#tt_culture
"Narduğan" celebration
Unknown author

#tt_culture
Winter rites: Narduğan

❄️ Narduğan, an ancient celebration marking the winter solstice among the Tatars and other Volga region communities, unfolds on December 21-22. Known as "Narduğan" for Bashkorts, Udmurts, Chuvash, Erzya, Moksha, and "Raştuwa" for Tatars-Mişәrs, its name traces back to Mongolian "nar" (sun) and Tatar "tuğan" (born), reflecting reverence for the sun as the supreme deity (Tengri). It symbolizes the sun's magical rebirth after the winter solstice, setting the stage for festive Narduğan celebrations.

❄️ Costumed processions called "Narduğan bulıp cörü" or "Narduğan babaları," feature participants portraying bears and goats, dressing as an old man or an old lady, young men dressing as girls, talking in a different voice and concealing their faces. In some Tatar villages, the dressed up participants of the festival were not welcomed as it went against Muslim beliefs, in others, inviting people in costumes inside and giving them treats was believed to bring good harvest.

❄️ For Kerəşens, Narduğan spans from December 25 to January 5. In Noqrat Tatar communities, children joyfully hop between houses, singing verses with New Year wishes for happiness and good harvest. Mişәr Tatars engage in making sweets like "bawırsak," alongside costumed processions and fortune-telling about fate and marriage.

❄️ One of the central elements of the festival is ring divination with lively songs ("yezek salu"). Picture unmarried youths, mainly girls, gathering at a house. One ventures to an ice hole, scoops water without looking back, and everyone drops their rings into it while singing divinatory verses. The youngest participant retrieves a ring, determining the owner's fate based on the song's content.

Despite efforts by Muslim clergy to eradicate Narduğan as a pagan manifestation, ethnographer X. Gatina notes its persistence in Tatar-populated areas until the early 20th century.

🤔 Did you like reading about this ancient Tatar celebration? Do you think such festivals are worth being rediscovered and learnt about? Let me know 👇🏼
________________
Based on R. Urazmanova “Rites and holidays of Tatars of the Volga Region and Ural” 2001

#tt_intermediate
Factitive Verbs

Factitive verbs can be formed from any verb except verbs in the passive voice.

The factitive is formed by means of the following suffixes: -dır, -der, -tır, -ter:
🔸-dır, -der is joined to:

a) All monosyllabic verb stems ending in -i, -u, or the diphthongs -ay, -oy, -uy, -ıy, -əy, -öy:
ki (dress) – kider (make, cause to dress)
yu (wash) – yudır (make wash)
cıy (gather, collect) – cıydır (cause to gather, collect)

b) Most verb stems ending in -l or -n and a number of verb stems ending in a voiced consonant other than -l or -n:
köl (laugh) – kölder (make laugh)
men ( get on, climb on, mount) – mender (cause / help to mount; lift up)
yaz (write) – yazdır (cause to write)

🔸-tır, -ter is attached to verb stems ending in a voiceless consonant:
duslaş (become friends) – duslaştır (cause to become friends)
könləş (be jealous) – könləşter (make jealous, cause to be jealous)

❗️Some verb stems with final -l form the factitive with -tır, -ter, instead of with the regular -dır, -der. The -l of the stem is then dropped.
ül (die) – üter, not ülder (kill)
kil (come) – kiter, not kilder (bring)
tul (fill) – tutır, not tuldır (fill, make full)

🔸 -ar, -ər is attached to only a limited number of verb stems:
çıq (go, come out) – çığar (make come out; take out)
qayt (return, come back) – qaytar (return, give back)

🔸-ğar, -gər, -ğaz, -gəz, -qar, -kər, -qaz, -kəz, -ğır, -ger, -ğız, -gez, -qır, -ker, -qız, -kez are attached to a small number of verb stems ending in -r or -t and to some verbs ending in other consonants.
men (climb, mount; rise) – menger or mengez (lift, raise)
yat (lie) – yatqır or yatqız (cause to lie down, lay (down))

🔸-sət: kür (see) – kürsət (show)

-t, -ıt, -et:

🔸-t is joined to verb stems of two or more syllables and ending in a vowel (except -u, -i) and to verb stems derived from adjectives by means of the suffixes -ay, -əy, -ar, -ər, -r
aşa (eat) – aşat (feed, make eat)
yaxşır (become better) – yaxşırt (make better, improve (trans.))

