National characteristics of the Chuvash. Chuvash appearance, features, characteristic character traits. History of the people. The future is in the past

The Chuvash belong to the Turkic-speaking peoples, although others also participated in the formation of the nation. The ancient ancestors of the Chuvash were nomads. They walked the path from the Great Wall of China to the Azov region. The Bulgarian film "Khan Asparukh" shows how the collapse of Azov Bulgaria (VII century) occurred under the onslaught of the Khazars. One group led by Khan Asparukh (asparum, advice giver) crossed the Danube and formed their own state, which lasted a little more than two centuries, and then disappeared into the mass of the Slavs.

Another group retreated to the Caucasus Mountains. It has survived to this day and formed the basis of the Balkar people.

The third group, apparently more numerous, migrated to the Middle Volga. Here it, as a state and national formation, existed until the Mongol invasion (1236). The capital of the state was the city of Great Bulgar, at that time a major cultural center. Bulgars and Suvars (Chuvash) were the main ethnic groups inhabiting it. And those Chuvash who live in our time - in Tatary, Bashkiria, and other regions of the country - are settlers of a later time, after the adoption of Christianity.

The Chuvash are practically a monolingual people in terms of their literary language, although there are two dialects: Viryal - among the upper Chuvash and Anatri - among the lower Chuvash. Thanks to a single literary language, there was no need to publish books and periodicals in these dialects, like the Mordovians - Erzya and Moksha.

After October revolution The Chuvash nation is entering a time of intensive development, which is manifested in the formation of the working class and national intelligentsia. Now, during the years of perestroika, this process has noticeably intensified. In Chuvashia, unlike other regions of the country, there are no manifestations of national extremism or interethnic hatred. Apparently, the long-standing traditions of friendly coexistence of Russians, Chuvash, and Tatars had an effect. The Chuvash have always been receptive to everything Russian as if it were their own. Respect for the Russian neighbor has always been a remarkable national trait of the Chuvash. And this saved the republic from strife on ethnic grounds.

What Chuvash settlements looked like

In the distant past, the Chuvash settled in forests, along rivers and deep ravines. This was explained by the need to protect themselves from raids by nomads, ushkuiniks, and Tatar riders. Somewhat later they hid from the Russian authorities. The Kazan khans and royal governors robbed the already poor peasants and collected taxes. For non-payment they were beaten with whips and birch rods. The oppression of the powerful and rich left its mark on the character of people. The ancestors of the Chuvash were beaten more than once by the Khazars, Tatar-Mongols, and squads of Russian princes; the poor people also received beatings from their rich men, the Muras and Tarkhanovs.

What did Chuvash settlements look like? Half-dugout huts were located around the courtyards of the ancestors, or in groups according to the family principle. This made it easier to defend against attackers. Our ancestors needed all-round defense. The entrance door and windows in the dwellings were cut into the walls from the courtyard side. The windows are half the size of two logs, so that no person can get through. There were no glasses; instead, bull bladders were stretched, oiled, to allow light to penetrate. At night, pine torches were lit, which crackled and emitted smoke, so the most valuable things - animal skins, grain and beet honey - were stored in barns.

Following the Russian model, Chuvash villages adopt rectilinear development. Bullets are replaced with glass, the size of window openings increases, and gates with a hip roof appear. A porch is being added to the house. Lilacs and acacias are planted in the front gardens, and willows are planted in the streets.

Forests provided people with nuts, mushrooms, berries, and wild honey. In the clearings plowed with plows, rye was earing, barley was ripening, spelt was pouring. Wheat in the northern part of the republic began to be cultivated only during the Soviet period. Potatoes were introduced in the era of Peter the Great, but, frankly speaking, under pressure. Nowadays it is planted everywhere, it has become the second bread. Unfortunately, in the last 20-30 years, potatoes are increasingly losing their presentation and taste. The nitrate content in it is increasing due to the uncontrolled use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the fields.

Since ancient times, the national food of the Chuvash has been uiran - skim milk, churning. But now only old people remember uiran; it is being replaced by kefir, which is significantly inferior in taste to uiran. The pride and joy of the peasant table - sharttan (shyrtan) - has always been a festive food. But now it, too, has lost its former qualities, and has also become in short supply. Even the once popular kagay-shurbe - soup made from offal - has become a rarity.

The Chuvash loved forests. This, perhaps, can explain the spread of green plantings along roads in our time.

Pagan Gods and Spirits lived in the forest thickets. Some protected people from misfortune, others did evil. Some patronized livestock farming, others sent diseases, pestilence, and loss of livestock. The Chuvash sought the favor of gods and spirits with offerings and honors. They prayed to the gods and spirits for rain, for a harvest, an abundant honey harvest, celebrated the day of the first loaf, begged the spirit of the winds not to be angry, not to tear the straw from dilapidated roofs, not to bring up thunderclouds with hail. They celebrated the beginning of the construction of the house, even the construction of a fence around the site. The superstition of our ancestors was not limited to this. They hoped that as soon as they had time to express their wishes out loud in the lightning light, everything would come true. The midwives presented a gift to the birch tree - a copper penny, they believed that this would make childbirth easier for the woman in labor. And in almost all cases of chyuk (praying) they cooked porridge, jelly, and made sacrificial beer.

Most Chuvash are content with canvas pants; boots are also a rare occurrence among them; there is a scarcity of bread in the Chuvash table; only the rich, having enough livestock, cut it for themselves, and occasionally even buy it. The majority extremely rarely taste meat food; their usual lunch and dinner consists of: empty cabbage soup or potato soup and bread, sometimes a pie made from the same materials; Although most Chuvash have chickens in their yard, the eggs from them are usually sold, as well as the poultry. The Chuvash eat milk only in the summer, and in winter they don’t even milk their cows, since the cows lose milk in the winter due to poor food; Even rich Chuvash, for example, traders, when setting out on a long journey, take with them a sufficient supply of bread from home.

