In Karachay-Cherkessia, 3000 persons attend Ayran festival

On July, 1, the village of Krasny Kurgan of the Malokarachay District of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) hosted an interregional festival "Ayran Holiday-2012", which was attended by about 3000 persons.

The event was held to promote the national cuisine of Karachay-Balkar people, exchange experiences between participants, stimulation manufacturing of products, developed by traditional folk technologies and popular recipes.

Let us remind you that the festival was organized by the municipal state-owned cultural institution "Centre for Culture and Leisure of the Malokarachay District" of the KBR, the Limited Liability Company (LLC) "Honey Falls", and the Kabardino-Balkarian regional branch of the All-Russian public organization "Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Russia". The event was supported by the administration of the Malokarachay District.

"Ayran is symbol of hospitality of Karachay-Balkar people"

The holiday began with the presentation of Ayran, fermented in a vat with a capacity of 500 litres, the traditional toast of the elder man, and treatment of guests.

The festival was attended by delegations from the cities and districts of Karachay-Cherkessia, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Turkey. There were was a lot of tourists among the visitors, and people came with their families and friends.

Apart from Ayran, guests of the festival could taste dishes of Karachay-Balkar cuisine, enjoy the performance of vocal and dance ensembles, buy souvenirs of the Caucasian subjects and simply have a good time during communication with people.

Representatives of the Elbrus District of Kabardino-Balkaria have prepared for the contest several sorts of Ayran. Aminat Balaeva, Director of the Cultural Centre of the Elbrus District, emphasized the relevance of the festival.

"This holiday is useful, especially for young people. Unfortunately, over time, we forgot traditions of making our national dishes, and that is why they need to be promoted," Aminat Balaeva said.

Khalimat Akbaeva, the Honoured Teacher of the KBR, the teacher of native language and literature of the secondary school of the village of Tereze, who represented the Malokarachay District at the contest, personally prepared about 10 sorts of Ayran in accordance with the old recipes.

"I am fond of cooking since my childhood, and I got the skill in the preparation of this fermented beverage from my mother. In our family, we always have Ayran on our table, the fresh tonic beverage, which has a healing effect on gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular and nervous systems, respiratory organs. I believe that this beverage exceeds all other beverages for its healing qualities," Khalimat Akbaeva.

The festival opened a forge in the ethnographic museum "Karachay Courtyard" and the master class of Khamzat Bachiev, a well-known blacksmith and a national master from Kabardino-Balkaria.

The holiday held the fair and sale of souvenirs, historical and regional literature, the presentation of the book "Karachay Kefir and Ayran", written by ethnographer Ibragim Shamanov, Candidate of Historical Sciences.

The event ended with a roundtable "Challenges of our time - answers of managerial community. Viewpoints from the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD)" and folk sporting competitions and a concert of masters of culture.