Each nation of the world has its own characteristics, which are absolutely normal and ordinary for them, but if a person of a different nationality falls into their environment, he may be very surprised at the habits and traditions of the inhabitants of this country, because they will not coincide with his own ideas about life. We invite you to find out 10 national habits and characteristics of the Kyrgyz, which may seem surprising and a little strange to the inhabitants of Russia.
They measure the status by the height of the cap
People in felt hats can be seen on Bishkek or Osh streets both in the stifling heat in summer and in the bitter cold in winter. And all because the tradition of determining the status of a man by his cap is still alive here. Simple people traditionally, low caps were worn, and representatives of the upper strata were more elongated. Older people and those with a special status traditionally wear "bakai kalpak": a headdress made of white felt with black intersecting edging and hand embroidery.
They play polo with a goat carcass
The most popular national game kok-boru is somewhat reminiscent of polo, where the carcass of a goat or its dummy is used instead of a ball. The main goal is to throw the goat onto a special structure on the territory of the opposing team or gallop with it to a previously agreed place somewhere on the top of the mountain. In early September 2016, Kyrgyzstan hosted the second World Nomad Games, designed to preserve the martial arts and games of nomadic peoples and revive their interest in them. In addition to kok-boru, the games program included different types wrestling, including belt-based wrestling, horse racing, archery and complex hunting games.
They fumigate markets with evil eye smoke
In markets in the Kyrgyz Republic, women can often be seen strolling along rows of steaming stupas fanning every other stall with this sour, piercing smoke. Archa (juniper) smokes in stupas, and its smoke is considered an excellent remedy for the evil eye and evil spirits. Thus, these women earn modestly, but nevertheless they earn: without demand, they blow over the shop, and its owner is already forced to pay a small amount, often 10–20 soms (1 ruble = 1.06 soms).
Their yurts can cost more than a foreign car
The art of making Kyrgyz yurts boz-uy was recently included in the UNESCO heritage list. The yurt continues to occupy an important place in the life of the Kyrgyz: families live in them during the seasonal driving of livestock, kindergartens are organized for the children of nomads in yurts, and throughout the country, yurts are used as temporary points of sale or places of public meetings. The cost of a yurt varies depending on its size, capacity and materials: the cheapest will cost about 80,000 rubles, and as for the most expensive, there is no limit to perfection. On the forums, you can see advertisements for the sale of yurts for both $ 3000 and $ 15,000. At the same time, the service life of a yurt is much longer than that of an average foreign car - about 25 years in nomadic conditions.
They build yurts for the dead
The yurt has occupied and continues to occupy an important place in funeral rites. Even in Bishkek, in the courtyards between the five-story buildings, one can sometimes see memorial yurts. The family of the deceased builds a yurt, leaves the deceased in it for two nights and three days, and thus allows all relatives, acquaintances and neighbors to say goodbye to him. At the same time, close relatives of the deceased remain in the yurt around the clock.
They steal brides
Ala-kachuu, the rite of kidnapping the bride, is still preserved in Kyrgyzstan, although human rights organizations are strenuously fighting it. According to them, more than 15,000 girls annually become victims of the ceremony, despite the fact that it is punishable under criminal law. At the same time, only a small number of thefts are staged, most of the girls are forcibly stolen. If the bride is stolen, then she will be obliged to marry her captor. The final gesture of ala-kachuu is a white scarf: if the eldest woman in the family puts it on the girl's head, she becomes a bride. If the bride tries to escape, the groom's mother or grandmother usually lies across the threshold. A girl, according to local customs, has no right to offend an elder - to step over him. Public organizations in Kyrgyzstan, they are doing a lot of educational work: they publish posters in which they tell in detail what to do in case of a theft, urge the older generation to abandon the old rituals, publish social videos in which they talk about the importance of the girl's independent choice.
They build summer cottages from shipping containers
Traveling around Kyrgyzstan, you pay attention to the amazing attachment of local residents to decommissioned cargo containers. From them in Bishkek, according to the LEGO principle, a whole market has been compiled, they also make excellent garages and office premises, and two or three containers in a row with cut windows turn into a summer cottage. One container costs a little less than $ 1000, several times cheaper than a good yurt, and is erected almost as quickly. In general, the Kyrgyz do not lag behind modern trends in architecture and follow the principles of recycling with might and main.
