Customs and Traditions of The Peoples of Dagestan As the Basis of The Dagestan Mentality

Abstract

The features of the Dagestan mentality are studied, the characteristic of the traditional system of customary law embodied in adats and Sharia is given, the conclusion about their direct influence on the formation of the mentality of the Dagestan peoples is made. A number of customs and traditions of the peoples of Dagestan are analyzed, including such public institutions as hospitality, kunachestvo (friendship), twinning, atalychestvo (fosterage) and others, which embodied the identity, national psychology and mentality of the highlanders. The creative, humanistic beginning of the traditional national culture of Dagestan is justified and its key role in consolidating the peoples of Dagestan and strengthening good neighborhood relations with the peoples of the North Caucasus is emphasized. Analysis of the origins of traditional Dagestan cultureallows us to better understand and accept the features of the modern Dagestan mentality, its specificity anduniqueness.