3. Genesis, historical roots and stages of Sabantui evolution (Approach to the problem)

The scientists have a lot of approaches to the question of Sabantui historical roots. 3 of these versions seem to be the most argumented.

1.   Sabantui came to Tatar people from China and Mongolia.

2.   Sabantui appeared in Volga Bulgaria as the agricultural holiday after spring sowing works beginning.

3.   Originally Sabantui was the holiday of nomads-cattle-breeders. It was connected with their Tengrian believes that had Khunns and ancient Turkic origin. The analysis of archeological and written sources, comparison of customs and rituals of Turkic and related ethnos shows that this version is the most trustworthy for Sabantui genesis problem decision.

Sabantui as complex of images, rituals, believes and world-looking has multi-rooted ethnic cultural and civilizational historical basis. Sabantui originated from “axial” historical time – from the Ancient epoch, from the time when the origin of the ancient Olympic Games had appeared. These 2 historical phenomenons were formed synchronously and both were developed as variety of culture of peace, non-violence, tolerance, vicinity and interaction. The secret of their attractiveness,   growing mass character, continuity and historical longevity is based in this fact. It is possible that during many great historical migrations of people of the world (not less than 2 in BC and 2 in 4-5 century AD) active process of their crossing, interchanging and mutual strengthening came over. There is also a possibility that intersection of these 2 cultural peace-making flows gave to the world the first historical pattern of “Culture of reception” – sensible borrowing and strengthening of heritage and national culture, the first in the world practice model of the dialogue between cultures, national and civilizations. Famous scientist, specialist in Turkic philology M.Bakirov strengthened this conceptual scheme by his research work of many years. He has also made a conclusion that Sabantui origin, on one hand, came from Shumers “plough holiday”, and, on the other hand, from the ancient Khunns-Turkic rituals that included horse racing and other competitions. This experience of synthesis of many-sided historical phenomenon – the ancient Greek Olympic Games and Sabantui ancient forms originated from Turkic nomadic tribes – gave an opportunity to change way of life of Tatar people in Bulgarian stage of their evolution. So, Bulgarian period of Tatar ethnos history was one of the main stages of Sabantui development.       

From this historical time Sabantui has taken it place in the national calendars of Volga Bulgars, Kazan Tatars and many other peoples as a holiday in honour of spring and beginning of spring field works. It has received the status of spring holiday of nature revival and beginning of the sowing process. Ancient Turkic historical roots of the spring calendar holidays find confirmation in the holiday identical to Tatar Sabantui: Karatchaievo-Balkarts, Kumyks, Nogays, Dunais – ethnic groups related to Volga Bulgars – celebrate Sabantoi. So, ancient Karatchaievo-Balkarts, as well as at other Turkic peoples, began the spring calendar ceremonies with applying to Tengre (Teiri). At Sabantoi holiday Algyshy ritual songs were said (the request – кеlђ).

The most ancient and basic competitions of Sabantui that were connected with nomadic and semi-nomadic way of life of Tatars ancestors and earlier had sacral meaning are running, national wrestling kuresh, horse racing and jumping. Later we can observe mutual enrichment of content of Sabantui and the holidays of the other Volga region nations similar to it (Gyrny-potona for Udmurts, Akanairema for Mari, Akatuia for Chuvash, etc.). So, sense of the ceremonies spent before Sabantui is to gain the mothers - grounds favour and to receive good harvest: “(zere) botkasy”,”karga botkasy” —the porridge preparation on an arable land, “seren sugu” — a ceremony including gathering of eggs with their subsequent putting in the ground together with the grain. These rituals having lost the initial sense in a number of places were kept until nowadays. Such ceremonies were typical also for the agricultural holidays of Tatar people neighbors— Udmurt Gyrny-potona, Mari Akanairema, Chuvash Akatuia. The holidays connected with first furrow and being the echoes of the ancient ceremonies, as well as Sabantui, are known for peoples of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, Northern Caucasus and others. At the same time the elements of heroic in Sabantui contents are indicative of genetic relationship with other Turkic peoples (kuresh, horse racing, bow shooting and other competitions).

Further deeper studying of the problem of interference and merge of these ceremonies can throw new light on studying of the organic connection of Slavic and Turkic people history, ethno genesis of early pre-Bulgarian Turkic people and Beserman, Chuvash, Mari, Udmurt and other peoples of the Middle Volga region.

Special interest represents research of etymology of the term Sabantui. The linguistic analysis of words Saban and Tui, comparison of this holiday with similar calendar holidays of other peoples give the basis to believe that Sabantui from the origin means the spring holiday connected to awakening of the nature and the beginning of spring works (Saban – "spring"). In some ancient Turkic and other world nation’s tribes its origin is connected with the ceremonies of the ritual marriage with the nature. Therefore Sabantui games and competition originally had sacral - erotic character. In this context the word Tui is necessary to interpret as "wedding" ("marriage"). 

The motive of endow that replace sacrifice is the basis of gifts gathering during Sabantui. And gathering of gifts by young men became the holiday prelude. The participants were comprehended gifts as the objects endowed with magic force that was called to fulfill the wishes of grantor and the gifts recipient. And the major principle of public celebration was also the same –nobody of the participants should leave maidan without a gift. Such meaning had all Sabantui gifts – embroidered white towels, shawls, eggs and the ram intended to batyr of Sabantui. People necessarily awarded the horse that has damaged a leg and especially the horse that came the last. Manes of such racers were decorated with embroidered towels, bright bands and shawls. This ritual that Tatar people called “the horse of hope” has also deep philosophical sense, some ideological and moral paradigm of life sense. The meaning of this paradigm is in the idea that it is important to recognize not only the winner, the person, who reached visible success, glory. The sincere respect is deserved reward to everybody who could overcome the difficulties of struggle. The custom to decorate the horse’s mane thus meant hope, optimism and believe in the opportunity to drive off threatened trouble and to pay tribute to the souls of dead ancestors. Such understanding of this ritual we found in folklore, in Tatar writers and poets works.