Their table is the floor
Travelers planning a trip to the Kyrgyz Republic should be prepared for the daily gymnastic overtures they will have to do while sitting down at the table. The fact is that it is customary here to eat sitting on a mat on the floor, and if not on the floor, then on raised platforms that imitate the floor. If at the beginning of a feast it is usually not difficult to sit on the floor, then after a plentiful feast that lasts more than one hour, it will be possible to get up from the table only by holding onto a neighbor.
They present a ram's tail as a sign of respect.
Especially important events and holidays in Kyrgyzstan, it is customary to slaughter a ram. At the same time, different parts of it will be intended for different guests around the table - depending on their position. The ram's head is most often served to the most honored guest, the tail to the honored guest, and the iliac (pelvic) bone to the elder. The lucky one who receives the head must cut out the ram's eyes and cut them in half, sharing the delicacy with another guest whom he would like to see more often. The palate is usually given to a young woman, while the left ear remains with the owner and the right ear is given to the children.
They can't get up without an omen from the table.
Omen before and after meals is no longer perceived in Kyrgyzstan as a religious rite, although it takes its roots in Islam. Bringing both palms to the face and saying "Omen", the Kyrgyz thus thank you at the table. Usually the omen is done together, including guests. At the end of any holiday, successful negotiations or simple eating, the eldest of those present or the guest of honor pronounces words of gratitude and gives a small parting word, and then all those present at the same time perform the omen. It is not customary to take food from the table after the Omen.
Kalpak is an ancient Kyrgyz felt headdress. Many historical sources tell about "kalpak" as the main distinguishing feature of the appearance of the Kirghiz. "The dynastic chronicle" Tang Shu "in the story of the ancient Kirghiz reports that their leader" wears a sable hat in winter, and a cap with a gold rim, with a conical top and a curved bottom in summer. Others wear white felted hats. " The kalpak is made of felt, which makes it possible to wear it both in warm and very cool weather, protecting the head from temperature drops, the caps are varied: a cap with decor, a cap with a cut, a cap without a cut, a cap with a high crown. All caps are characterized by a high top, the edges of which turn upwards, and are decorated with embroidery in black and red velvet fabric. Types of Kyrgyz "kalpak": "Airy kalpak", "Tilik kalpak", "Tuyuk kalpak", etc. Kalpaks were sewn from four wedges widening downward. Wedges were not sewn on the sides, which allows the fields to be raised or lowered, protecting the eyes from the bright sun. The top was decorated with a tassel. Kyrgyz caps were varied in cut. The caps of the nobility were with a high crown, the margins of the cap were hemmed with black velvet. Poor Kirghiz wore their headdresses with satin, and children's caps were decorated with red velvet or red cloth. The felt cap is also worn by other peoples of Central Asia. Its appearance in Central Asia dates back to the XIII century.
Malachai is a special type of headdress, distinctive feature- a long, back-piece descending to the back, connected with elongated earpieces. Malakhai-fur hat without lapels. It was made from fox fur, less often from the fur of a young ram or deer, and the top was covered with fabric.
Tebetey is a common winter headdress, an indispensable part of the male Kyrgyz national costume... The edges of the cap are completely covered with animal fur, only the crown remains. It has a flat four-wedge crown and is sewn, as a rule, of velvet or cloth, trimmed most often with fox fur or marten, otter.
Chapan - men's and women's long robe-type clothing. It was considered indecent to leave the house without chapan. Chapan is sewn on cotton wool or camel wool with a chintz lining. In the old days, the lining was made from a mat - a cheap white or printed cotton fabric. From above, the chapan was covered with velvet, cloth, velveteen. Currently, only the elderly wear chapans. There are several variants of this garment, caused by ethnic differences: nigut chapan - a wide tunic-like robe, sleeves with a gusset, sewn in at right angles; kaptama chapan - loose cut, sewn-in sleeves with a rounded armhole and straight narrow chapan with side slits. The hem and sleeves are usually trimmed with cord.
The Kirghiz wore "Chepken" made of felted cloth over the rest of their clothes. In cold and bad weather, such a "Chepken" was irreplaceable - it did not get wet, was not blown by the wind, equally well protected from the cold and sunlight. It is very durable and has served as a daily workwear for 5-6 years. The camel-hair robe was not a work gown, but rather a day off, a dandy attire; it was very expensive and was available only to the rich Kyrgyz. The very wealthy Kyrgyz also wore trousers made of this fabric.
