EntranceThe history of the origin of the Buryats dates back to ancient times. Buryat people Buryat groups
The culture and religion of the Buryats are a synthesis of Eastern and European traditions. On the territory of the Republic of Buryatia you can find Orthodox monasteries and Buddhist temples, as well as attend shamanic rituals. The Buryats are a colorful people with an interesting history that developed on the shores of the majestic Lake Baikal. Religion will be discussed in our article.
Who are the Buryats?
This ethnic group lives on the territory of the Russian Federation, Mongolia and China. More than half of the total number of Buryats live in Russia: in the Republic of Buryatia, in the Irkutsk region (Ust-Ordynsky district), Trans-Baikal Territory (Aginsky district). They are also found in other areas of the country, but in smaller numbers. The Buryats are the oldest people of the Baikal region. Modern genetic analyzes have shown that their closest relatives are Koreans.
According to one version, the name of the people comes from the Mongolian word “bul”, meaning “hunter”, “forest man”. This is what the ancient Mongols called all the tribes that lived on the shores of Lake Baikal. For a long time, the Buryats were under the influence of their closest neighbors and paid them taxes for 450 years. The proximity to Mongolia contributed to the spread of Buddhism in Buryatia.
History of the origin of the nationality
The Buryats originated from various Mongolian tribes and at the beginning of their formation (XVI-XVII centuries) consisted of several clan groups. A new impetus for the development of the ethnic group came with the arrival of the first Russian settlers in Eastern Siberia. With the annexation of the Baikal lands to the Russian state in the middle of the 16th century, part of the Buryats moved to Mongolia. Later, the reverse process occurred, and before the beginning of the 18th century they returned to their native lands. Existence under Russian statehood led to the fact that Buryat tribes and groups began to unite through social and cultural interaction. This led to the formation of a new ethnic group at the end of the 19th century. The independent statehood of the Buryats (Buryat-Mongolia) began to take shape in the first half of the 20th century. In 1992, the Republic of Buryatia was formed as part of the Russian Federation, and Ulan-Ude became its capital.
Beliefs
The Buryats were under the influence of Mongolian tribes for a long time, then a period of Russian statehood followed. This could not but affect the religion of the Buryats. Like many Mongolian tribes, the Buryats were originally adherents of shamanism. Other terms are also used for this set of beliefs: Tengrism, pantheism. And the Mongols called it “hara shashyn”, which means “black faith”. At the end of the 16th century, Buddhism became widespread in Buryatia. And from the middle of the 18th century, Christianity began to actively develop. Today, these three Buryat religions coexist harmoniously on the same territory.
Shamanism
The local people have always had a special relationship with nature, which is reflected in their ancient faith - shamanism. They revered the Eternal Blue Sky (Huhe Munhe Tengri), which was considered the supreme deity. Nature and natural forces were considered spiritual. Shamanic rituals were performed at certain objects in the open air to achieve unity between man and the forces of water, earth, fire and air. Tailagans (ritual festivals) were held in areas close to Lake Baikal in especially revered places. Through sacrifices and observance of certain rules and traditions, the Buryats influenced spirits and gods.
Shamans were a special caste in the social hierarchy of the ancient Buryats. They combined the skills of a healer, a psychologist who manipulates consciousness, and a storyteller. Only someone with shamanic roots could become one. The rituals made a strong impression on the spectators, who gathered up to several thousand. With the spread of Buddhism and Christianity, shamanism in Buryatia began to be oppressed. But this ancient belief, which underlies the worldview of the Buryat people, could not be completely destroyed. Many traditions of shamanism have survived and survived to this day. Spiritual monuments of that period, in particular sacred places, are an important part of the cultural heritage of the Buryat people.
Buddhism
Residents of the western coast of Lake Baikal remained adherents of this religion, while the Buryats living on the eastern coast turned to Buddhism under the influence of their Mongol neighbors.
In the 17th century, Lamaism, one of the forms of Buddhism, penetrates from Tibet through Mongolia to Buryatia. As the name suggests, lamas play a large role in this religious movement. They were revered as teachers and guides on the path to enlightenment. This new religion for the Buryats is characterized by a special pomp of ceremonies. The rituals are carried out according to strict rules. A striking example is the tsam-khural ritual. This theatrical rite of worship included the performance of sacred dances and the performance of pantomimes.
The devotion to shamanism among the Buryats was so great that even into Lamaism they introduced such attributes of ancient beliefs as the spiritualization of natural forces and the veneration of the guardian spirits of the clan (Ezhins). Along with Buddhism, the culture of Tibet and Mongolia comes to Buryatia. More than 100 Tibetan and Mongolian lamas arrived in Transbaikalia, and datsans (Buddhist monasteries) began to open. Schools functioned under the datsans, books were published, and applied arts developed. They were also unique universities that trained future clergy.
The year 1741 is considered a turning point in the history of the formation of Buddhism as a Buryat religion. Empress Ekaterina Petrovna signed a decree recognizing Lamaism as one of the official religions in Russia. A staff of 150 lamas was officially approved, which was exempt from taxes. And datsans became the center of development of Tibetan philosophy, medicine and literature in Buryatia.
For almost two centuries, Lamaism has been actively developing, gaining more and more followers. After the revolution of 1917, when the Bolsheviks came to power, a period of decline in the Buryat Buddhist tradition began. The datsans were closed and destroyed, and the lamas were repressed. It was only in the 1990s that the revival of Buddhism began. 10 new datsans were built. However, back in 1947, not far from Ulan-Ude, Aginsky was founded and started working again.
Now the Republic of Buryatia is the center. In the Egituisky datsan there is a Buddha statue made of sandalwood. A room was even built for her, in which a certain microclimate is maintained.
Buddhist temples and monasteries
The Buryats were nomads. They, like many Turkic tribes, lived in yurts. Therefore, initially they did not have permanent temples. The datsans were located in yurts, equipped in a special way, and “roamed” together with the lamas. The first permanent temple, the Tamchansky datsan, was built at the end of the 16th century. Monasteries are divided into several categories:
- Dugan is a monastery temple, the name comes from the Tibetan word meaning “meeting hall”.
- Datsan means “monastery” among the Buryats, and in Tibet this was the name given to educational faculties at a large monastery.
- Khurul is the name given to all Buddhist temples of Kalmyks and Tuvans. The name comes from the Mongolian "khural", which means "assembly".
The architecture of Buddhist monasteries and temples in Buryatia is interesting, in which 3 styles can be traced:
- Mongolian style - represented by buildings reminiscent of yurts and tents. The first churches were mobile and located in temporary structures. Stationary temples were first built in the form of hexagonal or dodecagonal buildings, and then became square. The roofs were made in a shape resembling the top of a tent.
- Tibetan style - characteristic of early Buddhist temples. The architecture is represented by rectangular structures with white walls and a flat roof. Temples made in a purely Tibetan style are rare.
- Chinese style - involves luxurious decoration, one-story buildings and gable roofs made of tiles.
Many churches were built in a mixed style, for example, the Aginsky Datsan.
Ivolginsky Monastery
This datsan was founded in 1947, 40 km from Ulan-Ude. It served as the residence of the Spiritual Administration of Buddhists of Russia. In the datsan there is a sacred statue of Buddha and the throne of the 14th Dalai Lama. Every year large khurals are held in the temple. At the beginning of spring, the New Year is celebrated according to the eastern calendar, and in the summer - the Maidari holiday.
