Adyghe people or Western Circassians (Adygs) (self-name - Adyghe) - people in Russia (132 thousand people), the indigenous population of Adygea and the Krasnodar Territory, including the Black Sea coast from Anapa to Sochi.
Traditional activities- arable farming (millet, barley, since the 19th century the main crops have been corn and wheat), gardening, viticulture, livestock breeding (cattle and small cattle, horse breeding). Home crafts include weaving, weaving, burrowing, leather and weapons production, stone and wood carving. Clothing and household items of the Adyghe people have long been decorated with embroidery with gold and silver threads, silk, cord, and appliqué. The patterns are dominated by large plant motifs that sparsely fill the background. On silver items (decorations for clothing, horse harnesses, etc.), thin floral and curvilinear patterns were applied by engraving, niello, filigree, and notching. Simple geometric patterns are typical for mats, wood carvings, and patterned felts.
Cloth of the general North Caucasian type, for men - an undershirt, a beshmet, a Circassian coat, a belt with a silver set, trousers, a felt cloak, a hat, a bashlyk, narrow felt or leather leggings. For women - bloomers, lower. a shirt, a tight-fitting caftan, a long swing dress with a silver belt and long sleeve pendants, a high cap trimmed with silver or gold braid, a scarf.
Circassian crafts
Blacksmithing among the Circassians[
Adyghe blacksmiths in the early Middle Ages, apparently, had not yet severed their connection with the community and had not separated from it, however, within the community they already formed a separate professional group,...
Blacksmithing production during this period was focused mainly on satisfying the economic needs of the community (shares, scythes, sickles, axes, knives, chains, spits, sheep shears, etc.) and its military organization(horse equipment - bits, stirrups, horseshoes, girth buckles; offensive weapons - spears, battle axes, swords, daggers, arrowheads; defensive weapons - helmets, chain mail, parts of shields, etc.).
It is still difficult to determine what the raw material base of this production was, but, without excluding the presence of our own smelting of metal from local ores, we point out two iron ore regions from where metallurgical raw materials (semi-finished products-kritsy) could also be supplied to Adyghe blacksmiths. These are, firstly, the Kerch Peninsula and, secondly, the upper reaches of the Kuban, Zelenchuk and Urup, where they were discovered obvious traces of ancient cheese-making iron smelting.
Jewelry making among the Circassians
“Adyghe jewelers had the skills of casting non-ferrous metals, soldering, stamping, making wire, engraving, etc. Unlike blacksmithing, their production did not require bulky equipment and large, difficult-to-transport supplies of raw materials. As shown by the burial of a jeweler in a burial ground on the river. Durso, metallurgists and jewelers could use not only ingots obtained from ore, but also scrap metal as raw materials. Together with their tools and raw materials, they moved freely from village to village, increasingly breaking away from their community and turning into otkhodnik artisans.”
Gunsmithing
Blacksmiths are very numerous in the country. They are almost everywhere weapon and silversmiths and are very skilled in their profession.
It is almost incomprehensible how they, with their few and insufficient tools, can make excellent weapons.
The gold and silver jewelry that is admired by European gun lovers is made with great patience and labor with meager tools.
Gunsmiths are highly respected and well paid, rarely in cash, of course, but almost always in kind.
Kalmyks (Kalm.Halmgood ) - people; part of the Oirats who migrated in the 17th century to the Lower Volga region (Kalmykia) and the North Caucasus.
The basis of the traditional Kalmyk economy was nomadic cattle breeding. The herd was dominated by sheep, fat-tailed and coarse-wooled, and horses of the Kalmyk steppe breed, distinguished by their unpretentiousness; Cattle were also bred - red cows raised for meat, as well as goats and camels. Cattle have been kept on pasture all year round since the 19th century. began to stockpile food for the winter. With the transition to sedentism (with the exception of Russian Kalmyks and those who lived in the West, the rest of the Oirat-Kalmyks continue to lead a semi-nomadic lifestyle), pig breeding began to be practiced. In the Volga region and the Caspian Sea, fishing played a significant role. Hunting was of no small importance, mainly saigas, but also wolves, foxes and other game. Some groups of Kalmyks have been engaged in agriculture for a long time, but it did not play a significant role. Only with the transition to settled life did its importance begin to grow. Cereals were grown - rye, wheat, millet, etc., industrial crops - flax, tobacco, vegetable gardens, orchards and melons. From the 20th century Kalmyks also begin to engage in flood rice cultivation. Crafts were developed, including leather working, felting, wood carving, etc., including artistic ones - leather stamping, embossing and metal engraving, embroidery.
Men's clothing Kalmyks had a shirt with long sewn-in sleeves and a round neckline (it was white) and blue or striped pants. Over them they wore a beshmet sewn at the waist and another pair of trousers, usually cloth. The beshmet was belted with a leather belt, richly ornamented with silver plaques; it was an indicator of the owner’s wealth; a knife in a sheath was hung from the belt on the left side. The men's headdress was a fur hat like a papakha or a sheepskin cap with earflaps. Ceremonial headdresses had a red silk tassel, which is why neighboring peoples called the Kalmyks “red-tasseled.” Shoes were soft leather boots of black or red with slightly curved toes; they were worn with felt stockings in winter and canvas foot wraps in summer.
Women's clothing was more varied. It consisted of a white long shirt with an open collar and a slit in the front to the waist and blue pants. Girls from the age of 12-13 wore a camisole over their shirt and pants, tightly cinching their chest and waist and making their figure flat; they did not take it off even at night. Women's clothing was also biz made of chintz or woolen fabric in the form of a long dress, it was tied at the waist with a belt with metal patches, as well as birz - a wide dress without a belt. The girl's headdress was a cap: a woman's headdress resembled a beret with a wide, hard hoop at the bottom. Married women braided their hair in two braids and put them in black or velvet braids. Women's shoes were leather boots. There were numerous women's jewelry - earrings, hairpins, hairpins, etc. made of gold, silver, bone, precious and semi-precious stones. Men wore an earring in their left ear, a ring and an amulet bracelet.
