History of the Mari origin. In the folklore of the Finno-Ugric peoples, zoomorphic images are also clearly recorded, with which the origin of the universe, the Earth and life on it is associated

Mari, (Cheremis is the Old Russian name for the Mari) Finno-Ugric people. The self-name is the name “Mari”, “Mariy”, which translates as “husband”, “man”.

The Mari are a people living in Russia, indigenous people Republic of Mari El (312 thousand people according to the 2002 census). The Mari also live in the neighboring regions of the Volga region and the Urals. Total in Russian Federation 604 thousand Mari (data from the same census). 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.

The Mari language belongs to the Finno-Volga group of the Finno-Ugric branch of the Uralic languages. 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.

The faith is Orthodox, but there is also its own Mari faith (Marla faith) - this is a combination of Christianity with 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. 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 occurred in the 5th–10th centuries. In 1551–52, after the defeat of the Kazan Khanate, the Mari became part of the Russian state. In the 16th century, the Christianization of the Mari began. However, the Eastern Mari and some of the Meadow Mari did not accept Christianity; they still retain pre-Christian beliefs, especially the cult of ancestors, to this day.

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.

Reference article from the almanac “Faces of Russia” from the site rusnations.ru/etnos/mari/

The Mari are one of the ancient Finno-Ugric peoples of the Middle Volga region. Currently, the Mari live in dispersed groups in many regions of Russia.

The Mari are divided into three ethnographic groups: mountain, meadow, and eastern.

How do the Mari live?

Mountain Mari (Kyrykmars) live on the right bank of the Volga within the modern Mountain Mari region of the Republic of Mari El, as well as along the basins of the Vetluga, Rutka, Arda, Parat rivers on the left bank of the river.

Volga. The entire central and eastern part of the Mari El Republic is inhabited by a large ethnographic group of Meadow Mari (Olyk Mari). In the 16th century part of the Mari rushed to the Trans-Kama region on the Bashkir lands, marking the beginning of the formation ethnographic group Eastern Mari.

Self-name - In scientific literature there is an opinion that the Mari under the name “Imniscaris” or “Scremniscans” were mentioned by the Gothic historian of the 6th century.

Jordanes in "Getica" among northern peoples, subject to the 4th century. Gothic leader Herman Rich. More reliable information about this people called “Ts-r-mis” is found in a letter from the 10th century. Khazar Kagan Joseph. The self-name of the Mari people (Mari, Mare) - originally used in the meaning of “man, man”, has been preserved to this day and is represented in the traditional names of small territorial groups "Votla Mare"(Vetluga Mari), "Paja Marais"(Pizhma Mari), "Morco Mari"(Morkin Mari).

The closest neighbors used ethnonyms in relation to the Mari "chirmesh"(Tatars), "eyarmys"(Chuvash).

Settlement - According to the 2002 census, there are 604,298 people in the Russian Federation of Mari. The Mari are predominantly settled on the territory of the Volga-Ural historical and ethnographic region. 60% of the Mari population lives in the Vetluzhsko-Vyatka interfluve (Mari El and adjacent areas of the Kirov and Nizhny Novgorod regions), about 20% along the Belaya rivers in Ufa and in their interfluve (northwest Bashkiria and southwest Sverdlovsk region).

Small groups of Mari villages are found in Tataria, Udmurtia, Perm and Chelyabinsk regions. In the 20th century, especially after the Great Patriotic War, the proportion of Mari living outside their traditional settlement areas increased.

Nowadays, more than 15% live beyond the Urals, in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, in the south of the European part of Russia, in Ukraine and other places. total number Mari

Clothing - Traditional women's and men's suit consisted of a headdress, a tunic-like shirt, a caftan, a belt with pendants, trousers, leather shoes or bast shoes with woolen and canvas footwear. Woman suit it was most richly ornamented with embroidery and complemented with removable decorations. The costume was produced mainly by home methods.

Clothes and shoes were made from hemp, less often linen, homemade cloth and half-cloth, tanned animal skins, wool, bast, etc. Mari men's clothing was influenced by Russian costume, which was associated with handicrafts. Traditional men's undershirt ( Tuvir, Tygyr) had a tunic-like cut. A panel folded in half made up the front and back of the shirt; sleeves were sewn to it at right angles to the width of the canvas, and under the sleeves, side panels in the form of rectangular panels were sewn to the waist.

The embroidery on the shirts was located at the collar, at the chest slit, on the back, sleeve cuffs and hem.

Settlements - The Mari have long developed a riverine-ravine type of settlement. Their ancient habitats were located along the banks of large rivers - the Volga, Vetluga, Sura, Vyatka and their tributaries. Early settlements, according to archaeological data, existed in the form of fortified settlements ( pocket, op) and unfortified villages ( Ilem, surt), related by family ties.

Until the middle of the 19th century. the layout of the Mari settlements was dominated by cumulus, disorderly forms, inherited early forms resettlement by family-patronymic groups. The transition from cumulus forms to an ordinary street layout of streets occurred gradually in the middle - second half of the 19th century.

Noticeable changes in layout occurred after the 1960s. Modern central estates of agricultural enterprises combine the features of street, block and zoned layouts. Types of Mari settlements are villages, villages, neighborhoods, repairs, settlements.

The village is the most common type of settlement, accounting for about half of all types of settlements in the mid-19th century.

National Republic of Mari El

The Republic of Mari El is located in the center of the European part of Russia, in the basin of the great Russian river Volga. The area of ​​the republic is 23.2 thousand square meters. km, population - about 728 thousand people, capital - city.

Yoshkar-Ola (founded in 1584). From the north, north-east and east, Mari El borders on the Kirov region, from the south-east and south - on the republics of Tatarstan and Chuvashia, and in the west and north-west - on the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Guests of the republic are invariably amazed and delighted by the nature of the region. Mari El is a land of the purest springs, deep rivers and beautiful lakes. The rivers Ilet, Bolshaya Kokshaga, Yushut, Kundysh are among the cleanest in Europe.

The pearls of the Mari region are the forest lakes Yalchik, Kichier, Karas, and Sea Eye. The northeastern regions of the republic have long been called “Mari Switzerland”.

The culture of the Republic of Mari El is also unique. There are not many regions in Russia where there are still Everyday life You can meet people in national clothes, where the faith of their ancestors has been preserved - paganism, where traditional culture is an integral and organic part of modern life.

Figure 1. Ancient jewelry, 4-6 centuries: // Medzhitova, D.E. Mari Mari folk art = Kalik. Article: album / Medzhitova E.D. - Yoshkar-Ola 1985: .

Photo 2. Beer spoons. Herbalist and the mountains of Marie. Kazan province, 19th century: [Photos: Tsv. 19.0x27.5 cm] // Medzhitova, D.E. Mari Mari folk art = Kalik article: album / Medzhitova E.D. - Yoshkar-Ola, 1985 - P. 147.

Gerasimova E.F. Traditional musical instruments of Mary in the system of primary music education / E.

F. Gerasimova // Musical instrument of the peoples of the Volga region and the Urals: traditions and modernity. - Izhevsk, 2004 - p. 29-30.

The Art of Maria // Folk decorative skills of the peoples of the RSFSR. - M., 1957. - p. one hundred and third

Kryukova T.A. Mari vez = Mari Tu: r / T.A. Kryukova; Maris.

scientific research etc. I, lit. and history, State. Museum of Ethnography of the Peoples of the USSR. - L., 1951. - Text par.: Rus., Marius. language

Mariž kalyk Art: Album / Medžitova ED – Yoshkar-Ola: Marijs. book. publishing house, 1985. - 269 pp.: ill., color. ill. +Res. (7 seconds). On the road. auto not indicated. — Parallel text: Russian, Marius. language Residence in English. and Hungarian. language — Bibliography: p. 269-270.

Model of embroidered women's T-shirts. Fragments. Herbalist Marie. Kazan region. First half of the 19th century: [Photos: color; 19.0 × 27.5 cm] // Mezhitova, E.D. Mari Mari art: Mari kalyk: album / Medzhitova E.D. - Yoshkar-Ola, 1985 - p. two hundred and sixth

Wedding towels. Fragments. Additional weaving. East Marie. Ufa province, 1920-1930s: [Photos: color; 19.0x27.5 cm] // Medzhitova, D.E. Mari Mari folk art = Kalik article: album / Medzhitova E.D. - Yoshkar-Ola, 1985 - P. 114.

Figure 5.

Dagger married women rustles. Herbalist Marie. Vyatka province, 18th century: [Photos: color. 19.0 × 27.5 cm] // Medzhitova, E. Mari folk art = Mari kalyk Art: Album / Mezhitova E.D. — Yoshkar-Ola, 1985.

Photo 6. Women's cervical and chest jewelry - kishkivudzhan arsash. Herbalist Marie. Kazan province, 19th century: [Photos: Tsv. 19.0x27.5 cm] // Medzhitova, D.E. Mari Mari folk art = Kalik article: album / Medzhitova E.D. - Yoshkar-Ola, 1985 - P. 40.

Women's chest and back trim - shy arshash. Herbalist Marie. Kazan region. Second half of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries: [Photos: color; 19.0 × 27.5 cm] // Medzhitova E.

D. Mari folk art = Mariy kalyk Art: Album / Medzhitova ED - Yoshkar-Ola, 1985. - P. 66.

Molotova L.N. Art of the peoples of the Volga region and the Urals / Molotova L.N. // Folk art of the Russian Federation: from pos. Gos. Museum of Ethnography of the Peoples of the USSR. - L., 1981. - p. 22-25.

Aprons. Additional weaving. East Marie. Udmurt and Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, 1940-1950: [Photos: color; 19.0 × 27.5 cm] // Mezhitova, E.D. Mari human art = Mari kalyk: album / Medzhitova E.

