Traditions and customs of Uzbek people living on the crossroad of the Great Silk Road were taking shape within many centuries as a result of interaction of Zoroastrian rituals of the Sogdians and Bactrians and traditions of nomadic tribes, with certain impact of Islamic traditions and rites set by the Koran in later period.
Uzbeks love to gather in big groups and entertain the whole village (kishlak) or mahallya (community in cities) on family occasions. Mass people’s festivities are widely celebrated. They are followed by various ceremonies, festive bazaars at which musicians, dancers, wrestlers perform. Uzbeks are very friendly and hospitable people. It is said: “If one does not have delicious food for a guest, one should have sweet words for him”. Uzbeks are supportive of each other. The ancient custom of Khashar is a unique form of mutual assistance. If a fellow-villager finds himself in difficulty, all the neighbours gather to help him. Mutual assistance reveals itself also while preparing for wedding and circumcision parties, house building, and funeral ceremonies. Uzbeks traditionally have respect for older people.
Hospitality
Hospitality is one of Uzbekistan features. Hospitality in Uzbek families is appreciated higher than the wealth of a table and prosperity of the family. Not to receive a guest means to disgrace the family, kin and makhalla.
Hosts welcome esteemed guests at the gate. As a rule, men shake hands to each other and show their interest in each-other’s health, business and other things. It is appropriate to greet women with slight bow, attaching right hand over the heart.
Then guests are invited inside and to the most honorable seats at the table, or dastarkhan in Uzbek. By the ancient custom men and women should seat at the separate tables, but this custom is preserved in whole only in suburbs. The head of the family himself seats guests round the table, and the most honored guests are seated away from the entrance.
Any meal begins and ends with tea drinking. At the beginning the table is served with sweets, baked goods, dried fruits, nuts, fruits and vegetables, then it is served with snacks and at the end – with pilaf or other festal dish.
The host of the house pours the tea. The traditional element of hospitality is the peculiar small amount of tea to be poured: the more honored guest, the less amount of tea is in his cup. This custom is explained in such way: the more guest asks the host for more, the better. It is the sign of respect to the house. If tea is remained in the bottom of the piala, the host pours it out and again fills piala with tea.
Beshik-Tui
Beshik-Tuyi (wooden cradle) a ritual celebration related to the first putting the baby in the cradle. This is one of the most ancient and widespread traditional ceremony in Uzbekistan. Typically such event is held on 7th, 9th and 11th day of the birth of the baby. In various regions ritual has its own differences and depends on the family’s income: the rich families usually celebrate this event extensively, and families with low income celebrate it modestly. Beshik (cradle) and necessary things for the baby are provided by the relatives of the baby. In dastarkhan (table-cloth) wrapped cakes, sweets and toys. Gifts are prepared for the baby’s parents and grandparents. Richly decorated beshik, dasturkhans and gifts are loaded into the viechle together with the guests to he sounds of carnay, surnay, and tambourine and drive to the baby’s parent house.
Traditionally delivered beshik takes on his right shoulder baby’s grandfather, and then passes on the right shoulder of his son, who then delivers it to the baby’s mother.
In past, in order that all intentions of the guests were clean and nice faced daubed with white flour. Guests are invited to the richly decorated dastarkhan (table) and while guests help themselves, listen to music and enjoy, in the next room in the presence of older woman is ceremony of swaddling and putting baby in beshik. At the end of ceremony, guests come to the baby to have a look on him, presents him gifts and roll in on beshik parvarda or sugar. At this point ceremony is over and guests go home…
Khatna-Kilish (Circumcision)
Khatna-kilish or Sunnat Tui is an ancient rite of circumcision. Preparations for this rite begin since the birth of a boy: members of the family sew quilts, covers, garments. Before the beginning of the ceremony elder men, imam (priest) and immediate relatives read the Koran and say their blessings and wishes. Then the boy is dressed in new clothes, brought by relatives and neighbors. It is followed by a small ritual “takhurar”, when women put pillows and blankets on the chest. The ceremony is finished with traditional Uzbek dish, pilaf, and dances. It is a custom to give symbolical gifts to the boy: money (wealth), sweets (prosperity), expensive clothes, weapon and etc.
Fatikha-Tui (Engagement)
The engagement is performed with the permission of parents of a bride and groom. Modern Uzbek people, as a rule, have an option to choose a couple, though the custom to rely on the choice of parents is also preserved, especially in rural areas of Uzbekistan. The ceremony itself is strictly observed today. Sovchi (matchmaker) appoint a day when guests would come in the house of the bride.Matchmakers state the purpose of their visit and if parents of the bride agree, they make the ceremony of “Non sindirish” (bread breaking) after which the girl is deemed to be engaged. The wedding day is appointed and relatives of the bride give gifts to the matchmakers for the relatives of the groom.
