Calendars in the culture of Tobolsk-Irtysh Tatars

In the process of collecting field ethnographical materials in the areas of settling of one of the territorial groups of Siberian Tatars Tobolsk-Irtysh Tatars and their local subdivisions Tarsk and Curdacksck-Sargat Tatars parallel existence of several types of calendars was registered: the Chinese calendar with the twelve years animal cycle; in this calendar each year had its own sign associated with one of the kinds of animal/mythological characters; the Sun Gregorian calendar which was borrowed from Russians with Russian names of months; the traditional calendar reflecting phenological phenomena and changes in the environment and changes in the population's economic occupations; the local variant of the Moon Muslim calendar. In order to fill in the gap in studying the complex of calendar systems of Turkic peoples of the Middle Near Irtysh Region the following goal was set to study local types of calendars of Tarsk and CurdacksckSargat Tatars and provide an analysis of names of calendar periods. The calendar of the twelve years animal cycle of the studied population was one of the variants of such calendar which other peoples had. Used comparative materials prove this fact. This calendar is a part of the system of everyday calendar superstitious beliefs. It was used for predicting a success in agriculture. At the same time it reflected visions of Tarsk and Curdacksck-Sargat Tatars about different animal/mythological characters. The great part of names of months in the traditional calendar of Tarsk and Curdacksck-Sargat Tatars reflected phenological phenomena, changes in the environment and the time of changing economic occupations. The analysis of the terminology of names of months showed that the direct translation given by informants often didn't correspond to the literal translation. Thus, April was known as «koy» among Tarsk Tatars, and it was translated by informants as «the cold before birds' arrival». But in the literal translation the word «koy/kuy» meant «sheep». Such name could, on the one hand, mark the beginning of another economic season in cattle-breeding (lambing), on the other hand, indicate the inclusion of the Zodiac element of Aries in the traditional Zodiac calendar. As Tobolsk-Irtysh Tatars went through Islamization some introduced Islamic traditions were included in their culture, transformed and got their local uniqueness. The Moon Muslim calendar found among Tarsk and Curdacksck-Sargat Tatars being a variable one didn't reflect changes in the environment connected with the Sun times of the year. That's why it was mainly used for indicating the time of holding the Muslim holidays. The names of months differed from the traditional Muslim calendar some months were personified. Calendars used by Turkic peoples of the Middle Near Irtysh Region answered their purposes, they were connected with ceremonial rites, and they were a reflection of the world outlook. These calendars were formed in different chronological periods and under the influence of different traditions. Besides, in the culture of Tarsk and Curdacksck-Sargat Tatars they formed the complex flling the population's needs in the process of organizing economic an ritual activity.

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