efforts of believers to protect their vital interests, the nature around us, the animal and plant world, as well as achieving material wealth, everyday well-being, moral regulation and a high cultural level of relations between people.

Sacrifices

In the seething Universal cauldron of life, human life proceeds under the vigilant supervision and with the direct participation of God (Tun Osh Kugu Yumo) and his nine hypostases (manifestations), personifying his inherent intelligence, energy and material wealth. Therefore, a person should not only reverently believe in Him, but also deeply reverence, strive to receive His mercy, goodness and protection (serlagysh), thereby enriching himself and the world around him with vital energy (shulyk), material wealth (perke). A reliable means of achieving all this is the regular holding of family and public (village, lay and all-Mary) prayers (kumaltysh) in sacred groves with sacrifices to God and his deities of domestic animals and birds.

The people got their name from the adapted Mari “mari” or “mari”, which in Russian translation means “man” or “person”. The population, according to the 2010 census, is approximately 550,000 people. Mari are an ancient people whose history dates back more than three thousand years. Now living, for the most part, in the Republic of Mari El, part of the Russian Federation. Also, representatives of the Mari ethnic group live in the republics of Udmurtia, Tatarstan, Bashkiria, Sverdlovsk, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod and other regions of the Russian Federation. Despite the rough process of assimilation, the indigenous Mari, in some remote settlements, managed to preserve their original language, beliefs, traditions, rituals, clothing style and way of life.

Mari people of the Middle Urals (Sverdlovsk region)

The Mari, as an ethnic group, belong to the Finno-Ugric tribes, which, even in the early Iron Age, lived along the floodplains of the Vetluga and Volga rivers. One thousand years BC. The Mari built their settlements in the Volga interfluve. And the river itself got its name precisely thanks to the Mari tribes who lived along its banks, since the word “Volgaltesh” means “brilliance”, “brilliant”. As for the indigenous Mari language, it is divided into three language dialects, determined by the topographic area of ​​residence. The groups of adverbs are named, in turn, as are the speakers of each dialect variant, as follows: Olyk Mari (Meadow Mari), Kuryk Mari (Mountain Mari), Bashkir Mari (Eastern Mari). In fairness, it is necessary to make a reservation that the speech is not too different from each other. Knowing one of the dialects, you can understand the others.

Before IX, the Mari people lived on fairly vast lands. These were not only the modern Republic of Mari El and the present Nizhny Novgorod, but the lands of Rostov and the present Moscow Region. However, just as nothing lasts forever, the independent, original history of the Mari tribes suddenly ceased. In the 13th century, with the invasion of the troops of the Golden Horde, the lands of the Volga-Vyatka interfluve fell into the power of the khan. Then the Mari peoples received their second name “Cheremysh”, which was later adopted by the Russians as “Cheremis” and has a designation in the modern dictionary: “man”, “husband”. It is worth immediately clarifying that this word is not used in the current lexicon. The lives of people and the wounded valor of the Mari warriors during the reign of the khan will be discussed a little further in the text. And now a few words about the identity and cultural traditions of the Mari people.

Customs and life

Crafts and farming

When you live near deep rivers and endless forests around you, it is natural that fishing and hunting will occupy an important place in your life. This is how it was among the Mari peoples: hunting animals, fishing, beekeeping (extracting wild honey), then cultivated beekeeping occupied not the least place in their way of life. But agriculture remained the main activity. Primarily agriculture. Cereals were grown: oats, rye, barley, hemp, buckwheat, spelt, flax. Turnips, radishes, onions, and other root vegetables, as well as cabbage, were cultivated in the gardens; later they began to plant potatoes. Gardens were planted in some areas. The tools for cultivating the soil were traditional for that time: plow, hoe, plow, harrow. They kept livestock - horses, cows, sheep. They made dishes and other utensils, usually wooden. They wove fabrics from flax fibers. They harvested timber, from which dwellings were then built.

Residential and non-residential buildings

The houses of the ancient Marias were traditional log buildings. A hut, divided into living and utility rooms, with a gable roof. A stove was placed inside, which served not only for heating in cold weather, but also for cooking. Often a large stove was added for a convenient cooking stove. There were shelves with various utensils on the walls. The furniture was wooden and carved. Artfully embroidered fabric served as curtains for windows and sleeping places. In addition to the residential hut, there were other buildings on the farm. In the summer, when hot days came, the whole family moved to live in a kudo, a kind of analogue of a modern summer dacha. A log house without a ceiling, with an earthen floor, on which, right in the center of the building, there was a fireplace. A cauldron was hung over an open fire. In addition, the economic complex included: a bathhouse, a cage (something like a closed gazebo), a barn, a canopy under which sleighs and carts were located, a cellar and pantry, and a cattle shed.

