Crimean Tatars: history, traditions and customs

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Crimean Tatars are a nationality that originated on the Crimean peninsula and in southern Ukraine. Experts say that this people came to the peninsula in 1223, and settled in 1236. The interpretation of the history and culture of this ethnic group is vague and multifaceted, which causes additional interest.

Description of the nation

Krymtsy, Krymchaks, Murzaks are the names of this people. They live in the Republic of Crimea, Ukraine, Turkey, Romania, etc. Despite the assumption about the difference between the Kazan and Crimean Tatars, experts argue about the unity of the origins of these two areas. Differences arose due to the specifics of assimilation.

Islamization of the ethnic group occurred at the end of the XIII century. It has symbols of statehood: flag, coat of arms, anthem. The blue flag depicts a tamga - a symbol of the steppe nomads.

In 2010, about 260 thousand were registered in Crimea, and in Turkey there are 4-6 million representatives of this nationality who consider themselves Turks of Crimean origin. 67% live in non-urban areas of the peninsula: Simferopol, Bakhchisaray and Dzhankoy.

Fluent in three languages:Crimean Tatar, Russian and Ukrainian. Most speak Turkish and Azerbaijani. Mother tongue - Crimean Tatar.

History of the Crimean Khanate

Crimea is a peninsula inhabited by Greeks already by the 5th-4th centuries BC. e. Chersonesos, Panticapaeum (Kerch) and Theodosius are large Greek settlements of this period.

According to historians, the Slavs settled on the peninsula after repeated, not always successful, invasions of the peninsula in the 6th century AD. e., merging with the local population - the Scythians, Huns and Goths.

Tatars began to raid Taurida (Crimea) from the 13th century. This led to the creation of a Tatar administration in the city of Solkhat, later renamed Kyrym. Since the 14th century, the peninsula has been called that.

The first khan was recognized as Khadzhi Giray, a descendant of the Khan of the Golden Horde Tash-Timur - the grandson of Genghis Khan. The Gireys, calling themselves Genghisides, laid claim to the khanate after the division of the Golden Horde. In 1449 he was recognized as the Crimean Khan. The city of the Palace in the Gardens - Bakhchisarai became the capital.

The collapse of the Golden Horde led to the migration of tens of thousands of Crimean Tatars to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Prince Vitovt used them in military operations and to impose discipline among the Lithuanian feudal lords. In return, the Tatars received land, built mosques. Gradually they assimilated with the locals, switching to Russian or Polish. Muslim Tatars were not persecuted by the church, as they did not prevent the spread of Catholicism.

Turkish-Tatar Union

In 1454 the CrimeanKhan concluded an agreement with Turkey to fight the Genoese. As a result of the Turkish-Tatar alliance in 1456, the colonies pledged to pay tribute to the Turks and Crimean Tatars. In 1475, Turkish troops, with the assistance of the Tatars, occupied the Genoese city of Kafu (Kefe in Turkish), after - the Taman Peninsula, putting an end to the presence of the Genoese.

In 1484, the Turkish-Tatar troops captured the Black Sea coast. The state of the Budzhitskaya Horde was founded on this square.

The opinions of historians regarding the Turkish-Tatar alliance are divided: some are sure that the Crimean Khanate has become a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, others consider them equal allies, since the interests of both states coincided.

In reality, the Khanate depended on Turkey:

• sultan - the leader of the Crimean Muslims;
• Khan's family lived in Turkey;
• Turkey bought up slaves and loot;
• Turkey supported the attacks of the Crimean Tatars;
• Turkey helped with weapons and troops.

The long-term hostilities of the Khanate with the Moscow state and the Commonwe alth suspended the Russian troops in 1572 at the Battle of Molodi. After the battle, the Nogai hordes, formally subordinate to the Crimean Khanate, continued to raid, but their number was greatly reduced. Watchdog functions were taken over by the formed Cossacks.