Kementai - Kementai ”- an open felt robe, which was girded with a leather belt or a sash, this clothing is an indispensable attribute of pastoralists, perfectly protecting from rain and wind. In the past, richly decorated white Kementai was worn by wealthy Kyrgyz. "Kementai" - a swinging felt robe, which was girded with a leather belt or sash, this clothing is an indispensable attribute of pastoralists, perfectly protecting from rain and wind. White - especially valuable, felt robes, could only be afforded by very wealthy peasants.
"Dzhargakshym" - wide leather or suede pants, the main decoration of which was silk embroidery.
"Ichik" - a winter type of clothing, a fur coat covered with a dark fabric and a shawl with fur collars. Length below the knees, sleeves are also long, thick fabric is used. Fur coats made from fur of wild animals - wolves, foxes, lynxes, etc. - were especially appreciated. Ichik was generally worn on special solemn occasions.
The tone is also winter outerwear men and women. It is made from pet skins using dense fabrics, collars are made lush.
Taar shym - men's underwear, casual trousers. They are specially made wide in order to freely saddle the horse and move. Sewed above the knees, knee-deep and below the knees.
Otuk - boots made of leather and felt. Men's footwear consisted of leather boots - "otuk", leather galoshes with heels - "capich" and soft inverted boots - "maasa". The old shoes were boots made of raw materials - "charyk", with soles, short toes and with toes slightly bent towards the top. ".
The ensemble of men's outerwear was certainly completed by a belt - "kemer kur". It is made of leather and metal, most often of silver, richly decorated with a pattern, various images.
The traditional female national costume of the Kyrgyz people consists of the following main components: a “koynok” dress, a hip swing skirt - beldemchi, a headdress (several types).
Koinok-Kyrgyz dress in the form of a shirt. The cut of a woman's shirt-dress in the second half of the 19th century was basically the same throughout the territory of Kyrgyzstan. She was tunic-like, with sleeves straight or slightly tapering to the wrist. Sidewalls expanding to the bottom were sewn to the main panel. Triangular gussets were sewn under the sleeves. The dress was made long - to the ankles, the sleeves covered the hands. The main panel was ankle-length so that the seam connecting the waist to the sleeves was 6-10 cm below the shoulder line. In the event that outer clothing (robe, camisole, etc.) was not worn on the shirt-dress, it was girded with a wide belt. In the south (Alai Valley), a long piece of fabric or a scarf, wrapped several times below the waist, served as a belt. In the northern part of the country, the belt was a wide (more than 10 cm) strip of fabric with a thick lining and was tied at the back at the waist.
The differences in the women's shirt of various regions of Kyrgyzstan were mainly in the shape of the collar and the methods of its decoration. Three variants of the Kyrgyz women's shirt of the second half of the 19th century were identified (all of them belonged to the type of tunic-like shirts): 1) a shirt with a horizontal-vertical cut of the collar, without a collar with embroidery along the vertical cut of the collar or with a special wide shirt-front onur; 2) a shirt with a triangular slit of the collar and trimmed with a narrow band of jackets; 3) a shirt with a standing collar. The embroidery was done either directly on the dress, or on a bib separately worn on the dress. The embroidery both on the chest of the shirt and on the bib-shirt-front was called onur. The embroidery was done with the seam "ters kayik" (reverse seam), which was intended only for "onur" in these regions. The seam was very thin, dense, the embroidery was solid: each new stitch lay one thread (in the fabric) higher than the previous one. Onur was also embroidered with other seams - shevege (tambour), koiterme, basma (satin stitch). The embroidery pattern was geometric. Onur was embroidered with snapper threads of different colors: red, chen, yellow, blue, green. For the first time, onur was worn on a bride on her wedding day. It was worn by young and middle-aged women.
The second version of the Kyrgyz women's shirt-dress - with a V-neck collar was worn by young and old women. By the name of the collar, the dress was named "Uzun Jaak". The folded fabric was cut along the fold and 20-25 cm vertically. Often, the upper edges of the vertical cut were folded over, giving the cut a triangular shape. A narrow band edged the triangular section of the collar and went down far below the waist. The fabric for the dresses of this version was of different colors: for young people it was red, for older people it was dark or light colors.
