«Pokš Erźań Či» Draws Around 2,000 People to Pazelki

On 28 June, the traditional festival Pokš Erźań Či — “Great Erzya Day” was held in the Erzya village of Pazelki, in the Bessonovsky District of Penza Oblast. According to regional media reports, the event attracted around 2,000 visitors. It was organised by Penza’s local Erzya-Moksha national-cultural association.

The programme opened with the traditional pančan goč ceremony: villagers lit a large ritual candle, after which participants joined in a communal circle dance. Folk ensembles from Penza Oblast and other regions performed at the festival, while the programme also featured the traditional Ťušťań nalksemat sporting contests, archery and craft workshops. Visitors were introduced to traditional cuisine and the work of local artisans.

The festival in Pazelki is significant above all because it shows that strong centres of Erzya community life continue to exist outside the Republic of Mordovia. The event depends not only on institutions based in Mordovia, but also on the commitment of local residents, community groups and the national-cultural association. Its scale demonstrates that Erzya identity can still bring large numbers of people together and sustain links between communities in different regions.

At the same time, the available reports make it difficult to assess the festival’s impact on actual language use. They do not say how much of the programme was conducted in Erzya, whether presenters and participants used it as their main language of communication, or whether the event included book stalls, language classes or dedicated activities for children. It is also unclear whether speeches and performances by native speakers, folktales, songs or everyday conversations were recorded for possible use in educational projects and dictionaries.

This distinction matters. A festival attended by 2,000 people is not the same thing as a community in which 2,000 people speak Erzya every day. Traditional dress, cuisine and folklore help maintain cultural visibility, but on their own they do not ensure that the language will be passed on to the next generation.