Eeron Bagany, Iron Bagan, or Iron Bagany is an Ossetian

beer festival A beer festival is an event at which a variety of beers are available for purchase. There may be a theme, for instance beers from a particular area, or a particular brewing style such as winter ales. Asia * Singapore holds an annual Beer Festiva ...

which takes place annually in

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

and Southern Ossetia in autumn. The festival lasts a day and can be regarded as a kind of

Oktoberfest The Oktoberfest (; bar, Wiesn, Oktobafest) is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or ...

History of Ossetian brewing culture and Ossetian beer

Ossetian

brewing Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...

culture can be traced back to descriptions to be found in the

Nart saga The Nart sagas ( Abkhaz: Нарҭаа ражәабжьқәа; ''Nartaa raƶuabƶkua''; ady, Нарт тхыдэжъхэр, translit=Nart txıdəĵxər; os, Нарты кадджытæ; ''Narty kaddžytæ''; ''Nartı kadjıtæ'') are a series of ...

s, which contain an aetiological legend recounting the discovery of beer. According to the legend "a warchief saw a bird in the forest that ate some hops and immediately fainted. The chief took the hops home and told his wife, the wise

matriarch Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property. While those definitions apply in general E ...

Shatana Satanaya ( Adyghe Сэтэнай ; Kabardian Сэтэней ; Ubykh ; Ossetian Сатана Satana) is a mythological figure who appears in many cycles of the Nart sagas of the North Caucasus. Satanaya is the mother of the Narts, a fertilit ...

, what had happened. She mixed the hops with ground malt, and added water to brew the first ever batch of Ossetian beer." Differing from the ordinary

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

, the Ossetian beer is "significantly less intoxicating", has no foam, ranges from color dark brown to black, and is brewed without technology. It is traditionally brewed by the "oldest woman in the family".

Activities within the festival

During the festival, the beers which are brewed by the locals are tested by the judges choosing the best brewer. *

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Ossetian Oktoberfest , Vestnik Kavkaza
Beer festivals Festivals in Russia Oktoberfest Autumn festivals Folk festivals Ossetian culture Festivals in Caucasus