Nationalities of the Finno-Ugric group. Finno-Ugric peoples: history and culture
Finno-Ugric peoples are not the largest language group in terms of numbers, but they are quite large in terms of the number of peoples. Most peoples live partially or completely on the territory of Russia.
Some number hundreds of thousands (Mordovians, Mari, Udmurts), while others can be counted on one hand (as of 2002, only 73 people calling themselves Vods were registered in Russia). However, most of the speakers of Finno-Ugric languages live outside of Russia. First of all, these are Hungarians (about 14.5 million people), Finns (about 6 million) and Estonians (about a million).
Our country represents the largest diversity of Finno-Ugric peoples. These are primarily the Volga-Finnish subgroup (Mordovians and Mari), the Perm subgroup (Udmurts, Komi-Permyaks and Komi-Zyrians) and the Ob subgroup (Khanty and Mansi). Also in Russia there are almost all representatives of the Baltic-Finnish subgroup (Ingrians, Setos, Karelians, Vepsians, Izhorians, Vodians and Sami).
Old Russian chronicles preserved the names of three more peoples that have not reached our time and, apparently, were completely assimilated by the Russian population: the Chud, who lived along the banks of the Onega and Northern Dvina, the Merya, in the area between the Volga and Oka rivers, and the Murom, in the Oka basin. 
Also, the archaeological and ethnographic expedition of the Dalnekonstantinovsky Museum of the Nizhny Novgorod Region and the Nizhny Novgorod University is now studying in detail another ethnic subgroup of the Mordovians that disappeared quite recently - the Teryukhans, who lived in the south of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.
The most numerous Finno-Ugric peoples have their own republics and autonomous okrugs within Russia - the republics of Mordovia, Mari El, Udmurtia, Karelia, Komi and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug).
Where live
Originally living in the Urals and Western Siberia, the Finno-Ugrians eventually settled west and north of their ancestral lands - right up to modern Estonia and Hungary. At the moment, there are four main areas of their settlement: the Scandinavian, Kola Peninsulas and the Baltic States; the middle reaches of the Volga and the lower reaches of the Kama; Northern Urals and Northern Ob region; Hungary. However, over time, the boundaries of Finno-Ugric settlement become less and less clear. This has been especially evident in the last 50 years, and this process is connected with labor migration both within the country (from villages to cities) and interstate (especially after the creation of the European Union). Languages and Anbur
Language is actually one of the main characteristics of this community, otherwise it is hardly possible to say simply by appearance that Hungarians, Estonians and Mansi are relatives. There are about 35 Finno-Ugric languages in total, divided into just two subbranches: Ugric - Hungarians, Khanty and Mansi; Finno-Perm - all the rest, including the dead Murom, Meryan, Meshchera, Kemi-Sami and Akkala languages. According to researchers and linguists, all current Finno-Ugric languages had a common ancestor, called the Proto-Finno-Ugric language for linguistic classification. The oldest known written monument (late 12th century) is the so-called “Funeral Oration and Prayer,” which is written in Latin in Old Hungarian.
We will be more interested in the so-called Anbur - ancient Permian writing, which was used on the territory of Perm the Great in the 14th–17th centuries by the peoples inhabiting it: Komi-Permyaks, Komi-Zyryans and Russians. It was created by the Russian Orthodox missionary, Ustyug resident Stefan of Perm in 1372 on the basis of the Russian, Greek alphabets and tamga - runic Perm symbols.
Anbur was necessary for the Muscovites to communicate with their new neighbors in the east and northeast, since the Moscow state systematically and quite quickly expanded in the direction, as usual, baptizing new citizens. The latter, by the way, were not particularly against it (if we are talking about Permians and Zyryans). However, with the gradual expansion of the Moscow principality and the inclusion of all of Perm the Great, Anbur is completely replaced by the Russian alphabet, since, in general, all literate people in those places already speak Russian. In the 15th–16th centuries, this writing was still used in some places, but as secret writing - it was a kind of cipher, with which a very limited number of people were familiar. By the 17th century, Anbur completely went out of circulation.
Finno-Ugric holidays and customs
Currently, the majority of Finno-Ugric peoples are Christians. Russians are Orthodox, Hungarians are mostly Catholics, and the Baltic peoples are Protestants. However, there are many Finno-Ugric Muslims in Russia. Also, traditional beliefs have recently been revived: shamanism, animism and the cult of ancestors. As usually happens during Christianization, the local holiday calendar coincided with the church calendar, churches and chapels were erected on the site of sacred groves, and the cult of locally revered saints was introduced.
The pre-Christian religion of the Finno-Ugrians was polytheistic - there was a supreme god (usually the god of the sky), as well as a galaxy of “smaller” gods: the sun, earth, water, fertility... All peoples had different names for the gods: in the case of the supreme deity, god The sky was called Yumala among the Finns, Taevataat among the Estonians, and Yumo among the Mari.
