Bald Brides, Wives for Rent, and Dates with the Dead: The Strangest Traditions of Russia’s Peoples
Today, Russia is home to 47 indigenous peoples, classified as “autochthonous” or small-numbered. These groups live on the ancestral lands of their forebears, preserving traditional lifestyles, crafts, and customs.
Below are some of the most fascinating and unusual traditions from these communities. Learn why Ingrian brides shaved their heads, why the Nganasans left their deceased tribespeople in the tundra, how Enets shamans “brought a drum to life,” and why some northern peoples practiced sexual hospitality.
Chukchi and Koryaks – Ancient Customs Around Death
Photo by Paul Niedieck
Among the Chukchi, according to travelers’ accounts, dying a natural death was long considered “dishonorable” and “befitting only women.” It was believed that those who ended their own lives would enjoy a more blissful afterlife. Elderly people who no longer wished to live and young people with incurable illnesses could even ask relatives to help them pass away. If refused, they might pay someone else to do it.
Researcher Zelenin noted: “On the eve of death, the Chukchi is in the best of spirits; he is genuinely cheerful, rejoices, and openly shows his joy to everyone who comes to say goodbye.”
Nivkhs – Meetings with the Dead
The Nivkhs of the Amur region and Sakhalin held regular “meetings” with deceased relatives through shamans. These sessions involved conversations, offerings of food and clothing, and other gifts for the afterlife—essentially “second funerals.”
They also practiced the “raising of the tree” ritual, transferring the soul into a small wooden figurine carved from larch during cremation. The figurine, dressed and equipped with flint, food, and belongings, was placed in a family burial house facing west.
Evens and Eskimos – Sexual Hospitality
Among some northern and Far Eastern peoples, it was customary to offer a guest one’s wife or daughter for the night. Acceptance was considered a great honor. If a woman became pregnant from such a union, the whole village celebrated, believing the child would bring fresh genes into the lineage. Among the Eskimos, wives could even be “rented” to another man during a husband’s hunting trip, serving both as partner and cook.
Nganasans and Tubalars – Mythic Storytelling
Photo by Sergei Ivanovich Borisov (1867–1931)
The Nganasans told dyryms (narratives) and sitabs (stories about spirits and animals) using expressive gestures, dances, and songs. These solo performances could last several evenings.
The Tubalars of Altai shared similar storytelling traditions, often performed during hunts and accompanied by sacrifices to appease the spirit of the mountains and ensure good game.
Ingrians – Tobacco and Bald Brides
In the Leningrad region, the Ingrians had a unique wedding custom: everyone present during matchmaking smoked tobacco. They said, “If smoke rises over the house, it’s either a fire or an engagement!” The wedding itself was called tupakat—from “tobacco.”
After the celebration, the bride shaved her head completely and remained bald until the birth of her first child. Later, the custom shifted to simply cutting hair short.
Votes – Trial Marriages
Votes, a small indigenous Finno-Ugric people living in the Leningrad region of Russia
Photo by nazaccent.ru
The Votes practiced trial marriages, allowing a young man to live with a girl for weeks or months before deciding to wed. Relationships allowed considerable freedom: a man could have multiple wives, and women could also live with other partners.
Aleuts – Sitting Dances
In totemic ceremonies, Aleuts used dance to communicate with the gods, transforming into sea animals and birds. Ancient sitting dances involved only the upper body—head, arms, and face—while men began with drumming and singing and women joined in.
Nganasans – Leaving the Dead in the Tundra
The Nganasans once placed deceased relatives on sleds with belongings and left them in the tundra. Approaching such sleds was considered dangerous due to the sacred items inside.
They believed the “pure” half of a person went to the land of the dead beneath seven layers of underground ice, while the “impure” half remained at the grave. If a bear disturbed the grave, it was seen as a favorable sign for the deceased’s journey.
Enets and Selkups – Bringing the Drum to Life
Northern shaman beats tambourine over his head performing a rite calls spring
Photo by depositphotos.com
For the Enets and Selkups, a shaman’s drum symbolized a reindeer carrying the shaman to the sky. Before any journey, the drum had to be “brought to life” so spirits could see it. The stronger the shaman, the stronger the spirits the drum could attract.
The ritual ended with a communal feast and “feeding” wooden ancestor idols.
Source: mir24.tv
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