Mihail Ignatiev, center

The preliminary results of the Chuvash election are now announced. The republic's

Election Committee Leader Aleksandr Tzvetkov explained the figures in the morning of September 14.

Among the candidates to become the Head of Chuvashia the former head Mihail Ignatiev leads significantly with 65% of votes. The candidate from the Spravedlivaya Rossiya Party Oleg Nikolaev is second, and Communist Valenitne Shurchanov is third with 15 and 12 per cent of the votes respectively.

Half of the newly elected deputees of Cheboksary Assembly represent the Edinaya Rossiya Party. The second largest represented party is Communists (15%), then Spravedlivaya Rossiya (12%), and "Liberal Democratic" party (8%).

The election turnout was at 58% and has not spiked any controversy nor interest.

Beautiful Anya

Chuvash schoolchildren are back to school as of September, 1st. Bright sunny day in the country was an excellent opportunity for first schoolday snaps according to organizers of a social network group Krasota Chuvashskaya (Chuvash Beauty) who invite parents and children to share their photos from the event if they attended it in national clothes. The photos will be collected into a publicly accessible gallery.

Chuvash Director Joachim Maksimov-Koshkinsky playing a role in the film 'Diamonds'.

The season is scheduled to be opened later than usual, on September 23. The 98th year of the Drama Theater will begin with 'Constantine Ivanov' (Hot Blooded Gentle Soul), a play by the 20s screenwriter and director Joachim Maksimov-Koshkinsky.

The play is a tribute to the work of Joachim Maksimov-Koshkinsky as the founder and first director of Chuvash theater and cinematography. August 30, 2015 marks the 40th anniversary of his departure from life.

Like many contemporaries the boy who was born in the Tetyushi raion of Tatarstan in 1893 went to Simbirsk Chuvash School. After graduation from Kazan Art School he went on to stage the first Chuvash production in Kazan theater in 1918. He moved the theater to Cheboksary in 1920, and in 1925 produced his first full feature films. The premiere of his film 'The Volga Rebels' in which both Chuvash and Russian actors played happened on June 22, 1926. During Stalin's repressions Joachim Maksimov was detained (1937) and his films were destroyed. Maksimov-Koshkinsky was rehabilitated in 1956 and died 1975 in Moscow and was buried in Cheboksary.

Folk Religion priest Fedor Madurov at the Pole

It has become an annual custom for Chuvash activists and followers of Chuvash folk religion to assemble at a pole installed near Alkesh, suburb of Cheboksary. The occasion is the memorial of a battle that happened 792 years ago. A sacrificial ritual was performed in memory of brave ancestors who defeated the Mongol army in the Battle of Samara Bend and relieved Europe of clashes with the Tatar-Mongol army for the consequent 16 years.

After the victory over joint Kievan, Galician-Volhynian, Chernigov, Smolensk and Cuman troops at the Kalka River, the unbeatable Tatar-Mongol army headed north, but were defeated in an ambush by the Volga Bulgar army led by King Chelbir. The number of Mongol captives is estimated at 4000. This was the first time the Mongol Empire suffered a significant setback and near escape for Commander Subutai.

The captives were exchanged for sheep, one for each soldier, and that's where the name Sheep Battle comes from.

After the ritual of lamb sacrifice a local folklore ensemble performed and the guests gathered for festival soup shurpe.

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Materials about the great Chuvash enlightener, the founder of modern Chuvash orthography and bilingual education, honorable member of British and Foreign Bible Society, will be included in the coming edition of the standard 8th grade textbook 'The History of Russia. XIX Century'. Schoolchildren across Russia will have the Testament to the Chuvash Nation as their homework, as announced on the website of the Plenipotentiary of Chuvash Republic to the President of Russian Federation.

The agreement about the matter was reached at the assembly of the plenipotentiary Leonid Volkov with one of the authors of the book, PhD in Pedagogics Professor Gergiy Goghiberidze.

During the discussion which included topics of Chuvash history and culture, the development of pedagogical sciences in Chuvashia, the scientist remarked that being an expert of Rosobrnadzor (Russian Education Supervision Services), he is very well familiar with the educational system and the high levels of quality of instruction in Chuvashia. He underlined his utter respect for the scientific and spiritual heritage of Gennadiy Volkov, the founder of the concept of ethnopedagogics.