Moreover, for example, among the Khanty, who were mainly engaged in fishing, the “fish” gods were more revered, but among the Mansi, who were mainly engaged in hunting, various forest animals (bear, elk) were revered. That is, all peoples set priorities depending on their needs. Religion was completely utilitarian. If the sacrifices made to some idol did not have an effect, then the same Mansi could easily flog him with a whip.
Also, some of the Finno-Ugrians still practice dressing up in animal masks during holidays, which also takes us back to the times of totemism.
The Mordovians, who are mainly engaged in agriculture, have a highly developed cult of plants - the ritual significance of bread and porridge, which were obligatory in almost all rituals, is still great. Traditional holidays of the Mordovians are also associated with agriculture: Ozim-Purya - a prayer for harvesting grain on September 15, a week later for Ozim-Purya the Molyans of Keremet, near Kazanskaya they celebrate Kaldaz-Ozks, Velima-biva (secular beer).
The Mari celebrate U Ii Payrem (New Year) from December 31 to January 1. Shortly before this, Shorykyol (Christmastide) is celebrated. Shorykyol is also called "sheep's foot". This is because on this day the girls went from house to house and always went into the sheepfolds and pulled the sheep by the legs - this was supposed to ensure well-being in the household and family. Shorykyol is one of the most famous Mari holidays. It is celebrated during the winter solstice (from December 22) after the new moon.
Roshto (Christmas) is also celebrated, accompanied by a procession of mummers led by the main characters - Vasli kuva-kugyza and Shorykyol kuva-kugyza.
In the same way, almost all local traditional holidays are dedicated to church holidays.
It should also be noted that it was the Mari who gave a strong rebuff to Christian missionaries and still visit sacred groves and sacred trees on traditional holidays, conducting rituals there.
Among the Udmurts, traditional holidays were also timed to coincide with church, as well as agricultural work and the days of the winter and summer solstices, spring and autumn equinoxes.
For Finns, the most important are Christmas (as for decent Christians) and Midsummer (Juhannus). Juhannus in Finland is the holiday of Ivan Kupala in Rus'. As in Russia, the Finns believe that this is a holiday in honor of John the Baptist, but it is immediately clear that this is a pagan holiday that could not eradicate itself, and the church found a compromise. Like ours, on Midsummer's Day young people jumped over the fire, and the girls threw wreaths on the water - whoever catches the wreath will be the groom.
This day is also revered by Estonians.
The Karsikko ritual among the Karelians and Finns is very interesting. Karsikko is a tree that is cut or felled in a special way (necessarily coniferous). The ritual can be associated with almost any significant event: a wedding, the death of an important and respected person, a good hunt.
Depending on the situation, the tree was cut down or all its branches were completely cut off. They could have left one branch or just the tip. All this was decided on an individual basis, known only to the performer of the ritual. After the ceremony, the tree was monitored. If his condition did not worsen and the tree continued to grow, this meant happiness. If not - grief and misfortune.
WHO ARE THE FINNO-UGRICS
Finns are the people who inhabit Finland, neighboring Russia (in Finnish “Suomi”), and Hungarians were called Ugrians in ancient Russian chronicles. But in Russia there are no Hungarians and very few Finns, but there are peoples who speak languages related to Finnish or Hungarian. These peoples are called Finno-Ugric. Depending on the degree of similarity of languages, scientists divide the Finno-Ugric peoples into five subgroups. The first, Baltic-Finnish, includes Finns, Izhorians, Vods, Vepsians, Karelians, Estonians and Livs. The two most numerous peoples of this subgroup - Finns and Estonians - live mainly outside our country. In Russia, Finns can be found in Karelia, the Leningrad region and St. Petersburg; Estonians - in Siberia, the Volga region and the Leningrad region. A small group of Estonians - Setos - lives in the Pechora district of the Pskov region. By religion, many Finns and Estonians are Protestants (usually Lutherans), while the Setos are Orthodox. The small Vepsian people live in small groups in Karelia, the Leningrad region and in the north-west of the Vologda region, and the Vod (there are less than 100 people left!) - in the Leningrad region. Both Vepsians and Vods are Orthodox. Izhora people also profess Orthodoxy. There are 449 of them in Russia (in the Leningrad region), and about the same number in Estonia. The Vepsians and Izhorians have preserved their languages (they even have dialects) and use them in everyday communication. The Votic language has disappeared.
The largest Baltic-Finnish people in Russia are the Karelians. They live in the Republic of Karelia, as well as in the Tver, Leningrad, Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions. In everyday life, Karelians speak three dialects: Karelian proper, Lyudikovsky and Livvikovsky, and their literary language is Finnish. Newspapers and magazines are published there, and the Department of Finnish Language and Literature operates at the Faculty of Philology of Petrozavodsk University. Karelians also speak Russian.
