CHUVASH WEDDING IN ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH: A HISTORIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE OF THE XVIII CENTURY
Article sets as the purpose to show history of ethnographic studying of wedding ritual of Chuvashs. The main attention is paid to works of scientists of the XVIII century because at this particular time under the direction of Academy of Sciences system and systematic studying of history, culture and life of the people of the Russian Empire begins. In spite of the fact that on stories of ethnography of the Chuvash people there are many scientific researches, there questions of a family, the marriage relations and wedding ritual weren't studied specially and deeply. In work is represented the short historiographic review of the published researches of I.G. Gmelin, G.F. Miller, I.I. Lepyokhin, P.S. Pallas, I.P. Falk, P.I. Rychkov, K.S. Milkovich in the context of display of ceremonies of the Chuvash wedding in them is carried out. Materials of research promote comprehensive investigation of history of ethnographic studying of Chuvashs. The general conclusion is drawn that in them scientists have shown not only some features of wedding ritual of Chuvashs, but also the separate archaic phenomena which have completely disappeared from an active existing over time or have undergone considerable changes. However the considerable part of these data has descriptive and fragmentary character that reflects the general condition of Russian ethnographic science during this period.