Folklore of the Chelyabinsk Bashkirs: history and prospects of study / Фольклор челябинских башкир: история и перспективы изучения
Authors:   Order of the Badge of Honour of the Institute of History, Language and Literature of the Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Gaisina Fanira F. 
Published: July 2024

The article is devoted to folklore and traditional customs of the Chelyabinsk Bashkirs. The purpose of the study is to show the degree of knowledge of Bashkir folklore in this area. Archival data, expedition materials, publications of folklorists devoted to folk art and culture of the population of this region are used as sources, unique features of various folklore genres are highlighted. Many of the texts recorded by folklorists in this region have already been published in the volumes “Bashkir Folk Art”, at the same time there are many unpublished ones. The folklore of the Bashkirs of the Chelyabinsk region today is represented mainly by the following genres: rituals, religious and mystical legends, songs, lament songs, munajats, spiritual poems, proverbs, sayings, beliefs, omens, prohibitions, ditties. Calendar holidays such as Rook porridge, goose help, as well as sabantui, held in honor of the end of sowing, have been preserved in the villages. Of the religious rites, the most stable are Ayat ukutyu (reading the ayats of the Quran), Nikah ukutyu (reading nikah), Korban bayram (Feast of Sacrifice), and the performance of funeral rites in accordance with the canons of Islam. One of the peculiar rituals of the local Bashkirs is the holiday “Aumala bayramy” (Aumal Holiday). Of the family rituals, the wedding ceremony is most different, which has many features. For example, holding a kuresh fight during a wedding is associated with the ancient custom of choosing a groom. As it is known from Bashkir epics and fairy tales, in ancient times, a girl chose the husband of the one who won the kuresh fight. As evidenced by the materials of recent expeditions, informants well remember toponymic legends, anecdotes-kulyamas, riddles, proverbs, sayings, beliefs, omens and prohibitions. However, genres such as fairy tales, historical legends and legends, baits, and games have become less common. The author concludes that the folklore of three districts has been studied more systematically: Argayashsky, Kunashaksky and Sosnovsky, therefore there is a need to organize scientific expeditions to collect folklore and ethnographic material to the rest of the region, where Bashkirs live compactly. В статье рассматриваются фольклор и традиционные обычаи челябинских башкир. Цель исследования: показать степень изученности фольклора башкир данной области. В качестве источников используются архивные данные, материалы экспедиций, публикации фольклористов, посвященные народному творчеству и культуре населения этого региона, выделяются уникальные особенности различных фольклорных жанров. Наиболее распространенными здесь являются исторические, бытовые предания, песни, песни-плачи сенляу (сеңләү), мунаджаты (религиозные песнопения). Автор приходит к выводу, что достаточно системно изучен фольклор трех районов: Аргаяшского, Кунашакского и Сосновского, поэтому есть необходимость в организации научных экспедиций по сбору фольклорного и этнографического материала и в остальные районы области, где компактно проживают башкиры.