D. - Yoshkar-Ola, 1985. - S.

Marie or Cheremis

one hundred and eighteenth

Photo 9. Women's T-shirts. Additional weaving. East Marie. Ufa region. Second half of the 19th century - first half of the 20th century: [Photos: color; 19.0 × 27.5 cm] // Mezhitova, E.D. Mari human art = Mari kalyk: album / Medzhitova E.

D. - Yoshkar-Ola, 1985. - P. 120.

Nikitin V.V. Sources of Mari art = Mari artistic tungalty Children / V.V. Nikitin, T.B. Nikitina; Maris. scientific research etc. I, lit. and their stories. V. M. Vasilyeva, Scientific-Prov. Center for the Protection and Use of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Ministry of Culture, Press and Nationalities. Mari El Republic. - Yoshkar-Ola: , 2004. - 150, p. : sick. — The text is parallel. Russian, Marius. Residence Eng.

The book presents archaeological materials about the artistic history of the population of the Vetluz-Vatka Bear from the Stone Age to the 17th century, and studies the problems and direction of the creation and development of Mary's folk art.

Basics artistic craft mara: handmade work for children: for teachers of preschool children.

institutions, teachers. classes, hands. Art. studio / Marie. Phil. Feder. state. Sci. Institution “Institute for Problems of National Schools”; auto-comp. L. E. Maykova. - Yoshkar-Ola: , 2007. - 165, p.

Soloviev, G.

I. Mari folk wood carving / Solovyova G.I. — 2nd ed., Revised. — Yoshkar-Ola: Marius. book. publishing house, 1989. - 134 p. — Bibliography: p. one hundred twenty-eighth

This book is the first general publication to cover the most widespread and traditional art form of Mari art.

The work was written based on a study of literature sources and analysis of materials collected during expeditions of the Mari Research Institute.

Khmelnitskaya L. Traditional Mari culture and the influence of Russian cultural traditions on its territory / L. Khmelnitskaya // Ethnocultural history Ural people 16.-21. Centuries: problems of nationality.

identification and culture. interaction. - Ekaterinburg, 2005. - st. 116-125

The Mari in the past were known as "Cheremis"; this name is found in historical monuments from the 10th century.1 The Mari themselves call themselves Mari, Mari, Mar (man). This self-name has been established as an ethnonym since the formation of the Mari Autonomous Region. The Mari live mainly within the Middle Volga region. Their total number throughout the Soviet Union is 504.2 thousand. In small groups, the Mari are scattered in the Bashkir, Tatar and Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics, Kirov, Gorky, Sverdlovsk, Perm and Orenburg regions.

The bulk of the Mari (55% of their total number) live in the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In addition to the Mari, Russians, Tatars, Chuvash, Udmurts, Bashkirs, and Mordovians live in the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

The Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic is located in the middle part of the Volga basin.

In the north and northeast it borders with the Kirov region, in the southeast with the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, in the southwest with the Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, in the west with the Gorky region. The Volga divides the territory of the republic into a large low-lying left-bank plain - the forested Trans-Volga region - and the right bank, which occupies a relatively small part - mountainous, indented by deep ravines and valleys of small rivers. The rivers of the Volga basin flow through the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic: Vetluga, Rutka, Kokshaga, Ilet, etc. On the territory of the republic there are large forests and many forest lakes.

The Mari are divided into three groups: mountain (kuryk marii), meadow (iolyk marii) or forest (kozhla marii) and eastern (upo marii).

The bulk of the mountain Mari inhabit the right, mountainous bank of the Volga, the meadow Mari live in the wooded areas of the left bank; Eastern Mari villages are located within Bashkiria and partly in the Sverdlovsk region. and in the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

This division has existed for a long time. Already Russian chronicles distinguished between mountain and meadow “cheremis”; the same division is also found in old cartography of the 17th century.

However, the territorial attribute adopted to designate individual groups of Mari is largely arbitrary. Thus, the mountain Mari inhabiting the Gornomari region of the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic live not only on the mountainous right bank, but also partially on the left bank of the Volga. The main differences between these groups are linguistic features and some uniqueness of life.

The Mari language belongs to the eastern branch of the Finno-Ugric languages ​​and has three main dialects: meadow, eastern and mountain.

In terms of vocabulary, the first two are close, while mountain is only 60-70% similar to them. In all these dialects there are a number of words of common Finno-Ugric origin, for example kid (hand), vur (blood), etc.

etc., and many words borrowed from the Russian language as a result of long-term cultural communication with the Russian people.

The Mari have two literary languages: Meadow-Eastern and Mountain Mari, which differ mainly in phonetics: the Meadow-Eastern language has 8 vowel phonemes, and the Mountain Mari language has 10. The consonant system is basically the same; The grammatical structure is also common.

In recent years, the vocabulary of the Mari language has been enriched thanks to new word formations and the assimilation of international terms through the Russian language.

The Mari writing is based on the Russian alphabet with the addition of some diacritics to more accurately convey the sounds of the Mari language.

Brief historical sketch

The Mari tribes were formed as a result of the interaction of the bearers of the Pyanobor culture on the left bank of the Volga with the tribes of the late Teoden culture living on the right bank.

The data at our disposal allows us to see the Mari as aborigines of the local region. A.P. Smirnov writes: “The Mari tribes were formed on the basis of earlier tribal groups that inhabited the interfluve of the Volga and Vyatka, and are the autochthonous population of the region.” However, it would be incorrect to identify the ancient inhabitants of the Volga region with the modern Mari people, since it was formed as a result of the crossing of many tribes, from which the peoples of the Volga region were subsequently formed.

In a letter from the Khazar king Joseph (mid-10th century), “tsarmis” are mentioned among the Volga peoples under his control, in which it is easy to recognize “cheremis”.

The Russian Tale of Bygone Years also mentions the “Cheremis” living at the confluence of the Oka and the Volga. This latest news allows us to significantly expand our understanding of the boundaries of the settlement of the Mari in the past. At the end of the 1st - beginning of the 2nd millennium AD. e. the Mari were influenced by the Bulgars. In the first half of the 13th century. The Bulgarian state was defeated by the Mongols and lost its independence.

The power of the Golden Horde was established in the Volga region. At the beginning of the 15th century. The Kazan Khanate was formed, under whose rule the bulk of the Mari came to be.

The Golden Horde culture also influenced the formation of the Mari culture. At the same time, there are obvious traces of close communication with neighboring peoples (Mordovians, Udmurts), with whom the Mari share a common origin.

Archaeological material allows us to trace the ancient connections of the Mari tribes with the Slavs, but the question of the relationship between the ancient Slavic and Mari cultures has not yet been sufficiently developed.

After the fall of Kazan (1552), the territory occupied by the Mari was annexed to the Russian state.

At this time, patriarchal-tribal relations dominated among the Mari. Legends have been preserved about the existence of princes in the past in Mari society.

Apparently, this concept meant representatives of the distinguished tribal elite, since there is no information about the feudal dependence of the Mari population on these princes. In legends, the Mari princes

act as heroes - military leaders. During the period of the Kazan Khanate, some of these princes probably joined the ruling class of Tatar society, since there is information about the existence of the Mari Murzas and Tarkhans.

As part of the Russian state, the Mari Murzas and Tarkhans became part of the service people and gradually merged with the Russian nobility.

The inclusion of the Mari in the population of the Russian state contributed to their introduction to the more developed culture of the Russian people.

However, their situation remained difficult. The forced introduction of Christianity, numerous extortions, abuses of local authorities, the seizure of the best lands by monasteries and landowners, military service and various in-kind duties placed a heavy burden on the Mari population, which more than once served as the reason for the Mari to speak out against social and national oppression.

The Mari, together with other peoples of the Volga region and the Russians, took an active part in the peasant wars under the leadership of Stepan Razin and Emelyan Pugachev (XVII-XVIII centuries).

Uprisings of Mari peasants also broke out in the middle and end of the 19th century.

The Christianization of the Mari began at the end of the 16th century. and especially intensified in mid-18th century V. But the Christian religion was actually not accepted even by the baptized Mari population.

The transition to the glorification of the peoples of the Volga region did not supplant paganism; Christian rituals were often performed under duress. The majority of the Mari, who were formally Orthodox, retained many remnants of pre-Christian beliefs. In addition, there remained, mainly among the eastern and meadow Mari, a group of so-called chi marii - “real Mari”, i.e.

i.e. unbaptized. The Mari encountered Islam even before Christianization, but its influence was insignificant, although some groups of Mari observed certain Muslim customs, for example, considering Friday a holiday.

The pre-Christian beliefs of the Mari are characterized by polytheism. Chief among the deities who personified the elements of nature was the good god Yumo, the god of the sky. The bearer of evil, according to the Mari, was the peremet; they prayed to him and made sacrifices in special kermet groves.

In general, the Mari did not have a coherent religious system. We can only talk about a complex interweaving of beliefs that arose at different stages of social development.

Magic occupied a significant place in the beliefs and rituals of the Mari. Magical actions were associated, for example, with the cycle of agricultural work: the plow festival (aga-payrem), the autumn festival of new bread (kinde payrem).

The festival of manure of fields was associated in time with the ritual of sur rem - the expulsion of an evil spirit.

The struggle of the Russian autocracy and the church against the pre-Christian beliefs of the Mari lasted for many decades and especially intensified in the 19th century. In their actions, the administration and the church relied on the wealthy strata of the village. Repressions against the general mass of the Mari population, who did not succumb to Christianization, aroused religious-nationalist sentiments among the Mari.

In the 70s of the XIX century. The Kugu Sorta (Big Candle) sect appeared, which tried to reform old beliefs on the basis of pronounced nationalism and was extremely reactionary.