At the end of the 19th - first quarter of the 20th century. a new type of dress appears - a cutout. Patterned shirts are presented in two options: 1 - dress cut off from the waist; 2 - dress with a yoke. At first, a dress cut off from the waist retained many features of a tunic-like garment: a skirts assembled in gathers were sewn to a tunic-like bodice. The collar was stand-up with a vertical slit in the front. Then completely cut dresses appeared - with a rounded armhole of the sleeve, a split beveled shoulder line, a sleeve cut out in the shape of an arm; turn-down collars also appeared.
Kep takiyya is a female headdress, on top of which an elechek or a female tebetey is worn. Decorated with embroidery and hanging jewelry... Performs the function of steadiness and protects from the cold. It is an additional decoration for other clothes.
Elechek is a female headdress for older women. Made from white fabric only. It can be rounded or square. A special feature is that the element includes a scarf that covers the neck. Elechek has several components: "bash kep", "sala koimo", "eek almay", "astynky, ustunku tartma", "tumarcha", "badal". “Elechek”, like “shokulo”, is decorated with the traditional decorative element “kyrgyk”, a strip of various widths encircling the headdress, on which embroidered patterns are applied and decorated with gold, silver and other stones. Depending on the decor, “kyrgak” is called differently - “kumush kyrgak”, “altyn kyrgak”, “” saima kyrgak ”,“ oimo kyrgak ”,“ zhibek kyrgak ”, etc. Silver or gold pendants are attached along its edges, which gives the elechek a solemn look. Elechek happens only white except for mourning (mourning time covers it with a black scarf). There are regional differences in dressing elechek.
Shokulo is a female headdress. Considered wedding. It is a cone-shaped cap which is pointed upwards and a light, light-colored fabric is gathered at the top. During the wedding procession, the bride's face was covered with this cloth. Height is 22-30cm. In ancient times it was made of white felt and was bordered with otter, fox and other animal fur. Richly decorated with ornaments and embroidery. "Kyrgak" is the main decorative element shoculo.
Beldemchi - loincloth in the form of a swing skirt. These are the clothes of a married woman who usually wore them after the birth of their first child. In the conditions of a nomadic life, it was extremely necessary. Without restricting movement, she protected from the cold while riding a horse. Embroidered with colored silk with an "ilme" stitch. The patterns are very diverse, more often they consist of curls resembling ram's horns. Beldemchi was sewn from black and colored velvet - red, green, blue or bright striped or patterned fabrics. Elegant beldemchi were made of black shiny fabric (lamp) from Central Asian variegated silks or cloth, (sometimes homespun) were decorated with embroidery. They were sometimes embroidered in a wide strip in the form of a border, but more often they were sewn in all the way, including the belt. Festive beeldemchi sewn from black velvet, usually embroidered with a chain stitch, multi-colored silk threads. A row of red and white small scallops was sewn between the belt and the panel of the skirt for decoration. At the hem and floors, smart bildemchis were trimmed with otter fur. Winter beldemchi for the wives of shepherds who roamed the pastures for most of the year were made of sheepskin wool. By its nature, general style, often a black background on which the embroidery was embroidered, its general color (the predominance of red with the addition of white, green, yellow, blue), in terms of the features of the ornament and composition, embroidery on beldemchi is close to the embroidery of wall carpets from ink.
Tebetey is a winter headdress for women and men. The edges of the tebethei are completely covered with animal fur, only the top of the head remains. It has a flat four-wedge crown and is sewn, as a rule, of velvet or cloth, trimmed most often with fox fur or marten, otter.
Chyptama is a traditional women's sleeveless vest, worn on top of a "koynok" (dress). In different regions it has different names - "chirmey", "opko tone", "opko kap", "karmooch". Most often it is sewn from velvet and decorated with embroidery.
All these basic elements of the set of the Kyrgyz national costume have not changed since ancient times. Only in the second half of the 19th century. wealthy cattle owners began to buy ready-made clothes and, thus, new elements borrowed from neighboring peoples began to enter the traditional costume of the Kyrgyz.
Today Kyrgyz folk costume does not lose its relevance, and modern fashion designers interpret it in a new way in their creative works, which contributed to the emergence of such a popular recently "ethno style".
Kyrgyz culture costume traditional
Today, March 5, Kyrgyzstan celebrates the Day of the Kyrgyz national headdress - ak kalpak. V last years it was worn only on rare solemn occasions. In order to popularize the traditional headdress, the authorities established Ak Kalpak Day in 2011. It should be noted that the efforts have yielded positive results. Young people carry out flash mobs in a white kalpak, designers offer new concepts for a traditional headdress, and foreigners massively buy an exotic accessory for them.
