Customs
Other Customs of the Kyrgyz in the Early 20th Century
OTHER CUSTOMS Chingish Aji When a nomadic caravan passes through a foreign aul, it is greeted with kumys or ayran, fried grain, etc.
22.08.2019, 19:01
OTHER CUSTOMS Chingish Aji When a nomadic caravan passes through a foreign aul, it is greeted with kumys or ayran, fried grain, etc.
Games. Games in alchik (chukyo): urda, kan (a women’s game where alchik are piled on both hands and scattered on the floor, then knocked down one by another, etc.). Public games. Ak cholmyok6 — played on a moonlit night. Participants are divided into two groups. They take a white, smooth bone, so as not to get scratched, one that can be held in a fist. The leaders of both groups agree on how many wins to play (up to 5, 10, 15), then someone takes the bone first and throws it into the field.
PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT 1 Osh District Ray Kuvaev Kudaiy — a prayer with sacrifices is performed both to prevent misfortune and after a happy outcome. Nazyr — a vow made in difficult moments of life.
SACRIFICES, CELEBRATIONS, MAGICAL ACTIONS r.ch. Big Kebin Tulëö — a sacrifice, for example, a prayer for rain during a drought. Livestock is slaughtered after reciting a prayer (in Arabic) and asking for rain. Then the cooked meat is divided and eaten, leaving nothing for God.
HEALING If someone falls ill, a kid is placed near their yurt with its head facing west, neighbors are called, the kid is slaughtered, and prayers are said. Without removing the skin from the slaughtered kid, the lungs and heart are taken out and placed in a bowl of water, and an old woman is invited to the sick person. The sick person undresses, the old woman takes the lungs and strikes the patient on the palms and the soles of the feet, then strikes the heart against the heart. After that,
AGRICULTURE Alamedinka solto-bolokbay At the beginning of sowing, someone from the people gives the first handful from the bag to the sower and asks for (blessings) from God.
Customs during Calving Talas kainazar After calving, they prepare uus kojo39. Everyone eats in the presence of the calf. They take a spoon of kojo, pass it under the calf, and say: "Kulou, kulou! If you go forward, the wolf will eat you; if you stay behind, the thief will steal; do not leave the middle." If this is not done, the calf will always moo.
Camel Calves solto-bolokbai In winter, the rams are driven into the gorge, while the horses graze in the steppe near the wintering area. There is little snow in the winter pasture. At night (during the three-month winter), the rams are kept in a pen prepared somewhere under a rock.
Protectors of Livestock and Attitudes Toward Them Karakoil-Susamyr solto If a camel does not stumble while crossing the mountains, they say: "Babedin!"2, i.e., the protector of livestock must be offered seven flatbreads (chavat). These are distributed to people in gratitude for having safely passed the danger.
Ash: first day (kemegesin chavat) sayak Horse races on the day of digging the hearths for the memorial feast. The hearths are dug in the form of special pits outside the yurts.
Memorials (Terms) Frunze Canton Memorial services are held on the third, seventh, 40th days, and on the anniversary of death.
Death — The First Day Osh District Gorbata — horse races held on the same day as the funeral.
Double Burial Frunze Canton In hot weather (if a person died far from home), if the deceased began to decompose, they were buried at the place of death.
Funerals Worship of the Remains Kokomerene sayak
Naming Pishpek District, Buranin Village The "Mother-navel" takes the child immediately after birth and washes it in warm water. Then, the azanchy recites the azan and gives the child a name. The name is given to the child at the discretion of the elder: whatever he thinks of, that is what he will name54.
Premature Infants r. Bolshoy Kebin A premature child is hung in a hat on the kerege for one hour.
Childbirth Pishpek District, Buraninskoye Village During childbirth, men can assist. If the woman lacks strength, the man stands behind her, wraps his arms around the birthing woman, and presses on her abdomen from above. A long stake is driven into the ground, and the woman kneels before it, holding onto it1, while using her hands to position the child in the womb. Scaring is not used.
Marriage (Summary)94 Belek Soltonayev Kudalyk — entering into kinship through the marriage of a son or daughter. The choice of family for entering into kinship is dictated by considerations of personal friendship (kudanda; belkuda — an agreement made before the birth of children), to support an existing kinship connection (syoyokkuda), or for political reasons (syoyoktushtum — entering into kinship).
In the Groom's Village r. Big Keben Batyrkhan Upon the arrival of the bride, women from her husband's village greet her in the steppe; she dismounts from her horse and continues on foot. Both the escorts and the greeters quickly ride to the village with all their belongings and prepare the brought orgё. The bride is led to the orgё on foot. As she approaches, she is met by the young man's mother with a plate of boorsak, sugar, raisins, etc. (chachyla) and scatters all this
Departure of the bride to her husband's village Halas Cholonkulov kainazar The next day (after the kız oyun and wedding night. — B.K., S.G.) the bride's parents lay out all the dowry in the orgyo, all the household items — jaiyp berdy (put on display)72, so that the participants of the toya can inspect it during the feast. If the dowry is rich, with many robes and other clothing, they stretch ropes from the orgyo to the father-in-law's yurt, etc., as needed. The groom's
Marriage Ceremony Osh District, Actor Kumbel Ray Kuvaev The groom and bride are tied together with ropes before the nikah, and then their supporters pull them in different directions62. r. Bolshoy Kebin Zhanteli After the preparations are completed (for departure. — B.K., S.G.), on the eve of the departure, they call the mullah, slaughter a ram, and have a feast. The mullah takes a cup of water63 and asks the groom and bride, who sit during the ceremony behind the koshoje, about their consent
The Last Feast at the Bride's Father's House Talas Cholponkulov kainazar Jekach zhuktir — the sending of the wooden frame of orgyo (house jekach) from the groom to the bride's village. He is accompanied by the groom's mother.
