Chechens are considered the most ancient people of the world, the inhabitants of the Caucasus. According to archaeologists, at the dawn of human civilization, the Caucasus was the center in which human culture was born.

Those whom we used to call Chechens appeared in the 18th century in the North Caucasus due to the separation of several ancient families. They passed through the Argun Gorge along the Main Range of the Caucasus and settled in the mountainous part of the modern republic.

The Chechen people have centuries-old traditions, a national language, an ancient and original culture. The history of this people can serve as an example of building relationships and cooperation with different nationalities and their neighbors.

Culture and life of the Chechen people

Since the III century, the Caucasus has been a place where the paths of civilizations of farmers and nomads crossed, the cultures of different ancient civilizations of Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean came into contact. This was reflected in mythology, oral folk art and culture.

Unfortunately, the recording of the Chechen folk epic began rather late. This is due to the armed conflicts that shook this country. As a result, huge layers of folk art - pagan mythology, the Nart epic - were irretrievably lost. The creative energy of the people was swallowed up by the war.

A sad contribution was made by the policy pursued by the leader of the Caucasian highlanders - Imam Shamil. He saw democratic, popular culture as a threat to his rule. For more than 25 years of his tenure in power in Chechnya, the following were banned: folk music and dances, art, mythology, observance of national rituals and traditions. Only religious chants were allowed. All this had a negative impact on the creativity and culture of the people. But Chechen identity cannot be killed.

Traditions and customs of the Chechen people

Part of the daily life of Chechens is the observance of traditions that have been passed down by previous generations. They have been building up over the centuries. Some are written in the code, but there are also unwritten rules, which, nevertheless, remain important for everyone in whom Chechen blood flows.

hospitality rules

The roots of this good tradition originate in the mists of time. Most families lived in difficult, difficult places. They always provided the traveler with shelter and food. A person, familiar or not, needs it - he received it without unnecessary questions. This is done in all families. The theme of hospitality runs like a red line throughout the folk epic.

Custom associated with the guest. If he liked the thing in the host home, then this thing should be presented to him.

And more about hospitality. With guests, the host takes a position closer to the door, saying that the guest is important here.

The owner sits at the table until the last guest. It is indecent to interrupt the meal first.

If a neighbor or relative, albeit a distant one, comes in, then young men and younger family members will serve them. Women should not show themselves to guests.

Man and woman

Many may have the opinion that women's rights are violated in Chechnya. But this is not so - a mother who has raised a worthy son has an equal voice in decision-making.

When a woman enters the room, the men who are there stand up.

Special ceremonies and decorum must be performed for the guest who has arrived.

When a man and a woman walk side by side, the woman should be one step behind. A man must be the first to accept danger.

The wife of a young husband first feeds his parents, and only then her husband.

If there is a relationship between a guy and a girl, even if it is very distant, the relationship between them is not approved, but this is not a gross violation of tradition.

A family

If the son reached for a cigarette and the father finds out about it, he should make a suggestion through his mother about the harm and inadmissibility of this, and he himself should immediately give up this habit.

In a quarrel or fight between children, parents must first scold their child, and only then figure out who is right and who is wrong.

A grave insult for a man if someone touches his hat. This is tantamount to a publicly received slap in the face.

The younger must always let the elder pass, let him go first. At the same time, he must say hello politely and respectfully.

It is extremely tactless to interrupt the elder or start a conversation without his request or permission.

Chamalals or Chamalins belong to the Andean peoples and live in the Chechen Republic and Dagestan. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 3438 Chamalals in the USSR, in 1967 - 4000 people. According to the 2010 census, only 24 residents of Russia identified themselves as Chamalals. 18 of them live in cities, and 6 live in rural settlements.

Religion and traditions

Chamalals are Sunni Muslims, that is, followers of the most numerous direction in Islam. Sunnis place special emphasis on following the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (his actions and statements), on loyalty to tradition, on the participation of the community in choosing its head, the caliph. Among the Chamalians there are also those who preach Shafiism. To make a legal decision, the Shafiites use the Koran, the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, the opinion of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Some Chamalals believed in mountain spirits. The people practiced quackery, divination, rituals for calling rain and sun, and magic.

Crafts of the Chamalins

The Chamalals were traditionally engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding. They grew wheat, barley and corn. Horticulture, beekeeping, viticulture were developed. The people produced felt, weaved rugs, made copper utensils, wooden utensils. In our time, the Chamalals are also engaged in animal husbandry, agriculture and gardening (they grow apple trees, pears, plums, apricots).

traditional clothing

The clothes of the Chamalals differed little from the traditional clothes of other Caucasian peoples. Women wore shirts, dark dresses, belted with a long belt of bright colors, pants, sheepskin coats. They put a chuhta on their heads - a cap covering their heads, with a hair bag sewn to it. And over the chuhta they wore a scarf made of homespun cloth.

Traditional men's clothing consisted of trousers, a shirt, a Circassian coat, a beshmet, sheepskin coats, jackets, and a felt cloak. A sheepskin hat of a conical shape was put on the head of a man.

Language and folk art

The Chamalin language belongs to the Andean subgroup of the Nakh-Dagestan language family. It is divided into two dialects: Gakvari, which includes the dialects of the villages of Upper and Lower Gakvari, Agvali, Tsumada, Richaganikh, Gadyri, Kvankhi, and Gigatli - in the villages of Gigatl and Gigatl-Urukh.

It is important that the Chamalals created a rich song folklore. Songs are sung in the Avar language, and the main musical instruments are zurna (a type of pipe), pandur (a stringed instrument with strings made from animal intestines) and a tambourine.

