THE WEDDING SONG “YAR-YAR” RECORDED BY N.F. KATANOV: COMPOSITION AND SEMANTICS OF THE KHAMIAN VERSION

Abstract

The article studies the wedding song lyrics “Yar-Yar,” recorded by N.F. Katanov in the Khamian area of East Turkestan (late 19th century) in the context of the bride’s farewell ceremony. The purpose of the work is to identify the artistic originality and ritual semantics of the “Yar-Yar” version based on the materials of N.F. Katanov’s publication, to study the relationship of the song with the ritual complex, to consider the semantics of images and texts. The study analyzes the song’s plot outline, which includes cosmogonic motifs (the creation of Adam and Hawwa), examines images related to the Islamic tradition (Karbala, the story of Yusuf and Zuleikha), identifies key symbols of the transitional rite: the path, sacrifice, red color; the role of the yar-yar redif as a genre marker that binds the cycle. The researchers note special completeness and multilayeredness of the poetic images of N.F. Katanov’s version.