The Ivolginsky temple is famous for the fact that Lama Itigelov is kept there. According to legend, in 1927 the lama bequeathed to his students to examine his body after 75 years, then sat down in meditation and went into nirvana. He was buried in the same position in a cedar cube. According to the will, in 2002 the cube was opened and the body was examined. It was in unchanged condition. The appropriate ceremonies and ritual actions were carried out, and the incorrupt body of Lama Itigelov was transferred to the Ivolginsky datsan.
Aginsky Monastery
This Buddhist datsan was built in 1816 and lit by Lama Rinchen. The complex consists of a main temple and 7 small sumes. The Aginsky datsan is famous for the fact that from the moment of its foundation Maani Khural (worship of the Bodhisattva Arya Bala) was performed there 4 times every day. The monastery published books on philosophy, medicine, logic, astronomy and astrology. At the end of the 1930s, the temple was closed, some buildings were partially destroyed, and some were occupied for military and secular needs. In 1946, the Aginsky Monastery was reopened and is still in operation.
Gusinoozersky Monastery
Another name is Tamchinsky datsan. Initially it was not stationary, but was located in a large yurt. In the middle of the 18th century, the first temple was built on a permanent site. And almost 100 years later, the monastery complex already consisted of 17 churches. From the beginning of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, it was the main monastery of Buryatia, which at that time was called Buryat-Mongolia. 500 lamas lived there permanently, and another 400 were visiting. With the Bolsheviks coming to power, the datsan was abolished, like many other religious sites. Its buildings were occupied for the needs of the state. There was a prison for political prisoners there. At the end of the 50s of the 20th century, the Gusinoozersky datsan was recognized as an architectural monument and work began on its restoration. The temple opened its doors to believers again in 1990. In the same year it was consecrated.
The datsan houses a monument of high historical and cultural value. This is the so-called “deer stone”, the age of which, according to archaeologists, is 3.5 thousand years. This stone got its name because of the images of racing deer that are carved on it.
Christianity
In 1721, the Irkutsk diocese was created, from which the spread of Orthodoxy in the Baikal region began. Missionary activity achieved particular success among the Western Buryats. Holidays such as Easter, Christmas, Elijah's Day, etc. became widespread there. The active promotion of Orthodoxy in Buryatia was hampered by the local population's commitment to shamanism and developing Buddhism.
The Russian government used Orthodoxy as a way to influence the worldview of the Buryats. At the end of the 17th century, construction began on the Posolsky Monastery (pictured above), which helped strengthen the position of the Christian mission. Methods of attracting followers were also used, such as tax exemption in case of adoption of the Orthodox faith. Interethnic marriages between Russians and the indigenous population were encouraged. By the beginning of the 20th century, about 10% of the total number of Buryats were mestizos.
All these efforts led to the fact that by the end of the 20th century there were 85 thousand Orthodox Buryats. Then came the revolution of 1917, and the Christian mission was liquidated. Active church leaders were shot or exiled to camps. After the end of World War II, the revival of some churches began. And official recognition of the Orthodox Church occurred only in 1994.
Selenginsky Trinity Monastery
The opening of temples and monasteries has always been an important event in the strengthening of Christianity. In 1680, by decree of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, it was ordered to build a monastery on the shore and make it the center of the Orthodox mission in the region. The new monastery received support in the form of government funds, as well as money, books, utensils and clothing from the king and the nobility. The Holy Trinity Selenginsky Monastery owned lands, fishing grounds, and estates. People began to settle around the monastery.
As planned, the monastery became the center of the Orthodox faith and way of life in Transbaikalia. The monastery was revered among the population of nearby villages because it housed the icon of the wonderworker Nicholas of Myra. The monastery was visited by prominent religious, political and government figures. The monastery housed an extensive library of 105 books for those times.
In 1921, the Holy Trinity Selenga Monastery was closed. Its buildings were occupied by an orphanage for some time, and from 1929 to 1932 the monastery was empty. Then a pioneer sanatorium operated here, and later a special children's colony. During this time, many of the monastery buildings lost their former appearance, some were destroyed. Only since 1998 the monastery began to be revived.
Old Believers
In the middle of the 17th century, church reform began in Rus'. Rituals changed, but not everyone was ready for these changes, which led to a split in the church. Those who disagreed with the new reforms were persecuted, and they were forced to flee to the outskirts of the country and beyond its borders. This is how the Old Believers appeared, and its followers were called Old Believers. They hid in the Urals, Turkey, Romania, Poland and Transbaikalia, where the Buryats lived. Old Believers settled in large families mainly in the south of Transbaikalia. There they cultivated the land and built houses and churches. There were up to 50 such settlements, 30 of which still exist.
Buryatia is an original, colorful region with beautiful nature and rich history. The enchanting clear waters of Baikal, Buddhist temples and sacred places of shamans attract people who want to plunge into the natural and spiritual atmosphere of the region.
A nation of Mongolian origin living in the territory of Transbaikalia, Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia. In total, there are about 690 thousand people of this ethnic group according to the results of the latest population census. The Buryat language is an independent branch of one of the Mongolian dialects.
Buryats, history of the people
Ancient times
Since ancient times, the Buryats have lived in the area around Lake Baikal. The first written mention of this branch can be found in the famous “Secret History of the Mongols,” a literary monument of the early thirteenth century that describes the life and exploits of Genghis Khan. The Buryats are mentioned in this chronicle as a forest people who submitted to the power of Jochi, the son of Genghis Khan.
At the beginning of the thirteenth century, Temujin created a conglomerate of the main tribes of Mongolia, covering a significant territory, including Cisbaikalia and Transbaikalia. It was during these times that the Buryat people began to take shape. Many tribes and ethnic groups of nomads constantly moved from place to place, mixing with each other. Thanks to such a turbulent life of nomadic peoples, it is still difficult for scientists to accurately determine the true ancestors of the Buryats.
As the Buryats themselves believe, the history of the people originates from the northern Mongols. And indeed, for some time, nomadic tribes moved north under the leadership of Genghis Khan, displacing the local population and partially mixing with them. As a result, two branches of the modern type of Buryats were formed, the Buryat-Mongols (northern part) and the Mongol-Buryats (southern part). They differed in type of appearance (the predominance of Buryat or Mongolian types) and dialect.
Like all nomads, the Buryats were shamanists for a long time - they revered the spirits of nature and all living things, had an extensive pantheon of various deities and performed shamanic rituals and sacrifices. In the 16th century, Buddhism began to rapidly spread among the Mongols, and a century later, most Buryats abandoned their indigenous religion.
Joining Russia
In the seventeenth century, the Russian State completed the development of Siberia, and here sources of domestic origin mention the Buryats, who for a long time resisted the establishment of the new government, raiding forts and fortifications. The subjugation of this numerous and warlike people occurred slowly and painfully, but in the middle of the eighteenth century, the entire Transbaikalia was developed and recognized as part of the Russian state.
Life of the Buryats yesterday and today.
The basis of the economic activity of the semi-sedentary Buryats was semi-nomadic cattle breeding. They successfully bred horses, camels and goats, and sometimes cows and sheep. Among the crafts, fishing and hunting were especially developed, as among all nomadic peoples. All livestock by-products were processed - sinews, bones, skins and wool. They were used to make utensils, jewelry, toys, and sew clothes and shoes.
Buryats have mastered many methods of processing meat and milk. They could produce shelf-stable products suitable for use on long journeys.
Before the arrival of the Russians, the main dwellings of the Buryats were felt yurts, six or eight walls, with a strong folding frame that made it possible to quickly move the structure as needed.
The way of life of the Buryats in our time is, of course, different from before. With the advent of the Russian World, the traditional yurts of nomads were replaced by log buildings, tools were improved, and agriculture spread.