Life of the Crimean Tatars

The peculiarity of the people was the non-recognition of a settled way of life until the 17th century. Agriculture developed poorly, was mainly nomadic: the land was cultivated in the spring, the harvest was harvested in the fall, afterreturn. The result was a small harvest. It was impossible to feed people through such farming.

Raids and robberies remained a source of life for the Crimean Tatars. The Khan's army was not regular, it consisted of volunteers. 1/3 of the men of the khanate participated in major campaigns. In especially large - all men. Only tens of thousands of slaves and women with children remained in the khanate.

Life on a hike

Tatars did not use carts in campaigns. The carts at home were harnessed not by horses, but by oxen and camels. These animals are not suitable for hiking. Horses themselves found their own food in the steppes even in winter, breaking snow with their hooves. Each warrior took 3-5 horses with him on a campaign to increase speed when replacing tired animals. In addition, horses are additional food for a warrior.

The main weapon of the Tatars is bows. They hit the target from a hundred paces. In the campaign they had sabers, bows, whips and wooden poles, which served as supports for tents. A knife, a flint, an awl, 12 meters of leather rope for prisoners and a tool for orienteering in the steppe were kept on the belt. For ten people, one bowler hat and a drum were taken. Each had a flute for notification and a tub for water. They ate oatmeal during the campaign - a mixture of barley and millet flour. This was used to make a pexinet drink, to which s alt was added. In addition, each had fried meat and crackers. The source of nutrition is weak and injured horses. Boiled blood with flour was prepared from horse meat, thin layers of meat from under the saddle of a horse after a two-hour race, boiled pieces of meatetc.

Caring for horses is the most important thing for a Crimean Tatar. The horses were poorly fed, believing that they recuperate on their own after long journeys. Lightweight saddles were used for horses, parts of which were used by the rider: the lower part of the saddle was a carpet, the base was for the head, a cloak stretched over poles was a tent.

Tatar horses - bakemans - were not shod. They are small and clumsy, while at the same time hardy and fast. Rich people have beautiful horses, cow horns served as a horseshoe for them.

Crimeans on campaigns

The Tatars have a special tactic of conducting a campaign: on their territory, the speed of the transition is low, with the concealment of traces of movement. Outside of it, the speed was reduced to a minimum. During the raids, the Crimean Tatars hid in ravines and hollows from enemies, did not make fires at night, did not allow horses to neigh, caught tongues to obtain intelligence, before going to bed fastened themselves with lassoes to horses to quickly escape from the enemy.

Within the Russian Empire

Since 1783, the "Black Century" for the nationality begins: joining Russia. In the decree of 1784 “On the organization of the Tauride region”, the administration on the peninsula is implemented according to the Russian model.

Noble nobles of the Crimea and the supreme clergy equal in rights with the Russian aristocracy. Massive land acquisition led to emigration in the 1790s and 1860s, during the Crimean War, to the Ottoman Empire. Three quarters of Crimean Tatarsleft the peninsula in the first decade of the power of the Russian Empire. The descendants of these migrants created the Turkish, Romanian and Bulgarian diasporas. These processes have led to the devastation and desolation of agriculture on the peninsula.

Life in the USSR

After the February Revolution in Crimea, an attempt was made to create autonomy. For this, a Crimean Tatar kurultai of 2,000 delegates was convened. The event elected the Provisional Crimean Muslim Executive Committee (VKMIK). The Bolsheviks did not take into account the decisions of the committee, and in 1921 the Crimean ASSR was formed.

Crimea during the Great Patriotic War

During the occupation in 1941, Muslim committees were created, which were renamed Crimean, Simferopol. Since 1943, the organization was renamed the Simferopol Tatar Committee. Regardless of the name, its functions were:

• opposition to partisans - resistance to the liberation of Crimea;
• formation of voluntary detachments - creation of Einsatzgruppe D, in which there were about 9,000 people;
• creation of auxiliary police - by 1943 there were 10 battalions;
• propaganda of Nazi ideology, etc.

