Reindeer Breeder’s Day is an ancient original holiday of the indigenous peoples of the North. Initially, it was timed to coincide with the day of the vernal equinox, when the North wakes up from the long polar night. Some northern peoples called it the Day of the Sun, and others — the Day of the Deer. It is based on the national festive ritual culture of nomadic peoples, the belief that people are connected to the spirits of nature. The holiday was also an occasion to bring together all kindred tribes, who roam all year round in search of new pastures for domestic deer. Families of reindeer herders from different regions gathered at a big meeting, exchanged goods and news, and arranged marriages of their children.
In its modern meaning, Reindeer Breeder’s Day appeared in the 1950s in the wake of other Soviet professional holidays. Reindeer Breeder’s Day is celebrated in the spring, in March or April, in the Murmansk and Amur regions, as well as Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Districts. In the Murmansk region, Reindeer Breeder’s Day is held as part of the Holiday of the North. In the USSR, Reindeer Breeder’s Day was organized by representatives of the state, for which this holiday was part of the national and professional policy. Since the early 1990s, Reindeer Breeder’s Day has been organized not only by the state, but also by commercial oil and gas companies.
On Reindeer Breeder’s Day, one can get acquainted with ethnic customs and traditions, see concerts, craft workshops, and sports competitions. Families come to the celebration wearing their best national costumes, decorated with embroidery, fur mosaics, beads and brass pendants. Reindeer herders’ wives compete in the beauty of handicraft household items. They sell hides of deer, Arctic foxes, red foxes, as well as belts, fur hats, mittens and national footwear. At the fair, one can buy northern fish and venison, honey and wild plants from the tundra, try northern dishes such as jerked meat, fish soup, stroganina (raw, thin, long-sliced frozen fish), baked blood and berry fruit drinks.
The highlight of Reindeer Breeder’s Day is a reindeer sleigh race, for which participants prepare for a whole year. Northern legends say, “Every year, when a month of silent snow comes to earth and the sun begins its journey to the upper world, the sons of men, descendants of the glorious northern people, gather to the call of their ancestors to remember the glorious deeds of their forefathers and compete with each other in strength and dexterity.”
In its modern meaning, Reindeer Breeder’s Day appeared in the 1950s in the wake of other Soviet professional holidays. Reindeer Breeder’s Day is celebrated in the spring, in March or April, in the Murmansk and Amur regions, as well as Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Districts. In the Murmansk region, Reindeer Breeder’s Day is held as part of the Holiday of the North. In the USSR, Reindeer Breeder’s Day was organized by representatives of the state, for which this holiday was part of the national and professional policy. Since the early 1990s, Reindeer Breeder’s Day has been organized not only by the state, but also by commercial oil and gas companies.
On Reindeer Breeder’s Day, one can get acquainted with ethnic customs and traditions, see concerts, craft workshops, and sports competitions. Families come to the celebration wearing their best national costumes, decorated with embroidery, fur mosaics, beads and brass pendants. Reindeer herders’ wives compete in the beauty of handicraft household items. They sell hides of deer, Arctic foxes, red foxes, as well as belts, fur hats, mittens and national footwear. At the fair, one can buy northern fish and venison, honey and wild plants from the tundra, try northern dishes such as jerked meat, fish soup, stroganina (raw, thin, long-sliced frozen fish), baked blood and berry fruit drinks.
The highlight of Reindeer Breeder’s Day is a reindeer sleigh race, for which participants prepare for a whole year. Northern legends say, “Every year, when a month of silent snow comes to earth and the sun begins its journey to the upper world, the sons of men, descendants of the glorious northern people, gather to the call of their ancestors to remember the glorious deeds of their forefathers and compete with each other in strength and dexterity.”