It is no coincidence that already under Soviet power, during the intensified class struggle in the countryside during the period of collectivization, sectarians actively opposed collective farms, as well as cultural events.

By the beginning of the 20th century. include organized joint actions of Russian and Mari workers - against tsarism and the exploiting classes.

National character of the Mari

This was largely due to the growth of the working class in connection with the development of industry in the Mari region (here in 1913, for example, 1,480 workers were already employed in industry).

As elsewhere in Russia, the Bolshevik Party stood at the head of the working masses. The first Bolshevik Social Democratic circle on the territory of what is now the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created in the spring of 1905.

in the village of Yurino from workers at tanneries. He had connections with the Nizhny Novgorod district center of the RSDLP. In 1905-1906 Political demonstrations took place under his leadership.

During the revolution of 1905-1907.

The Kazan regional committee of the RSDLP led joint actions of Russian, Chuvash and Mari workers and peasants against the landowners and the local bourgeoisie.

Such revolutionary uprisings took place in Zvenigovo, Kokshamary, Mariinsky Posad and other villages and towns of Kozmodemyansky and Cheboksary districts. These protests were mercilessly suppressed by the tsarist authorities.

After the overthrow of tsarism in March 1917, power in the Mari region was seized by the bourgeoisie, which organized the so-called Committee of Public Security in Tsarevokokshaisk (now Yoshkar-Ola).

However, revolutionary forces also grew, and in May 1917, Mari workers began seizing private lands and enterprises.

The complete liberation of the Mari people from political, economic and national oppression was carried out during the Great October Revolution socialist revolution. At the beginning of January 1918, Soviet power was established in the Mari region.

On January 30, the district congress of Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies began its work. At the end of the same year, the first party cell was created. During Kolchak’s offensive in the Volga region in 1919, 50% of the entire party membership went to the front; On the initiative of the party organization, volunteers were recruited from among the Mari workers, who were formed into special-purpose companies and sent to the Eastern Front.

In the struggle against foreign invaders and internal enemies, the Mari workers marched in the same ranks with other peoples of the multinational Soviet country.

A significant date for the Mari people is November 4, 1920 - the date of publication of the decree on the formation of the Mari Autonomous Region signed by V.I. Lenin and M.I. Kalinin. The Mari Autonomous Region included Krasnokokshaysky and part of the Kozmodemyansky district of the Kazan province, as well as volosts with the Mari population of the Iranian and Urzhum districts of the Vyatka province.

and Yemaninskaya volost of Vasilsursky district of Nizhny Novgorod province. The regional center became the city of Krasnokokshaysk, which was later renamed Yoshkar-Ola. At the beginning of 1921, the Mari regional party organization took shape organizationally. On June 1, 1921, the First Congress of Soviets of the Mari Autonomous Region opened, outlining practical measures to restore the national economy.

In 1936, the Mari Autonomous Region was transformed into the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

The devotion of the Mari people to the Motherland and the Communist Party manifested itself with particular force during the harsh years of the Great Patriotic War, when Mari patriots showed themselves to be courageous fighters both at the front and in the rear.

The collective farmer from the village swore the oath of the legendary Mari hero Choray. Nyrgynda, Private Eruslanov before leaving for the front: “As long as my eyes see the light, and my hands bend in the joints, my heart will not tremble. If my heart trembles, let my eyes close forever.” And the heart of the brave warrior did not waver: in 1943, his tank destroyed an entire fascist unit.

A heroic feat was performed by Komsomol partisan O. A. Tikhomirova, who, after the death of her commander, led the partisans into an attack. For their courage and courage, forty soldiers of the Mari Republic were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union; more than 10 thousand were awarded military orders and medals.

fighters and commanders. During the war, collective farms of the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic joined the national movement to help the front. They donated 1,751,737 pounds of bread, 1,247,206 pounds of meat, 3,488 short fur coats, 28,100 pairs of felt boots and 43 million rubles to the army fund. Members of the Peredovik collective farm built two airplanes using their personal funds.

The post-war period in the republic, as in the entire Soviet Union, is characterized by an increased role public organizations, the further development of Soviet democracy.

The workers of the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic take an active part in the work of local Soviets through permanent commissions. Greater powers are vested in production meetings at enterprises and collective farms. The role of the Komsomol has increased both in cities and in rural areas. The youth of the Mari Republic, on Komsomol vouchers, go to the mines of Donbass, to Angarstroy, to the construction of railways and the virgin lands of Kazakhstan.

Labor exploits of communist labor brigades in industry and agriculture - real contribution of the Mari people in the common cause of building a communist society.

(self-name ≈ mari; former name≈ Cheremis), people; live mainly in the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, as well as in the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Udmurd Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Kirov, Gorky, Perm and Sverdlovsk regions of the RSFSR. They are divided into 3 territorial groups: mountainous, meadow (or forest) and eastern M. Mountain M. live mainly on the right bank of the Volga, meadow ≈ on the left, eastern ≈ in Bashkiria and the Sverdlovsk region. The total number is 599 thousand people (1970 census). Language M.

Reflections on the Mari people

(see Mari language) belongs to the eastern branch of the Finno-Ugric languages. After the Mari lands became part of the Russian state in the 16th century, the Christianization of M. began, but the eastern and small groups of meadow M. did not accept Christianity; they retained pre-Christian beliefs, especially the cult of ancestors, until the 20th century.

By origin, M. are closely related to the ancient population of the Volga region. The beginning of the formation of the Mari tribes dates back to the turn of the century. e., this process took place mainly on the right bank of the Volga, partly capturing the left bank regions of the Volga region.

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. In progress historical development M.

became closer and interacted with the neighboring peoples of the Volga region. Resettlement to Bashkiria began at the end of the 16th century and occurred especially intensively in the 17th and 18th centuries. The cultural and historical rapprochement with the Russian people began in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. After the annexation of the Middle Volga region to Russia (16th century), ties expanded and strengthened. After the October Revolution of 1917, M. received national autonomy and formed into a socialist nation.

M. are employed both in agriculture and in industry, created mainly during the years of Soviet power. Many features of the original national culture M. in modern times received further development ≈ folklore, decorative arts(especially embroidery), music and song traditions.

The national Mari arose and developed fiction, theater, fine arts. The national intelligentsia has grown.

About the history, economy and culture of M., see also Art. Mari ASSR.

Lit.: Smirnov I.N., Cheremisy, Kaz., 1889: Kryukova T.A., Material culture of the Mari of the 19th century, Yoshkar-Ola, 1956; Essays on the history of the Mari ASSR (From ancient times to the Great October Socialist Revolution), Yoshkar-Ola, 1965; Essays on the history of the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1917 ≈ 1960), Yoshkar-Ola, 1960; Kozlova K.

I., Ethnography of the peoples of the Volga region; M., 1964; Peoples of the European part of the USSR, vol. 2, M., 1964; Origin of the Mari people, Yoshkar-Ola, 1967.

K.I. Kozlova.

Origin of people

The question of the origins of the Mari people is controversial to this day. The first theory is the scientific basis of the ethnogenesis of Mari, expressed in 1845 by the famous Finnish linguist M. Castren. Marie tried to define it as a chronicle. 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 other researchers from the second half of the nineteenth to the first half of the twentieth century.

A new hypothesis in 1949, he made an important Soviet archaeologist A.P. Smirnov to find Gorodets (near Mordovians) foundations, other archaeologists Bader V.F. Gening, defending his dissertation dyakovskom (close to action) the origin of the Mari.

However, archaeologists have been able to convincingly demonstrate that the acts and Marie, although related, are not the same people. In the late 1950s, when it became a regular act of the Mari archaeological expedition, its leaders A.H.Halikov G.A.Arhipov and developed the theory of the mixed azelinskoy Gorodetsky (volzhskofinsko-Perm), based on the Mari people.

Later GAArhipov further developed this hypothesis, discovered and studied new archaeological sites showed that the mixed basis of the Mari is dominated by the components of Gorodetsky Dyakovo (Volgo-Finnish) and the creation of the ethnic Mari, which began in the first half of the 1st millennium BC, which ended in the 9th century as a whole. - XI century, the Mari ethnic group had already begun to be divided into two main groups - the mountains and the meadow Mari (in the past, compared to the first, the stronger influence of the Azelinskie (permoyazychnye) tribes).

Currently, this theory is generally supported by the majority of scientists and archaeologists who study this problem. Mari archaeologist V.S. Patrushev put forward a different hypothesis that the formation of the ethnic foundations of both Mari Mary and Mure, formed on the basis of the image of the Akhmylovskaya population. Linguists (I.S.Galkin, D.E.Kazantsev), based on language data, indicate that the creation on the territory of the Mari people should not be found in the area between Vetluzhsky-Vyatsky, as archaeologists believe, and to the southwest, between Oka and Suri.

Archaeologists TBNikitina, according to data, not only archeology, linguistics, but they also came to the conclusion that the ancestral home of Mari is located in the Volga part of the interfluve Oki-Sura and Povetluzhe and east to Vyatka occurred in the 8th - 11th centuries, during which contact was made and mixing with the Azalian (Permian) tribes.

The source of the “Mari” and “Cheremis” ethnic groups

The question of the origin of the Mari and Cheremis ethnons remains complex and unclear. The meaning of the word "Mari", the name of the name Mary itself, many linguists come from the Indo-European term "mar", "measures" in various sound versions (translated as "man", "husband").

The word "Cheremis" (called "Russian Mari" and a slightly different but similar vowel by many other people) has many different interpretations. The first written mention of this name (in the original "c-p-MIS"), which is available in the letter of Kazar Kagan Joseph on the Scientology of the Hard of Cordoba to Hasdai ibn Shaprut (960s).

