Tajikistan customs and traditions

Tajiks are one of the most ancient peoples in the world. Archeological excavations from a settlement on the territory of today's Tajikistan, dating back to the end Upper Paleolithic, fifteen to twenty thousand years ago. Tajiks have preserved many ancient traditions and customs of their ancestors. They have their own colloquial- varied Persian. Large families have lived together under one roof for several generations, as the family's farms and businesses reflect this prosperity and the friendliness towards guests reflects legendary hospitality.

TAJIKI, Tojik (self-name), people, the main population of Tajikistan, the second largest people in Afghanistan. They speak Tajik as a language of the Western Iranian group of the Indo-European family. Tajik believers are mostly Sunni Muslims.

The direct ancestors of the Tajiks were: the Bactrians in the upper Amu Darya basin, the Sogdians in the Zeravshan and Kashkadarya basins, the Parthians in Khorasan, the Margians in the Merv oasis, the Khorezmians in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya, the Parkans in the Fergana Valley and the Saka-Massaget tribes of the Pamir-Tien Shan mountains and the Aral Sea. Caspian steppes. All these peoples and tribes were engaged in agriculture in the oases and valleys based primarily on artificial irrigation, and in the mountain and steppe regions - cattle breeding and various handicraft production.

CRAFTS AND ACTIVITIES

The original occupation of the Tajiks was arable farming combined with cattle breeding. Artificial irrigation was used in the plains, mountains and highlands. Mainly grains (cereals and legumes), horticultural crops, cotton (on the plains) were grown; on the lands located above, millet, barley, garden and melon crops, and fruits were grown. In agriculture, ketmen and arable tools such as ral (omoch, ispor) were used, and a pair of oxen served as draft force.

Cattle breeding played a supporting role in the agriculture of the lowland regions (cattle, and in small quantities horses, donkeys, sheep and goats). It was based on vertical nomadism. In the summer, cattle were driven to mountain meadows and some of the residents moved there to graze, but the main population remained in the village. At summer camps in the mountains, unique women's partnerships (naubati shir, peyvoz) for draining milk were common: women united in such an artel in turn received the entire milk yield of the entire herd for storing butter, cheese, etc. for future use.

The lowland Tajiks have long developed various crafts - the production of cotton, silk, wool and cloth fabrics (woven by men), jewelry, pottery, etc.; Many of the crafts had ancient traditions (wood and ganch carving, decorative embroidery, etc.). Among the mountainous Tajiks, the production of woolen fabrics (men), knitting and embroidery (women) gained commercial importance.

HOUSINGS and SETTLEMENTS

Traditional villages are compact, closely built-up, with a labyrinth of crooked streets and dead ends, with blank walls of houses and fences - duvals - opening into them. The houses are mostly adobe (in mountainous areas and stone buildings), with a flat roof, sometimes with a terrace (ivon). The dwelling was divided into male and female halves: in the female - inner part at home - outsiders were not allowed. A special room for guests (mekhmonkhona) is typical: the floor in it is covered with felts, cotton and wool rugs, carpets, on which long narrow quilts for sitting (kurpacha) are laid out around the perimeter of the room, and a tablecloth (dastarkhan) in the center. The walls are decorated with embroidery (suzani) and carpets. Among the lowland Tajiks, wall niches traditionally often serve as cabinets.

TRADITIONAL CLOTHING

Traditional clothing of the Tajiks had its own characteristics in each of the ethnocultural regions, but also had general features. For men - a tunic-shaped shirt, wide-legged trousers, a swinging robe, a scarf belt, a skullcap, a turban and leather boots with soft soles, leather galoshes with a pointed toe (they were worn separately, sometimes put on boots), in mountainous areas - shoes a type of clog with three spikes on the sole for easy walking on mountain trails.

Women have tunic-shaped dresses, in rural areas they are made of smooth fabrics, in the mountainous southern regions they are embroidered, especially in Darval and Kulyab (samples of folk decorative arts). Wide trousers had an overlap at the ankle. Headdress - scarves, skullcaps (for Gissar Tajiks). City women and lowland Tajiks wore a swinging robe and local shoes. The mountain women did not have robes.

Modern Tajik clothing combines traditional elements - an outer robe, a skullcap with urban clothing. Tajiks retain more traditional elements of clothing. Girls and young women mostly wear yoke dresses, which are widespread in Central Asia(except Turkmenistan). Bloomers are sewn ‘narrower’, for young women it is much higher than the ankle. Traditional decorations combine with modern ones: necklaces, pendants, earrings, rings.

The basis of nutrition in mountainous areas was bread (in the form of flatbreads) and dairy products, including ghee, dry cheese (kurut) and curd cheese (paneer), noodles, and various cereals; in the plains - flatbreads. Rice dishes, noodles, manti (large dumplings), vegetable oil (including cottonseed oil), vegetables and fruits. The flatbreads are baked in special clay ovens (tanur). The meat eaten is lamb and beef, often stewed with noodles or less often with potatoes. The traditional holiday treat for lowland Tajiks is pilaf, and for mountain Tajiks it is lamb soup (shurbo). Traditional sweets: halva, crystalline sugar (nabot), nishallo (creamy mass of sugar, beaten egg whites and soap root), candy (parvarda), etc. Tea is preferably drunk green, black - usually in the cold season.

Traditional Tajik dishes start with sweet dishes such as halva and tea, followed by soups and meats, before moving on to the main dish, pilaf.

FOLKLORE

Tajik folklore is rich and varied; labor, ritual-calendar, ritual-holiday and mourning folk songs(surud), quatrains (rubai) are popular, but the most interesting fairy tales are magical and satirical; humorous anecdotes (latifs), for example, about Khoja Nasreddin, are widespread.

Tajik music is built on a diatonic scale, vocal is monophonic. Musical instruments varied: strings - dutor, rubab, tanbur, etc.; bowed - gijak, violin; wind instruments - nai, kvrnai, surnai; dulcimer - chang; percussion - tablak (clay timpani), doira (tambourine), kairok (stone castanets). Colorful folk dances(including humorous and reproducing labor processes). Favorite folk shows include performances of tightrope walkers, magicians, and puppet theater.

TRADITIONS AND RITES

Tajiks have very unique wedding ceremonies.

Most ethnic groups in Central Asia begin the wedding ceremony with betrothal and agreements reached by the elders of the family, but the Tajik wedding is completely different and different from the usual ones. It lasts seven days! On the first day of the ceremony, the bride and groom declare their marriage, and hold separate banquets with their families, which last for three days.
On the fifth day, the groom, accompanied by friends and relatives, go to his bride's house. There, newlyweds, in order to bind their obligations to the imam, must drink a glass of water and eat a piece of meat with salt. This is part of the marriage ceremony, and only after that they are allowed to be together.
After this, the great celebration begins. People sing and dance until midnight. Then the newlyweds ride to the groom's house on one horse. On the sixth day, the bride's family and members travel to the groom's house to spend the night there, celebrating the completion of the wedding.
The honeymoon, on the other hand, lasts 40 days spent under the same roof with the husband's parents to protect the bride and groom at the beginning of their married life from the evil eye and other wickedness.

Every Tajik morning begins with “Assalomu alaikum” (Tajiks adopted this from the Arabs in the 9th century), which translated means “Peace to your home.” When meeting people, greet people with a shake of your right hand and try to keep your left hand on right side breasts Never greet with your left hand, even if your right hand is occupied. Women are greeted only by voice, and if the woman is familiar and older than the interlocutor, then at the same time as “Assalomu alaikum” the male interlocutor puts his right hand to his heart as a sign of respect.
Before entering a Tajik’s house, you will be asked to wash your hands and given a towel - take advantage of this. Do not shake water from your hands, dangling them in the air - this will be considered as disrespect for the owners of the house and others. And even if you have already washed your hands before coming to visit, do not refuse to wash them again.

If there are already people in the house, say hello and try to smile.

For a Tajik, a guest is always a pleasant procedure for receiving him and pleasant chores and responsibilities. And of course, you, as a guest, will be shown a place to sit - this is always a place of honor in the “mekhmonkhona”, i.e. usually a large living room. When Tajiks build a house, they always specially design a “mekhmonkhona” for respected guests, and guests are always respected in a Tajik home.