Lapti is one of oldest species shoes The craft of bast weaving dates back thousands of years. This is confirmed by archaeological finds of a special tool - a kochedyk. For bast shoes, people used bast, birch bark and leather. The Chuvash preserved this type of footwear until the fifties of the 20th century. Chuvash bast shoes differed from Russian and Mordovian bast shoes in their grace, severity of form, and method of weaving. Bast shoes woven from elm bast were considered more valuable: in dry weather they lasted longer. It is interesting that bast shoes were woven differently for women and girls. Girls' weekend bast shoes were distinguished by their fine workmanship. Bast was also used in a narrower cut. The ropes were woven from flax fiber. During the period of spring snow melting, pads (kaptarma) were sewn to the bast shoes. They saved us from getting wet. The pads were made from linden with figured cutting of the corners and removal of the edges.

Lapti were worn together with foot wraps and onuchas. The former were used in the summer; they were woven on handicraft looms from hemp thread, and onuchi - from wool. They provided little protection from the cold and frost. Women used onuchas even in the summer. The fact is that in ancient times there were many snakes in the forests of Chuvashia. Onuchi protected their legs from their bites.

Sheep wool was used to make felt felt. The Chuvash will spread the felt felt directly on the ground, and put the skin of a goat under his head - and sleep peacefully: the snake will not touch him. Fleas can interfere. There were a lot of them gathered in the nightmare. After a long winter, the peasant took the felt felt out into the sun and knocked out fleas and dust with a stick.

What value did the man have? A sheepskin coat and a sheepskin coat. But these clothes were not available to everyone. In severe frosts, the poor man wrapped himself in a chapan (Armyak), made of woolen cloth, and trembled like an aspen leaf. But the Chuvash also had their own joys, holidays, anniversaries, and round dances. On such days, the Chuvash wore their best: women's headdresses made of silver coins, beautiful belts, embroidered shirts.

Representatives of 304 peoples and ethnic groups live in Russia. This is precisely the figure that emerges from the published results of the 2010 Russian population census: 194 peoples are in the main list of nationalities and another 110 peoples are in the list “Indicating other answers about nationality.”
The 41 peoples of Russia, according to the census, number more than 100 thousand people. After the annexation of Crimea to Russia in March 2014, the number Crimean Tatars in Russia increased from two to 250 thousand. Thus, in Russia there are now 42 peoples numbering over 100 thousand.

This rating is dedicated to the most beautiful (in my opinion or based on the results of voting on the site) women of these largest nations of Russia. Women Russian peoples numbering less than 100 thousand people are dedicated.

Place of birth was not taken into account when determining belonging to Russia; only citizenship was taken into account / permanent place residence.

They occupy 42nd place in terms of population in Russia (103.4 thousand). The most beautiful Kyrgyz Russia, according to the results on the website, - model from Moscow Begimai (Maya) Abibova. Height 175 cm, weight 51 kg, body measurements 86-61-88.

41st place - Nogais (103.6 thousand). The most beautiful foot Russia - Dinara Elgaitarova(born March 25, 1985, Aktau, Kazakhstan) - model, participant in the 3rd season of the reality show “Top Model in Russian”. Lives in Moscow. Dinara's father is Nogai, her mother is Tatar. Height 176 cm, body measurements 83-60-91. VK page - https://vk.com/id2444532

40th place - Turks (105 thousand). There is a website, but there are no Russian Turkish women there, because... I don’t yet know a single famous Turkish woman living in Russia.

39th place - Balkars (112.9 thousand). The most beautiful Balkarka- singer.

38th place - Adygeis (124.8 thousand). The most beautiful Adyghe- singer Fatima Dzibova(born September 18, 1991, Adygeisk, Adygea). VK page - https://vk.com/fatimadzibova

37th place - Tabasarans (146.3 thousand). The most beautiful tabasaranka- track and field athlete (born June 3, 1982, Volgograd). Elena's father is Tabasaran by nationality, and her mother is Russian. Elena Isinbaeva set 28 world records in pole vaulting, became an Olympic champion twice (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008), won the World and European Championships many times, earning the title of the best pole vaulter of all time. Isinbayeva was recognized three times (2004, 2005 and 2008) as the best athlete according to the International Association of Athletics Federations, and twice (2007, 2009) won the “Best Athlete” nomination at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.

36th place - Koreans (153.1 thousand). The most beautiful Korean Russia - TV presenter Marina Kim. Her father is Korean, her mother is Russian.

35th place - Moldovans (156.4 thousand). The most beautiful Moldavian Russia - Russian actress Lyanka Gryu(born November 22, 1987, Moscow).

34th place - Jews (156.8 thousand). The most beautiful Jewish Russia - Soviet and Russian actress, People's Artist of the USSR. In 1999, in a newspaper survey " TVNZ"Elina Bystritskaya was recognized as "the most beautiful woman of the passing century." Born on April 4, 1928 in Kyiv into a Jewish family.

33rd place - Georgians (157.8 thousand). The most beautiful Georgian Russia - Russian journalist and TV presenter Tina (Tinatin) Kandelaki(born November 10, 1975, Tbilisi).

32nd place - Laks (178.6 thousand). The most beautiful lachka Russia - singer Sabina Alieva.

