Abstract
<jats:p>The article examines ethnocultural practices and interethnic attitudes of the Tatar population of the Kostanay region in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The study is based on a wide range of sources, including archival documents, periodical publications, and data from an ethno-sociological study (mass surveys and in-depth interviews). The research has demonstrated that despite the closure of all mosques during the Soviet period, the persecution of Muslim clergy, and the implementation of state anti-religious campaigns, Tatars continued to maintain religiously rooted ethnocultural traditions. They preserved national rites associated with Islam and continued to celebrate major religious holidays, such as Kurban Bayram and Uraza Bayram. Among non-religious practices, the collective ritual kaz ömäse held a particularly significant place. Until approximately the 1970s, various traditional practices remained widespread, including collective women’s gatherings (aulak öy), rituals of going out into the steppe (dalaga chygu), matchmaking customs, and ceremonies associated with introducing the bride to the path leading to a water source. During the period of ethnic renaissance (the late 1980s and early 1990s), the Tatar community of the region succeeded in establishing a national cultural center, as well as were able to create musical ensembles, broadcast informational radio programs, and organize the native language classes for children. Since 1994, the cultural center has annually organized the Sabantuy festival and other ethnocultural events. At present, the study records a noticeable decline in ethnocultural competence, manifested in weaker knowledge of the native language, folklore, and family rituals among the younger generation. At the same time, interethnic relations in the region are characterized by a high level of ethnic tolerance. The factors influencing interethnic attitudes include assimilation processes and the policy of personnel indigenization.</jats:p>