Food and household items

Bread was the main dish. It was baked from barley, oatmeal, and rye flour. In addition to unleavened bread, they baked pancakes, flatbreads, and pies with various fillings. The unleavened dough was used for dumplings with meat or curd filling, and was also thrown into soup in the form of small balls. This dish was called “lashka”. They made homemade sausages and salted fish. The favorite drinks were puro (strong mead), beer, and buttermilk.

Meadow Mari

They made household items, clothes, shoes, and jewelry themselves. Men and women dressed in shirts, trousers and caftans. In cold weather they wore fur coats and sheepskin coats. Clothes were complemented with belts. Women's wardrobe items were distinguished by rich embroidery, a longer shirt and were complemented by an apron, as well as a robe made of canvas fabric, which was called a shovyr. Of course, women of the Mari nationality loved to decorate their outfits. They wore items made from shells, beads, coins and beads, and intricate headdresses called: magpie (a kind of cap) and scharpan (national scarf). Men's headdresses were felt hats and fur hats. Shoes were made from leather, birch bark, and felted.

Traditions and religion

In traditional Mari beliefs, as in any European pagan culture, the main place was occupied by holidays associated with agricultural activities and the change of seasons. A striking example is Aga payrem - the beginning of the sowing season, the holiday of the plow and plow, Kinde payrem - the harvest, the holiday of new bread and fruits. In the pantheon of gods, Kugu Yumo was considered supreme. There were others: Kava Yumo - the goddess of fate and sky, Wood Ava - the mother of all lakes and rivers, Ilysh Shochyn Ava - the goddess of life and fertility, Kudo Vodyzh - the spirit guarding the house and hearth, Keremet - the evil god who, at special temples in the groves , sacrificed livestock. The religious person who conducted the prayers was a priest, “kart” in the Mari language.

As for marriage traditions, marriages were patrilocal; after a ceremony, the obligatory condition of which was the payment of a bride price, and the girl herself was given a dowry by her parents, which became her personal property, the bride went to live with her husband’s family. During the wedding itself, tables were set and a festive tree - a birch tree - was brought into the yard. The family structure was established as patriarchal; they lived in communities and clans called “Urmat”. However, the families themselves were not too crowded.

Mari priests

While the remnants of family relationships have long been forgotten, many ancient burial traditions have survived to this day. The Mari buried their dead in winter clothes; the body was transported to the graveyard exclusively on sleighs, at any time of the year. On the way, the deceased was supplied with a thorny branch of rose hips in order to ward off dogs and snakes guarding the entrance to the afterlife.
Traditional musical instruments during celebrations, rituals, and ceremonies were the harp, bagpipes, various trumpets and pipes, and drums.

A little about history, the Golden Horde and Ivan the Terrible

As mentioned earlier, the lands on which the Mari tribes originally lived were, in the 13th century, subordinated to the Golden Horde Khan. The Mari became one of the nationalities that were part of the Kazan Khanate and the Golden Horde. There is an excerpt from the chronicle of times, which mentions how the Russians lost a major battle to the Mari, the Cheremis as they were called then. The figures of thirty thousand killed Russian warriors are mentioned and talk about the sinking of almost all of their ships. Also, chronicle sources indicate that at that time the Cheremis were in alliance with the Horde, carrying out raids together as a single army. The Tatars themselves, by the way, keep silent about this historical fact, attributing to themselves all the glory of the conquests.

But, as Russian chronicles say, the Mari warriors were brave and dedicated to their cause. Thus, one of the manuscripts cites an incident that occurred in the 16th century, when the Russian army surrounded Kazan and the Tatar troops suffered crushing losses, and their remnants, led by the khan, fled, leaving the city to be conquered by the Russians. Then it was the Mari army that blocked their path, despite the significant advantage of the Russian army. The Mari, who could easily go into the wild forest, put up an army of 12 thousand people against the 150 thousandth army. They managed to fight back and forced the Russian army to retreat. As a result, negotiations took place, Kazan was saved. However, Tatar historians deliberately remain silent about these facts, when their troops led by their leader shamefully fled, the Cheremis stood up for the Tatar cities.