Modern Buryats, having lived side by side with Russians for more than three centuries, have managed to preserve the richest cultural heritage and national flavor in their everyday life and culture.
Buryat traditions
The classical traditions of the Buryat ethnic group have been passed down from generation to generation for many centuries in a row. They were formed under the influence of certain needs of the social structure, improved and changed under the influence of modern trends, but kept their basis unchanged.
Those wishing to appreciate the national color of the Buryats should visit one of the many holidays, such as Surkharban. All Buryat holidays - big and small - are accompanied by dancing and fun, including constant competitions in dexterity and strength among men. The main holiday of the year among the Buryats is Sagaalgan, the ethnic New Year, preparations for which begin long before the celebration itself.
Buryat traditions in the area of family values are most significant for them. Blood ties are very important for this people, and ancestors are revered. Every Buryat can easily name all of his ancestors up to the seventh generation on his father’s side.
The role of men and women in Buryat society
The dominant role in the Buryat family has always been occupied by a male hunter. The birth of a boy was considered the greatest happiness, because a man is the basis of the material well-being of the family. From childhood, boys were taught to stay firmly in the saddle and care for horses. The Buryat man learned the basics of hunting, fishing and blacksmithing from an early age. He had to be able to shoot accurately, draw a bowstring and at the same time be a deft fighter.
The girls were raised in the traditions of tribal patriarchy. They had to help their elders with housework and learn sewing and weaving. A Buryat woman could not call her husband’s older relatives by name and sit in their presence. She was also not allowed to attend tribal councils; she had no right to pass by the idols hanging on the wall of the yurt.
Regardless of gender, all children were raised in harmony with the spirits of living and inanimate nature. Knowledge of national history, reverence for elders and the unquestioned authority of Buddhist sages is the moral basis for young Buryats, unchanged to this day.
Greetings, dear readers.
There are three Buddhist republics in our country - Buryatia, Kalmykia and Tuva. However, the Buryats and Kalmyks have relatives - the Mongols.
We know that the bulk of the Buryat population is concentrated in Russia. To this day, debates continue about how the Buryats differ from the Mongols and how similar they are to each other. Some say that these are the same people. Others tend to believe that there is a big difference between them.
Maybe both are true? Let's try to figure it out! And first, of course, let's go back to the origins.
Origins of the Mongol peoples
Previously, the territory of present-day Mongolia was forested and swampy, and meadows and steppes could be found on the plateaus. Studies of the remains of ancient people have shown that they lived here about 850 thousand years ago.
In the 4th century BC. e. The Huns appeared. They chose the steppes near the Gobi Desert. A few decades later they began to fight with the Chinese, and in 202 BC. e. created the first empire.
The Huns reigned supreme until 93 AD. e. Then Mongolian, Kyrgyz, Turkic, and Uyghur khanates began to appear.
The emergence of the Mongol Empire
The tribes repeatedly tried to unite into a common state. Finally they succeeded, although only partially. Education, in essence, represented a tribal union. It went down in history under the name Khamag Mongol.
Its first leader was Khaidu Khan. The tribes that were part of the state were distinguished by belligerence and often entered into fights with their neighbors, in particular with residents of the regions of the Jin Empire. In case of victory, they demanded tribute from them.
Yesugey baatar, the father of the future legendary ruler of Mongolia, Genghis Khan (Temuzhina), also took part in the battles. He fought until he fell at the hands of the Turks.
Temujin himself, at the very beginning of his path to power, enlisted the support of Wang Khan, the ruler of the Kereits in Central Mongolia. Over time, the army of supporters grew, which allowed the future Genghis Khan to take active action.
As a result, he became the head of the most significant tribes of Mongolia:
- Naimanov (in the west);
- Tatars (in the east);
- Kereitov (in the center).
This allowed him to receive the title of Supreme Khan, to whom all Mongols submitted. The corresponding decision was made at the kurultai - a congress of the Mongolian nobility. From that moment on, Temujin began to be called Genghis Khan.
The ruler stood at the helm of the state for more than two decades, conducted military campaigns and thereby expanded its borders. But soon the power began to slowly disintegrate due to the diversity of cultures of the conquered lands.
Now let's turn to the history of the Buryats.
Formation of the Buryat ethnic group and culture
Most researchers are inclined to think that the current Buryats come from different Mongol-speaking groups. Their original homeland is considered to be the northern part of the Khanate of Altan Khans, which existed from the end of the 16th to the beginning of the 17th century.
Representatives of this people belonged to several tribal groups. The largest of them:
- bulagats;
- hongodor;
- Khorin people;
- ehirites.
Almost all of the listed groups were under the strong influence of the Khalkha-Mongol khans. The situation began to change after the Russians began to explore Eastern Siberia.
The number of settlers from the West constantly increased, which ultimately led to the annexation of the coastal Baikal territories to Russia. After joining the empire, groups and tribes began to get closer to each other.
This process seemed natural from the point of view that they all had common historical roots and spoke dialects similar to each other. As a result, not only a cultural but also an economic community was formed. In other words, an ethnic group that was finally formed by the end of the 19th century.
The Buryats were engaged in raising livestock, hunting animals and fishing. That is, traditional crafts. At the same time, sedentary representatives of this nation began to cultivate the land. These were mainly residents of the Irkutsk province and the western territories of Transbaikalia.
Joining the Russian Empire also affected the Buryat culture. From the beginning of the 19th century, schools began to appear, and over time a layer of local intelligentsia emerged.
Religious preferences
The Buryats are adherents of shamanism and what makes them similar to the Mongols. Shamanism is the earliest religious form, called “hara shazhan” (black faith). The word “black” here personifies the mystery, unknown and infinity of the Universe.
Then Buddhism, which came from Tibet, spread among the people. This is about . This was already “shara shazhan”, that is, yellow faith. The color yellow here is considered sacred and symbolizes the earth as the primary element. Also in Buddhism, yellow means jewel, higher intelligence and exit from.
The Gelug teachings partially absorbed the beliefs that existed before the advent. High-ranking officials of the Russian Empire did not object to this. On the contrary, they recognized Buddhism as one of the official religious movements in the state.
It is interesting that shamanism is more widespread in Buryatia than in the Mongolian People's Republic.
Now Mongolia continues to demonstrate its commitment to Tibetan Gelug Buddhism, slightly adjusting it to suit local characteristics. There are also Christians in the country, but their number is insignificant (a little more than two percent).
At the same time, many historians are inclined to believe that at present it is religion that acts as the main connecting link between the Buryats and the Mongols.
Separate nationality or not
In fact, this formulation of the question is not entirely correct. The Buryats can be considered as representatives of the Mongolian people, speaking their own dialect. At the same time, in Russia, for example, they are not identified with the Mongols. Here they are considered a nationality, which has certain similarities and differences from citizens of the Mongolian People's Republic.
On a note. In Mongolia, the Buryats are recognized as one of their own, classified among various ethnic groups. They do the same in China, indicating them in the official census as Mongols.
Where the name itself came from is still not clear. There are several versions on this matter. According to the main ones, the term can come from the following words:
- Storms (in Turkic - wolf).
- Bar – mighty or tiger.
- Storms are thickets.
- Burikha - to evade.
- Brother. Written evidence has reached our times that during the Middle Ages in Rus' the Buryats were called fraternal people.
However, none of these hypotheses has a solid scientific basis.
Difference in mentality
Buryats who have visited Mongolia admit that they are different from the local residents. On the one hand, they agree that they belong to the common Mongolian family and act as representatives of one people. On the other hand, they understand that they are, after all, different people.
