Детский погребальный обряд казахов Юга Западной Сибири

Abstract

The article considers for the first time the children's funeral rite of the Kazakh population in the south of Western Siberia. The study covers the period from the second half of the 20th century to the present. The materials obtained in the course of expeditionary work in the Omsk, Novosibirsk and Tyumen regions were used. A description of all stages of the funeral is given - from the death of a child to the commemoration and decoration of the grave. An analysis of children's graves, identified during expeditionary research of Kazakh cemeteries in the Omsk region, is carried out. The special role in the children's funeral rite of the age and circumstances of the child's death is considered. The transition to the adult burial variant is defined as variable. The onset of physiological maturity served as a milestone. Based on the studied sources, it is concluded that the children's funeral rite among the Kazakhs as a whole is a reflection of an adult, however, it has its own well-defined features. Three main sources of their formation are singled out: the traditions of Islam, pre-Islamic ideas and innovations. The Muslim tradition regulates in detail the treatment of the soul and body of a child, depending on his age and circumstances of death. The clearest gradation exists for newborns. The Muslim rite of burial with zhanaza is performed only for newborns born alive. The stillborn, according to Islamic norms, are given a name, washed, wrapped in a shroud, but they do not read the zhanaza. An unformed fruit is simply wrapped in cloth and buried in the ground. Pre-Islamic features can be traced back in the 20th century. in leaving cradles and cribs on children's graves. A peculiar return to pre-Islamic ideas at the beginning of the 21st century is noted. in the form of a tradition to leave toys at children's graves. A new trend was the installation of fences and memorial plaques with an epitaph on the graves of babies.