Yhyakh marks the beginning of a new year in which Russian republic?

Yhyakh marks the beginning of a new year in which Russian republic? The Sakha Republic.

Yhyakh is the traditional summer festival and New Year celebration of the Sakha people in Russia’s Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia. It is associated with the rebirth of nature after the severe Siberian winter and is traditionally held around the summer solstice, often on June 21 or during a broader period in June.

The festival blends seasonal renewal, fertility symbolism, communal feasting, and reverence for spiritual forces. A traditional opening may include sprinkling kumis, or fermented mare’s milk, feeding a ritual fire, and offering prayers for prosperity. Participants then sing, dance, play games, and share regional foods. The Ohuokhai is a signature circle dance accompanied by improvised singing and poetry.

The Sakha people also observe Russia’s conventional winter New Year, so Yhyakh functions as a distinct indigenous summer New Year. It is not the New Year festival of Buryatia, Tatarstan, or the Komi Republic. The republic itself is enormous, stretching across much of northeastern Siberia, with Yakutsk as its capital.