Recently, people in Khakasiya celebrated Tun Pairam, an ancient holiday marking the first big milk yield of the year, when the herders move their cattle from their winter pastures to greener summer pastures. The first “big milk” appears when the animals get their first fresh forage after a winter’s worth of hay.
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Viktor Zimin (1962- ), Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Khakasiya and RF Gosduma Deputy (United Russia), in traditional folk dress at the Tun Pairam festival.
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The holiday is a time for colourful performances, and it opened with public festivities.
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Youth groups performing during Tun Pairam.
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The first Women’s Crafts Fair Мастерица Сибири (Masteritsa Sibiri: Female Craftsmen of Siberia) at Tun Pairam featured female craftsmen from the Krasnoyarsk Krai, Tyva Republic, Altai Krai, Altai Republic, Gornaya Shoriya (southern part of Kemerovo Oblast, inhabited by the indigenous Shor people, they’re “hillbillies” (in the best sense of the word)), and Khakasiya (all part of the Siberian Federal District). The Altai, Khakas, and Shor peoples are mainly Orthodox; the Tyvans are mainly Buddhist.
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Wooden craftwork on display at the fair.
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Native artisans displayed all sorts of crafts, including homemade dolls, shaman drums, and many other gifts.
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Another first-time event was an exhibition, Podium Ethno, showcasing the work of indigenous fashion designers, who based their submissions upon the traditional dress of the Khakas and Altai peoples, held as part of the Tun Pairam celebration.
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Of course, no Tun Pairam is complete without airan, a fermented horse’s milk beverage.
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6 July 2011
RIA-Novosti
Voices From Russia, Too 
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