31st place - Kalmyks (183.3 thousand). The most beautiful Kalmyk - Irina Tumanova- representative of Kalmykia at the Miss Russia 2013 competition, where she became Second Vice-Miss and won in the People's Choice nomination. Irina Tumanova's height is 177 cm, body measurements 83-62-92. "VKontakte" page - http://vk.com/id31671589

30th place - Tajiks (200.3 thousand). The most beautiful Tajik- Russian actress Sayora Safari(born March 21, 1991, Dushanbe, Tajikistan). Her real name - Safarova.

29th place - Roma (204.9 thousand). The most beautiful Gypsy Russia - Lyalya (Olga) Zhemchuzhnaya(born May 31, 1969) - Russian actress and singer, Honored Artist of Russia. Since the age of 16 she has been working at the Moscow Gypsy Theater "Romen" (her mother, Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya, also works there). Has acted in films since 1982. The most famous role is the gypsy Aza in the 1987 film of the same name.

28th place - Karachais (218.4 thousand). The most beautiful Karachaevka- singer (born December 18, 1989, Cherkessk, Karachay-Cherkessia). Official website - http://alikabogatyreva.ru/

27th place - Komi (228.2 thousand). I know very few famous Komi women, so I have not yet decided on the candidacy for the most beautiful representative of this people.

25th place - Tuvans (263.9 thousand). The most beautiful Tuvan - AldynayOorzhak- representative of Tyva at the Miss Asia Moscow 2013 competition (took third place).

23rd place - Germans (394.1 thousand). Most beautiful Germans Russia - Russian actresses Tatiana and Olga Arntgolts(born March 18, 1982). They are twin sisters and German on their father's side.

Tatiana Arntgolts

Olga Arntgolts

22nd place - Ingush (444.8 thousand). The most beautiful Ingushka- actress and singer Tamara Yandieva(born July 23, 1955, Karaganda, Kazakhstan). People's Artist of Ingushetia. Starred at 17 Soviet films. Most of all, viewers remember the actress from the trilogy about Scheherazade from the tales of 1001 nights. In the first film, “And Another Night of Scheherazade...” Tamara Yandieva appeared in the image of Anora, the daughter of the merchant Karabai. And in the next two (“New Tales of Scheherazade” and “The Last Night of Scheherazade”) she played Princess Esmigul. Official website of Tamara Yandieva - http://yandieva.ru/

Tamara Yandieva as Princess Esmigul in the film "New Tales of Scheherazade"

21st place - Buryats (461.3 thousand). The most beautiful Buryat- model Maria Shantanova. After graduating from school in Ulan-Ude, she went to study in China, where she became the face of Nesсafe Gold in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. She played the main role in the 6th episode of the project “Speaking Buryat”. Height 167 cm, body measurements 86-60-88. VK page - https://vk.com/maria_shantanova

19th place - Yakuts (478 thousand). The most beautiful Yakut- - Miss Virtual Yakutia 2006, the most successful Yakut model, in demand in Russia and abroad. Height 178 cm, measurements 89-58-90. Facebook page - facebook.com/polina.protodyakonova

18th place - Kumyks (503 thousand). The most beautiful Kumychka - Zoya Hasanova- author and presenter of the “Wedding Season” program on Dagestan TV. VKontakte page - https://vk.com/zoya_gasanova

17th place - Kabardians (516.8 thousand). The most beautiful Kabardian Russia - singer Sati (Sataney) Casanova(born October 2, 1982, Verkhny Kurkuzhin, Kabardino-Balkaria).

16th place - Belarusians (521.4 thousand). The most beautiful Belarusian Russia - Russian actress (born May 9, 1987, Minsk). Page "In Contact" - http://vk.com/id7184782

15th place - Ossetians (528.5 thousand). The most beautiful Ossetian- model. Instagram page - http://instagram.com/aniaguri

14th place - Mari (547.6 thousand). I have not yet found any famous beauties among the Maries.

13th place - Udmurts (552.3 thousand). The most beautiful Udmurtka- singer Svetlana (Sveti) Ruchkina(born September 25, 1988). She is the vocalist of the Udmurt-language rock band Silent Woo Goore.

12th place - Dargins (589.3 thousand). The most beautiful Darginka- singer Marina Mustafaeva.

9th place - Mordovians (744.2 thousand). Mordva is the Russian collective name for two different peoples: Moksha and Erzya.

The most beautiful Mordovian-Erzyanka Russia - Olga Kaniskina(born January 19, 1985, Saransk) - track and field athlete, Olympic champion in 2008, the first three-time world champion in the history of race walking (2007, 2009 and 2011), European champion in 2010, two-time Russian champion.

The most beautiful Mordovian Moksha - Svetlana Khorkina(born January 19, 1979, Belgorod) - Russian gymnast, two-time Olympic champion in parallel bars (1996, 2000), three-time absolute world champion and three-time absolute European champion.

8th place - Avars (912 thousand). The most beautiful avarka - Russian writer, literary critic, journalist (born September 23, 1985, Moscow). Ganieva's books have been translated into many languages, she received several literary prizes. In 2015, The Guardian newspaper included Ganieva in the top 30 most talented Muscovites under 30. Alice's VKontakte page - https://vk.com/id1788012

6th place - Chechens (1.431 million). The most beautiful Chechen- Chechen singer and dancer of the ensemble "Lovzar" Makka Sagaipova(born February 14, 1987, Grozny). Sagaipova released two albums, “I am your daughter - Chechnya” (2004) and “Bezam / Love” (2005), but after marriage, due to the disapproval of her husband’s relatives, she was forced to stop for a while. creative activity. At the end of 2011, Makka Sagaipova returned to singing again.

