Lezgins (Lezgiar) belong to the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus. The people belong to the Caucasian race and are the second largest people in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Lezgins have a colorful history and traditions. For many centuries they were called “leki” or “legs”. Often the people suffered from attacks by the conquerors of Rome and Persia.
Where live
The people live in Russian Federation in the south of Dagestan and in the north of Azerbaijan. In Dagestan, Lezgins inhabit the Derbent, Akhtyn, Kurakh, Dokuzparinsky, Suleiman-Stalsky, Magaramkent and Khiva regions.
In Azerbaijan, these people live in Kursar, Khachmas, Kuba, Gabala, Oguz, Ismayilli, Sheki, Kakh regions and all major cities, especially in Baku. Experts from the Institute of Anthropology and Ethnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences believe that there are more Lezgins on the territory of Azerbaijan, but some of them are recorded as Azerbaijanis.
Number
There are between 680,000 and 850,000 Lezgins in the world. Of these, according to the results of the 2010 population census, 476,228 people live in Russia, and 387,746 people live in Dagestan. According to the results of the 2009 population census in Azerbaijan, 180,300 Lezgins live here. Other estimates put it at 350,000.
Name
The origin of the ethnonym “Lezgins” has not yet been fully studied and requires additional research. Authors of ancient times called Lezgins “leki”, Arab authors called them “lakz”, Georgian authors called them “lekebi”.
In written sources, the term “Lezgi” has been known since the 12th century. But this word was not used to call a separate Dagestan people. This term was unfamiliar to the Dagestan highlanders. The Turks and residents of Tsarist Russia called Lezgins the numerous mountain tribes that inhabited the Dagestan region and part of the southern slope of the Main Caucasus Range. The Russians called the southern Dagestanis that way, and the northern ones, mostly Avars, were called Tavlinians. The term began to be used for Lezgins in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The ethnonym “Lezgins” became the name of one of the mountain peoples of Dagestan after 1920.
Language
The Lezgin language is part of the Nakh-Dagestan group of the North Caucasian language family and belongs to the Lezgin subgroup. Russian and Azerbaijani are common among Lezgins. Lezgins living in Azerbaijan use the Azerbaijani script.
The Lezgin language is divided into adverbs:
- Samur, includes the Akhtyn dialect and the Dokuzparin transitional dialect;
- Kyurinsky, includes Yarkinsky, Güney, Kurakh dialects;
- Cuban.
There are also independent dialects in the Lezgin language:
- Giliyarskiy
- Kurush
- Gelkhensky
- Fian
The tsarist government in 1905 decided to facilitate the Russification of the people and tried to create Lezgin writing on the basis developed by Baron P. Uslar. But this attempt was unsuccessful. In 1928, the Latin alphabet was developed for the Lezgin language, and in 1938 a new alphabet based on the Cyrillic alphabet was created.
Religion
Lezgins mainly profess Sunni Islam of the Shafi'i madhhab. The exception is the residents of the village of Miskindzha in the Dokuzparinsky district of Dagestan. They are Shiites and profess the Jafarite madhhab.
Life
The Lezgin family is large; it consists not only of husband, wife and children. It includes parents, minor sisters and brothers of both spouses, and widowed daughters-in-law. Some families consist of 17 people, but this is rare today.
Since ancient times, the main occupation of the people has been arable farming. Corn, wheat, millet, barley, legumes and rice were grown. The Lezgins, living on the plains, were mainly engaged in pasture-stall cattle breeding. In the mountains, cattle breeding was transhumance. They mainly raised sheep, goats, and cattle. Most of the winter pastures were located on the territory of Northern Azerbaijan. Traditional trades include spinning, production of cloth, felt, carpets, weaving, blacksmithing, leatherworking, jewelry and weapons.
Housing
The main type of settlement among Lezgins is called “khur”. Villages founded in the mountains are located mainly on slopes, close to sources of drinking water. The houses are closely located to each other. The village is divided into quarters, which one by one can sometimes form large territorially related settlements “tukhum”. Each village has a mosque and a village square "kim". On it, local residents, namely men, gather at a village gathering to discuss and resolve the most important issues rural public life.