After Kazan had already been conquered by the Terrible Tsar Ivan IV, the Mari launched a liberation movement. Alas, the Russian Tsar solved the problem in his own spirit - with bloody massacres and terror. The “Cheremis Wars” - an armed uprising against Moscow rule, were so named because it was the Mari who were the organizers and main participants in the riots. In the end, all resistance was brutally suppressed, and the Mari people themselves were slaughtered almost completely. The survivors had no choice but to surrender and take an oath of allegiance to the winner, that is, the Tsar of Moscow.

Today's day

Today, the land of the Mari people is one of the republics that is part of the Russian Federation. Mari El borders on the Kirov and Nizhny Novgorod regions, Chuvashia and Tatarstan. Not only indigenous peoples, but also other nationalities, numbering more than fifty, live on the territory of the republic. The bulk of the population are Mari and Russians.

Recently, with the development of urbanization and assimilation processes, the problem of the extinction of national traditions, culture, and folk language has become acute. Many residents of the republic, being indigenous Mari, abandon their native dialects, preferring to speak exclusively in Russian, even at home, among their relatives. This is a problem not only in large, industrial cities, but also in small, rural settlements. Children do not learn their native speech, and national identity is lost.

Of course, sports are being developed and supported in the republic, competitions are held, orchestra performances are held, writers are awarded, environmental activities are carried out with the participation of young people, and many other useful things are carried out. But against the backdrop of all this, we should not forget about the ancestral roots, the identity of the people and their ethnic and cultural self-identification.

The question of the origin of the Mari people is still controversial. For the first time, a scientifically substantiated theory of the ethnogenesis of the Mari was expressed in 1845 by the famous Finnish linguist M. Castren. He tried to identify the Mari with the chronicle measures. This point of view was supported and developed by T.S. Semenov, I.N. Smirnov, S.K. Kuznetsov, A.A. Spitsyn, D.K. Zelenin, M.N. Yantemir, F.E. Egorov and many others researchers of the 2nd half of the 19th – 1st half of the 20th centuries. A new hypothesis was made in 1949 by the prominent Soviet archaeologist A.P. Smirnov, who came to the conclusion about the Gorodets (close to the Mordovians) basis; other archaeologists O.N. Bader and V.F. Gening at the same time defended the thesis about Dyakovsky (close to measure) origin of the Mari. Nevertheless, archaeologists were already able to convincingly prove that the Merya and Mari, although related to each other, are not the same people. At the end of the 1950s, when the permanent Mari archaeological expedition began to operate, its leaders A.Kh. Khalikov and G.A. Arkhipov developed a theory about the mixed Gorodets-Azelinsky (Volga-Finnish-Permian) basis of the Mari people. Subsequently, G.A. Arkhipov, developing this hypothesis further, during the discovery and study of new archaeological sites, proved that the mixed basis of the Mari was dominated by the Gorodets-Dyakovo (Volga-Finnish) component and the formation of the Mari ethnos, which began in the first half of the 1st millennium AD , generally ended in the 9th – 11th centuries, and even then the Mari ethnos began to be divided into two main groups - the mountain and meadow Mari (the latter, compared to the former, were more strongly influenced by the Azelin (Perm-speaking) tribes). This theory is generally supported by the majority of archaeological scientists working on this problem. Mari archaeologist V.S. Patrushev put forward a different assumption, according to which the formation of the ethnic foundations of the Mari, as well as the Meri and Muroms, took place on the basis of the Akhmylov-type population. Linguists (I.S. Galkin, D.E. Kazantsev), who rely on language data, believe that the territory of formation of the Mari people should be sought not in the Vetluzh-Vyatka interfluve, as archaeologists believe, but to the southwest, between the Oka and Suroy. Scientist-archaeologist T.B. Nikitina, taking into account data not only from archeology, but also from linguistics, came to the conclusion that the ancestral home of the Mari is located in the Volga part of the Oka-Sura interfluve and in Povetluzhie, and the advance to the east, to Vyatka, occurred in VIII - XI centuries, during which contact and mixing took place with the Azelin (Perm-speaking) tribes.