The committee acted in the interests of forming a separate state of the Crimean Tatars under the auspices of Germany. However, this was not part of the plans of the Nazis, who assumed the annexation of the peninsula to the Reich.

But there was also an opposite attitude towards the Nazis: by 1942, a sixth of the partisanconnections - the Crimean Tatars, who made up the Sudak partisan detachment. Since 1943, underground work has been carried out on the territory of the peninsula. About 25 thousand representatives of the nationality fought in the Red Army.

Deportation of Crimean Tatars

Cooperation with the Nazis led to mass deportations to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, the Urals and other territories in 1944. In two days of operation, 47,000 families were deported.

It was allowed to take clothes, personal belongings, dishes and food in an amount not exceeding 500 kg per family. In the summer months, the settlers were provided with food on account of the abandoned property. Only 1.5 thousand representatives of the nationality remained on the peninsula.

Return to Crimea became possible only in 1989.

Holidays and traditions of the Crimean Tatars

The customs and rituals include Muslim, Christian and pagan traditions. Holidays are based on the agricultural work calendar.

The Animal Calendar, introduced by the Mongols, displays the influence of a certain animal in each year of a twelve-year cycle. Spring is the beginning of the year, so Navruz (New Year) is celebrated on the day of the spring equinox. This is due to the beginning of field work. On the holiday it is supposed to boil eggs as symbols of new life, bake pies, burn old things at the stake. Jumping over the fire, masked trips to houses were organized for young people, while the girls were guessing. To this day, the graves of relatives are traditionally visited on this holiday.

May 6 - Hyderlez - day twoSaints Hydyr and Ilyas. Christians celebrate Saint George's Day. On this day, work began in the field, the cattle were driven out to pastures, the barn was sprinkled with fresh milk to protect against evil forces.

The autumn equinox coincided with the holiday of Derviz - the harvest. Shepherds returned from mountain pastures, weddings were held in the settlements. At the beginning of the celebration, according to tradition, prayer and ritual sacrifice were held. Then the inhabitants of the settlement went to the fair and dances.

The holiday of the beginning of winter - Yil Gejesi - fell on the winter solstice. On this day, it is customary to bake pies with chicken and rice, make halva, go home dressed up for sweets.

Crimean Tatars also recognize Muslim holidays: Uraza Bayram, Kurban Bayram, Ashir-Kunyu and others.

Crimean Tatar wedding

The wedding of the Crimean Tatars (photo below) lasts two days: first for the groom, then for the bride. The bride's parents are not present at the celebrations on the first day, and vice versa. Invite from 150 to 500 people from each side. Traditionally, the beginning of the wedding is marked by the ransom of the bride. This is a quiet stage. The bride's father ties a red scarf around her waist. This symbolizes the strength of the bride, who becomes a woman and devotes herself to order in the family. On the second day, the groom's father will remove this scarf.

After the ransom, the bride and groom perform the ceremony of marriage in the mosque. Parents do not participate in the ceremony. After reading the prayer by the mullah and issuing a marriage certificate, the bride and groom are considered husbandand wife. The bride makes a wish while praying. The groom is obliged to fulfill it within the time limits set by the mullah. The desire can be anything from decorating to building a house.

After the mosque, the newlyweds go to the registry office for the official registration of marriage. The ceremony is no different from the Christian, except for the lack of a kiss in front of other people.

Before the banquet, the parents of the bride and groom are obliged to redeem the Koran for any money without bargaining from the smallest child at the wedding. Congratulations are accepted not by the newlyweds, but by the parents of the bride. There are no competitions at the wedding, only performances by artists.

The wedding ends with two dances:

• national dance of the bride and groom - haitarma;
• Horan - Guests holding hands dance in a circle, and the newlyweds in the center dance a slow dance.

Crimean Tatars are a nation with multicultural traditions going far back in history. Despite assimilation, they retain their own identity and national flavor.