Tajiks usually sit on the floor covered with carpet and kurpacha - special mattresses stuffed with cotton wool or purified cotton and sewn from beautiful fabric. Sit comfortably, but do not lie or sit with your legs extended forward or to the side.

Behind the dastarkhan - a tablecloth laid on the floor, first, when everyone is already seated, a ritual of praising God and welcoming the guest is carried out. At the end of the feast, this ritual is repeated. Everyone sitting at the dastarkhan should raise both palms in front of them with the letter L, and when you hear “Omin!” (“Amen!”), raise your hands to your face, then lower them. This is a purely Tajik national rite, different from a religious rite, in which the guest is not mentioned. This ritual of greeting a guest does not exist among Arabs, Turks, Afghans, Iranians and other Muslims of the world.

At the dastarkhan, the youngest of the hosts pours tea. Be sure to take a bowl (cup) of tea with your right hand and place your left hand on the right side of your chest. In the same way, the bowl must be returned to the person pouring the tea. Even if the hosts allow the consumption of alcoholic beverages at the feast, the youngest “cupbearer” also pours the drink. Don’t be surprised when the person pouring tea or the “cupbearer” definitely pours himself the first bowl. This is an ancient tradition: the pourer proves to others that it is not poison.

Usually Tajiks, when they invite a guest home, prepare pilaf. After the owner’s invitation to start eating, under normal conditions, the eldest among those sitting at the dastarkhan is the first to extend his hand to the pilaf, but when a guest is in the house, they ask him to be the first to try the pilaf.

You cannot insist that the hostess of the house come out to the guest or join the feast - this is not customary among Tajiks.

If you need to contact a woman, ask her husband or adult relative for permission.

If you are staying overnight in a traditional Tajik house, try not to appear in night clothes or half-naked, especially when washing in a common washbasin. If you need to rinse off up to your waist, ask the owner where you can do it.

If you come to a house where there is no owner and only a woman and (or) children are in it, do not enter this house. Even if a woman (the mistress of the house) invites you to come in (this is a sign of good manners; according to ancient tradition, any guest is not left on the street), do not accept the invitation. Find out when the owner will return, and only then visit this house.

If you come to a female manager, she can give you her hand - say hello.
If you come to a house where a person has recently died, do not smile, laugh, speak loudly, listen to music, or watch TV.

If you find yourself in a house where people are performing a ritual of prayer, do not speak loudly or laugh.

If you go to visit, don't forget to buy sweets or flowers. Tajiks do not go to visit empty-handed.

If you are going to a wedding or thuja - a circumcision ceremony, do not forget to buy a gift. If you know a person well enough who is having a wedding or thuy (the circumcision of his son), you can put it in an envelope with greeting card 50 dollars (for Tajiks this means a gift-“debt”, i.e. someday he will return it to you in the form of a gift for a wedding, birthday, etc.).

Bread is the most sacred thing in a Tajik home. Try not to crumble it and handle it carefully. Remember, the Tajik national flatbread must be broken with both hands and never cut with a knife.

Holidays
The main holidays in Tajikistan are Navruz, the Muslim New Year, which is celebrated on the day of the spring equinox. It marks new life and new hopes for all who love to celebrate this holiday. The whole village is preparing for this holiday. The tables are filled to capacity with various foods, where the main place is occupied by a traditional dish that is prepared only on this day, sumalak! The same applies to Kurban Mayram, Eid.

Guli Lola is a tulip festival, which includes the accompaniment of choral and dance music.

Poppies and tulips are native flowers to Tajikistan and were the source of the original Dutch tulips.

Tajik teahouse.

Tea is often sipped at the local teahouse - chaikhana.

A teahouse is a place where people of all ages can gather and discuss issues that are important in their lives. As soon as a person is satisfied with tea, he must turn the empty cup (piyala) upside down in front of him, as a sign that he no longer wants tea - and continues the discussion.

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National customs and traditions of Tajiks. Tajik wedding, Tajik holidays, Tajik superstitions, rites and rituals, circumcision. The Tajik people, like other peoples of the world, have centuries-old national traditions and customs that were created by their ancestors and have been preserved in their original form from generation to generation to this day.

All Tajik traditions and customs, which have developed over many years, are a very important and subtle part of the existence of the ethnic people - Tajiks. Therefore, in practice, from birth into the subconscious small child ancient customs are established as the main program of life.

Ancient rituals, superstitions, rituals, traditions and customs - all together formed the Eastern mentality characteristic of the Central Asian people. Peoples of about 20 nations live in Tajikistan - hardcore Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Assetins, Tatars, Russians (mainly in the cities of the country), Ukrainians and other representatives different nationalities. All these peoples are considered equal citizens of the Republic of Tajikistan, therefore each person has the right to profess the religion and traditions that they inherited from their ancestors.

Tajiks are the descendants of ancient Indian and ancient Persian tribes and, accordingly, many of the manners and lifestyle of a Tajik person - a Tajik/Tajik woman are characteristic of his/her native East Asian mentality.

Tajik wedding- national-social tradition among Tajiks.

A Tajik wedding is a collective ceremony; the word wedding also refers to 2 national events - the wedding of the newlyweds and the wedding in honor of the circumcision of a Muslim boy (khatna tui). In Tajikistan, marriage weddings (tuyi arusi-domod) take place in a very unusual way; here it is customary to celebrate the wedding at the public level. Hospitality is one of the highest qualities of Tajik people; Tajiks are hospitable people, they always support each other in both joy and trouble.

Tajik families love to share their joy with everyone - with familiar friends and even with strangers, this indicates that Tajiks are also good-natured. Especially in villages, weddings can be very interesting and unique. If they hear that someone’s wedding is planned in a neighboring street, then the whole village rejoices, since among Tajiks, according to custom, 1-2 days before the wedding, without exception, all relatives and fellow villagers of the bride and groom are invited, the main thing is not to miss, otherwise be offended, no matter who. Probably the saying “from 7 to 70 years – everything is at the wedding” came from this land. After all, it is indeed customary for Tajiks to be present on the eve of the wedding, in the process of preparing for the wedding of neighbors or distant relatives, supporting and helping the hosts of the wedding.

Modern Tajik wedding is a mixture of ancient and modern traditions. Modern wedding ceremonies in Tajikistan are very fun and noisy. In Tajikistan, the national wedding ceremony lasts for as long as 7 days/stages, as it is very rich in traditional rituals, which Tajik families follow very faithfully. Any Tajik wedding begins with obtaining the consent of the girl’s parents.

For the “matchmaking” event, 2 or three female matchmakers, close relatives of the guy, come to the girl’s house and explain the reason for the visit, and also introduce her general position the future groom's family and ask for the girl's hand in marriage. In Tajik families, issues related to the marriage of an adult girl are usually decided by the main family members - grandparents. If the matchmakers are very lucky, then everything will be resolved the first time and both parties will discuss all upcoming events related to handouts. Subsequent visits to the future groom's relatives are not complete without gifts and gifts. Thus, the Muslim wedding day and the date of the wedding evening are set. And then the most interesting is yet to come!

The first stage of the wedding ceremony is the announcement (safedi dodan, fotiha cardan) of the marriage of the bride and groom. In honor of the marriage, relatives and neighbors of the bride and groom are invited to visit and pilaf, the Tajik national food, is served to them.

The second stage of the wedding (tukkuz) each party exchanges gifts intended for the newlyweds.

The third stage of the wedding consists of bringing kalyn-tui; the groom sends a horned animal and other necessary products to the bride’s house to celebrate the wedding at the bride’s place (nahor oshi).

The fourth stage of the wedding takes place at the bride's; the groom, accompanied by his friends and relatives, goes to the bride's house. On the same day, the bride also invites her friends to festive table(choygashtak).

The fifth stage of a Tajik wedding is the vow of the newlyweds before the imam (nikoh), after which they must drink a cup of water. This ritual means that now the bride and groom, according to Islamic Sharia, have become spouses and their marriage is secured by holy surahs, which give them the right to be together.