Marie. History of ethnicity

The degree of elasticity of Kazantsev followed the historian XIX. Century. G.I. Peretyatskovich came to the conclusion that the name “Cheremisian” was given by the Maris tribe of Mordovia, and translated this word means “a person living on the sunny side in the east.” According to I.G. Ivanov, “Cheremisyan” is “a person of the Chera or Hora tribe,” in other words, the name of one of the tribes of the neighboring Mari nation, and then spread to the entire ethnic group.

The wide popular version of Mari etnografi 1920 - early 1930 and F.E. Egorova M. N. Yantemir shows that it extends to the ethnonym of the Turkish term “man’s warrior”.

F.I. Gordeev and supports his version of I.S. Galkin to defend hypotheses about the origin of the word “Cheremisian” from the ethnonym “Sarmatian” through mediation in Turkish languages. A number of other versions were released. The problem of the etymology of the word “Cheremisian” is complicated by the fact that in the Middle Ages (until the 17th-18th centuries) in some cases it was not only the Mari, but also their neighbors - the Chuvash and Udmurts.

links

For more details see: S.K. Svechnikov.

Methodical manual "History of people IX-XVI. Century "Yoshkar-Ola: GOU DPO (PK) C" Mari Institute of Education ", 2005

The Mari, formerly known as the Cheremis, were famous in the past for their belligerence. Today they are called the last pagans of Europe, since the people managed to carry through the centuries the national religion, which a significant part of them still professes. This fact will be even more surprising if you know that writing among the Mari people appeared only in the 18th century.

Name

The self-name of the Mari people goes back to the word “Mari” or “Mari”, which means “man”. A number of scientists believe that it may be associated with the name of the ancient Russian people Meri, or Merya, who lived on the territory of modern Central Russia and was mentioned in a number of chronicles.

In ancient times, the mountain and meadow tribes that lived in the Volga-Vyatka interfluve were called Cheremis. The first mention of them in 960 is found in a letter from the Khagan of Khazaria Joseph: he mentioned the “Tsaremis” among the peoples who paid tribute to the Khaganate. Russian chronicles noted the Cheremis much later, only in the 13th century, along with the Mordovians, classifying them among the peoples living on the Volga River.
The meaning of the name “cheremis” has not been fully established. It is known for certain that the “mis” part, like “mari”, means “person”. However, what kind of person this person was, the opinions of researchers differ. One of the versions refers to the Turkic root “cher”, meaning “to fight, to be at war.” The word “janissary” also comes from him. This version seems plausible, since the Mari language is the most Turkicized of the entire Finno-Ugric group.

Where live

More than 50% of the Mari live in the Republic of Mari El, where they make up 41.8% of its population. The republic is a subject of the Russian Federation and is part of the Volga Federal District. The capital of the region is the city of Yoshkar-Ola.
The main area where the people live is the area between the Vetluga and Vyatka rivers. However, depending on the place of settlement, linguistic and cultural characteristics There are 4 groups of Mari:

1. Northwestern. They live outside of Mari El, in the Kirov and Nizhny Novgorod regions. Their language is significantly different from the traditional one, but they did not have their own written language until 2005, when the first book was published in national language northwestern Mari.
2. Mountain. In modern times they are small in number - about 30-50 thousand people. They live in the western part of Mari El, mainly on the southern, partly on the northern banks of the Volga. The cultural differences of the mountain Mari began to take shape in the 10th-11th centuries, thanks to close communication with the Chuvash and Russians. They have their own Mountain Mari language and writing.
3. Eastern. A significant group consisting of immigrants from the meadow part of the Volga in the Urals and Bashkortostan.
4. Meadow. The most significant group in terms of numbers and cultural influence, living in the Volga-Vyatka interfluve in the Republic of Mari El.

The last two groups are often combined into one due to the maximum similarity of linguistic, historical and cultural factors. They form groups of Meadow-Eastern Mari with their own Meadow-Eastern language and writing.

Number

The number of Mari, according to the 2010 census, is more than 574 thousand people. Most of them, 290 thousand, live in the Republic of Mari El, which translated means “the land, the homeland of the Mari.” A slightly smaller, but largest community outside of Mari El is located in Bashkiria - 103 thousand people.

The remaining part of the Mari inhabits mainly the Volga and Ural regions, living throughout Russia and beyond. A significant part lives in the Chelyabinsk and Tomsk regions, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug.
The largest diasporas:

• Kirov region - 29.5 thousand people.
• Tatarstan - 18.8 thousand people.
• Udmurtia - 8 thousand people.
• Sverdlovsk region - 23.8 thousand people.
• Perm region - 4.1 thousand people.
• Kazakhstan - 4 thousand people.
• Ukraine - 4 thousand people.
• Uzbekistan - 3 thousand people.

Language

The Meadow-Eastern Mari language, which, along with Russian and Mountain Mari, is the state language in the Republic of Mari El, is included in large group Finno-Ugric languages. And also, along with the Udmurt, Komi, Sami, and Mordovian languages, it is part of the small Finno-Perm group.
There is no exact information about the origin of the language. It is believed that it was formed in the Volga region before the 10th century on the basis of Finno-Ugric and Turkic dialects. It underwent significant changes during the period when the Mari joined the Golden Horde and the Kazan Kaganate.
Mari writing arose quite late, only in the second half of the 18th century. Because of this, there is no written evidence about the life, life and culture of the Mari throughout their formation and development.
The alphabet was created on the basis of Cyrillic, and the first text in Mari that has survived to this day dates back to 1767. It was created by the Mountain Mari who studied in Kazan, and it was dedicated to the arrival of Empress Catherine the Second. The modern alphabet was created in 1870. Today, a number of national newspapers and magazines are published in the Meadow-Eastern Mari language, and it is studied in schools in Bashkiria and Mari El.

Story

The ancestors of the Mari people began to develop the modern Volga-Vyatka territory at the beginning of the first millennium new era. They migrated from the southern and western regions to the East under pressure from aggressive Slavic and Turkic peoples. This led to assimilation and partial discrimination of the Permians who originally lived in this territory.

Some Mari adhere to the version that the ancestors of the people in the distant past came to the Volga from Ancient Iran. Afterwards, assimilation took place with the Finno-Ugric and Slavic tribes living here, but the identity of the people was partially preserved. This is supported by the research of philologists, who note that the Mari language has Indo-Iranian inclusions. This is especially true for ancient prayer texts, which have remained virtually unchanged for centuries.
By the 7th-8th centuries, the Proto-Marians moved north, occupying the territory between Vetluga and Vyatka, where they live to this day. During this period, the Turkic and Finno-Ugric tribes had a serious influence on the formation of culture and mentality.
The next stage in the history of the Cheremis dates back to the X-XIV centuries, when their closest neighbors from the west turned out to be East Slavs, and from the south and east - the Volga Bulgars, Khazars, and then the Tatar-Mongols. For a long time The Mari people were dependent on the Golden Horde, and then on the Kazan Khanate, to whom they paid tribute in furs and honey. Part of the Mari lands was under the influence of Russian princes and, according to the chronicles of the 12th century, were also subject to tribute. For centuries, the Cheremis had to maneuver between the Kazan Khanate and the Russian authorities, who tried to attract the people, whose number at that time amounted to up to a million people, to their side.
In the 15th century, during the period of aggressive attempts by Ivan the Terrible to overthrow Kazan, the mountain Mari came under the rule of the king, and the Meadow Mari supported the Khanate. However, due to the victory of the Russian troops, in 1523 the lands became part of the Russian State. However, the name of the Cheremis tribe does not mean “warlike” for nothing: already in next year it rebelled and overthrew the provisional rulers until 1546. Subsequently, the bloody “Cheremis Wars” broke out twice more in the struggle for national independence, the overthrow of the feudal regime and the elimination of Russian expansion.
For the next 400 years, the life of the people proceeded relatively calmly: having achieved the preservation of national authenticity and the opportunity to practice their own religion, the Mari were engaged in the development of agriculture and crafts, without interfering in the socio-political life of the country. After the revolution, the Mari Autonomy was formed, in 1936 - the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, in 1992 it was assigned modern name Mari El Republic.

Appearance

The anthropology of the Mari goes back to the ancient Ural community, which formed the distinctive features of the appearance of the peoples of the Finno-Ugric group as a result of mixing with Caucasians. Genetic studies show that the Mari have genes for haplogroups N, N2a, N3a1, which are also found among the Vepsians, Udmurts, Finns, Komi, Chuvash and Baltic people. Autosomal studies showed kinship with the Kazan Tatars.

Anthropological type modern Mari - Suburalian. The Ural race is intermediate between Mongoloid and Caucasoid. Among the Mari there is more, compared to traditional form, Mongoloid characteristics.
Distinctive features of appearance are:

• average height;
• yellowish or darker skin color than Caucasians;
• almond-shaped, slightly slanted eyes with downward outer corners;
• straight, dense hair of a dark or light brown shade;
• prominent cheekbones.

Cloth

Men's and women's traditional costumes were similar in configuration, but women's were decorated more brightly and richly. Thus, everyday attire consisted of a tunic-like shirt, which was long for women and did not reach the knees for men. They wore loose pants underneath and a caftan on top.

Underwear was made from homespun fabric, which was made from hemp fibers or wool threads. The women's costume was complemented by an embroidered apron; the sleeves, cuffs and collars of the shirt were decorated with ornaments. Traditional patterns - horses, solar signs, plants and flowers, birds, ram's horns. In the cold season, frock coats, sheepskin coats and sheepskin coats were worn over it.
A mandatory element of the costume is a belt or waist wrap made of a piece of linen material. Women complemented it with pendants made of coins, beads, shells, and chains. Shoes were made of bast or leather; in swampy areas they were equipped with special wooden platforms.
Men wore tall hats with narrow brims and mosquito nets, since they spent most of their time outside the home: in the field, in the forest or on the river. Women's hats were famous for their great variety. The magpie was borrowed from the Russians, and the sharpan, that is, a towel tied around the head and fastened with an ochel - a narrow strip of fabric embroidered with traditional ornaments, was popular. A distinctive element of the bride’s wedding costume is a voluminous chest decoration made of coins and metal decorative elements. It was considered a family heirloom and was passed down from generation to generation. The weight of such jewelry could reach up to 35 kilograms. Depending on the place of residence, the features of costumes, ornaments and colors could vary significantly.

