Family and family life of the peoples of the North Caucasus. Abstract: Peoples of the North Caucasus

The North Caucasus is inhabited by Ingush, Ossetians, Chechens, Kabardians, and Adygeis.

Anthropological characteristics: Caucasian race, Caucasian and Ibero-Caucasian groups (tall, long body, developed hair)

Language affiliation: North Caucasian language superfamily, Nakh-Dagestan branch.

Farming. Agriculture since ancient times (millet, wheat, barley, rye, rice, corn since the 18th century).Differences in cultures by region: Abkhaz-Adyghe peoples - millet, wheat is especially common in the North Caucasus, western Georgia - rice. Viticulture and gardening. Guns – wooden with iron tips. Light ones were used on soft soil in the mountains (small fields). Sometimes they made artificial arable land in the mountains - they brought the earth to the terraces on the mountain slopes. Heavy tools - plows (several pairs of oxen) - for deep plowing on the plains. The harvest was harvested with sickles and threshed with boards with stones on them. Cattle breeding on mountain pastures, transhumance (in the mountains in summer, on the plains in winter). Beekeeping and sericulture. Trade and craft. Carpet weaving, jewelry making, weapons, pottery and metal utensils, weaving, embroidery.

Material culture. Cultural unity of the Adyghe peoples, Ossetians, Balkars, Karachais. Types of housing depend on natural conditions. In the mountains there are dense buildings, the houses are closely adjacent to each other. On the plain it is more free, the house has a yard and often a small plot of land. Relatives settled together, forming a quarter. A typical 4-coal stone building with 1 or 2 pitched roofs is in the mountainous regions of the North Caucasus. Lowland areas of the North Caucasus - walls made of wattle fence, 2 or 4 pitched roof.

Cloth. There is great diversity, but the Adyghe peoples, Ossetians, Karachais, Balkars, and Abkhazians have a lot in common. Husband - beshmet(kaftan), tight trousers tucked into soft boots, a hat, a burka, a belt with silver decorations, on which a saber and a dagger were worn. The upper classes wore the Circassian coat - an outer, swinging, fitted garment with Gazyryami for cartridges. For women - a shirt, long pants, a swing-fitting dress, high hats, bedspreads. The dress was tied at the waist with a belt. Wearing corsets before marriage(tightened the waist and chest). In Dagestan, men's clothing resembles Adyghe clothing, women - a tunic-like shirt with a belt, long trousers, a bag-shaped headdress in which hair was hidden + heavy silver jewelry (waist, chest, temple).

Social relations. Patriarchal structure, maintaining family ties, strong neighborhood communities. Monogamy and polygyny are rare among the privileged sections of the Muslim population. Common among many peoples bride price The plight of women.

Religion. Christians and Muslims. From Armenia, Christianity penetrated into Southern Dagestan. The introduction of Islam in the North Caucasus by the Turks and Crimean Tatars. Local beliefs and fire-worshipping cults are strong.

Culture. Epic tales, epics. Abkhaz epic about heroes. Fables, legends, proverbs, sayings. Music, singing. Traveling folk singers perform songs to the accompaniment of musical instruments.

Development of the culture of the peoples of the Caucasus in the 16th and first half of the 17th centuries. took place in the difficult conditions of long and difficult wars.

A patriotic theme prevailed in Georgian literature of this time. It is heard in the works of the lyric poet Tsar Teimuraz, who dedicated the poem “Ketevatshani” to a description of the death of his mother Ketevana in Persian captivity.

In the second half of the 17th century. poet Joseph Saakadze wrote the poem “Didmouraviani” (Book of the Great Mourav) about the Georgians’ struggle for independence. Historical events were reflected in chronicle records, which were later included in the collection of Georgian chronicles “Kartlis Tskhovreba” (Life of Kartli).

Shota Rustaveli's poem “The Knight in the Skin of a Tiger” was rewritten and illustrated with miniatures. Its wide distribution contributed to the formation of a progressive social thought and poetic creativity.

People continued to say various shapes folklore: songs, legends, fairy tales, proverbs. The architecture is characterized by ensembles of fortifications. These are the Ananur Castle in the valley of the Aragva River, the Gori Fortress, Atskur Castle, etc.

The architecture of domed baths, caravanserais, and feudal palaces was influenced by Iranian influence. Peasant dwellings preserved centuries-old traditions.