The origin of the ethnonyms “Mari” and “Cheremis”

The question of the origin of the ethnonyms “Mari” and “Cheremis” also remains complex and unclear. The meaning of the word “Mari”, the self-name of the Mari people, is derived by many linguists from the Indo-European term “mar”, “mer” in various sound variations (translated as “man”, “husband”). The word “Cheremis” (as the Russians called the Mari, and in a slightly different, but phonetically similar vowel, many other peoples) has a large number of different interpretations. The first written mention of this ethnonym (in the original “ts-r-mis”) is found in a letter from the Khazar Kagan Joseph to the dignitary of the Cordoba Caliph Hasdai ibn-Shaprut (960s). D.E. Kazantsev, following the historian of the 19th century. G.I. Peretyatkovich came to the conclusion that the name “Cheremis” was given to the Mari by the Mordovian tribes, and translated this word means “a person living on the sunny side, in the east.” According to I.G. Ivanov, “Cheremis” is “a person from the Chera or Chora tribe,” in other words, neighboring peoples subsequently extended the name of one of the Mari tribes to the entire ethnic group. The version of the Mari local historians of the 1920s and early 1930s, F.E. Egorov and M.N. Yantemir, is widely popular, who suggested that this ethnonym goes back to the Turkic term “warlike person.” F.I. Gordeev, as well as I.S. Galkin, who supported his version, defend the hypothesis about the origin of the word “Cheremis” from the ethnonym “Sarmatian” through the mediation of Turkic languages. A number of other versions were also expressed. The problem of the etymology of the word “Cheremis” is further complicated by the fact that in the Middle Ages (up to the 17th – 18th centuries) this was the name in a number of cases not only for the Mari, but also for their neighbors – the Chuvash and Udmurts.

Literature

For more details see: Svechnikov S.K. Methodological manual "History of the Mari people of the 9th-16th centuries" Yoshkar-Ola: GOU DPO (PK) C "Mari Institute of Education", 2005

Faces of Russia. “Living together while remaining different”

The multimedia project “Faces of Russia” has existed since 2006, telling about Russian civilization, the most important feature of which is the ability to live together while remaining different - this motto is especially relevant for countries throughout the post-Soviet space. From 2006 to 2012, as part of the project, we created 60 documentaries about representatives of different Russian ethnic groups. Also, 2 cycles of radio programs “Music and Songs of the Peoples of Russia” were created - more than 40 programs. Illustrated almanacs were published to support the first series of films. Now we are halfway to creating a unique multimedia encyclopedia of the peoples of our country, a snapshot that will allow the residents of Russia to recognize themselves and leave a legacy for posterity with a picture of what they were like.

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"Faces of Russia". Mari. "Mari El Republic. From Shorunzhi with love"", 2011

MARIANS, Mari, Mari (self-name - “man”, “man”, “husband”), Cheremis (outdated Russian name), people in Russia. Number of people: 644 thousand people. The Mari are the indigenous population of the Republic of Mari El (324.4 thousand people (290.8 thousand people according to the 2010 census)). The Mari also live in the neighboring regions of the Volga region and the Urals. They live compactly in Bashkiria (105.7 thousand people), Tataria (19.5 thousand people), Udmurtia (9.5 thousand people), Nizhny Novgorod, Kirov, Sverdlovsk and Perm regions. They also live in Kazakhstan (12 thousand), Ukraine (7 thousand), and Uzbekistan (3 thousand). The total number is 671 thousand people.

According to the 2002 Census, the number of Mari living in Russia is 605 thousand people, according to the 2010 census. - 547 thousand 605 people.

They are divided into 3 main subethnic groups: mountainous, meadow and eastern. Mountain Mari inhabit the right bank of the Volga, meadow Mari inhabit the Vetluzh-Vyatka interfluve, eastern Mari live east of the Vyatka River, mainly in the territory of Bashkiria, where they moved in the 16-18 centuries. They speak the Mari language of the Finno-Ugric group of the Uralic family. The following dialects are distinguished: mountainous, meadow, eastern and northwestern. Writing based on the Russian alphabet. About 464 thousand (or 77%) Mari speak the Mari language, the majority (97%) speak Russian. Mari-Russian bilingualism is widespread. The Mari's writing is based on the Cyrillic alphabet.

Believers are predominantly Orthodox and adherents of the “Mari faith” (Marla Vera), combining Christianity with traditional beliefs. The Eastern Mari mostly adhere to traditional beliefs.

The first written mention of the Mari (Cheremis) is found in the Gothic historian Jordan in the 6th century. They are also mentioned in The Tale of Bygone Years. The core of the ancient Mari ethnic group that formed in the 1st millennium AD in the Volga-Vyatka interfluve were the Finno-Ugric tribes. Close ethnocultural ties with the Turkic peoples (Volga-Kama Bulgarians, Chuvash, Tatars) played a major role in the formation and development of the ethnos. The cultural and everyday similarities with the Chuvash are especially noticeable.