Men

The Mari had a patriarchal family structure: the man was in charge, but in the event of his death, a woman became the head of the family. In general, the relationship was equal, although all social issues fell on the shoulders of the man. For a long time, in the Mari settlements there were remnants of levirate and sororate, which oppressed the rights of women, but most of the people did not adhere to them.

Women

The woman in the Mari family played the role of homemaker. She valued hard work, humility, thriftiness, good nature, maternal qualities. Since the bride was offered a substantial dowry, and her role as an au pair was significant, girls got married later than boys. It often happened that the bride was 5-7 years older. They tried to get the guys married as early as possible, often at the age of 15-16 years.

Family life

After the wedding, the bride went to live in her husband’s house, so the Maries had large families. Families of brothers often coexisted in them; older and subsequent generations, the number of which reached 3-4, lived together. The head of the household was the eldest woman, the wife of the head of the family. She gave children, grandchildren and daughters-in-law tasks around the house and looked after their material well-being.
Children in the family were considered the highest happiness, a manifestation of the blessing of the Great God, so they gave birth a lot and often. Mothers and the older generation were involved in upbringing: children were not spoiled and were taught to work from childhood, but they were never offended. Divorce was considered a shame, and permission for it had to be asked from the chief minister of the faith. Couples who expressed such a desire were tied back to back in the main village square while they awaited a decision. If a divorce occurred at the request of a woman, her hair was cut off as a sign that she was no longer married.

Housing

For a long time, Marie lived in typical old Russian log houses with a gable roof. They consisted of a vestibule and a living part, in which a kitchen with a stove was separately fenced, and benches for overnight accommodation were nailed to the walls. Bathhouse and hygiene played a special role: before any important task, especially prayer and rituals, it was necessary to wash. This symbolized the cleansing of the body and thoughts.

Life

The main occupation of the Mari people was arable farming. Field crops - spelled, oats, flax, hemp, buckwheat, oats, barley, rye, turnips. Carrots, hops, cabbage, potatoes, radishes, and onions were planted in the gardens.
Animal husbandry was less common, but poultry, horses, cows and sheep were bred for personal use. But goats and pigs were considered unclean animals. Among men's crafts, wood carving and silver processing to make jewelry stood out.
Since ancient times they have been engaged in beekeeping, and later in apiary beekeeping. Honey was used in cooking, intoxicating drinks were made from it, and was also actively exported to neighboring regions. Beekeeping is still widespread today, being good source income for villagers.

Culture

Due to the lack of writing, Mari culture is concentrated in the oral folk art: fairy tales, songs and legends that the older generation teaches children from childhood. An authentic musical instrument is the shuvyr, an analogue of the bagpipe. It was made from a soaked cow's bladder, supplemented with a ram's horn and a pipe. He imitated natural sounds and accompanied songs and dances along with the drum.

There was also a special dance for cleansing from evil spirits. Trios, consisting of two guys and a girl, took part in it; sometimes all residents of the settlement took part in the festivities. One of its characteristic elements is the tyvyrdyk, or drobushka: a quick synchronized movement of the legs in one place.

Religion

Religion has played a special role in the life of the Mari people in all centuries. The traditional Mari religion has still been preserved and is officially registered. It is professed by about 6% of the Mari, but many people observe the rituals. The people have always been tolerant of other religions, which is why even now the national religion coexists with Orthodoxy.
The traditional Mari religion proclaims faith in the forces of nature, in the unity of all people and everything on earth. Here they believe in a single cosmic god, Osh Kugu-Yumo, or the Great White God. According to legend, he instructed the evil spirit Yin to remove from the World Ocean a piece of clay from which Kugu-Yumo made the earth. Yin threw his part of the clay onto the ground: this is how the mountains turned out. Kugu-Yumo created man from the same material, and brought his soul to him from heaven.

In total, there are about 140 gods and spirits in the pantheon, but only a few are especially revered:

• Ilysh-Shochyn-Ava - analogue of the Mother of God, goddess of birth
• Mer Yumo - manages all worldly affairs
• Mlande Ava - goddess of the earth
• Purysho - god of fate
• Azyren - death itself

Mass ritual prayers take place several times a year in sacred groves: there are between 300 and 400 of them throughout the country. At the same time, services to one or several gods can take place in the grove, sacrifices are made to each of them in the form of food, money, and animal parts. The altar is made in the form of a flooring made of spruce branches installed near sacred tree.

Those who come to the grove prepare the food they brought with them in large cauldrons: meat of geese and ducks, as well as special pies made from the blood of birds and cereals. Afterwards, under the guidance of a card - an analogue of a shaman or priest, a prayer begins, which lasts up to an hour. The ritual ends with eating what has been prepared and cleaning the grove.

Traditions

The ancient traditions are most fully preserved in wedding and funeral rites. The wedding always began with a noisy ransom, after which the newlyweds, on a cart or sleigh covered with bear skin, headed to the cart for the wedding ceremony. All the way, the groom cracked a special whip, driving away evil spirits from his future wife: this whip then remained in the family for life. In addition, their hands were tied with a towel, which symbolized the connection for the rest of their lives. The tradition of baking pancakes for the newly-made husband on the morning after the wedding has also been preserved.

Funeral rites are of particular interest. At any time of the year, the deceased was taken to the churchyard on a sleigh, and put into the house in winter clothes, supplied with a set of things. Among them:

• a linen towel along which he will descend to the kingdom of the dead - this is where the expression “good riddance” comes from;
• rosehip branches to ward off dogs and snakes guarding the afterlife;
• nails accumulated during life in order to cling to rocks and mountains along the way;

Forty days later, an equally terrible custom was performed: a friend of the deceased dressed in his clothes and sat down with the relatives of the deceased at the same table. They took him for dead and asked him questions about life in the next world, conveyed greetings, and told him news. During the general holidays of remembrance, the deceased were also remembered: a separate table was set for them, on which the hostess put little by little all the treats that she had prepared for the living.

Famous Mari

One of the most famous Mari is actor Oleg Taktarov, who played in the films “Viy” and “Predators”. He is also known throughout the world as the “Russian Bear,” the winner of brutal UFC fights, although in fact his roots go back to the ancient Mari people.

The living embodiment of a real Mari beauty is the “Black Angel” Varda, whose mother was a Mari by nationality. She is known as a singer, dancer, model and curvy figure.

The special charm of the Mari lies in their gentle character and mentality based on the acceptance of all things. Tolerance towards others, coupled with the ability to defend their own rights, allowed them to maintain their authenticity and National character.

Video

Anything to add?

This Finno-Ugric people believes in spirits, worships trees and is wary of Ovda. The story of Marie originated on another planet, where a duck flew and laid two eggs, from which two brothers emerged - good and evil. This is how life on earth began. The Mari believe in this. Their rituals are unique, the memory of their ancestors never fades, and the life of this people is imbued with respect for the gods of nature.

It is correct to say marI and not mari - this is very important, the wrong emphasis - and there will be a story about an ancient ruined city. And ours is about the ancient unusual people Marie, who treats all living things very carefully, even plants. The grove is a sacred place for them.

History of the Mari people

Legends say that the history of the Mari began far from earth on another planet. A duck flew from the constellation of the Nest to the blue planet, laid two eggs, from which two brothers emerged - good and evil. This is how life on earth began. The Mari still call the stars and planets in their own way: the Big Dipper - the constellation Elk, the Milky Way - the Star Road along which God walks, the Pleiades - the constellation Nest.

Sacred groves of the Mari – Kusoto

In autumn, hundreds of Maris come to the large grove. Each family brings a duck or goose - this is a purlyk, a sacrificial animal for all-Mary prayers. Only healthy, beautiful and well-fed birds are selected for the ceremony. The Mari line up to the cards - the priests. They check whether the bird is suitable for sacrifice, and then ask for its forgiveness and sanctify it with smoke. It turns out that this is how the Mari express respect for the spirit of fire, and it burns bad words and thoughts, clearing the space for cosmic energy.

The Mari consider themselves a child of nature, and our religion is such that we pray in the forest, in specially designated places that we call groves,” says consultant Vladimir Kozlov. – By turning to a tree, we thereby turn to the cosmos and a connection between the worshipers and the cosmos arises. We do not have any churches or other buildings where the Mari would pray. In nature, we feel like we are part of it, and communication with God passes through the tree and through sacrifices.

No one planted sacred groves on purpose; they have existed since ancient times. The ancestors of the Mari chose groves for prayers. It is believed that these places have very strong energy.

The groves were chosen for a reason; first they looked at the sun, stars and comets,” says Arkady Fedorov, a mapmaker.

Sacred groves are called Kusoto in Mari; they are tribal, village-wide and all-Mari. In some Kusoto, prayers can be held several times a year, while in others - once every 5-7 years. In total, more than 300 sacred groves have been preserved in the Mari El Republic.

In sacred groves you cannot swear, sing or make noise. Immense power kept in these sacred places. The Mari prefer nature, and nature is God. They address nature as a mother: vud ava (mother of water), mlande ava (mother of earth).

The most beautiful and tall tree in the grove is the main one. It is dedicated to the one supreme God Yumo or his divine assistants. Rituals are held around this tree.

