Национальные виды спорта

NATIONAL SPORTS

Sport is very popular in our republic. Yakutia has its own lovers of sport, fans and sportsmen. There are some national kinds of sports such as jumping, national wrestling khapsagai, tug-of-war and horse-racing.

Khapsagai   –  national wrestling is similar to free-style wrestling, but it has its own rules. The loser is that sportsman who first touches the ground, the floor or the carpet with any part of body. It demands mental and physical  abilities and enormous practice. Khapsagai is translated as adroitness. For centuries Yakuts regarded adroitness as perfection of man’s abilities which integrates cleverness, power, quickness, grace and other qualities.

There are three types of jumps: kyly, ystanga, kuobakh.

 Kyly  –  one takes a run and performs eleven jumps on two legs. It looks like the running of a deer or an elk. Kuobakh  –  a sportsman performs eleven jumps from the sport on both legs. It reminds hare’s jumps. (written by Polina Kopach)

Олимпиада "Bright Crane"

We are glad to welcome the winners of the first stage of the regional Olympiad "Bright Crane" in knowledge of English language! Your task here is to write an essay on the topic "The Land of Olonkho". We hope you love the land you live and know a lot about its history, culture, literature, people and what not. We wish you were creative and look forward to your essays!
Will you write your essays as commentaries in this very post. Don't forget to sign your works, please.

Олонхо

Olonkho

One of the most important pieces of Sakha folklore is the epic literature represented by Olonkho. Olonkho consists of a great number of lengthy legends, which reflect the Sakha cosmology and their religion. According to Sakha cosmology, the world consists of three layers: The Upper World (the Heavens), where the Yurung Aar Toyon (the Great White Lord) and other gods live, the Lower World, the world of evil, and the Middle World, where people live. In the centre of the Middle World, there is the sacred evergreen tree, Aal Luuk Mas, a home for goddess who is the Mistress of the Earth – Aan Alakhchyyn. The Lower World is hidden behind the mountains, far up in the north, where the Arctic Sea lies and where the sky is dark and gloomy. The inhabitants of the Lower World are cunning, treacherous and elusive. The inhabitants of the Middle World are noble warriors who are incredibly strong, handsome and wise. The view of women found in Olonkho is usually idealistic. They are beautiful and kind, and fight evil. There are picturesque descriptions of landscapes, homes and battles. Special attention is paid to horses. According to the Sakha tradition, the horse is a sacred animal. It can speak and it understands human language.
The language of Olonkho is very rich in symbols, numerous epithets, comparisons and repetitions. Olonkho is not merely narrated by olonkhohuts but is performed like a piece of music. It is the melody that creates the artistic image.
In 2005, UNESCO proclaimed Olonkho a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity. This prestigious status is usually awarded to important items from a nation’s cultural heritage, such as oral traditions, music and dance, rituals and mythology, traditional knowledge and customs.