Yakut National Holiday – Ysyakh: traditions and modernity

The subject of the study is the transformation of rites and rituals in the structural part of the traditional Ysyakh holiday among the Yakuts. In the traditional sense of the Yakuts, ysyakh was a calendar and ceremonial holiday after which the economic cattle breeding year began. In addition, the traditional holiday vividly reflected the religious ideas of the Yakuts – receiving blessings from the bright deities of Ayyy. During the genesis and transformation of this holiday through the prism of historical periods, the appearance of the holiday and religious beliefs are transformed, but the use of ritual utensils and food remains within the framework of rituals. In the work, the subject of research is mainly revealed through the prism of tradition and modernity. The work is divided into the structure and rituals of the traditional holiday in the first part, in the second half the authors' materials on the modern celebration of Ysyakh in 2022. The main methods in the article are diachronic, the method of included observation, as well as interviewing. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that the national holiday Ysyakh is considered within the framework of its genesis, from tradition to modernity. Today, the holiday is an important ethnocultural and regional event in the territory of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the work contains relevant materials from the Olonkho Ysyakhs and the local urban district in the territory of the Vilyui group of uluses for 2022. As a result of the work, the authors conclude that despite the historical conditions through which this holiday passed, it retained its original idea: the beginning of a new economic cycle, the birth of nature, the worship of the bright deities of Ayyy, the preservation of the sacredness of food in rituals and rituals.

yakuts, holiday, ysyakh, Ayyy, food, rite, ritual, sprinkle koumiss, transformation, cultural code