The sixth stage of the ceremony is the long-awaited wedding evening of the bride and groom (tui arusi-domod) in a restaurant (dar tarabkhona or tuikhona). This is a great celebration that every Tajik family dreams of. On this day, guests and friends of the bride and groom congratulate the newlyweds on their married life and wish them their wishes. At the set wedding tables, everyone is having fun and applauding the wedding guests who have spoken. Young people and other visitors to a Tajik wedding have the opportunity to personally approach the newlyweds and wish them happiness, and people sing and dance until the night. Then the newlyweds leave the guests and go to the groom's house by car.

The seventh stage of the Tajik national marriage wedding is rubinon, an event organized for the neighbors and relatives of the groom, where the bride will show off her outfits and reveal her face. And the guests of the celebration present the bride with various gifts necessary for the young family. The father and mother of the groom - the father-in-law and mother-in-law of the new bride - also congratulate the bride on her gifts.

The next stage is chilla, in modern terms – a honeymoon, which will last 40 days. Young spouses must spend all this time under the same roof with their parents and husband’s relatives. This will ensure the safety of the spouses from all sorts of ailments, as well as protect the bride and groom from various kinds of problems at the very beginning of their young married life.

Tajik holidays. What are the national traditional holidays in Tajikistan?

Religious holidays are widely celebrated in Tajikistan and National holidays, related to the independence of the state, including seasonal holidays.

The Tajik people love the Muslim holiday most of all - Kurban Khayit, in which people become complacent and kind. On this day, Tajiks traditionally perform sacrifice rites, provide financial assistance to families with little property, dress orphans, visit the sick, and so on. On this day, in every house the table is set to greet guests with dignity; the hostesses prepare various national pastries and Tajik dishes. Young girls go to the houses of new brides who have recently had a wedding. Brides indulge their guests with a variety of sweets and display their dowries.

Another national Tajik holiday of the people is Nowruz– new day – equinox. This is one of the favorite spring holidays of Tajik girls. On this holiday, girls specially sew dresses from national Tajik fabrics, such as satin, adras, brocade, etc. There is also a tradition of the “Tulip Festival,” which is no less loved by Tajik beauties.

Folk customs are historically established, more or less stable norms of people’s behavior, their way of life and way of life, which are passed on from generation to generation and are protected by the power of public opinion. Depending on the scope of their application, pre-revolutionary rituals and customs of Tajiks can be divided into calendar-industrial and family-household ones.

The first group includes agricultural and pastoral rituals dedicated to different seasons, as well as rituals associated with crafts. The patron of agriculture and farmers was considered Boboi-dekhkon (Grandfather-farmer), who seemed to be embodied in one of the most experienced and knowledgeable peasants of the village. According to established tradition, he was the first to begin plowing and threshing. The day of the beginning of agricultural work was celebrated as a significant holiday, accompanied by a feast. A widespread custom was hashar, voluntary mutual assistance in harvesting crops and building houses.
Crafts occupied an important place in the life of Tajiks, the occupation of which was often inherited from generation to generation. The custom of kamarbandon, reminiscent of initiation into a master, is closely connected with mastering the craft: the initiate was girded, the teacher handed him a tool of the craft, and the initiate arranged a treat in honor of the mentor, to which all members of the workshop were invited.
Man from birth to death was accompanied by all sorts of family and household customs and rituals.

The birth of a child has always been and remains the most a joyful event in family life. Therefore, the period of pregnancy of the expectant mother, childbirth and the forty days (chilla) of the child’s life were surrounded by numerous rituals and customs: the mother and child were not left alone, in the room from darkness to dawn the light was on and the fire was always maintained, sharp objects were placed at the head of the mother in labor, over Pods of red pepper, onions and garlic were hung on the bed as a talisman. During the chilla period, special days were distinguished: the third, fifth, seventh, twelfth and fortieth, to which rituals associated with various events in the life of a newborn were timed. For example, putting on the first shirt, the first bath, naming a name, laying in the cradle. This period ended with the chillagurezon ritual, when the mother and baby left the house for the first time and visited one of the relatives, where a treat was arranged. There were rituals of dandonmushak (for the eruption of the first tooth) and muisargiron (for the first cutting of hair).
Funeral rites and customs are also complex in structure. The family of the deceased has to organize multiple funerals, give fabrics for mourning clothes to relatives, etc. In some areas, when mourning, women unravel their hair as a sign of mourning. On the day of the funeral, mourners and relatives sing marsya (funeral songs), dress in dark clothes, do not wear jewelry or use cosmetics.
Protection from evil spirits

Until now, in the life of the Pamiris, especially those living in remote high mountain valleys, great importance have magical techniques of therapeutic and prophylactic, agricultural and commercial nature. They are especially often practiced in life cycle rites - weddings, maternity, funerals, etc.

For example, during a wedding, a special role is assigned to women with many children, whose fertility is believed to be magically transferred to the newlyweds. In addition, the birth of children is magically promoted by showering the bride and groom with dried fruits, bean flour or sweets. In order to protect against demonic forces, the color of red must be present in the clothes of young people.

Just a few decades ago, barren young women came to ostons, where they tied scarves, scraps of fabric or the hair of domestic animals to trees or poles standing there in order to receive the gracious help of the saints. Since, as is popularly believed, jinn are especially dangerous for women in labor and young children, both of them were supposed to have a variety of amulets with them.

Like many other peoples of the world, among the Pamirs, in the event of a difficult birth, the mother and relatives of the woman in labor untied the knots on their dresses in the house, unraveled the knots in their hair and opened all the locks. In the Pamirs, as in other regions of the Earth, three days after the birth of a child, they put on the first shirt, which among the Badakhshan people is called “the shirt of forty days” and borrowed from an old man or woman, from whom longevity should magically be transferred to the newborn. For talismanic purposes, beads were sewn onto it. And before putting a shirt on a child, a knife with a wooden handle was passed through its collar so that the baby would grow up strong as iron and kind, with a gentle character, like a tree. Usually the forty-day shirt was kept until the birth of the next child in the family.

To protect the baby from demonic forces, especially in the first forty days, which were considered the most dangerous, various amulets were used. Thus, the claws of an eagle or a bear, wolf teeth and even dog droppings were hung on the top crossbar of the cradle, and scraps of round-shaped fabric of different colors were sewn onto children's clothes or ornamental patterns were embroidered in the form of a solar circle or an open palm-five - a symbol of the Ismailis. To protect the child from evil forces, he was given two names - his real name and a nickname - and they tried not to call him by his true name until he reached adulthood.

Of all the beliefs related to human illness and death, the most prominent is the belief in the evil eye. This harmful type of magic, according to the beliefs of the Pamiris, is transmitted in two ways: verbally or with an unkind look. From " evil eye"and other magical techniques are believed to be helped by amulets called tumors. These are paper strips folded and sewn into scraps of cloth, on which suras from the Koran or texts from other Islamic religious books are written. At the same time, amulets with “magical” spells read on them can be used to harm a particular person. They are left, for example, in one of the corners or at the threshold of an enemy’s house. Along with amulets, household items are often used as harmful “things” - iron locks, pins, etc., on which the spell is “recited”. This procedure is called “sorcery” (serčid).

The system of folk customs and rituals also includes various holidays and weddings. Navruz (New Year), celebrated on March 21-22, is considered the oldest and most widespread folk holiday. It marks the new year and the beginning of agricultural work. In some areas of Tajikistan, the holiday “Sairi Guli Lola” (“Tulip Festival”) is common. Nowadays it is widely celebrated throughout the republic. On holidays in the spirit folk traditions horse racing, goat wrestling, strongman wrestling are organized, young people tidy up the surroundings of schools and educational institutions, plant flowers and trees.

Nowruz – Muslim New Year
The word “Navruz” means “New Day” (from “nav” - new and “ruz” - day). This is the name of the spring holiday, the first day of the new year, the vernal equinox, the most famous and widespread holiday of the Persians - Iranians, Tajiks and Afghans.