Fresco paintings of churches made in the 16th-17th centuries are quite numerous, but are distinguished by dry writing and poor color. Since there were not enough local artists, Russian icon painters who worked in Georgia in the first half of the 17th century were invited for restoration work.

Secular poetry of Armenia specified period is closely related to folk songwriting. In the 16th century created by the poet Grigor Akhtamartsi, who was also a miniaturist, as well as the famous folk singer Kuchak.

At the end of the 16th century, in the midst of devastating wars, monk Simeon Aparantsi wrote a historical poem about the past of Armenia, where he pursued the idea of ​​​​restoring an independent Armenian state. The work of Arakel of Tabriz “Book of Stories” provides valuable information on the history of Armenia in the first 60 years of the 17th century.

A remarkable phenomenon in cultural life Armenian people XVI-XVII centuries there was the emergence and development of printing in the Armenian language. The first Armenian printing houses arose in Italy in the 16th century; in 1639, a printing house was founded in New Julfa (an Armenian colony near Isfahan).

Painting developed mainly in the form of book miniatures, partly portraits and wall paintings. In the 17th century The Armenian artist Minas was famous.

An outstanding place in the history of literature and social and philosophical thought Azerbaijan of the 16th century. belongs to the poet Fiyauli, who lived most of his life in Baghdad. His works had a great influence on the development of Azerbaijani literary language and Azerbaijani poetry.

The largest literary work Fuzuli - poem “Leili and Majnun”. Some of his poems have a strong anti-feudal tendency.

The traditions of Fuzuli in poetry were continued in the 17th century by the poet Masikhi.

In the folk art of Azerbaijan in the 16th-17th centuries. the genre of heroic-romantic poems was widespread, performed folk singers- ashugami. The poem “Asli and Kerem” glorified the love of an Azerbaijani youth for an Armenian girl.

The poem “Kor-oglu” about the struggle of the Azerbaijani people against the conquerors and local feudal lords was especially popular. The famous ashug of the 16th century. was Gurbani.

In the field of architecture, such buildings are known as the “Murad Gate” in Baku, a number of buildings in Ganja - a mosque, baths, and a caravanserai. These buildings continue the tradition of portal-dome structures, characteristic of both Azerbaijan and Western Asia.

In the cities and villages of Azerbaijan, artistic crafts were widespread - the production of fabrics and carpets, glazed ceramics, and various metal products.

The peoples who lived in the high mountain parts of the Main Caucasus Range and in the foothills of the North Caucasus knew almost no writing.

Oral folk art was widely developed. Historical legends have preserved the memory of the events of the 16th-17th centuries.

Ritual songs reflected the pagan ideas held among the Caucasian mountaineers.

In the mountainous regions of the Caucasus, stone construction was developed. By the XVI-XVII centuries. The construction of military towers will be carried out in Svayeti, Khevsureti and Ingusheti.

By this time, the architecture of multi-tiered mountain villages had developed, closely related to the conditions of the area.

The species common in the Caucasus were diverse applied arts- stone carving, used on the facades of residential buildings, wood carving, artistic metal processing.

