Andrey Ratov
Writer. Izhevsk.
The traditions of gerber have not sunk into oblivion over time, this holiday is celebrated to this day not only in villages and villages, but also in cities. Since 2014, the Big Gerber has been held in Moscow.
Gerber (from Udmurt "behind the plow" or "after the plow") is a holiday that accompanies the end of spring field work. By time, it falls on the day of the summer solstice — in the middle of summer. This time is not chosen by chance, because it is a break between agricultural work — the fields are already sown, and the time for haymaking has not yet come.
Among the ancient Udmurts-pagans, this holiday was primarily religious, the whole community gathered in the field on this day, prayed and sacrificed to the gods. The Udmurts worshipped three supreme deities, who were considered an inseparable trinity — Inmar (the supreme deity, properly translated "the one who is in heaven"), Kyldysin (the creator god) and Kuaz (the weather god). In addition to them, they did not forget about the mother goddesses: In Muma (Mother of the Sky), Shunda Muma (Mother of the Sun), Tolez Muma (Mother of the Moon), Invu Muma (Mother of Heavenly Water-rain) and Wu Muma (Mother of Water — lakes and rivers) and Muzem Muma (Mother of the Earth). As a sacrifice, what was associated with abundance and fertility was offered — boiled eggs, bread, butter and kumyshka (Udmurt moonshine). Gifts for the gods were placed in a small pit in the field. The gods were asked for a rich harvest, to save the fields from being ravaged by the elements, animals, birds and insects. A fragment of the traditional prayer of fertility in translation sounds like this: "So that 30 ears of corn grow from each grain, so that the root is golden, so that the squirrel can not run around the entire field." The prayers were also accompanied by a blood sacrifice — a young bull was slaughtered. From the meat of this bull and a mixture of all the cereals grown by the community, porridge was cooked, which was treated to the whole community at the festival.
The festival was accompanied by singing of folk songs, dancing, festivities and games. They played, of course, mostly active outdoor games. For example, pule yottamen is a kind of lapta. At the end of the large field (about 100x20m), a board measuring 5m by 60cm was placed on supports or on logs on an edge. Near this board, the grid (the pitcher) and the batter (the batter) were chosen by lot. Setkas threw a ball of horsehair, and Sali beat it with a meter-long bat (boda). The rest of the players stood in different parts of the field and had to catch the batted ball or pick it up from the ground. If the ball was thrown in the air, then the caught participant took the place of the pitcher, if he rose from the ground — the batter.
Another popular game was Syod kionen shudon (in black wolf). The black wolf (syod kion), the driver chosen by the count, sat down in a hole or under a bush, as if in a hole. The other kid players (kepchios) were moving away. During the game, the goats would crowd up to the wolf and sing teasing songs, and the wolf would jump out of the hole and catch the goats. The trapped players sat in the wolf's hole for the rest of the game. The end of the game was considered the moment when the wolf caught all the goats.
After sunset, the games on the street ended and the young people went to pukon korka (gatherings), where the games also continued. For example, young people started playing kyrmyshyasa shudon ("flashing lights"). The essence of the game is as follows: the girls sit on the knees of the guys, who sits where is decided by drawing lots. One guy is chosen by the host, he remains without a pair. The host starts winking at the girls he likes. The girl who likes the presenter, seeing his signs of attention, moves to his lap. Guys should have time to keep their girls. If a guy misses a girl — he becomes the host. If you hold it, the host should start winking at the other girl.
Such" sit-down " games had their own purpose — gerber was not only the end of spring work in the field, but also the beginning of the wedding season. All games, both at the festival and at gatherings, were supposed to show the strength, intelligence, dexterity and beauty of the players. Those who did not have a couple were looking for a bride or groom, and parents helped their children find a couple.
If the young people were already preparing for the wedding, then the groom went home on the holiday, collecting scraps of fabric and colored ribbons. He was supposed to bring his "loot" to the bride in the evening. This was a symbolic marriage proposal, and the process of collecting the rags symbolized the community's consent to the marriage, those who were against the wedding did not give the rags. If the bride accepted the offer, she had to sew a shirt for her future husband from the fabric he brought as a sign of consent. In this colorful shirt, the groom walked at his wedding.