Morning Osh Palov
Ceremony of the morning palov usually held during the wedding and memorial services, other holidays like birth of child or anniversaries. Normally, host of the palov, after discussion with close relative and community, fix the date of palov long beforehand and send invitations. The day before the actual palov, in the house of the host family, preparations starts for the palov, including clearing and preparing of all necessary ingredients for the palov, and other food on the table. Normally all close relative and friends of the family taking part in this process. After preparations ended, all guests are invited for the dinner. Usually artists are also invited for “Sabzi Tograr”. Also, during the “Sabzi tograr” elders are distributing the tasks among youngsters for tomorrow’s palov. Morning feasting should be ready by the time when morning pray ends and first guests are arrived. Normally, in the summer time, it is about 4-5 am and in winter about 6-7 am. During the palov, Uzbek musical instruments like “Karnay” and “Surnay” “Doira” and “Nogora” played to please the guests and announce the celebration. Guests get comfortable around the tables and after blessing the hosts and good wishes, tea and famous Uzbek hot breads served. Palov is served in “lagans” (big plate) – one plate for two guests. After meal is finished, lagans are taken off and guests again make wishes and blessing of the host and leave. After, tables refreshed quickly for the new guests. Morning palov usually lasts no more than one and a half to two hours. During the feast artists are performing for the guests with classic songs. In morning palov, for honorable guests gifts are given – usually these are “Chapan” (traditional men’s robes) which is another tradition of hospitable Uzbek people. Memorial palov is a bit different from the holiday palov. In this case, guests are reading the verses from Quran and remember with good words of deceased person, presenting condolences to the family of the deceased person. After palov, again they read the verses from Quran and leave. There are no artist invited for such ceremonies and tables are more modest. It is interesting to note that in both holiday and funeral palov, only men participating.
Nikokh-Tui (Wedding)
Nikokh-Tui, wedding, is the most solemn and large Uzbek ceremony. Traditionally Uzbek people celebrate weddings very richly and cheerfully with peculiar splendor and abundance of guests. Immediate and remote relatives, neighbors, friends and co-workers are invited to this wedding ceremony.The festivities begin since the early morning with a festal wedding pilaf prepared in the houses of the groom and bride. Today the morning pilaf is more frequently prepared in cafes or choykhanas: it is more comfortable and less troublesome for the hosts. After the morning pilaf the groom with friends and relatives, musicians and dancers come to the house of the bride. The bride in the wedding clothes, today usually in the European white dress, is waiting in the special room, where only mullahs (priests) can come in. They ask her marital consent and then read the prayer – “nikokh”, which effects a marriage. The second part of the wedding ceremony is the farewell with parents and the home. Friends of the groom ship the bride’s dowry and the bride say goodbye to her parents and leaves the house accompanied with her friends and relatives, who sing farewell songs. In the husband’s house women welcome the bride, singing traditional wedding songs. In front of the door there is the white track, payandoz, by which the bride enters the house. She stops before the door and makes “ostona salom”, the bow to the new house. Women strew her with flowers, sweets, money wishing her beautiful and rich life.After the evening part of the wedding the groom goes with the bride to their new room. The bride is met by yanga, her relative or close friend. She changes bride’s clothes. After this the groom comes in the room and “pays a ransom” for the bride to yanga and then the newlyweds are left alone for each other.Early in the morning after the wedding party the holiday is continued with the ceremony of Kelin salom (speech of welcome of the bride). Young wife should welcome every guest, bowing from the waist to everyone, and guests should give her gifts and greetings.
Mahalla – The Neighborhood
To the traditional forms of social relations in Uzbekistan belongs first of all “Mahalla” – the neighborhood community. Uzbek “Mahalla” has rich and ancient history and is the center of family and religious ceremonies and festivals. Here in “Mahalla” carefully preserved and passed on from one to next generation their holding rituals. Usually, there is a local mosque in each “Mahalla”. It is still alive old tradition of mutual aid – “Hashar”. With this aid “Khashar” community helps build the houses for the inhabitants of local “Mahalla”, improving their district, street, city and etc. In sovereign Uzbekistan “Mahalla” has become the keeper of cultural and moral traditions of the Uzbek people, recognized as self-government mechanism. Today “Mahalla” is a territorial association of families with a goal to co-operation and mutual help in whole territory of Uzbekistan both old districts with old and traditional houses and new parts of cities with high-rise buildings. In “Mahalla” live in peace and harmony people of different nationalities. Network of more than 10,000 “Mahallas” covers the entire territory of the country and are an important element in the strengthening of civil society. The entire population of Uzbekistan will recognize them as an effective form of social life.
Kupkari (buzkashi)
Kupkari (ulak, buzkashi) is a traditional Central Asian team competition played on horseback. In Turkic “kup” means “many” and in Persian “kari” means “work, case”, hence “kupkari” is “the case of many people”.In Uzbekistan the kupkari competition is also called an ulak. In this game skilled equestrians compete to carry a goat or sheep carcass into a goal. Usually Kupkari is held in spring or autumn, when the Central Asian peoples traditionally celebrate weddings, as well as during the main spring holiday, Navruz. Often Kupkari game involves brave riders from neighboring regions. Equestrians prepare for the kupkari competition in advance and carefully. They choose a strong, short horse of great endurance. The horse should be shortll to make it easier to pick up the carcass of an animal from the ground, because in the heat of battle, it often falls to the ground. For the Kupkari game, riders usually wear head protection, quilted cotton robes and pants to protect themselves against other players’ whips. Because getting excited, horsemen can whip each other; it is not prohibited by the rules of the game. Kupkari competitors line up and wait until a village elder or other respected person leaves the animal carcass in the center of the circle and signals the start of the competition.Then the horsemen try to grab the lamb or goat from the ground and reach the finish line without losing their trophy, while fighting off rivals who are trying to take away the animal carcass. According to the Kupkari rules it is prohibited to attack a rival from behind or knock the rider off the horse. The riders keep away from the audience not to strike someone accidentally. The audience is prohibited to help riders, giving them the carcass from the ground. The winner, who carries the trophy into a finish line first, gets a prize. In the old days it was a colorful rug, bulls, sheep and goats, expensive fabrics. Nowadyas, the prize for the Kupkari winner may be, for example, expensive appliances or a car.