The main traditional occupation is arable farming. The main field crops are rye, oats, barley, millet, spelt, buckwheat, hemp, flax; garden vegetables - onions, cabbage, radishes, carrots, hops, potatoes. Turnips were sown in the field. Of auxiliary importance were the breeding of horses, cattle and sheep, hunting, forestry (harvesting and rafting of wood, tar smoking, etc.), beekeeping (later apiary beekeeping), and fishing. Artistic crafts - embroidery, wood carving, jewelry (silver women's jewelry). There was otkhodnichestvo for timber processing enterprises.

The scattered layout of villages in the 2nd half of the 19th century began to give way to street layouts: the Northern Great Russian type of layout began to predominate. The dwelling is a log hut with a gable roof, two-partitioned (hut-canopy) or three-partitioned (hut-canopy-cage, hut-canopy-hut). A small stove with a built-in boiler was often located near the Russian stove, the kitchen was separated by partitions, benches were placed along the front and side walls, in the front corner there was a table with a wooden chair for the head of the family, shelves for icons and dishes, on the side of the front door there was a wooden bed or bunks, There are embroidered towels above the windows. Among the eastern Mari, especially in the Kama region, the interior was close to Tatar (wide bunks at the front wall, curtains instead of partitions, etc.).

In the summer, the Mari moved to live in a summer kitchen (kudo) - a log building with an earthen floor, no ceiling, and a gable or pitched roof, in which cracks were left for smoke to escape. In the middle of the kudo there was an open hearth with a hanging boiler. The estate also included a cellar, a cellar, a barn, a barn, a carriage house, and a bathhouse. Characteristic are two-story storage rooms with a gallery-balcony on the second floor.

Traditional clothing - a tunic-style shirt, trousers, an open summer caftan, a hemp canvas waist towel, and a belt. Men's headwear - a felt hat with a small brim and a cap; For hunting and working in the forest, a mosquito net type device was used. Shoes - bast shoes, leather boots, felt boots. To work in swampy areas, wooden platforms were attached to shoes.

A woman's costume is characterized by an apron, waist pendants, chest, neck, and ear jewelry made of beads, cowrie shells, sparkles, coins, silver clasps, bracelets, and rings. There were 3 types of headdresses for married women: shymaksh - a cone-shaped cap with an occipital blade, worn on a birch bark frame; a magpie, borrowed from the Russians, and a sharpan - a head towel with a headband. A tall women's headdress - shurka (on a birch bark frame, reminiscent of Mordovian and Udmurt headdresses) fell out of use in the 19th century. Outerwear was straight and gathered kaftans made of black or white cloth and fur coats.

Traditional types of clothing are partly common among the older generation and are used in wedding rituals. Modernized types of national clothing are widespread - a shirt made of white and an apron made of multi-colored fabric, decorated with embroidery and ribbons, belts woven from multi-colored threads, caftans made of black and green fabric.

Rural communities usually included several villages. There were ethnically mixed, mainly Mari-Russian, Mari-Chuvash communities. Families were predominantly small and monogamous. There were also large undivided families. Marriage is patrilocal. Upon marriage, the bride's parents were paid a ransom, and they gave a dowry (including livestock) for their daughter. The modern family is small. Traditional features come to life in wedding rituals (songs, national costumes with decorations, a wedding train, the presence of everyone).

The Mari developed traditional medicine, based on ideas about cosmic life force, the will of the gods, damage, the evil eye, evil spirits, and the souls of the dead. In the “Mari faith” and paganism, there are cults of ancestors and gods (the supreme god Kugu Yumo, the gods of the sky, the mother of life, the mother of water, etc.).

Archaic features of the cult of ancestors were burial in winter clothes (in a winter hat and mittens), taking the body to the cemetery in a sleigh (even in the summer). The traditional burial reflected ideas about the afterlife: nails collected during life were buried with the deceased (during the transition to the next world, they are needed to overcome mountains, clinging to rocks), rosehip branches (to ward off snakes and a dog guarding the entrance to the kingdom of the dead), a piece of canvas (on which, like a bridge, the soul crosses an abyss into the afterlife), etc.

The Mari have many holidays, like any people with a centuries-old history. There is, for example, an ancient ritual holiday called “Sheep's Foot” (Shorykyol). It begins to be celebrated on the winter solstice (December 22) after the birth of the new moon. During the holiday, a magical action is performed: pulling sheep by the legs so that more sheep will be born in the new year. A whole set of superstitions and beliefs was dedicated to the first day of this holiday. The weather on the first day was used to judge what spring and summer would be like, and predictions were made about the harvest.