5th place - Chuvash (1.435 million). The most beautiful dude- model Rosa (Rozalia) Muravyova. Russian-language sources report that she won the Supermodel of the World competition the World in 1998, while English-language sources indicate that Muravyova then took second place, and the Englishwoman Abramova won. In 2008, Alsou released an album of songs in the Tatar language: “I am proud to be a Tatar, and I always remember my roots. I recorded my first song in the Tatar language back in 2000, but this is my first album where I perform all the songs in my native language language. I have long promised to implement this project, I am happy that I kept my word and am glad to present the album to my fellow countrymen - Tatarstanians." Alsou official website - alsou.ru

The largest people in Russia are Russians (111 million). The most beautiful Russian - Irina Alferova(born March 13, 1951, Novosibirsk) - Soviet and Russian theater and film actress, People's Artist of Russia. Notable roles in cinema: Daria (Walking in Torment, 1977), Constance (D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers, 1979), Ksenia (Vasily Buslaev, 1982), Alena (Ermak, 1996).

Irina Alferova as the queen in the film "Autumn Bells" (1978)

Chuvash are one of the most numerous nationalities living on the territory of the Russian Federation. Of the approximately 1.5 million people, more than 70% are settled in the territory Chuvash Republic, the rest in neighboring regions. Within the group there is a division into upper (viryal) and lower (anatri) Chuvash, differing in traditions, customs and dialect. The capital of the republic is the city of Cheboksary.

History of appearance

The first mention of the name Chuvash appears in the 16th century. However, numerous studies indicate that Chuvash people is a direct descendant of the inhabitants ancient state Volga Bulgaria, which existed on the territory of the middle Volga in the period from the 10th to the 13th centuries. Scientists also find traces of Chuvash culture dating back to the beginning of our era on the Black Sea coast and in the foothills of the Caucasus.

The data obtained indicate the movement of the ancestors of the Chuvash during the Great Migration of Peoples to the territory of the Volga region occupied at that time by Finno-Ugric tribes. Written sources have not preserved information about the date of appearance of the first Bulgarian public education. The earliest mention of the existence of Great Bulgaria dates back to 632. In the 7th century, after the collapse of the state, part of the tribes moved to the northeast, where they soon settled near the Kama and the middle Volga. In the 10th century, Volga Bulgaria was quite strong state, the exact boundaries of which are unknown. The population was at least 1-1.5 million people and was a multinational mixture, where, along with the Bulgarians, Slavs, Maris, Mordovians, Armenians and many other nationalities also lived.

The Bulgarian tribes are characterized primarily as peaceful nomads and farmers, but during their almost four hundred year history they had to periodically encounter conflicts with the armies of the Slavs, the Khazar tribes and the Mongols. In 1236, the Mongol invasion completely destroyed the Bulgarian state. Later, the Chuvash and Tatar peoples were able to partially recover, forming the Kazan Khanate. The final inclusion into the Russian lands occurred as a result of the campaign of Ivan the Terrible in 1552. Being in actual subordination to Tatar Kazan, and then to Rus', the Chuvash were able to maintain their ethnic isolation, unique language and customs. In the period from the 16th to the 17th centuries, the Chuvash, being predominantly peasants, participated in the popular uprisings that swept the Russian Empire. In the 20th century, the lands occupied by these people received autonomy and became part of the RSFSR in the form of a republic.

Religion and customs

Modern Chuvash are Orthodox Christians; only in exceptional cases are there Muslims among them. Traditional beliefs represent a unique type of paganism, where the supreme god Tour, who patronized the sky, stands out against the background of polytheism. From the point of view of the structure of the world, national beliefs were initially close to Christianity, so even close proximity to the Tatars did not affect the spread of Islam.

Worship of the forces of nature and their deification led to the emergence large quantity religious customs, traditions and holidays associated with the cult of the tree of life, the change of seasons (Surkhuri, Savarni), sowing (Akatuy and Simek) and harvesting. Many of the festivities remained unchanged or were mixed with Christian celebrations, and are therefore celebrated to this day. Vivid examples The preservation of ancient traditions is considered to be a Chuvash wedding, at which national costumes are still worn and complex rituals are performed.

Appearance and folk costume

The external Caucasian type with some features of the Mongoloid race of the Chuvash is not much different from the inhabitants of central Russia. The general facial features are a straight, neat nose with a low bridge, a rounded face with pronounced cheekbones and a small mouth. The color type varies from light-eyed and fair-haired to dark-haired and brown-eyed. The height of most Chuvash people does not exceed the average.

The national costume is generally similar to the clothing of the peoples of the middle zone. The basis of a woman’s outfit is an embroidered shirt, complemented by a robe, apron and belts. A headdress (tukhya or hushpu) and jewelry generously decorated with coins are required. Men's suit was as simple as possible and consisted of a shirt, pants and a belt. Shoes were onuchi, bast shoes and boots. Classic Chuvash embroidery is a geometric pattern and a symbolic image of the tree of life.

Language and writing

The Chuvash language belongs to the Turkic linguistic group and is considered the only surviving language of the Bulgar branch. Within the nationality, it is divided into two dialects, distinguished depending on the territory of residence of its speakers.

It is believed that in ancient times the Chuvash language had its own runic writing. The modern alphabet was created in 1873 thanks to the efforts of the famous educator and teacher I.Ya. Yakovleva. Along with the Cyrillic alphabet, the alphabet contains several unique letters that reflect the phonetic differences between languages. The Chuvash language is considered the second official language after Russian, is included in the compulsory educational program in the republic and is actively used by the local population.