From the beginning of the XXth century due to development of the Tatar national movement social role of Sabantui as powerful factor of ethno cultural unity of Tatar people has considerably increased. The outstanding figures of the Tatar culture were sure that national customs and ceremonies promoted preservation of the national consolidation and were the important means of national pedagogic.  So they considered youth and women participation in the holiday as an indispensable condition of progress of the nation.

During the Soviet period not only positive but also negative moments were present in Sabantui evolution. It was dictated by the changes in the sociopolitical system.

Since Tatar Autonomous Republic formation Kazan Sabantui started to get the status of main Sabantui of the Republic. Since 1921 the terms of its carring out were dated to date of autonomy formation, and in 1922 the question of its organization was considered by the Presidium of Central Electoral Committee of TASSR. Sabantui was carried out as “the national sports holiday”, the holiday of spring, national Olympiad. According to the Soviet tradition mass meeting began the holiday. The holiday contents was full of militarized speeches but national games, competitions and funs continued to take the leading place in the program.

Kazan Sabantui of the 30th was carried out as an extremely solemn event, at the members of TASSR government and the public organizations representatives, delegations from other Republics took part in it. The holidays timed to the anniversaries were celebrated grandiosely. The meetings on actual political themes were arranged before the beginning of the program. Sabantui was opened with salute and rising of a red flag under the sounds of the USSR Hymn. The ceremony was broadcast by the radio. The program of the holiday included national kinds of wrestling; competitions and games with the compulsory attributes of physical culture and sports of that time: parade of athletes, free-style exercises, boxing, weight-lifting and track and field athletics, parachutes jumping, performances of cavalrymen, artillerymen, mass games, etc. Interested persons could pass GTO (“ready to work and to defend”) norms. Hundreds of people from amateur chorus, actors of theatres and circus participated in the festival.

The content of rural holidays was also “militarized”. An arrival of the plane, parachute jumping, sports competitions, parade of Voroshilovsky riflemen became the habitual attributes. National kinds of sports also were not forgotten. On many regional holidays in 1936-1939 besides horse-racing, fancy trick riding, competitions of runners and kuresh wrestlers, rising on column competitions, mass national games, Tatar and Russian amateur actor’s performances have been organized. The invitations to participate in regional Sabantui got the members of the creative unions – writers, figures of arts. Ceremonies of celebration of the foremost people in agriculture were practiced at that time. Youth festive gatherings finished the holiday everywhere.

Pre-war Sabantui was carried out in all the areas of the Republic. Despite of ideological costs, Sabantui managed to keep the spirit of a national holiday. One of the remarkable features of pre-war Sabantui was expansion of its geography. A holiday began to be carried out in many Russian cities where Tatars lived, including Moscow, Leningrad and Ekaterinburg.

Sabantui did not stop during the Great Patriotic War. In the 40-ies from the program of the holiday, which initially was the holiday of peace and work, militarized kinds of competitions were dropped out. Their place was occupied by the ancient national games. Sabantui, thus, has become a peace holiday again.

 In post-war years the terms of Sabantui conducting in the villages were not limited. Inhabitants first of all participated in the holiday in the native village and then visited the holidays in the next villages and in the regional centre. In 50-ies, when Dzhijen disappeared from a celebratory calendar of Tatars, many of its elements were included in Sabantui structure.

In 60-80-ies of the XX century there appeared the modern form of Sabantui carring out. The most popular kinds of Sabantui competitions moved from maidan to sport arenas. That also promoted physical training of rising generation, increased sport skills. It is possible to speak about intensive process of the holiday identification during these years. Terms of Sabantui carring out became uniform; we can speak about the tendency of Sabantui "integration". The holiday was organized only in large villages, as a rule, in the central manors of collective farms and state farms, in regional centers and it essentially narrowed the circle of the festival participants. But emotional mood and beauty of ancient custom were reduced because of contents politization and attempts “to update” and “modernize” an ancient ceremony. Hence there followed the attempts to rename it into “festival”, and such attributes as the many-voiced choral singing, the dramatized representations, carnivals, etc. were artificially included in the holiday program. Time had shown lifelessness and hopelessness of such artificially created imitations on the basis of the ancient ceremonies. Local customs and traditions dominated during Sabantui everywhere.

An overall objective of the holiday still remained the celebrations in honour of foremost people in agriculture, creation of an atmosphere of the raised labour activity. There were many rituals, connected with labour, with revival of many national samples of amateur creativity, national kinds of sports and games.

In modern conditions the Tatarstan national holiday has special organizational system: it starts directly in labour collectives, at the enterprises, in educational institutions, villages, and further – in the regional centers. Sabantui finishes in the capital and other cities of the Republic where numerous visitors from all Tatarstan corners gather together.

The holiday in the villages and labour collectives is usually carried out one day prior to regional Sabantui. In small villages the holiday is opened by the heads of the agricultural enterprises, priests. Foremost people are called on the Sabantui maidan where ceremony of their celebration begins. The honourable right to hoist Sabantui flag is given to the best batyr; foremost people make the lap of honour. Thus, the results of peasants work, first of all grain-growers are appreciated during the holiday. Songs, dances, sports competitions take place further. They are intended for people of all ages. In the evening the second part of Sabantui begins- it is the rural party with music, competition on the best performance of songs and dances. 

