The traditions and customs of Central Asia have very extensive roots dating back centuries. And before touching on their content, it is necessary to pay some attention to the historical heritage that the ancient states of Central Asia passed on to modern descendants.
The historical heritage of the region
Central Asia has made a huge contribution to the art, science, architecture and literature of the entire world civilization, has left an indelible mark on our common history. In ancient times, by palatial artisans and slaves, palaces and temples of incredible beauty and engineering, flowering cities and settlements, many of which to this day adorn world historical architecture, were built here. The lifestyle, historical fate, traditions and customs of Central Asia are described in the article.
XIII-XIV centuries in Central Asia are marked as the period of construction of the greatest palaces and mausoleums, striking in the proportionality of their proportions, decorated with bright, beautiful ornaments. Many architectural monuments of that period have come down to us. Among them, one can note the unique Registan Square, which at that time was the center of Samarkand; the beautiful Bibi Khanum Mosque; the burial crypt of Gur-i-Emir, distinguished from the rest by its unusual turquoise dome.
Craftsmen already in the XV-XVII centuries. such structures as Ulugbek, Tilla-Kari and Shchir-Dor Madrasahs (“Building with a Lion”) were erected on Samarkand Square. The history of Central Asian architecture is a vivid evidence that it was the people who have always been the creator of the monuments of the spiritual and material culture of these countries.
The year 1220 was a tragic year for the peoples of Central Asia - the Mongol invasion began. Thoroughly prosperous cities and villages were ravaged by hordes of Genghis Khan, the most ancient monuments of architecture and culture of these peoples were destroyed. For many decades, this territory was held by the invaders, and this, of course, also had a great influence on the traditions and customs of Central Asia and left its indelible imprint, which is still visible today. Moreover, almost all foreign Asia is full of various traces of the Mongol invasion.
A family
Family and family values are most important among the inhabitants of Central Asia. This is especially true for children. The languages of the peoples of these countries contain many aphorisms dedicated specifically to children: “The child is dear, like a heart”, “There will be no happiness in a family without a child”, “Native child - decoration at home”, etc.
Each family with special joy and awe perceives the birth of a child. Such a happy event has its own traditional ritual. According to custom, several good heralds sit on horses at once (if everything happens in the village) and sweep the streets, telling the happy news about the birth of a baby to relatives, neighbors, friends and acquaintances who present them with various gifts and offerings, and make good parting words: "Let your offspring multiply from generation to generation, " "We wish you to see the wedding of children, " etc.
Family relationships in the East have always been distinguished by their conservatism. The traditional Central Asian family is a fairly large group of people consisting of a father, his wife, their sons with their wives, children, and sometimes grandchildren, living together in the same house. It is known that in the mountainous Tajikistan in the 19th century, families of more than one hundred people met. Such large families, in fact, were communities with their own land plots and the principle of "all income to the common cashier." Even family food was consumed together: everyone, from small to large, gathered at one table. Such communities, as a rule, were very strong and united. Over time, large-family relationships turned into relics of the past, although back in the middle of the last century, some ethnographers noted that for a father, leaving his son’s home and setting up his own corner was considered a serious insult.
The nomadic peoples of the region are also aware of the concept of a large family, however, its members could live in different yurts here, but only one "father" yurt stood above the rest.
At the end of the 20th century, the Central Asian family underwent some changes. Here, the elder sons, having married, could already go, as they say, to free bread, create their own separate hearth. Only the youngest son, who inherited the entire state of the parents, had to stay in order to care for them in old age. Such a principle, by the way, is fundamental for a large number of peoples, including the peoples of the Caucasus.
Marriage in Central Asia
There are two types of marriage in Central Asian families. According to the first type (exogamous), a young man or girl is forbidden to marry paternal relatives up to the 7th knee. This model of marriage is characteristic of the Karakalpaks, Kazakhs and part of the Kyrgyz. Another type of marriage (endogamous), when the children of close and relatively distant relatives get married, refers to the Turkmens, Tajiks and Uzbeks. Although it is worth noting that the traditional intra-clan relations underwent some changes as a result of constant wars, redistribution of territory and relocation. This is especially true of the Turkmen people, where exogamous and endogamous families can be found.
Despite the difference in marriage principles, one factor is fundamental: the groom must pay the bridegroom to the family of the bridegroom. Today, as a rule, it represents a certain amount of money, but in the villages there is still a tradition of transferring a certain amount of cattle as kalym. The bride’s side, in turn, according to tradition, must prepare a dowry, usually consisting of clothes and household items, and among nomads, a yurt was also necessarily included in the dowry earlier.
Among the nomadic peoples there was also a custom of the levvirate, namely that the widow was obliged to marry the brother of the deceased spouse. This was done for economic reasons - all the property of the deceased person inherited by his wife should have remained in his family. For women, this form of marriage was sometimes similar to tragedy.
Surely, you also heard about such archaic customs, such as “marriage in a cradle”, when parents entered into an agreement on the marriage of their children, when they were still in their infancy, and marriage with abduction.
