Forest Prayers With Russia's Polytheistic Mari
The Mari people of central Russia speak a distinct language and practice a separate religion from their Christian neighbors. Photographer Sergei Poteryaev and reporter Regina Khisamova attended a traditional prayer ceremony in one of the sacred forest groves of the Mari El Republic.
![The Mari visit sacred forest groves on holidays and days of prayer. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/2a2f67d7-c1db-4408-99d0-c6f610cb16cc_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The Mari visit sacred forest groves on holidays and days of prayer.
![Every five years, Mari from the whole region gather in one village for a fall prayer. In November 2016, the gathering took place in the Shurnoto grove, near the village of Tumyumuchash.](https://gdb.rferl.org/d628140f-30f4-482f-8f3b-bc6b9446e172_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Every five years, Mari from the whole region gather in one village for a fall prayer. In November 2016, the gathering took place in the Shurnoto grove, near the village of Tumyumuchash.
![There are thought to be about 400 sacred groves where the Mari people worship. This one is marked by a sign pointing the way to the grove, or Kusoto. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/4627fd40-fafc-45ca-8fb7-1886d88852a3_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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There are thought to be about 400 sacred groves where the Mari people worship. This one is marked by a sign pointing the way to the grove, or Kusoto.
![Believers set out gifts for the gods: bread, pancakes, poultry, grain, and money. Some of the food is kept as an offering, and the rest is eaten by the worshipers. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/0131c9fa-a997-4cf3-b696-1f94c68f9995_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Believers set out gifts for the gods: bread, pancakes, poultry, grain, and money. Some of the food is kept as an offering, and the rest is eaten by the worshipers.
![Five bonfires are dedicated to specific gods and set in fire pits by sacred trees.](https://gdb.rferl.org/812e78e7-136a-4378-9cb5-f49e064bebf7_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Five bonfires are dedicated to specific gods and set in fire pits by sacred trees.
![Food is prepared in cauldrons over the bonfires. Cooks carve up ducks and geese, throw their bones in the fire, and add the meat to the cauldrons. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/810c3091-a957-44cc-9c59-69b307fa8cdb_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Food is prepared in cauldrons over the bonfires. Cooks carve up ducks and geese, throw their bones in the fire, and add the meat to the cauldrons.
![Tum Jumo is the primary god in the Mari religion. He is depicted as a white-bearded old man.](https://gdb.rferl.org/3652ddfe-8ef9-471a-a946-f83bd24df496_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Tum Jumo is the primary god in the Mari religion. He is depicted as a white-bearded old man.
![The Mari priests, known as Karts, wear white hats as they oversee the rituals. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/9eaec17e-f8b3-472c-b36c-3d6fa817b30e_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The Mari priests, known as Karts, wear white hats as they oversee the rituals.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/0b52f698-6544-499c-a29a-ccf1555a3283_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![Large cauldrons are suspended over the fire pits.](https://gdb.rferl.org/e91dfc2b-e070-4aab-ae6c-1fd4244eb349_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Large cauldrons are suspended over the fire pits.
![Most of the Mari who come to pray are middle-aged or older. Some members of the community say that young people are not interested in practicing their traditions. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/d4e97302-ceb3-4dba-8cb5-0e933f915227_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Most of the Mari who come to pray are middle-aged or older. Some members of the community say that young people are not interested in practicing their traditions.
![Cooks prepare dumplings from the blood of sacrificed animals mixed with grain. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/22e2f932-285f-42b9-bf9e-91f764f59167_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Cooks prepare dumplings from the blood of sacrificed animals mixed with grain.
![Women carve the meat and cook the dumplings while men tend the fires. It's forbidden to chop down the trees in the sacred grove, so firewood is brought from elsewhere.](https://gdb.rferl.org/4ca5616c-c068-4e14-9953-886430d18eaf_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Women carve the meat and cook the dumplings while men tend the fires. It's forbidden to chop down the trees in the sacred grove, so firewood is brought from elsewhere.
![After preparing the food, Mari pray to the gods, moving from one fire to another to speak to different deities. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/84ea9861-2ecc-43b3-934b-6931e02c7d61_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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After preparing the food, Mari pray to the gods, moving from one fire to another to speak to different deities.
![Trees are believed to connect the world of people with the cosmos, and to host the gods while the Mari pray. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/90542c22-efb0-4235-b298-3682c39ad297_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Trees are believed to connect the world of people with the cosmos, and to host the gods while the Mari pray.
![Offerings of food and coins](https://gdb.rferl.org/99a3b488-739b-4b74-8a00-59b3388db898_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Offerings of food and coins
![Karts, the Mari priests, lead the prayers.](https://gdb.rferl.org/6bcb7e72-8110-4eae-9338-5655ebce68f2_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Karts, the Mari priests, lead the prayers.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/c336e518-0013-47ed-88ac-d48afc302d40_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![People pray by the bonfire of the primary god, Tum Jumo. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/a63e9f6b-cc0b-4a69-98fd-97c1c8e0824a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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People pray by the bonfire of the primary god, Tum Jumo.
![After about an hour of prayers, the feast begins.](https://gdb.rferl.org/34d25183-decb-4c4f-9b3e-576b9019216d_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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After about an hour of prayers, the feast begins.
![Mari walk around the grove and eat the dishes prepared in the cauldrons. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/9e7831ab-395e-4378-9861-8b61e1321431_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Mari walk around the grove and eat the dishes prepared in the cauldrons.
![Only those people who speak the Mari language are allowed to participate in the prayers. The language, part of the Finno-Ugric group, is spoken by some 400,000 people in the Mari El Republic. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/6a45708f-a795-4beb-b80f-2e80151d9486_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Only those people who speak the Mari language are allowed to participate in the prayers. The language, part of the Finno-Ugric group, is spoken by some 400,000 people in the Mari El Republic.
![After the prayer and the feast, the Mari return to their villages. The next large prayer gathering will take place in the summer.](https://gdb.rferl.org/adbb4393-dcd8-495a-b87f-9ef0d68656c6_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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After the prayer and the feast, the Mari return to their villages. The next large prayer gathering will take place in the summer.