The most remarkable feature of Sabantui of the end the 80-90-ies of the last century was it revival in brigades, small villages - the main keepers of Tatar folk customs, language, songs.        

After rural Sabantui the regional holidays follow. In each area and city Sabantui is carried out in different way, all have their own customs and traditions that make the ancient holiday unique and beautiful.

Good tradition is to congratulate not only farmers and cattle-breeders but also the best professionals in other spheres: teachers, doctors, library workers. They are invited on maidan and receive costly presents. It is remarkable that regional Sabantui preserves basic elements of an ancient holiday and receives new “ornaments”. So, good tradition is to congratulate the young married couples and newborns on Sabantui maidan of Arsk area: it answers essence and initial motives, spirit of an ancient holiday. One more characteristic feature of today's Sabantui is that in some areas there are the expositions, which reflect history and modern life of the village.

After the basic celebrations evening Sabantui is carried out in many areas of the Republic. For example, in Musliumovsky and Vysokogorsky areas Sabantui proceeds till the evening and smoothly passes into the evening festival with games. And in the villages, where christened Tatars live, night Sabantui pass in July. Most well-known of them is Sabantui in Petrovka. Since 1929 it is annually carried out in the village where not more than 30 court yards existed to the middle of the 1990-ies. But during Sabantui Tatar-Criashens come there from the entire Republic. The holiday begins late at night and proceeds all the night long with songs, dancing, games, concert and wrestling competitions.

In Kazan Sabantui is carried out in all the city areas, at each of them there is its own peculiarity. The most prestigious for Batyr in Tatarstan is the victory gained during Sabantui held in the Birchwood area of Kazan. The strongest pekhlevans of the Republic annually gather there, the most gifted athletes in heavy weight are revealed during Sabantui.

Sabantui is held brightly and interestingly in all the cities and villages of the Republic, but the geography of the holiday is not limited only by Tatarstan. It is carried out in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Ufa, Astrakhan, Saratov, Magnitogorsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, in the cities and villages of Bashkortostan, Chuvashia, Udmurtiya, Mordovia, Mari Republic, Primorsky territory, Kirov, Penza, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Orenburg, Perm, Tyumen, Kemerovo and other areas where Tatars live. 

The traditional place where Sabantui is carried out in Moscow is Izmailovsky Park. One of the big park glades is named Maidan of Sabantui national games. Traditionally art workers are invited to participate in the holiday as guests of honour. The performances of the Tatar ensembles, folklore collectives are very popular. And wrestlers from all Russia also gather there. Last years the governments of Moscow, Bashkortostan and Tatarstan began to take part in the organization of the holiday.

About ten thousand of people, visitors from different regions of Russia, Baltic and Scandinavia gather on Sabantui in Saint Petersburg. For qualitative preparation and worthy carring out of the holiday the special fund “Petersburg Sabantui” is created.

In Nizhni Novgorod the holiday has been revived in 1990. In 1991 the mosque opening and also arrival of the first delegation of Tatars from Finland led by O.Dakher had been dated to Sabantui. One year late Sabantui was carried out in the village Urazovka; it received the status of an interdistrict holiday of Tatars of the southeast area. Since 1996 Sabantui was celebrated in other villages and areas with Tatar population. Since 1997 Sabantui in Nizhni Novgorod received city status, it is also celebrated in the city of Dzerzhinsk.

  Sabantui is held in a special way in Orenburg area. In 1993 the Orenburg inhabitants have carried out regional Sabantui in the city of Sol-Iletsk as the international sports holiday About 500 sportsmen from Orenburg and Kyzyl - Ordynsky areas, Bashkortostan and Tatarstan, and also Aktyubinsk, Kazakhstan, Western - Kazakhstan areas of Kazakhstan took part in it. Sabantui is organized and in some villages of Orenburg area. The inhabitants of Karguzha village of Saryktashskogo area carried out Sabantui in 2000. And in 2002 the holiday became special as has coincided with the 200-anniversary of the village.

Sabantui holiday began to be carried out in Kasimovsky area of the Ryazan region annually since 1996. Now Tatar people live in 15 settlements in Kasimov. Recently the Tatar communities were created in Akhmatov, Kasimov, Podlipky. They became the initiators of the national holiday revival. A lot of well-known Kasimov inhabitants, who live in the various ends of the country, come to participate in the holiday. Sabantui in Kasimov became the general holiday of Tatar and Russian people, who live in consent for many centuries. Unequivocally that Sabantui in Kasimov is one of the brightest examples of unification of many people, who live in Russia in friendship, peace, consent.

  First regional Sabantui has been organized in the city of Irkutsk in summer of 1996. Thousand of participants gathered in a picturesque place near Felska village of Cheremhovsky area, basically occupied by Tatars and Bashkirs.

Bright and interesting is Sabantui in Sochi. Its organizer, as well as the organizers of the other Tatar-Bashkir holidays, is Sochi Tatar Cultural National Autonomy. For 5 thousand Tatar people, who live at the Black Sea coast, it is a special holiday where it is possible not only to have fun and communicate with fellow countrymen, but also to show national dances, music, suits, subjects of needlework, to try national dishes and to treat visitors.

