Signs and Omens

Alexandra says that smart people have a lump on their forehead, whereas skillful people have a lump at the tip of their thumb (tuula tong).

Alexandra recounts traditional bans, prohibitions and bad omens.

In the olden days, since there were no schools or educational centers, for many Kalmyks learning proverbs, sayings, legends and prohibitions was a way to acquire knowledge.

There is this ban. You should not mimic people who have a speech defect, for if you do so you may end up having the same problems. It is also forbidden to run, scream, sing or cry in the evening. In the past, girls were prepared from an early age that they would live a life in which they would depend on the leftovers from their in-laws. There were many taboos for pregnant women as well. For example, it was forbidden for pregnant women to step over a rope, to stand on the threshold of their house, or to walk barefoot or without a scarf in the presence of older relatives.

Traditionally, Kalmyks were discouraged from sleeping during sunset, or putting a shovel down vertically after using it. It was also considered a bad omen when an owl cried near one’s house. A dog’s howl was also another bad omen. Teeth grinding at night was also considered to be a really bad omen.

A woman should not hold her hands behind the back. During childbirth women should not cry. People should not talk about personal difficulties or complain.

If a black dog whines, it is a bad omen. If a stray cat comes into your house, it is also a bad omen. By contrast, if a stray dog appears in your yard, it is a good sign. We call the cat mis, whereas Buzavas call it kota mashk.

Kalmyks believed that ferrets brought death. Therefore, they had to be killed. Between the houses where Danara lived there was a ferret. Before it was killed, a woman died who lived nearby.

In this video Ksenia talks about bad omens and traditional bans. This is her story:

There are many bad omens. For example, it is forbidden to pour used oil on the ground; a woman cannot keep her hands behind her back, although men can. Also, a woman cannot cross her arms on her chest. One cannot whistle in the house. One cannot eat food while pulling legs out. On one hot day I sat to eat and stretched my legs and my uncle told me off for this saying that I am arrogant. I also took my shawl off my head because of the heat. There are many bans. When the sun sets it is forbidden to pour water out or throw rubbish out. After sunset, a married girl cannot set out on a journey and children cannot go out of the house.

There is an omen related to a hoopoe, if it screams close to a house, the cattle would die. So Kalmyks chased the bird away. I did not believe in this before, but later I was convinced that this was true. When a dog howls it is a bad omen. I often heard dogs howling, I do not like that. Kalmyks say that the howling dog wants death to its master. Well, there are many omens.

Refrain from leaning against the door of someone’s house, for doing so is no different to sitting on the neck of the head of that household. Both acts are disrespectful. It is forbidden to fold your arms, for you may lose your mother. Also, if you hold your arms behind your back or lean your jaw on your hand, you may lose your father. If a magpie sits at your door it is a bad sign. If a crow cries near your house, you will hear bad news soon. It is also a bad sign if a ferret comes into your house. One should abstain from giving away milk after it gets dark. If someone asks for salt at night, add a pinch of ash to the salt before giving it. In the past, fox skin was reserved only for the wealthy. It is not good to wear what you are not supposed to.

A traditional greeting among the Kalmyks includes the phrase “Chi kenya kun?” which means “Which clan do you belong to? Who are your parents and ancestors?” In Kalmyk society people were supposed to think about the honor of their respective clans first and only then to think about themselves. If someone committed a crime – stole or cheated -  that person’s clan was avoided by others. People from other clans would not marry them. In such situations, members of the disgraced clan intermarried with each other.

The Kalmyks are not merchants and do not have a calculating mentality. They also do not betray others. Sometimes Russians used this for their advantage. They would steal cattle and wrongly accuse Kalmyks, knowing that the Kalmyks would never give them away.

Many accuse Kalmyks for being lazy and loving to drink too much. But whenever Kalmyks put their minds to doing something, they do it until the end and often succeed in what they do.

Oleg’s generation has been taught to be modest. Kalmyks from his generation still unwittingly perceive people in uniforms as their enemies, because of their exile experience.

Oleg believes that numbers possess power. The idea that things could be explained by means of numbers has been known from the times of Euclid and Plato. In Russia, the historian Lev Gumilev wrote poems about numbers. The Russian poet Sergei Yesenin equated numbers with various ideas. According to him, 1 is God, 2 is the day and night, life and death, 3 is Trinity, 4 is the four corners of the world, 9 is wealth and richness.