Traditions and customs. A special attitude towards tea as a “divine drink” (deedsin iden) determined the specifics of the Kalmyk tea ritual. There are many canons associated with the ceremony of preparing and offering Kalmyk tea. We will focus on just a few. It is considered good luck when a person is lucky enough to have morning tea with someone. On this occasion, the owners of the house say: “Sen kuune amn tosta” (A good person always ends up with hearty food). The hosts specially invite those who enter to take part in morning tea. As a rule, Kalmyks never refuse such an invitation, because morning tea is associated with the successful resolution of begun affairs, which is confirmed by folk wisdom: “ϴrun tse uupad iarhla, kerg kutskh” (If you drink tea in the morning, your deeds will be completed).
The marriage was concluded by agreement between the parents of the future husband and wife; the consent of the guy and the girl was usually not asked. The girl was married off outside her khoton. There was no kalym, but the values transferred by the groom's family to the bride's family could be significant. Gelyung previously determined whether the marriage would be successful. To do this, they compared the years of birth of the bride and groom according to the Eastern calendar. It was considered good if the bride was born in the year of the hare, and the groom in the year of the dragon, but not vice versa, since “the dragon will devour the hare,” that is, the man will not be the head of the house. A separate tent was set up for the new family, with the groom’s side preparing the home itself, and the bride’s side providing the interior decoration and household items. To reduce wedding expenses, by mutual agreement of the parties, an imaginary abduction of the bride could be arranged. The matchmakers came to the bride's family three times to formalize the agreement; these meetings were accompanied by a festive meal. Whether the marriage would be successful and the “happy” wedding day was determined by a zurkhachi (astrologer) using special fortune telling.
N.N. Mozgovaya-Giryanskaya
deputy director of educational work,
Russian language teacher and literature MOU Secondary school No. 9
Volnoye village, Koshekhablsky district, Republic of Adygea
Family is the basis of the existence of every nation. World family relations, family arrangement, customs and traditions one way or another played a significant role in the upbringing of the younger generation among both the Cossacks and the Circassians - two peoples living side by side for several centuries. The upbringing traditions of these two peoples overlap in many ways and have common features.
According to the ancient times folk tradition Both Cossacks and Circassians considered creating a family a moral duty of every person. Her cult dominated in the Cossack and mountain communities. The family was the basis of existence, a shrine protected not only by its members, but by the entire community. The Cossacks valued family life and treated married people with great respect, and only constant military campaigns forced many of them to remain single.
Nowadays, traditional methods of treating arthritis have become very popular among the people. At first glance, this is due to problems in official medicine
Until the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries. Cossacks and Circassians are characterized by the existence of a large undivided family. Its long-term preservation was facilitated by its special social status and specific way of life: the need to cultivate large plots of land, the impossibility of separating a young family during service (among the Cossacks) or before it began, and the isolation of family life. Families consisted of 3 - 4 generations, their number reached 25 - 30 people. Along with numerous ones, small families were known, consisting of parents and unmarried children. Intensive development of commodity-money relations at the beginning of the 20th century. accelerated the decomposition big family.
The head of such a community among both the Circassians and the Cossacks was the eldest man - the father or (after his death) the eldest of the brothers, who represented the family at the village level, regulated the daily economic activities of the family, managed its funds, and decided all issues of the marital nature of family members. The power of the father over his sons was extremely great. For serious misconduct he could expel or disinherit any of them. At the same time, the causeless despotism of the head of the family was condemned by both the Circassians and the Cossacks. The father's authority should have been based not on fear, but on respect for wisdom, humanity, and economic competence. The word of the owner of the family was indisputable for all its members, and his wife, the mother of his children, was an example of this.
The eldest woman, who was in charge of household matters, enjoyed just as much authority as the head of the family. Children were required to honor their parents even as adults. Quarreling with parents was considered a grave sin.
The uniqueness of the Cossack family structure was the relative freedom of a Cossack woman compared, for example, with a peasant woman. Cossack women had equal rights in the family, regardless of nationality, because The Cossack woman had to be baptized. Cossack women had an independent and proud character. Contemporaries wrote about Cossack women: “Combine the beauty and charm of a Russian woman with the beauty of a Circassian, Turkish and Tatar woman, and if you add the fearlessness of the Amazons, you have before you a portrait of a true Cossack woman.” Cossack women valued honor, glory, and loyalty above all else (after their mother and father), they knew how to stand up for themselves, handle horses and weapons, and, on occasion, helped men in battle.
The harsh military life left a bright imprint on the entire culture of both peoples. From the age of 18, a Cossack went into service. After serving for 5-6 years, he returned to the village and, usually, started a family. Marriages in Cossack families were concluded with the consent of the bride and groom. The qualities of the bride were judged by her parents. Until the middle of the 19th century. the groom's parents were in charge of choosing the bride, but later main role began to be assigned to the groom himself. The Cossack tried to find a bride who was an equal in financial status. It was not allowed to marry off girls to other villages if there were enough bachelors in their own. There were few marriages between Cossacks and nonresidents. A Cossack woman, marrying a non-resident, lost her privileged position, and her parents were very opposed to this. Wives from other cities did not have much influence on the life of the Cossacks, since their position in the house was powerless. Marriages between Old Believers and Orthodox Christians were rare. As a rule, Cossacks took wives from their villages.
Among the Circassians, marriages were strictly exogamous; marriage was prohibited to blood relatives up to the 7th generation, namesakes, and representatives different surnames who traced themselves back to a common ancestor. Relatives acquired through artificial kinship - atalystvo, adoption, consanguinity, as well as individual and inter-tribal twinning - were also excluded from the marriage sphere. Ignoring such prohibitions always caused extreme hostility from the community, leading to the expulsion and often the killing of violators. Marriages between representatives of different classes were extremely rare.
The Circassians had several forms of marriage, the main of which was considered an arranged marriage, i.e. mutual consent of the parties. The existence of such a marriage was due to the significant freedom of Adyghe youth in choosing a future life partner. Boys and girls could meet, get acquainted and show each other signs of attention at wedding games, parties that accompanied the ritual of healing the wounded. The place where young people spent time was also special girls' rooms (pshesh'euyn), allocated in each house for girls who had reached marriageable age. It was here, in accordance with the requirements of the institution of pselyyhuak1ue (matchmaking, from the Adyghe pse - soul, lyyhuen - to search; doel. - “search for the soul”) , in the presence of a younger sister or friend, and the girl’s explanation with potential suitors should have taken place. It happened that young men from neighboring villages and even from remote corners of Circassia came to woo a girl known for her virtues. At the same time, in a matchmaking situation, both parties actively used huerybze - a figurative, allegorical language of playful courtship. The girl who made her choice informed her parents about this through intermediaries. If they agreed to this marriage, the young people exchanged a pledge of fidelity, and a date was set for the bride’s removal.
