PEOPLE OF CAUCASUS AND BLACK SEA REGION: ORATORY SKILL

Various forms of toasts are considered: from the time of the Nart epic to modern time. In our study we rely on materials of Sakieva A., Kardangush Zaramuk, Naloyeva Zaura, Inal-Ipa Sh., Bigua S. “Khuekhu” (khokh – it is goodwill in a verbal form) – part of the traditional life and culture of peoples. Khokhs, as good wishes, are not always and not everywhere revealed, but only in this place and at a given time, i.e. at the moment of “pial’e” (time, the point of intersection of time and place). The place and time of the khokh utterance define its direction, its “depth”, etc. On the other hand, khokh is an art of folk eloquence, and as such it was not given to everyone. A person who undertook to speak a special khokh (toast), apparently, had to learn from others for a long time. It was believed that the speaker spoke beautifully in the name of God that God “tkh’e, anchva”, put in his mouth the highest, noble words of the people. In the epic “Narts” he was given to Sosruko, for his deeds in the name of people’s Nart goods. The great old man, the hero of the epic Nasren-Zhache, taking the word from the toastmaster, with a khokh, kind word, blesses Ashamez, Nartsky. To receive good wishes from the hero is no less important event than to obtain the khokh of the Gods, as he (the hero) has seen a lot, done a lot, i.e. he is almost godlike. In the system of education of the Adygea-Abkhazian knight consciousness, a significant role was played by words – infusions (suggestions), received through instructions in khokhs. A man somehow completed his education in the khokhs, he discovered new truths and expanses of being. Thus, one can see that khokhs can be different. They are pronounced on various occasions: the beginning of the peasant's work, housewarming, coming out to the spring field, etc. The mountaineers also have the sacred khokhs about food on the table, table generosity. Toasts were pronounced in the name of son-in-law or son, or daughter-in-law. Abkhazians-Christians have a lot of khokhs. The art of eloquence, goodwill, here, on the ancient land of Apsna, achieves high perfection, aristocratic spirit. At the table, Abkhazians strictly follow themselves and their neighbors: is “Apsuara” (“Abkhazianity”) respected? But through the Apsuara and Adyghenity, the peoples defend their national identity, their individual uniqueness, not willing to dissolve and disappear among other ethnic groups. The ability to pronounce khokh is an indicator of a person's culture for the peoples of the North and West Caucasus. Khokhs are not just words to the place and time, but words-feelings, word-concepts, words-sacral, organizing and subordinating people. The concepts of people’ beauty, its morality, behavior etiquette, truth are as if concretized and specificated in the toasts. The importance of this topic is shown for a deeper understanding and study of the Caucasus people culture.

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