Sacred groves are so important for the Mari that for five centuries they fought for their preservation and defended their right to own faith. First they opposed Christianization and then Soviet power. In order to divert the attention of the church from the sacred groves, the Mari formally converted to Orthodoxy. People went to church services, and then secretly performed Mari rituals. As a result, there was a mixture of religions - many christian symbols and traditions also entered the Mari faith.

The sacred grove is perhaps the only place where women relax more than work. They only pluck and dress the birds. The men do everything else: they light fires, install cauldrons, cook broths and porridges, and arrange Onapa, which is the name of the sacred trees. Special tabletops are installed next to the tree, which are first covered with spruce branches symbolizing hands, then they are covered with towels and only then the gifts are laid out. Near Onapu there are signs with the names of the gods, the main one is Tun Osh Kugo Yumo - the One Light Great God. Those who come to prayers decide which of the deities they present bread, kvass, honey, pancakes to. They also hang gift towels and scarves. The Mari will take some things home after the ceremony, but some will remain hanging in the grove.

Legends about Ovda

...Once upon a time there lived an obstinate Mari beauty, but she angered the celestials and God turned her into a terrible creature, Ovda, with large breasts that could be thrown over her shoulder, with black hair and feet with her heels turned forward. People tried not to meet her and, although Ovda could help a person, more often she caused damage. Sometimes she cursed entire villages.

According to legend, Ovda lived on the outskirts of villages in the forest and ravines. In the old days, residents often encountered it, but in the 21st century scary woman nobody has seen. However, people still try not to go to the remote places where she lived alone. Rumor has it that she hid in caves. There is a place called Odo-Kuryk (Ovdy Mountain). In the depths of the forest lie megaliths - huge rectangular boulders. They are very similar to man-made blocks. The stones have smooth edges, and they are arranged in such a way that they form a jagged fence. Megaliths are huge, but they are not so easy to spot. They seem to be skillfully disguised, but for what? One version of the appearance of megaliths is a man-made defensive structure. Probably in the old days the local population defended itself at the expense of this mountain. And this fortress was built by hand in the form of ramparts. The sharp descent was accompanied by an ascent. It was very difficult for enemies to run along these ramparts, but the locals knew the paths and could hide and shoot with arrows. There is an assumption that the Mari could have fought with the Udmurts for land. But what kind of power did you need to have to process the megaliths and install them? Even a few people will not be able to move these boulders. Only mystical creatures can move them. According to legends, it was Ovda who could have installed stones to hide the entrance to her cave, and therefore they say there is a special energy in these places.

Psychics come to the megaliths, trying to find the entrance to the cave, a source of energy. But the Mari prefer not to disturb Ovda, because her character is like a natural element - unpredictable and uncontrollable.

For the artist Ivan Yamberdov, Ovda is the feminine principle in nature, a powerful energy that came from space. Ivan Mikhailovich often rewrites paintings dedicated to Ovda, but each time the results are not copies, but originals, or the composition will change, or the image will suddenly take on a different shape. “It cannot be otherwise,” the author admits, “after all, Ovda is natural energy that is constantly changing.

Although no one has seen the mystical woman for a long time, the Mari believe in her existence and often call healers Ovda. After all, whisperers, soothsayers, herbalists, in fact, are conductors of that same unpredictable natural energy. But only healers, unlike ordinary people, know how to manage it and thereby evoke fear and respect among the people.

Mari healers

Each healer chooses the element that is close to him in spirit. Healer Valentina Maksimova works with water, and in the bathhouse, according to her, the water element gains additional strength, so that any disease can be treated. When performing rituals in the bathhouse, Valentina Ivanovna always remembers that this is the territory of bathhouse spirits and they must be treated with respect. And leave the shelves clean and be sure to thank them.

Yuri Yambatov is the most famous healer in the Kuzhenersky district of Mari El. His element is the energy of trees. The appointment for it was made a month in advance. It accepts one day a week and only 10 people. First of all, Yuri checks the compatibility of energy fields. If the patient’s palm remains motionless, then there is no contact, you will have to work hard to establish it with the help of a sincere conversation. Before starting treatment, Yuri studied the secrets of hypnosis, observed healers, and tested his strength for several years. Of course, he does not reveal the secrets of treatment.

During the session, the healer himself loses a lot of energy. By the end of the day, Yuri simply has no strength; it will take a week to restore it. According to Yuri, diseases come to a person from a wrong life, bad thoughts, bad deeds and insults. Therefore, one cannot rely only on healers; a person himself must make efforts and correct his mistakes in order to achieve harmony with nature.

Mari girl's outfit

Mari women love to dress up, so that the costume is multi-layered and has more decorations. Thirty-five kilograms of silver is just right. Putting on a costume is like a ritual. The outfit is so complex that it is impossible to wear it alone. Previously, in every village there were vestment craftswomen. In an outfit, each element has its own meaning. For example, in a headdress - shrapan - three layers must be observed, symbolizing the trinity of the world. A woman's set of silver jewelry could weigh 35 kilograms. It was passed down from generation to generation. The woman bequeathed the jewelry to her daughter, granddaughter, daughter-in-law, or could leave it to her home. In this case, any woman living in it had the right to wear a set for the holidays. In the old days, craftswomen competed to see whose costume would retain its appearance until the evening.

Mari wedding

...The mountain Mari have cheerful weddings: the gates are locked, the bride is locked up, matchmakers are not allowed in so easily. The girlfriends do not despair - they will still receive their ransom, otherwise the groom will not see the bride. At a Mountain Mari wedding, they hide the bride in such a way that the groom spends a long time looking for her, but if he doesn’t find her, the wedding will be upset. Mountain Mari live in the Kozmodemyansk region of the Mari El Republic. They differ from the Meadow Mari in language, clothing and traditions. The Mountain Mari themselves believe that they are more musical than the Meadow Mari.

The whip is a very important element at a Mountain Mari wedding. It is constantly flipped around the bride. And in the old days they say that even a girl got it. It turns out that this is done so that the jealous spirits of her ancestors do not spoil the newlyweds and the groom’s relatives, so that the bride is released in peace to another family.

Mari bagpipe - shuvir

...In a jar of porridge, a salted cow's bladder will ferment for two weeks, from which they will then make a magical shuvir. A tube and a horn will be attached to the soft bladder and you will get a Mari bagpipe. Each element of the shuvir gives the instrument its own power. While playing, Shuvirzo understands the voices of animals and birds, and listeners fall into a trance, and there are even cases of healing. Shuvyr music also opens a passage to the world of spirits.

Veneration of deceased ancestors among the Mari

Every Thursday, residents of one of the Mari villages invite their deceased ancestors to visit. To do this, they usually don’t go to the cemetery; souls hear the invitation from afar.

Nowadays there are wooden blocks with names on Mari graves, but in the old days there were no identification marks in cemeteries. According to Mari beliefs, a person lives well in heaven, but he still misses the earth very much. And if in the world of the living no one remembers the soul, then it can become embittered and begin to harm the living. That's why deceased relatives are invited to dinner.

Invisible guests are received as if they were alive, and a separate table is set for them. Porridge, pancakes, eggs, salad, vegetables - the housewife should put a portion of each dish she prepared here. After the meal, treats from this table will be given to the pets.

Gathered relatives have dinner at another table, discuss problems, and ask the souls of their ancestors for help in solving difficult issues.

For our dear guests, the bathhouse is heated in the evenings. Especially for them, a birch broom is steamed and heated. The owners can take a steam bath with the souls of the dead themselves, but usually come a little later. The invisible guests are seen off until the village goes to bed. It is believed that in this way souls quickly find their way to their world.

Mari Bear – Mask

Legend says that in ancient times the bear was a man, bad person. Strong, accurate, but cunning and cruel. His name was hunter Mask. He killed animals for fun, did not listen to old people, and even laughed at God. For this, Yumo turned him into a beast. The Mask cried, promised to improve, asked to return his human form, but Yumo ordered him to wear a fur coat and keep order in the forest. And if he performs his service properly, then in his next life he will be born again as a hunter.

Beekeeping in the Mari culture

According to Mari legends, bees were one of the last to appear on Earth. They came here not even from the Pleiades constellation, but from another galaxy, otherwise how can one explain the unique properties of everything that bees produce - honey, wax, beebread, propolis. Alexander Tanygin is the supreme kart; according to Mari laws, every priest must keep an apiary. Alexander has been studying bees since childhood and has studied their habits. As he himself says, he understands them at a glance. Beekeeping is one of the ancient occupations Mari In the old days, people paid taxes with honey, beebread and wax.

In modern villages there are beehives in almost every yard. Honey is one of the main ways to earn money. The top of the hive is covered with old things, this is insulation.

Mari signs associated with bread

Once a year, the Mari take out the museum millstones to prepare bread from the new harvest. The flour for the first loaf is ground by hand. When the housewife kneads the dough she whispers good wishes for those who will get a piece of this loaf. The Mari have many superstitions associated with bread. When sending household members on a long journey, specially baked bread is placed on the table and is not removed until the departed person returns.

Bread is an integral part of all rituals. And even if the housewife prefers to buy it in the store, for the holidays she will definitely bake the loaf herself.

Kugeche - Mari Easter

The stove in a Mari house is not for heating, but for cooking. While the wood is burning in the oven, housewives bake multi-layer pancakes. This is an old national Mari dish. The first layer is ordinary pancake dough, and the second is porridge, it is placed on a browned pancake and the frying pan is again sent closer to the fire. After the pancakes are baked, the coals are removed, and pies with porridge are placed in the hot oven. All these dishes are intended to celebrate Easter, or rather Kugeche. Kugeche is an ancient Mari holiday dedicated to the renewal of nature and the remembrance of the dead. It always coincides with Christian Easter. Homemade candles are a mandatory attribute of the holiday; they are made only by cards with their helpers. The Maries believe that wax absorbs the power of nature, and when it melts, it strengthens prayers.

