Day of the Mari Hero celebrated also in Tartu
The Day of the Mari Hero has been celebrated in Estonia since 1994. This year, the celebration took place at the House of Literature in Tartu. The celebration coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Tartu Mari Association. The event featured performances by Mari children and the Tartu Mari ensemble Mari Kumyl. Chairman Valeri Aleksandrov gave a presentation on the association’s activities, and Sergei Nikiforov spoke about the Day. Jaak Prozes represented Fenno-Ugria.
Day of the Mari Hero
26 April is one of the most special national holidays for the Finno-Ugric peoples living in the Russian Federation. According to legend, on this day in 1556, the Mari national hero Poltysh (Boltush in Russian), leader of the Mari people of Malmyzh (present-day Kirov Oblast) and one of the most important historical figures of the Mari people, fell in battle. Between 1552 and 1585, the Mari fought against the Grand Duchy of Moscow and managed to win several battles. This period of warfare, which lasted over 30 years, has gone down in history as the Cheremis Wars (the Mari were formerly known as the Cheremis).
The idea to begin celebrating the Day on 26 April was proposed at the first Mari National Congress in 1917. It was proposed by one of the congress leaders, the Mari clergyman and ethnographer Pavel Glezdenyov. The decision was made at the third Mari National Congress, held in October 1992.
Celebration in Mari El
This year, stories marking the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster dominated the Mari media, and the republic’s leader has also spoken on the occasion. It is not yet known whether the republic’s leaders congratulated the Mari people on the Day of the Mari Hero. The leader elected by the Mari Congress, Eduard Aleksandrov, who is also a member of the local State Council, did, however, offer his congratulations to the people. Last year, the events dedicated to the Day were modest. The opinion was expressed that such a holiday was not suitable for celebration.
On the morning of the Day, flowers and candles were traditionally placed in front of the monument to the Mari literary classic Sergei Chavain. About a hundred people then proceeded to the statues or memorial plaques of other Mari cultural figures. Again flowers were laid and candles lit.
During the day, the Mari people’s main representative organisation, Mari Kanash (the Mari Council), held a forum dedicated to the organisation of the 12th Congress of the Mari People. Afterward, a trip was made to the Orshanka District, where the monument to Mamich Berdei, the national hero who led the Mari in the war, is located. The monument itself has a controversial reputation, as the local administration has attempted to prevent commemorative events from taking place. Under Mamich Berdei’s leadership, the Mari achieved several victories over the Russians in the war. As a result, official Russian historiography cannot claim that the Mari voluntarily joined the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
