About the Stages of a Person's Life in the Tradition of Age Counting Among the Altaians

The most important principle of the communication culture of the Altaians is respect for a person’s age, which is determined based on the 12-year "animal" calendar. Ages located in time function as successive stages of a person's life and are the subject of this article. In introducing the source base (field and published ethnographic and folklore material) into the scientific cycle, methodological research tools based on a combination of a comparative historical analysis method and methods of describing and systematizing the collected material were used. The study's relevance lies in the fact that against the devaluation of traditional family values in the context of globalization, the experience of intergenerational relations among Altaians is of interest.It was found that Altaians use two or three age-counting systems in parallel – the 12-decimal system, the 10-decimal system, and the 20-decimal system. It is noticeable that in the Altaic language, the word “jash” is used to refer to the concept of “year” as a unit of age counting, as opposed to the year “jyl” as an astronomical phenomenon (a series of seasons). The views of the Altaians about the return of "their" year after 11 lived years are determined, as well as the reasons for the passing century, including six calendar cycles (72 years). Ritual behaviors observed in the year one was born under a particular animal are described, revering the animal under whose mark one was born. Age definitions and idioms are given so that the number of years lived is not mentioned, while number symbolism (an even number in relation to the world of the living), a stereotype of thinking in traditional Altaic culture, is observed. A comparison of the age characteristics of old people with inanimate and insignificant objects of everyday life (a crutch, a block of wood, a stirring rod, a mortar), but not with characteristics of animals (a dog, a squirrel, a wolf, a camel), which are peculiar to young animals, is emphasized. It is concluded that the age calendar periods in the life of a person represent the polar halves: at the age of 12, 24, 36, and 48 years, characterized by an increasing and progressive tendency, at the age of 60 and 72 years, associated with aging and declining line. In connection with the three festivals of life – birth, marriage, and death – a person's physical entry and social descent are manifested.

Altaians, traditional communicating culture, age, calendar, life stages, age counting, field material, direct observation method