The oldest quarter is located in the upper part of the village and consists of old stone houses. These are real fortresses with a closed courtyard, loopholes and a small number of external fetters. There is usually no greenery here. The middle part of the mountain village is located on a less steep slope. The new neighborhoods are located on level ground and consist of larger courtyards, which are fenced off from the street by a clay or stone fence. Among the greenery in the courtyard there is a one-story house, which is built of stone or mud brick. The modern lower quarters contain schools, clubs and hospitals. In the mountain village of Akhty, residents have houses in the upper and lower quarters, with a garden. They live upstairs in the winter and move downstairs in the summer.
Lezgin houses are U- and L-shaped, or built in the shape of a closed square. To get into the two-story building from the street, you need to go into a small courtyard through an arch-shaped gate. In one of the corners of the courtyard there is an oven in which chureki flatbreads are baked. A staircase made of stone or wood from the courtyard leads to a gallery onto which the doors of all rooms of the dwelling open.
The walls and floors of a Lezgin house are always covered with rugs and carpets. One of the rooms has a fireplace in which food is prepared. Instead of windows, until the mid-19th century, houses had holes in the flat roof. Today the roof is still flat, but the windows have already been broken into the walls. They were also made in old houses. Since the middle of the 19th century, balconies began to be made in homes that overlook the street. In some mountain villages, related families living opposite create closed passages connecting the second floors.
Appearance
Lezgin clothing is similar to the costumes of other peoples of Dagestan. The man's clothing consists of a waist-length shirt with a lining made of calico, trousers made of dark material, wool socks, a beshmet, a Circassian coat and a hat. The costume is completed with a silver belt, gazyrs and a dagger. In winter, men wore fur coats.
Today, many men wear urban clothing. Often found from elements national costume hats, woolen socks and sheepskin coats with fictitious long sleeves.
Women wore a long shirt in the form of a tunic with a stand-up collar and long sleeves. Wide trousers that tapered downward were worn with the shirt. The lower part of the trouser legs was visible from under the shirt; women decorated them with embroidered patterns and bright colored stripes of fabric. At the end of the 19th century, the bun dress appeared in the wardrobe of Lezgin women. Elderly women wore such dresses, sewn from dark-colored fabrics, and young women wore buns made from bright fabrics of green, red and yellow flowers. The dresses were loose cut, each woman sewed them with her own hands. Women still wear national clothes today, especially in rural areas. Although many people are gradually acquiring urban clothing and shoes, the custom prohibiting showing oneself in public with one's head uncovered is still strictly observed.
Women's headdress - chutkha, is a cap that fits the head with a hair bag sewn to it. They wore Lezginkas and various scarves made of brocade, silk and wool. Elderly and married people wore scarves to cover part of their face and mouth. It was mandatory rule.
Women wore a lot of jewelry, rings, earrings, bracelets. The outfits were decorated with silver coins. It was believed that the ringing of these coins repels bad things and attracts good things. The Lezgins considered silver a special metal that collects bad energy and cleanses itself of it.
The beauty of a woman of this people was determined by her slender figure, black eyebrows and eyes, and hair. Long ones were considered ideal Thick hair, braided in two braids. It was not customary to braid just one braid; it was believed that if a girl wore such a hairstyle, she would be alone forever. This hairstyle was especially prohibited for women who had brothers and fathers. Often, when Lezgin women quarreled with each other, they uttered the phrase: “So that you are left with one braid.”
Children under 3 years old were wearing amulets, amulets, coins and beads. Lezgins believed that they had magical power and protect from the evil eye and disease. A hirigan bib was worn on children's jackets. On the back of jackets and sleeveless vests the murtsan tsuk flower, which consisted of 12 petals, was sometimes embroidered different color according to the number of months in a year. It was believed that the flower protected the child from misfortunes throughout the year.