🔸-ıt, -et is joined to verb stems ending in -k, -q:
qurıq (be scared) – qurqıt (scare)

🔸-ır, -er is attached to a few verb stems ending in -ç, -ş, -t:
qaç (hide / escape) – qaçır (hide (trans.) / let escape)
bet (end, finish, come to an end) – beter (end (trans.), finish (trans.), bring to an end)
peş (cook, bake) – peşer (cook, bake – trans.)

🔸-dar, -dər, -tar, -tər is used with a few verb stems only:
aw (fall down) – awdar (overturn)
qup (come off, detach itself; rise up) – quptar (tear off, pick off; raise)

🔸-ız, -ez is used with a few verb stems ending in -m or -k/-z:
tam (drip, dribble) – tamız (make or let drip, dribble)
im (suck) – imez (make or let suck, nurse)
aq (flow) – ağız (pour out, make flow)

Note: All factitive suffixes end in -r, -t, or -z.

❗️The factitive verb shows that one person or thing causes another to perform an action. This can involve orders, requests, permission, or presenting opportunities. If the factitive verb is derived from a transitive verb, the subject can be a separate word or part of the verb's ending. The agent of the action can also be a separate word or remain unspecified. When a separate word is used for the subject, it's in the nominative case, and for the agent of the action, it's in the dative case.

Mansur biremne dustına eşlәtte.
Mansur made his friend do the task.

🔶 Intransitive verb stems expanded with a factitive suffix exhibit varying degrees of factitive quality. These differences depend on their lexical meanings and the specific context within a sentence and can be classified into three main groups:

🔸Intransitive verb stems belonging to this group become factitive. For example:
biye (dance) – biyet (make dance)
köl (laugh) – kölder (make laugh)

🔸With this group of verb stems, the intransitive verb (doing something to oneself) stems expanded with a factitive suffix are converted into simple transitive verbs (doing something to sth/sb).

❗️To convert verbs of this group into factitive verbs (making sb do sth), a second factitive suffix must be added. If the first suffix ends in -r the second suffix is -t; if it ends in -z, -dır, -der is added, and if it ends in -t, it takes -tır, -ter.

yan (burn (intrans.)) – yandır (burn (trans.), set fire to, light (for ex., lamp)) – yandırt (make burn, set fire to, light)
tul (fill) – tutır (fill (trans.)) – tutırt (cause to fill)

🔸Verbs of the third group can be both factitive and just transitive. For example:
qayt (return, go, come back) – qaytar (cause to return, return (trans.), give back)
utır (sit (down)) – utırt (cause to sit (down) OR plant)

▫️Reflexive verb stems ending in -n, -ın, -en taking a factitive suffix (mostly -dır, -der), become factitive or simple transitive verbs. In the latter case, they add a second factitive suffix (-t) to become factitive:

kiyen (dress oneself, get dressed) – kiyender (help to dress, dress (trans.)) – kiyendert (cause to dress)

▫️Reciprocal verb stems ending in -ş, -ış, -eş are converted into factitive verbs by joining the factitive suffix -tır, -ter to them.

oçraşu (to meet each other) – oçraştıru (to cause to meet each other, to bring together, to confront)

▫️The suffix -ş, -ış, -eş may in turn be joined to verb stems expanded by a factitive suffix.

art (increase (intrans.)) – arttır (make increase, raise) – arttırış (raise together)
peşer (cook, bake) – peşereş (cause to, help to cook, bake)

▫️Passive factitive verbs are formed by joining the passive suffix to the factitive stem:

yazdır (cause to write) – yazdırıl (cause to be written)

I know the latest post is quite long, but this form of verbs is extremely common in Tatar. To further motivate you to read it, if you haven’t yet, and to help you test your knowledge, I have prepared a test for you:

There is a team ready to work on a Tatar course in Russian and English on Duolingo. Please sign this petition 👇🏼

https://chng.it/9nLgt8zMQg

#tt_newbie
10 words: Winter holidays

qar – snow
qar babay – snowman
boz – ice
suwıq, salqın – cold
biyələy – glove, mitten
çırşı – spruce, christmas tree
peşerü – cooking, baking
şəm – candle
bəyrəm – holiday
Yaña Yıl – New Year

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#tt_intermediate
10 words: Winter

bizəklər – decorations
boz söñgese – icicle
qar börtege – snowflake
qar körte – snowdrift
buran – blizzard
kürkə – pine cone
çana – sleigh, sledge
çañgı şuwu – skiing
timerayaqta şuwu – ice skating
şuğalaq – ice rink

✨An extra word for you:
qışqı qoyaş torğınlığı – winter solstice

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#tt_culture
Did Tatars celebrate the New Year?

