Orayda Tale

This story has been told for ages. People gathered on a road of Uchkulan gorge. To find out who was the strongest man, they started competition of fighters. It lasted long. A young man known by name of Hasan from Verkhnyaya Teberda took over other fighters. He was tall and strong, full of energy and had dark hair and dark eyes.

After that one slender man, whose face was covered with veil and who was standing among the others, showed everyone that he wanted to wrestle with the young man. The request of the brave man was not denied and people let him wrestle with the Teberda fighter. The fighters went to the center of the field and wrestled for a long time, one not giving way to the other. Finally the man with veil grabbed the fighter from Teberda and put him onto the ground.

"What a pity, my soul has never been broken as it is today. Tell me your name, show me your face, and when my death comes, I will die kneeling in front of you," said the defeated young man.

"Well done!" people yelled. And some guy from the crowd jumped on a bay mare and tore off the veil from the face of the fighter and a hat from the fighter's head. Like a beam of light, a girl of dazzling beauty, Orayda, appeared in front of the crowd. The defeated fighter forgot about everything and was looking only at Orayda. Later he composed a song.

And the girl seemed to be delighted because she didn't run away on the bay mare that was standing near her.

"What should happen in the gorge, cannot be taken out of it. These two beautiful creatures must have been fighting for each other. Let them get married", old people said.

The girl and the young man agreed with their decision and got married.

A lot of years have passed since those events. Not only people but stones and mountains forgot Orayda’s looks but they remember her courage. At weddings and big events people say her name. The word 'Orayda' opens happy events, with the word 'Orayda' a girl gets married, and with Orayda song a bride enters her groom's house.