In Kyrgyz culture, kalpak was perhaps the most democratic headdress. It was worn by all men without exception - from the khan to the poor, from young men to old people. They differed only in shape and color, which spoke of the social status, financial situation and age of the owner.
Now the tradition of donating kalpak has even entered state etiquette. When appointed or elected, officials are now honored with a white kalpak, and the ceremonial uniform of Kyrgyz athletes at international competitions necessarily includes a white kalpak.
Real kalpak is sewn only from natural felt. For him, a special felt is made separately from cleaned, combed, white fine-wool fresh wool. Therefore, kalpak was considered not only a traditional headdress of the Kyrgyz, but also emphasized the material well-being of the owner. In ancient times it was even said: "An adult camel is the price of a kalpak made of that cloth."
Now a kalpak made from natural felt in Kyrgyzstan is estimated at at least 1,500 soms, while its analogue with an admixture of synthetic materials costs about 200-300 soms. It costs almost twice as much in online stores, where it is mainly ordered by foreigners who have heard about the practicality of a headdress. In Moscow, kalpak can be bought for about 2 thousand rubles, in an online store it costs from $ 30 to 50.
Speaking of practicality, it should be noted that the kalpak is the most "mobile" headgear. Thanks to the soft felt, it can be turned inside out, and the edged wedges allow it to be folded four times without losing its shape. Due to the dense felt made of natural wool, kalpak warms in the cold, cools in the heat, and does not allow moisture to pass in the rain.
Kalpaks cut different forms, and they all have a kind of ornament, but each embroidery and color has its own meaning. The four edging lines are a symbol of life; tassels on the top of the head represent offspring and the memory of ancestors; the pattern speaks of the branching of the genus, but it is not customary to do too complex patterns, so as not to seem like a braggart. The color of the border indicates the age and life experience of its owner.
It is customary to give kalpaks with a green border to boys at the age of 12, as a sign that they are at the beginning of their life and must learn everything.
24-year-old young people are presented with a kalpak with a blue border, 36-year-old men - with a brown one, which represents the earth. This means that at this age, men have already started their own families and gained enough experience to benefit their homeland.
At the age of 48, they are supposed to give a headdress with a beige border, which means that they can already set an example for the younger generation, and 60-year-old men can be presented with kalpaks with a black velvet border. A black line on a white background means wisdom, rich life experience of its owner and the ability to distinguish good from bad.
There are about 80 types of kalpak. They are divided according to shape, degree of complexity of manufacture, value and practicality.
Kalpak also spoke about the man's marital status. If a young man went out in a white kalpak with a red border, this indicated that he was actively looking for a second half. At this moment, the matchmakers had to hurry up and bring him to a potential bride.
When an elderly widower put on a white kalpak with a border of black felt, it meant that the grown-up children allowed him to marry a second time.
A kalpak made of snow-white felt trimmed with white fabrics is presented only in recognition of human leadership.
Kalpak must not be thrown, lost, put on the ground, sold or transferred to another. It was believed that with him a person was deprived of his dignity, intelligence and piety. The headdress symbolized sacred protection, and attacking its wearer was considered sacrilege and blasphemy.
The kalpak must be removed with both hands and placed only in a place of honor, and before going to bed it must be left at the head of the bed.
Marcel Zeynullin
Cap
Cap- this old Kyrgyz headdress is still very popular in the republic.
In the 19th century, the manufacture of caps was a woman's business, and they were sold by men. For the manufacture of the cap, the customer handed over a whole fleece of a young lamb and the fleece was taken as payment.
The caps were made of four wedges widening downward. Wedges were not sewn on the sides, which allows the fields to be raised or lowered, protecting the eyes from the bright sun. The top was decorated with a tassel.
Kyrgyz caps were varied in cut. The caps of the nobility were with a high crown, the margins of the cap were hemmed with black velvet. Poor Kirghiz wore their headdresses with satin, and children's caps were decorated with red velvet or red cloth.
A kind of cap - ah kolpay - had no split fields. The felt cap is also worn by other peoples of Central Asia. Its appearance in Central Asia dates back to the XIII century.
Malachai
Malachai- a special type of headgear, a distinctive feature of which is a long head-piece that descends on the back, connected to elongated earpieces. It was made from fox fur, less often from the fur of a young ram or deer, and the top was covered with fabric.