The most distant Sabantui in Russia is the holiday organized since 1992 in Primorski Area in the stadium of Volno – Nadezhdinskaya village, located in the suburb of Vladivostok. As thousand of Sabantui visitors were convinced seaside Tatar people have not forgotten language and customs of the ancestors.

Since 1994 Sabantui is annually carried out on Kamchatka where more than 25 thousand of Tatars live. Although it is difficult to find horses, they organize horse racing and also national wrestling.

It is interesting that the representatives of other nationalities participate in Sabantui spent in the Russian regions. In our opinion the new stage of Sabantui development is it carring out within the framework of the Federal National - Cultural Autonomy of Russian Tatars (FNCAT). Now it is created more than 20 FNCAT branches in the regions, and under their initiative since 2001 the first inter-regional Sabantui has been carried out in Saratov with participation of the area heads. They instituted the challenge flag of Sabantui and the challenge prize “Tulpar at” as the symbol of well-being and creation. The second inter-regional Sabantui has been carried out on June, 2, 2002 in Tolyatti under the initiative of FNKAT Council and the Local National - Cultural Autonomy. It was devoted to 265-anniversary of Tolyatti, to “the City Day” and the representatives of the Ulyanovsk, Samara, Saratov, Orenburg, Volgograd Areas, the Republics of Mordovia, Mari El and Khunty - Mansyisky Autonomous Region. Inter-regional Sabantui became the resonant event. It attracted attention to Tatar community’s life, promoted strengthening of favorable images of the Republic of Tatarstan and of Tatars as the nation.

And, at last, there is one more phenomenon in Sabantui movement of Russian Tatars: for the first time in 2002 on behalf of the Tatarstan President M.Shaimiev the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan accepted the decision about participation of official delegations of Tatarstan and the best creative collectives of the Republic in Sabantui celebrating in the Russian Federation regions. National - Cultural Autonomies and the branches of the World Congress of Tatars made the schedule of Sabantui conducting. They negotiated with administrations of the regions about participation of the Republic of Tatarstan delegations in local Sabantui. The representatives of the Republican authorities, the People's Deputies, known writers, scientific, art workers, sportsmen, representatives of the World Congress of Tatars, who participated in the meetings with the representatives of power structures, and the Tatar public figures of the Russian regions have been included in the structure of delegations.

  In 2002 the delegations from the Republic of Tatarstan participated in Sabantui holidays in the following regions: Samara (Tolyatti, Samara), Saratov (Saratov), Orenburg (area Totsky), Kurgan (area Almenevsky), Novosibirsk (Novosibirsk), Sverdlovsk (Ekaterinburg), Chelyabinsk (Chelyabinsk), Tyumen (Tyumen), Tomsk (Tomsk), Nizhniy Novgorod (Nizhni Novgorod), Perm (Perm), Astrakhan (Astrakhan), Arkhangelsk (Arkhangelsk) and Penza (Penza); they also participated in Mari (Ioshkar Ola) and Udmurt (Mozhga, Izhevsk) Republics, in Krasnodar territory (Krasnodar, Sochi), in Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Region (Nizhnevartovsk, Surgut), in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The congratulatory telegrams were directed to the heads and population of Ivanovo area and the city of Usinsk of the Republic of Komi.

It is necessary to mention that Sabantui, being the national holiday, attracts attention of all the regions inhabitants. Besides, participation of official delegations from Tatarstan has drawn additional attention of the state bodies to the holiday. At the meetings that were held the regions heads, the Tatar national - cultural centers discussed the questions of strengthening of connections between regions and the Republic of Tatarstan, development of the Tatar culture and education in the region. Moreover, the representatives of many nationalities, who live in the Russian Federation participated in Sabantui and that gave special importance to it as to the holiday clear and attractive to everybody, as to the holiday that promote respect of traditions, cultures and as to the factor of the interethnic consent.

The personal congratulation of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan M.Shaimiev with Sabantui holiday had been met with special warmth in all regions. The President of the Republic of Tatarstan noted that “this joyful holiday that is carefully stored by Tatar people and transmitted from generation to generation, that represent national culture, traditions and customs, is dear to people of different nationalities, age and professions. Annually in June on Sunday days Sabantui gathers thousand of people not only in Tatarstan but also in different corners of Russia and foreign countries. We are happy to share pleasure of this day with all visitors and we trust that cheerful solar Sabantui, which personifies kindness and happiness of life, will change life of everyone, will make it warm and happy”.

   Within the framework of Sabantui people carry out mass cultural, sports and entertainment events on the basis of the national traditions. The representatives of the Republic of Tatarstan participate in it and it promotes restoration of Sabantui initial sense and value, its recognition as world heritage. It plays the great role in strengthening of the positive image and authority of the Republic of Tatarstan and Tatar people, formation of Russian Tatars national consciousness, expansion of multilateral cooperation between Tatarstan and Russian regions, propaganda of healthy way of life on the basis of the national traditions, improvement of mutual understanding between people.

  At the same time some problems in regional Sabantui organization became visual. In the cities of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Nizhni Novgorod, Saratov, Penza Sabantui is repeatedly carried out with all traditions observance. But in some other regions it reminds a folklore holiday with the competitions on only one kind of sports (the most popular is wrestling). It limits a circle of direct participants of Sabantui and demands to accept some organizational measures directed on rendering methodical help in the holiday carring out.

Sabantui is also receiving the status of the international holiday. Last years it was carried out in Finland, Poland, Baltic, Australia, in the USA and Canada, China, Turkey by Tatar Diasporas.