Life
and life of peoples
Caucasus

Essay
Completed by: student of grade 9 "B"
Asochakova Ekaterina
Askiz 2017

The Caucasus is a region where several dozen representatives of various nationalities live. Thanks to their mixing, today it is possible to get an approximate picture of the life and traditions of the Caucasian peoples as a whole.
Basic family traditions
Family customs in the Caucasus they are revered by everyone - both old people and young people. The head of the family is, naturally, a man. A man in the Caucasus is the head and patron; he has very high authority. The most important people are the elders, they are always right and they are listened to and will not be contradicted. In general, Caucasians generally believe that if you honor and respect your elders at a young age, your life will be happy and successful. At the same time, many believe that showing such respect is the secret to the longevity of the inhabitants of the Caucasus. It is worth noting that in houses where people of different blood relationships live together, the rooms are located in such a way that they do not meet each other. Even by accident, a daughter-in-law and father-in-law, for example, cannot collide in a home. If an elder or a representative of the fair sex is present nearby, the man should modestly stand aside.
Traditional hospitality
Everyone knows how hospitable the peoples of the Caucasus are. Even if some random traveler wanders into the house, in most cases he will be offered food and shelter for the night. For guests expected in Caucasian families, either a separate house or a room must be prepared in advance. Guests are treated with due respect and protected if difficult relationships arise with other family members. At the holiday, the head of the family takes the leading place in the center of the table.
Facts about marriages in the Caucasus
Surprisingly, for girls, the appointment of a betrothed occurs at a very young age - at 9 years old. A young man gets married when he turns 15 years old. The marriage ceremony is secured by a special contract, before signing which the bride and groom never see each other in their lives. After the conclusion of the marriage contract, the wedding celebration itself begins. Many people know that wedding festivities in the Caucasus last not just one day, but much longer. A huge number of guests are invited. After marriage, absolutely all household chores fall on the wife. A man is obliged to keep his family wealthy, to work and feed his wife. If a couple gets engaged without having their own home, the husband must rebuild it as quickly as possible.
Wedding and wedding ceremonies and rituals
The wedding, just like matchmaking, was filled with a number of etiquette moments. First of all, these are congratulations addressed to the bride’s parents. According to the rules of etiquette, the father of the bride was congratulated by men, and the mother by women.
Men and women who arrived for the wedding were accommodated in different tents, and the guests were seated according to seniority. The men were served at the table by boys, and the women by girls. All rules were followed at the table table etiquette. In addition, men followed the rules of drinking intoxicating drinks.
One of the entertainments of the wedding celebration was the performance by singers folk songs, during which listeners had to adhere to certain rules of behavior: they were not supposed to talk over each other, shout out lines, interrupt the singer, make various signs to anyone, or gesticulate. It was forbidden to demonstratively leave one’s place during a group listening to songs and music. If such a need arose, it had to be done as inconspicuously as possible. The presence of women was not prohibited, but they never sat next to men.
According to etiquette, the newlyweds were not supposed to be together at the wedding. Another entertaining moment at the wedding was dancing. Dancing couples also followed certain norms of behavior: the initiative to invite a dance always came only from the man, and its completion - from the girl. It was strictly forbidden to force a girl to dance, to make unnecessary movements not included in the dance, to laugh, to grimace, the girl had to behave modestly, not run out to meet her partner, not show any special desire to dance, etc.
According to etiquette, the bride was greeted by all senior relatives, except the groom. Etiquette did not allow the groom's family to openly express their dissatisfaction with the small size of the dowry, its composition and the quality of the things included in it. As a sign of respect to new family, the bride stood with the groom's relatives until the end of the wedding. According to etiquette, the bride greeted each visitor with a nod of her head.
The toastmaster led the feast. If anyone wanted to leave for a short time, he had to ask permission from the toastmaster. Those present showed respect to those leaving and returning by standing up. Other Turkic peoples strictly adhered to these traditions. After the wedding, the newlyweds continued to observe the customs of avoidance; they did not talk to each other in front of strangers and did not retire.
One of the final stages of the wedding ceremony was the newlywed's visit to her parents' house after the wedding. Her visit to her parents was also accompanied by a number of etiquette moments. So, a young daughter-in-law had to leave her husband’s village unnoticed, on foot, and drive up to her father’s village on a cart. While visiting her parents, she should not have shown that any changes had occurred in her life. She also tried to leave her father's house unnoticed, without attracting attention to herself. Approaching her husband’s village, she again got off the cart and tried to enter the house unnoticed. During subsequent visits to the parental home, this concealment was no longer observed.