The wedding rituals of both peoples were characterized by bright features of folk art, embodied in wedding songs, dances, games, and competitions. They taught young people to observe mountain etiquette, show restraint and good manners. Young people learned the culture of communication.
The wedding was the most joyful family and social holiday. The wedding began new life, new family, continuation of the family. “The creation of a new man, a new world must be pure and holy. The wedding led the young people through so many rituals, through so many songs and cries, through such unimaginable beauty, so that they, the young ones, would understand it.” Moral Lesson The message that the wedding presented to the newlyweds was not limited to parting words and congratulations.
One of the main purposes of marriage was children. Childlessness was considered a misfortune. It was not for nothing that the birth of a child completed the wedding cycle, finally sealing the marriage. But both peoples saw the meaning of family not only in the birth, but also in the upbringing of children. A model was considered a young man, comprehensively developed, able to endure any adversity with dignity, endowed with intelligence, physical strength and moral virtues. The process of educating the younger generation took place under the direct influence of the entire way of life, the environment, labor activity, customs and traditions of peoples.
System family education Circassians have their roots in the distant past. It was believed that already in adolescence, children should have known all the adats and customs of the people, the laws of hospitality, etiquette, signs of attention shown to each other by a man and a woman.
The Cossacks did not have clearly defined recommendations for raising the younger generation. The basis of the life of the Cossacks was the protection of the borders of the Fatherland. The difficult military-agricultural way of life required the Cossacks to always be in constant, combat readiness, good physical fitness, hardy, courageous, and simultaneously bear the burdens of military and economic activity. Education in Cossack families was based on the principles of “Domostroy,” which presupposed the unconditional authority of the father or senior Cossack, thus, in essence, we are talking about the principle of positive authoritarianism.
In family education, parents sought to maintain a differentiated approach to children, thereby creating conditions for the harmonious development and self-expression of the individual. The upbringing of boys in a Cossack family, like that of the Adyghe, was influenced by the military-border organization of life. This determines the multi-stage initiation rites, i.e. initiation of a boy into the Cossacks, taking into account his main purpose - serving the Fatherland. The traditional culture of the Cossacks and Circassians was focused, first of all, on the education of a male warrior, a defender with a strong civic and patriotic position, a hard worker, a zealous owner, a person focused on Orthodox values regarding family and society, and on creative work.
From an early age, parents taught their children to get up early, help with housework, and perform simple self-care activities. From the age of seven, they were assigned feasible work - caring for poultry, weeding, cleaning the yard and house. At the age of three, Cossack and Circassian boys could sit freely on horses; at ten - teenagers could drive horses to water, harness and unharness a horse, graze horses at night; at twelve - they pranced on horses, navigated the terrain, provided first aid, 14-15 year old teenagers knew how to ride horses, overcome obstacles while galloping, cut down vines, and make a fire.
The family did not provide systematic specialized knowledge. Introduction to work, comprehension of crafts was carried out through the prism folk wisdom, gaming activities. Children's games were not only entertaining, but also educational and developmental in nature. So, many of them were part of military-patriotic and physical education.
Both the Circassians and the Cossacks raised the boy much more strictly than the girl, and his life was very early age was filled with work and training. From the age of five, boys worked with their parents in the fields: driving oxen to plow land, herding sheep and other livestock. But there was still time for play. Until the age of 7-8 years, the Cossack boy lived in the female half of the kuren. At this moment, education came from both the female part of the family and the male part. It was mainly based on visibility. And the main thing here is the personal example of the elders and the immersion of the “kid” in the appropriate environment.
From the age of 8, the Cossack girl was moved to the male half of the kuren. From that time on, the Cossack boy learned to wield a whip, and they began to invite him to “conversations.” The main point in raising a Cossack during this period was the following: to teach him to cope with his own fear in all its manifestations. And, observing the reaction of the Cossack, the elders said: “Don’t be afraid, the Cossack is not afraid of anything!”, “Be patient, Cossack, you will be an ataman!”
At the age of 12, the process of physical learning was basically completed. Precisely training, but not development. From the age of 12, a Cossack girl was taught to use military weapons - a saber (dagger). And at the age of 16, when the Cossack was ready, a more serious test awaited him - mainly it was hunting a predator (wolf, wild boar, etc.).
We can observe the same thing among the Circassians. From childhood, they accustomed their children to military affairs and paid exceptional attention to the military education of young people. Almost continuous clashes with external enemies made the Circassians excellent warriors.
Raising a girl among the Cossacks required special military-physical training, which made it possible to simultaneously fulfill the role of a protector-educator and know the basics of family life. Without fail, girls were taught self-defense techniques, shooting, the ability to ride a horse, swim under water, and at the same time perform the functions of a teacher, a faithful wife, and a housewife. Until the age of 13, girls played the same games as boys, learning the basics of military art, including learning to ride a horse. They spent the remaining time from the games participating in cooking and learning to sew. Over the years, the girls improved in housekeeping. Like an Adyghe girl, a Cossack woman had to be able to sew, “quilt” a blanket or caftan with a pattern, cook, care for livestock, etc. It was considered prestigious for a young housewife to master all the intricacies of housekeeping. Over time, girls began to be sent to school. Every Sunday and on holidays, girls and women put on their most elegant dress and went with their grandmothers to matins, mass and vespers. In the evenings they were allowed to sit and walk on the porch of their house, but they were obliged to hide each time if they noticed young man. Only at weddings or big holidays could Cossack women see guys, but under the supervision of their elders. Here they danced, danced in circles, and sang. In the 19th century girls could attend schools at the request of the family, and studying at home was limited to reading akathists and canons.
An Adyghe girl up to the age of 12 was allowed a lot, but there were also strict restrictions: the girl did not have the right to leave the female half and participate in adult holidays. When she turned 12, she was put on a corset so that the girl would have thin waist and flat chest. It was not removed even during bathing and sleeping. Only on the wedding night did the husband tear the corset with a saber or dagger. From the age of 12, the girl was allocated a room into which men and even the father had no right to enter, without the presence of another girl or woman. In the room, the girl not only rested, but also learned needlework, began to prepare her dowry: she sewed beautiful scarves, weaved carpets, knitted...
