Традиции и обычаи жителей Кош-Агачского района
статья по английскому языку на тему

                                                            Altai culture.  

The meaning of the fire is great in Altai culture.  Altai people worship the fire since the  ancient times. It’s  considered that the fire has a spirit От-Эне. От-Эне is represented as a woman with 30 heads which  dressed in white robe and it is a patroness of the family the hearth and the livestock. Consequently altai people always turned it  with many good wishes to protect their homes, their children and their livestocks.  They  believed that От-Эне lives in the ninth layer of heaven subordinates to Tengri and is the meditator b\w men and spirits.

    It is believed that it doesn’t let to the dark force come into the house, it frees a person from bad thoughts it helps to clean the house, animals, children and himself it protects the family.

    Consequently the fire- hearth is strongly protected and kept clean by altai people.

     There are some rules to keep clean the fire:

1. You can’t  spit, throw  dirt and impurity to the fire;
2. You can’t step on the centre of the fire and pour into it salt, poisonous things; 
3. You can’t direct a knife or other sharp objects to the fire. They believed  that it insures От-Эне.
4. You can’t take the fire or ashes out of the house before sunrise or after sunset. It is considered the family happiness and prosperity could leave with the fire. You should take ashes out the clean place in one pile.
5. You can’t put the food which was brought from  the funeral into the fire.

A woman who is treating the fire should be in a dress with long hem and long sleeves.      It is impossible to treat the fire with open head.

     The food which was taken from the weddings or other houses should be given to the fire first.

    The food which was made of milk should be given to the fire in pairs. It is good to treat the fire with altai traditional food such as: altai butter,  talkan, kurut,  эjегей, kaimak, boorsok, altai cheese, meat. It is impossible to treat the fire alcoholic drinks.

     You can treat the fire with tea, milk in cup with a wooden spoon.

   W honor the fire  in some  cases:

1. Traditional holidays: Chaga-Bairam (New Year Holiday in Altai according to the east calendar),  Jажыл бур, Сары бур.
2. At  the first storm
3. At each new moon.
4. When the family has some problems, difficulties such as illnesses and so on.

When  the young people married one of the respectful man of the village blesses the fire, От-Эне  to protect the young family and their hearth and since this moment newlyweds should worship their fire. Their От-Эне and follow their forefather’s

 traditions of keeping their    От-Эне.