Traditions and innovations in the folk calendar of Altai people at the end of the 20th and at the beginning of the 21st centuries

Abstract

The article describes some specific features of the traditional Altaian calendar. It is noted that the system of chronology accepted in the Altaian culture was founded on the periodicity of the solar and lunar cycles. The Altaian calendar belongs to the Central Asian calendars which were based on the 12-year cycle represented by the names of animals. In spite of the calendar’s being a relatively constant cultural constituent there have occurred some changes dealt with the Altaian system of chronology. However, the primordial cultural and world-view meaning has been preserved both in the names of the month and in the practice of personalizing the years of the calendar cycle. This makes it obvious that the traditional ideology is still actual for the modern Altaian culture. The author concludes that it is necessary to study the traditional ritualism and mythological views fixed in the folk calendar so that the Altaian culture could develop steadily.