One of the features of the Stalinist regime is the eviction of indigenous peoples from their native lands. According to historians, representatives of 61 nations were evicted during the USSR. What was the reason for the Stalinist repressions? Why do Balkars celebrate the revival of the Balkarian people? What has Kabardino-Balkaria become today?
A bit of history
On March 11, 1944, 37 thousand Balkarians were loaded onto livestock wagons. Among the internally displaced persons there were not only civilians, but also well-known representatives of the political elite and art. The official reason for the deportation of state officials called the participation of the Balkars in collaborationist groups operating in the interests of the Nazis during the war. According to an unofficial version, the liberated territories were supposed to be annexed to Georgia and thereby become a defensive line in the north of the Greater Caucasus.
The land liberation operation was quick, within 2 weeks. On February 28, Beria invited Stalin to evict the Balkars, and on March 11, the people were forced to move to the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, Irkutsk SSR and to the Far North.
Rehabilitation
13 years passed, and according to the decrees signed in 1956 and 1957, Turks, Hemsils, Kurds, Crimean Tatars and other peoples deported by the Presidium of the Supreme Council received official permission to return. By this time, the Balkar SSR combined with Kabarda.
The reverse resettlement that began in 1956 was completed only by 1979, when 90% of the people left the territories they occupied in a foreign land.
After the collapse of the USSR, the deportation of peoples was recognized as an act of genocide at the state level, and material damage in the amount of 35 thousand rubles was paid to the victims.
The European Parliament recognized the resettlement of the Ingush and Chechens as an act of genocide.
How is the holiday going?
Despite the long history, this young holiday, the Balkar People’s Revival Day, has been celebrated only since 1994, after the decree of the President of the KBR was signed. Today the whole republic enjoys this important day: residents of each city and village are preparing various festive events, and in the evening fireworks are launched in the sky in honor of this day.
But the holiday is celebrated most clearly in the capital, in Nalchik. Here have already appeared their traditions and customs. For example, every year a flower laying ceremony is held at the monument to Kaisyn Kuliev, a national poet and laureate of two prizes: the Lenin and the State (RSFSR).
Equestrian procession and rally are also held annually. On March 28, 2017, about a hundred off-road vehicles took part in the rally, and participants gathered from all over the North Caucasus Federal District. Off-road vehicles begin their journey from the railway station - from the place where they returned after a 13-year exile of the Balkars. An equestrian procession takes place before the start of the rally. This step is a tribute to the past as a symbol of the good news that the horseman used to bring to the house. In 2017, for the first time, a horseback procession and rally started not in Kashhatau (a village in the Chereksky district), but in Nalchik, next to the railway station. The place was not chosen by chance - the Balkars returned from years of exile here.
In 2017, another important event for the people was also held - in a festive atmosphere, the opening of the alley in honor of this historical event took place.
The revival day of the Balkarian people is not the only national holiday. Besides him, Republic Day and Adyge Day are celebrated (September 1 and 20, respectively).
Republic Day is celebrated since the new Constitution was published - since 1997, and the date coincides with the day of the formation of the Kabardin SSR.
Kabardino-Balkaria is an Islamic republic, and Islamic holidays are celebrated here annually, the date of which is set according to the Hijra.
Also, all-Russian holidays are held in the republic .
All holidays of Kabardino-Balkaria are bright and in compliance with national traditions.
Memorable Dates
Every year, in addition to holidays, Balkars pay homage and special memorable dates on which important historical events took place. These include Memorial Day for the victims of the deportation of the Balkar people (March 8–9) and Memorial Day for the Circassians - victims of the Russian-Caucasian War (May 21).
All holidays and memorial days in the republic are non-working.
The day of the revival of the Balkar people is not just a holiday. This is a symbol of the victory of the spirit of the common people over racism and ethnic cleansing.