The second subgroup consists of the Sami, or Lapps. Most of them are settled in Northern Scandinavia, and in Russia the Sami are the inhabitants of the Kola Peninsula. According to most experts, the ancestors of this people once occupied a much larger territory, but over time they were pushed to the north. Then they lost their language and adopted one of the Finnish dialects. The Sami are good reindeer herders (in the recent past they were nomads), fishermen and hunters. In Russia they profess Orthodoxy.
The third, Volga-Finnish, subgroup includes the Mari and Mordovians. Mordovians are the indigenous population of the Republic of Mordovia, but a significant part of this people lives throughout Russia - in Samara, Penza, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Ulyanovsk regions, in the republics of Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Chuvashia, etc. Even before the annexation in the 16th century. Mordovian lands to Russia, the Mordovians had their own nobility - “inyazory”, “otsyazory”, i.e. “owners of the land”. The Inyazors were the first to be baptized, quickly became Russified, and subsequently their descendants formed an element in the Russian nobility that was slightly smaller than those from the Golden Horde and the Kazan Khanate. Mordva is divided into Erzya and Moksha; Each of the ethnographic groups has a written literary language - Erzya and Moksha. By religion, Mordovians are Orthodox; they have always been considered the most Christianized people of the Volga region.
The Mari live mainly in the Republic of Mari El, as well as in Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Nizhny Novgorod, Kirov, Sverdlovsk and Perm regions. It is generally accepted that this people has two literary languages - Meadow-Eastern and Mountain Mari. However, not all philologists share this opinion.
Even ethnographers of the 19th century. noted the unusually high level of national self-awareness of the Mari. They stubbornly resisted joining Russia and baptism, and until 1917 the authorities forbade them to live in cities and engage in crafts and trade.
The fourth, Perm, subgroup includes the Komi proper, Komi-Permyaks and Udmurts. The Komi (in the past they were called Zyryans) form the indigenous population of the Komi Republic, but also live in the Sverdlovsk, Murmansk, Omsk regions, in the Nenets, Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrugs. Their original occupations are farming and hunting. But, unlike most other Finno-Ugric peoples, there have long been many merchants and entrepreneurs among them. Even before October 1917 Komi in terms of literacy (in Russian) approached the most educated peoples of Russia - Russian Germans and Jews. Today, 16.7% of Komi work in agriculture, but 44.5% work in industry, and 15% work in education, science, and culture. Part of the Komi - the Izhemtsy - mastered reindeer husbandry and became the largest reindeer herders in the European north. Komi Orthodox (partly Old Believers).
The Komi-Permyaks are very close in language to the Zyryans. More than half of these people live in the Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug, and the rest live in the Perm region. Permians are mainly peasants and hunters, but throughout their history they were also factory serfs in the Ural factories, and barge haulers on the Kama and Volga. By religion, Komi-Permyaks are Orthodox.
The Udmurts are concentrated mostly in the Udmurt Republic, where they make up about 1/3 of the population. Small groups of Udmurts live in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, the Republic of Mari El, in the Perm, Kirov, Tyumen, and Sverdlovsk regions. The traditional occupation is agriculture. In cities, they most often forget their native language and customs. Perhaps this is why only 70% of Udmurts, mostly residents of rural areas, consider the Udmurt language as their native language. The Udmurts are Orthodox, but many of them (including baptized ones) adhere to traditional beliefs - they worship pagan gods, deities, and spirits.
The fifth, Ugric, subgroup includes the Hungarians, Khanty and Mansi. “Ugrians” in Russian chronicles called the Hungarians, and “Ugra” - the Ob Ugrians, i.e. Khanty and Mansi. Although the Northern Urals and the lower reaches of the Ob, where the Khanty and Mansi live, are located thousands of kilometers from the Danube, on the banks of which the Hungarians created their state, these peoples are closest relatives. The Khanty and Mansi are classified as small peoples of the North. The Mansi live mainly in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, and the Khanty live in the Khanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Tomsk Region. The Mansi are primarily hunters, then fishermen and reindeer herders. The Khanty, on the contrary, are first fishermen, and then hunters and reindeer herders. Both profess Orthodoxy, but have not forgotten the ancient faith. The industrial development of their region caused great damage to the traditional culture of the Ob Ugrians: many hunting grounds disappeared and the rivers became polluted.