The First Wedding Night Zhanyzak solto By the evening before the departure, all the dowry is packed into the orgё. Soft items, nine pieces of each kind, are stacked, and the bride is awaited by the groom. From the father's yurt, a young woman is brought to the groom on a white felt42. He accepts her, and they sleep on this soft bed.
Pre-marital meetings of the groom and bride rch. Makmal-Naryn near Toguz-toro Batyrkhan The discussion about the kalym (bride price) only occurs when it is time to marry the betrothed (if the betrothed were underage children. — B.K., S.G.). Until then, the groom's father only sends gifts to his matchmaker. The 14-16-year-old groom begins to visit the bride's aul before the kalym issue is resolved and brings gifts for her father — livestock. He travels with friends. He stops somewhere
Betrothal river. Tyup Jingish Aji When the time for marriage comes, the groom's father12 goes to negotiate with the bride's father with one horse.
WEDDING RITUALS AMONG THE KYRGYZ This work is a publication of ethnographic materials by the remarkable scholar F.A. Fielstrup, who was repressed in the early 1930s. It is dedicated to the customs and rituals of the Kyrgyz and some other Turkic peoples in various aspects of daily life, primarily rituals related to the birth and upbringing of children, weddings, and burial-memorial practices. The book provides insight into the economic activities, celebrations and entertainments, traditional
White Scarf Once, after a funeral, the young men were dismantling the yurt to return it to its owner, and they tied a white scarf to the tundyk. A boy who was helping them did not know this ancient Kyrgyz custom and immediately ran for advice to his grandfather — the respected aksakal.
Hunting with Trained Birds According to the beliefs of the Kyrgyz, some particularly gifted individuals knew the language of our smaller brothers and could freely communicate with them, establishing contact; that is, our ancestors placed animals and birds on the same level as humans. Kyrgyz people not only had a good ability to differentiate trained birds by their behavior and agility, but they also distinguished them magnificently by age (kushtun tulogu). For example, they identified the age
On the day of the meeting of the Jaz Mayram — the spring holiday, people usually dressed festively, striving not to think about anything bad. This holiday is primarily a family one. Wherever a person may be, they must come to the uy-bule chogulup tamakhtanu — the family reunion meal with their parents. An unchanging feature of traditional Nooruz (New Year) is the expression of respect for the elders, masters of their craft, and aksakals. From the mountains, they brought archu — tree-like
Family and marital relations among the Kyrgyz in the past were closely dependent on patriarchal-feudal relations. The dominant form of family was the individual (small) family. However, it still retained many features of its predecessor—the patriarchal family—and was not the only form of family. There is reliable information that in the 19th century, alongside the small family, a significant number of undivided large families continued to exist among the Kyrgyz, externally possessing many
In the last decade since the birth of an independent state, numerous problems that had been brewing for many decades have intensified. During the years of Soviet power, the Kyrgyz people lost much of the moral values that had been carefully passed down from generation to generation over the preceding centuries. The leveling of national distinctiveness and the orientation towards the values of the Soviet totalitarian regime led to the perception of domestic culture as second-rate. Sovereignty
CUTTING THE PATH (TUSHOO KESUU) CUTTING THE PATH (TUSHOO KESUU)
The birth of a child among the Kyrgyz, like among other peoples of the world, is an indescribable joy and the greatest celebration. After the baby is named, the "Beshik toy" — the lullaby celebration — begins. Guests are invited. Livestock is slaughtered, a dastorkhon (tablecloth) is spread, boorsoks (fried dough) are prepared, and meat is boiled in large cauldrons. The komuz (a traditional musical instrument) plays, and cheerful songs are sung...
NAME OF THE INFANT (AT KOYUU) NAME OF THE INFANT (AT KOYUU)
BLESSING (BATA BERUU) BLESSING (BATA BERUU)
Chechkor Holiday – the Harvest Festival – has been celebrated among the Kyrgyz people since ancient times. It was associated with the threshing of the harvest. Like throughout Central Asia, the mythical figure considered the patron and first teacher of farmers was the saint Babadykan. Another revered mythical figure was the saint Kydyr-ake – the giver of abundance, luck, a well-wisher, and protector of good people, workers, and travelers. The Chechkor holiday and all the rituals performed were
In Central Asia, as well as in the Caucasus, until the early 20th century, there were two significantly different types of abduction:
The payment of kalym - the bride price - openly reflects the attitude towards women as movable property of the husband and all his relatives. Kalym was an insurmountable barrier for men wishing to marry if they did not possess the required minimum of material wealth. The amount of kalym indicated the degree of respect for the bride's parents: the higher the kalym paid for the bride, the greater the honor for her parents. The kalym was fully at the disposal of the bride's father and,