The division of labor was carried out according to gender. As a rule, men were engaged in joint field work and pastoralism, and women were engaged in housekeeping. Children helped adults. Family consumption was also shared. All this had a beneficial effect on the formation of collectivist aspirations and hard work in children, sensitivity and attention to each other. The strict nature of raising children in the family was determined by patriarchal relations. According to custom in large families Children were raised not so much by parents as by grandparents, aunts, brothers and sisters. In small families, children were raised by parents and their older children. Various means and methods of influencing children were used in education. The elders, showing concern for them, told them fairy tales and legends. They taught them respect for the customs and traditions of the people. As a rule, methods of persuasion, testing, and coercion were used; Forms of social influence were practiced: public suggestions, censures, and sometimes severe punishments.
Cossack godparents had a great influence on the child. It was believed that natural parents, due to their softness or excessive severity, could be biased during the educational process. Godparents must be objective in assessing the actions of the godson, moderately strict and necessarily fair. The godmother helped her parents prepare a Cossack girl for a future married life, teaching her about housekeeping, needlework, frugality, and work. On godfather the main responsibility was assigned to prepare the Cossack girl for service, and for the military training of the Cossack the demand from the godfather was greater than from his own father.
An element of such upbringing is also found among the Circassians of the noble class. Raising a child by parents was considered impermissible. Among other things, this could lead to excessive affection, softness, which in no case should be demonstrated - especially in public. Therefore, the boys were handed over to educators (atalyks).
Adyghe ethics condemned excessive emotionality, due to which the demonstration of mutual affection, parental or filial love had to be carried out not in verbal form, not in the external manifestation of feelings, but within the framework of the code of Adyghe khabze. The manifestation of other manners was tantamount to “loss of face”, loss of honor (nape). Because of this, with all the severity of upbringing, children were influenced not by prohibition, not by punishment, but by conviction and their own example. The child had to realize that his non-normative behavior could harm the reputation of his parents, family and clan as a whole.
Distinctive feature Cossack and Adyghe family pedagogy was religiosity of education. Religious worldviews helped them create special pedagogical conditions in the family, which formed in the child high moral standards necessary, on the one hand, to remain a Christian (among the Cossacks), a Muslim (among the Circassians) - a warrior-defender, and on the other - a friend-diplomat for neighbors. The main goal of family education was to form in the child’s mind an understanding of the purpose of a warrior-border guard-diplomat, virtuous, merciful, conscientious, capable of comprehending beauty, believing in the possibility of improving the world and people, striving to contribute to this with personal participation. Through faith, the child learned his connection with the world and mastered moral and ethical standards. Faith formed a sense of belonging to one’s clan and helped to tolerantly overcome national prejudices in connection with a different religion in the multinational region of the North Caucasus.
The family instilled in the child the foundations of patriarchal morality, embodied in a set of laws and rules, instructing one to be worthy in thoughts and deeds, sincere in speeches, temperate and moderate in actions and desires. An important part of family education was the desire of elders to instill in children a sense of kindness and benevolence, generosity and hospitality, and religious tolerance. An integral component of family education was the inclusion younger generation To folk art. WITH early childhood children were raised with examples of valor and honor folk heroes, legends, proverbs, sayings, songs.
IN family life Cossacks and Circassians in every possible way encouraged the child’s desire to master the game, developing and strengthening the spirit and body. The complex of children's games, formed in folk pedagogy, made it possible to develop ingenuity and speed of reaction, eye and observation, endurance and the spirit of collectivism.
From an early age, children in Cossack and Adyghe families were taught by elders to understand good and evil, taught to distinguish the real truth from false, heroic from cowardice. The older generation instilled in their sons and grandchildren the need to recognize a person’s mood. The Cossacks said: “Fear the goat in front, the horse in back, and the man on all sides. And in order to recognize a person, do not look at his face, but look into his heart,” and the Adygs: “TsIyhuym yyhyetyr lagyuyn hueysh” - “You need to see the person’s khatir”, “Yeri fIyri zehegekI” - “Figure out where is good and where is evil.”
Particular care was taken to ensure that the child was not infected with envy. The Cossacks, like the Circassians, believed that envy is hatred. Envious people are people who do not shy away from theft, or a knife, or an ax.
Important in the family education of the Cossacks was the desire of the elders to teach the younger generation to evaluate themselves from the outside, analyze every day they live, correct mistakes in time and remember: you need to be born a Cossack, you need to become a Cossack, you need to be a Cossack. The Adygs believed that an important component of self-awareness is the duty of prudence, which obliges one to know and evaluate one’s capabilities - “Uishkhye yynIal'e zeg'ash Ie” - “Know yourself.”
Children were instilled with the skills of honoring the roots of kinship. Close kinship was considered up to the fifth generation. By the age of six, among the Cossacks, the child knew almost all close relatives living in the village. Visits to relatives on holidays and help in difficulties strengthened not only family ties in children, but also raised them within the framework of the requirements of traditions, customs, morals, and work skills. The Cossack was obliged to know all degrees of kinship and his ancestors by name. This was facilitated by memorials that were kept behind the icon in the icon case in every family.
From childhood, it was customary for the Cossacks to cultivate respect for their elders; violation of traditions was punishable. The youth were ashamed to commit the slightest indecency in front of the old man, and the old man could not only remind them of their duties, but also punish them without fear of their parents. Theft and deceit were considered the most heinous crimes, and courage and chastity were considered the greatest virtues. Young people did not dare sit down in the presence of their elders. Parents refrained from clarifying their relationship in the presence of their children. The wife's address to her husband, as a sign of honoring his parents, was only by name and patronymic, since the father and mother of the husband (father-in-law and mother-in-law) for the wife, and the mother and father of the wife (mother-in-law and father-in-law) for the husband were God-given parents. Among Cossack children, and even among adults, it was customary to greet (greet) even a stranger who appeared in a farm or village. Restraint, politeness and respect were observed in dealing with parents and elders in general. In Kuban, they addressed their father and mother only with “You” - “You, mother”, “You, tattoo”. These rules kept families strong.