Over several centuries, the traditions of the two religions have become so mixed that in some Mari houses there is a red corner and on holidays homemade candles are lit in front of the icons.

Kugeche is celebrated for several days. Loaf, pancake and cottage cheese symbolize the trinity of the world. Kvass or beer is usually poured into a special ladle - a symbol of fertility. After prayer, this drink is given to all women to drink. And on Kugeche you are supposed to eat a colored egg. The Mari smash him against the wall. At the same time, they try to raise their hand higher. This is done so that the hens lay in the right place, but if the egg is broken below, the hens will not know their place. The Mari also roll colored eggs. At the edge of the forest they lay out boards and throw eggs, while making a wish. And the further the egg rolls, the greater the likelihood of the plan being fulfilled.

In the village of Petyaly, near the St. Guryev Church, there are two springs. One of them appeared at the beginning of the last century, when the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God was brought here from the Kazan Mother of God hermitage. A font was installed near him. And the second source has been known since time immemorial. Even before the adoption of Christianity, these places were sacred for the Mari. Sacred trees still grow here. So both baptized Mari and unbaptized ones come to the springs. Everyone turns to their God and receives peace, hope and even healing. In fact, this place has become a symbol of the reconciliation of two religions - the ancient Mari and Christian.

Films about the Mari

Marie live in the Russian outback, but the whole world knows about them thanks to the creative union of Denis Osokin and Alexey Fedorchenko. The film “Heavenly Wives of the Meadow Mari” about fairy-tale culture small people conquered the Rome Film Festival. In 2013, Oleg Irkabaev shot the first feature film about the Mari people, “A Pair of Swans Above the Village.” Mari through the eyes of Mari - the movie turned out to be kind, poetic and musical, just like the Mari people themselves.

Rituals in the Mari sacred grove

...At the beginning of the card prayer, candles are lit. In the old days, only homemade candles were brought into the grove; church candles were prohibited. Nowadays there are no such strict rules; in the grove no one is asked what faith he professes. Since a person came here, it means he considers himself part of nature, and this is the main thing. So during prayers you can also see Mari being baptized. The Mari harp is the only musical instrument that is allowed to be played in the grove. It is believed that the music of the gusli is the voice of nature itself. Knife strikes on an ax blade resemble bell ringing- This is a rite of purification by sound. It is believed that vibration in the air drives away evil, and nothing prevents a person from being saturated with pure cosmic energy. Those same personalized gifts, along with the tablets, are thrown into the fire, and kvass is poured on top. The Mari believe that the smoke from burnt food is the food of the Gods. The prayer does not last long, after which comes perhaps the most pleasant moment - a treat. The Mari put first selected seeds into bowls, symbolizing the rebirth of all living things. There is almost no meat on them, but this does not matter - the bones are sacred and will transfer this energy to any dish.

No matter how many people come to the grove, there will be enough food for everyone. The porridge will also be taken home to treat those who could not come here.

In the grove, all the attributes of prayer are very simple, no frills. This is done to emphasize that everyone is equal before God. The most valuable things in this world are human thoughts and actions. And the sacred grove is an open portal of cosmic energy, the center of the Universe, therefore, with whatever attitude the Mari enters the sacred grove, it will reward him with such energy.

When everyone has left, the cards and assistants will remain to restore order. They will come here the next day to complete the ceremony. After such large prayers, the sacred grove must rest for five to seven years. No one will come here and disturb Kusomo's peace. The grove will be charged with cosmic energy, which in a few years during prayers it will again give to the Mari in order to strengthen their faith in the one bright God, nature and the cosmos.

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 in the current vocabulary given word not used. 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 course. 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 Mari nationality loved to decorate their outfit. 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.

Concerning marriage traditions, then the 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, are silent about this historical fact, attributing to himself 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 extinction has become acute national traditions, culture, folk language. 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 of large, industrial cities, but also of small, rural ones. 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 Mari, formerly known as the Cheremis, were famous in the past for their belligerence. Today they are called the last pagans of Europe, since the people managed to carry through the centuries the national religion, which a significant part of them still professes. This fact will be even more surprising if you know that writing among the Mari people appeared only in the 18th century.

Name

The self-name of the Mari people goes back to the word “Mari” or “Mari”, which means “man”. A number of scientists believe that it may be associated with the name of the ancient Russian people Meri, or Merya, who lived on the territory of modern Central Russia and was mentioned in a number of chronicles.

In ancient times, the mountain and meadow tribes that lived in the Volga-Vyatka interfluve were called Cheremis. The first mention of them in 960 is found in a letter from the Khagan of Khazaria Joseph: he mentioned the “Tsaremis” among the peoples who paid tribute to the Khaganate. Russian chronicles noted the Cheremis much later, only in the 13th century, along with the Mordovians, classifying them among the peoples living on the Volga River.
The meaning of the name “cheremis” has not been fully established. It is known for certain that the “mis” part, like “mari”, means “person”. However, what kind of person this person was, the opinions of researchers differ. One of the versions refers to the Turkic root “cher”, meaning “to fight, to be at war.” The word “janissary” also comes from him. This version seems plausible, since the Mari language is the most Turkicized of the entire Finno-Ugric group.

Where live

More than 50% of the Mari live in the Republic of Mari El, where they make up 41.8% of its population. The republic is a subject of the Russian Federation and is part of the Volga Federal District. The capital of the region is the city of Yoshkar-Ola.
The main area where the people live is the area between the Vetluga and Vyatka rivers. However, depending on the place of settlement, linguistic and cultural characteristics, 4 groups of Mari are distinguished:

1. Northwestern. They live outside of Mari El, in the Kirov and Nizhny Novgorod regions. Their language differs significantly from the traditional one, but they did not have their own written language until 2005, when the first book was published in the national language of the northwestern Mari.
2. Mountain. In modern times they are small in number - about 30-50 thousand people. They live in the western part of Mari El, mainly on the southern, partly on the northern banks of the Volga. The cultural differences of the mountain Mari began to take shape in the 10th-11th centuries, thanks to close communication with the Chuvash and Russians. They have their own Mountain Mari language and writing.
3. Eastern. A significant group consisting of immigrants from the meadow part of the Volga in the Urals and Bashkortostan.
4. Meadow. The most significant group in terms of numbers and cultural influence, living in the Volga-Vyatka interfluve in the Republic of Mari El.

The last two groups are often combined into one due to the maximum similarity of linguistic, historical and cultural factors. They form groups of Meadow-Eastern Mari with their own Meadow-Eastern language and writing.

Number

The number of Mari, according to the 2010 census, is more than 574 thousand people. Most of them, 290 thousand, live in the Republic of Mari El, which translated means “the land, the homeland of the Mari.” A slightly smaller, but largest community outside of Mari El is located in Bashkiria - 103 thousand people.

The remaining part of the Mari inhabits mainly the Volga and Ural regions, living throughout Russia and beyond. A significant part lives in the Chelyabinsk and Tomsk regions, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug.
The largest diasporas:

• Kirov region - 29.5 thousand people.
• Tatarstan - 18.8 thousand people.
• Udmurtia - 8 thousand people.
• Sverdlovsk region - 23.8 thousand people.
• Perm region - 4.1 thousand people.
• Kazakhstan - 4 thousand people.
• Ukraine - 4 thousand people.
• Uzbekistan - 3 thousand people.

Language

The Meadow-Eastern Mari language, which, along with Russian and Mountain Mari, is the state language in the Republic of Mari El, is part of a large group of Finno-Ugric languages. And also, along with the Udmurt, Komi, Sami, and Mordovian languages, it is part of the small Finno-Perm group.
There is no exact information about the origin of the language. It is believed that it was formed in the Volga region before the 10th century on the basis of Finno-Ugric and Turkic dialects. It underwent significant changes during the period when the Mari joined the Golden Horde and the Kazan Kaganate.
Mari writing arose quite late, only in the second half of the 18th century. Because of this, there is no written evidence about the life, life and culture of the Mari throughout their formation and development.
The alphabet was created on the basis of Cyrillic, and the first text in Mari that has survived to this day dates back to 1767. It was created by the Mountain Mari who studied in Kazan, and it was dedicated to the arrival of Empress Catherine the Second. The modern alphabet was created in 1870. Today, a number of national newspapers and magazines are published in the Meadow-Eastern Mari language, and it is studied in schools in Bashkiria and Mari El.

Story

The ancestors of the Mari people began to develop the modern Volga-Vyatka territory at the beginning of the first millennium of the new era. They migrated from the southern and western regions to the East under pressure from aggressive Slavic and Turkic peoples. This led to assimilation and partial discrimination of the Permians who originally lived in this territory.

Some Mari adhere to the version that the ancestors of the people in the distant past came to the Volga from Ancient Iran. Afterwards, assimilation took place with the Finno-Ugric and Slavic tribes living here, but the identity of the people was partially preserved. This is supported by the research of philologists, who note that the Mari language has Indo-Iranian inclusions. This is especially true for ancient prayer texts, which have remained virtually unchanged for centuries.
By the 7th-8th centuries, the Proto-Marians moved north, occupying the territory between Vetluga and Vyatka, where they live to this day. During this period, the Turkic and Finno-Ugric tribes had a serious influence on the formation of culture and mentality.
The next stage in the history of the Cheremis dates back to the X-XIV centuries, when their closest neighbors from the west were the Eastern Slavs, and from the south and east - the Volga Bulgars, Khazars, and then the Tatar-Mongols. For a long time, the Mari people were dependent on the Golden Horde, and then on the Kazan Khanate, to whom they paid tribute in furs and honey. Part of the Mari lands was under the influence of Russian princes and, according to the chronicles of the 12th century, were also subject to tribute. For centuries, the Cheremis had to maneuver between the Kazan Khanate and the Russian authorities, who tried to attract the people, whose number at that time amounted to up to a million people, to their side.
In the 15th century, during the period of aggressive attempts by Ivan the Terrible to overthrow Kazan, the mountain Mari came under the rule of the king, and the Meadow Mari supported the Khanate. However, due to the victory of the Russian troops, in 1523 the lands became part of the Russian State. However, the name of the Cheremis tribe does not mean “warlike” for nothing: the very next year it rebelled and overthrew the provisional rulers until 1546. Subsequently, the bloody “Cheremis Wars” broke out twice more in the struggle for national independence, the overthrow of the feudal regime and the elimination of Russian expansion.
For the next 400 years, the life of the people proceeded relatively calmly: having achieved the preservation of national authenticity and the opportunity to practice their own religion, the Mari were engaged in the development of agriculture and crafts, without interfering in the socio-political life of the country. After the revolution, the Mari Autonomy was formed, in 1936 - the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, in 1992 it was given the modern name of the Republic of Mari El.