The main days of the holiday are March 21 and 22. In each country and in different regions, the population may celebrate this day in different ways, but in Tajikistan, Navruz is mainly celebrated from March 21 to 24. These days are days off.

The oldest source indicating the celebration of Nowruz is the holy book of Zoroastrianism “Avesta”. The roots of the holiday go far back in history, dating back to 3000 BC. The history of the origin of Navruz, as stated in “Navruznoma” (“Book of Navruz”) by Omar Khayyam, goes back to the time of one of the oldest kingdoms in the world and the history of the Persians - Peshdodien. In the Shahnameh, the origin of the holiday is associated with the legendary King Jamshed.

As you know, March 21 is the day of the vernal equinox, and the length of day and night is the same - 12 hours each. When Jamshed built himself a throne of pure gold (according to legend, it was the first throne in the history of man) and raised it to the highest mountain at sunrise, gold glittered under sunlight, and it began to shine like the sun. This day was called Navruz and began to be celebrated as the beginning of a new year. “Navruznam” says:

“When Jamshed comprehended this day, he called it Navruz and introduced it into custom as a holiday. Kings and other people followed him.”

During the celebration of Nowruz, various events are organized. In the spirit of folk traditions, horse racing, goat wrestling (buzkhkashi), strongman wrestling, buchulbozi, argamchinbozi (jumping rope), lankabozi, tukhmzanak, idgardak are organized.

Much attention is paid to preparing the festive table. It is not necessary to put only food on the holiday table. Dishes whose names begin with the letters “s” and “sh” are placed on the table. As a rule, there are 2 festive tables: “haftsin” and “haftshin”. "Sin" and "shin" are the names of the letters "s" and "sh" in the Persian alphabet, and "haft" stands for 7. In Zoroastrianism and Islam, the number 7 is considered sacred.

In ancient times there was also “haftmim” (“mim” is the name of the letter “m” in the Persian alphabet), but due to many expenses such a table is rarely set. “Haftsin” was introduced by the Arabs, because In Islam, drinking wine is prohibited, but they failed to eradicate Haftshin.

They try not to put dishes made from meat and other products taken from animals, except milk, on the festive table.

The symbol of Navruz and the New Year is sumanak (sumalak). How is sumanak prepared? About a week before the holiday, wheat grains are soaked in a shallow-bottomed container (this could be a plate). For the holiday, wheat grains are sprouted. It is believed that the longer the sprouts of sprouted grain, the larger and better the harvest will be in the new year. The sprouted grains are pounded in a metal mortar, placed in a cauldron, filled with water, flour is added and cooked for 10-12 hours, stirring all the time. A very sweet thing, although no sugar is added to it at all. Sumanak must be ready before sunrise on the main day of the holiday. While preparing sumanak, women and children sing holiday songs and read poems. Sumanak is not a simple dish, it is something sacred. Therefore, before preparing it, the lead cook reads a surah from the Koran, namely “Ikhlos”. Sumanak is distributed to all neighbors, relatives, loved ones, and friends. Before you try, you need to make three wishes; they can come true within a year.

Snowdrop Festival

In the regions of Tajikistan, the snowdrop holiday is called differently. In the Pamirs - Gulgardoni, in the Sogd region - Boychechak, in the south - Guli siyahgush. Despite the different names, children celebrate this holiday in the same way. The children share all sweets, fruits and cookies equally.

A festive dastarkhan is never empty. Pilaf is specially prepared, which is called “Oshi boychechak”. The guys will collect snowdrops before the main event spring holiday- Nowruz. On the day of the vernal equinox, March 21, Tajik people will celebrate the arrival of spring, where one of the main attributes will be a small and delicate flower - boychechak.

In Tajikistan, children and teenagers go to the hills and mountains, collect snowdrops and distribute them to houses in their neighborhoods with songs, as if spreading the news of the coming of spring. This tradition is popularly called “gulgardoni”. Housewives, accepting spring flowers from the hands of the children, apply them to their eyes and thank God for surviving until spring.
Sairi Lola – Tulip Festival
Sairi Lola is the national Tajik tulip holiday, celebrated in the summer. This is the time of tulip blooming. In Tajikistan, Sairi Lola is celebrated after the first harvest. Tulips bloom in the mountains at this time.

“When tulips bloom in the mountains, we celebrate the arrival of spring, hope, beauty and joy,” say Tajiks.

Elders on Sairi-lola are always given special honor. In conversations with them, both old and young learn worldly wisdom.

The culmination of the holiday is the competition in the Tajik national sport “gushtingiri”. This wrestling is a kind of Tajik sambo. It happens that in a family both the grandfather, the father, and the grandchildren do it. Masters of gushtingiri in Tajikistan are called palvans.

Tajiks have many religious rites, customs and rituals. Among them, the most important are ruza (fasting), namaz (prayer), Idi Kurbon (feast of sacrifice), Idi Ramazon (feast of fasting), etc.

Wedding customs and traditions
Of the weddings, which are associated with a number of customs and rituals, the marriage of a son or the marriage of a daughter was especially solemnly arranged: hostgori (matchmaking), fotikha (engagement), parchaburon (cutting clothes for the newlywed), sartaroshon' (groom's haircut), ruibinon (bride party) newlywed).

The wedding traditions of Tajiks living in the flatlands differ from those living in the mountains. But, in general, like other Asian peoples, everything starts with matchmaking and betrothal of a girl and a guy. In the old days, “betrothal from the cradle” was practiced, it was called “govorabakhsh” and “matchmaking of minors,” when parents themselves decided the fate of their children. In adolescence, parents could also choose a bride or groom for their daughter or son at their discretion, and also used the services of a matchmaker (sovchi). A month before the wedding, the young man was told who would marry him. His mother, along with a dish of pilaf and freshly baked flatbread, headed to the bride’s house. In response, the girl’s parents set the table and invited relatives and neighbors to a meal, where they announced their engagement. A girl and a guy were considered officially engaged after the venerable old man broke a flatbread before the meal and prayed for the happiness of the bride and groom. The agreement was preceded by preliminary negotiations between the parents of the bride and groom; if everything suited both parties, then matchmakers were sent. A special day was appointed for the transfer of kalym (bride price) to the father of the bride. The wedding was usually scheduled for the fall, when the harvest ended.
A suzani (wedding veil) was considered an obligatory gift for a wedding, which was covered by female needlewomen with ornate embroidery (special ancient magical patterns), which would subsequently protect the happy family life from evil spirits and the evil eye. While preparing the dowry, the Koran was required to be read. The respected mother of many children always started sewing.
A modern Tajik wedding lasts seven whole days. On the first day, the newlyweds announce their decision to get married, after which three days are occupied by dinner parties on one side and the other. On the fifth day, the groom with a wedding procession of friends and relatives goes to the bride’s house, where the newlyweds take an oath before the imam, the ceremony is consolidated with a meal for the bride and groom, consisting of a cup of water, some meat and bread with salt. From now on, the newlyweds can be together. The celebration begins, where guests are treated to food, singing and dancing. At midnight, the groom takes the bride on his horse to her parents' house. The wedding ceremony ends with the reception of the bride's family in the house by the groom's family, where they spend the whole night. During honeymoon the newlyweds live with the groom's parents so that they can help the young family with all the problems that arise at first.
Regional differences remain in Tajik family rituals. So, for example, among the Tajiks of the northern regions, according to the ancient wedding ceremony, the newlywed is transported to her husband's house after sunset, by the light of torches, and is led three times around a fire lit in front of her husband's house. In Southern Tajikistan, for a long time, this crossing occurs only during the day. Only widows or divorcees are transported at night.

IN Soviet period Such holidays as International Women's Day (March 8), Victory Day (May 9), New Year's Day (December 31) entered the life of the people of Tajikistan and became established. During the same period, such customs as the solemn celebration of civil marriage, farewell to the army, silver and golden weddings arose.
This same group includes international holidays, such as, for example, June 1, International Children's Day, etc. On September 9, 1991, Tajikistan acquired state independence. Along with the new country, new holidays and new customs were born.

