Russia s Mari Minority Holds Spring Prayers Under Dark Clouds
June 02, 2021 09:16 GMT
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A pagan forest ritual was held in Russia s Mari El region after a local official called for radical followers of the Mari religion to be prevented from worshipping on government land.
A group of Mari gather for pagan prayers during a ritual in a forest near Yoshkar-Ola around 120 kilometers north of Kazan, the capital of the Tatarstan region on May 30.
Handkerchiefs were hung from trees during the ceremony.
The Mari are an ethnic minority of some 350,000 people in central Russia who have been described as Europe s last pagans. The Mari who follow their pre-Christian religion engage in unique rituals and animal sacrifices in sacred forest groves. The ceremony, photographed by RFE/RL, is one of several held in the region each spring.