Old Russian chronicles preserved the names of Finno-Ugric tribes that have now disappeared - Chud, Merya, Muroma. Merya in the 1st millennium AD e. lived in the area between the Volga and Oka rivers, and at the turn of the 1st and 2nd millennia merged with the Eastern Slavs. There is an assumption that modern Mari are descendants of this tribe. Murom in the 1st millennium BC. e. lived in the Oka basin, and by the 12th century. n. e. mixed with the Eastern Slavs. Modern researchers consider the Finnish tribes who lived in ancient times along the banks of the Onega and Northern Dvina to be a miracle. It is possible that they are the ancestors of the Estonians.
WHERE THE FINNO-UGRICS LIVED AND WHERE THE FINNO-UGRIANS LIVE
Most researchers agree that the ancestral home of the Finno-Ugric peoples was on the border of Europe and Asia, in the areas between the Volga and Kama and in the Urals. It was there in the IV-III millennia BC. e. A community of tribes arose, related in language and similar in origin. To the 1st millennium AD e. the ancient Finno-Ugrians settled as far as the Baltic states and Northern Scandinavia. They occupied a vast territory covered with forests - almost the entire northern part of what is now European Russia to the Kama River in the south.
Excavations show that the ancient Finno-Ugrians belonged to the Ural race: their appearance mixed Caucasian and Mongoloid features (wide cheekbones, often a Mongolian eye shape). Moving west, they mixed with Caucasians. As a result, among some peoples descended from the ancient Finno-Ugrians, Mongoloid features began to smooth out and disappear. Nowadays, “Uralic” features are characteristic to one degree or another of all the Finnish peoples of Russia: average height, wide face, nose, called “snub-nosed,” very blond hair, sparse beard. But in different peoples these features manifest themselves in different ways. For example, the Mordovians-Erzya are tall, fair-haired, blue-eyed, while the Mordovians-Moksha are shorter, have a wider face, and have darker hair. The Mari and Udmurts often have eyes with the so-called Mongolian fold - epicanthus, very wide cheekbones, and a thin beard. But at the same time (the Ural race!) has blond and red hair, blue and gray eyes. The Mongolian fold is sometimes found among Estonians, Vodians, Izhorians, and Karelians. Komi are different: in those places where there are mixed marriages with the Nenets, they have black hair and braids; others are more Scandinavian-like, with a slightly wider face.
The Finno-Ugrians were engaged in agriculture (to fertilize the soil with ash, they burned out areas of the forest), hunting and fishing. Their settlements were far from each other. Perhaps for this reason they did not create states anywhere and began to be part of neighboring organized and constantly expanding powers. Some of the first mentions of the Finno-Ugrians contain Khazar documents written in Hebrew, the state language of the Khazar Kaganate. Alas, there are almost no vowels in it, so one can only guess that “tsrms” means “Cheremis-Mari”, and “mkshkh” means “moksha”. Later, the Finno-Ugrians also paid tribute to the Bulgars and were part of the Kazan Khanate and the Russian state.
RUSSIANS AND FINNO-UGRICS
In the XVI-XVIII centuries. Russian settlers rushed to the lands of the Finno-Ugric peoples. Most often, settlement was peaceful, but sometimes indigenous peoples resisted the entry of their region into the Russian state. The Mari showed the most fierce resistance.
Over time, baptism, writing, and urban culture brought by the Russians began to displace local languages and beliefs. Many began to feel like Russians - and actually became them. Sometimes it was enough to be baptized for this. The peasants of one Mordovian village wrote in a petition: “Our ancestors, the former Mordovians,” sincerely believing that only their ancestors, pagans, were Mordovians, and their Orthodox descendants are in no way related to the Mordovians.
People moved to cities, went far away - to Siberia, to Altai, where everyone had one language in common - Russian. The names after baptism were no different from ordinary Russian ones. Or almost nothing: not everyone notices that there is nothing Slavic in surnames like Shukshin, Vedenyapin, Piyasheva, but they go back to the name of the Shuksha tribe, the name of the goddess of war Veden Ala, the pre-Christian name Piyash. Thus, a significant part of the Finno-Ugrians was assimilated by the Russians, and some, having converted to Islam, mixed with the Turks. That is why Finno-Ugric peoples do not constitute a majority anywhere - even in the republics to which they gave their name.
But, having disappeared into the mass of Russians, the Finno-Ugrians retained their anthropological type: very blond hair, blue eyes, a “bubble” nose, and a wide, high-cheekboned face. The type that writers of the 19th century. called the “Penza peasant”, is now perceived as typically Russian.
Many Finno-Ugric words have entered the Russian language: “tundra”, “sprat”, “herring”, etc. Is there a more Russian and beloved dish than dumplings? Meanwhile, this word is borrowed from the Komi language and means “bread ear”: “pel” is “ear”, and “nyan” is “bread”. There are especially many borrowings in northern dialects, mainly among the names of natural phenomena or landscape elements. They add a unique beauty to local speech and regional literature. Take, for example, the word “taibola”, which in the Arkhangelsk region is used to call a dense forest, and in the Mezen River basin - a road running along the seashore next to the taiga. It is taken from the Karelian "taibale" - "isthmus". For centuries, peoples living nearby have always enriched each other's language and culture.