Food
The main traditional food of Lezgins consists of legumes, grains, dairy and meat products. Bread is baked from sour or unleavened dough in the form of flat cakes. A special oven is used for baking. In Dagestan, Lezgin thin bread is very popular. The “afarar” pies of this people, filled with cottage cheese, herbs and meat, are also very popular. Lezgins prepare soups with meat and potatoes “bozbash”, khinkal, shish kebab and cabbage rolls. Meat is used fresh and dried, popular meat dishes: fried kabab meat, gatay kabab, cutlets. Included in the diet of the people and various dishes Azerbaijani cuisine. The drinks are made into tach, a drink similar to jelly made from sprouted wheat grains. The ritual food of Lezgins is a dish of dried lamb legs with corn and wheat grains, flour porridge “Khashil” and halva made from wheat flour “Isida”. They drink fresh and sour milk, make cheese and butter, and cook porridge.
Traditions
In every Lezgin family there is unquestioning obedience to elders. Old people are shown great respect. They are not allowed to do difficult work. Women's inequality used to exist. But modern women are already economically independent, since they work, have access to education and social activities. There are ancient traditions that do not allow the modern Lezgin woman to achieve equality with a man. In many families, women are still not allowed to eat with men in front of strangers, and men are ashamed to openly help a woman with work. But raising a hand against a woman or somehow insulting her dignity is considered a great disgrace not only for the man who did it, but also for his entire family.
The tradition of blood revenge among the Lezgins disappeared after October revolution, and villagers are already increasingly helping not only their relatives, but also their neighbors.
Previously, women gave birth only at home and used magical remedies to facilitate childbirth. The man was not supposed to be in the house at these moments, and the one who informed him about the birth of a child first received a gift. If a girl was born, it was a less joyful event than the birth of a boy. On the first night after giving birth, the woman in labor was not supposed to sleep, but was obliged to protect the child from demons. In the courtyard, spirits were driven away by horses and gun shots.
The name of the newborn was given by one of the older relatives. On this day there was a holiday in the family, treats were prepared. To this day, the child is named after a deceased relative who lived a decent life. But if a child was capricious and sick for a long time, his name was sometimes changed. If a woman could not have children, she was sent to visit the sacred places of the Caucasus. Lezgins believe very strongly in the healing power of such places and take visiting them seriously.
The hair that was cut for the first time by a child was not thrown away and was protected. The first haircut was carried out by the man who was the eldest in the family. The hair was placed under the child's pillow so that he would have a healthy and sound sleep. To prevent the child from being a thief, his nails were not cut for a long time, and when this procedure was first carried out, the cut nails were burned.
It was considered a bad omen if the child's first tooth was discovered by the mother. If this happened, she tore the collar on her underwear so that the child’s teeth would grow well. The baby's shirt collar was also slightly torn. The first person who noticed the baby's tooth was given a needle - a symbol of sharpness.
Previously, Lezgins married distant relatives. Today this custom is gradually disappearing. In ancient times, the parents of the bride and groom agreed on the marriage of their children when they were still small. Sometimes the bride was stolen if she did not want to get married or the chosen one’s parents were against it. Before the wedding, matchmaking took place. A close relative of the groom came to the bride's house and proposed. If he gave his consent, the groom's relative sent the bride a ring, a scarf and a dish of pilaf. A few days later, the groom’s father and several men came to the bride’s house and brought a scarf and money, the parents agreed on the size of the bride price. From now on, the bride and groom were not supposed to meet.
The wedding began simultaneously in the houses of the bride and groom. When entering the groom's house, the bride must crush the spoon of butter that was placed on the threshold with her foot. Afterwards, the bride was led into a room and placed on a dowry chest. During the celebration, the bride sat silently. At midnight the groom came to her, and the women who surrounded the bride left. In the morning, the groom must go for a swim in the river and spend the whole day at a friend or relative's house. If the bride was not innocent, the groom could throw her out of the house and immediately divorce her. Often, after this, girls committed suicide. In the Samur district, during a divorce, the man’s family had to pay the woman’s family an amount of money for maintenance ex-wife.