Tradition and modernity
Customs and traditions of Tajikistan

A characteristic feature of the dwelling was a fireplace or firebox with a chimney. In the Gissar and Vakhsh valleys, the dwelling had a slightly different design. Sometimes it had a gable roof (often without a ceiling) or with a gable canopy over a traditional roof. In the southern, mountainous regions of Tajikistan, dwellings have the appearance of mountain housing, adapted for this condition. Such a dwelling had a massive appearance, was large in size and was designed for large, large, or patriarchal, undivided families. The walls of such houses were made of wild stone, sometimes of mud brick.

The wooden roof had a feature that was most clearly expressed in the houses of the Pamir Tajiks - a stepped wooden vault with a light-smoke hole in the center. The roof was supported by three to five support pillars located inside the house. In plan, this dwelling was single-chamber. Along two longitudinal and end (opposite the entrance) walls there were bunks coated with clay, with a narrow passage between them. Nowadays, even in remote mountain villages, houses of an old design, without windows, are usually used only as utility rooms.

The modern home of the Pamir Tajiks retains the traditional design, only the roof vaults and support pillars are located inside the house. Modern housing has been significantly modernized: boards are now laid on the floor and bunks and painted, large windows are made, and instead of a fireplace they use different types stoves, internal and external walls are whitewashed. As for flat-type dwellings, many of their traditional features are quite firmly preserved in a modern rural house.

In the past, large settlements and cities had similar layouts. In the center stood a citadel surrounded by adobe walls. Around this most ancient part of the settlement there was a later part with narrow streets onto which the blank walls of the estates faced. Behind the wall with several gates were the suburbs; here between the estates there were arable lands, vegetable gardens and orchards.

Modern housing consists of block or stone buildings containing standard furniture, but traditionally Tajik houses have a lot of carpets. Residents of Tajikistan lived for many centuries in the river valleys of the foothills, in the mountains, and in oases. This implied the traditional occupations of the population. In the regions of the Western Pamirs, Tajiks grew wheat, barley, rye, millet, legumes, vegetable gardens and melons. Here in the valleys they grew cotton and cultivated orchards and vineyards. Traditionally, the inhabitants of Tajikistan were engaged in cattle breeding: they raised sheep and goats, cattle, and the Wakhans and Shugnans raised yaks. Transport animals for the population of this republic were horses, yaks and donkeys. Sericulture has been a long-standing occupation for Tajiks.

Of the traditional folk crafts, Tajiks have achieved the greatest perfection in the manufacture of various silk, cotton, wool and cloth fabrics. Certain cities were famous for the production of one or another type of fabric. Weaving was done by men. The products of Tajik craftsmen enjoyed great success: potters, blacksmiths, jewelers, wood and alabaster carvers, as well as decorative embroidery, which traced ancient artistic traditions.

The traditional costume of Tajiks in each region had its own characteristics, but also had common features. For men it consisted of a tunic-shaped shirt, wide pants and a swinging robe with a scarf belt, a skullcap or turban and local shoes: leather boots with soft soles and leather galoshes with a pointed toe (they were worn separately, and sometimes together with soft boots - ichigami). Mountain Tajiks had wooden shoes with three spikes for walking along mountain paths.

The common elements of traditional clothing for women were a shirt or dress of a tunic-like cut, wide trousers with a slouch at the ankle, a headscarf (in some areas - a skullcap and a scarf), and for city women and lowland Tajiks also a swinging robe and local shoes. The ethnic tradition is still evident in the clothing of lowland and mountain Tajiks. The embroidered dresses of mountain Tajiks, especially in Darvaz and Kulyab, are excellent examples of folk decorative art. Mountain Tajiks, especially Pamir ones, both men and women, in the cold season wear high (knee-length or higher) socks knitted from colored wool with beautiful geometric or floral patterns.

Nowadays, men wear mainly modern, so-called urban clothes, purchased in stores or sewn in an atelier: a suit or trousers with a shirt, a pullover, a sweater. Turtlenecks and jeans are fashionable. Sports style predominates in the clothing of young people. City dwellers often wear the traditional skullcap and robe in combination with modern urban costume.

Modern women's national costume retains more traditional features even in the city. It includes a dress, often no longer tunic-shaped, but cut-off, with a yoke. It is most often sewn from silk; it is widespread in all Asian republics. They also wear trousers (for girls and young women - much higher than the ankles and narrower), light scarves, scarves, and skullcaps. Elements of urban costume are also widely used: jackets, knitted wool sweaters, shoes made in factories or sewn in a shoe studio. Depending on the season, they wear raincoats and coats.

In the past, mountain Tajik women had no outerwear at all: it was believed that a woman should not leave the house during the cold season. When leaving home in winter, Pamir Tajik women put on two or three dresses. In the villages, modern urban women's suits and skirts are rarely worn. In cities, they are worn mainly by students and young women - office workers, representatives of the intelligentsia. The burqa has disappeared from the ancient types of women's clothing; rural women did not wear it in the past, and in the urban environment it was eliminated already in the 1920s.

In the pre-war years, it was still occasionally worn by old women. Despite the fact that many Tajiks in cities and towns wear modern clothes, residents of villages, especially mountainous areas, have preserved their national costume. Beautiful skullcaps, women's headscarves, dresses, jewelry, men's embroidered belt scarves, and robes can be found to this day. A woman's suit consists of a white or colored shirt dress, made from silk or paper fabrics, trousers reaching to the ankle, the bottom trimmed with patterned braid. Bloomers are often sewn from two types of fabrics.

Among the Pamir Tajiks, traditional costume is also being replaced by modern ones everywhere. There are many Tajik elements in the modern clothing of the Pamiris, but they are borrowed not from traditional, but from modern national costume Tajiks. Borrowings in the field of housing, and, in particular, interior design, are of the same nature. The traditional food of Tajiks depended not only on the wealth of families, but also on the nature of the economy: the composition and diversity of cultivated crops, types of livestock raised. In the mountains, where wheat and barley crops predominated, the inhabitants were engaged in cattle breeding, the main food was bread, cakes, dairy products, butter, and in lowland areas the food of the population contains a lot of vegetable dishes and fruits.

In social life, the Tajiks retained some community customs: various forms of collective mutual assistance and production cooperatives (for example, women collectively prepared dairy products in spring pastures), public meals and entertainment on religious and folk holidays. One of these holidays is Nauruz - New Year, which falls on the day of the vernal equinox; coincided in many places with the holiday of the first plowing day (the ritual first furrow). The day of harvesting was also celebrated; in the spring, festivities - seili - were common.

Although small families predominated among Tajiks, there were also many, especially in mountainous regions, undivided families. Polygamy also existed: according to Muslim law (Sharia), it was allowed to have four wives at the same time, but this was available only to the rich; a man with average wealth had two wives, while poor people usually had one. Patriarchal orders prevailed in both large, undivided and small monogamous families. In the family and in society, women occupied a lower position. Among the mountain Tajiks there was a bride price, that is, a bride price.

Regional differences remain in Tajik family rituals. So, for example, among the Tajiks of the northern regions, according to an ancient wedding ritual, the newlywed is transported to her husband’s house after sunset, by the light of torches, and led three times around a fire lit in front of her husband’s house. In Southern Tajikistan, for a long time, this crossing occurs only during the day. Only widows or divorcees are transported at night.

The transformation of social relations, the introduction of Tajiks to advanced culture dramatically changed their family life. Nowadays, women are liberated and occupy an equal position with men at work, in public life and in the family. The overwhelming majority of marriages are now concluded for mutual love. Children in Tajikistan are a special privileged class. Tajik families have many children. It's nice to look at black-eyed boys in national skullcaps and girls in national dresses in modern interpretation with 30-40 thin braids braided.