Patriarch Nikon and Archpriest Avvakum were Finno-Ugrians by origin - both Mordvins, but irreconcilable enemies; Udmurt - physiologist V. M. Bekhterev, Komi - sociologist Pitirim Sorokin, Mordvin - sculptor S. Nefedov-Erzya, who took the name of the people as his pseudonym; Mari composer A. Ya. Eshpai.
clothing of the Finno-Ugric peoples of the Volga region
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NB! The Consular Section of the Estonian Embassy in Moscow serves all Russian citizens who live on the whole territory of the Russian Federation, except:
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Visa applications may also be submitted at the visa center of VFS Global.
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NB! The Consular Section of the Estonian Embassy in Moscow serves all Russian citizens who live on the whole territory of the Russian Federation, except:
To apply for Estonian visa the residents of St Petersburg city and Leningrad oblast, Karelia, Arhangelsk oblast, Vologda oblast, Murmansk oblast and Novgorod oblast have to turn to the Consulate General of Estonia in St Petersburg:
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Residents of Pskov city and Pskov region have to turn to the Chancery of St Petersburg’s Consulate General in Pskov:
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NB! The Consular Section of the Estonian Embassy in Moscow serves all Russian citizens who live on the whole territory of the Russian Federation, except:
To apply for Estonian visa the residents of St Petersburg city and Leningrad oblast, Karelia, Arhangelsk oblast, Vologda oblast, Murmansk oblast and Novgorod oblast have to turn to the Consulate General of Estonia in St Petersburg:
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Residents of Pskov city and Pskov region have to turn to the Chancery of St Petersburg’s Consulate General in Pskov:
25 Narodnaya
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Phone: (7 8112) 725 380 (messages)
Fax: (7 8112) 725 381
Email: [email protected]
Consular Section
Phone: (7 495) 737 36 48 (weekdays 9.00 – 12.00 and 14.00 – 17.00)
Fax: (7 495) 691 10 73
Email: [email protected]
Office hours: weekdays 8.30-17.00
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Estonian and Russian national holidays (Public Holidays).
Visa applications may be submitted on weekdays 9.00-12.00, visas are issued 9.00-12.00.
Visa applications may also be submitted at the visa center of VFS Global.
Consul’s office hours on consular matters are on weekdays 9.30-12.00 and 14.00-16.00 (only in case of pre-registration).
Address:
8 Kalashny Pereulok (M. Arbatskaya)
Moscow
Postal address:
5 Maly Kislovsky Pereulok
125 009 Moscow
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To apply for Estonian visa the residents of St Petersburg city and Leningrad oblast, Karelia, Arhangelsk oblast, Vologda oblast, Murmansk oblast and Novgorod oblast have to turn to the Consulate General of Estonia in St Petersburg:
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Residents of Pskov city and Pskov region have to turn to the Chancery of St Petersburg’s Consulate General in Pskov:
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Office hours: weekdays 8.30-17.00
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Estonian and Russian national holidays (Public Holidays).
Visa applications may be submitted on weekdays 9.00-12.00, visas are issued 9.00-12.00.
Visa applications may also be submitted at the visa center of VFS Global.
Consul’s office hours on consular matters are on weekdays 9.30-12.00 and 14.00-16.00 (only in case of pre-registration).
Address:
8 Kalashny Pereulok (M. Arbatskaya)
Moscow
Postal address:
5 Maly Kislovsky Pereulok
125 009 Moscow
Russian Federation
NB! The Consular Section of the Estonian Embassy in Moscow serves all Russian citizens who live on the whole territory of the Russian Federation, except:
To apply for Estonian visa the residents of St Petersburg city and Leningrad oblast, Karelia, Arhangelsk oblast, Vologda oblast, Murmansk oblast and Novgorod oblast have to turn to the Consulate General of Estonia in St Petersburg:
14 Bolshaya Monetnaya
197101 St Petersburg
Russian Federation
Phone: (7 812) 702 09 20
Phone: (7 812) 702 09 24
Fax: (7 812) 702 09 27
Email: [email protected]
www.petersburg.site
Residents of Pskov city and Pskov region have to turn to the Chancery of St Petersburg’s Consulate General in Pskov:
25 Narodnaya
180016 Pskov
Russian Federation
Phone: (7 8112) 725 380 (messages)
Fax: (7 8112) 725 381
Email: [email protected]
http://www.estoniarussia.eu
The bilateral relations of Estonia and the Russian Federation, in the form of diplomatic contacts and communication between officials and experts, are mostly aimed at solving practical issues. Similarly to the entire European Union, Estonian political relations with Russia have, since 2014, been restricted due to Russian aggression in Ukraine, the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol. The main goals of the bilateral relations in the near future are enforcing border agreements and further border demarcations.
