Problems of Tatar national holiday Sabantui studying, preservation and development Conceptual sketch (instead of conclusion)

According to the origin Sabantui is the ancient Turkic holiday of the beginning of spring-summery cycle of the calendar year (in this connection we have the concept “the calendar holiday”). It is connected with spring coming and with cult of the Sun, the Sky and the Earth. During its centuries-old evolution, despite the attempts to modernize and correct the holiday in order to please political, cultural and commerce conjuncture Sabantui invariable preserved the original signs of “golden youth” that characterizes vivid and organic connection of the human being with nature. All Sabantui main attributes were handed down from one generation to another as the supreme sacral value. They were formed during ancient and medieval time’s junction and reflected immeasurability, eternity and inimitableness of folk arts. In this fact there is force and at the same time vulnerability of culture spiritual forms. Preservation of immune purity, original moral, ethic, religious, philosophical culture essence and working mechanism of cultural succession of generations and historical traditions provide strengthening of their intellectual-developing, idea-mobilizational, world-looking potential. Because of its sociogenetical peculiarity, spiritual culture is very delicate, non-static product of historical creation in virtual space. It always can disappear, “dissolve” in a real world. It is enough to receive “falling” on the level of succession of one or two generations and we can loose the spiritual capital that has been collected during long period of their historical development.

Unfortunately, history knows a lot of examples of such irretrievable loss of unique cultural patterns of non-material character. Forces directed to their restoration do not bear fruit very often. Quite often renewing pattern resembles the cope from the original at the best and at the worst seems to be useless attempt to make alive “dead” cultural masterpiece. The fact that globalization processes are dynamic repeatedly strengthens extent of risk and threats towards preservation and development of variety of cultural creativity forms, leads to weakening of their civilizationing role.  

In this context the problem of institutialization and conceptualization of such powerful, spiritualizing traditional holiday of Tatar people as Sabantui is not only becomes actual but also obtains a form of “challenge” for world intellectual association. We speak not only about preservation and development of one of the concrete forms of cultural creativity in the name of interests of not only Tatars (though it is very important for 7 millions of Tatar people) or Turkic people (about 200 millions) but in the name of interests of many nations, who live in Russia, Eurasia and in the whole world as Sabantui has become the synonym of hymn to the Earth, the Sun, spring and harmony of man and nature; and in the name of people of the whole Planet as Sabantui has become an international holiday. Institutialization and conceptualization of Sabantui by international intellectual association could strengthen theoretic and methodical basis and create organizational prerequisites for developing of people originality, of national traditions, of world cultural and civilizational diversity.

That is why interregional fund of humanitarian initiatives of UNESCO, International Humanitarian Academy “Europe-Asia”, Academy of Humanitarian Sciences of Russia, The Institute of Peace Culture, editorial staff of the international journals “Miras” and “Tiurkoi”, scientific documentary journal “Gasyrlar Avazy” (“Echo of Ages”),  with support of Kazan City Administration, Kazan Council of People’s Deputies, Council of Institute Rectors of the Republic of Tatarstan, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of  Tatarstan, Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of  Tatarstan and Republican Department of Russian Society of historian-archivists were the initiators to work out a conception on studying, preservation and development of Sabantui holiday as the form of peace culture, tolerance, friendship, peace-making and cultural unifying of people of different nations, traditions, political views and religion. For all this, we mean the unique meaning of the holidays of the cultural direction according to which they can influence on the nation unifying and development of co-operation with people of the whole world.

The priority basis of the conception is the idea of Sabantui turning out from a local holiday of people of the Republic of Tatarstan into a holiday of all-Russian, Eurasian and international scale. We need such holiday at present time when many international holidays have gone away because of the political reasons and other formal holidays did not get accustomed as they did not have necessary historical and national basis. In this sense Sabantui will reflect first of all multinational cultural wealth of Russia and approve historically established traditions of intercivilizational interaction and development.