Over the years of close communication with Russians, they became imbued with a different culture, partially forgot about their heritage and became noticeably Russified.
The Mongols themselves do not understand how this could happen. Sometimes they may act dismissively when interacting with visiting brothers. At the everyday level, this does not happen often, but it still happens.
Also in Mongolia, they wonder why the majority of residents of Buryatia have forgotten their native language and ignore traditional culture. They do not accept the “Russian manner” of communicating with children, when parents, for example, can make loud comments to them in public.
This is what they do in Russia and Buryatia. But in Mongolia - no. In this country it is not customary to shout at small citizens. Children are allowed almost everything there. For the simple reason that they are minors.
But as for the diet, it is almost identical. Representatives of the same people living on opposite sides of the border are mainly engaged in cattle breeding.
For this reason, as well as due to climatic conditions, their tables contain mainly meat and dairy products. Meat and milk are the basis of the cuisine. True, Buryats eat more fish than Mongols. But this is not surprising, because they extract it from Lake Baikal.
One can argue for a long time about how close the residents of Buryatia are to the citizens of Mongolia and whether they can consider themselves one nation. By the way, there is a very interesting opinion that by Mongols we mean those who live in the Mongolian People's Republic. There are Mongols from China, Russia and other countries. It’s just that in the Russian Federation they are called Buryats...
Conclusion
The portal today.mn published an interesting article about how many Mongols live in the world. According to Mongolian media:
Photo: choibalsan.mn
In Mongolia (Outer Mongolia) - 3 million
In Inner Mongolia (PRC) - 3 million
There are 30 million people with Mongolian roots living in India.
In Nepal - 10 million
Afghan Hazaras or Mingats - 5 million
Iranian Hazaras or Mingats - 1 million
Pakistani Hazaras or Mingats - 600 thousand
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China - 200 thousand (this is approximately 0.8% of the total population of China)
How many are drilling?
There are about 550 thousand ethnic Buryats around the world.
Russia (according to the 2010 All-Russian Census) has a population of 461,389 people
Republic of Buryatia - 286,839
Irkutsk region - 77,667
Trans-Baikal Territory - 73,941
Buryats living in Mongolia - 45,087
Buryats living in China - 10,000
Mongols living near Khukhe-nuur (Kukunur) - approx. 200 thousand
The Dongxiang people (live on the territory of the People's Republic of China) are the descendants of the great army of Genghis Khan who remained in the conquered lands. In 1227, Genghis Khan set out on his last campaign against the Tangut state. During the campaign, the great commander decided to leave his wounded soldiers on the banks of the Khatan River. These are today's Dongxiang, the descendants of those remaining wounded soldiers. Today the number of small people is 541 thousand people. The language belongs to the Mongolian dialect of the Altai language family.
In the Gansu province of the People's Republic of China, at the heights of Hiliangshan, live the so-called tsastyn - “mountain” Khalkha. These are migrants who migrated from the western aimags of Mongolia after 1910. Their number today amounts to about 4,000 people.
Also, Tatars or descendants of the Khan of the state of Ikh Nirun live all over the world. The exact number has not been established.
Tuvans live in 17 khoshuns in Russia. Number is 310,460
69 thousand representatives of the Mongolian nation live in the Altai Territory.
Republic of Kalmykia - 183,372 people (according to the 2010 All-Russian Census).
There is also a large Kalmyk diaspora living in the United States. The history of their resettlement can be found in this video.
Thus, Mongolian tribes are settled in almost all corners of the world. There are other small nationalities that are not included in the list.
This scatter occurred due to several circumstances:
Division of the already existing borders of the once united Mongolian state
Some conquerors remained in the places where they were born during the great conquests
These are mainly descendants of the khan's families of governors, generals and warriors
Relocation for various historical, geopolitical and other reasons
Photo: today.mn
In other words, Mongol-speaking tribes and nationalities live on an area of 33 million square meters from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. In total, the Mongolian world has about 55 million people.
Buryats (self-name - Buryaad, Buryaaduud)
A look from the past
“Description of all the living peoples in the Russian state” 1772-1776:
The Buryats and Tungus worship the sun, moon, fire, etc. as lower deities. They also have various idols of both sexes, which they recognize as household gods - this is similar to the primitive religion of all Siberian peoples. Lamas, who are also doctors, although they do not heal with anything other than spells, form a special hierarchy and are subordinate in Transbaikalia to the Supreme Lama (in Russian, Lord Lamaite). The Buryats have no holidays in the proper sense of the word; the only solemn day they celebrate is the beginning of summer. Lamaism was brought to the Buryats by the Mongols, who in 1689 accepted Russian citizenship, and in 1764 the Supreme Lama of Transbaikalia became independent.
"Peoples of Russia. Ethnographic essays" (publication of the magazine "Nature and People"), 1879-1880:
Buryats, like the Mongols, have a brown-bronze skin color, a wide and flat face. the nose is small and flattened; their eyes are small, slanted, mostly black, their ears are large and set far from the head; mouth is large; sparse beard; the hair on the head is black. Those belonging to the clergy cut their hair on the front of their heads, and wear a braid at the back, into which, for greater thickness, horse hair is often woven. Buryats are of medium or small height, but strongly built.
Khamnigans are a Buryat subethnic group formed with the participation of Tungus tribes.
The character of the Buryats is characterized by secrecy. They are usually peace-loving and gentle, but angry and vindictive when insulted. They are compassionate towards their relatives and will never refuse to help the poor. Despite the outward rudeness, love for one's neighbor, honesty and justice are highly developed among the Buryats; and although this is often limited only to the boundaries of their family and clan community, there are also individuals among them in whom these wonderful qualities extend to all people without exception, no matter what nation they belong to.
According to their way of life, Buryats are divided into sedentary and nomadic. Sedentary Buryats make up no more than 10%. They have adopted many Russian customs and differ little from them in their way of life. Nomads live differently. 
The Buryats adhere to a primitive tribal community. Groups of octagonal-round yurts are scattered across the wide steppe like oases. There are fences all around, and in the fences there are yurts, barns and various other buildings. Each ulus usually consists of several low pole fences, representing the appearance of a circle. In each such enclosure there are one, two, three or more yurts with different outbuildings. In one of these yurts lives the eldest in a Buryat family, an old man with an old woman, sometimes with some orphan relatives. In another nearby yurt the son of this old man lives with his wife and children. If the old man also has married sons, then they also live in special yurts, but all in the same common fence, on both sides of the father’s yurt. This entire family circle has arable land, meadows, livestock - everything is common. All members of the fence work together. Sometimes they even have lunch together. Whenever there is a gathering of guests, everyone participates like one family.
The only wealth of the Buryats is cattle breeding. Herds consisting of cows, horses and sheep, both in summer and winter, graze across the steppe. Only young cattle stay in yurts with their owners during the harsh seasons. The Buryats have almost no pigs and poultry, for which it would be necessary to prepare winter supplies.
The Transbaikal Buryats rarely engage in agriculture, but if they have small plots, they irrigate them artificially, which is why they get good harvests, while the Russians often complain about crop failures due to drought. The Buryats on this side of Lake Baikal do a lot of farming, which they learned from the Russians.
Men look after grazing livestock, build yurts and make household supplies - arrows, bows, saddles and other parts of horse harness. They are skilled blacksmiths, finishing the metals themselves in small hand furnaces and quite smartly using them to remove horse harnesses. Women are engaged in making felt, tanning leather, weaving ropes from horse hair, making threads from sinew, cutting and sewing all kinds of clothes for themselves and their husbands, and skillfully embroidering patterns on clothes and shoes.