The end of the wedding ceremonies was considered to be the invitation of the son-in-law to parents' house wives. Conversational prohibitions and avoidances were observed between the son-in-law and the in-laws. They became less strict after an official invitation to the father-in-law’s house, although even after this the son-in-law was not allowed to address his father-in-law by name, drink, smoke in front of him, etc. The son-in-law did not call his mother-in-law by name, did not enter her room, did not sit next to her, did not touch his mother-in-law, did not expose his head or other parts of his body to her. Communication between them was reduced to a minimum. The mother-in-law behaved in a similar way towards her son-in-law.
Bride kidnapping
There is one here unusual tradition, called “bride kidnapping”, which is still active today. There were times when you could end up in prison for kidnapping in the Caucasus. But this never stopped the ardent mountaineers. And so, there is a guy who had a desire to create strong family. He wants to take a certain girl as his wife. After this, he draws up a clear plan for kidnapping the future bride and coordinates it with his closest friends. On the appointed day, the young guy goes after his chosen one. If previously young men rode on horseback to be kidnapped, modern Caucasians travel by car. The bride was usually kidnapped in broad daylight and simply from the street. As soon as the girl spends the night in the domain of her visitor, she immediately automatically becomes his wife. This custom is usually resorted to by young people in love whose families are at odds for one reason or another.
Birth of a child
The birth of a child is considered a joyful event in all nationalities. However, some nations have special rituals associated with the birth of a new person. For example, in the Caucasus, the rite of birth of a child completely excludes the presence of a man during childbirth and even in the house where a woman is giving birth. Most often the husband had to leave native home for a few days until the child is born and all the necessary rituals are performed. Let's talk about this in more detail.
The birth of a son is honor and respect
According to Caucasian traditions, a woman who gave birth to a son received the right to communicate with influential family members, who were often her husband’s parents, as well as other privileged persons. Before this, a woman could communicate with them only through her husband, without having the right to personally contact them on any occasion. The boys who were located in the premises where the woman in labor was notified all relatives about the birth of a child. Most often, such an important mission fell on the shoulders of male children who were in family ties with a woman who gave birth to offspring. When the news reached the happy father, he had to give the children who told the good news a dagger and checkers.
The first days of a baby's life
Another interesting custom that was performed during the first bath of a newborn was cleansing from possible damage and the evil eye. You had to put scissors in the container where you bathed the baby (pelvis) and say certain words. It was believed that in this way, any connection with the sins that the mother had before the birth of the child and could pass on to the baby is interrupted. In addition, a special sentence was used to drive away all evil spirits from the child that could seduce a new, inexperienced soul.
Feeding a newborn
In Caucasian families where a child was born, the new mother was forbidden to feed the baby in the first days of life. Feeding was done by the mother's relatives or neighbors. After some time, the mother began to feed the child on her own. One more important tradition Associated with the birth of a baby in Caucasian families, the moment of presenting the cradle was considered. Relatives were supposed to give a unique crib. Moreover, very often one cradle was inherited many times. In addition, a beautiful cradle, inherited by the mother of her daughter, is a sign of prosperity and wealth, and also promises a good future for the baby.
Religion
There are three main religions practiced in the Caucasus:
1) Christian (two sects: Greek and Armenian);
2) Islam (two sects: Omar, or Sunnis, and Ali, or Shiites); 3) idolatry, or paganism.
The Greek (Orthodox) religion is widespread among Georgians, Imeretians, Mingrelians, Tushins, Khevsurs and among some Ossetians.
The inhabitants of the Transcaucasian regions, starting from Derbent, Cuba, Shirvan, Karabakh and ending with Baku, are Muslims; they belong to the Ali sect like the Persians (they are Shiites). The population of northern Dagestan, Tatars, Nogais and Trukhmens, are Sunnis (from the Omar sect); the same religion was recently adopted by the Circassians, Chechens, and part of the Abazas, Ossetians and Lezgins. There are also many Sunnis in the regions of Transcaucasia.
Idolatry is common among the Abazins, Ossetians, Kist peoples and some Lezgin tribes. Jews, called here Urias, are scattered in small numbers throughout the Caucasus.