Remarkable

1. The main values ​​that determined the way of life were hard work and modesty.
2. The non-conflict nature of the Chuvash is reflected in the fact that in the language of neighboring peoples its name is translated or associated with the words “quiet” and “calm.”
3. The second wife of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky was the Chuvash princess Bolgarbi.
4. The bride's value was determined not by her appearance, but by her hard work and the number of skills, so her attractiveness only grew with age.
5. Traditionally, upon marriage, the wife had to be several years older than her husband. Upbringing young husband was one of the duties of a woman. Husband and wife had equal rights.
6. Despite the worship of fire, the ancient pagan religion of the Chuvash did not provide for sacrifices.

The Chuvash are a unique people who have been able to carry their authenticity through the centuries. It is the fifth largest nation in Russia, most of whose representatives speak the Chuvash language - the only living one of the extinct Bulgar group. They are considered the descendants of the ancient Sumerians and Huns, however modern history The Chuvash gave a lot. At a minimum, the homeland of the symbol of the revolution Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev.

Where live

More than half of the representatives of the Chuvash people - 67.7%, live on the territory of the Chuvash Republic. It is a subject of the Russian Federation and is located on the territory of the Volga Federal District. The republic borders with Ulyanovsk and Nizhny Novgorod regions, Tatarstan, Mordovia and the Republic of Mari El. The capital of the Chuvash Republic is the city of Cheboksary.

Outside the Republic, the Chuvash live mainly in neighboring regions and Siberia, with a small part living outside the Russian Federation. One of the largest Chuvash diasporas in Ukraine - about 10 thousand people. In addition, representatives of the nationality live in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
There are three ethnographic groups on the territory of the Republic of Chuvashia. Among them:

1. Horse Chuvash. They live in the northwestern part of the region, have local names turi or virial.
2. Middle-bottom Chuvash. Their location is the northeast of the Republic, dialect name anat enchi.
3. Grassroots Chuvash. They live in the southern part of the region, on Chuvash language have a name anatri.

Number

The Chuvash are the fifth largest ethnic group in Russia: about 1,400,000, according to the 2010 census. Of these, more than 814 thousand people live on the territory of the Chuvash Republic. About 400 thousand Chuvash are located in neighboring regions: Bashkortostan - 107.5 thousand, Tatarstan - 116.3 thousand, Samara - 84.1 thousand and Ulyanovsk - 95 thousand regions.
It is worth noting that the number of Chuvash by 2010 decreased by 14% compared to the 2002 census. Negative dynamics brought this indicator to the level of 1995, which ethnographers perceive as a negative result of assimilation.

Name

The main version of the origin of the name is associated with the ancient tribe “Suvars” or “Suvazy”. It was first mentioned in the 10th century in the memoirs of a traveler Arab origin Ibn Fadlan. The author wrote about a tribe that was part of the Volga Bulgaria and refused to convert to Islam. Some researchers believe that it was the Suvars who became the ancestors of the Chuvash, who went to the upper reaches of the Volga in order to avoid the imposition of an alien religion.

In chronicles, this name was first mentioned only in the 16th-17th centuries, during the period of the Chuvash Daruga joining the Russian state after the fall of the Kazan Khanate. One of the earliest evidence is the description of the mountain Cheremis (modern Mari) and Chuvash by Andrei Kurbsky, who spoke about the campaign against Kazan in 1552.
The self-name of the people is Chavash, which is considered the traditional definition of nationality. The name of the nationality in other languages ​​is similar in sound: “chuash” and “chuvazh” - among the Mordovians and Tatars, “syuash” - among the Kazakhs and Bashkirs.
Some researchers believe that the roots of the name and the people go back to the ancient Sumerians, but geneticists have not found confirmation of this theory. Another version is associated with the Turkic word javas, which means “peaceful, friendly.” By the way, such character traits, along with decency, modesty and honesty, are characteristic of modern Chuvash people.

Language

Until the 10th century, the language of the Suvazian tribes existed on the basis of ancient runic writing. IN X-XV centuries, during the close proximity to Muslim tribes and the Kazan Khanate, the alphabet was replaced by Arabic. However, the sound of the language and the definition of local dialects became increasingly distinctive during this period. This allowed the formation of an authentic, so-called Middle Bulgarian language by the 16th century.
Started in 1740 new page in the history of the Chuvash language. During this period, Christian preachers and priests from among the local population began to appear in the region. This led to the creation in 1769-1871 of a new version of writing based on the Cyrillic alphabet. The basis of the literary language was the dialects of the lower Chuvash. The alphabet was finally formed by 1949, and consists of 37 letters: 33 of them are characters of the Russian alphabet and 4 additional Cyrillic characters.
In total, the Chuvash language has three dialects:

1. Grassroots. It is distinguished by an abundance of “hooking” sounds and is widespread downstream of the Sura River.
2. Horse. “Outlining” phonetics, characteristic of the inhabitants of the upper reaches of the Sura.
3. Malokarachinsky. A separate dialect of Chuvash, characterized by changes in vocalism and consonantism.

Modern Chuvash language belongs to the Turkic language family. His unique feature is that it is the only living language of the disappeared Bulgarian group in the world. This is the official language of the Chuvash Republic, which, along with Russian, is the state language. It is taught in local schools, as well as educational institutions some regions of Tatarstan and Bashkiria. According to the 2010 census, the Chuvash language is spoken by more than 1 million Russian citizens.

Story

The ancestors of the modern Chuvash were the nomadic tribe of Savirs, or Suvars, who lived in the Western Caspian region since the 2nd century AD. In the 6th century, its migration to the North Caucasus began, where part of it formed the Hunnic kingdom, and part was defeated and driven out to Transcaucasia. In the 8th-9th centuries, the descendants of the Suvars settled in the Middle Volga region, where they became part of the Volga Bulgars. During this period, there was a significant unification of culture, religion, traditions and customs of peoples.