Today the Lezgin wedding is different. There is no longer any bride price and the mule does not take part, brides are not kidnapped, and parents do not agree on future wedding still small children. The wedding ceremony has remained virtually unchanged, only in many villages the bride is carried not on a horse, but by car, and the dowry is transported in a truck.
Raising children occupies an important place in the life of the people. They began to train and raise them in the womb. Lezgins are hospitable and give their guests the best. The owners will give up the most comfortable and largest bed in the house to the guest, and they themselves will go to sleep on the floor.
At the end of March, the Lezgins celebrate a holiday - the day of the vernal equinox, which marks the beginning of a new agricultural year. In the evening, on the eve of the holiday, bonfires are lit at each house. Everyone tries to make their fire brighter than others. Then people jump over the fire. It is believed that this is how people get rid of sins and improve their health. On this day, Lezgins put on new outfits and cook festive table.
Another significant holiday of this people is the Cherry Festival. In villages where there was a rich harvest of these berries, Lezgin families walked for several days in the cherry orchards, and organized dances and songs there.
During the Flower Festival, girls and boys went to the mountains to buy flowers. The celebration was led by the “Shah” - a young man. In advance, young people prepared for the holiday, sewed outfits and stocked up on food for the road. On the appointed day, accompanied by a drummer, the girls and boys walked back to the village, danced and held competitions in strength exercises. The girls gave prizes to the winners - socks and tobacco pouches. This celebration continued for up to 3 days.
When there was no rain for a long time, the legzins performed a special ceremony. They chose a man from the poor, dressed him in a suit made from green large leaves. An iron basin was placed on a person's head. Such a disguised man walked around the courtyards in the company of friends, the housewives doused him with water, gave him money, eggs, bread, honey and cheese. When a person went around all the houses, the group went to a “sacred feast” and after it, in chorus, they uttered words that caused rain. The treats were divided among those present, most of them were given to the mummer.
Culture
Azerbaijan had a great influence on Lezgin culture. Lezgins have more than 500 melodies and songs, heroic songs and fairy tales. Heroic epic“Sharvili” is an epic monument of Lezgin folklore. It has been preserved in poetry and prose passages.
The main place in song folklore are occupied by dance lyrical songs. Instrumental music Lezgin is full of melismatics. IN folk art There are also dances, the most famous of which is Lezginka. This pair or solo male dance is common in the Caucasus. The Zarb Makyam dance is also performed by men. The folk smooth and slow dances Useinel, Perizant Khanum, Bakhtavar and Akhty-Chay are known in dance folklore.
Musical instruments of the Lezgin people:
- kemancha
- balaban
- Chonguri
- Daldam
- tutek
- zurna
- lahut
In 1906, the first Lezgin theater was founded in the village of Akhty; in 1935, the State Lezgin Music and Drama Theater named after S. Stalsky was created. In 1998, the Lezgin State Theater opened in Azerbaijan.
From the city of Baku.
Lezgins are a people historically living in the southern regions of modern Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan. The number of Lezgins in Russia is 473.7 thousand people. (according to the 2010 census), the number of Lezgins in Azerbaijan is estimated differently: from 180 thousand according to official data to 800 thousand according to Lezgin organizations. There is another large Lezgin community (about 40 thousand people) in Turkey.
The Lezgin language belongs to the Nakh-Dagestan language family.
The Lezgin religion is Sunni Islam.
Anthropologically, modern Lezgins are representatives of the Caucasian type.
The famous dance of the peoples of the Caucasus, the Lezginka, is named after the Lezgins.