☃️ The celebration of the New Year’s Day on January 1st was not universally observed among the Tatars of the Volga and Ural regions due to the historical development of the region. The introduction of Islam and the Islamic calendar, known as Hijra, in the territory dates back to the 10th century. However, it was impractical for daily activities, leading the people to maintain the old calendar based on the animal cycle and the zodiac system, which better reflected natural changes.

Upon being conquered by Russia in the mid-16th century, the Tatars began to be influenced by the Christian calendar. While opinions differ on the exact adoption period, by the 19th century, it appears that at least some Tatars officially recognized January 1st as the New Year's Day.

Nevertheless, the widespread celebration and ritualization of this day did not occur, and the tradition of celebrating the New Year in March persisted among Kazan Tatars. Noqrat Tatars, however, particularly marked January 1st by sending boys to neighbors with wishes for prosperity, abundant harvests, and healthy livestock:

Yaña yılığız qotlı bulsın,
Aşlığığız yaxşı bulsın,
Başağı biş qarış bulsın.
Sıyırığız sötle bulsın,
Atığız köçle bulsın…

The New Year's Day was also associated with baking, and in various villages, Tatars prepared treats with wishes for a successful year. For example, qoymaq (pancakes), saying “yıllar tınıç bulsın” (may the year be peaceful). Qasıym and Mişər Tatars used to bake little unleavened dough balls. Kazan Tatars didn’t celebrate the 1st of January as the New Year’s day, but still didn’t leave the oven empty, baking some unleavened flatbread “təbikmək” and oatmeal bread with wishes for a prosperous year. It was called “taba ise çığaru” (letting out the pan’s smell).

The celebration of the New Year varied among Tatar subgroups, with some adhering to ancient customs and others incorporating Slavic and Finno-Ugric influences.
________________
Based on R. Urazmanova “Rites and holidays of Tatars of the Volga Region and Ural” (2001)

Barığıznıñ da 2024-nçe yılı bəxetle həm möbarək bulsın, monda buluwığız həm tatar tele belən qızıqsınuwığız öçen rəxmət yawsın! Min sezneñ öçen tağın bik küp tel həm mədəniyət turında kontent əzerlədem 🤍

I wish all of you a blissful and blessed 2024, and thank you for being here and your interest in Tatar! I have so much more language and culture content in store for you 🤍

#tt_newbie
Interrogative Pronouns

kem – who
nərsə, ni – what
qay, qaysı – which
nindi – what kind of
niçə – how many
küpme – how much
niçənçe – which one (number)
niçəşər – how many each
niçələp – approximately how many
niqәdər, niçaqlı, nixətle – how much
niçek – how, in what manner
nik, nigə – why
qayda – where
qaya – to where
qaydan, qayan – from where
qayçan – when

❔Let’s look at the pronouns in a dialog, where a nosy neighbor wants to know everything about your painting:

