The Republic of Tuva always hides its legends, mysteries, ancient rites from scientist. But this forgotten Siberian corner begins to capture the world attention with contrasts and extremely beautiful nature and becomes some kind of Mecca for a traveler, who is eager to find his own way of studying the world. Tuva astonishes with the variety of archeological monuments of different epochs: deer's stone, stone women, Skiffs, Gunno-Sarmat and Turkic burial mounds, steles with runic and Orhno-Yeniseysk writings. The ethnic peculiarity is also attractive for tourists: the everyday life of Russian Old Believers, shaman's rites, throat singing, national fighting "Huresh", a chance to live in a real yurt and to feel yourself a real nomad.

Shamanism. The specific feature of shamanism is a presence of special men (shamans), who are the посредники between people and spirits, protecting people's interests. It is considered that the spirit's help gives the separate shaman special forces and knowledge, that is why he (shaman) can provide an successful fishing, hunting, can know the illnesses and to cure them. The main form of communication between a shaman and spirits is camlanie - different forms of praying and sacrifice. A Tuvan Shaman led the ritual of camlanie in a special costume and with a tambourine. Nowadays the tuvan shamans are very popular, a lot of tourists come to Tuva only to see them. Photographers of popular agencies are hunting for the. The shamans have already been to Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Italy, and America etc. The shaman gyms "algysh" are translated into German, English languages, during all the summer the scientists from Italy, Germany, and Austria are close to the shamans.

Shamans' clinic. The shamans' clinic is the place in the center of Kyzyl where Tuvan shamans receive clients. Having come to the clinic, one can see the shamans working, their cabinets, costumes, guards, the shaman ceremony - kamlaniye - is very often being held just at the entrance to the clinic. A lot of people come to the shamans. The old women - to tell fortunes, to ask for the grandson's health; anxious mothers, businessmen - to sanctify the bargain, sometimes even law-enforcement authorities ask for help - to find somebody!

International Shamans' Seminar. In the beginning of the August 2003 it is planned to held the International Shamans' Seminar of the today shamanism problems. The seminar is dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the first international seminar on Shamanism in Tuva, which was held with the initiative of the Finnish ethnographer and the Tuvan scientist. The seminar is expected to be visited by the scientists studying the problems of shamanism in different counties.

The throat singing "khoomey". Everyone who listens to throat singing for the first time, feels delight, amazement and always - a question to the singers - how do they manage do that!? The nature gave a wonderful and unexampled capability to the peoples of central Asia - to emit simultaneously two sounds of different tones - the first is ordinary (speech), the second is more low or high-pitched. Both together make an impression of "throat singing". The popularity of the throat singing is demonstrated by the fact that it exists here in five genres with a lot of subspecies and numerous individual styles of singing. Khoomey became one of the pivots of the national culture of tuvinian people. They say, every fifth Tuvinian can sing with his throat. 13 people have the most advanced rank of the national khoomeyzhi of the Republic of Tuva. One of the most popular and famous khoomeyzhi is Oorjak Hunactar Surun Oolovich (1932-1991). Having come to the stage for the first time in the age of 33 years old, he showed all the beauty of the Tuvinian Khoomey to the world. "Such a khoomeyzhi can be born only once a century", they said about him. As for modern throat singers, the most popular is national khoomeyzhi Ondar Kongar-Ool and an ensemble "Hun-Hurtu".

The celebration of Naadym. It is a colorful national holiday of cattlemen, which is held in the middle of August. The main event of the celebration is national fighting "huresh". The plasticity of the fighters coming to the ring is presented as the national dance "The dance of an Eagle" - taking off, flight, smartening, and then the fighting itself begins. A plastic entrance gives the spectators some information about physique of the fighters. A non-verbal communication with help of jesters takes place during "The dance of an Eagle". During the dance fighters image themselves mythological heroes. Moreover, one can admire the throat singing skills, horse and camel racing, archery after huresh, admire the magnificence of the national dress, acquaint the unique culture, language, traditions and cuisine.