The "Mari faith" and traditional beliefs have been revived in recent years. Within the framework of the public organization "Oshmari-Chimari", which claims to be the Mari national religious association, prayers began to be held in groves; in the city of Yoshkar-Ola it owns the "Oak Grove". The Kugu Sorta (Big Candle) sect, active in the 19th and early 20th centuries, has now merged with the “Mari faith.”

The development of national self-awareness and political activity of the Mari people is promoted by the Mari national public organization "Mari Ushem" (it was created as the Mari Union in 1917, banned in 1918, resumed activity in 1990).

V.N. Petrov

Expensive ax of a lost ax

How do people become wise? Thanks to life experience. Well, that's a very long time. And if you need to quickly, quickly gain intelligence? Well, then you need to listen and read some folk proverbs. For example, the Mari.

But first, some quick information. The Mari are a people living in Russia. The indigenous population of the Republic of Mari El is 312 thousand people. The Mari also live in the neighboring regions of the Volga region and the Urals. In total, there are 604 thousand Mari in the Russian Federation (2002 census data). The Mari are divided into three territorial groups: mountainous, meadow (forest) and eastern. Mountain Mari live on the right bank of the Volga, meadow Mari - on the left, eastern - in Bashkiria and the Sverdlovsk region. They speak the Mari language, which is part of the Volga subgroup of the Finnish group of the Finno-Ugric family of languages. The Mari have a written language based on the Cyrillic alphabet. The faith is Orthodox, but there is also its own, the Mari faith (Marla faith) - this is a combination of Christianity with traditional beliefs.

As for Mari folk wisdom, it is carefully collected into proverbs and sayings.

The ax of a lost ax is precious.

At first glance, this is a strange proverb. If you really regret the lost axe, then regret it as a whole, and not about its individual parts. But folk wisdom is a subtle matter, not always immediately perceptible. Yes, of course, the ax is also a pity, but the ax handle is more pity. Because it is more dear, we take it with our hands. The hand gets used to it. That's why it's more expensive. And it’s easy to draw conclusions from this proverb. And it's better to do it yourself.

Here are some more interesting Mari proverbs, supported by centuries of folk experience.

A young tree cannot grow under an old tree.

A word will give birth, a song will give birth to tears.

There is a forest - there is a bear, there is a village - there is an evil man.

If you talk a lot, your thoughts will spread. (Very useful advice!)

And now, having gained a little Mari wisdom, let’s listen to a Mari fairy tale. More precisely, a fairy tale. It is called:

Three brothers were chopping wood in the forest. It's time for lunch. The brothers began to cook dinner: they filled the pot with water, built a fire, but there was nothing to light the fire with. As luck would have it, not one of them took any flint or matches with them from home. They looked around and saw: a fire was burning behind the trees and an old man was sitting near the fire.

The elder brother went to the old man and asked:

- Grandfather, give me a light!

“Tell forty-one fables, I’ll give you,” answered the old man.

The elder brother stood and stood, and didn’t come up with a single tale. So he returned with nothing. The middle brother went to the old man.

- Give me a light, grandfather!

“I’ll give you money if you tell forty-one fables,” the old man replied.

The middle brother scratched his head - he didn’t come up with a single fable and also returned to his brothers without fire. The younger brother went to the old man.

“Grandfather,” says the younger brother to the old man, “my brothers and I got ready to cook dinner, but there is no fire.” Give us fire.

“If you tell forty-one tales,” says the old man, “I will give you fire and, in addition, a cauldron and a fat duck that is boiling in the cauldron.”

“Okay,” agreed the younger brother, “I’ll tell you forty-one fables.” Just don't be angry.

- Who gets angry at fables!

- Okay, listen. Three brothers were born to our father and mother. We died one after another, and there were only seven of us left. Of the seven brothers, one was deaf, another was blind, the third was lame, and the fourth was armless. And the fifth one was naked, he didn’t have a scrap of clothing on him.

One day we got together and went to catch hares. They entangled one grove with threads, but the deaf brother already heard.

“There, there, there’s a rustling noise!” - shouted the deaf man.

And then the blind man saw the hare: “Catch it!” He ran into the ravine!”

The lame man ran after the hare - he was about to catch it... Only the armless man had already grabbed the hare.

The naked brother of the hare put it in his hem and brought it home.

We killed a hare and made a pound of lard from it.

I started to crawl back out, but the rope broke, and I fell back into the ground. I’m sitting, sitting in a hole, and then spring has come. The crane built a nest for itself and brought out the baby cranes. The fox got into the habit of climbing after crane babies: today he will drag one away, tomorrow another, the day after tomorrow he comes for the third. I once crept up to a fox and grabbed it by the tail!

