nPostednJune 23, 2013
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nDidnyou ever wonder what “tartar” means in tartar sauce? Orn“tartare,” in steak tartare?
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nWell,nthe Tatars are a group of people who live in Eastern Europe andnNorthern Asia. During the time of the USSR, most Tatars lived in thenSoviet Union, but when that nation broke up, many Tatars foundnthemselves living in various different countries: most in the RussiannFederation, but many in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Tartarn(with an extra R) was another name for this group of people.
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nOnenof the important festivals for the Tatars is Sabantuy, a celebrationnof the fact that plowing is over and crops are growing. The festivalnis marked by music, dancing, exhibitions, and games of skill ornspeed, balance or strength.
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nHere’sna great game: two men sit perched on a log that is several feet aboventhe ground; they hit each other in the head with bags of straw untilnone of them falls off. (Don’t try this at home, kids!)
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nOtherncontests include pillar climbing, finding a coin in sour milk, and mynpersonal favorite—pot smashing!
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nTherenis a special kind of Tatar wrestling that is central to the festival.nCompetitors use towels and try to knock each other to the ground.nThere is a prize for the ultimate winner of all the wrestling matchesnduring the festival: in a village the prize might be a ram, and in ancity, it might be a car.
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This is a long-hair contest held during the festival. |
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nAlsonon this date:
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nAnniversarynof Antarctica being set aside for science
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest pages on Junenholidays, historicalnanniversaries in June,nand Junenbirthdays.
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest pages on Julynholidays, historicalnanniversaries in July,nand Julynbirthdays.
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