The situation of Buryat women is the saddest: in the family she is purely a working animal, so healthy ones are rare among them. A wrinkled face, bony hands, an awkward gait, a dull expression in her eyes and braids hanging in dirty lashes - this is her usual appearance. But girls enjoy special love, honor, gifts and are sung in songs.
The dwellings of most Buryats consist of felt yurts. They range from 15 to 25 feet across and are most often pointed in shape. These yurts are made of poles stuck into the ground, the ends of which meet at the top. The poles are covered inside with several rows of felt. At the top there is a hole for smoke, which can be closed with a lid. The entrance to the yurt, a narrow wooden door, always faces south. The floor of this dwelling consists of earth cleared of grass. In the middle of the yurt, under the smoke hole, there is a hearth, usually consisting of a rectangular wooden box lined with clay inside. Along the walls there is a raised platform on which the inhabitants of the yurt sleep and there are various household items, chests and cabinets. There is always a small sacrificial table on which they place an image of the gods, sacrificial vessels, and incense candles. 
The original religion of the Buryats is shamanism, belief in spirits called “ongons” who rule over the elements, mountains, rivers and protect people. Buryat shamanists believe that shamans achieve knowledge of the secrets of ongons and can predict the fate of each person. At the end of the 17th century. Transbaikal Buryats adopted Buddhism; Some of the Buryats living on this side of Lake Baikal remained faithful to shamanism.
In addition to their pagan holidays, the Buryats celebrate St. the Wonderworker Nicholas with no less solemnity, because this saint is deeply revered. Buryats especially honor St. Nicholas on the days of memory of this saint on December 6 and May 9.
After the festive service, the festivities begin, during which the burner flows like a river. Buryats, almost with their mother's milk, absorb the passion for vodka and are ready to drink it at any time, and on a day like St. Nicholas, they even consider it a sin for themselves not to drink an extra cup of araki. Buryats drink not from glasses, but from red wooden Chinese cups that look like saucers. This cup can hold from 3 to 5 of our glasses. A cup of Buryat is always drained in two gulps. Since St. Nicholas is honored by both Russians and Buryats, and the celebration in honor of this saint is common. As for drinking vodka, a Russian collapses from four cups, but a Buryat, who has consumed twice as much vodka, never does, and no matter how drunk he is, he has a hard time getting to his horse, on which he is fearlessly swinging from side to side. side, but without losing balance, he rushes to his yurts, where after a few hours a glorious feast begins. This is how the feast of St. Nicholas by Buryat Lamaists.
Modern sources
Buryats are the people, the indigenous population of the Republic of Buryatia, Irkutsk region and Trans-Baikal region of Russia.
There is a division along ethno-territorial grounds:
Aginskys,
Alarskie,
Balaganskie
Barguzinsky,
Bokhansky,
Verkholensky,
Zakamensky
Idinsky
Kudarinsky
Kudinsky
Kitoiskie
Nukutsk,
Okinsky
Osinsky,
Olkhonsky,
Tunkinsky,
Nizhneudinsk,
Khorinsky,
Selenginsky and others.
Some Buryat ethnic groups are still divided into clans and tribes.
Number and settlement
By the middle of the 17th century, the total number of Buryats was, according to various estimates, from 77 thousand to more than 300 thousand people.
In 1897, on the territory of the Russian Empire, 288,663 people indicated Buryat as their native language.
Currently, the number of Buryats is estimated at 620 thousand people, including:
In the Russian Federation - 461,389 people. (2010 census).
In Russia, Buryats live mainly in the Republic of Buryatia (286.8 thousand people), Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug (54 thousand) and other areas of the Irkutsk region, Aginsky Buryat Okrug (45 thousand) and other areas of the Trans-Baikal Territory.
In northern Mongolia - 80 thousand, according to 1998 data; 45,087 people, 2010 census.
Most Buryats in Mongolia live in the aimags of Khuvsgel, Khentii, Dornod, Bulgan, Selenge and the city of Ulaanbaatar.
In the northeast of China (Shenehen Buryats, mainly in the Shenehen area, Hulun Buir district, Inner Mongolia - about 7 thousand people) and Barguts: (old) Khuuchin barga and (new) Shine barga.
A certain number of Buryats (from two to 4 thousand people in each country) live in the USA, Kazakhstan, Canada, and Germany.
Number according to All-Union and All-Russian censuses (1926-2010)
|
USSR |
Census |
Census |
Census |
Census |
Census |
Census |
Census |
Census |
|
237 501 |
↘224 719 |
↗252 959 |
↗314 671 |
↗352 646 |
↗421 380 |
|||
|
RSFSR/Russian Federation |
237 494 |
↘220 654 |
↗251 504 |
↗312 847 |
↗349 760 |
↗417 425 |
↗445 175 |
↗461 389 |
Origin of the ethnonym “Buryat”
The origin of the ethnonym “Buryaad” remains largely controversial and not fully understood.
It is believed that the ethnonym “Buryat” (Buriyat) was first mentioned in the “Secret History of the Mongols” (1240).
The second mention of this term appears only at the end of the 19th century. The etymology of the ethnonym has several versions:
From the word burikha - to evade.
From the ethnonym Kurykan (Kurikan).
From the word bar - tiger, which is unlikely.
The assumption is based on the dialect form of the word buryaad - baryaad.
From the word storm - thickets.
From the Khakass word pyraat, which goes back to the term buri (Turkic) - wolf, or buri-ata - wolf-father, suggesting the totemic nature of the ethnonym, since many ancient Buryat clans revered the wolf as their ancestor.
In the Khakass language, the common Turkic sound b is pronounced as p.
Under this name, the Russian Cossacks became known to the ancestors of the Western Buryats, who lived to the east of the ancestors of the Khakass.
Subsequently, pyraat was transformed into the Russian brother and was transferred to the entire Mongol-speaking population within the Russian state (brothers, brotherly people, bratskie mungals) and then adopted by the Ekhirits, Bulagats, Hongodors and Khori-Buryats as a common self-name in the form of Buryaad.
From the expression buru halyadg - an outsider, looking to the side.
This option comes from the Kalmyk layer in the semantic concept, the same as burikha and halyadg (halmg) that applied specifically to them after their resettlement from Dzungaria.
From the words bu - gray-haired, in a figurative sense old, ancient and oirot - forest peoples, generally translated as ancient (indigenous) forest peoples.
Tribes participating in the ethnogenesis of the Buryats
Traditional Buryat tribes
Bulagati
Hongodora
Hori-Buryats
Ekhirites
Tribes that came from Mongolia
Sartuly
Tsongols
Tabanguts
Tribes of non-Mongol origin
Soyots
Hamnigans
Buryat language
Buryat-Mongolian language (self-name Buryaad-Mongol helen, since 1956 - Buryaad helen)
Belonging to the northern group of Mongolian languages.
The modern literary Buryat language was formed on the basis of the Khorinsky dialect of the Buryat language.
Dialects are distinguished:
Western (Ekhirit-Bulagat, Barguzin);
eastern (Khorinsky);
southern (Tsongolo-Sartulian);
intermediate (Khongodorsky);
Barga-Buryat (spoken by the Barguts of China).
The Nizhneudinsky and Onon-Khamnigan dialects stand apart.
In 1905, Lama Agvan Dorzhiev developed the Vagindra writing system.
Buddhist clergy and mentors of those times left behind a rich spiritual heritage of their own works, as well as translations on Buddhist philosophy, history, tantric practices and Tibetan medicine.