7th place: Kamran Mamedov- judoka, master of sports of international class. Born in 1967 in the city of Qusary (Azerbaijan). Kamran began his sports career in 1980, when at the age of 13 he first came to the Kusar Children and Youth Sports School and began practicing judo. Already in 1983, Kamran took 1st place in the Azerbaijani championship. In 1984, he took 1st place at the 16th interschool sports competition in Tashkent. Kamran Mamedov is also a multiple winner of international tournaments in Moscow, Paris, Berlin, Chisinau, Minsk, and Kyiv. 1985 - 3rd place in youth sports games in Kyiv; 1989 - 2nd place in the USSR Championship in Alma-Ata; 1990 - 1st place in the World Cup in Caracas, Venezuela.
6th place: Suleiman Kerimov- Russian entrepreneur, member of the Federation Council from Dagestan. Controls the Nafta Moscow financial and industrial group and owns the Anzhi football club. Born on March 12, 1966 in the city of Derbent, Dagestan, Russia.
5th place: Serder Serderov- Russian football player, forward of the Makhachkala football club "Anzhi" and the Russian youth team. Born on March 10, 1994 in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia.
4th place: Osman Efendiev- a representative of the famous wrestling dynasty, which began with his father Suleiman and uncle Sultan and which today is continued by the grandchildren of these outstanding mat masters in the past, who stood at the origins of the birth of freestyle wrestling as a sport in Dagestan. Osman continued with dignity family tradition, he was a finalist at the World Championship and a prize-winner at the European Championship, won the national championship and the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR.
3rd place: Emre Belozoglu- Turkish footballer, midfielder. Born on September 7, 1980 in Istanbul. Player of the Fenerbahce club and the Turkish national team. Included in the FIFA 100 list.
2nd place: Arif Mirzakuliev- Soviet and Azerbaijani actor. Born on June 6, 1931 in Baku. He starred in only two films, which later became very popular throughout Soviet Union“Meeting” in 1955 and “Not this one, so this one” in 1956.
To the question Who are the Lezgins, and what do you know about them, have you met them, what kind of people are they? given by the author Kerosene stove the best answer is Lezgins (self-name: Lezgiar) are one of the large indigenous peoples of the Caucasus, historically living in the adjacent regions of Dagestan and Azerbaijan. According to official data, the number of Lezgins is about 600-650 thousand people. In addition to their historical places of residence, they also live in Kazakhstan (15 thousand), Kyrgyzstan (7.5 thousand), Turkey (15 thousand) and other neighboring countries. They speak the Lezgin language, which, together with the related Tabasaran, Agul, Rutul, Tsakhur, Budukh, Kryz, Archin, Khinalug and Udi belongs to the Lezgin branch of the Caucasian languages. By religion, modern Lezgins are Sunni Muslims.
From time immemorial, Lezgin-speaking peoples have been known under the name “Legi” (Leki), from which the modern ethnonym “Lezgi” subsequently originated. Endless wars with the Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Khazars and other conquerors determined the fame of the Lezgin-speaking tribes inhabiting Caucasian Albania. Until now, Georgians and Armenians call Dagestanis, and especially Lezgins, “leks,” while Persians and Arabs call them “leks.” In addition, the dance “Lezginka” among Georgians is called “Lekuri”
Lezgin language is the language of Lezgins and other Lezgin-speaking peoples. Belongs to the Caucasian languages. Together with the closely related Tabasaran, Agul, Rutul, Tsakhur, Budukh, Kryz, Archin and Udi languages, it forms the Lezgin group of Nakh-Dagestan languages. Distributed in the south of the Republic of Dagestan and in the northern regions of Azerbaijan. The number of speakers in the world is about 1.5 million. It is an ancient language of Caucasian Albania.
There are 3 main dialects: Kyurinsky, Samurian and Cuban. There are also independent dialects: Kurush, Giliyar, Fiy and Gelkhen. The sound composition of the Lezgin language: 5 vowels and about 60 consonant phonemes. There are no voiceless laterals, no geminated consonants, and there is a labial spirant “f”. The stress is forceful, fixed on the second syllable from the beginning of the word. Unlike other North Caucasian languages, it does not have categories of grammatical class and gender. Nouns have the categories of case (18 cases) and number. The verb does not change in persons and numbers, a complex system of tense forms and moods. Basic designs simple sentence- nominative, ergative, dative, locative. There is a variety of types of complex sentences.
