The Khan of the Winter

Siberianwinterking

The King of the Winter — Sakha Republic (NE Siberian) ritual costume.

This man is costumed as the King (or Khan or Bull) of the Winter, as envisioned in the Sakha Republic of northeastern Siberia.

Here is the translation of the page about him in the Turkish Wikipedia, with a link to the photograph.

The Turkic people of Sakha were originally followers of shamanic traditions before being converted to Orthodox Christianity, and some are going back.

There seems to be a suggestion in the Wikipedia text that the bull horns might have been originally mammoth tusks, which would make more sense for that part of the world.

The website English Russia has a selection of photos of winter life there as well. “Yakutia has turned cold into brand!”

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