Chuvash People's Site just launched a new webpage - it's a parallel corpus for the Chuvash language. Its principle goal is to collect accurately translated texts in Chuvash and Russian and by using them to help create a Chuvash-Russian or Russian-Chuvash translator. The collection of such texts is what's behind the famous online translator like Google and Yandex etc.

As of now the corpus contains around 100 texts, mostly newspaper publications - news and articles - from Hypar, Şamrӑksen Haşacӗ, Cӑvaš Hӗrarӑmӗ etc. Together with parallel texts from Chuvash.org there are more than 3 thousand sentences and 40 thousand words. A little more than 800 are translated, which makes about 10 thousand words.

Chuvash-Russian parallel texts are labour-intensive and the site welcomes user contributions from those who engage in Chuvash-Russian tranlsations.

Visit the site using this link: corpus.chv.su.

Jupa pole on the left, activists holding a Suvar foundation flag

In cafe Şӑlkuş, which is in the same building with Chuvash National Congress in Cheboksary activists of Sӑvar celebrated Chuvash traditional holiday of Şӑvarni (coincides with the Russaian Maslenitsa carnival).

The meeting began with the veneration of ancestors near a jupa (wooden pole) installed in the Cheboksary Arbat. Bread was broken and prayers were read. Then the assembly proceeded into the cafe where before the feast Alran Kaimi hymn was sung.

The gathered discussed the current problems of Chuvashity such as the effects of the removal of the word "State" from the republic's constitutional law.

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Şӑvarni [Shuh-var-NEE] is an ancient pagan Sun-adoration festivity preceding the Mӑnkun festival (source: gov.cap.ru).

IBU World Championships Biathlon is up and running - March 2-13, Oslo Holmenkollen, Norway. One of the teammates of the Russian Federation team is our own Tatian Akimova who participates for the first time.

Events planned for the celebration of national holiday the Republic Day, on June 24, include opening of an ethnocultural park and a video competition. Professional videographers and amateurs alike will shoot footage of the festivities with their cameras, ipads, smartphones for a prize.

The celebration destination of this year, where most of the activities will take place, is the village of Elӗk (Alikovo). Cheboksary on the other hand will be decorated with 30 thousand flowers and large-scale art objects, one being in the form of tuhia, national maiden's headdress.

In 2015 Chuvash citizens names a few new-borns with old and new Chuvash names - Ilempi, Juman, Aidar and Hastar.

However these exceptional names can't beat the years most popular name choices (as reported by Republic Justice Ministry): Kirill, Maksim, Artem, Dmitriy and Anna, Maria, Victoria.

For the owners of iPhone and iPad gadgets Chuvash keyboard layout is prepared. When entered into the system it can work in any application. The keyboard has two variants - light and dark.

The keyboard application is available for download at iTunes store. It's a paid app, priced at 149 roubles.

The keyboard was developed by Andrey Fetisov and released on December 29 last year. The Chuvash keyboard requires iOS 8.0 or later operation systems.

Let us remind that for Android owner many variants of Chuvash keyboard layout are available for free. For instructions, please refer to this page.

The Original Hypar

The main Chuvash newspaper Hypar (The News) celebrated its 110th anniversary on January 21.

The founding of Chuvash journalism is attributed to this periodical which was started by Professor Nikolai Nikolskii in 1906 in Kazan. He worded the mission statement: «Learnt be the good from newspaper".

The organization went through many turmoils, it was even shut down in 1918. Later it was reorganized to serve the communist party purposes. The main newspaper in Chuvash continued to be Kanash (Advice, Russ. Soviet), Cӑvaš Kommuni (Chuvash Commune), and Kommunism Jalavӗ (Banner of Communism). After the desolution of communism in Russia in the 90s, the message of the founding "patriarch" Nikolskii persisted and the editorial board restored the original name. The editor-of-chief of today's Hypar is Mihail Arlanov. The newspaper is Chuvashia's principal state-funded news source in the Chuvash language.

Well-know traveller Nikita Vasiliev went out for a bicycle tour from Cheboksary to Vladivostok, but a twist of fate is preventing him from teaching the destination. Nikita was crossing Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border when officials came after and charged him for overstaying the 10-day period allowed without registering. Court ruled to fine the young traveller with 31815 tenge ($90).

Nikita took very little money for the journey and can't afford unexpected expenditures. However, he has had sponsors in Shymkent who placed him in a local hotel during the legal procedures.

The traveller has already left 3000 km behind him and he's an expected guest in every village and town he visits, in Kazakhsatn as well. He is planning to spend the winter in Central Asia according to his blog.

In January Fund Suvar orgnaized a festive activity to celebrate Surhuri which is a traditional. The crowd that gatherer was greeted by the head of Suvar Fund Mr. Timӗr Tiapkin, while the ritual was led by ethnographer Vitalii Stanial. While reciting ritual supplications he asked participant to take from a round loaf of bread, started and asked participants to taste form the ritual beer ladle.

The festive tableful was presided by ethnographer Vitalii Stanial, painter Praski Vitti, and two ethnographers from Murkash region Martynov and Morozov. This year's Surhuri was attended by leaders of diaspora and Vladimir Bolgarskii of Moscow Chuvash Bulgar Association, the latter bought a painting from Praski Vitti.

The assembly ate a flavorful Kakai Šürpi (Pacha dish) and enjoyed Nikolai Fomiriakov's music, who played on various imstruments.

Chuvash Language Teachers' Association took big role in preparations, the most active of them received presents by accessory and jewelry designer Mikuş Paltai.

Surhuri

Surhuri is a traditional weeks-long festivity which may start as early as December 6th. It is associated with winter solstice as a pagan rite. The main participants are children and youth. In a custom similar to Halloween trick-or-treating they go asking for treats and ingredients for the ritual pea porridge and beer. Surhuri also coincided with Christmas and continued to as late as Epiphany and thus in northern regions it is the Chuvash name for Christmas and closely resembles Russian caroling traditions.

An Israerli had to explain himself to Russian Police while they were going through his luggage. Russian ex-pat and reserve officer of IDF Mark G. was labeled as a member of ISIS.

When he was sitting in car of Moscow-Cheboksary train Police came in and detained him. Why? A vigilant lady had seen him reading a book in Hebrew and informed Police that an ISIS agent was riding the train.

According to Mark he had to testify three times to various Police officials before an apology was made and they let him go and join his family who were already in Cheboksary.