 Many Tatars live in Turkey. They carefully keep the language and customs. First Sabantui in Istanbul was excellent. The Turks, Tatars, Kirghiz, Kazakhs, Kalmyks, representatives of other Turkic peoples once again felt how close their cultures and historical roots were.

Since 1989 Sabantui became the traditional holiday in Kiev. It had appeared as the festival of Tatar songs. “Sabantui – 92” was already celebrated on the coast of Dnepr river. They carried out various competitions: kuresh, pots beating, running in the sacks and many others. And performance of the folklore ensemble “Bulgar” added special colours to the holiday.

         In 2000 in Belarus, in the city of Grodno Sabantui was also celebrated under assistance of Tatar-Bashkir cultural fund “Spring”. The representatives of the cultural fund also visited the holiday.

In Kyrgyzstan Sabantui is annually organized by the Tatar-Bashkir cultural theatre “Tugan Tel”. It includes more than 47 thousand of the representatives of Tatar diaspora in all regions of the Republic. The organizer of Sabantui in Belarus is the international fund of development of the Tatar-Bashkir spiritual population “Chishma”, created in 1998; in Azerbaijan – the society on Tatar culture studying “Tugan Tel”, created in 1992, in Uzbekistan – Tatar public cultural - educational center. The national centers and societies of the Tatar diaspora annually organize Sabantui holidays in other countries of CIS, Baltic and abroad.

It is obvious that Sabantui in Kiev has another colouring than in Aktanysh, Buinsk. Chairman of the World Congress of Tatars, academician of Tatarstan Academy of Sciences I.Tagirov noted that fact in his speeches in the press before the III Congress. Sabantui that is organized in New York, Washington, Montreal, Istanbul, Australia is not absolutely similar to the national holiday in Tatarstan and Russia. But these holidays testify that Sabantui is truly Tatar holiday reviving national customs and ceremonies. Sabantui, thus, is also the holiday that promotes Tatars recognition. Sabantui creates new national cultural situations everywhere. The experience of its carring out saved up during last years in planetary scale and the process of the holiday globalization demand special studying.

As a whole such holidays that are conducted in the places where Tatars live - in various regions of Russia, the countries of CIS and abroad promote unification of various nations of the world. It undoubtedly has also lasting value.

Sabantui became the holiday of Tatarstan people of all nationalities. Those who do not want to forget moral high, gained, morally healthy concept of "solidarity" come to participate in the holiday. It is necessary to underline this fact as Sabantui reflects unity of Tatars and Russian, Chuvashs and Udmurts, people of other nationalities. Having kept the best traditions of Tatar people, it has incorporated everything that is typical for other nations of the Republic of Tatarstan. And not casually we have popular expression: “Sabantui is the holiday of friendship and solidarity”.

Sabantui of 1996 held in Arsk city left kind memory and hope that all difficulties would be overcome together and in friendship. The President of the Russian Federation B.Yeltsin and the President of the Republic of Tatarstan M.Shaimiev participated in that holiday. In 2000 the President of the Russian Federation V.Putin visited Sabantui of Kazan Sovietsky area. His speech was met with storm of applause.  “I did not know that Sabantui is such beautiful, kind and wide holiday, the holiday of your entire nation during which relatives and friends gather together… Everything is so closely interwoven in our country! And the word “Sabantui” became the general concept in Russia … You have developed a good tradition - Republican holidays are celebrated by all people irrespective of religion, nationality and culture, to which as they consider it is necessary to follow. You know, it stood Tatarstan people in good stead during all these years”.    

  The true holiday of consent and friendship of different people became ancient Sabantui conducted at KAMaz (Kama Automobile Factory). It has absorbed all changes occurring in our life. After KAMaz construction Sabantui in Naberezhnye Chelny city has turned from a small regional celebration of grain-growers and cattle breeders into the holiday that draws together the representatives of various nations. It moved for the initial frameworks, became much richer and got various contents.

Sabantui is the holiday of labour, mean of citizens familiarizing to labour traditions. Therefore working people are congratulated in a special way during the holiday. They usually got light Tatar pies – kumechs, Tatar national sweet dish – chak-chak, flowers. Intimate, kind words are sound in their address. Introduction of the new rituals directed on working people glorifying enriches Sabantui contents. In 30-ies, for example, one of the forms of foremost people encouragement was giving them the right to take a plane and to survey the celebratory maidan from height.

Today it is possible to name a lot of such rituals. Before the holiday beginning the honoured foremost working people usually make the lap of honour around maidan. They ride by pairs of horses (“par at”) that are decorated with the towels embroidered in the national style. So, Sabantui in Tukaevsky area every year begins with arriving of the horse vehicles decorated with the ringing bells. They drive honoured old men of area, foremost people in argriculture, young men and girls. The flag of Tatarstan flutters above them. Having made a circle the procession stops and under the sounds of vigorous march the representatives of several generations hoist the Tatarstan flag above Sabantui maidan. However according to the preserved ancient tradition the basic part of Sabantui begins only when respectable aksakals place the high pole decorated with embroidered towels and shawls in maidan center. And as in majority of areas after that the ritual of the Sabantui flag rising is carried out. It is considered that Sabantui started only since the solemn moment of the flag rising. The best workers and collective farmers, farm heads received the honour of the flag rising. It gives special solemnity to the holiday. Sabantui is the holiday directed on labour glorifying, publicity of all events has the certain educational functions. Official actions puts the person in such position when the orders given during solemn ceremony turn into moral imperative connected with the feeling of debt, conscience, honour. Hence, the holiday and labour are in direct interaction, they influence and enrich each other.

