‘Knowing your ancestry and maintaining bonds of generations’

More than 700 participants aged from 4 months to 100 years

An original approach to compiling a family tree, its creative presentation and familiarity with family values, as well as the ability to cook national dishes — these are the two main criteria by which the jury of the republican festival of pedigrees “Echo of centuries in the history of the family — Tarikhta bez ezlebez” will evaluate each participant of the competition. For the fifth time, it will bring together hundreds of Tatarstan families who cherish their traditions and honour their ancestors.

The purpose of the festival is to preserve the continuity of generations, strengthen family and kinship ties, stimulate the study of the history of one's family, people and native land, and revive the customs of the peoples of Tatarstan.

Since 2019, almost 200 families have participated in the competition — that's over 700 people, and their age ranges from 4 months to 100 years. According to the organisers, among the participants there were also such families, the number of which exceeded 70 people, or families who had lived in a legal marriage, love and harmony for 40 or more years. Each year, the festival gathered more than a thousand spectators for the totality of all its stages. This time, about 100 families have submitted applications.

To remember and to know your ancestors

Last year, 36 families participated in the final of the festival, nine of them became winners of the competition. Among them — a married couple, soloists of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Tatarstan — Gulmira and Anton Dykins. Their family tree goes back to the beginning of the 19th century, and the connecting thread of generations for many decades is music, namely an old violin played by their ancestor and which is carefully passed on to the successors of the family.

The Dykins' relatives are also connected with music in one way or another — her husband's aunt teaches violin at a music school, Gulmira's cousin graduated from the conservatory in piano, her nephews study at music schools. When a large family gathers together — and this is about fifty people, any celebration turns into a big concert with musical numbers, reading poetry or staging scenes.

“Participation in such contests is a very necessary and useful thing, it helps to remember and get to know your ancestors. While we were preparing for it — it took more than a month and a half of very serious and extensive work, we called all relatives, finding out where our family came from, looking for information in the archives, and this brings them together. In addition, our children were actively involved in the preparation, it was very interesting for them to learn about their great-great-grandparents. I think it is very important to know your family, your lineage and to maintain bonds with generations," Gulmira Dykina shared with our publication her opinion on the significance of the festival.

According to her, such festival is not a formality, it is not held for show, it is a very interesting and informative competition: “We saw amazing national costumes of different peoples who took part in it — there were not only Russians or Tatars, but also Dagestanis, and Kuryans, and many other peoples who live in our republic. They all prepared their performances, so the finale turned into a real concert show.”

The fifth festival will be held in a special way

By the way, in January of this year, the State Archive submitted an application for registration of the festival's emblem. This is a tree which crown is depicted in the form of national Tatar patterns made in green, red, blue, blue, turquoise, white and pink colours. At the foot of the tree is a family where a father lifts his child over his head. On the sides of the family tree, there is the name of the festival in Russian and Tatar, written in the national style.

We can say that the family festival will traditionally be held in three stages: the first — municipal — from February 20 to March 10. Its winners will become participants of the second — zonal, which will be held from April 4 to 12. And the third stage is republican, where the finalists — winners of the festival will be determined from April 15 to May 15.

According to Shamil Sharafutdinov, a historian, the director of the restoration laboratory of the Bulgarian Islamic Academy, knowledge of one's roots is in demand today and is becoming quite popular among modern generation

“People are becoming more and more interested in their genealogy — it is significant, it is necessary. My father Damir Raufovich Sharafutdinov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, founder of the Echo of Centuries magazine, being the head of the Main Archival Department of Tatarstan, together with the director of the National Archive Lyudmila Gorokhova and the scientific team promoted the idea of studying the origins of their roots. I myself also became interested in this direction — I compiled a family tree of my family seven generations ago," he told Realnoe Vremya.

The current festival will be held on a special scale and it will be distinguished by a number of innovations, the Tatarstan State Committee on Archives told the publication: “Firstly, Tatmedia Republican Agency for Press and Mass Communications and the Kazan State Institute of Culture will become partners in the organisation. Secondly, it is an increase in the staff of the jury in connection with trips to the municipal stage. Three members of the competition jury will now travel to each district of Tatarstan to judge the participating families. The performances of the families at all stages of the festival will also be filmed by local TV companies, a full-length film will be made on this material.”

Large-scale changes will take place in the festival programme: so, before the final ceremonial stage, all participating families and the winning families of the past years will gather together for the Winners' Parade. The conditions remain unchanged — no age restrictions, a family of three people, in which representatives of several generations of a related group are united, regardless of nationality and religion.

Creative approach, family legends and the main prize of 150 thousand rubles

In Kazan, families living in seven metropolitan districts will compete for access to the zonal level: Aviastroitelny, Vakhitovsky, Kirovsky, Moskovsky, Novo-Savinovsky, Privolzhsky and Sovetsky. Then its winners will go to the zonal stage, which will be held in Muslyumovsky, Zainsky, Alkeevsky, Baltasinsky, Drozhzhanovsky districts. As always, finalists will gather in Kazan and the winning pedigrees will be named. The organisers will inform you about the date of the final additionally.

Each participating family will have to fulfill two conditions: to present national and family dishes prepared with their own hands to the jury and briefly tell about their features. The second — the most responsible and time-consuming task is the preparation of a non-trivial business card of the team, which includes a concert number and a presentation of the pedigree. One of the mandatory conditions every year is for participants to demonstrate their family tree. But not simple, but with a description of dynasties, relics, family legends. The format can be arbitrary — from an album to a panel or banner. The jury will take into account the creativity of each element presented by the contestants.

The winners of the municipal stage will receive a diploma and a cash prize of 10 thousand rubles. Those who win in the zonal round will receive, depending on the occupied place, from 30 to 50 thousand rubles. In the final, the amount is higher — the winning family will be awarded 150 thousand rubles, two prize-winners — 130 thousand and 100 thousand rubles. Well, the main reward, of course, will be an unforgettable experience of participating in the competition, which will remind everyone of the main thing — the values of family.