Tajikistan, a state in Central Asia, is not such a large tourism center as, for example, Türkiye. But there are probably no less people who want to come here to relax. Tourists are attracted primarily by the exoticism of this country. Its customs and traditions, which have been preserved in secluded corners almost since ancient times. And going a little higher into the mountains you can find small settlements. Small unique peoples live here - the descendants of Alexander the Great, who once conquered this territory. So touch the spirit of antiquity and ancient history here too it is possible. People come to Tajikistan for unforgettable impressions of the stunning, one might even say wild, virgin nature of this region. The Pamir, Tien Shan and Fan Mountains are the “resorts” of Tajikistan. It is these fabulous places that are attractive to those who prefer boring lying on the beach leisure with a taste of extreme.

There really is something to see here. Snow-capped mountains against the backdrop of a dazzling blue sky, green fertile valleys with flowering gardens, turbulent mountain rivers whipping up boiling white foam, rustling in the narrow gorges of the mountains. Even in America there are no such fast rapids rivers. How cool it is to raft on such a river! The adrenaline then lasts for a whole year.

Tajik customs and traditions

What canyons are there?! Sharp, huge, impregnable. You won't see these even in a Hollywood movie. Fans of rafting and mountaineering consider Tajikistan an ideal place for lovers of active and dynamic recreation.

There are many historical cities and monuments in Tajikistan, which will also not leave any tourist indifferent. And of course, the kitchen is a special subject of conversation. Tajik cuisine is famous all over the world! And yet, here are the most delicious fruits and vegetables in the world, grown not artificially in greenhouses, but natural, grown on fertile Tajik soil - juicy and sweet like honey.

The hospitable Tajik people do not see off guests without gifts. You will take away from here not only amazing impressions, but also mountains of souvenirs made of ceramics, wood, glass, fabrics - made by hand. Local artisans have kept the recipe for making their crafts for more than one generation.

In short, Tajikistan is a unique country. There is nothing artificial here, nothing made on purpose, or the introduction of other cultures. Civilization has not yet completely entangled it in its networks. There are no noisy cities, highways, or eternal neon advertising here. Nature itself reigns here. And if you want to be alone with her, welcome to Tajikistan!

general information

Area: 143,100 thousand sq. km.

Population: about 6.5 million people

Official language: Tajik

Capital: Dushanbe

State structure: The Republic of Tajikistan is a unitary and multinational state.

Legislative power belongs to the parliament - Oliy Majlisi, executive power - to the president. The President, in agreement with Parliament, forms the government. The Constitution of the Republic ensures the rights and freedoms of its citizens.

Currency: somoni.

State symbols: flag, coat of arms

Nationalities: Tajiks (64.9%), Uzbeks (25%), Russians (3.5%)

Climate: sharply continental

Natural resources: aluminum, coal, oil, gas, iron, zinc, antimony, mercury, gold, tin, tungsten, boron, carbonates, fluorite, precious and semi-precious stones

Large cities: Khujand, Kurgan-Tube, Khorog, Kulyab, Penjikent

Main industries: mining metallurgy, hydropower, textiles and clothing.

Main crops: cotton, fruits, silk, grain, tobacco.

Every Tajik morning begins with “Assalomu alaikum” (Tajiks adopted this from the Arabs in the 9th century), which translated means “Peace to your home.” When meeting people, greet people with a right hand shake and try to keep your left hand on the right side of your chest. Never greet with your left hand, even if your right hand is occupied. Women are greeted only by voice, and if the woman is familiar and older than the interlocutor, then at the same time as “Assalomu alaikum” the male interlocutor puts his right hand to his heart as a sign of respect.

Before entering a Tajik’s house, you will be asked to wash your hands and given a towel - take advantage of this. Do not shake water from your hands, dangling them in the air - this will be considered as disrespect for the owners of the house and others. And even if you have already washed your hands before coming to visit, do not refuse to wash them again.

If there are already people in the house, say hello and try to smile.

For a Tajik, a guest is always a pleasant procedure for receiving him and pleasant chores and responsibilities. And of course, you, as a guest, will be shown a place to sit - this is always a place of honor in the “mekhmonkhona”, i.e. usually a large living room. When Tajiks build a house, they always specially design a “mekhmonkhona” for respected guests, and guests are always respected in a Tajik home.

Tajiks usually sit on the floor covered with carpet and kurpacha - special mattresses stuffed with cotton wool or purified cotton and sewn from beautiful fabric. Sit comfortably, but do not lie or sit with your legs extended forward or to the side.

Behind the dastarkhan - a tablecloth laid on the floor, first, when everyone is already seated, a ritual of praising God and welcoming the guest is carried out. At the end of the feast, this ritual is repeated. Everyone sitting at the dastarkhan should raise both palms in front of them with the letter L, and when you hear “Omin!” (“Amen!”), raise your hands to your face, then lower them. This is a purely Tajik national rite, different from a religious rite, in which the guest is not mentioned. This ritual of greeting a guest does not exist among Arabs, Turks, Afghans, Iranians and other Muslims of the world.

At the dastarkhan, the youngest of the hosts pours tea. Be sure to take a bowl (cup) of tea with your right hand and place your left hand on the right side of your chest. In the same way, the bowl must be returned to the person pouring the tea. Even if the hosts allow the consumption of alcoholic beverages at the feast, the youngest “cupbearer” also pours the drink. Don’t be surprised when the person pouring tea or the “cupbearer” definitely pours himself the first bowl. This is an ancient tradition: the pourer proves to others that it is not poison.

Usually Tajiks, when they invite a guest home, prepare pilaf. After the owner’s invitation to start eating, under normal conditions, the eldest among those sitting at the dastarkhan is the first to extend his hand to the pilaf, but when a guest is in the house, they ask him to be the first to try the pilaf.

You cannot insist that the hostess of the house come out to the guest or join the feast - this is not customary among Tajiks.

If you need to contact a woman, ask her husband or adult relative for permission.

If you are staying overnight in a traditional Tajik house, try not to appear in night clothes or half-naked, especially when washing in a common washbasin. If you need to rinse off up to your waist, ask the owner where you can do it.

If you come to a house where there is no owner and only a woman and (or) children are in it, do not enter this house. Even if a woman (the mistress of the house) invites you to come in (this is a sign of good manners; according to ancient tradition, any guest is not left on the street), do not accept the invitation. Find out when the owner will return, and only then visit this house.

If you come to a female manager, she can give you her hand - say hello.

If you come to a house where a person has recently died, do not smile, laugh, speak loudly, listen to music, or watch TV.

If you find yourself in a house where people are performing a ritual of prayer, do not speak loudly or laugh.

If you go to visit, don't forget to buy sweets or flowers. Tajiks do not go to visit empty-handed.

If you are going to a wedding or thuja - a circumcision ceremony, do not forget to buy a gift. If you know a person well enough who is having a wedding or tui (the circumcision of his son), you can put 50 dollars in the envelope with a greeting card (in Tajiks this means a gift-“debt”, i.e. someday he will return it to you as a gift for a wedding, birthday, etc.).

Bread is the most sacred thing in a Tajik home. Try not to crumble it and handle it carefully. Remember, the Tajik national flatbread must be broken with both hands and never cut with a knife.

When traveling to Tajikistan, refrain from wearing shorts and miniskirts. This is painful for Tajiks. The journalist's uniform must be “working” - jeans, a shirt or T-shirt, a jacket or jacket. If you are going to a meeting with a high-ranking official, you can dress “protocol”. Women should not dress too openly or provocatively. If you are invited to a traditional Tajik home, wear long skirt and put a scarf over your head.

If you are invited to spend the night at someone's house, stay, but do not offer money for food or shelter. This can offend the owners.

You should definitely bargain at the bazaar (market), even if the prices seem ridiculous to you. Start trading with 20 percent of the total amount, and then, depending on the situation, try to lower the price further.

If you find yourself in a kishlak (village), ask the first person you meet about the location of the office premises or the house of a local elder, or go to a teahouse (in Tajik “choikhona”). In a Tajik teahouse you can learn about everything.

Before taking photographs or videotaping, be sure to ask people's permission.

On public transport, do not forget to give way to women and elderly people.

Watch your language, never interrupt your interlocutor (if you really need to interrupt your interlocutor, do it very tactfully and diplomatically). Tajiks are eloquent, poetic, they evaluate people by their speech, and the success of your business trip will largely depend on your manner of speaking.