Having said this, people cannot be explained entirely by means of numbers, because such factors as historical events, the place of birth, close people etc. influence everyone.

One day a man was having a walk in the steppe. All of a sudden, something fell on his head from the sky. It was a bird's dropping. When the man came home and told his family what had happened to him in the steppe, his wife asked him to visit 49 households and beg without saying a single word. On seeing someone doing so, it was customary for people to take their children inside and close the doors. That is what people did when they saw the man begging. He did not enter the yurts but pushed his right hand through the wall, which was latticework, to ask for food.

If people on such a mission did not manage to visit the necessary number of yurts, they could not sleep at home but had to spend the night out in the countryside. The next they would carry on their begging mission. The collected food was supposed to be donated to the closest Buddhist temple with accompanying prayers that had to be read 7 times. If there were no temples nearby, the beggars were supposed to find a place where three roads crisscrossed, put the collected food on the side of the west-facing road and pray 49 times by saying 'Let no one endure what I have to endure, and let my relatives and family be safe and sound'.

Seeing a hare is a good sign, because your plans will materialize. It is a bad sign to see a fox or a corsac on the road.

It is also a bad sign when children snort.

It is forbidden for pregnant women to eat long intestines or mildly cooked meat with blood. Only one person can eat a cooked sheep's head. If two people eat the same head, they will quarrel. A sheep's head that people present to each other at weddings should be burnt on a fire. If someone brings meat, show it to all who are present.

Food offerings (made to gods) can be eaten by children only.

The meaning of dreams could be interpreted either by Buddhist monks or by meddg kun (those who know how to do so). Dreams are a means by which the deceased ancestors and deities communicate with the living. If you see black dogs in your dreams, it is a bad omen. If you dream of blood, this means something will happen to your relatives. If you have a religious dream, you need to perform rituals. If you dream of water, you need to perform a ritual to appease the spiritual masters of land and water. If deceased people give you something, it is a good sign. If they ask for something, it is a bad omen. For example, if you did not fulfill your duty towards them, the deceased may demand in your dreams that you do so.

7 is a sacred number among the Kalmyks. Prayers are read 7 times. In the epos Jangar the time to get to the kingdom of the dead takes 49 days (i.e. 7 x 7).

It is forbidden to marry a person who is senior or junior to you by 3 years or if that person’s age can be divided by 3.

12 is also an important number. Every 12 years Kalmyks perform a ritual to prolong their lives.

108 is an auspicious number in Buddhism.

Ubush says that his grandmother always closed the door in the evening in order to prevent evil spirits from entering. When the sky thundered, she also closed all the windows and the door. Ubush personally thinks that if signs and omens are not useful in life, they may not be followed. For example, in Kalmyk tradition it is forbidden to throw one’s hat in the air, because it is believed that if one does so they will have a headache. Ubush threw his hat many times, but does not recall having headaches.

According to Ubush, signs and omens that are valid are as follows. If a fox runs past you, your relative will die. If a white dog comes to your house, do not chase it away. If sheep gather together, it is a sign that the weather will be hot.

The Torghuts are impulsive. The Derbet are calm and hardworking. The Buzava are good politicians and they have adopted the Russian mentality. In general, Kalmyks can endure for a long time, but once they rebel, they can be very impulsive. However, they do not hold a grudge. Kalmyks rarely get depressed or sad. They love dancing and are patriots who are capable of taking great risks and even sacrifice themselves.

It is said that any man stands up as many times as he falls. That is, whenever he falls, a real man should stand up and carry on. A real man should be persistent, able to control himself and lead a correct lifestyle. He also should not reveal his plans and keep them to himself.

According to a custom, if a bird's droppings land on a child’s head, their parents should visit 7 of their neighbors and ask for food.

If a woman in your family is having a difficult labor, quickly put tea on a fire and say, 'Let's see what happens first, the child is born or the tea gets brewed?' A newborn has to be wrapped in the cloth of an old person so that it lives as long as the owner of the cloth.

