Traditions

Kazan is a city with the richest historical and cultural heritage. Nations with different history and cultural traditions lived here during the centuries. The Heritage of the Golden Horde and traditions of bulgars still live in the memory of people, but the Russian culture has influenced and the European tendencies have penetrated. A thousand-year mutual enrichment formed the modern Europe-Asian image of Kazan. The culture of Europe and Asia has closely intertwined in national creativity and art, architecture and building, in a daily life of citizens.

The historical information

Bright original art and culture of Tatars inherits traditions of the Volga Bulgaria government, the Golden Horde and the Kazan khanate. The influence of Islam, which was adopted in 922, was also important. A runic writing existed in the nation has been changed for Arabic that gave an impulse for development of science, philosophy and literature. The images of the pre-Islamic ethnic mythology - the images of birds, animals and sometimes people were changed for flowers and plants and geometrical ornament, which became dominating. Ornament and decoration become an aesthetic and art principle in bulgar decorative art as well as in the East countries, while in Russia Biblical-Christian graphic motives were established in art.
The new stage of culture and art development is connected with the inclusion of Bulgaria into the structure of the Golden Horde in 1236, which imperial culture represented by the symbiosis of Turkic, Mongol and Central Asian cultural traditions with characteristic for them magnificence of an ornament and wealth of decor, using various precious metals, stones and semi-precious stones.
Town-planning traditions of Volga Bulgaria impressed the travelers and rich merchants with beauty of majestic khan’s palaces, cathedral mosques with high minarets, mausoleums decorated with tiles of white and blue colors, covered with glass glaze and gold leaf. A number of independent Tatar governments: Astrakhan, Kazan, Siberian and Kasimov khanates appeared with the disintegration of the Golden Horde. The appearance of stone gravestone steles with rich carved ornaments, metal works and decoration, in which there are features of "east" baroque, was characteristic for that time.
In the second half of the 16th century the Kazan khanate joined the Russian government. The immigrants who have arrived to Kazan from Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov and other Russian cities introduced some elements of Russian culture, which was influenced by the culture of the East. Tatar and Russian lexicon was enriched, both musical and literary works experienced mutual penetration of traditions.
By the 19th century with the appearance of manufactory production the decorative art experienced the renaissance period. Classical samples of gold and chain embroidery with a rich ornament, jewelry with graceful filigree, colorful female headdresses - kalfak, decorative towels with the thinnest patterns were created in that very time. During that period a classical Tatar suit was created and a common national style in ex-terrier and house interior, in ceremonial and household products was formed.

Modern aspect

Today original traditions of folk art get the special art importance. Research works with the organization of expeditions, thanks to what museums of Kazan and other cities of the Republic replenish with products and exhibits, which have cultural and historical value, are conducted. Manufacture of figured mosaic footwear (Arsky association) and art weaving (Alekseevsky factory) is in the form of national art crafts.
Studying the products of national creativity, modern artists create jewelry using the technique of бугорчатой filigree, cloths and towels embroidered with chain ornament, leather inlaid footwear, national souvenirs and memorable gifts.

Today the culture of Europe and Asia is closely interweaved in national creativity, art and daily life of citizens, that it is necessary to notice the originality of culture of Kazan. And the reason of such impression is that the moral and aesthetic ideals of citizens, which are based partly on Muslim, partly on orthodox morals, at the same time being social enough.
You can meet female-students of the Kazan University wearing both hijab and jeans, as well as male-students wearing both tubeteyka (Tatar skullcap) and baseball-caps. There are 40 clubs in the city, in which famous European DJs often act. But, except musical parties, the Kazan youth actively visits literary studios, debatable political clubs, and societies of fans of literature and role games. Interests of Kazan young people are reflected in magazines and newspapers published on Tatar and Russian languages.
National holidays revived on the basis of national traditions and ceremonies are annually celebrated. Holiday of Russian folklore «Karavon» is celebrated in Ruskoye Nikolskoye village. Tatar national holiday of a plough Sabantuy unites citizens on numerous celebratory platforms. Religious holidays, such as orthodox holidays - Trinity, Christmas and Easter and Muslim holidays - Nauruz, Kurban-bayram, Uraza-Bayram are equivalently esteemed.

Among family traditions the wedding ceremonies are still interesting: repayment getting for the bride (kalym), wedding religious practice (nikakh).