A wide caftan without a belt was also called Malachai.
Tebetey
Tebetey is a common winter headdress, an indispensable part of the male Kyrgyz national costume. It has a flat four-wedge crown and is sewn, as a rule, of velvet or cloth, trimmed most often with fox fur or marten, and in the Tien Shan regions - with black lamb fur. Kyzyl tebetey is a red hat. It was worn on the head during the erection of the khanate.
In the past, there was a custom: if a messenger was sent by an important chief, then his "visiting card" was the messenger presented by the messenger of this chief.
"Throw her your chapan, I'll give you another, silk one."
V.Yan. Genghis Khan.
Chapan
Chapan - men's and women's long robe-type clothing. It was considered indecent to leave the house without chapan. Chapan is sewn on cotton wool or camel wool with a chintz lining. In the old days, the lining was made from a mat - a cheap white or printed cotton fabric. From above, the chapan was covered with velvet, cloth, velveteen. Currently, only the elderly wear chapans.
There are several variants of this garment, caused by ethnic differences: nigut chapan - a wide tunic-like robe, sleeves with a gusset, sewn at right angles; kaptama chapan - loose cut, sewn-in sleeves with a rounded armhole and straight narrow chapan with side slits. The hem and sleeves are usually trimmed with cord.
Kementai
Kementai is a wide felt robe. This clothing is mainly for pastoralists: it protects from the cold and rain. In the past, richly decorated white Kementai was worn by wealthy Kyrgyz.
Elechek
Elechek is a female headdress in the form of a turban. In full form, it consists of three parts: a cap with a brace was put on the head, on top of it was a small rectangular piece of fabric that covered the neck and was sewn under the chin; on top of everything - a turban of white matter.
In different tribal groups of Kyrgyzstan, the female turban had various forms - from simple wrapping to complex structures slightly reminiscent of the Russian horned kika.
In Kyrgyzstan, the turban has become widespread.
She was called a cripple, but among the southern and northern Kyrgyz - elechek. The same name was used by some groups of Kazakhs. For the first time, elechek was worn young, sending her to her husband's house, thereby emphasizing her transition to another age group. The wedding wish to the young woman said: "Let your white elechek not fall off your head." It was a wish for long family happiness.
Elechek was worn in winter and summer, without it it was not customary to leave the yurt even to fetch water.
Elechek (kimishek, bas orau) is a headdress of married women among some Turkic peoples (the Kyrgyz, Kazaki, Karakalpaks, Nogai are peoples very close to each other in language and genealogy-sanzhyre). Today, when there is a revival of our own cultural values, it is very important not to lock ourselves in our national apartments and look for differences between closely related peoples. It is much more important to find common and restore the rich heritage of our own common ancestors without any disputes about what is, for example, Kyrgyz or Kazakh, and who got it in the beginning. How can you divide something into your own and someone else's, if we come from the same ancestors? Therefore, here are presented all types of elecheks that the Kyrgyz could or will have, as they were and are among other fraternal peoples. In parallel, I will try to give explanations for certain details of the elechek, of course, in my own interpretation, and the correctness of the conclusions at the choice of the reader - I just express my opinion.
As a matter of fact, elechek is a turban, which is very common among many peoples, orientalized (the image of the East in the eyes of the West), the image of which is associated with the image of luxury and palace-harem sexuality. However, among the Turkic peoples, the elechek turban, on the contrary, is associated with the image of the purity of female and maternal decency. Already in ancient times in Central Asia, the turban was symbolically associated more with the feminine principle and the feminine cycle, often conditionally tied to the lunar, which reflected the ability to bear children.
Reconstruction of a woman's headdress based on a wall painting in Penjikent (7th century) depicting the moon goddess
What exactly is considered an elechek and how does it differ from a turban? Elechek should consist of at least two (three) parts, (1) a turban (actually elechek), (2) a ponytail from a turban covering the braids and (3) fabric covering the cheeks and neck). Sometimes, to preserve the shape of the elechek, it is wrapped around a skullcap.
Elechek protected married women not only from the evil eye, but also from the sun's rays. No wonder the poetic epithets of young daughters-in-law and wives (kelin-zheӊe) became "white cheeks" and / or "white neck", since, unlike a girl's hat, elechek protected a woman's skin from sunburn. Optionally, elechek could be made of white material, for example, among the Karakalpaks, young wives wore kimishek made of red material, and older ones wore white ones.
