HOLIDAYS, COMPETITIONS, AND FESTIVALS

HOLIDAYS, COMPETITIONS, AND FESTIVALS, f o l k. In the region, a lot of attention is paid to the implementation of various H., C., and F., which contribute to the preservation of traditions, customs, and unique culture; popularization of the folklore of the peoples of Bashkortostan; the revival and development of folk art, etc. Bashkortostan organizes traditional folk festivals: crow porridge, Ivan Kupala holiday, Game with willow, Yiyin, Cuckoo’s tea, Bear dance, Narudgan, Nauruz, Sabantuy, Sumbulya, etc. Often, wedding celebrations were timed to the calendar, and the elements of the holiday can also be traced to the customs of mutual assistance. The features of traditional religious holidays of Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians, as well as Kryashens, Mari, Mordvins, Udmurts, and Chuvash are associated with the celebration of Orthodox holidays that go back to ancient animistic beliefs (see Elijah’s day, Maslenitsa, Easter, St. Peter’s day, Christmas, Trinity, etc). The synthesis and mixing of traditions is reflected in the Celebration of Sacrifices, the utterance of good wishes, blessings, and prayers. The holidays are accompanied by folk games, folk songs, folk dances, rituals, cooking ritual dishes. Traditional holidays reflect the economic and cultural traditions of the peoples of Bashkortostan (see Folk worldview).

Folk H., C., and F. of amateur artistic creativity with the participation of folklore collectives are held since the early 1930s. As a part of the all-Russian and all-Union festivals of folk art, the following events took place: the 1st all-Union Olympiad of the workers’ amateur art (1932), the all-Russian show of rural and trade union amateur art (1945), all-Union show of workers and employees’ amateur art (1950-51), and all-Russian show of rural amateur art (1963-65), etc. In the 1970s and 1980s, the festivals and competitions organized by the Ministry of Culture of the BASSR and the center for folk art contributed to the development of amateur art. The following events have been held: G. Almukhametov open regional contest of vocalists (Ufa, since 1968, professional since 1970), Yu. Isanbaev regional competitions of kuray, kubyz, kyl-kubyz, dumbyra, and uzlyau (throat singing) performers (Khaybullinsky district, 1978), and the Holiday of Russian songs and chastushkas (1989), etc. Since the 2000’s, choreographic, instrumental, vocal, and other competitions have been organized during the regional holidays: “Ashkadar dawns”, kuray festival (Oktyabrsky, since 2001), “Play, Mordovian squeezebox!”, folk holidays: Days of Salavat, “Instructions of Akmulla” (Miyakinsky district, since 2006), folk holiday “Family tree festival” (since 2007), etc. The following festivals and competitions are held in the region: “Baik”, “Berdemlek­Sodruzhestvo”, “Precious Deposits”, “Melody of friendship”, “Drawling song”, “Gems of the Kama region”, “Heart of Eurasia”, “Silver Cord”, “Ural-Batyr”, “Round dance of friendship”, etc.