In addition, researchers note a significant influence on the language, objects of material and spiritual culture of the ancient farmers of Western Asia. It is believed that southern tribes, who migrated during the great migration of peoples, partially settled in the Volga region and assimilated with the Bulgarian-Suvar peoples.
However, already at the end of the 9th century, the ancestors of the Chuvash separated from the Bulgarian kingdom and migrated further north due to their rejection of Islam. Final formation the Chuvash people ended only in the 16th century, when the assimilation of the Suvars, Tatars from the neighboring Kazan kingdom and Russians took place.
During the reign of the Kazan Khanate, the Chuvash were part of it, but they remained separate and independent, despite the need to pay tribute. Soon after the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible, the Chuvash took power Russian state, however, throughout history they have defended their rights. Thus, they participated in the uprisings of Stenka Razin and Emelyan Pugachev, opposed the arbitrariness of officials in 1571-1573, 1609-1610, 1634. Such self-will caused problems for the state, therefore, until the 19th century, a ban on blacksmithing was in force in the region to stop the production of weapons.

Appearance

The appearance of the Chuvash was influenced by the long history of migration of the ancestral people and significant mixing with representatives of the Bulgar and Asian tribes. Modern Chuvash people have the following types of appearance:

• Mongoloid-Caucasian type with a predominance of European features - 63.5%
• Caucasian types (with brown hair and light eyes, as well as with darker skin and hair, brown eyes) - 21.1%
• pure Mongoloid type - 10.3%
• sublaponoid type or Volga-Kama race with mildly expressed Mongoloid characteristics - 5.1%

From a genetic point of view, it is also impossible to distinguish a pure “Chuvash haplogroup”: all representatives of the nation have a mixed racial identity. According to the maximum correspondence among the Chuvash, the following haplogroups are distinguished:

• Northern European - 24%
• Slavic R1a1 - 18%
• Finno-Ugric N - 18%
• Western European R1b - 12%
• Jewish J inherited from the Khazars - 6%

In addition, genetic connections between the Chuvash and neighboring peoples have been discovered. Thus, the Mari, who in the Middle Ages lived in the same region with the Bulgarian-Suvars and were called the Mountain Cheremis, share with the Chuvash a mutation of the LIPH chromosome gene, which causes earlier baldness.
Among the typical appearance features it is worth noting:

• average height in men and short in women;
• coarse hair that naturally rarely has a curl;
• more dark shade skin and eye color in representatives of the Caucasian type;
• short, slightly depressed nose;
• the presence of epicanthus (a characteristic fold in the corner of the eyes) in representatives of mixed and Mongoloid types;
• the shape of the eyes is almond-shaped, slightly slanting;
• wide face;
• prominent cheekbones.

Ethnographers of the past and present noted soft facial features, a good-natured and open expression associated with character traits. The Chuvash have bright and agile facial expressions, easy movements, and good coordination. In addition, representatives of the nation were mentioned in all testimonies as neat, clean, well-built and neat people who created a pleasant impression with their appearance and behavior.

Cloth

In everyday life, Chuvash men dressed simply: a loose shirt and trousers made of homespun cloth, which was made from hemp and flax. The look was completed with a simple hat with a narrow brim and shoes made of bast or leather. By appearance shoes differed between the habitats of the people: Western Chuvash wore bast shoes with black footcloths, eastern Chuvash preferred white color. It is interesting that men wore onuchi only in winter, while women complemented their look with them all year round.
Unlike men, who wore national costumes with ornaments only for weddings and religious ceremonies, women preferred to look attractive every day. Their traditional clothing included a long, tunic-like shirt made of white store-bought or homespun cloth and an apron.
Among the Western Viryalas, it was complemented by a bib, traditional embroidery and appliqués. Eastern Anatri did not use a bib, but made an apron from checkered fabric. Sometimes there was an alternative option, the so-called “modesty apron.” It was located on the back of the belt and reached mid-thigh. An obligatory element of the costume is a headdress, of which Chuvash women had many variations. In everyday life they used light-colored scarves, canvas surpans or headbands similar to an Arab turban. The traditional headdress, which has become one of the symbols of the people, is the tukhya cap, resembling a helmet in shape and richly decorated with coins, beads and beads.

Chuvash women also hold other bright accessories in high esteem. Among them were ribbons embroidered with beads, which were passed over the shoulder and under the arm, neck, waist, chest and even back decorations. A characteristic feature of the ornaments is the strict geometry of the forms and specularity, the abundance of rhombuses, eights and stars.

Housing

The Chuvash settled in small villages and villages, which were called yaly and were located near rivers, lakes and ravines. In the southern regions the type of settlement was linear, and in the northern regions it was the traditional cumulus-cluster type. Usually, related families settled at different ends of the yawl and helped each other in everyday life in every possible way. The increase in population in villages, as well as traditional modern formation streets appeared in the region only in the 19th century.
The home of the Chuvash was a solid house made of wood, for insulation of which straw and clay were used. The hearth was located indoors and had a chimney; the house itself had a regular square or quadrangular shape. During their neighbors with the Bukharans, many Chuvash houses had real glass, but in the future most of them were replaced with specially made glass.

The courtyard had the shape of an elongated rectangle and was traditionally divided into two parts. The first contained the main living house, a summer kitchen with an open fireplace and all the outbuildings. Products were stored in dry cellars called nukhreps. In the back part they laid out a vegetable garden, equipped a corral for livestock, and sometimes there was a threshing floor there. There was also a bathhouse located here, which was available in every yard. Often an artificial pond was dug next to it, or they preferred to locate all buildings near a natural reservoir.