 It is interesting to note that in the XXth century there already were the precedents of such very effective transformations of the national holidays. So, famous annual carnival in Rio-de-Janeiro had appeared after World War II on the basis of the small local national holiday. And, for example, in the Republic of Bulgaria the Day of Slavic Written Language is celebrated for a long time. Slavs also has a number of ancient holidays devoted to spring beginning. Mari people celebrate the Holiday of Flowers in this period. Thus, almost all nations, who live in Russia, have their own holidays that like Sabantui are devoted to beginning of spring-summery period.

While working out the conception we should take into consideration the experience of carring out of the Olympic Games, international festivals, theatre of nations (the festivals of the theatres that recently have become very popular) and other cultural phenomenon. Moreover, the conception of Sabantui should include the best elements of these holidays and also should be guided by strengthening its multifunction that include the idea of humanism, conformation of strength of mind, beauty of man, labour and nature. Combination of such principles puts Sabantui in a unique position comparing even with ideology of the Olympic Games that despite of important world meaning were directed first of all towards the sport competitions and commerce priorities.

Ideological and philosophical kernel of the conception is the following priority problems:

·        Studying of genesis, historical roots and stages of formation of Sabantui holiday traditions in wide international research sphere. While deciding this intellectual problem we should extend and strengthen cultural ties between Tatar people, who live all over the world, integrate and consolidate Tatar nation in the name of national, regional and global problems solving;

·        Studying the traditions of the holiday of spring-summery cycle of other people, who live in Russia and abroad, studying the common features of such holidays. Adjusting and realizing of cultural relations between different nations with the aim to preserve and develop common traditions of  carring out of the  ancient holidays of such meaning;

·         Scientific basing and working out of the content of Sabantui modern model in its regional, all-Russian and international scale on the following directions:

¾   Sabantui as the holiday of multinational traditional culture of people living in Russia. Sabantui as a holiday of national cultures in large scale of its display, of national handcraft and national traditions. The program of this direction includes festive gatherings, festivals of folk theatres, singers, dancers, musicians and musical groups, artists, architects, photographers, amateur film makers, designers,  cookery experts, etc.;

¾   Sabantui as the holiday of modern culture of people, who live in Russia, also in large scale of its display. The program of this direction includes carnival processions with demonstration of design of clothes, decorations, colour compositions, dances, performing of musical compositions, songs, colourful masks, etc. At the same time the complex of the holiday should include literature, theatrical, musical and circus programs that should be supplemented with arts exhibitions and film festivals;

¾   Sabantui as the holiday of physical culture and harmony, where the basis is first of all not the competition but beauty and carnival character of that cultural phenomenon. The program of this direction can be formed of competitions of different kind of sports (especially, of entertainment character), public showing of force and beauty, games (including ancient games that were reconstructed). It can also include theatre performances on the basis of the ancient traditions;

¾   Sabantui as the holiday of science and technique creativity, with organizing of scientific technique exhibitions, motor saloons and motor-shows, air-saloons and air-shows, demonstrations of the new patterns of technique, technologies in the period of Sabantui carring out;

¾   Sabantui as the fair of new consumer goods with demonstration of the new models of goods and services of regional, all-Russia and international character;

¾   Sabantui as an interdisciplinary event can become the place of expressing of the interests and abilities of people of different ages and levels of education with initiation of respect and necessity to study multinational culture of people, who live in Russia.

·         Sabantui should become “the visit card” of multinational culture of people, who live in Russia, showing its unique wealth. Sabantui is called to show the unique character of such multinational culture and its inexhaustible potential for creative work in science and in culture and also for providing the ideas, values, principles of peace culture, tolerance, international and inter-confessional consent, cultures dialogue and people’s and civilization’s co-operation.

·        Sabantui should become an object of all-Russian and international tourism like carnival in Rio-de-Janeiro and the Olympic Games (in adequate scale, of course).

·        Sabantui as annually conducted holiday should initiate and stimulate work of public figures, businessmen, creative work of scientists, cultural workers and also pupils and students through prestige prizes and incentives that are given on the basis of such holiday.

It is supposed that on the basis of this sketch the International project “Traditional holidays of people of the world – the spiritual resources of humanity development” and the full-scaled conception of studying, preservation and development of Sabantui holiday as the form of peace culture, consent, dialogue and co-operation of the world nations will be worked out and send to the National Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO Affairs and to UNESCO office in Russia.