The motif of the wedding in Sanji Balykov's novel “Girl's honor”

The article examines the motif of wedding in “Girl’s Honor” written by S. Balykov in exile in 1938. The novel was reprinted in Kalmykia in 1993 to arouse great interest among the public not only for its autobiographical essentials but rather for detailed insights into early 20th century household life, traditions, and habits of the Don Kalmyk Cossacks in Zadonskaya steppe of Salsky District. The article analyzes stages of the wedding complex described in the novel to conclude the traditional wedding rites of the Don Kalmyks (as of late 19th to early 20th centuries) were still retaining certain archaic features to have resulted from prolonged isolation, e.g., the rite of betrothal and blessing in a Buddhist temple, use of horse tendons in marriage brokerage procedures, horse races to deliver a special cushion to be placed over the bride’s pillow as part of her belongings, and ritual feeding of a dog in the bridegroom’s house. However, the paper reveals and shows some emerging transformation processes observed in rites and rituals introduced. The comparative analysis of the Don Kalmyk wedding rites and those inherent to Astrakhan and Stavropol Kalmyks identifies significant differences. The description of the wedding as a most important mechanism to regulate everyday life of the Kalmyks, articulate their spiritual values, worldviews and traditional beliefs is used by S. Balykov as antithesis to the disastrous consequences and hostilities of the Russian Civil War.