P.S. I am a Lezgin myself. There are good people and there are bad people, just like in any other nation. In general, there are traits inherent in all Lezgins: hospitable, hardworking, principled, straightforward people. Source: opinion
Answer from Procul negotiis.[guru]
One of the nationalities of Dagestan, and there are more than a hundred of them... yes, I served with someone like that. He’s malicious, touchy about the man, we toady when it pleases him... in general, I won’t say anything good.
Answer from Vladimir Mazur[guru]
There is a Lezginka dance, and since I believe this is one of the peoples, most likely the peoples from Dagestan
Answer from Neurosis[guru]
one of the indigenous nationalities of Dagestan. less nervous, but still different from all of us in concepts about life. don't mess around.
Answer from Strabismus[guru]
Lezgins are a people living mainly on the territory of modern Dagestan. Folk craft banditry and human trafficking. They can be helpful, but until they win you over and find your position dependent. In this case, they will act by humiliation and breaking the will for complete submission and use for their own purposes.
Answer from Orlova Elena[guru]
I met good people, my cook was a Lezgin, and women worked too. Hardworking, kind, cook deliciously, hospitable.
Answer from User deleted[guru]
Lezgins (self-name: Lezgiar) are one of the large indigenous peoples of the Caucasus, historically living in the adjacent regions of Dagestan and Azerbaijan. According to official data, the number of Lezgins is about 600-650 thousand people. In addition to their historical places of residence, they also live in Kazakhstan (15 thousand), Kyrgyzstan (7.5 thousand), Turkey (15 thousand) and other neighboring countries. They speak Lezgin language. Suleiman Stalsky is a Soviet poet. Like all people, different people meet. It also depends on what you are like.
Answer from Lobster[guru]
Leks (and Lezgins) in Georgia were called Avars, Laks, Dargins. That is, these are the peoples who raided Georgia. And the dance “Lezginka” is their dance and the Georgians adopted it from them. And today the dance “Lezginka” is the dance of all the peoples of Dagestan (including Nogais and Cossacks) except the Lezgins themselves. The problem is that the historical Lezgins (Avars, Laks, Dargins) are not Lezgins at all; they (Russian sources Kyurins) are Kurins. The Kyurin Khanate, the Kyurin militia, the Kyurin uprising - these are the terms from the time of the Russian-Caucasian war. The Kyurinians became Lezgins (the Kyurinians working in the oil fields in Baku, even in 1900, did not know that they were “Lezgins”) at the will of the communists.
Answer from Zalimkhan Gadzhimuradov[expert]
The Kyura Khanate is one of the khanates and free societies, the main population of which were Lezgins. Lezgins are a modified Arabic name for leks (or lek, since the Arabs do not have the letter “k”, at the end they have “zg” lezg or lakz). As for the dance, lek is translated from Lezgin as “eagle”, and Lezginka is eagle dance. There is no such word in the Avar, Dargin, or Lak languages. The Lezgins knew perfectly well who they were even before 1900.
Answer from Zulfiya Abdulazizova[active]
Answer from Magomedovich[newbie]
Lezgins are smart and hardworking people, they do not like to fake things and show off.
Answer from Aslanbek Israpilov[newbie]
Akhty, a Lezgin village in Southern Dagestan, is a unique place. Among the graduates of local secondary school No. 1 there are more than 80 candidates and doctors of science (from agricultural to philosophical). In terms of the number of scientists per capita (18,000 inhabitants), this is a world record. Lezgins are one of the most decent, intelligent and non-violent peoples of the North Caucasus.
