Konstantin Naktanov, about various rituals

Konstantin talks about the rituals of gal tyalgn (fire worship), gazr tyaklgn (worship of land) and us tyaklgn (worship of water): Before the wedding, the groom’s representatives should bring one boiled and one live sheep to the bride’s side. The next day, the sheep is killed to perform the ritual of gal tyalgn. It is killed inside the house, and not outside. This is done so that the hot steam from the sheep’s flesh reaches our ancestors. When the weather is warm, people go out to the steppe and perform gazr tyaklgn (worship of land), which also involves a sacrificial sheep. Other offerings include sweets, milk, and vodka. People utter well wishes and sprinkle the vodka. Some people do not slaughter a sheep, but we do. We perform gazr tyaklgn in May, when the weather is warm and the grass grows. This is also a good reason for us to get together, see our relatives, and make offerings to our ancestors and land. For the ritual of us tyaklgn (worship of water ) people prepare special ‘boats’ to put the offerings on, including sweets, incense, and white coins. Then the boat is pushed to the water to float. This ritual is performed before the opening of the fishing season in order to secure a good catch. The carcass of the sheep slaughtered for gal tyalgn (fire ritual) is divided into 24 parts. The sheep’s head, with its lower jaw removed, is put as an offering on the altar. A tray filled with various parts of the sheep is held by someone who sways the tray three times in a circle movement, while uttering ‘khurya, khurya’. After each sway the smallest boy present in the room approaches the person who holds the tray and bites the sheep’s heart. Girls or women do not participate in this particular rite of biting the heart. People perform gal tyalgn on various occasions such as a joyous event, a disease or even a death. Sometimes, when someone falls ill, an astronomer looks at his book and says that ‘the ancestors are asking for food’ and prescribes this ritual for the treatment of the sick person. Gal tyalgn can be performed only by members of the same clan. By contrast, the rituals of gazr tyaklgn (worship of land) or us tyaklgn (worship of water) can be joined by anyone. Gal tyalgn is also performed to call the rain during a draught. Actually, there are many ways to do this. In our village lived a monk called Stepan who could call the rain by just reading prayers. During the ritual older people sat behind him and the children the furthest from the monk. After the ritual he would say: ‘It will rain tomorrow’. There are also people who can stop the rain. If it rains for too long, it is not very good. Once, when many people lived in dugouts and mud huts, it rained for two or three weeks in a row. The houses got wet, and some even collapsed. My aunt told one of the children to take a hammer and beat on the anvil. We also wanted to participate in it, but my aunt did not allow us. She said that only a man or a boy born in the year of the dragon can stop the rain with the sound of iron. Sponsored by Arcadia Fund, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwi