Slavic and Kazakh Folklore Calendar: Typological and Ethno-Cultural Parallels

Abstract

The study of multi-ethnic folk typology in the ethno-cultural region of Kazakhstan is of fundamental importance in the context of ethno-cultural typo- logical parallels identifying the holiday calendar and rituals. The mechanism of folk typology is observed in ritual structures that compare the Slavic and Kazakh folklore calendars. There are typological parallels between all components in different Kazakhstan ethnic group celebrations: texts, rites, rituals, and cults. The Kazakh and Slavic calendar systems have a collective character as func- tional and are passed down from generation to generation. The entire annual cycle of Eurasian festivals is based on the collective existence principle. The Slavic holiday calendar represents a dual faith synthesis of pagan and Christian enti- ties while the Kazakh holiday calendar focuses on the connection of the pagan and Muslim principles. Typologically, similar elements of Slavic and Kazakh holidays include struc- tural relatedness, calendar confinement, similar archetypical rituals, and cer - emonial models. Slavic and Kazakh ethnic and cultural contacts are reflected in the joint celebrations, in interethnic borrowing practices, rituals, games, and in Russian and Kazakh song performances by representatives of different ethnic groups. Field observations of Kazakh folklorists suggest the continuing existence of joint Nauryz and Shrovetide celebration traditions. The folklore situation in Kazakhstan demonstrates both the different stages of closely related culture innovation of the Eastern Slavs and the typological relation- ship and bilateral borrowing through contact with unrelated Turkic ethnic groups. The typological and ethno-cultural parallels as well as positive features of this holiday make it a universal phenomenon important for all members of a social or ethnic group.