Thus, the important Sabantui ritual that is kept and enriched from year to year is congratulations of foremost people in labour. It renders the great emotional influence on the holiday participants and, first of all, on youth.

In many rural areas the results of sowing campaign are summed up among farms, tenants and farmers the before the holiday. The column of batyrs under spectators’ applause makes the lap of honour, and then they are invited to the tribune for guests. Children entrust them flowers, loaves of bread. They also receive costly presents: sewing and washing machines, sets of furniture, tractors.

Batyrs-sportsmen, winners of amateur arts festivals also participate in the parade. In the villages the right of the Sabantui flag rising is given to machine operators – the batyrs of spring sowing, to the best cattle breeders – the winners of professional skills competitions, tenants and farmers. In some Tatarstan areas the best machine operator receives not only the special ribbon of sowing batyr but also the traditional prize – the ram, it shows that batyr of the fields is equal to kuresh batyr.

In many areas of the Republic there is a tradition to arrange a celebration in honour of labour dynasties during Sabantui.       

Sabantui not only gives worthy public estimation to people for their honest work but also reveals national talents. It is difficult to imagine modern Sabantui without music, songs, dancing, poetry, games, etc. The organic combination of professional and amateur arts is typical for this holiday. Concerts of the professional actors became fine Sabantui gift. In a number of areas national ensembles that represent Tatar, Mari, Chuvash, Udmurt, Bashkir, Russian, Mordovian dances and songs begin Sabantui. Quite often talented people, who had performed on Sabantui for the first time, later became well-known singers and dancers. The competitions of collectives of amateur performances became traditional on last years Sabantui. 

It is natural that songs and dances performed by Sabantui participants are not as skilled as performances of professional actors. But their value is first of all in general availability, activity, self-expression of thousand of people. When they participate in the competitions, they show their best qualities and that, undoubtedly, promotes improvement of mutual relations of people in collectives, aesthetic and moral self-education. Unfortunately, the performances of talented people, who play on the ancient national musical instruments, do not exceed the bounds of Sabantui maidans of several areas. Kin kubyz, kurai, sornai, psaltery are the musical instruments, on which not long ago people annually played during Republican competitions, and their best samples were exhibited at pavilion “The Soviet culture” during All-Union Exhibition of Achievements of USSR National Economy.

Sabantui labour and moral traditions are the basis of traditional pedagogical culture of Tatar people. Sabantui gives not only worthy public estimation to people for their honest work but also reveals national talents that become the part of Tatar national creativity.

Competitions and games of the present day Turkic people have overcome long and difficult distance in history, have kept the features inherent in ceremonies of our primogenitors.

People started to prepare for the holiday several weeks before the appointed day. Aksakals determined the place and time of Sabantui carring out. The meadow, the even field or the wood glade, as a rule, nearby to the water was usually selected as the lace for the holiday. People’s aspiration to merge with nature was typical to seasonal patrimonial holidays connected with spring sacrifice. The holiday was preceded with the ceremony of gifts gathering – “seren sugu”. Turkic origin of the word "seren" and its similarity to rituals of other Turkic people is one more evidence of the ceremony ancient origin (we should note that "seren" is known to peoples of the Volga region also as the separate holiday). Gathering was accompanied by various games, jokes. There is the horse game with the same name “seren sugu” where ten guys rush at a gallop after Dzhigit, who has collected "seren". The rules said that the person, who run down shared a prize.

Collected gifts - the shawls, embroidered towels – were hung up the long pole according to the ancient custom. Hand work of young women, who has got marriage after a last year's Sabantui was considered as especially valuable and honourable gift. This ritual is similar to the Kazakh custom “Zhara-pazdan” during which young people also go around the houses with songs and collect gifts.

Sabantui in the villages began in the early morning. Sabantui pole with the towel fastened on top was dug into the ground in maidan center, the spectators were settled down around the pole at some distance. The traditional order of performances was always the same: the competition of children and aksakals began Sabantui. The honourable gifts for winners were the gifts of young women, who got marriage after the previous Sabantui. It emphasized planetary optimistic idea about the family continuation and continuity of human life.

Sabantui has kept the best samples of cultural heritage — national games and original physical exercises. The attractive national kinds of sports are “kasheke” — grass hockey, run uphill. The well-known dictionary of Turkic languages by M.Kashgari mentioned not only these exercises but also running, jumping, horse racing. Specialists in folklore described other Sabantui games: kuzna, churakai, weights carring, ball rolling over the line. Practice of regional and city Sabantui of last decades shows that not less than 20 national and popular kinds of sports and games were included in the program. Some of them, for example, running on various distances, jumping, bow shooting, kasheke, hands wrestling have merged with international sports and nowadays are carried out on the basis of the standard rules. Other sport kinds — kuresh, horse racing, dumb-bell sport — have got the features of modern sports and have nowadays the precisely developed rules. The third national forms of physical training continue to remain only the Sabantui property. The fourth are used as folklore of Tatar people.

The program of Sabantui games is traditional, it includes national games: climbing on the column, running in the sacks, rope pulling, weights lifting, running with full buckets of water on yoke, fighting on the log with straw sacks, running with spoon in the mouth, etc. It seems that there is nothing new in comparison with the games that were conducted the previous year. But it is impossible to remain indifferent, for example, during the competition - pots beating with blindfold.

Wrestling and horse racing have always been the main kinds of Sabantui competitions, core of the national holiday.

