 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(June 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Sabantuy is aTatar,Idel-Uralian,Bashkir andKazakh ('Sabantoy') summerfestival, that dates back to theVolga Bulgarian epoch. At first Sabantuy was a festival offarmers in rural areas, but it later became anational holiday and now is widely celebrated in thecities. In 2012,Kazan Sabantuy was celebrated on June 23.[1]
Tatar-speakers call the holidaySabantuy (Сабантуй,[sʌbɑnˈtuɪ]), or, more correctly,Saban tuyı (Сабан туе,[sʌˈbɑntuˈjɯ]) – plural form:Sabantuylar[sʌbɑntuɪˈlɑr].
OtherTurkic peoples living along theVolga also celebrate the holiday.Bashkir-speakers call itHabantuy (Һабантуй),Chuvash-speakers —Akatuy (Акатуй).
Theholiday's name means "plough'sfeast" inTurkic languages. The synonym "plough's holiday", orSaban bäyräme (Сабан бәйрәме[sʌˈbɑnbæɪræˈme]) also occurs.
Sabantuy traces its origins to the pre-Islamic epoch, when it was celebrated before thesowing season. The presence of Sabantuy was noticed byibn Fadlan as early as in 921. Traditionalsongs and other customs of the Sabantuy probably had a religious connotation at that time.
Later, with the spread ofIslam amongTatars andBashkirs andChristianity amongChuvashs, it became asecular holiday. In each region,villages took turns to celebrate the holiday.
In the beginning of the 20th century Sabantuy gained recognition as the national festival of the Tatars. TheSoviet authorities approved of this festival probably due to its humble rural origin. However, they moved Sabantuy to the after-sowing season, thus merging it with the ancient summer festivalCıyın (Cyrillic: Җыен,[ʑɯɪˈɯn]).
Recently, Moscow announced plans to nominate Sabantuy for the inclusion into theMasterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity list in 2007.
In the United States, Sabantuy, the Tatar national holiday, has received official recognition at the state and local levels. On June 6, 2025, Bob Ferguson, Governor of Washington State, issued a proclamation celebrating Sabantuy.[2] This was followed on June 8, 2025, by a similar proclamation from the City of Kirkland in Washington State,[3] further highlighting the growing cultural recognition of the Tatar community and their traditions within the USA.
The main distinctive elements of Sabantuy include the traditional sporting competitions such asköräş (Tatar wrestling), horse racing, race-in-sack, pillar-climbing, egg-in-spoon-in-mouth-racing, sacks-battle on the crossbar, pot smashing[1]Archived 2007-09-30 at theWayback Machine, finding a coin in aqatıq (a beverage made from sour milk), and other contests. Such activities take place on themäydan,[4] which would usually be located at the edge of a forest.
A tradition, calledsörän,[5] was held to collect a fare for guests of the festival and prizes for the winners of the contests.Qarğa botqası (Rook's porridge),[6] a ritual porridge, was cooked before the Sabantuy to treat children in the village. Another tradition was praying at the cemetery.
In the recent years Sabantuy is also often combined with thefolk and pop music festivals, as well as accordion music festivals, namedPlay, accordion! (Uyna, ğarmun!).
ThewrestlingKurash, is the main competition of Sabantuy. Wrestlers usetowels and the aim is to knock down the opponent.
Usually young boys start the competition. At the end of Sabantuy, the main event of the festival is the final of köräş. The winner becomes thebatır,[7] the hero of the Sabantuy. The prize varies from aram in small villages to acar at big cities' celebrations.[1]
Sabantuylar do not have a set date. The festivities take place approximately from June 15 to July 1, and usually fall on a Sunday. Initially, Sabantuylar are arranged in villages, followed by Sabantuylar in rural districts, and the final ones taking place in major cities. The last Sabantuy is held inKazan, the capital ofTatarstan. A similar schedule is applied for Akatuy inChuvashia and Habantuy inBashkortostan.
In the last few years the Russian government arrangedfederal Sabantuylar in Moscow. Many cities inEurope andAsia that have major Tatar diasporas, such asMoscow,Saint Petersburg,Tallinn,Prague,Istanbul,Kyiv andTashkent, also hold Sabantuylar.
Today Sabantuy can be characterized as an international festival attracting many people of various ethnicities who participate in Sabantuylar, both in Tatarstan, and all over the world.
Sabantuy is a symbol ofTatarstan. This is why every Russian president visiting the republic takes part in the Sabantuy held in Kazan. During his visit to Kazan in the mid-1990sBoris Yeltsin became the center of attention at a Sabantuy when he took part in a traditional competition in which the participants try to crash a clay pot while being blindfolded.Vladimir Putin took part in a humorous competition during which he tried to dip his face into a jar full ofsour milk in order to fish out a coin without using his hands.[8]
InChina, Sabantuy listed as a nationalintangible cultural heritage.[9]
![[1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.ogoniok.com%2fcommon%2farchive%2f1996%2f4459%2f28-10-11%2f28-11-1b.gif){kind=link}