Cross-border cooperation between Estonia and Russia is successful, particularly within the framework of cooperation programs largely financed by the EU. Estonia-Latvia-Russia cross border cooperation program 2007-2014 supported 45 different projects in Estonia, Latvia and Russia in the amount of €48 million. For example, the reconstruction of border crossing points in Ivangorod and in Narva that help to increase the throughput capacity and make border crossing easier, was funded from the program. Small-craft harbors were constructed in Tartu, Mustvee and Räpina. First inland water body slipway in Estonia was built in Kallaste. Waste water treatment stations in Pskov, Gdov and Pechory and the districts of Pskov and Palkinsky were reconstructed.
Estonia-Russia cross-border cooperation program 2014-2020 (http://www.estoniarussia.eu) continues to finance cross-border projects. The program aims to support the development and competitiveness of border regions. Total amount of the program funds is €34.2 million, with most of the funding coming from the EU. Estonia will contribute €9 and Russia €8.4 million. The cooperation program helps to finance five large infrastructure projects, with €20 million in total funding: 1) development of small businesses in South-East Estonia and the district of Pskov, (connected to border crossing); 2) socio-economic and environmental development of the Lake Peipsi, including water tourism and small harbours, reconstruction of wastewater treatment facilities in the district of Pskov; 3) reconstruction of the Narva-Ivangorod fortresses ensemble; reconstruction of the Narva-Ivangorod promenade; 5) reconstruction of the Luhamaa-Shumilkino border crossing points.
The bilateral relations of Estonia and the Russian Federation, in the form of diplomatic contacts and communication between officials and experts, are mostly aimed at solving practical issues. Similarly to the entire European Union, Estonian political relations with Russia have, since 2014, been restricted due to Russian aggression in Ukraine, the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol. The main goals of the bilateral relations in the near future are enforcing border agreements and further border demarcations.
Cross-border cooperation between Estonia and Russia is successful, particularly within the framework of cooperation programs largely financed by the EU. Estonia-Latvia-Russia cross border cooperation program 2007-2014 supported 45 different projects in Estonia, Latvia and Russia in the amount of €48 million. For example, the reconstruction of border crossing points in Ivangorod and in Narva that help to increase the throughput capacity and make border crossing easier, was funded from the program. Small-craft harbors were constructed in Tartu, Mustvee and Räpina. First inland water body slipway in Estonia was built in Kallaste. Waste water treatment stations in Pskov, Gdov and Pechory and the districts of Pskov and Palkinsky were reconstructed.
Estonia-Russia cross-border cooperation program 2014-2020 (http://www.estoniarussia.eu) continues to finance cross-border projects. The program aims to support the development and competitiveness of border regions. Total amount of the program funds is €34.2 million, with most of the funding coming from the EU. Estonia will contribute €9 and Russia €8.4 million. The cooperation program helps to finance five large infrastructure projects, with €20 million in total funding: 1) development of small businesses in South-East Estonia and the district of Pskov, (connected to border crossing); 2) socio-economic and environmental development of the Lake Peipsi, including water tourism and small harbours, reconstruction of wastewater treatment facilities in the district of Pskov; 3) reconstruction of the Narva-Ivangorod fortresses ensemble; reconstruction of the Narva-Ivangorod promenade; 5) reconstruction of the Luhamaa-Shumilkino border crossing points.
The bilateral relations of Estonia and the Russian Federation, in the form of diplomatic contacts and communication between officials and experts, are mostly aimed at solving practical issues. Similarly to the entire European Union, Estonian political relations with Russia have, since 2014, been restricted due to Russian aggression in Ukraine, the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol. The main goals of the bilateral relations in the near future are enforcing border agreements and further border demarcations.
Cross-border cooperation between Estonia and Russia is successful, particularly within the framework of cooperation programs largely financed by the EU. Estonia-Latvia-Russia cross border cooperation program 2007-2014 supported 45 different projects in Estonia, Latvia and Russia in the amount of €48 million. For example, the reconstruction of border crossing points in Ivangorod and in Narva that help to increase the throughput capacity and make border crossing easier, was funded from the program. Small-craft harbors were constructed in Tartu, Mustvee and Räpina. First inland water body slipway in Estonia was built in Kallaste. Waste water treatment stations in Pskov, Gdov and Pechory and the districts of Pskov and Palkinsky were reconstructed.