The fox ran and dragged me along with it. At the exit I got stuck, and the fox rushed - and the tail came off.

I brought home a fox tail, cut it open, and inside there was a piece of paper. I unfolded the piece of paper, and there it was written: “The old man who is now cooking a fat duck and listening to tall tales owes your father ten pounds of rye.”

- Lies! - the old man got angry. - Fable!

“And you asked for tall tales,” answered the younger brother.

There was nothing for the old man to do; he had to give up both the boiler and the duck.

A wonderful fable! And mind you, not a lie, not a lie, but a story about something that did not happen.

And now about what happened, but in the depths of history.

The first written mention of the Mari (Cheremis) is found in the Gothic historian Jordan in the century. They are also mentioned in The Tale of Bygone Years. Close ties with the Turkic peoples played a major role in the development of the Mari ethnic group.

The formation of the ancient Mari people takes place in centuries.

For centuries, the Mari were under the economic and cultural influence of the Volga-Kama Bulgaria. In the 1230s, their territory was captured by the Mongol-Tatars. Since the century, the Volga Mari were part of the Kazan Khanate, and the northwestern Mari, the Vetluga Mari, were part of the northeastern Russian principalities.

In 1551-52, after the defeat of the Kazan Khanate, the Mari became part of the Russian state. In the century, the Christianization of the Mari began. However, the Eastern Mari and some of the Meadow Mari did not accept Christianity; they retained pre-Christian beliefs for centuries, especially the cult of ancestors. At the end of the century, the resettlement of the Mari in the Cis-Urals began, which intensified in the 18th century. The Mari took part in the peasant wars under the leadership of Stepan Razin and Emelyan Pugachev.

The main occupation of the Mari was arable farming. Of secondary importance were gardening, livestock breeding, hunting, forestry, beekeeping, and fishing.

Traditional clothing of the Mari: a richly embroidered shirt, an open summer caftan, a hemp canvas waist towel, a belt, a felt hat, bast shoes with onuchas, leather boots, felt boots. A woman's costume is characterized by an apron, caftans made of cloth, fur coats, headdresses - cone-shaped caps and an abundance of jewelry made of beads, sparkles, coins, and silver clasps.

Traditional Mari cuisine - dumplings stuffed with meat or cottage cheese, puff pancakes, cheesecakes, drinks - beer, buttermilk, strong mead. Mari families are predominantly small. The woman in the family enjoyed economic and legal independence.

Folk art includes wood carving, embroidery, patterned weaving, and birch bark weaving.

Mari music is distinguished by its richness of forms and melody. Folk instruments include: kusle (harp), shuvyr (bagpipe), tumyr (drum), shiyaltish (pipe), kovyzh (two-string violin), shushpyk (whistle). Mainly dance tunes are performed on folk instruments. Among the folklore genres, songs stand out, especially “songs of sadness,” as well as fairy tales and legends.

It's time to tell another Mari tale. If I may say so, magically musical.

One cheerful bagpiper was walking at the festival. He went on such a spree that he didn’t even make it home—the drunkenness knocked his quick legs down. He fell under a birch tree and fell asleep. So I slept until midnight.

Suddenly, through his sleep, he hears someone wakes him up: “Get up, get up, Toidemar!” The wedding is in full swing, but there is no one to play. Help me out, my dear.

The bagpiper rubbed his eyes: in front of him was a man in a rich caftan, a hat, and soft goatskin boots. And next to him is a dun stallion harnessed to a black lacquered carriage.

We sat down. The man whistled, whooped and off we went. And here is the wedding: big, rich, guests, apparently and invisible. Yes, the guests are all playful and cheerful - just play, bagpiper!

Toydemar is sweating from such a game, and asks his friend: “Give me, savush, that towel that’s hanging on the wall, I’ll wash my face in the morning.”

And the friend answers:

“Don’t take it, I’d rather give you something else.”

“Why doesn’t he allow you to wipe yourself off with this? - the bagpiper thinks. - Well, I’ll try. At least I’ll wipe one eye.”

He wiped his eye - and what does he see? He sits on a stump in the middle of the swamp, and tailed and horned animals are jumping around him.

“So this is the kind of wedding I ended up at! - thinks. “We need to clean up quickly.”

“Hey, dear,” he turns to the main devil. “I need to get home before the roosters.” In the morning, people were invited to a holiday in a neighboring village.