All the actual Caucasian peoples once professed Christianity. They still have many ruins of ancient temples and remnants of Christian customs. Only at the end of the last century did the Circassians and Chechens change their religion under the influence of the sermons of the famous false prophet Sheikh Mansur. They adopted the Islam of the Omar sect, but did not become better Mohammedans than they were Christians, since most of the inhabitants of the Caucasus can neither read nor write: they know the laws of the Koran very superficially and follow only the advice of their fanatical mullahs, mostly Turks by origin, who inspire they hate the Christians and Muslims of Ali's sect. It would seem that in order to make these still half-wild barbarians civilized, it would be quite simple to subordinate them again to dogmas Christian religion, but to achieve this goal it would be necessary first to develop more of their taste for agriculture, trade, and to make them feel the benefits and joys of civilization.
Caucasian treat
The traditional occupations of the peoples of the Caucasus are arable farming and transhumance. Many Karachay, Ossetian, Ingush, and Dagestan villages specialize in growing certain types of vegetables - cabbage, tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, etc. In the mountainous regions of Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria, transhumance sheep and goat breeding predominate; Sweaters, hats, shawls, etc. are knitted from the wool and down of sheep and goats.
Nutrition different nations The Caucasus is very similar. Its basis is grains, dairy products, meat. The latter is 90% lamb, only Ossetians eat pork. Cattle are rarely slaughtered. True, everywhere, especially on the plains, a lot of poultry is bred - chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese. Adyghe and Kabardians know how to cook poultry well and in a variety of ways. The famous Caucasian kebabs are not cooked very often - lamb is either boiled or stewed. A sheep is slaughtered and butchered strict rules. While the meat is fresh, they make it from the intestines, stomach, and offal. different types boiled sausage, which cannot be stored for a long time. Some of the meat is dried and cured for storage in reserve.
Vegetable dishes are atypical for North Caucasian cuisine, but vegetables are eaten all the time - fresh, pickled and pickled; they are also used as a filling for pies. In the Caucasus, they love hot dairy dishes - they dilute cheese crumbles and flour in melted sour cream, and drink a chilled fermented milk product - ayran. The well-known kefir is an invention of the Caucasian highlanders; it is fermented with special fungi in wineskins. The Karachays call this dairy product “gypy-ayran”.
In a traditional feast, bread is often replaced with other types of flour and cereal dishes. First of all, these are a variety of cereals. In the Western Caucasus, for example, with any dish they eat thick millet or corn porridge much more often than bread. In the Eastern Caucasus (Chechnya, Dagestan), the most popular flour dish is khinkal (pieces of dough are boiled in meat broth or simply in water, and eaten with sauce). Both porridge and khinkal require less fuel for cooking than baking bread, and therefore are common where firewood is in short supply. In the highlands, among shepherds, where there is very little fuel, the main food is oatmeal - fried until Brown wholemeal flour, which is mixed with meat broth, syrup, butter, milk, or, in extreme cases, just water. Balls are made from the resulting dough and eaten with tea, broth, and ayran. All kinds of pies - with meat, with potatoes, with beet tops and, of course, with cheese - have great everyday and ritual significance in Caucasian cuisine. Ossetians, for example, call this pie “fydiin”. On festive table There must be three “ualibahs” (cheese pies), and they are positioned so that they are visible from the sky to St. George, whom the Ossetians especially reverence. In the fall, housewives prepare jams, juices, and syrups. Previously, sugar was replaced with honey, molasses or boiled grape juice when making sweets. Traditional Caucasian sweet - halva. It is made from toasted flour or cereal balls fried in oil, adding butter and honey (or sugar syrup). In Dagestan they prepare a kind of liquid halva - urbech. Roasted hemp, flax, sunflower seeds or apricot kernels are ground with vegetable oil diluted in honey or sugar syrup.
In the North Caucasus they make excellent grape wine. Ossetians have been brewing barley beer for a long time; among the Adygeis, Kabardins, Circassians and Turkic peoples it is replaced by buza, or makhsyma, a type of light beer made from millet. A stronger buza is obtained by adding honey.
Unlike their Christian neighbors - Russians, Georgians, Armenians, Greeks - the mountain peoples of the Caucasus do not eat mushrooms, but they collect wild berries, wild pears, and nuts. Hunting, favorite hobby mountaineers, has now lost its importance, since large areas of the mountains are occupied by nature reserves, and many animals, such as bison, are included in the International Red Book. There are a lot of wild boars in the forests, but they are rarely hunted, because Muslims do not eat pork.
Poetic creativity
Epic tales occupy a significant place in the poetic creativity of the peoples of the Caucasus. Georgians know the epic about the hero Amirani, who fought with the ancient gods and was chained to a rock for this, the romantic epic “Esteriani”, which tells about the tragic love of Prince Abesalom and the shepherdess Eteri. Widespread among Armenians medieval epic“Bogatyrs of Sasun”, or “David of Sasun”, reflecting the heroic struggle of the Armenian people against their enslavers.
Oral poetic and musical folk art continues to develop today. It has been enriched with new content. Life is widely reflected in songs, fairy tales and other types of folk art. Soviet country. Many songs are dedicated to heroic work Soviet people, friendship of peoples, exploits in the Great Patriotic War. Amateur artistic ensembles are widely popular among all the peoples of the Caucasus.
Conclusion