Estonia-Russia cross-border cooperation program 2014-2020 (http://www.estoniarussia.eu) continues to finance cross-border projects. The program aims to support the development and competitiveness of border regions. Total amount of the program funds is €34.2 million, with most of the funding coming from the EU. Estonia will contribute €9 and Russia €8.4 million. The cooperation program helps to finance five large infrastructure projects, with €20 million in total funding: 1) development of small businesses in South-East Estonia and the district of Pskov, (connected to border crossing); 2) socio-economic and environmental development of the Lake Peipsi, including water tourism and small harbours, reconstruction of wastewater treatment facilities in the district of Pskov; 3) reconstruction of the Narva-Ivangorod fortresses ensemble; reconstruction of the Narva-Ivangorod promenade; 5) reconstruction of the Luhamaa-Shumilkino border crossing points.
Estonia’s air is among the cleanest in the world, and the freedom to roam is codified in law. Pick berries, mushrooms, or herbs. Go hiking. Or sit still and take inspiration from the sounds of nature.
A short ride is all that’s required to experience Estonia’s full natural diversity. Little distance separates cities and nature. Our versatile cultural heritage and seasons of the year make every visit unique.
There is such a group of peoples - Finno-Ugric. My roots- from there (I come from Udmurtia, my father and his parents are from Komi), although I am considered Russian, and the nationality in my passport is Russian. Today I will tell you about my discoveries and research of these peoples.
The Finno-Ugric peoples are usually classified as:
1) Finns, Estonians, Hungarians.
2) In Russia - Udmurts, Komi, Mari, Mordovians and other Volga peoples.
How can all these peoples belong to one group? Why do Hungarians and Finns and Udmurts have practically a common language, although between them there are completely alien peoples of other language groups - Poles, Lithuanians, Russians..?
I did not plan to conduct such a study, it just happened. It all started with the fact that I went on a business trip to the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug of Ugra for work. Do you feel the similarity of the name? Ugra - Finno-Ugric peoples.
Then I visited the Kaluga region, where there is a very large and long river, the Ugra, the main tributary of the Oka.
Then, quite by accident, I learned other things, until it all came together in my head into a single picture. I will present it to you now. Which of you is a historian, you can write a dissertation on this. I don’t need this, I already wrote and defended it at one time, albeit on a different topic and a different subject - economics (I am a Ph.D. in Economics). I’ll say right away that the official versions do not support this, and the peoples of Ugra are not classified as Finno-Ugric.
It was the 3rd-4th centuries AD. These centuries are usually called the Epoch of the Great Migration of Peoples. Peoples moved from the East (Asia) to the West (Europe). Other peoples were forced out and driven out from their homes, and they were also forced to go to the West.
While in Western Siberia, at the confluence of the Ob and Irtysh rivers, the people of Ugra lived. Then the peoples of Khanty and Mansi came to them from the East, drove them out of their lands, and the Yugra peoples had to go to the West in search of new lands. Part of the Ugra peoples, of course, remained. Until now, this district is called the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Ugra. However, in museums and among local historians of Khanty-Mansiysk, I heard a version that the peoples of Ugra are also not local and before they were forced out by the Khanty and Mansi, they also came from somewhere in the East - from Siberia.
So, The people of Ugra crossed the Ural Mountains and reached the banks of the Kama River. Some went against the flow to the North (this is how the Komi appeared), some crossed the river and remained in the area of the Kama River (this is how the Udmurts appeared, another name for the Votyaks), and most boarded boats and sailed down the river. At that time, the easiest way for people to move was along rivers.
During their movement, first along the Kama, and then along the Volga (to the West), the peoples of Ugra settled on the banks. So all the Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia today live along the banks of the Volga - these are the Mari, the Mordovians and others. And now the people of Ugra reach a fork in the road (marked on the map with a Red flag). This is the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers (now this is the city of Nizhny Novgorod).
Some people walk along the Volga to the North-West, where it reaches Finland and then Estonia, and settles there.
Some go along the Oka to the South-West. Now in the Kaluga region there is a very large river Ugra (a tributary of the Oka) and evidence of the Vyatichi tribes (aka Votyaks). The peoples of Ugra lived there for a while and, carried by the general current from the East, moved on until they reached Hungary, where all the remnants of these peoples finally settled.
In the end, peoples from the East came to Europe, to Germany, where they had their own barbarians, there was an overabundance of peoples in Western Europe and all this spilled out into the fact that in search of free land, the most western peoples in this migration were the barbarian Huns under the leadership of Attila - invaded the Roman Empire, captured and burned Rome and Rome fell. Thus ended the 1200-year history of the Great Roman Empire and the Dark Middle Ages began.
And in all this, the Finno-Ugric peoples also contributed their share.
When everything settled down by the 5th century, it turned out that a tribe of Russians lived on the banks of the Dnieper, who founded the city of Kyiv and Kievan Rus. God knows where these Russians came from, they came from somewhere in the East, they followed the Huns. They certainly did not live in this place before, because several million people passed through modern Ukraine (towards Western Europe) - hundreds of different peoples and tribes.