“Don’t bother,” the devil answers. - We'll deliver it right away. You play excellently, the guests are happy, and so are the hosts. Let's go now.

The devil whistled - a trio of dun ones and a varnished carriage rolled up. This is how a drugged eye sees, but a clean eye sees something else: three black crows and a gnarled stump.

Landed and flew. Before we had time to look around, there was the house. The bagpiper came quickly at the door, and the roosters were just crowing - the tailed ones ran away.

Relatives to him:

- Where have you been?

- At the wedding.

- What kind of weddings are these days? There wasn't one in the area. You were hiding here somewhere. We were just looking out into the street, you weren’t there, and now you showed up.

— I drove up in a wheelchair.

- Well, show me!

— It’s standing on the street there.

We went outside and there was a huge spruce stump.

Since then, the Mari have said: a drunk can get home on a tree stump.

The Mari have many holidays. Like any nation with a centuries-old history. There is, for example, an ancient ritual holiday called “Sheep's Foot” (Shorykyol). It begins to be celebrated on the day of the winter solstice (from December 22) after the birth of the new moon. Why such a strange name - “Sheep's Foot”? But the fact is that during the holiday a magical action is performed: pulling the sheep by the legs. So that more sheep are born in the new year.

In the past, the Mari associated the well-being of their household and family, and changes in life, with this day. The first day of the holiday was especially important. Getting up early in the morning, the whole family went out to the winter field and made small piles of snow, reminiscent of stacks and stacks of bread. They tried to make as many of them as possible, but always in odd numbers. Rye ears were stuck into the stacks, and some peasants buried pancakes in them. In the garden they shook branches and trunks of fruit trees and bushes in order to collect a rich harvest of fruits and berries in the new year.

On this day, the girls went from house to house, always went into the sheepfolds and pulled the sheep by the legs. Such actions associated with the “magic of the first day” were supposed to ensure fertility and well-being in the household and family.

A whole set of superstitions and beliefs was dedicated to the first day of the holiday. Based on the weather on the first day, they judged what spring and summer would be like, and predicted the harvest: “If the snow pile swept into Shorykyol is covered with snow, there will be a harvest.” “There will be snow in Shorykyol - there will be vegetables.”

Fortune-telling occupied a large place, and the peasants attached great importance to its implementation. Fortune telling was mainly associated with predicting fate. Girls of marriageable age wondered about marriage - whether they would get married in the new year, what kind of life awaited them in marriage. The older generation tried to find out about the future of the family, sought to determine the fertility of the harvest, how prosperous their farm would be.

An integral part of the Shorykyol holiday is the procession of mummers led by the main characters - Old Man Vasily and the Old Woman (Vasli kuva-kugyza, Shorykyol kuva-kugyza). They are perceived by the Mari as harbingers of the future, since the mummers foretell to householders a good harvest, an increase in the number of livestock in the farmstead, and a happy family life. Old Man Vasily and the Old Woman communicate with good and evil gods and can tell people that whatever the harvest is, such will be life for each person. The owners of the house try to welcome the mummers as best as possible. They are treated to beer and nuts so that there are no complaints about stinginess.

To demonstrate their skill and hard work, the Mari display their work - woven bast shoes, embroidered towels and spun threads. Having treated themselves, Old Man Vasily and his Old Woman scatter grains of rye or oats on the floor, wishing the generous host an abundance of bread. Among the mummers there are often Bear, Horse, Goose, Crane, Goat and other animals. Interestingly, in the past there were other characters depicting a soldier with an accordion, government officials and priests - a priest and a deacon.

Especially for the holiday, hazelnuts are preserved and treated to the mummers. Dumplings with meat are often prepared. According to custom, a coin, pieces of bast and coal are placed in some of them. Depending on who gets what while eating, they predict their fate for the year. During the holiday, some prohibitions are observed: you cannot wash clothes, sew or embroider, or do heavy work.

Ritual food plays a significant role on this day. A hearty lunch at Shorykyol should ensure food abundance for the coming year. Lamb's head is considered a mandatory dish. In addition to it, traditional drinks and foods are prepared: beer (pura) from rye malt and hops, pancakes (melna), unleavened oat bread (sherginde), cheesecakes stuffed with hemp seeds (katlama), pies with hare or bear meat (merang ale mask shil kogylyo), baked from rye or oatmeal unleavened dough “nuts” (shorykyol pyaks).

It seems to us that the expression “to dance from the stove” came into the Russian language from the Mari! From the stove holiday!