IN family life Among the peoples of the North Caucasus, customs of avoidance were widespread. Men and women lived separately, in different rooms. In the presence of his parents and elders, the husband generally avoided meeting and talking with his wife, and in front of strangers he pretended not to notice her. In turn, the wife avoided meeting and talking with her husband’s older relatives and close neighbors; even their names were forbidden to her. There was also avoidance between parents and children. In the presence of strangers, the father did not pick up the children, did not call them by name, and in every possible way showed outward indifference towards them, since it was considered shameful for a man to demonstrate his love and affection for children.
Among all the mountain peoples of the North Caucasus, children of both sexes were completely dependent on their parents. The slightest disobedience to parental will was strictly punished according to adat. It was condemned and public opinion, and according to Sharia it was considered the greatest sin.
Deep respect and veneration for father and mother was expressed in unquestioning submission to them, constant care for them, and strict adherence to behavioral prohibitions. Relationships in a mountain family were built on the principles of Adyghe etiquette, which provided for mutual respect, courtesy and tact. Both boys and girls had to know these laws from early childhood and strictly follow them according to their age. Great help in remembering and implementing complex hospitality etiquette was provided by folk legends. Any village resident or stranger walking down the street hears “keblag” in response to their greeting - welcome. This means that everyone invites him into their home and wants to treat him. If a guest refuses a treat and asks for directions to someone, then the owner, leaving all his business, accompanies him to his destination. And the destination may be a neighboring village. The hospitality of the Circassians extended even to blood enemies.
Among the Cossacks, the guest was considered a messenger of God. The most dear and welcome guest was considered a stranger from distant places, in need of shelter, rest and care. Anyone who did not show respect to the guest was deservedly subjected to contempt. Regardless of the guest’s age, he was given best place at meals and on vacation. It was considered indecent to ask a guest for 3 days where he was from and what the purpose of his arrival was. Even the old man gave up his seat, although the guest was younger than him. The Cossacks had a rule: wherever he went on business or to visit, he never took food either for himself or for his horse. In any farm, village, village, he always had a distant or close relative, godfather, matchmaker, brother-in-law or colleague, or even just a resident who would greet him as a guest and feed both him and his horse. Cossacks stopped at inns on rare occasions when visiting fairs in cities.
Folk ideals of moral education were determined by the moral code that existed among all nations, which denoted not only a system of rules and norms of behavior, but also volitional qualities, emotions, feelings associated with maintaining decency in actions and in relations between people, sanctified by traditions, customs, popular law. The latter demanded that children be raised in the spirit of love for the fatherland, their people, parents, friendship and respect for other peoples. Therefore, both the Circassians and the Cossacks had traditions in education, and very deep ones:
1. Fostering hard work, honest military service, and decency.
2. Teaching goodness and benevolence.
3. Developing the ability to correctly assess the life situation.
4. Teaching obedience. An obedient person will always turn out to be a reasonable person, a good worker, a kind family man and an honest Cossack, and a disobedient person will always become a superstitious person, a thief, a deceiver, a rapist.
5. Learning to live with your own mind, sympathize with people.
Father and grandfather taught their sons and grandchildren how to manage things, how to survive in dangerous conditions: how to behave with enemies, when meeting a dangerous animal in the forest, they taught how to make a fire in the rain. Mothers and grandmothers taught girls how to run a household, the ability to love and take care of their family, and taught them compliance and affection. Parents strictly monitored the relationships between young people before marriage. Showing feelings in the presence of elders was considered the height of indecency.
There were practically no divorces in Adyghe and Cossack families.
The combination of the listed qualities, a harmonious system of family education, and its social character helped both the Cossacks and the Circassians to preserve their ethnic identity, a powerful layer of spiritual and material values.
The key means of education in the family were work, military sports and holiday events, teaching and teaching. Many specific methods and techniques of education, inherent only to the Cossacks, only to the Adygs, passed down from generation to generation, became traditions. They strictly regulated the behavior of all family and community members, thereby maintaining intragroup cohesion and ensuring high level self-organization. In general, the Cossacks’ ideas about love, family, morality and honor are reflected in a complex of well-thought-out educational practices and norms of relationships that make up the entire wealth of folk pedagogical culture, assimilated with the culture of the peoples of the North Caucasus.
Notes:
1. Velikaya N.N. Cossacks of Eastern Ciscaucasia in the 18th-19th centuries. Rostov-on-Don, 2001. P. 196; Gardanov V.K. Culture and life of the peoples of the North Caucasus. M., 1968. P. 185.
2. Ibid.
3. Butova E. Stanitsa Borozdinskaya // Collection of materials for describing the localities and tribes of the Caucasus. Vol. 7. Tiflis, 1889. P. 51, 100.
4. Aleynikov V. Cossacks - Russian pioneers.
5. Kumakhov M.A. Adyghe (Circassian) encyclopedia. M., 2006. P. 554.
6. Meretukov M.A. Marriage among the Circassians // UZ ANII. 1968. T. 8. P. 208.
7. Kirzhinov S.S. The system of education of the Circassians in the past: author's abstract. dis. Ph.D. ped. Sci. Tbilisi, 1977. pp. 13-14.
8. All-Russian scientific and practical conference “Cossacks in the history of Russia” (Moscow, October 3-4, 2007) // Cossack Terek. 2007. No. 9-10. P.3-6, 28; GASK. F.318. D. No. 5. L.6.
9. Gardanov V.K. Culture and life of the peoples of the North Caucasus. M., 1968. P. 185; Kirzhinov S.S. The system of education of the Circassians in the past: author's abstract. dis. Ph.D. ped. Sci. Tbilisi, 1977. pp. 13-14.
10. Karachaily I. Life of the mountain peoples of the South-East. Rostov-n/D., 1924. P. 11.
11. Kokiev G.A. On the issue of atalism // RG. 1919. No. 3.
12. Velikaya N.N. Cossacks of Eastern Ciscaucasia in the 18th-19th centuries. Rostov-n/D., 2001. P. 196.
13. Kumakhov M.A. Decree. op.
14. Kokiev G.A. Decree. op.
15. Kumakhov M.A. Decree. op.
16. Gardanov V.K. Decree. op.
17. Alexandrov S.G. Folk outdoor games of the Kuban Cossacks. Krasnodar: KGAFK, 1997. P. 3, 83.
18. Kumakhov M.A. Decree. op.
19. Ibid.
20. Gardanov V.K. Decree. op.
21. Ibid.
22. Kumakhov M.A. Decree. op.
23. Gardanov V.K. Hospitality, kunachestvo and patronage among the Adygs (Circassians) in the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries. // SE. 1964. No. 1.
