Pavel Tsoroyev, Nazran. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Scandalous incidents with shooting at weddings in Russian towns are being discussed in the society of central Russia and the North Caucasus. “The scandal over shooting at weddings in Moscow doesn’t reflect the character and essence of Caucasian traditions,” the head of the Ingush republic Yunus-Bek Yevkurov says. He urged young Caucasians who express emotions through shooting to think about the consequences for themselves, their ethnic group, and the Caucasus region in general. Shooting at weddings is not a national tradition, it is a prejudice of the “crazy” 1990s. For example, in Ingushetia there are attempts to prevent such incidents. There are real ancient customs and traditions, due to which ethnic identity has been preserved and handed down to future generations. For example, the Ingush people have a set of informal rules which determines the lifestyle and mentality of thme people. It is a culture of intelligent people.
A respectful attitude to the elderly is one of the foundations of Ingush ethics. Speaking about the spiritual values of his people, Yevkurov has recently said: “A respectful attitude towards your parents is a sign of high culture of any nations. Ingush people do not leave their elderly parents alone. We have no homes for elderly people. A young son usually lives with them, he takes care of them, fulfils their wishes, and provides them with everything they need. Taking care of our parents is our duty.” The most significant issues in the life of a family or society cannot be settled without participation of the elderly. Moreover, Ingushetia has no orphanages, because numerous relatives take care of children who lose their parents. There is another common law: you cannot beat a child publicly in order not to hurt his pride. The Ingush treat women carefully. Ingush etiquette requires a careful and gentle attitude towards women. Nobody can touch her. It is forbidden to express your feelings to a lady publicly, even if she is your wife. At the same time, a woman shouldn’t wear elements of mens clothes (caps, trousers, and so on). A girl shouldn’t look like a man.
If a neighbor, relative or friend has a wedding or other festival, everybody gathers together and helps him. If a family is in mourning, all the neighbors open their gates to show that they care and are ready to support. Neighbors and relatives take a significant part of the family's routine business. If a person hasn’t been home for a long time, when he comes back he asks whether all the relatives and neighbors are well. Firstly he visits families where a trouble happened; then he visits neighbors and elderly relatives. The biggest treasure for any Ingush is his dignified name. His good deeds establish a certain atmosphere for children and successors. If a person once breaks the moral law, he is thought to be unstable. At the same time, nice characteristics of a person reflect on his family too. Ingush people are proud of their ancient traditions, which were developed by wise ancestors. The Ingush poet Yusup Chakhkiev wrote: “God creates all nations from bad and good people. Good people are united by the fact that they value the honour of their nation and respect other nations. Bad people stay indifferent to this.”