Georgiy Goghibidze gave special attention to the work of Ivan Yakovlevich Yakovlev in the sphere of enlightenment. He agreed that the Testament to the Chuvash Nation authored by Yakovlev deserves to enter the school curriculum.

The Language Law of the Chuvash Republic passed in 2003 is expected to undergo changes. The web portal of the official power structures has published the list of amendments.

The amendments introduces an official body governing the norms of the standard language which is going to be the Cabinet of Ministers of Chuvash Republic. Also identified are the languages of referendums, Chuvash and Russian will remain in use, but in areas where another recognized language of Russian Federation is spoken more than Chuvash and Russian the local language may be used.

However the changes make use of the Russian language in the inner documentation and correspondence related to referendums, Chuvash and other languages may be used when possible. The minutes and protocols will be in Russian (Chuvash, too - if possible).

The Article regarding the official correspondence government bodies will undergo a small change as well. Now if a governing body isn't able to reply in any other language than Russian then it can excuse itself by referencing the laws of Russian Federation.

The amendments will disable usage of the Chuvash language in these official papers: academic certificates, employment record book, but not disable usage of Chuvash in birth, marriage and death certificates.

Visit the provided link to learn about the revisions in full.

Photograph: Ivan Mikhailov/The Calvert Journal

"Russia Research" exhibition by photographers one of which is a prominent Chuvash artist Ivan Mikhailov has enjoyed much publicity. Recently The Calvert Journal and The Guardian have covered the much-talked travelling event that mixes science, geology, anthropology and art. The photos takes the viewer to the provinces of the giant country, unbiased and honest images of life in regions of Russia that otherwise receive little media coverage, and have produced no certain image in the heads of average Russians. The most interesting part of the "experiment" is performed on urban-planners, anthropologists, psychologists and the like who had to give commentary on the photos without knowing where they were taken.

Follow the "News Source" link to read more and see more images.

A guest came to Chuvashia. And not just in vain. She's planning to make great work here.

A specialist of Russian Ethnographic Museum's Volga and Urals branch, Natalia Kashpar intends to perform a field study in the villages of the Chuvash Republic. The research is called the Traditional Belief of the Chuvash.

Natalia presented to the Chuvash National Museum a book and an album dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Russian Ethnographic Museum and disk called "The Ritualistic Doll of the Volga and the Urals Region". The are sure to find a deserved spot in the funds of the Chuvash museum.

Animal Sacrifice Depicted in Art

On June 28 Chuvash people of Alših, Tatarstan performed a big sacrificial ritual. Local journalist Ulatimӗr Babikin (used to work for Pӑva TV studio) reports that folks slaughtered a young bull and prayed over it.

The sacrifice brought rains that watered fields and woods of Chuvashia dried up by scorching hot weather that even caused the officials in Patӑrjel rayon to announce emergency situation.

Let's remind here, that in the old times Chuvash would preform animal sacrifice in hot and scorching weather at nearby springs or rivers, lakes or ponds. They would usually read prayers over sacrificial porridge, milk soup and omelet. Folklorists also recorded many instances of horse, bull and lamb sacrifice.

We should also add here, that sacrifice is recorded within Christian Chuvash as well. In XIX century local clergy equated it with the one in Old Testament and called it Abrahamic Faith. Sacrificial lamb feast is offered on or after Petrav Kunӗ (Feast of Saints Peter and Paul). The other time the feast is held is in autumn and it resembles that of Islamic Kurban Bayram. Family, relatives, friends and neighbors gather under one roof or rather in the garden to celebrate the Christian holiday. Nowadays, the sacrificial and religious elements have faded, and it is just a festive meal rather than a semi-Islamic, or any ancient religious sacrifice.

Irina Kalentieva

On June 21 cross country biker Irina Kalentieva won 30 points to her UCI rating by winning another international race, this time Argovia Geax-Fischer Bike Cup in Lostorf, Switzerland.

Irina finished first Women Elite group with the time result of 01:25:11 leaving closest competitors 8-9 minutes behind.

Irina, 33, also won in another C2 class biking event - BMC Racing Cup in Yverdon, Switzerland on June 28 with the result 01:30:55.