Kyrgyzstan culture

Kyrgyzstan culture people food and festivals 

Kyrgyzstan culture takes its roots in antiquity. Its formation was largely influenced by Turkic tribes that migrated in the early Middle Ages from the territory of the Altay and East Turkestan. Before the 20th century there was the Kyrgyz tribal division. Some of the Kyrgyz still adhere to this tradition. This can be seen even in the division of the Kyrgyz into the southern and northern Kyrgyz. Customs and traditions of the southern Kyrgyz of the Ferghana Valley and the Eastern Pamirs differ from the traditions of the northern Kyrgyz living in areas of the Tien Shan, Issyk-kul lake region and areas of the Chu and Talas rivers. The nature of the prevailing economic structure - nomadic herding and the patriarchal family life left a deep imprint on the material culture of the Kyrgyz. Dwellings, traditional clothes, food - everything is dictated by the need of frequent nomadism.

Clothing

Traditional clothing of the Kyrgyz has undergone many changes during its development. As other aspects of material culture, the Kyrgyz clothes clearly show distinctive features that were peculiar to individual tribal and territorial groups, it is also distinguished by the unique attribute typical for the nomads. Clothing made of coarse woolen cloth of domestic manufacture, made from animal skins, felt, leather and wild animals was in common use.

Family and marriage

Family and marriage among the Kyrgyz are closely related to the patriarchal way of life. It was usual for Kyrgyz culture to live together in a small patriarchal families that formed a so-called big clan with the whole family line living in the same area.

Marriage was preceded by courtship. It was a custom in the past when young children were matched, sometimes even unborn yet babies were matched. Like in many other Eastern nations a dowry asked for the bride. And even today, modern Kyrgyz follow this custom.

The spiritual culture of each nation is kept from generation to generation in the form of traditions and customs, as well as oral and written records. Due to the nomadic lifestyle the Kirghiz have not left behind so much written evidence, but from generation to generation, they passed their epics and legends.The Kyrgyz poem "Manas" is the largest piece of a heroic epic. It is a large volume trilogy, collected by many generations of storytellers – manas’chy. Until the 29th century, poem passed down orally, and even today many people come to Kyrgyzstan to listen to and enjoy the famous epic by talented storytellers. Storytellers may tell a poem during several days. The deeds of the hero Manas are main story line of the poem.

Food in Daily Life. Common dishes include: lagman (hand-rolled noodles in a broth of meat and vegetables), manti (dumplings filled with either onion and meat, or pumpkin), plov (rice fried with carrots and topped with meat), pelmeni, (a Russian dish of small meat-filled dumplings in broth), ashlam-foo (cold noodles topped with vegetables in spicy broth and pieces of congealed corn starch), samsa (meat or pumpkin-filled pastries), and fried meat and potatoes. Most meat is mutton, although beef, chicken, turkey, and goat are also eaten. Kyrgyz people don't eat pork, but Russians do. Fish is either canned or dried. Lagman and manti are the everyday foods of the north, while plov is the staple of the south.

Most people eat four or five times a day, but only one large meal. The rest are small, mostly consisting of tea, bread, snacks, and condiments. These includevareynya (jam), kaimak, (similar to clotted cream), sara-mai (a form of butter), and various salads.

Kyrgyz cafes, chaikanas, and ashkanas usually will have six or seven dishes, as well as two or three side dishes, on the menu. Many places also will serve shashlik,which is marinated mutton grilled on a skewer. It is common for only a few of the menu items to be available on any given day. Drink options are limited to tea, soda, and mineral water. Patrons are expected to order as a group and all eat the same entree. Ristoran (restaurants) usually have more varied European and Russian dishes.