24. Kokiev G.A. Decree. op.
Questions of Cossack history and culture: Issue 7 / M.E. Galetsky, N.N. Denisova, G.B. Lugansk; Kuban Association “Regional Festival of Cossack Culture”; Department of Slavic-Adyghe cultural relations of the Adyghe Republican Institute of Humanitarian Studies named after. T. Kerasheva. – Maykop: Publishing house “Magarin O.G.”, 2011.
Kanokova Farizet
Lesson summary “Family customs of the Circassians”
Subject: "Circassian family customs. Putting the baby into the cradle for the first time"
This material will be useful for preschool teachers educational institutions, with the purpose of forming a regional culture in children.
Types of children's activities: gaming, educational and research, communicative, perception of fiction, musical and artistic.
Target: Introducing children to the culture of their people, replenishing children’s knowledge about their native republic, nurturing love and respect for traditions and Circassian customs.
Introduce children to the ritual of putting a baby into the cradle for the first time (kush'ehaphe);
Continue to introduce children to traditional everyday culture Adyghe people;
maintain and develop interest in the traditions of the Small Motherland;
Expand and deepen children's understanding of ancient family customs;
Consolidate ancient knowledge Adyghe names;
enrich vocabulary nouns: amulet, cradle.
Preliminary work:
Conversations to familiarize yourself with the environment "Items Adyghe antiquity» ; "Me and my name", Visit to the regional museum;
Reading Adyghe folk tales , epics, looking at illustrations, listening Adyghe folk songs , lullabies; organizing and conducting with children Adyghe folk games.
Equipment: items Adyghe life and culture, cradle Adyghe, baby doll, egg white, cat toy.
Progress of the lesson
Children enter a room decorated according to the theme. classes.
Org. moment
Educator: Guys, look how many guests came to us. Let's greet the guests and warm them with our smiles. What else warms us up and improves our mood? That's right, sunshine. And we will imagine that our hands are the rays of the sun, we will touch each other with them and give warmth to our friends. (Children dance in a circle, stretching their arms up, touching each other.)
Children:
Sunshine, sunshine!
We are your rays!
Be good people
Teach us!
Educator: So we warmed our friends and guests with our warmth and shared our good mood with them.
Guys, tell me what ours is called country: (Russia)
Our Russia is a huge, powerful country. Russia includes many small republics. You and I live in one of these republics. What is the name of our republic? (Republic Adygea)
Right. From the shores of the Black Sea, far to the east, since time immemorial, lived the Circassians or Adygs. IN Adygea people live in different nationalities: both Russians and Circassians, and many other nationalities.
In our republic there is beautiful cities, villages, hamlets, villages.
You and I live in a village. What's it called? (Krasnogvardeyskoe village).
There are also villages in the republic where people live Circassians.
What are the names of the villages in which they live? Circassians? (aul)
Now in the villages there are large modern houses, and before, in the old days Circassians lived in houses, built from wicker coated with clay, covered with straw or reeds.
What were the names of the houses in the village in the old days? (saklya).
Guys today at kindergarten, our group received a letter from the village. Look at the envelope unusual with Adyghe ornament. Do you want to know what's in it? (children's answers).
Open the envelope and read.
Educator: Dear guys! We are very glad that our letter reached you. Today we have a big holiday in our village - our long-awaited firstborn was born! We are looking forward to your visit! See you and good luck!
So, are you guys ready to go on a journey? (children's answers).
And what you and I will go on a trip on, you will find out by guessing riddle:
House with three porches
Rides with the Little People (Bus)
Music game "Bus"
Educator: So you and I have arrived. Where are we? (In the village)
Guys, look, there is a red flag hanging on the house! Want to know what this means?
When a child is born in a family, a flag is hung on the roof of the house in honor of the birth of the child. If a girl is born, then the flag is made of variegated fabric, and if a boy is born, then the fabric is plain, usually red.
The flag symbolizes that the child is alive, the mother is alive, that everything is fine. Everyone celebrates the birth of a person.
What flag hangs on this house? (red) So who was born here? (boy).
Probably, we were invited here in a letter! Let's knock! (knock).
(grandmother comes out and greets the children and Adyghe, and in Russian).
Grandmother: Good afternoon! How many guests have arrived, we are glad to see you, come in, make yourself at home, have a seat. (children sit on chairs).
(The sound of a baby crying is heard.)
Educator: Guys, what is that sound? Who's crying?
Grandmother: Children, look, that’s who’s crying with us - the baby. He was just born today, that’s why he’s crying. You need to rock him to calm him down.
(Grandma takes out the doll, shakes it, the crying subsides.)
All over the world, every nation has special customs and principles of how to welcome a guest. As is known, Caucasian peoples have always been distinguished by their hospitality. And not always someone could compete with them in the ability to greet a guest with dignity and grace.
In the 19th century English writer, journalist John Longworth traveled through North Caucasus. He described his most vivid impressions in his books: “To become a respected person in Circassia, you need to know only 3 rules: courage, the ability to reason wisely and, most importantly, to greet the guest generously and beautifully.”
More than 300 years have passed since the owner of the Dominican Order and monk Jean de Luc wrote: “No one can outshine the Circassians in hospitality and humanity!”
Many words of praise were said regarding the hospitality of the Circassians by government officials. “Providing hospitality to a guest is the main feature of the Circassians, regardless of whether there is an enemy on the doorstep or a friend. Even the poorest will treat as a rich man would treat in another place,” wrote Lieutenant Colonel, Baron - K.F. Steel in 1849 in his book “Ethnographic sketch of the Circassian people.”
Among the Circassians, it was considered bad form to be unable to fully satisfy a guest’s hunger, otherwise the family could be disgraced in front of the entire street. The Circassians, famous for their hospitality throughout the world, have always respected their customs and attached great importance to them.
Many famous figures of the Circassian people, such as Tembot Kerashev, Barasbiy Bgazhnokov, Mikhail Mizhaev, Raya Mamkhyagova and many others, wrote about hospitality and the rules of good manners at the table.
In the old days, any Circassian who respected their traditions was obliged to have a guest house (khachesh) in their yard. It was located separately, not far from the owner’s house. Inside there was a small room, which was always perfectly cleaned and ready to receive guests. The Circassians themselves placed their houses far from the gates in order to avoid attacks from enemies.