Developments of original wrestling — constant attribute of batyrs life is reflected in the Tatar folklore. The descriptions of wrestling that are contained in the fairy tales testify that keresh has got the basic features of the competition from the ancient times. There were common used oral rules, traditional forms of wrestling conducting, national technique of pakhlevans preparation, special terms for tactical actions of wrestlers. The ancient monuments of east group of nomads of the III — I centuries BC testify to the centuries-old history of waist-high wrestling. The fights scenes of the struggling pair were represented on two bronze metal plates from Ordos and on the expensive silver vessels from the small town of Kotsky. It gives the basis to believe that this plot was very popular. The custom of tattoo at the Yenisei Kirghiz and early nomads in Altai can serve the evidence that ancient Turkic people had carried out public competitions in waist-high wrestling.  F.Valiev in the book “Ancient medieval art of the Middle Volga region” shows the subject image of the struggling pair on the spherical vessel. The world famous scientist - bibliographer of the XVII century Katib Chelebi in the encyclopedia “Keshvuz-zonun” mentioned the book of some Lachin Khisami, native Bulgar “Gift to the wrestlers competing on maidan”.

According to the custom children begin Sabantui kuresh, then aksakals replace them and only after that the applicants for the main prize of the holiday appear in the circle. Maidanbash supervises the wrestling organization. Demonstration performances of the most known batyrs of the previous years are sometimes practiced before final fights for a rank of Sabantui batyr among the winners of different weight categories. On many Sabantui the youngest batyr and aksakal receive traditional prizes of the holiday - the cock and the ram.

The ritual of batyr rewarding is as ancient and constant as Sabantui itself. The winner receives the ram; he should carry it away from maidan on the lifted hands to show his force once again. As a token of special honour and respect it is accepted to give to batyr an embroidered towel – the present of the young women, who have got marriage after the last year holiday. Until present days in some areas people define the best needlewoman, who has made a towel to the wrestler.

“I keep the memory about each Sabantui, in which I have participated, in the very bottom of my heart. 50 signs-symbols of victory on wrestling carpet, brightly embroider shawls still keep warmth and delicacy of people, who have made it. It will be a great pity if I lost them as they characterize the layer of national character – its special emotional state, kindness, courage and fortitude. I wouldd like to create a special museum devoted to Sabantui”. Such suggestion was made by A.Sabirzyanov – veteran of Sabantui movement, wrestler, who was never defeated during 50 years.      

According to ethnography, archeology and written sources, our ancestors – pagans considered the ram as one of the totem animals, the symbol protecting the person from hostile forces. The ram as a sacrificial animal was intended to God of the Sun, to the sky. In modern Sabantui "appendix" (alyp) to the ram are color TV sets, refrigerators, home appliances and even automobiles. However, in opinion of adherents of ancient ceremonies and traditions, the establishment of the expensive prizes for Sabantui batyrs does not answer spirit and traditions of national holiday.

Beauty and pride of Sabantui is modern kuresh. It improves, enriches the content in organic connection with well-known international kind of sport wrestling. Tatar national wrestling is used by the sports organizations of the Republic. Rules, where time of fights is regulated, weight categories are determined are developed and issued, but choice of absolute, main Sabantui batyr thus is not excluded.

People say: “Sabantui is not Sabantui without a horse”. “Tatar racing horses are small, lean, plain but in running they are extremely fast” - well known historian M.Rybushkin wrote in the previous century. A horse was always a friend, a companion and an assistant to our grandfathers. Life of far nomadic ancestors and work of the plowman cannot be imagined without a horse. Numerous findings of images of horse head as ornamental plots on handles of vessels, the figurines placed on the roofs of houses, castles, etc. are the evidence of reverence of this noble animal by ancient Bulgars. Tatar folklore brought to us enthusiastic anxious attitude towards racing horses.

Preparation for horse racing usually begins long before Sabantui. According to the custom trial racings are conducted one day prior to the holiday. Running of a beautiful, well-groomed horse is the hazardous show which is not leaves nobody indifferent. The second valuable prize after kuresh is entrusted to the winner of horse racing. Women decorate with embroidered towels, shawls, ribbons, patterned cloths the horses, who have overcome a distance. The fellow countrymen, who live on foreign lands and do not have an opportunity to arrive to Sabantui, send special prizes for the horses. It is colourful and impressing ritual.

“Par at” - racing on the pair relay excite genuine interest of the spectators. It is the competition that was returned from remote ages and that have rich tradition. The most courageous Dzhigits, who understand fine points of driving, participate in it. Horse games “Iaulyk alu” are fascinating — the horseman should move not reducing speed and to catch an embroidered shawl hanging on a tree. “Kyz kuu” is pursuit of a girl by a young man, who should caught her up, kiss her and take an embroidered shawl. If he could not do it they changed roles and the girl has to caught him up and beat him with the lash. This game reminds the bright images of Turkic epic maidens – warriors: before giving the agreement to marry the man they asked him to win her in a competition. These rituals have already lost the initial sense but such shows leave indifferent nobody of Sabantui participants.

Plenty of horses participate in modern horse-racing competitions, games, trotting running. In the majority of areas racings of thoroughbred and underbred horses are carried out separately. One more characteristic feature of Sabantui racing is active participation of the visitors – neighbours. They quite often win the competition. Sabantui is a mass holiday of health, sports; every spectator in any minute is ready to measure dexterity, force, and endurance with others.