A: Səlam, kürşe! Nişlədeñ bügen?
B: Səlam! Rəsem yasıy idem.
A: Şəp! Nindi rəsem?
B: Tawlar həm qoyaş bayışı belәn peyzaj. Ker, əydə kürsətəm.
A: Rəxmət. Bik matur kilep çıqqan. Bu rəsemne yasar öçen niçə səğət kitte?
B: Öç səğət çaması waqıt kirək buldı.
A: Wow, bigrək tiz! Küpme buyaw qullandıñ?
B: Min berniçə törle tös qullandım, əmma küp tügel. Bəlki ike keçkenə tüb kitkәnder.
A: Qızıq! Sineñ yaratqan töseñ qaysısı?
B: Zəñgər tösmerlərne qullanırğa yaratam. Tınıçlandıralar mine.
A: Nigə bu yulı peyzaj sayladıñ?
B: Küptən tügel genә qılğan tawlarğa səyəxətem ilhamlandırdı.
A: Qaya bardıñ?
B: Alp tawlarına. Bu bik matur ide!
A: Şəp. Qayçan buldıñ?
B: Uzğan ay bardım. Hawa torışı səyəxət həm rəsem yasaw öçen bik yaxşı ide.
A: Minem də barasım kilə. Niçek barıp citteñ anda?
B: Duslarım belən maşinada yörep qayttım. Əmma poyezd belən də barıp bula.
A: Şulaymıni? Ə poyezd qaydan kitә?
B: Töp stansiyədən.
A: Ə-ə. Yarar, min sine bütən büldermim. Kürsətkəneñ öçen rəxmət! Əydə, uñışlar siña.
B: Rəxmət!
___________________________

A: Hi neighbor! What did you do today?
B: Hey! I was working on my painting.
A: That's cool! What kind of painting?
B: It's a landscape with mountains and a sunset. Come in, let me show you.
A: Thanks! It looks really nice. How many hours did it take you to paint it?
B: About three hours.
A: Wow, that's fast! How much paint did you use?
B: I used a few different colors, but not much. Maybe two small tubes.
A: Interesting! Which one is your favorite color to work with?
B: I really like using shades of blue. They calm me down.
A: And why did you choose a landscape this time?
B: I was inspired by a recent trip to the mountains.
A: Where did you go?
B: I went to the Alps. It was beautiful!
A: Cool. When did you go there?
B: I went last month. The weather was perfect for hiking and painting.
A: Nice! I'd love to go there too. How did you get there?
B: I drove with some friends. But you can also go by train.
A: Is that so? Where does it depart from?
B: From the main station.
A: Alright. I won't keep you from your painting any longer. Thanks for showing! Good luck.
B: Thanks!

#tt_beginner
Indefinite pronouns I

💬 Indefinite pronouns are formed by:

a) placing the particle əllə before the interrogative pronouns;

b) joining the suffix -dır, -der, -tır, -ter to the interrogative pronouns.

əllə kem – kemder
(somebody, someone)
əllə nərsə / əllə ni – nərsəder / nider
(something)
əllə nindi – nindider
(some kind of, something like)
əllə niçek – niçekter
(somehow, in some way)
əllə qayda – qaydadır
(somewhere, someplace)
etc.

ℹ️ Furthermore, the stress shifts towards the word əllə when it precedes an interrogative pronoun:

əllə´ nərsə – something (very vague)
əllə´ niçek – how, in what way (very vague)

💬 Teləsə (if he/she/it wishes) is combined with interrogative pronouns to form compound indefinite pronouns:

teləsə kem – anybody, whoever
teləsə nərsə – anything, whatever
teləsə niçek – anyhow
teləsə qaydan – from anywhere
teləsə qayçan – whenever

ℹ️ Compound indefinite pronouns formed with teləsə indicate that the action may be directed towards the person, place, or thing expressed by the pronouns, if the subject so desires.

Teləsə kem belən söyləşergə xaqım bar (İbrahim Ğəzi, “Onıtılmas yıllar”)
I have the right to talk with anybody I want.

💬 Combined with interrogative pronouns, da bulsa / bulsa da ("if it is") form compound indefinite pronouns:

kem də bulsa / kem bulsa da – anybody
nərsə də bulsa – anything
qayda da bulsa – anywhere
qayçan da bulsa – some time, one day (in the future), ever
nindi də bulsa – any (kind of)
niçek tə bulsa – somehow

Əllə berər cirdə, qayda da bulsa yıraqta, minem tiklerək enese barmı ikən? Əllə bik bala canlı keşeme? (Ğömər Bәşirov, “Tuğan yağım, yəşel bişek”)
Does she perhaps have at some place, somewhere far away, a younger brother who is a bit like me? Or is she a person who is very fond of children?

Cəmilə tirləde, qızardı, niçek bulsa da samovarnı ağartıp beterde. (Məcit Ğafuri, “Yarlılar”)
Cəmilə sweated, her face reddened; somehow she got the samovar clean.