Answer from Rustam Fazlyev[newbie]
I met a Lezginka)))) insatiable and cunning people))) well, this person for sure, told tales that she was divorced from her husband and no longer lives, and that she was pregnant from me))) in this case it was all a lie, they just wanted to scam me) )) the result is that she has a broken face and a disgrace to the whole neighborhood))) I just didn’t expect this from her, I thought a Caucasian girl should be great and I didn’t pay any attention to how we slept with her the next day after we met))) p.s I’m Tatar she is a Lezginka
Answer from Rail Batyrshin[newbie]
I lived with boys from Dagestan in a dorm from university, purebred Lezgins. Very smart, sympathetic, hardworking, non-drinking, non-smoking guys. Served in the army for far east I was friends with the Lezgins. They are very hospitable; they themselves are ready to go hungry, but they will feed their neighbor. I am a Tatar myself, but I respect Lezgins very much! I speak in own experience, firsthand. Just respect each other, at such a moment the Chechen will put away his wolfish grin and smile!
The sex ratio among Lezgins shows a predominance of the male population. This population structure distinguishes Lezgins from the rest large nations and testifies to the fact that people live and work in our country a large number of labor migrants from Azerbaijan are represented largely by men.
True, the gender ratio has leveled off slightly since the last census: the proportion of women increased from 48.7% to 49.5%. But most likely this is due to the undercounting of Lezgins in large cities, and this is where labor migration is directed. Additionally, only a small proportion of Lezgins from Azerbaijan were counted in both the 2002 and 2010 censuses. This situation is explained by the fact that migrants, who did not want to complicate their stay in Russia, avoided communicating with census takers. In 2010, a trend towards an increase in the share of the Russian population in Moscow and other cities was also noticed, at the expense of the non-Russian population. One of the reasons for this policy is an attempt to reassure Russian city dwellers about the dominance of migrants in the cities.
Be that as it may, many Lezgins moved to Russia for temporary and permanent residence not only from Azerbaijan, but also from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and other countries. Only Armenians and Azerbaijanis exhibit a more deformed gender structure - they experienced a more powerful “influx” of migrants, with a much higher proportion of men than Lezgins.
The census also showed a drop in the proportion of people under working age among Lezgins: from 30% to 25% due to an increase in this indicator among the working population (from 61% to 66%). The share of the elderly population remained almost unchanged - 9%. The main factors of this transformation are also the migration of the working-age Lezgin population to Russia and the fall in the birth rate.
An interesting feature of recent years has been a significant increase in married Lezgin men from 60.4% to 66%, the share of married Lezgin women has changed slightly from 61.4% to 62.2%. Probably young and middle-aged Lezgins, migrating to the cities, began to actively start families, and they more often choose life partners from representatives of other nationalities, mainly Russians. Nevertheless, the number of mono-ethnic Lezgin households has grown from 72 to 90 thousand, on average one household consists of four and a half people. It is noteworthy that the proportion of divorced people, both men and women, fell slightly.
The Lezgin family is becoming small. This process also affected other Dagestan peoples. The proportion of women who do not have children or have given birth to 1-2 children is growing, and the proportion of mothers having 3 or more children is decreasing (from 35% to 31%).
The share of Lezgins who speak their native language has fallen - to 82.4%, 94.6% speak Russian. At the same time, the native language for Lezgins becomes a kind of symbol. The proportion of Lezgins who indicated Lezgin as their native language increased from 94% to 94.9% from 1989 to 2010. According to this indicator, the Lezgins are still inferior to the peoples of Dagestan and the Vainakhs.
A more favorable situation among Lezgins is observed in the educational sphere. The share of people with higher and postgraduate education increased one and a half times: from 14.4% to 21.6% (the Russian average is slightly higher - 23.4%). True, the same and even faster growth was observed among other large nations. Among the Mountain Caucasian peoples, only Ossetians have more high level education (30%). However, as is known, the quality of education is last years has been steadily declining.
Unfortunately, the census revealed a very high unemployment rate among Lezgins - 22.8% of the working-age population of private households. This situation is typical for all Mountain Caucasian peoples and is due to the fact that the North Caucasus is a depressed region. However, a significant part of the unemployed actually regularly travel to work outside their region. We should expect further outflow of Lezgins from Dagestan until the unemployment rate drops to an acceptable level.