In most datsans of Buryatia there were printing houses that printed books using woodcut printing.
In 1923, with the formation of the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the “Buryat-Mongolian” language, which existed on the basis of the vertical Mongolian script of the Old Mongolian writing, was declared the official language.
In 1933, it was declared outlaw, but despite this, it still continued to officially bear the name Buryat-Mongolian.
In 1931-1938. The Buryat-Mongolian language was translated into Latin script.
The situation began to change in 1939 with the introduction of the Cyrillic alphabet, which highlighted the dialectical differences of the Buryats.
Only the colloquial form was adopted as the basis of the literary written language, in which all printed publications in the Buryat language were published in the subsequent period.
The Latin alphabet for the first time clearly showed the dialectal differences of the Buryats, but at the same time, the Buryat language, written in the Latin alphabet, still continued to retain its Mongolian basis of the language: vocabulary, grammatical rules, stylistics, etc.
Religion and Beliefs
For the Buryats, as for other Mongolian peoples, a set of beliefs is traditional, designated by the term Pantheism or Tengriism (Bur. Khara Shazhan - black faith).
According to some Buryat mythologies about the origin of the world, at first there was chaos, from which water was formed - the cradle of the world. 
A flower appeared from the water, and from the flower - a girl, a radiance emanated from her, which turned into the sun and the moon, dispelling the darkness.
This divine girl - a symbol of creative energy - created the earth and the first people: man and woman.
The highest deity is Huhe Munhe Tengri (Blue Eternal Sky), the embodiment of the masculine principle. Earth is feminine.
Gods live in the sky; during the time of their ruler Asarang Tengri, the inhabitants of heaven were united. After his departure, power began to be contested by Khurmasta and Ata Ulan.
As a result, no one won and the Tengris were divided into 55 Western good and 44 Eastern evil, continuing the eternal struggle among themselves.
Since the end of the 16th century, Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelugpa school (Bur. Shara Shazhan - yellow faith), which largely assimilated pre-Buddhist beliefs, became widespread.
A feature of the spread of Buddhism among the Buryats is the greater proportion of pantheistic beliefs compared to other Mongolian peoples who accepted the teachings of the Buddha.
In 1741, Buddhism was recognized as one of the official religions in Russia.
At the same time, the first Buryat permanent monastery was built - the Tamchinsky datsan.
The spread of writing and the development of science, literature, art and architecture are associated with the establishment of Buddhism in the region.
It became an important factor in shaping the way of life, national psychology and morality.
In the second half of the 19th century, the period of rapid flowering of Buryat Buddhism began.
Philosophical schools operated in datsans; Here they were engaged in book printing and various types of applied arts; Theology, science, translation and publishing, and fiction developed.
Tibetan medicine was widely practiced.
In 1914, there were 48 datsans with 16,000 lamas in Buryatia, but by the end of the 1930s the Buryat Buddhist community ceased to exist.
Only in 1946 were 2 datsans reopened: Ivolginsky and Aginsky.
The revival of Buddhism in Buryatia began in the second half of the 1980s.
More than two dozen old datsans have been restored, new ones have been founded, lamas are being trained in the Buddhist academies of Mongolia and Buryatia, and the institute of young novices at monasteries has been restored.
Buddhism became one of the factors of national consolidation and spiritual revival of the Buryats.
In the second half of the 1980s, the revival of Pantheism also began on the territory of the Republic of Buryatia.
Western Buryats living in the Irkutsk region positively perceived the trends of Buddhism.
However, for centuries, among the Buryats living in the Baikal region, pantheism remains a traditional religious movement, along with Orthodoxy.
The Orthodox include part of the Buryats in the Irkutsk region, whose ancestors were baptized Orthodox in the 18th-19th centuries.
Among the Buryats there are a small number of followers of Christianity or the Russian faith - the “shazhan race”.
The Irkutsk diocese, created in 1727, widely launched missionary activities.
Until 1842, the English spiritual mission in Transbaikalia operated in Selenginsk, which compiled the first translation of the Gospel into the Buryat language.
Christianization intensified in the 2nd half of the 19th century.
At the beginning of the 20th century, 41 missionary camps and dozens of missionary schools functioned in Buryatia.
Christianity achieved the greatest success among the Western Buryats.
This was manifested in the fact that Christian holidays became widespread among the Western Buryats: Christmas, Easter, Elijah’s Day, Christmastide, etc.
Despite superficial (sometimes violent) Christianization, Western Buryats, for the most part, remained pantheists, and Eastern Buryats remained Buddhists.
According to ethnographic studies, in relation to individuals, up to the 20th century, some Buryats (in the Ida and Balagan departments) practiced the rite of air burial.
Economic structure
The Buryats were divided into semi-sedentary and nomadic, governed by steppe dumas and foreign councils.
The primary economic basis consisted of the family, then interests flowed into the closest relatives (bule zone), then the economic interests of the “small homeland” in which the Buryats lived (nyutag) were considered, then there were tribal and other global interests.
The basis of the economy was cattle breeding, semi-nomadic among the western tribes and nomadic among the eastern tribes.
It was practiced to keep 5 types of domestic animals - cows, rams, goats, camels and horses. Traditional trades - hunting and fishing - were common.
The entire list of livestock by-products was processed: hides, wool, tendons, etc.
The skin was used to make saddlery, clothing (including dokhas, pinigs, mittens), bedding, etc.
Felt for the home, materials for clothing in the form of felt raincoats, various capes, hats, felt mattresses, etc. were produced from wool.
Tendons were used to produce thread material used for making ropes and making bows, etc.
Jewelry and toys were made from bones.
Bones were also used to make bows and arrow parts.
From the meat of the 5 above-mentioned domestic animals, food products were produced and processed using waste-free technology.
They made various sausages and delicacies.
Women also used the spleen to make and sew clothes as an adhesive material.
The Buryats knew how to produce meat products for long-term storage during the hot season, for use on long migrations and marches.
A large range of products could be obtained by processing milk.
They also had experience in the production and use of a high-calorie product suitable for long-term isolation from the family.
In economic activities, the Buryats widely used available domestic animals: the horse was used in a wide range of activities when traveling long distances, when grazing domestic animals, when transporting property with a cart and sleigh, which they also made themselves.
Camels were also used to transport heavy loads over long distances. Emasculated bulls were used as draft power.
The nomadic technology is interesting, when a barn on wheels was used or the “train” technology was used, when 2 or 3 carts were attached to a camel.
A hanza (a box measuring 1100x1100x2000) was installed on the carts to store things and protect them from rain.
They used a quickly erected felt house ger (yurt), where the fees for migration or settling in a new place were about three hours.
Also, dogs of the Bankhar breed were widely used in economic activities, the closest relatives of which are dogs of the same breed from Tibet, Nepal, as well as the Georgian Shepherd.
This dog shows excellent qualities as a watchman and a good shepherd for horses, cows and small livestock.
National home
The traditional dwelling of the Buryats, like all nomadic pastoralists, is the yurt, called ger (literally dwelling, house) among the Mongolian peoples.
Yurts were installed both portable felt and stationary in the form of a frame made of timber or logs. 
Wooden yurts have 6 or 8 corners, no windows, a large hole in the roof for smoke and lighting to escape.
The roof was installed on four pillars - tengi, and sometimes there was a ceiling.
The door to the yurt is oriented to the south, the room was divided into the right, male, and left, female half.
In the center of the dwelling there was a fireplace, along the walls there were benches, on the right side of the entrance to the yurt there were shelves with household utensils, on the left side there were chests and a table for guests.
