The chief elder of Erzya people

On July 9, 2022, in a village of Chukaly (Bolsheignatovskiy district, Republic of Mordovia) the national prayer gathering of Erzya people, popularly known as Ras’ken’ Ozks, took place. It is known that Ras’ken’ Ozks was forbidden as early as 1629 by Russian tsar’s decree. However Erzya people continued to support their religious tradition unofficially, particular during totalitarian rule of Russian communists. For first time after a long period of abandonment renovated folk prayer gathering took place on July 17, 1999. The representatives of Erzya intellectulas, activists of Erzya national revival Mariz’ Kemal and Kshumantsian’ Pirguzh have initiated the prayer gathering. Traditionally the venue for such a solemn event was chosen in connection with Erzya history, namely an ancient burial mound in a village of Chukaly, which confines, according to ancient legend, over 11 thousand of Moksha, Mari and Udmurt warriors fallen in 1612 in a battle with the Nogai horde. Since that time Chukaly became the traditional location for Ras’ken’ Ozks, that is conducted every three years.