The Caucasus is Russia in miniature. A large population with its own customs, traditions, beliefs, languages, with its own culture and history. There is much in common in the social life, traditions and customs of the peoples of the Caucasus, although, of course, each people has its own differences.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF RUSSIA

Federal state budget educational institution

Higher vocational education

"Volga Region State Social and Humanitarian Academy"

Department of History and Theory of World Culture

Family and family life of the peoples of the Caucasus

Completed by: 3rd year student

Full-time education

specialty Culturology

Tokarev Dmitry Dmitrievich

Checked by: Doctor of Historical Sciences,

Professor Head Department of History and

theories of world culture

Yagafova Ekaterina Andreevna

Introduction

The Caucasus is one of the most interesting regions Globe- has long attracted the attention of travelers, scientists, and missionaries. We find the first mentions of the ancestors of the peoples of the Caucasus in Greek and Roman authors of the 6th century BC - 1st century BC, who described social life and economic activities of peoples. The character and morals of the mountaineers can be explained by the primitive state in which these people were until recently; and as we would say briefly: most of the current inhabitants of the Caucasus are only the remnants of peoples who died or settled, who once managed to escape in these mountains.

Despite the difference in languages, centuries-old neighborhood and joint struggle against foreign invaders for their independence brought these peoples together into one friendly family.

Any nation, no matter how small or large, has its own historical development material and spiritual culture, in which universal human moral values, norms and rules of behavior acquired, due to the action of both objective and subjective factors, national identity and specifics. No, and there cannot be a people without their customs and traditions.

Without a comprehensive study and knowledge of these customs and traditions it is difficult to understand national character, psychology of the people. Without this, it is impossible to solve such a problem as the implementation of the connection of times and continuity in spiritual development generations, moral progress, it is impossible to form the historical memory of the people.

The purpose of my work is to conduct family research, how social institution and family life of the peoples of the Caucasus.

To do this, it is necessary to set the following tasks:

· To highlight what was the usual order of family life

· To study how economic relations were distributed in the family

· Find out how children were raised

In conducting my research, I used the works of Johann Blaramberg, who had a penchant for research work and collected ethnographic material about the peoples of the Caucasus. Also Maxim Maksimovich Kovalevsky is a Russian scientist, historian, and an outstanding figure in the Institute of Law. As well as the works of other authors acting in the interests of my topic.

Normal family life

As always in a patrilocal marriage settlement, the head of the family was the eldest man. Led by an uncomplicated small family stood the father of the family. IN large families It happened that after the death of his father, the eldest of the brothers voluntarily renounced his rights in favor of the other brother. It happened (among the Circassians, Ossetians, Karachais and Balkars) that the mother became the head of a large family.

Life of the family as an economic and consumer unit in to a large extent determined by its type. In a big family everyone married couples offspring lived together: among some peoples - in different rooms of the same house, among others - in different buildings, located in the same yard. The household was run jointly under the leadership of the eldest and eldest, who were in charge of the male and female parts of the family, respectively. The division of labor among different peoples and even territorial groups had its own characteristics. For example, among the Ossetians in the lowland regions, men were busy with all types of earthwork - plowing, sowing, harvesting, even caring for the garden; They also bore the bulk of the responsibilities associated with keeping livestock; The following crafts that still survived were also men's work: processing wood, horns, etc. Men did the most difficult work around the house, in particular preparing firewood. Women were responsible for cooking and storing food for future use, delivering water, cleaning the house and yard, sewing, repairing and washing clothes; They were rarely involved in field work, and their participation in cattle breeding was limited to milking dairy cattle and cleaning barns. In mountainous regions, women participated in threshing and harvesting, processing wool, leather, etc.

The division of labor in the Adyghe and Balkar families was similar. Among the Karachais, women were more involved in cattle breeding than among other peoples, including transhumance. The division of labor between the sexes was very strict. It was considered the height of indecency for men to interfere in women's affairs, and women in men's affairs.

Children, including adults, were entirely under the authority of the head of the family and had to obey unquestioningly, but also behave emphatically respectfully towards him. You weren’t supposed to argue with your father, or even speak to him first; it was forbidden to sit, dance, laugh, smoke, or appear casually dressed in ego’s presence. The mother of the family also exercised power over the children, and especially over the daughters. Among some peoples, such as the Chechens, she even had a decisive vote in marrying off her daughters. If she was the eldest big family, then her daughters-in-law were subordinate to her, obligated to obey and obey her in the same way as their parents.

It would be a mistake to see in a patriarchal Caucasian family the arbitrariness of elders in relation to those who were considered younger. All relations were based solely on mutual respect and recognition of the individual rights of each.

Indeed, neither adats nor Sharia deprived the female half of the house and younger family members of certain rights and privileges. The mother of the family was considered the mistress of the house, the manager of the female household and household supplies, and among most peoples, in particular among the Circassians, Ossetians, Balkars and Karachais, only she had the right to enter the pantry. Men were charged with caring for women and protecting them from harm; mistreating a woman, much less insulting her, was considered a disgrace. Highlander women enjoyed exclusive rights and respect, love and reverence, were a symbol of kindness and tenderness, and guardians of the family and hearth.