Opposite the entrance there was a shelf with burkhans or ongons; in front of the yurt there was a hitching post (serge) in the form of a pillar with an ornament.
Thanks to the design of the yurt, it can be quickly assembled and disassembled and is lightweight - all this is important when migrating to other pastures.
In winter, the fire in the hearth provides warmth; in summer, with an additional configuration, it is even used instead of a refrigerator.
The right side of the yurt is the men's side; a bow, arrows, a saber, a gun, a saddle and harness hung on the wall.
The left one is for women; here were household and kitchen utensils.
There was an altar in the northern part, the door of the yurt was always on the southern side.
The lattice frame of the yurt was covered with felt, soaked in a mixture of sour milk, tobacco and salt for disinfection.
They sat on quilted felt - sherdeg - around the hearth.
Among the Buryats living on the western side of Lake Baikal, wooden yurts with eight walls were used.
The walls were built mainly from larch logs, while the inside of the walls had a flat surface.
The roof has four large slopes (in the form of a hexagon) and four small slopes (in the form of a triangle).
Inside the yurt there are four pillars on which the inner part of the roof - the ceiling - rests. Large pieces of coniferous bark are laid on the ceiling (inside down).
The final covering is carried out with even pieces of turf.
In the 19th century, wealthy Buryats began to build huts borrowed from Russian settlers, preserving elements of the national home in the interior decoration.
Black and white blacksmiths
If in Tibet blacksmiths were considered unclean and settled far from villages, then among the Buryats the darkhan blacksmith was sent by Heaven itself - he was revered and feared no less than the shaman.
If a person was sick, then a knife or an ax made by the hands of the darkhan was placed near his head.
This protected from evil spirits that sent diseases, and the patient was cured.
The gift of darkhan was passed down from generation to generation - the continuity came from a heavenly blacksmith named Bozhintoy, who sent his children to earth.
They bestowed this divine craft on the Buryat tribes and became patrons of one or another blacksmith's tool.
Blacksmiths were divided into black and white. Black Darkhans forged iron products.
Whites worked with non-ferrous and precious metals, mainly silver, so they were often called mungen darkhan - silver master.
Blacksmiths bought raw materials in Mongolia or mined and smelted iron themselves in small forges.
After the Buryats accepted Russian citizenship, they began to take ferrous metal from Russian industrialists.
The art of the Buryat blacksmiths was considered more perfect than that of the Tunguska masters, although their work was highly valued.
Buryat iron products with silver incisions were known in Russia as “brotherly work” and were valued along with Dagestan and Damascus products.
The Darkhans forged stirrups, bits, horse harnesses, traps, sickles, scissors, cauldrons and other products for household needs.
But in the Great Steppe, first of all, they became famous for making weapons and shells that could not be penetrated by a bullet from a arquebus.
Knives, daggers, swords, arrowheads, helmets and armor went to Mongolia.
White blacksmiths created real decorative works.
Most iron products were decorated with silver - there was a special method of welding these metals, which was distinguished by its exceptional strength of connection. Masters often decorated silver and gold jewelry with multi-colored corals.
The recognized masters were the darkhans of Zakamna, Dzhida, Tunka, and Oka.
The Darkhans of Eravna were famous for the technique of silvering iron products.
Kizhinga was famous for its saddle makers, the Tugnui Valley for its skillful casting.
Folklore
Buryat folklore consists of myths about the origin of the Universe and life on earth, uligers - epic poems of large size: from 5 thousand to 25 thousand lines, etc.
Among them: “Abai Geser”, “Alamzhi Mergen”, “Aiduurai Mergen”, “Erensey”, “Buhu Haara”.
More than two hundred epic tales have been preserved in the memory of the Buryat people.
The main one is the epic “Abai Geser” - “The Iliad of Central Asia”, known in Mongolia, China and Tibet.
The uliger recitative was performed by uligershina storytellers, who memorized epics of hundreds of thousands of lines about celestial beings and heroes).
Fairy tales are threefold - three sons, three tasks, etc.
The plot of fairy tales is gradated: each enemy is stronger than the previous one, each task is more difficult than the previous one.
Topics of proverbs, sayings and riddles: nature, natural phenomena, birds and animals, household and agricultural items.
National clothes
Each Buryat clan has its own national clothing, which is extremely diverse (mainly among women).
The national clothing of the Transbaikal Buryats consists of degel - a kind of caftan made of dressed sheepskin, which has a triangular cutout on the top of the chest, trimmed, as well as the sleeves, tightly clasping the hand, with fur, sometimes very valuable.
In summer, the degel could be replaced by a cloth caftan of a similar cut.
In Transbaikalia, robes were often used in the summer, the poor had paper ones, and the rich had silk ones.
In inclement times, a saba, a type of overcoat with a long kragen, was worn over the degel.
In the cold season, especially on the road - dakha, a type of wide robe made from tanned skins, with the wool facing out.
Degel (degil) is tied at the waist with a belt on which a knife and smoking accessories were hung: a flint, a hansa (a small copper pipe with a short chibouk) and a tobacco pouch.
A distinctive feature from the Mongolian cut is the chest part of the degel - enger, where three multi-colored stripes are sewn into the upper part. 
At the bottom - yellow-red (hua ungee), in the middle - black (hara ungee), at the top - white (sagaan ungee), green (nogon ungee) or blue (huhe ungee).
The original version was yellow-red, black, white.
Tight and long trousers were made of roughly tanned leather (rovduga); shirt, usually made of blue fabric - in order.
Shoes - in winter, high boots made from the skin of foals' feet; in the rest of the year, shoe boots - boots with a pointed toe.
In summer they wore shoes knitted from horsehair with leather soles.
Men and women wore round caps with small brims and a red tassel (zalaa) at the top.
All the details and the color of the headdress have their own symbolism, their own meaning.
The pointed top of the hat symbolizes prosperity and well-being.
The silver top of the denze with red coral on the top of the cap is a sign of the sun, illuminating the entire Universe with its rays, and the brushes (zalaa seseg) represent the rays of the sun.
The semantic field in the headdress was also involved during the Xiongnu period, when the entire complex of clothing was designed and introduced.
The invincible spirit and happy destiny are symbolized by the zala developing at the top of the cap.
The sompi knot means strength, strength; the favorite color of the Buryats is blue, which symbolizes the blue sky, the eternal sky.
Women's clothing differed from men's in decoration and embroidery.
Women's degel is wrapped in a circle with colored cloth, on the back - at the top, embroidery in the form of a square is made with cloth, and copper and silver decorations from buttons and coins are sewn onto the clothes.
In Transbaikalia, women's robes consist of a short jacket sewn to a skirt.
Girls wore from 10 to 20 braids, decorated with many coins.
Around their necks women wore corals, silver and gold coins, etc.; in the ears there are huge earrings supported by a cord thrown over the head, and behind the ears there are “poltas” (pendants); on the hands are silver or copper bugaks (a type of bracelets in the form of hoops) and other decorations.
Dance
Yokhor is an ancient circular Buryat dance with chants.
Each Yohor tribe had its own specifics.
Other Mongolian peoples do not have such a dance.
Before or after the hunt, in the evenings, the Buryats went out into the clearing, lit a large fire and, holding hands, danced the ekhor all night with cheerful rhythmic chants.
In the ancestral dance, they forgot all grievances and disagreements, delighting their ancestors with this dance of unity.
National holidays
Sagaalgan - White Month Holiday (New Year according to the Eastern calendar)
Surkharban - Summer Festival
Eryn Gurbaan Naadan (lit. Three Games of Husbands) is an ancient holiday of the Buryat tribes, its roots go back millennia.
