The coat of arms of Buryatia is a reflection of national traditions

Buryatia is a republic located in Transbaikalia, at the borders with Mongolia, on lands with an ancient and rich history, exists as an autonomous state formation of less than a hundred years. The uniformity of state symbols of the Soviet period deprived many of the autonomies of the experience of creating their own heraldry, which has a national identity. The coat of arms of Buryatia, approved in 1995, was the first such attempt, which was not simple.

On the shores of Lake Baikal

The people of Transbaikalia for a long time lived in the territories that were part of the Mongol Empire and were part of numerous nomadic tribes. After the annexation of the Pribaikalsky territories to Russia (in the 17th century) and the Russian-Chinese border (1729), separate Buryat-Mongolian tribes-chori, sartulov, sonols, hongodors, ehirit-bulagata, etc., took place. Based on them, the future Buryat People with their own language, customs and traditions.

After 1917, among the Siberian and Transbaikalian peoples, a turbulent process of national self-determination, led by white, then red, then individual national or military dictators, arose. After the final establishment of Soviet power in 1923, the Buryat-Mongolian ASSR was formed. After several administrative reforms in 1958, the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed within the RSFSR, which, at the then practice, received as its national symbolism the slightly changed coat of arms of the RSFSR. The emblem of Buryatia differed from it by writing the name of the autonomy under the name of the union republic and duplication of the slogan in the Buryat language.

New story

In 1990, the Declaration of Sovereignty was adopted in the capital of Buryatia - Ulan-Ude, and two years later the new name of this state formation was approved - the Republic of Buryatia. After a while, work began on the creation of official symbols. The formed commission began to search for symbols that most fully reflect the national identity of the Buryats, their customs and the nature surrounding them.

Adopted by the parliament of the republic - the People's Khural - in 1995 the coat of arms of the Republic of Buryatia was recognized by deputies fully in accordance with its purpose both in appearance and symbolic meaning. The main elements of it were the ancient sign soyembo, the symbolic designation of the Transbaikalian nature - mountains and waves, as well as the traditional ritual band - hadak with the name of the republic written on it. All this was in a circle in the colors of the state Buryat tricolor - blue-white-yellow.

Remarks of the State Heraldmaster

According to the canons of heraldry, on the arms are impermissible no inscriptions, except mottos. Especially for the state symbol it is incorrect to place an inscription with the name - the coat of arms should be a clear and memorable association with a specific people or whole country and do not need written explanations. Such comments were made by the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation, when the coat of arms of Buryatia was submitted for approval and entry into the State Heraldic Register. Another wish was a recommendation to give the state symbol of Buryatia a more familiar common form.

In 1999, the legislative branch of the republic introduced the recommended changes to the emblem of Buryatia. The description was supplemented by a silver heraldic shield on which the main symbols were placed, and the inscription with the name of the republic from the hadak was deleted. It was in this form that from January 1, 2000 the coat of arms of the Trans-Baikal Autonomy was put into effect.

Soembo and Hadak

The symbol crowning the coat of arms of Buryatia is part of a complex ancient complex sign bearing Indo-Buddhist roots. Its name - soyembo - is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning "self-created." The full writing of this symbol includes signs that signify the most basic concepts of the ancient Mongolian sages about the origin of man, about the rules, the meaning and purpose of his existence.

The upper symbol of the soyembo is a sign of fire, signifying dawn and rebirth, the three tongues to which the flame is divided are the three lifetimes of the people-the past, the present, and the future. Below - the ancient Mongolian totems - the moon and the sun, about which the old tales are narrated as the ancestors: the month is their father, and the golden sun is the mother of all the Mongols.

The lower part of the tricolor circle - the supporting element of the Buryat emblem - is wrapped around a ribbon that has several names - zala, jalama, hadak or hadak. Silk (or other fabric) tapes are tied to branches of sacred trees, they are presented as a gift at weddings and on any holidays, they are greeted and escorted by guests. The blue color of the hadak is a symbol of accord, tranquility and harmony, it is the embodiment of the cult of the Blue Eternal Sky.

Circle, Baikal and mountain peaks

The author of the main Buryat symbol was the artist AA Khorenov. Together with his scientific advisors, he explained the circle like the sun, the globe. This is the embodiment of the horseshoe - known in many nations as a guardian, as an amulet bringing happiness. The yellow color used in the coat of arms - symbolizes a special branch of Buddhism - Lamaism - one of the main religions in Buryatia. White is the world, this is the unity of the whole people, which the Republic of Buryatia cherishes, this is peace and prosperity.

The symbolism embodying the beautiful and majestic nature of Buryatia gives a special imagery and graphic expressiveness to the coat of arms of the Trans-Baikal republic. These are wavy lines, symbolizing the pearl of Russia, a lake that largely determines the life of the peoples living on its shores, Baikal. Mountains - a habitual element of the Buryat landscape - are depicted on the arms rather realistically, which is not customary in heraldry.

Despite some deviations from the herb standards, the main symbol of Buryatia is listed in the State Heraldic Register under the number 989.