#tt_intermediate
5 phrasal verbs

✅ xəl itü – to resolve, decide

Quramşinnıñ qalu-qalmaw məs’ələse, bəlki, əllə qayçan xəl itelgənder inde?!
(Şamil Bikçurin, “Tirən qatlam”)
The matter of whether or not Quramşin would stay had perhaps been already decided on sometime ago!

✅ qarar itü/birü – to decide, resolve

Bez iptəşlər belən söyləşep, tuynı irtəgə ük yasarğa qarar birdek. (Fətxi Burnaş, “Kamali qart”)
My friends and I talked, and we decided to have the wedding tomorrow already.

✅ (infinitive) bulu – to decide to do sth.

Yaña ay başına yartı təwlek qala ul da ... quzğalırğa buldı. (Nurixan Fəttax, “Sızğıra torğan uqlar”)
Half a day before the beginning of the new month, he, too … decided to set out.

✅ çara kürü – to take measures

Quldan kilgən barlıq çaranı kürergə ... kirək. (Kərim Əmiri, “Tañ waqıtı”)
All possible measures must be taken …

✅ köç quyu – to make effort

Söyekle şağirebez Ğabdulla Tuqaynıñ nəsel-nəsəben, qərdəş-ıruların öyrənügə Zəkiyə Rəsulova bik küp köç quydı. (Damir Ğarifullin, “Şəcərələr”)
Zakia Rasulova put a lot of effort into studying the genealogy and relatives of our beloved poet Ğabdulla Tuqay.

#tt_advanced
Tarix

We've already had a geography topic, now let’s move on to history. Here is some useful vocabulary for you to speak about history and politics in Tatar:

🤝 Social and political concepts:

hönərçelər – artisans
səwdəgərlər – merchants
xərbi – military

cenes – gender
səyəsət – politics
saylawlar – elections
xakimlek – authority

qanun çığaru xakimiyəte – legislative power
başqarma xakimiyət – executive power
mәxkәmә xakimiyəte – judicial power

təğlimat – doctrine
dəwlət – state
dəwlət başlığı – the head of state
xökümət – government
xökümət əğzaları – members of the government
ruxanilar – clergymen

cəmğiyət – society
möstəqillek – sovereignty
bəysezlek – independence

🐎 From Tatar history:

Böyek Bolğar ile – Great Bulgaria
Altın Urda – the Golden Horde
Qazan xanlığı – Kazan Khanate
Çirmeş suğışları – Chermesh wars, an uprising of the Chermesh (Mari) people against the policies of the Russian tsarist government after annexation to the Russian Empire. Other peoples of the Volga region participated in the uprising: Tatars, Khants and Mansi

qәbilə – tribe
qorıltay – kurultay (a political and military council of ancient Mongol and Turkic chiefs and khans)
çəçək atu dəwere – prosperity, golden age
səwdə kileşüwe – trade agreement

xəlitkeç suğış – deciding battle
məçetlər cimerü – destruction of mosques
massaküləm açlıq – mass starvation
basıp alu – to conquer
alınu – conquest
höcüm itü – to attack
tar-mar itü – to smash (an enemy)
buysındıru – to subdue
idarə itü – to rule

nigezləw – to found
… şəhərenə nigez salınu – founding of the city of …
barlıqqa kilü – to emerge

fetnə – rebellion
cirle xalıqlar küterəleşe – uprising of local peoples
imperiyə tarqaluwı – collapse of an empire
dekoloniyəlism – decolonialism

Do you have more vocabulary to add to the list? Leave your suggestions in the comments!

#tt_culture
The History of Tatars I: the Volga Bulgaria

📚 This post has been months in making. It is my attempt at summing up 1500+ pages of the first two volumes of “The History of the Tatars” by the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan. These cover ancient times and Volga Bulgaria, and there are 5 more volumes (from the Golden Horde to modern times).

Where do Tatars originate from? Why and when did they adopt Islam and how did it influence them socially and culturally?

If you don’t have the energy or time to read the original, I hope you find a quiet evening in your busy life to make yourself a warm cup of tea and just enjoy reading this summary, it’s worth it! And please let me know if you’re interested in me retelling the other volumes in the future 🤍

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Öy – Home (part 1)

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