No matter who knocked on the door of the Circassian house, the owner was obliged to meet everyone. But it cannot be said that the owner treated all guests equally kindly.
Based on this, the degree and importance of the guest was divided as follows:
1. dear guest;
2. female guest;
3. male guest;
4. a guest who will live in the guest room;
5. the most welcome guest;
6. long-awaited guest;
7. a guest who did not give his name;
8. guests and relatives of the bride, if there is one in the family;
9. guest-foreigner;
10. a guest who was invited to visit;
11. uninvited guest;
12. guest-enemy (even the Circassians did not have the right to refuse).
In the distant past, people traveled exclusively on horses. If the rider needed to go to a neighboring village, he still harnessed the horse. The women traveled on a cart, which was beautifully decorated.
When the rider approached the gate, he used his whip to signal the horse to stop, and so that the inhabitants of the house would hear about it. The guest was greeted very cordially and taken into the house with honor.
If the guests did not intend to sit for a long time, they did not tie the horse to the stall. Even from the way he hung the whip on the nail, it was clear how long the guest would stay: if the whip was hung so that it hung to the floor, it meant that the guest had time and would stay the night. And if the whip was hung folded, it meant that the guest had little time and would soon leave after resting and eating.
The woman was not brought into khachesh. The most comfortable and beautiful room was always reserved for her (thus one can once again be convinced that the Circassians showed deep respect to the woman).
If the guest was satisfied with the way he was received, he rode away from the house, pointing the horse's head towards the owner's gate. If the guest was dissatisfied with something, he immediately drove away, turning his back to the owners. In this case, it was a shame for the family, and subsequently all the neighbors could say about them that they could not satisfy even one guest.
If you start listing all the rules that the Circassians followed for caring for guests, you could write a whole book about it. But here we will focus only on the rules that the Circassians follow today in relation to their guests:
1. The Circassians believed that a guest is a gift from God, so in no case should one in any way make the guest feel that he was unwanted.
2. Any person who said: “I am an Adyghe” considered it an honor to meet the guest with dignity. Even if the hosts did not have anything that could be put on the table, he did not have to hide anything from the guest: everything that was there had to be put on the table.
3. Every guest, no matter who he is, needs to say: “Welcome”! You cannot show by any of your actions that it is time for the guest to go home.
4. You should never refuse hospitality, neither young nor old, nor loved ones, nor enemies. The ancestors of the Circassians said: “There are no extra guests.”
5. If many guests arrived, then those who arrived from afar were always given special honor. As the old Circassian proverb says: “A distant guest is more valuable than a close one.”
6. Our ancestors always had houses for guests (khacheshi). Nowadays, even if there are no such haches, there should always be an extra room for guests.
7. It is indecent to keep a guest on the threshold for a long time; you must immediately, after greeting them, lead them into the house.
8. The guest must be seated in a place of honor, which is reserved for elders. Even if the guest is younger, the owner cannot sit next to him until he gives him permission.
10. In ancient times, it was impossible to ask a guest who he was and on what issue he came. You could only ask after three days. Now this is no longer relevant. Now the guest must be asked who he is and help if he is in trouble.
11. Guests must not be left alone in the room. If you still need to go out, then you must definitely leave one of the residents of the house so that the guest does not feel unwanted.
12. You cannot make a guest wait for a long time to eat. Even if the family has nothing to eat, neighbors will come to the rescue. The Circassians believed that “if someone has a guest on the street, then he is a common guest.”
13. Today, even alcohol is served on the table for guests. But putting modern alcoholic drinks on the table is too dangerous. It is better to put on the table a drink that replaced alcohol among the Circassians - makhsima.
14. In ancient times, if men and women went to visit together, they were never seated next to each other. Women immediately went to the kitchen or to a separate room. The reason for this was that, for aesthetic reasons, Circassian women did not want men to see the process of eating.
15. In ancient times, the youngest residents of the house had to bring a towel, water, a basin and soap to guests before meals, so that the guest would not be bothered to go outside.
16. There always had to be careful care at the table; one of the younger ones in the house always had to monitor whether the guest had a fork, spoon, or whether the guest’s mug was filled. The owner of the house could not finish the meal first. If this happened, then he thereby made it clear to the guest that he could finish eating. It was indecent.
17. Circassians always first seated the youngest in the family - children - at the table, so that they would not feel hungry, and only then set the table for the guests.
18. You should never decide family affairs in the presence of a guest - this is the height of disrespect for him.
19. The guest’s clothes must be ensured that they are clean; if necessary, shoes should be washed if they are dirty.
20. When the time comes for guests to leave, under no circumstances should you show them that you are happy about their departure.
21. If a guest was dear and long-awaited, the Circassians always gave him gifts. The guest must always be escorted to the gate and wait until the guest leaves.
One of the unsolved problems modern civilization is to preserve the purity of the surrounding world. Short-lived, low-quality goods, products of dubious quality, and waste thrown out in huge quantities have filled the entire planet over the past two or three decades. Wherever you can find garbage made from modern materials...
Cleanliness must be observed not in some particular place, but everywhere. Environmental protection is not the responsibility of individuals, but of the entire society. This must be taught to children from an early age, to instill a love of neatness and hygiene rules. We must assure them that they are not the last on this planet, that generations will still live after them. They, like all of us, in fact, need a planet that is not poisoned, but with a clean ecology.
From the experience of the ethnic group
Adygs - indigenous people Western Caucasus - since ancient times they have developed a way of life in accordance with the surrounding nature. They lived without causing her any harm. How could it be possible to harm a fertile corner of the Earth with a magnificent climate and fertile soils?
Since ancient times, according to the Circassians, everything in nature is animate, so they tried to protect every object as a living entity. Unlike modern times, in former times not only adults, but also children not only protected nature, they knew most of the birds and animals, grasses and trees. How many of our contemporaries know about the peculiarities of the world around us? Yes, now everyone has a cell phone or a computer - with their help on the Internet you can find information about any outlandish object, but, sorry, this is not knowledge.
Reasonable way of life
Since the Early Bronze Age, a mild climate and fertile lands determined the choice of the ancestors of the Circassians. Agriculture and cattle breeding became the main economic activities of the people for thousands of years.