Family life

The main wealth of the Chuvash is family relationships and respect for elders. Traditionally, three generations lived in a family at the same time, the elderly were carefully looked after, and they, in turn, raised their grandchildren. Folklore is permeated with songs dedicated to love for parents; there are even more of them than ordinary love songs.
Despite the equality of the sexes, the mother, “api,” is sacred for the Chuvash. Her name is not mentioned in abusive or vulgar conversations or ridicule, even if they want to offend a person. It is believed that her word is healing, and a curse is the worst thing that can happen. The Chuvash proverb eloquently testifies to the attitude towards the mother: ““Treat your mother with pancakes baked in your own palm every day - you still won’t repay her with kindness for kindness, or labor for labor.”

Children are no less important family life than parents: they are loved and welcomed regardless of the degree of relationship. Therefore, in traditional Chuvash settlements there are practically no orphans. Children are pampered, but not forgotten early years instill hard work and the ability to count money. They are also taught that the main thing in a person is kămăl, that is spiritual beauty, the inner spiritual essence that can be seen in absolutely everyone.
Before the widespread spread of Christianity, polygamy was allowed, and the traditions of sororate and levirate were practiced. This means that after the death of her husband, the wife had to marry her husband's brother. Sororat allowed the husband to sequentially or simultaneously take one or more of his wife’s sisters as his wife. The tradition of minorat, that is, the transfer of inheritance to the youngest in the family, is still preserved. In this regard, the youngest of the children often remains for the rest of their lives in their parents’ house, caring for them and helping with the housework.

Men and women

The Chuvash husband and wife have the same rights: the man is responsible for everything that happens outside the home, and the woman takes full responsibility for everyday life. Interestingly, she can independently manage the profit she receives from the sale of products from the yard: milk, eggs, fabrics. It values ​​hard work, honesty and the ability to have children most of all.

It is especially honorable to give birth to a boy, and although girls are loved no less in Chuvash families, their appearance means additional troubles, since each of them has to be paid a substantial dowry. The Chuvash believed that the later a girl gets married, the better: this will allow her to accumulate more dowry and thoroughly learn all the intricacies of housekeeping. Young men were married as early as possible, so in traditional families the husband is often several years younger. However, women had the right of inheritance from their parents and husband, so they often became the head of the family.

Life

Today, as throughout history, agriculture continues to play a major role in the life of the Chuvash. Since ancient times, people have been actively engaged in agriculture, using three-field or slash-and-burn systems. The main crops were wheat, rye, oats, spelt, peas, and buckwheat.
Flax and hemp were grown to create fabrics, and hops and malt were grown to produce beer. The Chuvash have always been famous as excellent brewers: every family has its own beer recipe. Stronger varieties were produced for holidays, but in everyday life they drank low-alcohol varieties. Intoxicating drinks were produced from wheat.

Livestock farming was not so popular because there was a lack of suitable forage land in the region. Households raised horses, cows, pigs, sheep, and poultry. Another traditional occupation of the Chuvash is beekeeping. Along with beer, honey was one of the main export goods to neighboring regions.
The Chuvash have always been involved in gardening, planting turnips, beets, onions, legumes, fruit trees, and later potatoes. Among the crafts, wood carving, basket and furniture weaving, pottery, weaving and handicrafts flourished brightly. Much success The Chuvash achieved success in woodworking handicrafts: the production of matting, ropes and ropes, carpentry, cooperage, carpentry, tailoring, and wheelwork.

Religion

Today, more than half of the Chuvash formally profess Christianity, but there are still associations of adherents of traditional paganism, as well as religious syncretism. A few groups of Chuvash profess Sunni Islam.
In ancient times, the Chuvash believed that the world was a cube, in the center of which were the Chuvash. Along the shores the land was washed by oceans, which gradually destroyed the land. It was believed that as soon as the edge of the earth reached the Chuvash, the end of the world would come. On the sides of the cube were the heroes guarding it, below was the kingdom of evil, and above were the deities and spirits of those who died in infancy.

Despite the fact that the people professed paganism, they had only one supreme god, Tour, who ruled the lives of people, sent disasters to them, and emitted thunder and lightning. Evil was personified with the deity Shuittan and his servants - evil spirits. After death, they tortured sinners in nine cauldrons, under which they maintained a fire for eternity. However, the Chuvash did not believe in the existence of hell and heaven, just as they did not support the idea of ​​​​rebirth and transmigration of souls.

Traditions

After the Christianization of society, pagan holidays were correlated with Orthodox ones. Most of the ritual celebrations occurred in the spring and were associated with agricultural work. Thus, the holiday of the winter equinox Surkhuri marked the approach of spring and the increase sunny day. Then came the analogue of Maslenitsa, the sun festival of Savarni, after which Mancun was celebrated for several days, coinciding with the Orthodox Radonitsa. It lasted several days during which sacrifices were made to the sun and ceremonies of veneration of ancestors were carried out. The month of remembrance was also in December: the culture believed that the spirits of ancestors could send curses and blessings, so they were placated regularly throughout the year.

Famous Chuvash

One of the most famous natives of Chuvashia, born near Cheboksary, famous Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev. He became a real symbol of the revolution and a hero of national folklore: they not only make films about him, but also come up with witty jokes about Russian ingenuity.

Andriyan Nikolaev was also from Chuvashia - the third Soviet citizen to conquer space. Among his personal achievements is working in orbit without a spacesuit for the first time in world history.

