Mari Religion 

The Mari religion, or Mari paganism, is the ethnic religion of the Mari people, a Volga Finnic ethnic group based in the republic of Mari El in Russia. In the last few decades there has been an organized Neopagan revival of Mari religion. The Mari worshipped many gods (the jumo), but recognized the primacy of a Great God, Kugu Jumo. In the 19th century the role of Osh Kugu Jumo, the Great God of Light, were strengthened due to the influence of neighbouring monotheistic religions. Despite a history of persecution in the Soviet Union, since the 1990s this faith has been granted official status by the government of Mari El. It is now recognized as one of three traditional faiths (with Orthodox Christianity and Islam). Followers perform public rituals and mass prayers and engage in charitable, cultural, and educational activities. The Mari transmit their beliefs to the younger generation and publish and distribute religious literature. The timing of prayer meetings and mass prayers is based on the traditional calendar which relates to the positions of the sun and the moon. Rituals and festivals are held in sacred groves (küsoto). Ceremonies are overseen by a college of priests. There are significant differences between the pantheons of the Lowlands Mari (who worship roughly 140 gods) and Highlands Mari (who worship about 70 gods). Nine deities are most important ones and are regarded as manifestations of the high god Osh Kugu Jumo. The Mari native religion also includes tree worship and animal sacrifices. Many gods in Mari have counterparts in ancient Hinduism and European religions. Gods and spirits in the Mari pantheon include Kugu Jumo (also called Kugurak, or the Elder the main god, often perceived as a monistic godhead who is associated with a duck), Tul (god of fire and an attribute of Kugu Jumo), Surt (spirit of the household and an attribute of Kugu Jumo), Saksa (god of fertility and an attribute of Kugu Jumo), Küdryrchö Jumo (god of thunder), Tutyra (god of fog and an attribute of Kugu Jumo), Püryshö (the god of fate), Azyren (the god of death), Shüdyr-Shamych (the god of the stars), Tylmache (implementer of the divine will), Tylze (also known as Tõlze, the god of the moon), Uzhara (the god of the dawn), Mlande (the god of earth), Shochyn-Ava (the goddess of childbirth, Tünya (the god of the universe), and Keremet (a cruel and evil spirit). Many of these gods, especially those controlling natural phenomena, have female counterparts whose names end in ava (mother). Examples are Tul-Ava (goddess of fire), Mlande-Ava (goddess of earth), and Kudurcho-Ava (goddess of thunder). The Mari religion is one of Europe's indigenous religions that has survived Christianisation without interruption. It has co-existed with Russian Orthodoxy for many generations. Many Mari are baptized Christians but attend traditional prayer services instead of Christian masses. A 2004 sociological survey found that about 15% of the total population of Mari El describe themselves as adherents of Mari religion. Since the Mari represent only 45% of the republic's population (700,000), this figure means that probably more than a third of Mari remain loyal to traditional religion. The percentage of pagans among the Mari of Bashkortostan and the eastern part of Tatarstan is even higher (up to 69% among women). Mari fled to Bashkortostan and Tatarstan in the 17th through the 19th centuries to avoid mandatory conversion to Christianity.