Appearance

The anthropology of the Mari goes back to the ancient Ural community, which formed the distinctive features of the appearance of the peoples of the Finno-Ugric group as a result of mixing with Caucasians. Genetic studies show that the Mari have genes for haplogroups N, N2a, N3a1, which are also found among the Vepsians, Udmurts, Finns, Komi, Chuvash and Baltic people. Autosomal studies showed kinship with the Kazan Tatars.

The anthropological type of modern Mari is Suburalian. The Ural race is intermediate between Mongoloid and Caucasoid. The Mari, on the other hand, have more Mongoloid characteristics compared to the traditional form.
Distinctive features of appearance are:

• average height;
• yellowish or darker skin color than Caucasians;
• almond-shaped, slightly slanted eyes with downward outer corners;
• straight, dense hair of a dark or light brown shade;
• prominent cheekbones.

Cloth

Men's and women's traditional costumes were similar in configuration, but women's were decorated more brightly and richly. Thus, everyday attire consisted of a tunic-like shirt, which was long for women and did not reach the knees for men. They wore loose pants underneath and a caftan on top.

Underwear was made from homespun fabric, which was made from hemp fibers or woolen threads. The women's costume was complemented by an embroidered apron; the sleeves, cuffs and collars of the shirt were decorated with ornaments. Traditional patterns - horses, solar signs, plants and flowers, birds, ram's horns. In the cold season, frock coats, sheepskin coats and sheepskin coats were worn over it.
A mandatory element of the costume is a belt or waist wrap made of a piece of linen material. Women complemented it with pendants made of coins, beads, shells, and chains. Shoes were made of bast or leather; in swampy areas they were equipped with special wooden platforms.
Men wore tall hats with narrow brims and mosquito nets, since they spent most of their time outside the home: in the field, in the forest or on the river. Women's hats were famous for their great variety. The magpie was borrowed from the Russians, and the sharpan, that is, a towel tied around the head and fastened with an ochel - a narrow strip of fabric embroidered with traditional ornaments, was popular. A distinctive element of the bride’s wedding costume is a voluminous chest decoration made of coins and metal decorative elements. It was considered a family heirloom and was passed down from generation to generation. The weight of such jewelry could reach up to 35 kilograms. Depending on the place of residence, the features of costumes, ornaments and colors could vary significantly.

Men

The Mari had a patriarchal family structure: the man was in charge, but in the event of his death, a woman became the head of the family. In general, the relationship was equal, although all social issues fell on the shoulders of the man. For a long time, in the Mari settlements there were remnants of levirate and sororate, which oppressed the rights of women, but most of the people did not adhere to them.

Women

The woman in the Mari family played the role of homemaker. She valued hard work, humility, thriftiness, good nature, and maternal qualities. Since the bride was offered a substantial dowry, and her role as an au pair was significant, girls got married later than boys. It often happened that the bride was 5-7 years older. They tried to get the guys married as early as possible, often at the age of 15-16 years.

Family life

After the wedding, the bride went to live in her husband’s house, so the Maries had large families. Families of brothers often coexisted in them; older and subsequent generations, the number of which reached 3-4, lived together. The head of the household was the eldest woman, the wife of the head of the family. She gave children, grandchildren and daughters-in-law tasks around the house and looked after their material well-being.
Children in the family were considered the highest happiness, a manifestation of the blessing of the Great God, so they gave birth a lot and often. Mothers and the older generation were involved in upbringing: children were not spoiled and were taught to work from childhood, but they were never offended. Divorce was considered a shame, and permission for it had to be asked from the chief minister of the faith. Couples who expressed such a desire were tied back to back in the main village square while they awaited a decision. If a divorce occurred at the request of a woman, her hair was cut off as a sign that she was no longer married.

Housing

For a long time, Marie lived in typical old Russian log houses with a gable roof. They consisted of a vestibule and a living part, in which a kitchen with a stove was separately fenced, and benches for overnight accommodation were nailed to the walls. Bathhouse and hygiene played a special role: before any important task, especially prayer and rituals, it was necessary to wash. This symbolized the cleansing of the body and thoughts.

Life

The main occupation of the Mari people was arable farming. Field crops - spelled, oats, flax, hemp, buckwheat, oats, barley, rye, turnips. Carrots, hops, cabbage, potatoes, radishes, and onions were planted in the gardens.
Animal husbandry was less common, but poultry, horses, cows and sheep were bred for personal use. But goats and pigs were considered unclean animals. Among men's crafts, wood carving and silver processing to make jewelry stood out.
Since ancient times they have been engaged in beekeeping, and later in apiary beekeeping. Honey was used in cooking, intoxicating drinks were made from it, and was also actively exported to neighboring regions. Beekeeping is still common today, providing a good source of income for villagers.

Culture

Due to the lack of writing, Mari culture is concentrated in oral folk art: fairy tales, songs and legends, which are taught to children by the older generation from childhood. An authentic musical instrument is the shuvyr, an analogue of the bagpipe. It was made from a soaked cow's bladder, supplemented with a ram's horn and a pipe. He imitated natural sounds and accompanied songs and dances along with the drum.

There was also a special dance for cleansing from evil spirits. Trios, consisting of two guys and a girl, took part in it; sometimes all residents of the settlement took part in the festivities. One of its characteristic elements is the tyvyrdyk, or drobushka: a quick synchronized movement of the legs in one place.

Religion

Religion has played a special role in the life of the Mari people in all centuries. The traditional Mari religion has still been preserved and is officially registered. It is professed by about 6% of the Mari, but many people observe the rituals. The people have always been tolerant of other religions, which is why even now the national religion coexists with Orthodoxy.
The traditional Mari religion proclaims faith in the forces of nature, in the unity of all people and everything on earth. Here they believe in a single cosmic god, Osh Kugu-Yumo, or the Great White God. According to legend, he instructed the evil spirit Yin to remove from the World Ocean a piece of clay from which Kugu-Yumo made the earth. Yin threw his part of the clay onto the ground: this is how the mountains turned out. Kugu-Yumo created man from the same material, and brought his soul to him from heaven.

In total, there are about 140 gods and spirits in the pantheon, but only a few are especially revered:

• Ilysh-Shochyn-Ava - analogue of the Mother of God, goddess of birth
• Mer Yumo - manages all worldly affairs
• Mlande Ava - goddess of the earth
• Purysho - god of fate
• Azyren - death itself

Mass ritual prayers take place several times a year in sacred groves: there are between 300 and 400 of them throughout the country. At the same time, services to one or several gods can take place in the grove, sacrifices are made to each of them in the form of food, money, and animal parts. The altar is made in the form of a flooring of fir branches, installed near the sacred tree.

Those who come to the grove prepare the food they brought with them in large cauldrons: meat of geese and ducks, as well as special pies made from the blood of birds and cereals. Afterwards, under the guidance of a card - an analogue of a shaman or priest, a prayer begins, which lasts up to an hour. The ritual ends with eating what has been prepared and cleaning the grove.

Traditions

The ancient traditions are most fully preserved in wedding and funeral rites. The wedding always began with a noisy ransom, after which the newlyweds, on a cart or sleigh covered with bear skin, headed to the cart for the wedding ceremony. All the way, the groom cracked a special whip, driving away evil spirits from his future wife: this whip then remained in the family for life. In addition, their hands were tied with a towel, which symbolized the connection for the rest of their lives. The tradition of baking pancakes for the newly-made husband on the morning after the wedding has also been preserved.

Funeral rites are of particular interest. At any time of the year, the deceased was taken to the churchyard on a sleigh, and put into the house in winter clothes, supplied with a set of things. Among them:

• a linen towel along which he will descend to the kingdom of the dead - this is where the expression “good riddance” comes from;
• rosehip branches to ward off dogs and snakes guarding the afterlife;
• nails accumulated during life in order to cling to rocks and mountains along the way;

Forty days later, an equally terrible custom was performed: a friend of the deceased dressed in his clothes and sat down with the relatives of the deceased at the same table. They took him for dead and asked him questions about life in the next world, conveyed greetings, and told him news. During the general holidays of remembrance, the deceased were also remembered: a separate table was set for them, on which the hostess put little by little all the treats that she had prepared for the living.

Famous Mari

One of the most famous Mari is actor Oleg Taktarov, who played in the films “Viy” and “Predators”. He is also known throughout the world as the “Russian Bear,” the winner of brutal UFC fights, although in fact his roots go back to the ancient Mari people.

The living embodiment of a real Mari beauty is the “Black Angel” Varda, whose mother was a Mari by nationality. She is known as a singer, dancer, model and curvy figure.

The special charm of the Mari lies in their gentle character and mentality based on the acceptance of all things. Tolerance towards others, coupled with the ability to defend their own rights, allowed them to maintain their authenticity and national flavor.

Video

Anything to add?