The weddings themselves were usually played after the harvest, when the barns and cellars were full of vegetables and grain.
Among the ancient Udmurts-pagans, this holiday was primarily religious, the whole community gathered in the field on this day, prayed and sacrificed to the gods. The Udmurts worshipped three supreme deities, who were considered an inseparable trinity — Inmar (the supreme deity, properly translated "the one who is in heaven"), Kyldysin (the creator god) and Kuaz (the weather god). In addition to them, they did not forget about the mother goddesses: In Muma (Mother of the Sky), Shunda Muma (Mother of the Sun), Tolez Muma (Mother of the Moon), Invu Muma (Mother of Heavenly Water-rain) and Wu Muma (Mother of Water — lakes and rivers) and Muzem Muma (Mother of the Earth). As a sacrifice, what was associated with abundance and fertility was offered — boiled eggs, bread, butter and kumyshka (Udmurt moonshine). Gifts for the gods were placed in a small pit in the field. The gods were asked for a rich harvest, to save the fields from being ravaged by the elements, animals, birds and insects. A fragment of the traditional prayer of fertility in translation sounds like this: "So that 30 ears of corn grow from each grain, so that the root is golden, so that the squirrel can not run around the entire field." The prayers were also accompanied by a blood sacrifice — a young bull was slaughtered. From the meat of this bull and a mixture of all the cereals grown by the community, porridge was cooked, which was treated to the whole community at the festival.
The festival was accompanied by singing of folk songs, dancing, festivities and games. They played, of course, mostly active outdoor games. For example, pule yottamen is a kind of lapta. At the end of the large field (about 100x20m), a board measuring 5m by 60cm was placed on supports or on logs on an edge. Near this board, the grid (the pitcher) and the batter (the batter) were chosen by lot. Setkas threw a ball of horsehair, and Sali beat it with a meter-long bat (boda). The rest of the players stood in different parts of the field and had to catch the batted ball or pick it up from the ground. If the ball was thrown in the air, then the caught participant took the place of the pitcher, if he rose from the ground — the batter.
Another popular game was Syod kionen shudon (in black wolf). The black wolf (syod kion), the driver chosen by the count, sat down in a hole or under a bush, as if in a hole. The other kid players (kepchios) were moving away. During the game, the goats would crowd up to the wolf and sing teasing songs, and the wolf would jump out of the hole and catch the goats. The trapped players sat in the wolf's hole for the rest of the game. The end of the game was considered the moment when the wolf caught all the goats.
After sunset, the games on the street ended and the young people went to pukon korka (gatherings), where the games also continued. For example, young people started playing kyrmyshyasa shudon ("flashing lights"). The essence of the game is as follows: the girls sit on the knees of the guys, who sits where is decided by drawing lots. One guy is chosen by the host, he remains without a pair. The host starts winking at the girls he likes. The girl who likes the presenter, seeing his signs of attention, moves to his lap. Guys should have time to keep their girls. If a guy misses a girl — he becomes the host. If you hold it, the host should start winking at the other girl.
Such" sit-down " games had their own purpose — gerber was not only the end of spring work in the field, but also the beginning of the wedding season. All games, both at the festival and at gatherings, were supposed to show the strength, intelligence, dexterity and beauty of the players. Those who did not have a couple were looking for a bride or groom, and parents helped their children find a couple.
If the young people were already preparing for the wedding, then the groom went home on the holiday, collecting scraps of fabric and colored ribbons. He was supposed to bring his "loot" to the bride in the evening. This was a symbolic marriage proposal, and the process of collecting the rags symbolized the community's consent to the marriage, those who were against the wedding did not give the rags. If the bride accepted the offer, she had to sew a shirt for her future husband from the fabric he brought as a sign of consent. In this colorful shirt, the groom walked at his wedding.
The weddings themselves were usually played after the harvest, when the barns and cellars were full of vegetables and grain.