What was the reason, the impetus for the start of this Great Migration of Peoples, which lasted at least 2 centuries, scientists still do not know; they are only building hypotheses and guesses.
The peoples of the Finno-Ugric group have inhabited the territories of Europe and Siberia for more than ten thousand years, since Neolithic times. Today, the number of speakers of Finno-Ugric languages exceeds 20 million people, and they are citizens of Russia and a number of European countries - modern representatives of the peoples of the Finno-Ugric group live in Western and Central Siberia, Central and Northern Europe. The Finno-Ugric peoples are an ethno-linguistic community of peoples, including the Mari, Samoyeds, Sami, Udmurts, Ob Ugrians, Erzyans, Hungarians, Finns, Estonians, Livs, etc.
Some peoples of the Finno-Ugric group created their own states (Hungary, Finland, Estonia, Latvia), and some live in multinational states. Despite the fact that the cultures of the peoples of the Finno-Ugric group were significantly influenced by the beliefs of the ethnic groups living with them on the same territory and the Christianization of Europe, the Finno-Ugric peoples still managed to preserve a layer of their original culture and religion.
Religion of the peoples of the Finno-Ugric group before Christianization
In the pre-Christian era, the peoples of the Finno-Ugric group lived separately, over a vast territory, and representatives of different peoples had practically no contact with each other. Therefore, it is natural that the dialects and nuances of traditions and beliefs among different peoples of this group differed significantly: for example, despite the fact that both Estonians and Mansi belong to the Finno-Ugric peoples, it cannot be said that there is much in their beliefs and traditions general. The formation of the religion and way of life of each ethnic group was influenced by environmental conditions and the way of life of the people, so it is not surprising that the beliefs and traditions of the ethnic groups living in Siberia differed significantly from the religion of the Finno-Ugric peoples living in Western Europe.
There was no Finno-Ugric group in the religions of the peoples, so historians take all information about the beliefs of this ethnic group from folklore - oral folk art, which was recorded in the epics and legends of different peoples. And the most famous epics, from which modern historians draw knowledge about beliefs, are the Finnish “Kalevala” and the Estonian “Kalevipoeg”, which describe in sufficient detail not only gods and traditions, but also the exploits of heroes of different times.
Despite the presence of a certain difference between the beliefs of different peoples of the Finno-Ugric group, there is much in common between them. All these religions were polytheistic, and most of the gods were associated either with natural phenomena or with cattle breeding and agriculture - the main occupations of the Finno-Ugrians. The supreme deity was considered the god of the sky, whom the Finns called Yumala, the Estonians - Taevataat, the Mari - Yumo, the Udmurts - Inmar, and the Sami - Ibmel. Also, the Finno-Ugrians revered the deities of the sun, moon, fertility, earth and thunder; Representatives of each nation called their deities in their own way, but the general characteristics of the gods, besides their names, did not have too many differences. In addition to polytheism and similar gods, all religions of the peoples of the Finno-Ugric group have the following common characteristics:
- Ancestor cult - all representatives of the Finno-Ugric peoples believed in the existence of the immortal soul of man, as well as in the fact that residents of the afterlife can influence the lives of living people and, in exceptional cases, help their descendants
- Cults of gods and spirits associated with nature and earth (A nimism) - since the food of the majority of the peoples of Siberia and Europe directly depended on the offspring of farmed animals and the harvest of cultivated plants, it is not surprising that many peoples of the Finno-Ugric group had many traditions and rituals intended to appease the spirits of nature
- Elements of shamanism - as in, in the Finno-Ugric ethnic groups, the role of intermediaries between the world of people and the spiritual world was performed by shamans.
Religion of the peoples of the Finno-Ugric group in modern times
After the Christianization of Europe, as well as an increase in the number of adherents of Islam at the beginning of the first half of the second millennium AD, more and more people belonging to the Finno-Ugric peoples began to profess any of them, leaving the beliefs of their ancestors in the past. Now only a small part of the Finno-Ugric people profess traditional pagan beliefs and shamanism, while the majority have adopted the faith of the peoples living with them on the same territory. For example, the overwhelming majority of Finns and Estonians, like citizens of other European countries, are Christians (Catholics, Orthodox or Lutherans), and among the representatives of the Finno-Ugric peoples inhabiting the Urals and Siberia, there are many adherents of Islam.
Today, the ancient animistic religions and shamanism have been preserved in their most complete form by the Udmurts, Mari and Samoyed peoples - the indigenous inhabitants of western and central Siberia. However, it cannot be said that the Finno-Ugric people completely forgot their traditions, because they preserved a number of rituals and beliefs, and even the traditions of some Christian holidays among the peoples of the Finno-Ugric group were closely intertwined with ancient pagan customs.
