Tarasun (also known as Arhi) is an alcoholic beverage drunk by the Mongol Buryats of Siberia. Apart from being the national drink of Buryatia, it is also used by the Buryats in their religious ceremonies.[1][2] The Buryat and his tarasun have been compared to a Scotsman and his whisky.[3]
Tarasun is a "highly alcoholic colourless liquid" prepared by distillation and fermentation of a mare's milk.[4] It is described as a form of "milk whisky".[1][5]
Religious usageedit
Tarasun is considered to be the "Soma" of the Buryats.[6] Offerings of tarasun are made in almost all Buryat festivals and ceremonies including marriages and childbirth.[5] Libations of tarasun are offered during the traditional Mongol horse-sacrifice called Tailgan.[1][7] Following the sacrifice, pieces of horse meat are thrown into the fire and the people assembled recite the following invocation to their deities while partaking tarasun
We pray that we may receive from you a blessing. From among fat cattle we have chosen out meat for you. We have made strong tarasun for you. Let our ulus (villages) be one verst longer. Create cattle in our enclosures; under our blankets create a son; send down rain from high heaven to us; cause much grass to grow; create so much grain that sickle cannot raise it, and so much grass that scythe cannot cut it. Let no wolves out unless wolves that are toothless; and no stones unless stones without sharp corners or edges. Hover above our foreheads. Hover behind our heads. Look on us without anger. Help those of us who forget what we know. Rouse those of us who are sleeping (in spirit). In a harsh year (a year of trouble) be Compassion. In a difficult year (a year of want) be Kindness (in sense of help). Black spirits lead farther away from us; bright spirits lead hither, nearer; gray spirits lead farther away from us. Burkans lead hither to us. Green grass give in the mouths (of cattle). Let me walk over the first snow. If I am timid, be my courage. If I am ashamed, be a proper face to me. Above be as a coverlid, below be as a felt bed to me.[7]
Buryat shamans generally prefer tarasun to vodka for usage in religious ceremonies as they feel that tarasun is more pure as it is made with special distillation equipment which only the affluent own and hence, is not made in villages.[2] Also, according to the Buryat religion, milk and the colour white were always associated with the pure. In recent times, however, this trend is getting reversed as tarasun is being gradually replaced by vodka.[2] A Buryat Conference which met at Irkutsk on 15 April 1917, in the aftermath of the February Revolution, prohibited the production of tarasun for normal consumption making it a punishable offense while allowing concessions for the religious usage of tarasun.[8]
^Robert Paul Browder; Aleksandr Fyodorovich Kerensky (1961). The Russian Provisional Government, 1917: Documents. Vol. 1. Stanford University Press. p. 433. ISBN0-8047-0023-0.
Bibliographyedit
Curtin, Jeremiah (1909). A journey in Southern Siberia. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
Bisher, Jamie (2005). White Terror: Cossack warlords of the Trans-Siberian. Routledge. ISBN0-7146-5690-9.
tarasun, also, known, arhi, alcoholic, beverage, drunk, mongol, buryats, siberia, apart, from, being, national, drink, buryatia, also, used, buryats, their, religious, ceremonies, buryat, tarasun, have, been, compared, scotsman, whisky, contents, constituents,. Tarasun also known as Arhi is an alcoholic beverage drunk by the Mongol Buryats of Siberia Apart from being the national drink of Buryatia it is also used by the Buryats in their religious ceremonies 1 2 The Buryat and his tarasun have been compared to a Scotsman and his whisky 3 Contents 1 Constituents 2 Religious usage 3 See also 4 Notes 5 Bibliography 6 See alsoConstituents editTarasun is a highly alcoholic colourless liquid prepared by distillation and fermentation of a mare s milk 4 It is described as a form of milk whisky 1 5 Religious usage editTarasun is considered to be the Soma of the Buryats 6 Offerings of tarasun are made in almost all Buryat festivals and ceremonies including marriages and childbirth 5 Libations of tarasun are offered during the traditional Mongol horse sacrifice called Tailgan 1 7 Following the sacrifice pieces of horse meat are thrown into the fire and the people assembled recite the following invocation to their deities while partaking tarasun We pray that we may receive from you a blessing From among fat cattle we have chosen out meat for you We have made strong tarasun for you Let our ulus villages be one verst longer Create cattle in our enclosures under our blankets create a son send down rain from high heaven to us cause much grass to grow create so much grain that sickle cannot raise it and so much grass that scythe cannot cut it Let no wolves out unless wolves that are toothless and no stones unless stones without sharp corners or edges Hover above our foreheads Hover behind our heads Look on us without anger Help those of us who forget what we know Rouse those of us who are sleeping in spirit In a harsh year a year of trouble be Compassion In a difficult year a year of want be Kindness in sense of help Black spirits lead farther away from us bright spirits lead hither nearer gray spirits lead farther away from us Burkans lead hither to us Green grass give in the mouths of cattle Let me walk over the first snow If I am timid be my courage If I am ashamed be a proper face to me Above be as a coverlid below be as a felt bed to me 7 Buryat shamans generally prefer tarasun to vodka for usage in religious ceremonies as they feel that tarasun is more pure as it is made with special distillation equipment which only the affluent own and hence is not made in villages 2 Also according to the Buryat religion milk and the colour white were always associated with the pure In recent times however this trend is getting reversed as tarasun is being gradually replaced by vodka 2 A Buryat Conference which met at Irkutsk on 15 April 1917 in the aftermath of the February Revolution prohibited the production of tarasun for normal consumption making it a punishable offense while allowing concessions for the religious usage of tarasun 8 See also editArkhi KumisNotes edit a b c Curtin p 28 a b c Fridman Eva Jane Neumann 2004 Sacred Geography Shamanism among the Buddhist peoples of Russia Akademiai Kiado p 207 ISBN 963 05 8114 0 The Nineteenth Century and After 93 Leonard Scott Pub Co 1923 50 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Bisher p 11 a b Curtin p 35 MacKenzie Donald Alexander 1913 Indian myth and legend pp 90 91 a b Curtin pp 45 49 Robert Paul Browder Aleksandr Fyodorovich Kerensky 1961 The Russian Provisional Government 1917 Documents Vol 1 Stanford University Press p 433 ISBN 0 8047 0023 0 Bibliography editCurtin Jeremiah 1909 A journey in Southern Siberia Boston Little Brown and Company Bisher Jamie 2005 White Terror Cossack warlords of the Trans Siberian Routledge ISBN 0 7146 5690 9 See also editSoma nbsp This drink related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tarasun amp oldid 1185143022, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
