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 dedicated to them. Due to the belief that Babadykan and Kydyr-ake might honor the given granary (kyrman) with their visit and thus contribute to the success of work at the threshing floor and the multiplication of grain, it was required that cleanliness and order be maintained there, and all the magical prescriptions sanctified by tradition be followed. Thus, everyone was to come to the threshing clean (having performed a ritual washing or bathed in a river or irrigation canal) and in clean clothes.
At the threshing floor, to avoid fire, it was not allowed to light a fire. It was also forbidden to keep water there, as it was believed that the grain would become damp from the water, and that Babadykan and Kydyr-ake would flee from the water. This same water could allegedly attract clouds and rain. If a dog wandered onto the threshing floor, it was not chased away, and if a snake crawled in, it was not killed, but carefully pushed aside and milk was poured over it. These visitors were very welcomed, as it was believed that in their form Babadykan and Kydyr-ake could appear and dip their finger into the grain. Anyone passing by or entering the threshing floor greeted those working with the words: “Ichke bereke” (“Good harvest”).
The threshed, sifted, and winnowed grain was collected in the center of the threshing floor. The straw was removed, the threshing floor was swept, and the prescribed traditional rituals were performed. The owner of the threshing floor climbed onto the pile of grain, tamped it down, then took grain from the pile in a wooden measuring container holding about a pood and, holding it in his hands, walked around the pile, pouring grain along the edge. Taking a wooden shovel in his hands, with the words: “Bismillah irrahman irrahim,” he drew a line with the handle of the shovel approximately in the middle of the pile of grain, moving to the right, as if “girdling” it. This was a sign for Babadykan and Kydyr-ake, so that when they came to the threshing floor, they would walk around the grain and bless it with their grace. After this, he crossed two more lines with the ends descending to the “belt.” One of the lines was directed towards the qibla – the direction where Mecca and the Muslim holy sites are located. Then, on this side facing the qibla, he stuck the handle of the shovel, broom, or pitchfork into the grain. In Kyrgyz, “chech” refers to five-pronged pitchforks used in work at the threshing floor. This word is what the harvest festival is named after – Chechkor.
Having processed the grain in this way, the owner, reciting a prayer, took a full bowl of grain and poured it separately, away from the rest. This part was intended for widows, orphans, and the poor.
The next custom was the sprinkling with blood. For this, each owner would cut a sacrificial animal – a ram, lamb, or kid – right next to the pile of grain. He would sanctify his harvest and the threshing floor with the blood of the victim, offered “for the path of God” in the name of the saints Babadykan and Kydyr-ake. According to beliefs, the blood of the victim, soaking into the ground, would convey its grace to the granary. The blood was sprinkled on the shovel, pitchfork, and broom stuck into the ground.
The meat of the sacrificial animal was cooked nearby, close to the threshing floor. All the neighbors were invited for a feast. The meal was sanctified by the reading of the Quran in honor of Babadykan and Kydyr-ake.
The pile of cleaned grain was left on the threshing floor overnight, and in the morning it was poured into bags, sewn up, and taken home.
