The regional Tatar holiday “Sabantuy”

Just as it is impossible to imagine the Greeks without the Olympic Games, the Spaniards without bullfighting, the Japanese without the cherry blossom festival, Ukrainians without bathing rites, Russians without Maslenitsa, so it is impossible to talk about national Tatar traditions without mentioning Sabantuy – a holiday of spring renewal of nature, whose roots go back to depth of centuries.
Historically, Sabantuy was celebrated in honor of the beginning of field work (at the end of April), but now – in honor of their completion (in June). The origins of the holiday go back to the pagan rites of the ancestors – the worship of the land freed from snow, the desire to appease the God of the plow, abundance, harvest, and are associated with the agrarian cult. The ancient holiday was gradually supplemented with modern traditions, but the main features of the celebration are preserved, passing from century to century.
Today, Sabantuy is a bright, cheerful, folk holiday. Sabantuy is the time for receiving guests, meeting relatives and friends. On this holiday, the Tatar invited fellow villagers of any nationality. After all, it is not in vain that the Tatar folk proverb says: “To walk among the fields – to know the land, to walk among people – to know the people.”
Traditionally, the regional Tatar holiday “Sabantuy” begins with a costumed procession of creative teams – participants in the event. The final point of the procession through the streets of the village is always the Festival Square, where the grand opening takes place on the main stage. It is symbolic that the start is always the traditional ritual of raising the flag of Sabantuy, in which, as usual, the most honored guests participate.
The raised flag of Sabantuy is the signal for the start of the festive gala concert and all the locations of the holiday, including numerous interactive platforms where each guest can find an activity of interest. Here, in an environment as close as possible to reality, everyone gets acquainted with the culture, traditions, customs and way of life of the Tatars.
According to the concept of the organizers, the holiday square is a reconstruction of the Tatar “ethno-village” with numerous courtyards where their events take place. A wedding is celebrated in one “courtyard”, the birth of a child is celebrated in the second, and a master “lives” in the third, who makes national clothes.
An integral part of the ethno-village is the “Sunday Bazaar”, which delights guests with an abundance of national cuisine and products of craftsmen.
Little residents find activities in the children’s playground. Traditional heroes of Tatar and Russian fairy tales will play with the children, who act as the hosts of the interactive program.
Not only children, but also adults can play folk Tatar games. “Fight of pots”, “Tug of the stick”, “Fight with sacks”, “Running with a yoke”. Daredevils can try their hand at conquering vertical and horizontal pillars.
A special place on the holiday is given to the competitions in the Tatar national wrestling “koresh”, where the strongest and most dexterous wrestler receives the title of Batyr and the traditional prize of Sabantuy – a ram, which he carries on his shoulders in an honorary circle in front of the audience.
Sabantuy culminates in equestrian competitions, which are especially popular among people, in spite of nationality and age.
Combining the traditional features of the ancient festival and modern trends in cultural development, Sabantuy is a vivid example of continuity, a symbol of mutual understanding and unity between peoples and confirms the status of the Omsk Irtysh region as a multinational region.
The holiday is held according to the program of the Regional Festival of National Cultures “Unity”, 1 time in three years.
In 2023, the regional Tatar holiday “Sabantuy” will be held in Omsk on June 24.