Theculture ofTatarstanis molded from the culture ofVolga Tatarpeople,Russian,andEuropean culture.
Education
editThe education system in Tatarstan is secular. The literacy rate for the total population is about 100%. Elementary and secondary education is compulsory (grades 1–10). Students must pass graduation exams at the end of the 10th grade in order to continue their education in colleges and universities. Most schools are public along with a small number of parochial schools run by churches or mosques. The school year begins in September. Kazan State University is one of the major centers of higher education in Russia. There are several colleges, institutes, and technical schools in Kazan and other cities of the republic.
Music
editTraditional (folk) Tatar music is based on thepentatonic scale.The first Tataroperawas staged in 1925. It was composed bySultan Gabyashiin collaboration withVasili Vinogradov.Farit Yarullinwas the creator of the first Tatarballet,known asŞüräle.Modern Tatar music includes practically all existing musical genres.
Theater
editThere are 16 professional and dozens of amateur theaters in Tatarstan performing plays in Tatar, Russian, and other local languages.
Cinema
editIn1924,Tatarkino (Tatarcinema), a government company for making documentaries, feature films and others, was created inKazan.
Cuisine
editLibraries
editMajor libraries include the Science Library ofKazan State Universityand the National Library of the Republic of Tatarstan. There are two museums of republican significance, as well as 90 museums of local importance. In the past several years new museums appeared throughout the Republic.
Religion
editIn Tatarstan, religion and the state are separate from each other, although as in the rest of Russia, religious authorities are subordinated to the state. The most commonfaithareSunni IslamandRussian Orthodoxy.As of 2004, there were 1,208 buildings used for religious purposes in Tatarstan; 1,014 of which were Islamic, and 176—Russian Orthodox.