Red and white karakalpak kimishek
The word kimishek (among the Kazakhs and Karakalpaks), perhaps, is an abbreviation for "kiyim elechek" - at least this is what the Kyrgyz called the elechek of the Kazakh women. Another female headdress of the Karakalpaks gives a possible explanation for one of the details of the elechek. Among the Karakalpaks, women wear "popek" on a skullcap - an additional decoration in the form of a wrist ball or brush - and unmarried girls and girls wear popek on the left side, and married girls wear on the right side of the skullcap.
Popek on skullcaps of Karakalpak women
This suggests that the popek showed a woman's belonging to one side or the other - remember that the yurt is divided into female and male halves and the Turkic el in ancient times was also divided into Kagan (conditionally male) and Katun (conditionally female) wings. Popek on one side or another of the skullcap also symbolized the woman's belonging to herself (to the left side, which can still be walked on) or belonging to a man. In the same way, part of the elechek's material was bent in one direction or another, which additionally (besides the elechek itself) symbolized the fact that the woman already belongs to this or that man, however, like he to her.
Elechek, wrapped to the right (Kazakh and Karakalpaks)
And here a little explanation is needed why some elements are wrapped to the left, and others to the right. Perhaps this is due to the fact that in ancient times among the Türks the (conditionally) male dominant wing was considered the left wing, but later (perhaps in the post-Mongol period) the right wing became the main (conditionally), therefore, in the symbolic designation, belonging to the male was a little confused. Or perhaps it was just that women of one clan-tribe turned elechek in one direction only because women of another clan-tribe turned it in the opposite direction (here it is appropriate to add a phrase used by Muslim historians: "Allah knows best", especially when it concerns women's clothing).
Elechek, wrapped to the left (Kyrgyz, Kazakhi)
The variety of elecheks varies not only from belonging to a particular clan-tribe, but also from the status of a woman in the family. So, for example, widows wore black elechek, and women of higher status wore large elechek or taller, or taller, and larger. For example, in this photo of the bow of the newly-made Kazakh groom to the mother and the bride's relatives, it is immediately clear to whom the bow is addressed in the first place, which, by the way, today the Kazakh horsemen refuse to do, unlike, for example, the Kyrgyz groom.
Meanwhile, the number of varieties of the Kazakh kimishek is worthy of worship.
Some varieties of Kazakh kimishek
However, like any other Turkic people, whose married women wear elechek. Some elecheks were with a ledge forward, which is very similar to copying the Saka kalpak.
Kazaki (Syrdarya)
Among other things, it is possible that two tails may be present in elechekas, since a married woman braided two braids (we use one wide one), as we see on these Polovtsian statues.
However, the question arises, how did women work in such large headdresses? Again, most likely, the amount of elechek material and, accordingly, its weight and comfort for work depended on the status and age of the woman in the family. In addition, women could work not only in small elechekas, but also in headscarves, as, for example, these two Kazakh young women, who had to work for five.
The dependence of the size of the turban on the position of the woman in general can be traced in the turbans of others. ethnic groups, whose status was unequal to that of the ruling Turkic-Muslim elite. For example, the turbans and kimisheks of the Gypsies, Chala-Kazakhs and Jews were much smaller in size and weight, like the weight of these groups in the then society.
Gypsy, Chala-Kazakh, Jewish
Therefore, perhaps, one should take into account the dependence of the size of the elechek on the status of a woman in the clan and her age. A lightweight version of the elechek is very possible, which, apparently, existed. This miniature from Shah-name, written in the 16th century for the Turkish sultan and kept in Topkapi in Istanbul, shows women with small turbans (judging by the circles on the headdress, the fabric is wrapped several times around the head, like elechek) and knit braids.
Afghan Kyrgyz women use a lighter version of elechek, which is very convenient for everyday life.
Most likely, we are accustomed to large elechekas due to the fact that at the beginning of the 20th century, when photographs of Kyrgyz women were taken in elechekas or their own memories, and they were worn mainly by older women, who were supposed to wear more material on their heads due to their status. ... Today, when the convenience of everyday wear is decisive for the choice of women, it is quite possible to recommend wearing for the occasion of elecheki and smaller sizes. The revival of national and cultural values can proceed not only according to the preserved ethnographic history of the late 19th-early 20th centuries, it is possible to go much further and diversify the wardrobe of our women, which they themselves will be glad to see.
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