Families of Tajikistan.

Families in Tajikistan, unlike European families, are traditionally very large. Several generations of relatives live under one roof, observing a strict hierarchy among themselves.

Relationships are built primarily on unquestioning submission to the owner of the house and respect for elders.

A woman in a Tajik family has a special role. On the one hand, the mother is the mistress of the house and the wife of the head of the family, but on the other hand, she unquestioningly fulfills any will of her husband and his parents. Despite this unacceptable attitude for European women, it still cannot be called discrimination.

After all, such relationships have developed over centuries. And having gone through many tests, sometimes in difficult local conditions, the understanding of the correctness of such relations has only strengthened. The age for girls to marry is considered to be 13-14 years old. And, despite the law according to which girls must wait until they reach adulthood, marriages still take place behind the scenes.

The marriage bond is sealed by the Imam, not the registry office. The life of Tajiks is determined by Islam. Religion is felt in everything: in everyday life, in traditions, in relationships, in art and in raising children. Special role Rituals play a role, especially weddings. Visits to the registry office are optional, but the Nikah ceremony, which is performed by a local mullah, is mandatory.

Without this, the marriage will not be considered a marriage, and the children will be illegitimate. The bride wears seven scarves on her head. Mula casts a spell on the water, and the bride must drink it. For forty days after the wedding, the young wife wears national costume.

Everyone is invited to the wedding: relatives, friends, colleagues and even just acquaintances. The wedding takes place in several stages: first at the bride’s house, then at the groom’s house, then a general wedding and a party for friends and colleagues. The most modest weddings are attended by 500 people or more.

Circumcisions, the birth of a child and many other memorable events are also celebrated magnificently. For Tajiks, it is very important that the tables are full and there is not a single empty seat. And it doesn’t matter that there will be food left, it is important that there is plenty of it. The elders are in charge of everything, and the younger ones are just executing.

Traditionally there should be a bride price (bride price). There is a certain list of what newlyweds should take from their parents. Most often, the “dowry” begins to be collected from the birth of the child. In general, young people are completely dependent on their parents.

After all, getting married very early, they really still don’t understand a lot. And even if the young people suddenly don’t like something, they will remain silent. The elders are wiser and know what is right. This is how children are raised.

Polygamy is common in Tajikistan. Officially, of course, polygamy is prohibited, but in practice it is not at all uncommon. Of course, there is no registration, but still the first, and the second, and maybe the third is called the wife.

In rural areas, girls do not complete more than eight grades. After all, according to tradition, there is no need for a woman to be educated at all. Her purpose is to be a wife and mother.

For Tajik girls it is very scary and shameful to be an “overstayer”. Not getting married on time is worse than your worst nightmare. A Tajik woman should always remain silent. Without the permission of her husband or mother-in-law, she has no right to go outside.

Only women do housework. It is shameful for a man to do such work. According to established tradition, for the first six months a young wife cannot leave her husband’s house, and under no circumstances should she visit her parents.

She is entrusted with a lot of household chores at once. She completely submits in everything to her mother-in-law and all other older relatives, but first of all to her husband.

According to wedding tradition, the bride is supposed to cry. This is what happens at all weddings.

Tajiks themselves are very beautiful. They have beautiful dark eyes of an unusual shape. National clothing: a dress and pants to go with this dress are made of beautiful fabric.

Tajik families are filled with children. There are as many of them as God gives. From an early age, children are very active and independent. They are friends in large groups, and most importantly, they are brought up in traditions from childhood.

The older guys take care of the younger ones, the younger ones obey the older ones and go everywhere together. The big children carry the little ones, the middle ones themselves run after the older ones.

The children themselves are very sociable and active. From a very young age they are helpers to their family. They quickly and willingly carry out any instructions given by adults. They easily cope with livestock and numerous household chores.

Children do not live separately; they fully participate in the life of the family. Tajiks do not force children to sleep, do not force them to eat, and do not hide adult affairs from them. Children live the same way as adults: they obey their elders, work like adults and are responsible for their actions.

Tajiks are very hospitable people. A guest is always a great joy for them.

Customs and traditions of Tajikistan

Any host considers it his duty to treat his guest deliciously. Each house has a large room called “Mekhmonkhona”, designed specifically for receiving guests. There is always a special place of honor for the main guest.

Tajiks sit on the floor covered with beautiful carpets and mattresses stuffed with cotton wool or cotton, called kurpacha. According to their rules, you cannot sit with your legs stretched forward or to the side. Lying down is also indecent.

A tablecloth called “dostarkhan” is laid on the floor. Before and after the feast, prayer, thanksgiving and praise to the Almighty are obligatory. Tajiks have their own ritual, different from other Muslims.

Tea plays a big role in feasts. The youngest man pours it. They drink, as is customary, from a bowl, which must be taken only with the right hand, and the left hand held on the right side of the chest. Tajiks can also afford alcohol.

An interesting fact is that the person who pours the first bowl of any drink pours it not for someone else, but for himself. All this is just a custom so that others can be convinced that there is no poison in the drink. Tajiks will definitely prepare pilaf for an invited guest. In normal everyday life, the eldest of the family takes the food first, but when there is a guest in the house, this honor is given to the guest.

The women eat separately at the other end of the house. They are not allowed to enter the premises during the men's feast. Any stranger who wants to communicate with a woman must ask permission from her husband or the owner of the house. Tajik men never walk around the house in night clothes or with their torso exposed.

If the owner is not at home, but a guest has arrived, the wife is obliged to invite him into the house. But a man shouldn't go there. Strange men are not allowed to communicate with a woman in the absence of her husband, father, or other male relative.

Tajiks love to give gifts. They will never come to visit without gifts. In general, Tajik men are very generous. They are breadwinners for their family and it is important for them that there is enough for everyone in the house. But what matters most to them is the opinion of their neighbors, friends and relatives. They strive to maintain excellent relationships and a good opinion of themselves.

For Tajiks, family is the basis of their life. They work for the family, they boast about the family. Everything described above is an image of a traditional Tajik family. In the modern world, many began to build their lives in the image of the West. However, there are still many families who value their traditions.

Popular myths.

Popular facts.

Popular slang.

When it comes to travel, few people would name Tajikistan among the most popular tourist destinations. And in vain! After all, this ancient, located in the very center of Asia, beautiful country has a rich historical and cultural heritage.

What is worth remembering when traveling to Tajikistan?

First of all, that Tajikistan is a country of traditional values. Tajiks have carefully preserved their customs for many millennia. Traditions and rituals are passed down from generation to generation, almost in their original form.

The way of life and way of life in this country has evolved over centuries under the influence of climate, landscape and, of course, religion.

Family is the most important!

Family ties are extremely important for residents of Tajikistan. That is why many traditions here are closely connected with wedding celebrations and the birth of children. So, for example, a traveler should not be surprised that it is not customary for strangers to be allowed in to see a young mother and a newborn baby for a whole forty days. Such precaution should protect the child from the evil eye and diseases so that he grows up healthy and strong. But when this period expires, the child’s father invites all relatives to a naming ceremony, during which the mullah gives the baby a name and reads a sura from the Koran.

No less solemn is the placing of the child in the cradle. It is made for a newborn from expensive wood and decorated with patterns.

The baby is placed in the cradle by one of the elderly neighboring women, and after the ceremony, the child’s parents give the guests sweets so that the baby sleeps soundly at night.

Oh, these weddings!

Tajik weddings are usually very crowded.

Traditions of Tajikistan

Celebrate the arrival new family they call relatives and friends and neighbors.

As in many patriarchal countries, in Tajikistan, parents traditionally agree on the marriage of young people. Although, today elders undoubtedly take into account the opinions and sympathies of their children when choosing a groom or bride.

When the groom's family selects the desired bride, an eloquent matchmaker comes to her parents' house to formally propose marriage on behalf of the groom's family. And if the bride's father or elder brother agrees to marry her off, they agree on the wedding date and wedding food. By the way, the costs of the wedding feast fall on the groom and his family. In turn, the bride's family collects a dowry for her, with which she will enter her husband's house.