Amil Sarkarov
Information and Analytical Center FLNKA
A people who honors traditions Let's take a closer look at this nationality. Lezgins have a rather bright and explosive character. This Caucasian people For a long time, he respected the customs of hospitality, kunakism and, of course, blood feud. It is noteworthy that the proper upbringing of children plays a very important role in their culture. Surprisingly, they begin to raise the baby even when he is in the mother’s womb. This is probably what distinguishes Lezgins. Nationality has a lot interesting traditions. Here is one of them. - If women could not have children, that is, they were childless, they were sent to the sacred places of the Caucasus. In case of success, namely the birth of children of different sexes, families who were friends with each other promised each other to marry their children in the future. They sincerely believed in the healing power sacred places and took such trips very seriously. Some argue that such a custom was formed as a result of the desire to strengthen friendly and family ties between certain families.
Ancient rituals and modern life Lezgins - what kind of nation is this? Let's take a closer look below. Despite their small numbers, the Lezgins have fairly fundamental moral standards that are associated with long-standing traditions. From wedding customs We can highlight one of the most striking ones - bride kidnapping. The most interesting thing is that such a tradition was practiced both with and without the consent of the bride. As it turned out, there was no ransom as such. For the young woman, a certain payment was simply made to her parents. Perhaps today for some it resembles some kind of purchase and seems not entirely worthy, but practice shows that the majority local residents We treated this with joy and great enthusiasm. Eastern traditions of hospitality Lezgins have a special attitude towards guests and elderly people. They are shown special respect. Old people are not allowed to do difficult work, and guests are not allowed to do household chores at all, even if they urgently ask for it. Guests are given all the best: they sleep on the most comfortable bed, even if the owners may end up spending the night on the floor. Sometimes I wish that even today many peoples could better study their culture and learn something useful from there, especially regarding how to treat guests. People today have achieved a lot, but have lost something valuable - an understanding of the true nature of human relationships. Eastern cultures, in principle, differ from others in their special attitudes towards women. In the East they have always been considered minor members of society. The Lezgin culture is no exception, but it is safe to say that, despite this situation, men have always treated Lezgin women with deep respect. It was considered a great shame for a Lezgin family to raise a hand against a woman or to insult her dignity in some other way.
Spiritual heritage or what is the national religion of the Lezgins? What can be said about the spiritual heritage of the ancient Lezgins? Today, the majority of this nation professes Islam. Scientists readily admit that religious culture people has not been thoroughly studied, but its roots certainly go back to paganism and are largely intertwined with folk mythology. For example, Lezgins still have a rather curious idea of how the amazing planet Earth is located in space. They believe that it rests on the horns of Yaru Yatz (Red Bull), which, in turn, stands on Chiehi Yad (translated as “Big Water”). This is a rather interesting design. Although it is somewhat contrary to scientific data, some people believe in it very sincerely. These were the unusual ideas about the world that Lezgins had. A nationality whose religion is Islam is quite distinctive. Folk dance, known all over the world. Some are outraged by the fact that these religious teachings are imbued with mythology and quite often contradict generally accepted concepts of common sense. Modern life This people has largely accepted the principles of modernity. They certainly respect traditions, but they are much less fanatical about them than before. Special attention attracts tourists and travelers national dance Lezgin. Today there are very few people who have never heard of Lezginka. This original and fascinating dance has been danced by Lezgins for a long time. This nationality is quite distinctive, and the dance is proof of this. How long ago Lezginka arose and how old it is is not known for certain. Some suggest that it originates from ritual Caucasian dances. Lezginka is a very dynamic and movement-rich dance. By the way, modern name It was the Russians who gave it to him. The cheerful and cheerful music to which this dance is performed did not leave many indifferent famous composers. Some of them even slightly changed or interpreted the old traditional melody in a different way. - Read more on FB.ru.