About Kazakh tradition
- Bilim Hasim
- Jan 7
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 8
Bata - "blessin" is the most popular custom among Kazakhs. The importance of this custom is hard to overestimate. This confirms a well-known saying " Batamen er kogherer, zhauinmen zher kogherer" which means " The Earth flourishes thanks to rain, a man flourishes thanks to blessing". Therefore the attitude to bata was very special and words of blessing were pronounced in a grand manner, with peculiar emotion and the dearest to heart blessing was called ak bata - white blessing. Bata was given on many occasions, for example during the ritual tusaukeser when the field on a child's legs fetters were cut, to the bride after her face was uncovered during the special ceremon, to warriors going to war and in other cases. The most widespread was the blessing of dastarkhan bata was often performed inverses, with the use of proverbs and sayings.
In spring when the Kazakhs set off to zhaylau(summer camp) the time of the first kumiz came. The prelude for this was the ceremony of byie bailar(tying the mares). Under the guidance of aksakal's(white beards), zhigits(young men) hammered pegs in the ground and stretched out special ropes- zheli. The women washed the buckets and other dishes, used for milking mares and for keeping the obtained milk. Next day people sat around a large dastarkhan(dish) and wishing "Bailar kobeisin" -May the attached increase helped themselves to everything the women had prepared. Then the time of the first kumiz celebration- kumizmuryndyk-came when mare's milk was fermented during nine days, adding newly obtained yield to it. The celebration lasted for several days. A sacrificial sheep was slaughtered in each ger(nomad people yurt), and every family invited guests-inhabitants of the auyl(small community). The right to taste new kumiz was given to the eldest woman, and after that other guests were treated to kumiz.
The groom stepped into the newlyweds yurta touching the left side of the threshold. The bride and the groom they tried to step on each other's foot, which will indicate which of them will be more important in the family. Then the groom was led to the place of honor and was treated to the meal. First of all he had to gnaw round the lamb's neck bone, wrap it up in a piece of white cloth and throw it from the yurta through the shanyrak(yurt's roof) looking down. This ceremony was called moiyn tastar. Its meaning was that the smoke from new hearth was always smooth and went only up. Young men were waiting outside to pick up the thrown bone. The young men who grabbed it was supposed to be the next to get married. If the groom did not manage to throw the neck bone, he would wrap the bone with another piece of cloth and perform this ritual untill he succeded.
One of the most important Kazakh customs was tabakh tart which means serving guests bowls with meat, where every part of the carcass had it sacral significance and was served according to status, age and kinship of each guest. The ability to serve meat properly was a true art and any mistake could cause not only great resentment, but even embroil the people. The importance of tabak tartu at large gatherings became particularly relevant and such an important case was entrusted to the most experienced people. The main bowl was called the boss tabak and the sheep's head, pelvic bone, vertebra, kazy-karta,(salted horse rib), flesh of a horse neck were put into it. The elderly were supposed to be served the head, pelvic bone, middle aged people were served the thigh bone, the vertebra, and the young men and daughters-in-law were also given vertebrae, the thigh bone with talus, brisket and ribs, Tabak tartu is divided into tabak- gift bowl, kuieu tabak(son-in-law's) bowl, zhastar tabak(youngsters) bowl, zhal tabak(ordinary bowl).
After the marriage night during his first official visit to the bride's house, the groom presented gifts to the bride's parents and her relatives. He would give a mare - a symbol of the increasing amount of his cattle - to his father-in-law, and a female camel to the bride's grandmother. Then having crossed the threshold of the yurta, the groom made three bows- to the deceased aruakhtar(ancestor's spirits) and to the bride's father and mother. His mother-in-law gaves him a cup of milk, blessed him and then received gifts-sut aky(payment for the bride's mother's maternal milk by which her daughter had been breast-fed). When the groom drank the milk he was taken to the fireplace and given an iron dipper filled with melted fat, which he poured onto the fire. During this ceremony silver coins, dried fruit and other presents would pour out of his ceremony. His father-in-law gave him an expensive, beautifully embroidered chapa(coat) and a horse in rich attire.
Matchmakers were headed by the principal matchmaker, bas kuda (who had to bean eloquent person who knew the tradition and rituals well). After the parties solved all the important issues the matchmakers were served a special dish made of fresh mutton rump - kuiryk bauyr(fat and liver). The bride's father served the matchmakers with his own hands performing the ritual of asatu, saying, kuieu - zhuz zhildyk, kuda- myn zhildyk (A son-in-law is for hundred years, in-laws' ties are for thousnd years). Then new in-laws got up and performed the ritual tos kaghyztru (embracing each other), wishing welfare and prosperity. After the meal both sides would pray and made the ant (marriage oath) - to each other. Finally, one of the groom's relatives, approached the girl and as a sign of her being proposed as wife, put on earrings in her ears and sewed a bunch of owl feather on her headdress. After that ritual the matchmakers became the object of mockery and fun.
At the end of the matchmaking, the day of departure of the guests came. Before travelling they were given valuable presents and treated to a farewell meal. After the meal the horses were led to the guests. Bare bones of the animals slaughtered for the guests were tied to the horse's neck, mane, tail, bindle, rein, stirrup and saddle-girth. Considering that Kazakhs mount a horse only from the left side left stirrups were tightly tied to the pommel of saddle. After watching the matchmakers suffer, trying to bring everything into order the local laughed heartily. Then the women amicably helped them, after which the matchmakers started on their way back. The hosts would see the matchmakers off, accompanying them for a long distance. The next day after the departure of the matchmakers, bride's relatives performed a special ritual ol-tirisi, for which they slaughtered the sheep presented by matchmakers for this occasion. During the meal people prayed for their deceased ancestors and wished well being and prosperity to all alive.
Salem salu(making a bow) is the most common ritual form of respect which a young woman could express in relation to her husband's elder relatives. She made the first bow during the betashar(unveiling the face of the bride) as the wedding and made such bows throughout her life, until the eldest in the family which she joined by fate was alive. In the first year of her marriage, she bowed to her parents-in-law and elder brothers-in-law silently or with words salem berdik every morning, with her arms crossed at her knees down level. In response it was said; Bakkity boll(be happy)!!. The Kazakhs also had a custom tabakka salem salu(making a bow to the bowl), which was held after the meal. For this ceremony a daughter-in-law was invited to the table and the eldest of those present handed her the empty bowl and thanked for the meal, wishing all kinds of benefits. An daughter-in-law silently listened to his wishes and making a bow, went out with the bowl.
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