Yiyyn

Yiyyin is the most ancient Bashkir holiday. Public meetings in a festive form, reflecting the ritual culture and social relations, developed among the Bashkir nomads in the bowels of the primitive communal system. Yiyyin emerged as a tribal self-government body of the community, whose functions included solving problems of war and peace, clarifying the borders of tribal territories, the order of migrations, settling intergener disputes, and friction.

Only adult men participated in the work of yiyyna. The elders of the clan, the elders, played a special role on yiyyn. Their word was decisive. The aksakals appointed the day of the festival, coinciding with the time of the move, collected funds for its holding, performed judicial functions in determining the winners. And later, during the transition to a sedentary lifestyle, the main features of yiyyn were preserved.

Yiyyn was preceded by a council of aksakals ( kurultai ) with a casting vote. Yiyyin ended with festivities inviting guests. The introduction of volost management from the middle of the 16th century led to the loss of self-government functions by Yiyyin.

By the 18th century, yiyyin turned into a holiday held at a certain time of the year. The festive square was arranged in the form of a circle, a symbol of equality of members of the clan was a joint meal, refreshments from one boiler. The Bashkirs respected the principle of equal distribution of refreshments: drinking koumiss from one bowl, launched in a circle, distributing meat in equal shares, etc. Competitions were held among young men at the festival. The victory nominated the young man among the distinguished members of the community. In the evening, young people arranged a “pussy uyyn” (literally - “evening games”).

In the southern Bashkirs, the word "yiyyin" refers to weddings, reception and refreshments before the bride leaves, in the north it is held as a fair.

Currently, in Bashkortostan and the Orenburg region, the tradition of holding yiyins is being revived.

• Kurultay
• Salauat Yiyiny

• Cheremshansky V. M. " Description of the Orenburg province in economic, statistical, ethnographic and industrial relations ." Ufa, 1859.
• Kuzeev R. G. "Essays on the historical ethnography of the Bashkirs." Part 1. Ufa, 1957.
• Rudenko S. I. "Bashkirs: An Ethnological Monograph Experience." Part 2. "Genesis of the Bashkirs." L., 1925.

• Asfandiyarov A.Z. Yiyyn // Bashkir Encyclopedia / Chap. M.A. Ilgamov. - Ufa: GAUN “ Bashkir Encyclopedia ”, 2015—2019. - ISBN 978-5-88185-306-8 .