Reflection of religious identity in family ceremonialism of Tomsk Tatars

The article analyzes how religious identity of one of the ethnic groups of Siberia, Tomsk Tatars, is preserved in the conditions of globalization, a variety of social connections and new forms of socialization in modern Russia. Islam is one of the main identification characteristics of modern Tatar ethnos in the Russian Federation. 17 029 Tatars live in Tomsk Oblast according to the population census of 2010. The transformation of ethnic identity of Tomsk Tatars occurred in the course of their ethnogenesis. At first, they existed as small Turkic groups: Eushta, Basandaika and Evagino groups. Then Chats and Kalmaks migrated to this territory. Gradually, they all were called "Tomsk people" by Russians, later they became Tomsk Tatars. Islam played the defining role in the spiritual sphere and life of Tomsk Tatars, forming examples of behavior in the family and communal life of Muslims. However, it is known that before conversion to Islam,the population of the territory practiced Shamanism. Tomsk Tatars had pagan beliefs in late 19th and early 20th centuries. The mixed nature of the religious ideas showed in the fact that paganism was part of their Muslim views. A way to manifest an identity is family ceremonies; Islam had an impact on their modern state. Each person has some events, such as wedding, funeral or birth, in his/her life. To observe traditions, there is a need to either ask people who know or go directly to a mosque or to a center of culture to make the sacred ceremonies. The 20th century introduced essential amendments in all spheres of life. Formation of the all-Soviet forms of life and rapprochement with Russians had an impact on the changes in the ceremonies of maternity and naming. A number of ceremonies disappeared as women began to deliver in hospitals. The value of a family is significant in the Tatar culture, and marriage was considered a natural need. In the 20th century the wedding ceremony underwent strong transformation. The basic element that changed since the 1920s is the choice of the partner in life: it became the mutual desire of the young. The groom and the bride became the main characters, and this key moment of the wedding ceremony only amplified by the end of the 20th century. Having appeared as an innovation, now it has become a norm of life. The structure of the wedding changed essentially. Many ceremonies were lost. Yet, by the end of the 20th century the wedding complex was considerably enriched with innovations. The funeral ceremony of Tomsk Tatars followed the traditions of the past in many respects, still it also underwent some changes. Transformation of the funeral ceremony is largely a consequence of contacts with the Russian environment and result of the numerous socio-political and ideological changes of the 20th century.

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