The Chuvash have a rich historical and cultural past, which they have been able to preserve to this day. A combination of ancient beliefs, customs and traditions, commitment native language help preserve authenticity and pass on accumulated knowledge to new generations.

Video

What facial features distinguish the Chuvash from other nations.

1. The Chuvshi are 1000% smarter than the Tatars, that’s why they are under our yoke,
2. slightly Mongoloid facial features, but everything has to be taken together: skin color and manner of communication
3. Chubby, slightly slanted. I noticed it when I was shapushkare ;-)))
4. Chuvash and Russian are the same
5. Chuvash are easy to distinguish from Russians. Chuvash (Volga-Bulgarian type) They combine a lot ethnic characteristics, taken from other peoples: Caucasians, Mari, Udmurts, partly Mordovians-Erzi, Slavs, but many of them are similar to typical Turks and mostly Mongolides, that is, representatives of the Ural type. There are not many Caucasians, but they are also found. The peoples closest in appearance are the Kazan Tatars, Mari and Udmurts.
6. Sharply protruding Chuvashas
7. The Mongol invasion and the events that followed it (the formation and collapse of the Golden Horde and the emergence on its ruins of the Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian Khanates, the Nogai Horde) caused significant movements of the peoples of the Volga-Ural region, led to the destruction of the consolidating role of the Bulgarian statehood, and accelerated the formation of individual Chuvash ethnic groups , Tatars and Bashkirs, In the 14th and early 15th centuries. , under conditions of oppression, about half of the surviving Bulgarian-Chuvash moved to Prikazanye and Zakazanye, where the Chuvash Daruga was formed from Kazan east to the middle Kama.
   Formation of the Chuvash people

   girl in national Chuvash costume

   Chuvash (self-name Chavash); It also includes peoples close to the main ethnic group: Viryal, Turi, Anatri, Anatenchi, a people with a total number of 1840 thousand people. Main countries of settlement: Russian Federation - 1773 thousand people. , including Chuvashia - 907 thousand people. Other countries of settlement: Kazakhstan - 22 thousand people. , Ukraine - 20 thousand people. , Uzbekistan - 10 thousand people. Language - Chuvash. Main religion Orthodox Christianity, the influence of paganism remains, there are Muslims.
   The Chuvash are divided into 2 groups:
   Upper Chuvash (Viryal, Turi) north and northeast of Chuvashia;
   lower Chuvash (anatri) south of Chuvashia and beyond.
   Sometimes the meadow Chuvash (anat enchi) are distinguished in the center and southwest of Chuvashia.
   Chuvash language. He is the only living representative of the Bulgaro-Khazar group Turkic languages. It has two dialects: lower (pointing) and upper (pointing). Many Chuvash speak Tatar and Russian.
   Well, in fact, the answer to the question: Anthropological types of the Urals and Volga region (Komi, Mordovians, Chuvash, Bashkirs, etc.), occupying an intermediate position between Caucasoids and Mongoloids, in their morphological characteristics are characterized by a complex of characteristics that includes both Caucasoid , and Mongoloid features. They are characterized by medium and short stature, the pigmentation of the skin, hair and eyes is somewhat darker than that of northern and central Caucasians, the hair is coarser, with a predominance of straight shape, however, compared to the Mongoloids, the pigmentation is lighter and the hair is softer. The face is short, the protrusion of the cheekbones is medium and strong, but less than in the Mongoloid groups, the bridge of the nose is medium and low, the nose is short, often with a concave dorsum, and epicanthus is found.
   Most likely the word is Chuvashaly, it’s some kind of local dialect, I would be grateful if you could explain what this is.
   the link is blocked by decision of the project administration
   BY THE WAY
   Chapaev was born on January 28 (February 9), 1887 in the village of Budaika (now the territory of Cheboksary), into a poor family. Erzya by nationality (erz. chapoms chop (log house)). The Chapaevs' ancestors went around the villages for hire, cut log houses and decorated houses. According to the version widespread in Chuvashia, Chapaev’s nationality is Chuvash (Chuv. chap goodness, beauty), in other sources it is Russian.

8. only shupashkarami))
9. This is probably sad, but the peoples of the Volga region, Chuvash (Moksha and Erzya) and Kazan Tatars, according to epidemiological studies, in terms of major histocompatibility complex (HLA) antigens, do not differ from Russians living in the same places, while Russians living in other areas differ from Russians living in these republics.
   That is, the population is genetically homogeneous, but the language and culture are of course different.
   Therefore, there is no need to talk seriously about physiognomic differences among the Chuvash. I can only say that the people from your krav are very nice, even beautiful and good-natured.
10. The Chuvash are a national team, a mixture of EUROPE and ASIA. My mother was fair-haired, my father had very dark hair (Pontic type). Both are Caucasians.
11. I wouldn’t say that Russians and Chuvashs are the same. Now, let's arrange them in descending order. From Caucasoid to Mongoloid peoples of the Volga region: Kershennr, Tatar-mishrlr (62 Pontids, 20 CE, 8 Mongoloids, 10 sublapponoids), Mordovian-Moksha (close to the Mishars not only in culture, but also in anthropology), Mordovian-Erzya, Kazanla ( Kazan Tatarlars), Chuvash (11 - pronounced Mongoloids, of which 4% are pure, 64 are transitional between Mongolides and Caucasians, with a preponderance of Euro-, 5% - sublapponoids, 20% - pontids (among the lower classes), SE, Baltids
12. On my father’s side I am Chuvash, so if my grandmother had Asian facial features, then my grandfather had a European face..
13. I haven’t seen the Chuvash. Maybe Chapaev is Chuvash?
14. no