The Terminology of Seasonal Traditions in Kryashen Tatar Turkish

Abstract

The Kryashens are an ethnic subgroup of the Kazan Tatars. The majority of the Kryashens reside in the Autonomous Republic of Tatarstan, while a smaller population lives in different regions and cities of the Russian Federation. Their Orthodox Christian faith distinguishes them from the broader Tatar community. Due to their adherence to Orthodoxy, their language has been influenced by Russian. The religious affiliation and the superstratum influence of Russian have led to the incorporation of Russian elements into Kryashen Tatar. The Kryashens speak the Middle (Kazan) dialect of Tatar Turkish. Despite being Orthodox Christians, they have not been assimilated or Russianized. The preservation of the Tatar language has allowed the Kryashen Tatars to maintain their customs, traditions, and cultural practices up to the present day. The Tatar language has played a significant role in safeguarding Kryashen folk culture. The terminology related to seasonal traditions continues to represent one of the linguistic treasures of Kryashen Tatar Turkish. These traditions include terms such as bǝrmǝnçěk, qır kělǝwě, yafraq bǝyrǝmě, pǝtraw kělǝwě, troysın/troitsa, and raştuva, among others. These terms include both ancient Turkic elements and terms borrowed from Russian through Orthodox Christianity. This hybrid terminology related to seasonal customs continues to exist today. This study, focused on text analysis, examines various dictionaries, primarily the Tatar Tělěněŋ Zur Diyalektologik Süzlěgě, and Tatar folklore sources. The study compiles and explains seasonal terminology found in these sources and also attempts to identify and explain different variations of seasonal terms in Kryashen Tatar Turkish.