Food, table manners

The basis of the diet of the peoples of the Caucasus is meat and dairy products. From milk they obtained butter, sour cream, cheese, and cottage cheese.

In the diet of highlanders great place borrowed bread. It was baked from barley, millet, wheat, and corn flour.

Meat was consumed for the most part boiled, usually with cornbread, porridge and seasoning. After boiled meat, broth was always served.

A traditional intoxicating non-alcoholic drink is buza.

Compote of fresh and dry fruits has taken a strong place in the diet of the peoples of the North Caucasus. Currently, the range of everyday food is expanding due to new dishes borrowed from neighboring peoples.

Ritual food is of particular interest. For all mountain peoples, it is associated with the folk calendar. Thus, the beginning of plowing, harvesting, driving livestock to summer pastures, the end of the harvest - all this was accompanied by the intake of ritual food, before the preparation of which it was forbidden to eat any other food. Ritual food was prepared on the occasion of the birth of a child: when laying him in the cradle, at the first step, at the first hair cut.

Table - Holy place. It is not customary to mention dogs, donkeys, reptiles or any animals.

Grandfather and grandson, father and son, uncle and nephew, father-in-law and son-in-law, and siblings (if there was a significant age difference between them) did not sit at the same table.

If guests come outside of the holiday, then the owner of the house, regardless of age, sits down with the guests at the table.

You cannot come to the feast already obviously drunk.

You cannot leave the feast without notifying your elders.

Smoking at the table is a sign of disrespect for others. If you can’t bear it, you can always (after three toasts) take time off from your elders and go out for a smoke.

On the table for the occasion national holidays They do not serve fish or chicken. All meat must be made from lamb or beef. During official holidays there should be no pork on the table.

Hospitality

Many archaic customs that influenced the characteristics of social life and existed in the 19th century are characteristic of the highlanders. This was, in particular, the custom of hospitality.

“Happiness comes with a guest,” say the Kabardians. The best of what is in the house is reserved for the guest. For example, among the Abkhazians, “every family tries to save at least something for unexpected guests. So, in the old days, thrifty housewives hid it. . . wheat flour, cheese, sweets, fruits, bottled vodka... and chickens walked in the yard, jealously guarded from their relatives.” Before the arrival of a guest and in his honor, some kind of domestic animal or bird was always slaughtered. The Circassians, like a number of other peoples, had “the custom of sowing part of the field for guests and keeping a certain number of heads of cattle especially for them.” Related to this is the idea, also widespread, that in any household there is a “guest’s share” that rightfully belongs to him. The guest “has his share in my house and brings abundance into the house,” said the Georgian mountaineers.

Each highlander had a special room for guests (the so-called kunatskaya.) The guest house was also a kind of club,

where young people gathered, music and dances were performed, news was exchanged, etc. For some Adyghe nobles and princes, the table in the kunatskaya was constantly set in anticipation of a random guest, and the dishes were changed three times a day, regardless of whether guests came or No. The Kabardians kept a tray of meat and cheese in the kunatskaya, and it was called “the food of the one who comes.” According to the Abkhazians, what is hidden from the guest belongs to the devil

Compliance with the laws of hospitality was considered one of the most important duties of a person; children absorbed hospitality with their mother’s milk as an immutable law of life. Lawbreakers were punished. So, for example, in Ossetia they threw off the hands tied and feet into the river from a high cliff. When the duties of hospitality collided with the obligations of blood feud, preference was given to the former. There are known cases when the persecuted person found salvation in the house of his blood relative, for violation of the sacred laws of hospitality was considered a greater sin than failure to fulfill the custom of blood feud.

Among the mountaineers, a guest is considered an inviolable person. I could take advantage of the hospitality and completely stranger It was not customary to inquire where the guest was coming from and where, or how long he intended to stay in the house. In the living rooms of representatives of the upper classes there was everything necessary for guests. The doors to this room were never closed. A guest who arrived unnoticed by the owners could leave the horse at the hitching post, enter and remain in this room until the owner became aware of his presence. If the arrival of the guest was known to the owners in advance, then they went out to meet him. The younger members of the family helped the guest get off the horse, and the older owner took the guest to the living room. If there were women among those who arrived, then women also came out to meet. They were taken to the women's half of the house.

Hospitality in the North Caucasus was the most stable and widespread custom. The custom of hospitality was based on well-known universal human categories of morality, which made it very popular far beyond the Caucasus. Anyone could stay as a guest in any city dwelling, where he was received with great cordiality. The mountaineers, even the poorest, were always glad to see a guest, believing that good things came with him.