At this festival, where representatives of different tribes gathered, negotiated peace, and declared war.
Two names are used. “Surharban” - from the Buryat language means archery and “Eryn Gurbaan Nadaan” - actually the Three Games of Husbands.
This festival features compulsory competitions in three sports - archery, horse racing and wrestling.
They prepare for competitions in advance, the best horses are selected from the herd, archers train in target shooting and hunting, wrestlers compete in halls or outdoors.
Victory at Surkharban is always very prestigious for the winner and for his entire family.
Traditional cuisine
Since ancient times, products of animal and combined animal-plant origin have occupied a large place in the food of the Buryats: -buheleor, shүlen, buuza, hushuur, hileeme, sharbin, shuhan, hiime, oreomog, hoshkhonog, zөөhey-salamat, hүshөөһen, үrme, arbin, sүmge, z өөheitei zedgene, goghan.
As well as drinks ukhen, zutaraan sai, aarsa, khurenge, tarag, khorzo, togonoy arkhi (tarasun) - an alcoholic drink obtained by distilling kurunga). Sour milk of a special leaven (kurunga) and dried compressed curdled mass - huruud - were prepared for future use.
Like the Mongols, the Buryats drank green tea, into which they poured milk and added salt, butter or lard.
The symbol of Buryat cuisine is buuza, a steamed dish that corresponds to the Chinese baozi.
Story
Starting from the Xiongnu period, the Proto-Buryats entered into an alliance as the Western Xiongnu.
With the collapse of the Xiongnu empire, under pressure from the Xianbei, they retreated from the Chinese border to their ancestral lands called (according to Chinese sources) the Northern Xiongnu.
Later, the proto-Buryats became part of the Syanbi, Rouran, Uyghur and Khitan states, the Mongol Empire and the Mongol Khaganate, remaining in their territories.
The Buryats were formed from various Mongol-speaking ethnic groups that did not have a single self-name in the territory of Dobaikalia and central Transbaikalia.
The largest of them were the western Bulagats, Ekhirits, Khongodors and the eastern Khori-Buryats.
In the 18th century, Khalkha-Mongol and Oirat clans, mainly Sartuls and Tsongols, came to the southern Transbaikalia region of Russia, becoming the third component of the current Buryat ethnic group, which differs in many ways from the northern indigenous tribes.
By the beginning of the 17th century, the Russian state approached the northern borders of Mongolia, which by that time was sparsely populated and only nominally recognized the power of the khans.
Faced with resistance from the indigenous population of the middle Angara, it was forced to slow down its advance in this region and begin building forts and fortified points in the Baikal region.
At the same time, a strong Manchu state arose in the Far East, which took control of China (in 1636 it took the name Qing), which pursued an aggressive foreign policy towards Mongolia, which was going through a period of fragmentation.
Thus, the latter turned out to be an object of aggressive interest of Russia and the Manchu Empire.
Taking advantage of the internecine conflicts between the ruling noyons of Mongolia, Russia and the Qing concluded treaties in 1689 and 1727, according to which the Baikal region and Transbaikalia became part of Tsarist Russia, and the rest of Mongolia became a province of the Qing Empire.
Until the 17th century, Mongolian tribes roamed freely across the territory of the modern state of Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, from the Khingan to the Yenisei: Barguts, Bulagats, Ekhirits, Khongodors, Khori-Buryats, Tabanguts, Sartuls, Daurs, etc.
Some of them, due to their nomadic lifestyle, ended up in this region during the annexation of the territory of Buryatia to Russia, which determined the presence of different dialects of the Buryat language, differences in clothing, customs, etc.
After the Russian-Chinese border was drawn at that time in 1729, the above-mentioned Mongolian tribes, finding themselves cut off from the bulk of the Mongols (except for the Barga), began to form into the future Buryat people.
The consolidation process that began earlier has intensified since then.
In the 18th-19th centuries there was a significant movement of the indigenous population of the Baikal region.
Part of the Ekhirits and Bulagats moved in several waves, crossing the ice of Baikal, into Transbaikalia in the Kudarinskaya steppe further up the Selenga up to Gusinoe Lake, forming a territorial group of North Selenga Buryats, which absorbed some eastern (Hori-Buryat) and southern elements.
Some of the Ekhirites moved to the Barguzin Valley, forming a group of Barguzin Buryats with the Khori-Buryats.
In many ways, these ethnic groups retain their connection with their pre-Baikal ancestral home, which is reflected in the language and elements of culture.
At the same time, part of the Khori-Buryats went east to the Agin steppes, becoming the main population here - the Agin Buryats.
In the west of ethnic Buryatia, the Tunkin Khongodors, having crossed Khamar-Daban, populated the mountain-taiga region of what is now Zakamna, and part of their tribal groups populated the mountainous Oka in the Eastern Sayan Mountains.
Due to this, and also due to the lack of its troops in the proximity of the large Mongol khanates and the Manchu state, Russia, one way or another, from the first years of Buryat citizenship, used them in various kinds of military clashes and in protecting borders.
In the extreme west of ethnic Buryatia, in the basins of the Uda and Oka rivers, the Buryats of two strong groups - the Ashabagats (Lower Uda) and the Ikinats (lower Oka) were attracted by the administration of the Yenisei and Krasnoyarsk forts for campaigns.
The enmity between these groups (which began even before the Russians arrived in Buryatia) served as an additional incentive for their participation in Russian enterprises, and later overlapped with the enmity between Yeniseisk and Krasnoyarsk.
The Ikinats took part in Russian campaigns against the Ashabaghats, and the Ashabaghats took part in military operations against the Ikinats.
In 1688, when the royal embassy led by Fyodor Golovin was blocked by the Mongols of Tushetu Khan Chikhundorzh in Selenginsk, letters were sent throughout the Russian-controlled territory of Buryatia demanding that armed Buryats be collected and sent to Golovin’s rescue.
Among the Ekhirits and the eastern part of the Bulagats, who lived near Lake Baikal on its western side, detachments were assembled, which, however, did not have time to approach the sites of hostilities.
Tushetu Khan's troops were partly defeated, and partly retreated to the south before the Buryat detachments approached from the west.
In 1766, four regiments were formed from the Buryats to maintain guards along the Selenga border: 1st Ashebagatsky, 2nd Tsongolsky, 3rd Atagansky and 4th Sartulsky.
The regiments were reformed in 1851 during the formation of the Transbaikal Cossack Army.
By the end of the 19th century, a new community was formed - the Buryat ethnos, which included the so-called traditional tribes - eastern and western, and southern - separate Khalkha, Oirat and southern Mongolian groups, as well as Turkic-Samoyed and Tungus elements.
The Buryats were settled on the territory of the Irkutsk province, within which the Transbaikal region was allocated (1851).
After the February Revolution of 1917, the first Buryat national state was formed - “Buryad-Mongol uls” (Buryat-Mongolia State). Burnatsky became its highest body.
In 1921, the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Region was formed as part of the Far Eastern Republic, then as part of the RSFSR in 1922 - the Mongol-Buryat Autonomous Region.
In 1923 they united into the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR.
In 1937, a number of districts were withdrawn from the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, from which the Buryat autonomous okrugs were formed - Ust-Ordynsky and Aginsky; at the same time, some areas with a Buryat population were separated from the autonomous regions (Ononsky and Olkhonsky).
In 1958, the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was renamed the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which led to a change in the self-name of the Buryats.
In 1992, the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was transformed into the Republic of Buryatia.
Wedding ceremony in drawing