From the ancient times people competed in lifting up weights — stones. This custom was also kept in a number of areas until now. Competing people should lift in one hand a stone with weight approximately 25-30 kg. Rules of the competitions are simple and popular: each participant preliminary lifts a stone by both hands and conveniently stacks it on the right palm lifted to a shoulder. And after that slowly straightening a hand, he lifts weight. On modern Sabantui during competitions on weights lifting dumb-bells or weights are used. One more ancient national tradition revives on regional Sabantui: youth and veterans actively participate in competitions on weights carring.

Traditional Sabantui kinds of sports are running for speed and endurance in various distances: competing in speed, uphill and through obstacles, long jump, and pole-vault, stone throwing and others. Competitions on running uphill, which origin originated in the remote past and were connected with our ancestors worship to “the spirit of the mountain”, are annually carried out in the villages of Sarmanovsky and Leninogorsky areas. Sabantui participants like to compete in cross running. Traditionally a distance is determined “from village up to village”. This rule works nowadays quite often. The horsemen or motorcyclists accompany runners for rendering the necessary assistance.

As echoes of our ancient ancestors’ entertainments, the long pole-vaults as still preserve on Sabantui.

One more competition on maidan is bow shooting. In Tatar fairy tales shooting on accuracy had the name “merei atashu”. Good shot is called mergen that was a synonym of the word "bogatyr".  Kazakh people competed in bow shooting to a pumpkin hanging on a top of a high column, and this kind of competition was called “gold pumpkin”. Ancient Turkiс people had competition in bow shooting during which the person should cause the sack full of gold from a column. It certainly proceeded only on maidans, organized by khans and beys. According to the Bulgar museum - reserve documents, bow shooting was also popular in ancient Bulgar. It was mentioned in the Kazakh heroic epos where, in particular, it is marked: “Day has come to shoot with Bukhara arrow from the Bulgar bow”. The storyteller thus not only showed the quality of the weapon and emphasized that the bow had been made in Volga Bulgar, were this weapon was manufactured in ancient times, but he also specified old connections of two nations. Unfortunately, for the lack of due attention this kind of sports was also forgotten, only sometimes the competitions of shots are arranged on modern Sabantui.

Speaking about truly national kinds of sports it is necessary to mention fisticuffs that Tatars, as well as at other Turkic people, have cultivated for a long time. Therefore it is impossible to consider casual a historic fact when batyr of many Sabantui, well-known Nurmuham-met Alimov (Kara-Malai) became the absolute champion of Russia on boxing in 1915.

On modern Sabantui the competitions on chess and draughts are quite often carried out. Objecting the opponents of its carring out, we shall note that more then one thousand years ago chess were familiar to our ancestors. It was mentioned in ancient Turkic works. In “Kutadgu bilig” by Y. Balasaguni, for example, it is said: “It is necessary to play chess well”, “The man should know how to play dice and chess”. So why should we deprive with the fans of ancient games of Sabantui prizes? Until recently the lighting tournaments and sessions of simultaneous game were annually arranged on Sabantui almost in 20 areas of Tatarstan and, we shall notice, prevent carring out of other games anywhere.

Sabantui is rich with the games of entertaining comic character. Pole -climbing is one of the national sports where old and young people can compete on the same level. After rules systemizing column climbing can turn into the independent kind of sport applying for inclusion in the programs of national sports and other athletes meetings.

An attraction of the shaking log which has received the name “Take the ram” gathers a lot of spectators. To become the owner of a prize the participant should pass up to the end of thin horizontal pole, at the end of which the alive ram is adhered. But it is not as simple as it seems at first sight: the log shakes, the ram is not calm.

Here and there people began to include billiards in the program of regional Sabantui that can be considered as a kind of sport and as entertainment.

Constant attribute of the festivals in a number of areas are roundabouts. The program of entertaining games includes also the competitions in dexterity at moving through a plywood pipe, walking on stilts; «three legs» running, skipping along tied with legs, ski running, etc.  A lot of laughter of Sabantui participants causes an attraction “searching of a coin at the bottom of a plate with katyk with the help of a tongue”. It is necessary to note that in the beginning of the century this competition has been spread on Bashkir Sabantui. It is notable that older people very actively participate in such entertaining games infecting associates by optimism and cheerfulness.

From year to year the program of Sabantui competitions is enriches. One can see people competing in wool hand-spinning and showing culinary skills. Sabantui abounds also in many other games — the universal means of national pedagogic corresponding to life and way of life of our people. National games promote not only physical training of the population. They develop such valuable qualities as the initiative, resource, ingenuity and diligence in the holiday participants, especially in the rising generation. Unfortunately, the problem of studying and classification of Sabantui games yet did not become a subject of serious scientific discussions. Objective and detailed research of game material could give the additional data for elucidation of the separate questions of culture development and, in certain degree, history of Tatars moving and ethno genesis. At the same time, due to representatives of other nationalities active participation in Sabantui, its game repertoire was constantly enriched.

Modern Sabantui became a holiday of people of all nationalities, who live in Tatarstan. Modern Sabantui model is some kind of Tatarstan visiting-card. It already became a tradition that foreign visitors, including politicians, businessmen and journalists, alongside with the Russian regions delegations participate in the holidays in large cities. UNESCO Deputy General Director M.Bushenaki, who has visited Kazan Sabantui in 2000, gave high estimation to the masterpiece of traditional culture of Tatar people.

Our people have the saying that can be translated as “Sabantui exists everywhere where Tatar lives”. But this aphorism also has deeper meaning: while people are alive their holidays are also alive.

Sabantui promotion to the UNESCO List of World Intangible Heritage of Humanity testifies to Sabantui coming on the world scene and, that is doubtless, will promote unifying of  people of all nationalities and religions and dialogue of cultures and civilizations.