Old Believers in Tuva. "Going up the Yenisei, the faith becomes stronger", - say old believers. They buy nothing in shops, except for the most essential things: salt, kerosene, matches. The main occupation during the winter is hunting, in summer - gardening. They live very self-contained, don't like to talk to the visitors, nobody will give a guest some water from his own cup here, won't invite to the house and won't pose for a photographer. They practically don't drink vodka. Katazy village was built to shut in hay from horses. Only several families lived there and they were called "winter-spenders". They were meeting carts, fed people, horses, and stored up hay in summer. In the 60th of the 20th century they started moving to Uzhep. The family of Illarion Egorovich Permyakov was the largest one, it came back to Katazy in the beginning of the reforms of the 90th, when the land could be rent. They live there nowadays. Illarion Egorovich has 6 adult sons, each of them has his own family. Vladimir has 8 children already; altogether Illarion Egorovich has 35 grandchildren! They rebuilt the village with only one house initially in it, the hunting base was modernized when they came back, they also bought the most necessary eqcuipment - tractors, pattens, boats, motors. After a successful year of quarrel' hunting, they managed to buy a car. Then - built the school, hired a teacher; built a tourist camp for rest and hunting. The Permyakovs' zaimka (forest base) got a high popularity after the mayor of Moscow Juryi Luzhkov, who visited it in 1996, Nickita Michalkov and Sergey Shoigu - a bit later.

Khakasia

Warm and soft wind with the bitterish smell of clover and Earth filled up with the sunlight - all these are the ancient spirit of Khakasia. You need to visit Khakasia to feel the energy of the ancient land, mysterious eternity and cosmic infinity of the history. Wide spaces framed with the mountains. The changes of the nature are unpredictable: steppe mountains, low and soft contours of landscapes, violent lines of the ridges. What will we around another corner? Steppe? Field? In summer haze rocks gain fantastic tints, all the palette is soft, pastel.
The history of this ancient land is so saturated, that it is counted not in centuries - in thousands years. Just a legend - the imperia of Din Lin that lived on this land, left after it burial mounds, rock drawings and runes, printed on the rock by someone's heavy hand. Khakasia is a great burial mound of the ancient civilizations changed one another on this rich and fruitful soil with soft and sunny climate. The ancient mounds and pagan idols among the Steppes - that is what you contemplate amazed. And what a pleasure to live in the real Khakas yurts, where steppe smell is mixed with wonderful smell of a real wood; where you can listen to a leisurely rhythm of a mountain river, and the huge clear sky with the Milky Way is above your head! What else do you need for your soul to calm down? A folk ensemble with soft throat sounds will give you an esthetic pleasure and a feel of the ancient culture' beauty in its full measure.

Archeological Museum-Reserve "Kazanovka". The Museum-Reserve in the open air was founded in 1996. Its territory is more than 18 thousands hectares - land, mountains, rocks, caves, cliffs, forest, scarce plants. The archeological and ethnographic monuments in the natural environment, ancient villages and modern settlements, are presented here as the base of the exposition. Here you can see the archeological excavations, rock drawings, the sacrament sings of the ancient shamans and the cult Stella Achtas, which has curative power. Moreover, you'll be able to watch how scientists copy the rock drawings.

Tun-Payram. The most remarkable and unique holiday that is owned by the Khakas land since the ancient times. Nomads celebrated this holiday many years ago before bringing cattle to pastures - they greeted the first grass in the beginning of summer. Nowadays every time when the land is covered with bright flowers and the valley is covered with festive clothes, thousands of guests gather at the ritual fire on Bazinskaya glade close to the village Askiz. Usually the holiday is held on the second Saturday of June. In the natural amphitheatre, crowned by eroded rocks, the great theatric performance is being played. Many people are in hurry to get to Tun-Payram because of the captivating sport competitions. Where else can one see athletes, fighters, archers, horse racers in one place! Accompanied by sounds of the national instrument chathana, storytellers, haidzhy singers - tahpahxhy, using professionally poetic and musical skills, take part in competitions.

The ritual of ethnic wedding. The wedding ritual is charming with its beauty. The whole day before the beginning of the rite, the broom and the fianc?e don't meet with each other. The man usually goes to the forest hunting of fishing - a husband should be a getter and a protector. After dinner the girl goes to banya with her friends. They sweat her out, wash, brush her, then - so-called "devichnik". In the evening the fianc?e puts on a traditional Russian wide dress and a wreath. When it's dark, everybody lights the torches. Then the broom and the fianc?e meet each other and go together to a small taiga lake, making a special incantation. The rite is held ashore a lake with the torches light and a bonfire. The newly married give oath to the Water, to the Fire, the Land and everything than surround them. The woman is the first to drop her wreath to the water, the man is the second. Then they put cedar rings on each other and get special talismans made of cedar also. The broom and the fianc?e swear to be faithful, obtesting the spirits of Land, Water etc. They pour wine (kagor) on a red-hot stone, read the plot, throw different herbs into the bonfire. The Spirits asked to help the newly married in their family life. When the rite is over, everybody sings and dances in a circle, jumps over the bonfire.