AGRICULTURAL  RITUALS

AGRICULTURAL  RITUALS  are  traditional ceremonies timed to agricultural labor. Conditionally, A.r. can be divided into 2 groups: the first is linked to preparation and sowing (spring and summer periods), the second – with growing and collecting harvest (summer, autumn). Similar A.r. were common for Bashkirs, Belarusians, Maris, Russians, Tatars, Udmurts, Chuvashes and other peoples of Bashkortostan. Blessings were very important for A.r.: they were uttered while going to the ritual place, during the sacrifice, while cooking ceremonial food, after the common meal, bathing, coming back home, etc. Most of the republic peoples used to conduct cleaning, protecting and other ceremonial actions to provide ample preserva­tion of the fruit and harvest, prepare the sowing for the next year (see Earth-Water, Festival of sacrifice). Many A.r. were connected with the worship of water, most of them were to sum­ mon rain (the most ancient and simple ritual was to pour water onto yourself, usually it was held during spring­summer ceremonies and holidays, draughts). Cereals were very impor­ tant for A.r. (barley, millet, wheat). The main products for ceremonial meals were cereals and eggs as symbols of fertility. People used to con­ duct ceremonies while sowing to provide good harvest. The whole family would go to the field and, on the way, the head of the family would give eggs to all children, orphans and poor people so that they could scatter them together with grains on the field. If the summer was dry, peo­ple conducted the ceremony called “Summon the rain”, sacrifi    a cow or several black sheep (as a symbol of a black cloud). The limbs and head of the sacrificed animal were thrown into the water or buried; after the common meal was over, people threw a smoked leaky cauldron or other iron item into the river, the youth would pour water onto each other and play different ethnic games, elderly people would pray in the cemetery or in sacred groves (see Trinity). There were different rituals to summon rain in different parts of Bashkortostan, they related to ethnic beliefs about magical properties of stones, fire, etc. If summer was dry, people conducted rituals called “Cursed rain”, “Summon the Sun”, etc. In order to save their crops, they conducted the “Wish” ritual which included making sacri­ ficing a white animal. People conducted “A gift to the ground” ritual while collecting the har­ vest (sprinkled blood of the sacrificed animal onto the ground and buried a handful of grain). People celebrated the festival after the common meal. The cycle of agriculture labor is connected with a number of ethnic holidays (going to plough, cabbage evenings, stepping onto the black ground, etc.), the most important is sabantuy, timed to the end of spring field labor. Holidays, such as raven’s porridge, cuckoo’s tea were conducted like this in spring or early summer. In early autumn people conducted the “Holiday of grain” for the first harvest; they invited guests to traditional porridge made of cereals.