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Our Country is a multinational country. The diversity of the culture of its peoples is also reflected in national holidays. The Far Eastern Republic of Sakha-Yakutia has a vast territory and a rather harsh climate. The culture of the Yakuts is very colorful and is remembered for its unusual rituals and bright costumes. The Yakut people love to celebrate holidays both in winter and in summer. Let’s go to the banks of the great Lena River and talk about the summer Yakut holiday Ysyakh, its history and traditions, observed in 2023.
When is Ysyakh celebrated in Our Country in 2023
Ysyakh has been celebrated on the day of the summer solstice for many centuries. It is known to fall on 21 June. True, recently the date of the holiday has become “floating”. Depending on the situation in the uluses (as most regions of the republic are called), the Yakuts celebrate the national holiday of summer from June 10 to June 25. When determining the date of the festival, the situation in various uluses, weekends and working days are taken into account, and then events are planned for them.
At the moment, the situation with the coronovirus in the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia remains tense. Therefore, the Organizing Committee of the holiday, created at the government level, transferred most of the events to an online format. The festival in the uluses is scheduled for 20-21 June, in the vicinity of Yakutsk, the remote format will be extended for almost two weeks – with 15 27 for June.
The history of the Ysyakh holiday
Like many holidays of the peoples of the world, Ysyakh is associated with pagan rites, the theme of fertility. Echoes of this day are found among other Turkic peoples of Our Country. The legend connects the holiday with the progenitor of all Yakuts – Elley Bootur. It is noteworthy that in ancient times, among pastoral tribes, the annual cycle was divided into two halves. Dates such as the Ysyakh holiday were a kind of feature that divided the next fertile season (Teguruk Syl) in half. Therefore, until recently, Ysyakh was mistaken for the Yakut New Year. The holiday is actually close to the New Year’s celebration in meaning, but, of course, it is not.
Since ancient times, the Yakuts have been able to colorfully celebrate their festivities. By this they even fascinated foreign travelers. The Danish merchant and diplomat Evert Ides, who discovered cold Yakutia for himself, left behind the first records of the celebration of Ysyakh. During his journey to China at the end of the XNUMXth century, Ides wrote down valuable evidence for Europeans about the summer celebrations of hitherto unknown Yakuts.
Local ethnographers highlight another important role of the holiday. Winter in Yakutia is long and severe. Therefore, Ysyakh is also a centuries-old occasion to gather with their families in nature and enjoy the long-awaited warmth.
Ysyakh holiday traditions
The tradition of celebrating Ysyakh is firmly connected with the epic of the people of Sakha Olonkho. Therefore, celebrations in the uluses of the republic are sometimes called Ysyakh Olonkho. The holiday in the vicinity of the city of Yakutsk, in the area of Us Khatyn, is called Ysyakh Tuymaada with respect.
The most important element of the Ysyakh holiday is the round dance Osuokhay. Osuokhai is made in the form of a large human disk. Hundreds of participants in the round dance dance, shifting from foot to foot, at a leisurely pace. The Yakuts are unhurried and solid people, which is reflected in the dance. All this live mass accelerates during the chorus. A few years ago, such a round dance Osuohai was listed in the Guinness Book of Records for the number of dancers involved in it. In the anniversary year of 2012 for Yakutsk, more than fifteen thousand people spun in a round dance!
The leader, who is called osuokhaidyyt, leads the whole mass of people. You should not try to pronounce this word aloud, it is better to remember that Osuohai can continue until the morning. Often large round dances are arranged for three days and nights. It does not do without a drink traditional for the Yakuts – koumiss, made from mare’s milk. There are also pagan motifs in the round dance of Osuokhai.
Another attribute of the holiday is the hitching post in the center of the festive circle. It is called serge. Serge consists entirely of intricate wooden carvings. In order to appease the “heavenly mares”, the serge is decorated with colored ribbons (salama). The hitching post is a kind of model of the universe. Next to the pillar is a kind of pagan birch-bark temple, which women also intertwine with multi-colored ribbons.
Since the XNUMXth century, a game element has been actively introduced into the holiday. In modern Yakutia, the elements of the Ysyakh holiday are being modernized. Ulus (district) budgets are adjusted to Ysyakh. Young people bring something new to them. Various folk games helped young Yakuts find their other half. Such fateful meetings between boys and girls also take place in modern Ysyakh. Summer, after all, it’s time for love!
Ysyakh is also celebrated in Moscow. The venue of the holiday in the capital has remained unchanged for more than fifteen years – Kolomenskoye Park. The Yakut Ysyakh also takes place in St. Petersburg.