Traditional Children’s Ceremonial Culture Tatars (Based on research in Tatarstan)

Abstract

Introduction. The study of the experience of socialization of children and adolescents in the traditional culture of the Tatars is due to the need for a comprehensive study of the processes of inculturation and cultural transmission in traditional society. Materials and Methods. The study is based on the methodological principles of the polyparadigm approach. The basis for this study is that ethnic categories, both during identification itself and in the process of assigning others to certain ethnic groups, take into account not just the sum of objective differences, but only those that are perceived by individuals themselves as meaningful. The main sources used in the preparation of the article were the field materials of the authors – the results of a number of ethnic and sociological surveys among the Tatar population, in-depth interviews and field observations in the period 1999–2012. Results. It is shown that the existence of a traditional Tatar family right up to the beginning of the twentieth century was dictated by the patriarchal peculiarities of the peasant way of life, the traditions of Islam, the ethnic and linguistic identity of the Tatars, which generally kept the Tartar village in existence. The main purpose of marriage was the continuation of the species, and the birth and upbringing of children were the most important functions of the family. Birth and care for children was the most important function of the family; childlessness was considered a misfortune, was subject to treatment and was a reason for divorce. With the birth of the first child, the public authority of the father increased and the family status of the mother increased. Discussion and Conclusions. The process of maturity among the Tatars was based on the skills and norms that shaped the personality and adapted it to a specific sociocultural environment, which guaranteed the profitability of the efforts of parents, family and society in general, when social guarantees are associated exclusively with future generations.