Cult of ancestors in Chuvash mythology

The main ceremony dedicated to the ancestors is Jupe ( Chuvash. Jupe Irtterni ) - autumn commemorations of the ancestors, held in the month of Jupe ( October ), that is, in the month of commemoration, according to the Chuvash calendar. In the days of the autumn commemoration, a permanent tombstone was erected — a monument made of wood or stone, instead of a temporary “salam kalak”, which was placed during the funeral. The main place in the Cult of ancestors is occupied by sacrifices with prayers ( Chuvash. Hivni ). The cult of ancestors contains the burial according to the established rules, the custom of establishing Salaam Kalak and the monument (Jupe), holidays associated with the commemoration of the departed.

The attributes of the ceremony are: a sculpture of yup, kindling of fire (campfire), dancing on burning coals, a round dance with songs ( chuvash. Yup yurrissem ), musical accompaniment on a violin ( gusly , bagpipes ), etc. On a special altar for candles “Usha Jupi ”( Chuvash. Ulcepi ), when the pillar lies in full vestment as a dead man in a hut on the bed, and at the pillar after he was hoisted into the cemetery, candles were lit, supporting the burning until the morning. According to the ideas of the ancients, after the creation of "white light" the ancestor appeared to the living, he was treated to save the well-being of the living, to extend the genus. From ancestors depended on the state of nature, fertility of fields, etc.

According to the ideas of the ancients, the deceased person turned into an ancestor gradually, with time. The ceremonies of Kalăm (spring), Kimiq (summer), Jupe (autumn) and others were associated with the Cult of the Ancestors.

Kalam ( Chuvash. Kalăm ) - one of the most significant holidays associated with the veneration of the spirits of ancestors; New Year's Eve week, the beginning of which always fell on Wednesday. Also known as Munkun ^[2] . It began with the children's game "hĕrlĕ çămart" - "red egg", common among many peoples of the Volga region (cf. Tatar-Mishar: "Kyzyl Yomirtka horse" - "Day of the Red Egg"). At this time, the adult population was preparing for the holiday, which began with a prayer. The main participant is one of the older relatives, whose position is emphatically respectful - they put a pillow under his seat, and he is the only one sitting during the prayer:

Have mercy, Amen, God.

I make a prayer in honor of Kalăm, Let me spend this year having fun and playing, Give to feed comers hungry, Let me warm comers frozen. Accept the prayer of naive sons and daughters favorably and favorably.

Have mercy, Amen, God.

After that, everyone approaches the threshold of the door and bows his head three times, after which the owner addresses the selected relative with the words: "Let the old ricks be the same." An important element is the ritual dressing of the goose. ^[3]

Simek ( Chuvash. Kimuk ) is a summer holiday dedicated to the commemoration of the departed and visiting cemeteries. Was held seven weeks after Easter on the Thursday before the Trinity. It is believed that the celebration of Simek spread not earlier than the middle of the XVIII century , but the ritual and ritual actions of the ancients. They include washing in the bath with herbs and roots, framing windows, gates, doors with green branches (most often rowan ), baking pancakes, pies, cooking prescribed ritual dishes and drinks, stabbing living creatures, lighting ritual candles, making prayers and ritual feeding deceased at home, visiting the cemetery, praying to the spirits of ancestors, bringing gifts to the dead (hung on the grave pillar, depending on the sex of the deceased, embroidered towel, shirt, surban ) and ritual feeding on the graves, common prayer in and a common treat with a memorial song, music and dance. According to legend, the fun was transmitted to the other world, to the dead.

Many attributes of the Cult of ancestors, in particular the Yup Chuvash and Danube Bulgarians , are similar.

• Magnitsky V. K. “Materials for the explanation of the old Chuvash faith” . Kazan , 1881 ;
• Denisov P. V. “Religious Beliefs of the Chuvash” . Cheboksary, 1959 ;
• A. A. Trofimov "Chuvash folk religious sculpture . " Cheboksary, 1993 ;
• Salmin A.K. "Chuvash folk rituals" . Cheboksary, 1994 .