Novye Bulgary is best understood through its Tatar cultural history: the history of the settlement combines its founding in 1918 with traditional forms of fishing, a school where lessons were taught in Tatar until 1962, and the annual celebration of Sabantuy. These themes give your trip a clear focus on history, language and cultural heritage. If you would like to plan your visit around Sabantuy, check the dates for your chosen year before travelling.
Founding and origins
Novye Bulgary was founded in 1918. Kazan Tatars made up 80 percent of the founders; the rest were Mishar Tatars from the Penza-Nizhny Novgorod, Simbirsk and Khvalynsk regions. They had previously settled in the Astrakhan Tatar settlement of Tiyak and in the Nogai villages of Karagali, Tatarskaya Bashmakovka and Yaksatovo. The settlement's history thus includes several named places of origin and settlement. This makes it possible to look at its founding through the different groups and places without reducing them to a single origin.
Language and fishing history
Until 1962, lessons at the school in Novye Bulgary were taught in Tatar. Together with the settlement's founding in 1918, the end of Tatar-language instruction marks another dated point in its history.
Fishing is also part of local heritage. Residents fished to feed their families, not to sell their catch. Katza fish traps were used in Novye Bulgary until the 1970s. The Koteshny fishery is a separate tradition: according to the recollections of older residents, it saved Novye Bulgary from starvation during the famine years of the Civil War and collectivisation, as well as during wartime and the post-war period. The two traditions show different aspects of fishing history: a named method of fishing with an approximate end period, and the remembered importance of fishing in times of hardship.
Sabantuy and cultural heritage
Sabantuy is celebrated annually in Novye Bulgary. Historical celebrations included horse racing, pole climbing, rifle shooting and wrestling. In addition, the Days of Culture of Tatarstan were held in Novye Bulgary in 2005. This dated event is a separate historical reference point alongside the annual festival; if you are planning a trip around a particular Sabantuy, check the dates for your chosen year.
A Tatar folk game associated with the House of Culture in Novye Bulgary offers another specific glimpse into cultural heritage. Two players climbed onto a three-metre-long log, 1 to 1.2 metres high, and tried to knock each other to the ground. Soft mats were placed underneath for safety. The log's dimensions, the way the game was played and the mats are among the details passed down about this game.
Novye Bulgary is also associated with the traditional rain-calling ritual «Kuday jol». The account describes children and adults splashing and pouring water over one another after a meal to imitate rain. The rain-calling gives the custom its ritual context; the game and the ritual add other forms of cultural heritage to the settlement's history, alongside the annual festival tradition.
Discover more destinations: Oranzherei, Starokucherganovka, Chagan, Karaulnoye, Rynok, Tishkovo, Trusovo, Poldnevoye.
For the broader travel overview: Astrakhan Oblast.
