Birtalan Ágnes: Kalmyk Folklore and Folk Culture in the Mid-19th Century: Philological Studies on the Basis of Gábor Bálint of Szentkatolna’s Kalmyk Texts.
ETHNOGRAPHICA CALMYCICA
THE RITES DU PASSAGES IN B ÁLINT'S MATERIAL g THE WEDDING OF THE KALMYKS (OIRATS) (Bálint Xal 'imigin (öirädin) ger abalyan , Kalm. Xal 'mgin (ördin) ger awlyn)' m § [140] First, when a Kalmyk man is going to marry, 9'' 5 he goes secretly in the yurt where people having daughter(s) live and examines maid(s). If a maid attracts him, he asks the family members about the maid's age and year, 9'"' appearance, working and speech. Thereafter he goes home and visits the astrologer [Lama] (Bálint zurxäci, Kalm. zurxäc) and asks about the maid's and his own age and year, whether they fit (Bálint ibegel, Kalm. iwdl) to each other or do not fit (Bálint ibegel bisi, Kalm. iwäl bis ) to each other. That time the astrologer looks up in the astrology book (Bálint, Kalm. zurxän nom) and tells whether their years fit or not. If the years fit to each other, some milk brandy (Bálint ärki, Kalm. ärk) is sent from the lad's place '' 7 to the maid's place. In fact the first two milk brandies sent previously to the maid's place are drunk without telling the reason why they have been sent." " 8 When the third milk brandy is sent, the lad's [people] give their consent [to the wedding].'"' That time the maid's parents, brothers and sisters tell all this to their close relatives."' 0 0 If they ail approve [of the proposal], 100 1 they drink the third milk brandy, and let the people who brought the milk brandy go home. If the relatives do not approve [the proposal] [the people who brought] the milk brandy are chased back without drinking it. [141] If the people getting the approval return, they visit the maid's place a fourth time and introduce the son-in-law" lo : [to the maid's family]. That time a few people bring milk brandy, [boiled] mutton, tea and fruits 1 0"' from the lad's place. Thereafter, following this [event] two-three people come again from the son-in-law's place to the maid's parents and ask the details (Bálint ucir zügin'i surduk, Kalm. ucir zügin' surdg), when they would give their daughter. If the maid is under age, they wait for four-five years. When the suggested time (Bálint bolzokson cak , Kalm. bolzgsn cag) is approaching, all the necessary things and goods for the son-in-law's marrying (Bálint kürgünä ger abalyan , Kalm. kürgnä ger awlyn) and the maid's giving (Bálint küki ögölgen, Kalm. kükin öglgn) are brought to the yurt of the maid's parents. All these goods are called xuld. 100 1 9, 4 Manuscript pp. 140-146. 99 5 Bálint ger aba-, Kalm. ger aw- "to marry (from a male point of view)", lit. "get a yurt". Below the termini technici of wedding will be selected from Bálint's record and explained in the notes added to the first occurrence in the text. On the sequence of the wedding ceremonies: Pallas II. 235-241; Nebol'sin pp. 66-80; Ernjänä pp 81-130; Erdnijev pp. 184-188; Habunova: Fulmt. pp. 4563; Birtalan - Rákos: Kalmükök, pp. 83-86: Batmajev, M M.: Sem ja i brak v tradicijah kalmykov. Elsita. GU Izdatel'skij dom "Gerel" 2008. 9 % Bálint jil nasun. Kalm./// nasn. The combination of the twelve years, the five colours, the five elements gives the characteristics of a person. There is a strict rule what kind of pairs might fit together. About these rules among the Kalmyks, cf. "Nunmehr erkundigt sich man hei dem Geistlichen Astrologen ob die jungen Leute, nach ihren Horoskopen, für einander passen? ... Nach der Geburtsjahren des jungen Paares kann es sich zutragen, dass sich deren elementarische und andere Eigenschaften schnurstracks entgegen sind, und keine Ehe. ohne viele Gegenanstalten, glücken kann. Pallas II. pp. 236-237. 9 9 Bálint köbünä yazaräsu kükünä yazartu. Kalm. köwünä yazräs küknä yazrt. Here yazr means not only "the camp and territory" of the bridegroom or the bride, but also the "his or her side, i. e. his or her family, relatives, friends" who are involved in the preparation of the wedding. Kalm. köwünä yazr lit. "the lad's place", cf. Khalkha usually: xürgeni tal "the son-in-law's side". 9, 81, e. that the milk brandy has been sent in order to propose to the girl in her family. 99 9 Bálint zöb zügän keledek, Kalm zöw zügän keldg, lit. "say their approval". 100 0 Bálint eberän 'i siderlekci eigen sadudan. cf. Kalm. elgn sadn that is a usual term for the relatives of both maternal and paternal sides, the word siderlegdi "being close" indicates the relatives who live close to the family. For the kinship terminology among the Kalmyks and Mongols, cf. Aberle, David F.: The Kinship System of the Kalmyk Mongols. In: University of New Mexico Publications in Anthropology 8. Albuquerque, New Mexico 1953. pp. 3^t8; Gongor, D.: Xalx mongolCüdTn urag törlln togtolcön. In: Studia Mongolica IV. (12)/8. (1976) pp 185-258. [The kinship system of the Khalkha Mongols] on p. II; Vreeland, Herbert H : Mongol Community and Kinship Structure. New Haven, Human Relations Area Files Press 1962. 100 1 Bálint zöbln 'i ögäd, Kalm. zöwi n ' ögäd lit. "give their approval". 100 2 Bálint kürgü. Kalm kürgn: from this part of the text instead of the "lad" the lexeme "son-in-law" is used. I"" 1 Bálint ärki, xöinä maxa. cäi, zerzemeslä ododdok, Kalm. ärk, xönä manxn, cä. zer zemslä oddg. These are the items of the gift " Kl 4 Bálint xuldu Kalm. xuldän "Handel, Verkauf und Kauf', (R 196), xuld "pokupka" (Mun. 608) In the dictionaries there is no reference to this special term of wedding, only its basic meaning is given: "to sell, to buy". The expression indicated in Bálint's text 139
