Holidays

Holidays are times set aside on the calendar to observe tradition, remember history, or celebrate a cause. Some have ancient roots while others are modern inventions. All are associated with the identity of those that observe them. The below resources discuss the rituals, foods, language, and other cultural elements connected with major holidays as observed in Eurasian locations. In some cases, American holidays are also discussed – to help students build vocabulary to discuss and celebrate their own traditions while abroad.

Filter holidays for: Slavic, Turkic, Caucasian, or Other.

Yhyakh: A Summer New Year in the Coldest Place on Earth

The original Sakha is given for some terms in parentheses. Photographs provided by Mitrofan kyyha Varvara Egorova-Dygyia, Susan Crate, and Kathryn Yegorov-Crate. Yhyakh (ыһыах) is the Sakha people’s annual summer festival during which Sakha make offerings to sky deities known as aiyy (айыы) and make merry before the laborious hay-cutting season. Yhyakh is often rendered […]

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