Holidays
The holidays of the peoples of Central Asia included not only the main ritual ceremonies, but also various games, entertaining competitions (in which, by the way, intergener rivalry was also manifested), performances by actors, poets and musicians. The most revered and ancient holidays among the peoples of Central Asia are Kurban Bayram, Uraza Bayram, Novruz.
Oriental hospitality in Central Asian countries
Even people who have never been to Central Asian countries probably have an idea of oriental hospitality. The owner of the house will never leave his guest hungry, even if he comes in just five minutes. The table will certainly be laden with various dishes, sweets, fragrant tea will be served.
Some historians argue that the tradition of hospitality in Central Asia was introduced by none other than Genghis Khan, under whose rule was almost the whole of overseas Asia. His order said that in every house a guest seeking shelter should be received with special respect, friendliness and respect, even if this guest is a complete stranger. In the case of violation of this instruction of the inhospitable owner, a terrible fate awaited: he was tightly tied to two heated horses, which were allowed in different directions.
Perhaps for this reason, hospitality, which soon became not a state but a moral law, in Central Asia is an integral element of culture. The owners could refuse in the shelter only if the guest behaved rudely.
It is worth noting that today such traditions faded somewhat, but still survived.
Family relationship
Kinship among the peoples of Central Asia has always been of paramount importance. Because of belonging to a certain surname, a person is obliged to help "his", even if a relative is not right in something. It is common here that a person who has occupied a high position surrounds himself with members of a kind.
Tribal ties play a big role in the life of every resident of Central Asia. There is a custom that for many Europeans may seem rather strange and burdensome: upon returning from a long trip, a person must bring gifts to all his relatives, of whom some last names number more than a hundred. In general, it should be understood that in Central Asia they do not go empty-handed.
Respect for elders
This custom, as one of the duties of every resident of the Central Asian region, has been known since ancient times. Respect for elders must be shown even if the age difference is only a few years. The younger must fulfill the elder’s desire, if the latter asks him to go somewhere, to bring something or to take some action instead of him. It is indecent to refuse. In the presence of older people, the rest should speak with restraint. Thus, it is easy for an outsider to identify the oldest in a group of people. Thanks to this age hierarchy, strict discipline is also maintained during crowded gatherings: elders are listened without interruption, they get the best places.
Large families
Large families are also a characteristic feature of Central Asian society. A family may have 5-7 or more children. There are frequent cases when one family brings up more than 10 offspring. The desire to have many children is the oldest postulate in Central Asia. Relations between children are usually very warm, the elders are always ready to help the younger ones. It is also common that children are brought to work very early.
Women of the East
Women in Central Asia have always been given secondary importance. This was largely due to the emergence of a new religion here. Islam ordered women to take only a subordinate role. At all meetings, whether holidays or commemorations, women traditionally retired in their circle. Again, according to religious prescriptions, a man is forbidden to do female work (and, as you know, almost all housework is such). Therefore, women of the East have always worked very hard.
Today, the situation of women and men in society, especially in cities, has almost equalized. Although in most modern families, the dominant role of men is clearly traced.
Regions of Central Asia
The territory of Central Asia unites several countries. Among them: the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Turkmenistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and the Republic of Tajikistan. The population of Central Asia is about 70 million people. Their traditions and customs are largely the same, but there are many differences.
Thus, Tajikistan, whose customs are quite interesting in itself, is known for amazing wedding ceremonies. The Tajik wedding lasts for 7 days. In the first of them, the bride and groom announce to everyone about the decision to get married. Both families in turn hold ceremonies, lasting three days.
And in Uzbekistan (especially in villages) to this day, some houses have a custom according to which women and men are ordered to sit at different tables. Also, upon arrival at the guest house, the owner seats them himself, the most respected guests receive places located away from the entrance.
Turkmenistan is the most closed state of all Central Asian. It is quite difficult to get there, only recently in this country has free access to the Internet, but nevertheless, many well-known resources (such as Facebook and Twitter) are still closed. It’s hard to say how they live in Turkmenistan. Many avid tourists compare this country with North Korea. It is worth noting that Islamic principles here, as, indeed, in other countries of Central Asia, are not so strong. For example, married women may not cover their faces with a handkerchief if this is normal for her family.
The culture of Central Asia is extremely rich. From ancient times, famous poets, writers, publicists and musicians lived and worked here. The culture of Kazakhstan is especially vivid. Not many people know that the first Kazakh film "Amangeldy" was shot back in 1939. Modern cinema of the country has presented us with such famous and recognized films as “Nomad” and “Mongol”. The culture of Kazakhstan is really rich and includes many theatrical productions, songs, literary works that are loved and appreciated throughout the post-Soviet space and beyond.
The Republic of Kyrgyzstan has long been known for carpet weaving. The carpet here is actually the main element of the interior and evidence of the ancient history of the country. Since the carpets of the Kyrgyz Republic are made of sheep wool, they are more likely to be felted rather than woven.
The national clothes of the Kyrgyz almost did not change for 700 years, this is especially noticeable in rural areas. An interesting fact is that the clothes of unmarried girls, as a rule, are decorated more fancifully than that of married women. Of course, in cities it’s rare to see someone wearing a traditional outfit; a standard European costume has taken his place.