Girls and boys

Traditional gender roles are very strong in Tajikistan. And, although education here is available to everyone, regardless of gender, boys and girls are raised differently. Boys are prepared for the role of protector and master of the home, who is responsible for the well-being of the family. And girls grow into caring wives and mothers, guardians of customs and home.

What a tourist needs to know

A European who decides to visit Tajikistan needs to remember a few small points:

Do not hurry

It is not known whether the hot climate is to blame for this, or whether the reason lies in something else, but punctuality in Tajikistan is not that important. And when making an appointment with a resident of this country, be prepared to forgive him for being a little late.

Teahouse - men's club

You can’t visit Tajikistan without stopping by a teahouse to drink a cup of aromatic tea. But women are not allowed to enter the teahouse. Here men exchange opinions and news, conclude deals and contracts.

Men and women

Men separately, women separately. And it's not a joke. Whether in a mosque or at a festival, women and men are in different rooms. And, of course, a man and a woman should not be alone unless they are close relatives.

Hospitality

Hospitality and friendliness are the basis of the customs of Tajikistan. This must be remembered. And, precisely for this reason, a guest cannot refuse if someone invites him for a cup of tea at his home. Refusal will cause a grave insult to the owner.

Respect for gray hairs

For a Tajik, respect for elders is the most natural thing in the world. They listen to the advice of elders and do not interrupt them. Young people do not sit down until the elders take their places.

Bargain

A noisy and crowded bazaar, for Tajikistan, is as important a place as a teahouse. People come to the bazaar not so much to shop, but to socialize and learn news. And enthusiastic, cheerful bargaining is a long-standing tradition for the Tajik bazaar and, moreover, a norm of etiquette.

Tajikistan in the new (XXI) century

The war in Tajikistan was generally over, although isolated skirmishes and the liquidation of some partisans continued for several more years2. It has become safe to travel, build and live in the country. Gradually, money began to flow into the country, roads began to be put in order in some places, and construction of a normal asphalt road began between the two largest cities of the country (Chinese and Iranian specialists are participating in the construction). Some things, on the contrary, have degraded – especially the transport infrastructure.

The Rogun hydroelectric power station, a mega-facility dating back to the times of the USSR, abandoned during the war in an unfinished stage, partially destroyed, partially stolen, began to be built again and became a national project. The President declared Roghun the main people's construction(like BAM in the late USSR); All major cities have posters like “ROGUN - KOKHI NURI TOCHIKISTON”, etc., it is believed that all good people should contribute money by purchasing shares in the Rogun construction. These shares are very annoyingly offered to all government employees and all people in general. Roghun, how national pride, is not farmed out to foreigners. The construction of this hydroelectric power station will not only satisfy all the country’s electricity needs, but will also allow it to be sold to all neighboring countries.

Rules of behavior in Tajik families

The height of the Rogun hydroelectric power station dam, according to the plan, should be more than 300 meters.

Plans to revive the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric power station have caused alarm in neighboring Uzbekistan. Uzbek neighbors fear that the huge reservoir that will be created behind the dam will steal all the water from the Vakhsh River. And the Vakhsh and Pyanj rivers, merging, give rise to the Amu Darya River, which thereby (according to the Uzbeks’ fears) may lose almost half of its flow. Since even now the waters of the Amu Darya are used for irrigation at 100%, the river does not reach the Aral Sea, and the Aral Sea is almost completely dry, the loss of even a few more cubic kilometers of water per year will affect half of Uzbek fields and crops. Therefore, Uzbekistan introduced an economic blockade of Tajikistan, not allowing through the border those cargoes that are intended (or may be intended) for the construction of this dangerous Rogun hydroelectric power station.

Other problems with Uzbek neighbors are known. This is a mutual visa regime and the complete absence of Uzbek cars in Tajikistan, and Tajik ones in Uzbekistan. These are border conflicts, kidnappings of people by Uzbek border guards on disputed plots of land - sometimes they are not marked, but according to the border guard, this land belongs to Uzbekistan - many ordinary peasants whose villages are located near the disputed border have already suffered. Such unwitting violators sometimes sit in Uzbek cops for up to a month, and the conditions there, of course, are not heavenly. In other places, the border is completely mined.

The unfriendliness of neighboring countries has also led to the fact that the “strategic” train – Dushanbe-Khujand, running through the territory of Uzbekistan, began to run only once a week. Tajiks on this train are allowed visa-free transit through the territory of their sworn neighbors, but, as we see, the number of these trains is strictly limited. And on the borders between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the Uzbeks often carry out particularly thorough and corrosive inspections of passengers, almost penetrating their insides. The border at Saryosiyo (near Denau) is especially known for such humiliating inspections.

The internal problems of Tajikistan are known. This is widespread corruption in the police and government bodies, the actual begging of the cops both in the capital and on the roads. This is the degradation of railway and bus transport, the collapse of many roads (except for the most basic ones, which in some places they are trying to repair). This is an outflow of most of the active, young and thinking population abroad - primarily to Russia: Tajiks receive Russian citizenship and remain in their second homeland forever. This is the dependence of the economy on money sent from abroad (money sent by Tajiks from Russia to their poor relatives makes up half of the country's budget). This is the lack of fresh ideas and healthy initiative at almost all levels of government, from rural to metropolitan (and rare healthy ideas are ruined by the bureaucracy “at the top”). This is dependence on the supply of flour, food, and oil products from abroad, mainly from Russia.

But despite these problems, now Tajikistan is a completely safe and harmless country. The era of widespread poverty is a thing of the past; average salary in the capital exceeds $100 per month. The time when the labor exchange offered jobs with an average monthly wage of $2 is gone forever. Electricity is supplied to all cities and many villages; the center of Dushanbe looks no worse than Bishkek and much better than Kabul; former oppositionists are engaged in peaceful agricultural work. Out of seven million inhabitants, almost a million work permanently or temporarily in Russia and provide money for the rest.

Traditions of Tajikistan

The traditions of Tajikistan affect a significant part of people’s lives: from everyday and festive clothing to the rules of ceremonies and celebrations. Both in the capital and in the regions, traditions and rituals associated with everyday life are followed, which means their preservation in the current era of globalization. In villages and small towns very often you can see people wearing traditional dresses and scarves, weddings and other events are held with national dances and music, and houses are decorated with carpets and suzani... everything has been preserved as it has been for centuries.

The traditions of Tajikistan are the key to the Tajik way of life, their cultural values, aesthetics, and one of the ways to get to know this amazing country better.

music and dancing

The music and dances of Tajikistan have been and remain an integral part of the life of the people, and to this day not a single wedding or other festive event can take place without them. Some dances have their own regional character: there are dance traditions in the Pamir Mountains, the Gissar Valley, and in the north of the country. There is also music and songs that tell about historical events, everyday things, and of course about love. Read more…

Theater performances

Folk performances and productions of Tajikistan tell about legends and myths. Each region has its own art forms performances, their own stories, and this diversity creates the unique richness of Tajik culture. Puppet shows, plays, epics and dances have been preserved since ancient times and today still remain a popular part of cultural traditions Tajikistan. Read more…

Cloth

Tajik clothing is very diverse: it uses a combination of different fabrics, designs and patterns that decorate dresses, shirts, and national robes. Small headdresses called "toki" or "kallapush" are very common among both men and women, and are decorated with various patterns depending on the region of the country and the status of the person. Especially many people wear national clothes in the regions and small villages of Tajikistan.

Tajik traditions (page 1 of 2)

Home decoration

Carpets, embroideries, suzanis and quilts are the main components in the interior of traditional Tajik houses, which create a special coziness in the rooms. In modern houses it is more often installed familiar furniture(sofas, armchairs, tables and chairs), but basically, in ordinary homes, guests are greeted at the “dastarkhan” table, in rooms decorated with beautiful textiles. Read more…

Wedding traditions

A wedding in Tajikistan is a grandiose event and the beginning of a new life for married couple. At the same time, there are many pre-wedding traditions: matchmaking, engagement, dowry preparation. There are many details in the rituals that should ensure the well-being and happy life of a young family. Read more…