Zurna Photo: Great Russian Encyclopedia

traditional dwelling

Each Chamalin settlement was surrounded by watchtowers. In the village, as a rule, there were 5-12 quarters. Each quarter had its own mosque, and in the center of the village there was a Friday mosque (juma). The foreman of the village was chosen from among the influential tukhums. Tukhums are associations, the union of taips, not related to each other by blood relationship, but united to jointly solve common problems.

The houses of the Chamalins were stone, one-, two- and three-story. The roofs of the houses are adobe, but recently they have been made of slate or roofing iron.

Chamalin cuisine

The traditional dish of the Chamalins is khinkal with meat and garlic. Pieces of dough boiled in meat broth are served with broth, boiled meat and sauce.

However, khinkali should not be confused with Georgian khinkali, which is a different type of dish.

Chamalals eat mostly unleavened bread.

Being a maid of honor in the days of Tsarist Russia was considered very prestigious. Parents dreamed that their daughters were attached to the imperial family. It would seem that a luxurious life at court, outfits, balls ... In fact, everything is not quite so rosy. Round-the-clock duty near the empress, the exact execution of all her whims and clearly regulated behavior in parallel with attending all balls and holidays literally exhausted the ladies-in-waiting, who had served the empresses for years, or even decades. Portrait of Countess Varvara Alekseevna Sheremeteva (maid of honor to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna), I. P. Argunov, 1760. Usually girls of noble families became ladies-in-waiting, but sometimes this status was awarded to a person from a poor family, who was considered the best graduate of the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens. Of course, there were intrigues for a “place in the sun”, but at the same time it was necessary to thoroughly know court etiquette: how many steps to approach the empress, how to bow your head, hold your hands. Portrait of Maria Mikhailovna Volkonskaya (maid of honor to Empress Maria Feodorovna). K. E. Makovsky. You might think that the duties of the maid of honor consisted entirely of balls and walks around the palace. In fact, this service was quite difficult. The ladies-in-waiting were on duty for 24 hours. At this time, they had to immediately appear on the call and carry out any orders of the empress or other royal person whom they served. All court ladies-in-waiting had insignia: the monogram of the person they served. They were adorned with jewels and fastened with a blue ribbon bow. Chamber-maid of honor of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, Kantemir (Golitsyna) Ekaterina Dmitrievna. In addition to the distinctive ribbons, the ladies-in-waiting wore outfits of clearly defined colors. Chamber-maids of honor and ladies of state put on a dress of green velvet trimmed with gold thread along the bottom. The ladies-in-waiting of the Empress wore crimson hues. Those who served the Grand Duchesses had to wear blue dresses. Of course, with the advent of the new empress, the colors and styles of outfits changed, depending on the desire of Her Majesty. It is worth noting that the ladies-in-waiting did not look as luxurious and rich as at the court of Russian autocrats anywhere else in Europe. The maid of honor Praskovya Repnina with the maid of honor cipher of Catherine II on a moire ribbon. In addition to their court functions, some ladies-in-waiting fell to perform "unofficial" duties. Everyone understood this, but it was impossible to refuse. If any of the noble guests liked any maid of honor, she was presented as a nightly gift to the guest's bedroom. In addition, the emperors often had mistresses among the ladies-in-waiting, or they “promoted” the girls they liked to this position so that they would always be at court. Sofia Vasilievna Orlova-Denisova in a maid of honor dress and with a cipher on a bow. It was almost impossible to refuse a position at court on your own. Marriage was the only case. Court ladies could count on noble and wealthy suitors. In addition, as a dowry from the empress, they received outfits, bed and bedding, haberdashery in the amount of 25 to 40 thousand rubles. Portrait of a lady of state Maria Andreevna Rumyantseva (maid of honor of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna), A.P. Antropov, 1764. But in reality, not everyone managed to get married. Therefore, the girls grew up, became old maids, still serving the empress, and then, in old age, became the tutors of their children.

On August 21, 1745, Grand Duke Peter married Catherine, and only on September 20, 1754, the couple had a son, Pavel. At the same time, Catherine lived in a rather unfavorable environment. Masquerades, hunts, balls, unbridled joy, an idle and dissolute life, were replaced by bouts of hopeless boredom. She constantly felt supervised and was constrained in her actions, and even her great mind and tact could not save the woman from major troubles and fatal mistakes.

Both Peter and Catherine cooled off towards each other long before the wedding itself. The eccentric, underdeveloped, physically weak and disfigured by smallpox ruler insulted his wife with strange antics, red tape and tactlessness. Catherine the Second, who entered the throne after the palace coup and the overthrow of her husband, was much more educated than Peter. But, before that, she was able to compromise herself in the eyes of Elizabeth.

However, the empress also became famous for her relations with the English ambassador Williams, as well as Poniatovsky and Apraksin. It was close relations with the first of these that Empress Elizabeth considered as high treason. The existence of all these relationships is proved by letters.

Two dates at night with Elizabeth were able to reason with Catherine, as the historian D. Chechulin thinks, for example, and were for her a moment of change in life priorities. Thus, its desire for total power also includes moments of the moral order of the ruler.

Catherine and Peter reacted very differently to the death of Empress Elizabeth. The latter, having learned about the death, behaved shamelessly and strangely, but the new empress tried by any means to express her respect for the memory of the deceased. Peter the Third was clearly in the mood for a divorce, after which, most likely, the monastery would have expected his ex-wife and, most likely, a quick death.

According to researchers, the number of lovers of the Empress was twenty-three people. At the same time, ten of them occupied the post of favorite, having the corresponding duties and privileges.

The most famous of the favorites of Empress Catherine II were Platon Zubov, Grigory Potemkin and Grigory Orlov, with whom she even planned to marry after the death of her husband. It was from them (according to the researchers) that she gave birth to three children. Each of these, one way or another, tried to influence Catherine's decisions regarding the state, which became the reason for many of her reforms.