Vladimir talks about the qualities of a good man. He relays two sayings: (1) ‘Be of help to a good man, be an enemy to a bad man’ and (2) ‘A good man praises his horse, a bad man praises his wife’. In the past, Kalmyks were good at stealing livestock. During a theft Kalmyks observed the behaviour of the horses they rode. If the horse snorted, this meant that the thieves were being chased. If the horse yawned, no one pursued.

Vladimir concludes by saying that good men talk about what they saw or heard, and not what they ate.

Vladimir says that the elderly Kalmyks were knowledgeable of weather signs related to clouds. The appearance of pinnate clouds (sal’kn uuln), for example, is a sign that the weather will be windy. Cumulus clouds (temyan uuln) signify a change of weather.

It is also possible to do a weather forecast by looking at animals. It is commonly believed that ground squirrels wake up and leave their burrows on the day of Tsagan Sar.

Vladimir also talks about the tradition of showing respect to one’s elders. People should never scold or forget their parents. Orphans were adopted by relatives or fellow villagers.

Yuriy talks about curses, their signs and how to neutralize curses. He says that all Mongolian groups have curses that can be sent to animals, people and objects alike. People with black, jealous and poisonous spirits curse others. Food or objects used for this purpose are water, sand, vodka, ash and milk. In order to determine whether someone has been cursed, one needs to look at the date of birth of that person and look for special signs.

For example, people born in the years of the Tiger or the Rabbit according to the Oriental calendar, would have sour eyes or salivate. The remedy to neutralize a curse is as follows. Read the mantra ‘om-ma-ma-adv-sadv-en-suukhaa’. On Tuesday or Sunday at 2 am take 3 matches and draw a line on the ground from left to right three times. Do this until the symptoms disappear.

People born in the years of the Horse or the Snake, would sweat more than usual and bite their tongues. These signs indicate that these people have been cursed.

Those born in the years of the Cow, the Dragon, the Sheep or the Dog, tend to have excessive salivation and cold sores on their lips. The remedy is as follows. Scatter metal shavings three times in the eastward direction at 4 am while chanting ‘om-ma-ma-lama-lan-en-suukha’.

Those who are born in the years of the Monkey and the Chicken have pain in their joints, have insomnia and feel suffocation. Scatter ash in the northward direction three times at night.

People born in the years of the Swine or the Mouse have pain in their ears and develop problems with urination. Scatter sawdust between your legs three times.

Zinaida says that before the deportation of the Kalmyks in 1943, Kalmyk children used to utter the following saying during games - ‘Tomorrow, tomorrow we will travel through the forest with other people and the cows’. Indeed, later all the Kalmyks were exiled to Siberia. According to Zinaida, by uttering inauspicious words the people brought this upon themselves.

Since words have power, one has always to think and talk positively, even if this contradicts the reality. For example, in the past during tax inspections the Kalmyks were asked whether they had livestock to which they usually replied in the positive, although some did not have livestock.

There is a belief in Kalmykia that sewing after sunset shortens one’s life. Zinaida, who loves sewing, says that she did not follow this traditional wisdom and as a result became a widow when she was only 45.

Zurgan relays a story about how her grandchild saw a snake with horns but did not perform the required rituals. This is her story:

10 years ago, one of my grandchildren saw a snake with horns. He was in a garage when the snake appeared. When you see a snake with horns, it is a bad sign. In order to avoid misfortunes, you need to give it milk, spread a white cloth in front of it and say prayers. After that the snake sheds off its horns and leaves you in peace. 

We had a small knife. When cows and sheep fell ill, we used to make a cut on their ears, after which they would recover. My mother-in-law was the only person in our family who could make such cuts. She used to say that that knife was a very precious thing and that it should be wrapped in a white cloth and kept on the altar. When I was young, I did not pay much attention at things. I was busy with my family. We have lost that precious knife though. 

Anyway, when you see a snake with horns, you need to give it milk, put a white cloth down and pray. But my grandchild did none of this. I told him: ‘Why didn’t you tell the elders about what had happened? We should have gone to the temple’. After that nothing good happened to him. His spouse died and his children fell ill.

Zurgan explains what to do when the sky thunders. This is what she says:

Thunders occur once a year, at the beginning of the spring, in April or May. When thunder and lightning strike, you need to go around your house and sprinkle the walls with milk, 3 times. During thunder a dragon descends on earth and all sorts of things happen. Both livestock and people suffer. Sometimes people die from it.