Parenting

The family was formed on the basis of marriage and gave rise to new marriages. One of the main purposes of marriage was children. In peasant life, the number of working hands and care for parents in old age depended on the presence of children, and especially sons. With the advent of children, the social status father. “There are no children - there is no life in the family,” the Circassians said. All the peoples of the North Caucasus attached great importance to the upbringing of children, boys and girls alike. The upbringing of a real mountaineer or mountain woman required comprehensive physical, labor, moral, and aesthetic development.

Of the moral qualities instilled in children, special importance was attached to a sense of duty and family solidarity, discipline and politeness, and the creation of male dignity and female honor. A person of good reputation could not be imagined without knowledge of customs and rules of etiquette. In addition to a thorough knowledge of the norms of relationships between older and younger relatives, the teenager had to thoroughly understand the rules of behavior in in public places. He had to remember that every adult resident of the village had the right to ask him for a favor and could not be refused. He needed to know that he couldn’t talk to adults first, overtake him, or cross his path. You must walk or ride a horse slightly behind an adult, and when meeting him you must dismount and let him pass while standing.

The teenager also had to perfectly study the laws of hospitality and its etiquette.

Atalychestvo

IN public life of the peoples of the North Caucasus, the institution of atalych (from the Turkic word atalyk - father, educator) occupied an important place. In accordance with a custom that has been preserved from ancient times, princes do not have the right to raise their sons either in their own home or under their supervision, but must, as early as possible, almost from birth, give them up to be raised in someone else’s house. Even before the birth of a child, a person who wanted to take him in for upbringing offered his services to the future parents.

After the child was named, the atalyk went with gifts to the parents of his future pupil. The latter were not supposed to visit their child and interfere with his upbringing in the new home. A boy usually grew up in an atalyk's house until he came of age, a girl - until marriage. Atalik fed, clothed and raised his pet for free, caring for him even more than his children.

After the child reached one year, a celebration was held to show him off to the residents of the village or town who had given him gifts. And after a while they organized a holiday in honor of the first step, identifying the pupil’s inclinations, laying them out nearby various items- from books to weapons - and observing what attracts him more. From this they concluded who he would be when he grew up.

Main responsibility The teacher was considered to train his named son to be a good warrior, so from the age of six the child was taught shooting, horse riding and wrestling, taught to endure hunger, cold, heat and fatigue. The pupil was also taught eloquence and the ability to reason sensibly, which was supposed to help him gain due weight at public meetings.

From an early age, girls were introduced to the rules of etiquette, taught the skills of housekeeping, knitting, cooking, and were taught gold and silver embroidery and other handicrafts. Raising the girl was the responsibility of the atalyk's wife.

At the end of the period of education, the atalyk gave the pupil formal clothes, horse, weapons and solemnly returned him to his home in the presence of relatives. The girl was returned home with the same solemnity. The pupil's family arranged for this occasion big celebrations, presented the atalyk and his family with expensive gifts (weapons, horses, cattle, land, etc.)

Until his death, Atalyk enjoyed great respect from the entire family of his pupil, and he was accepted as one of the family members. Kinship by atalism was considered closer than blood.

Conclusion

family Caucasus atalychestvo life

The life of the family was subject to the harmonious laws of life of the mountaineers. The eldest took care of material well-being and food, the others helped him in this, unquestioningly carrying out orders. Therefore, the time was occupied with work and raising children. Of course, most of it was occupied by household and agricultural work. In the minds of the people, this way of life was consolidated for centuries, processed, discarded everything unnecessary and took shape in a more suitable form.

A certain amount of time in the normal course of family life was occupied by raising children. It was necessary to instill in them a sense of duty and family solidarity, discipline and politeness, the creation of male dignity and female honor.

Hospitality in a Caucasian family is considered almost the most important rite. An ancient custom Caucasians continue to practice hospitality today. There are many sayings, parables and legends dedicated to this wonderful custom. Old people in the Caucasus like to say: “Where a guest does not come, grace does not come.”

This is the traditional family life of the peoples of the Caucasus. It is important to continue research into the internal way of life of peoples friendly to us.

Bibliography

1. Blalambert I., Caucasian manuscript. URL:<#"justify">4.Chomaev K.I. Pre-revolutionary features ethnic psychology mountain peoples of the North Caucasus 1972.P.147

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