Crafts were developed, but there was no commodity production for sale, so all the things needed in everyday life and in life were made by ourselves. They knew how to use natural materials of animal and plant origin. They always took from the environment as much as was necessary, and not thoughtlessly and predatorily, like modern people.
Previously, the Adygs did not need to cut down a tree, they didn’t even break a twig, they didn’t tear a leaf from a tree, but, on the contrary, they planted it in large quantities fruit trees. In early spring, a man going into the forest cut a twig from a fruit tree and grafted it onto another tree in the forest. In childhood, when we pulled grass, our grandmother shamed us: “Don’t pull out your grandfather’s beards!”
The first deity of the Circassians was the Sun, the second was the tree. It was called the “Princess Tree” (Chyig-guasche). The tree is the world: the roots are in charge of the underground space, the trunk is the white light, and the crown is the heavens. Leaf in Adyghe is “thyape” (thye - god, pe - beginning). Who would dare to tear even a small particle from the deity?
Villages and construction
When looking at the location of the settlement, they necessarily took into account the proximity of a forest for construction, the presence of a field for growing crops, and meadows for grazing livestock. The main feature is convenient river banks. It was necessary to settle in such a place that all year round there was an opportunity to drive animals to a watering hole. Practical Circassians preferred to settle on the right banks of rivers, higher than the left ones. Nothing was flooded, neither spring floods nor heavy rains bothered them. It would be nice to take this experience into account for contemporaries.
In the courtyard at the site of the planned construction they buried fresh chicken egg and kept for 10 days. They dug it up and checked it. If it is not dry and rotten, the place is suitable for habitation.
As soon as the location of the house was determined, the first two toilets were built in the courtyard. Currently, they are available in apartments, but public ones are difficult to find in any locality. Their presence is also an indicator of the culture of the country and society.
Now tourism is developing in Adygea, but the infrastructure leaves much to be desired. I often have to conduct excursions around the city and the republic - it happens that guests spend more time looking for where to dine for a reasonable price and where to find a toilet.
The basis of Adyghe buildings were wicker walls. The floors in all the buildings were clay, so before the walls were plastered, soil was poured inside, leveled and compacted. The roofs were covered with reeds or straw and secured with poles to prevent the wind from blowing them off.
Such tourist-beam structures could last approximately as long as a person lives. Over time dilapidated house fell apart and “dissolved” in the ground. It’s clear - no harm to nature.
Demographic problem
In our time, when a demographic hole has formed in the country, the thought involuntarily comes to mind: if there is no one to leave the land, then why try to develop it?..
It is no secret that at present the Circassians, Russians and many peoples of Russia do not have an increase, moreover, a decrease is observed every year. If this continues, then there will be no one to pass on the centuries-old experience of the indigenous peoples of Russia. But, as they say, a holy place is never empty. The demographic niche is now being actively filled by newcomer peoples. They were not born here, this is not their homeland. They are simply looking for profit, and tomorrow they can leave for their home or another place without looking back. The foreigner has no time for patriotism and respect for nature; he is only interested in short-term gain and profit.
In former times, the Circassians, Russians, and other peoples were not worried about the decrease in population; there was a constant increase. Families, regardless of income, had many children. The Circassians never considered children a burden; on the contrary, they strived to have more of them. Children were provided for by their parents, and basic education was the responsibility of the entire community. From an early age, they were taught to work, to respect their elders, to carefully and wisely use everything that nature provides, and to observe the rules of Adyghe khabze etiquette.
Circassian food
One of the main differences between ancient times and our time is the consumption of environmentally friendly products by our ancestors.
Adyghe cuisine has more than 700 dishes. Some of them are sweet. Sugar appeared recently, so our ancestors, like many Russian peoples, used honey. Each family had an apiary, and beekeeping was also developed.
During the year, an Adyge of any age was obliged to try at least once a dish called “kIade dashe” - hazelnuts mixed with May honey. The ancestors were sure that this would give health and longevity. Of course - so many vitamins and microelements!
In the old days, the Adygs grew about sixty varieties of millet. Every day we ate millet porridge - a product that counteracts the formation of cholesterol. What's not healthy food? Bread and flour products were baked on holidays and special occasions. Meat and dairy products were constantly in the diet. Moreover, three types of “gyomyle” were prepared from them - a very high-calorie, long-lasting travel food. Such food was intended for travelers, warriors, hunters and all those who were leaving or going somewhere for a while.
They also ate fresh vegetables and fruits. Gardening was the oldest occupation Circassians The homeland of pears and apple trees is the Western Caucasus. In 2014, during excavations of a cave near Kamennomostsky, dried pears were found in a hole. Analysis showed that their age is about 5 thousand years.
To drink or not?
Nowadays, every year it becomes more and more difficult to provide the world's population with clean water. I remember 50 years ago, when we were boys, our grandmother would go down to the Marta River and bring a bucket of water. At any time of the year, everyone drank it - both children and adults; no one had even a shadow of a doubt whether this water was safe to drink. And now? In the villages there were wells, in the riverbeds there were springs with the purest water, and in the floodplains there were springs in huge quantities.
The Adygs always took water from small and large rivers for drinking and cooking. The attitude towards her has always been special. The water was not polluted. They were very afraid and revered Psykhyoguasche, the deity of the river. In our republic and not only we have big problems with treatment facilities and landfills. In cities and villages, villages and villages, a garbage collection service has now been established, but there are no enterprises for recycling it yet.
In connection with the development of tourism, buildings are being erected in the mountains, but, unfortunately, some of them do not have treatment facilities. In summer, unsanitary conditions, stench and dirt are especially noticeable.
Testaments of the ancestors
In our time, when globalization has affected everyone and everything, when large enterprises and powerful production sites, millions of pieces of equipment cause great harm to the world around us, everyone must realize that it is time to stop being an outside observer and join the fight for the purity of the world around us.
The older generations understood that life did not end with their death, so they tried to preserve and improve the state of the world in which their descendants would live.
It seems that the time has come to take on board the experience of our ancestors and live according to their precepts, so as not to completely destroy the nature of our beautiful, cozy, fragile planet Earth. This does not mean that we need to return to the primitive communal system. You need to live as the Little Prince said: “Get up in the morning, wash your face, put yourself in order - and immediately put your planet in order.”
Aslan Tov, member of the Union of Journalists of Russia, Honored Worker of Culture of the Republic of Armenia.