Russia is |
Peoples of Russia
Ossetians
Their self-designation is Iron or Digoron, the ethnonims Tualag and Khusayrag (Khusars, a group of Ossetians from Southern Ossetia) also still exist. They are the majority of the population of the Republics of North Ossetia-Alania (a constituent of the Russian Federation) and Southern Ossetia (an independent state).
Language
The Ossetian language belongs to the Iranian group of the Indo-European family of languages. It has two dialects: Iron (served as a basis for the standard language) and Digor. The writing system exists since the 19th century on the basis of the Russian alphabet.
Almost all the Ossetians in the Russian Federation can speak Russian.
Society
Before the 20th century, Ossetians traditionally had large families, which often included 40 and more people, the reason for which is the custom of not separating brothers from the family until their father is alive. The customs of hospitability, consecrated male friendship (the kunak relationship), sworn brotherhood, mutual help, atalyk fosterage were little different from the similar customs of other Northern Caucasus people. The blood feud custom was widespread.
Dwellings
The mountain dwelling of the Ossetians could have two or many levels; the upper storey could be made from wicker or logs. Each highlander dwelling had a large central room hadzar, where the hearth was located, and a windowless storage room. The roof was made of straw. Several additional rooms were built for each married son, which made the house longer. In the 19th century, the one-level lowland house becomes popular. A typical detail of the courtyard for lowland Ossetians is the presence of the kunak room (uazagdon).
Food
The national dishes of the Ossetians use various products – vegetables, grits, meat (often cured), melted butter, a lot of fermented milk products. Very popular are the meat pie (fydchin) not seen among other Caucasian peoples and the cheese pie (habisdjyn, ualibykh) Beer is the most venerated and ancient drink; according to the legend, it was invented by a Nart heroine.
Occupations
The traditional occupations of the Ossetians were agriculture and cattle breeding. The grain crops grown were wheat, corn, millet, barley and oats. An important type of agricultural works was making hay for cattle. The distant-pasture sheep raising and cattle breeding were popular. Unlike the neighboring highland peoples, the Orthodox Ossetians raised pigs too. Until the 20th century, hunting was very widespread.
