Getting to know more closely the culture of Tajiks. The material tells about popular traditions in the country.
Snowdrop Festival
In Tajikistan, the first person to find a snowdrop or boychechak is considered lucky. The snowdrop is a symbol of reborn life, youth and beauty. That is why all children run to the mountains to give the flower to their mothers and sisters.
Honeymoon
The Tajik honeymoon takes about forty days, which is called chilla. The couple spends this time in the husband's parents' house, even if the young couple have separate accommodation.
Gushtingiri
Gushtingiri is a traditional national Tajik wrestling match in which opponents hold each other by the belt. No bank holidays is without this contest. In addition, the equestrian games buzkashi and chavgonbozi have been popular since ancient times.
Chaikhona
Chaikhona plays a key role in the culture of the people. Here Tajiks gather and discuss the latest news. There is also a custom that Tajiks, after finishing the last drop of tea in their tea bowl, turn it upside down and leave it on the table like that.
Birth of a child
In any Tajik family, the period of pregnancy before delivery and the next 40 days after the baby is born are accompanied by various rituals. These include dandonmushak, the teething of the first tooth, or muysargiron, the first cutting of hair.
National dress
It is customary to wear national dress in Tajikistan not only on holidays, but also on ordinary days. Modern women's national costume can easily be found even in the city.
Wedding
Tajiks weave a suzane — a white cotton blanket — and embroider it with an amuletic pattern in which a mistake is deliberately allowed. According to belief, this helps protect the young family from the evil eye. The suzane is hung in a prominent place in the newlyweds' room.
Music and dance
Dancing in Tajikistan has its own traditions in each region: there are traditions in the Pamir Mountains, the Hissar Valley, in the north of the country and in the Khatlon region. The music and songs that tell about historical events, everyday life and love are also different.
Nowruz
Nowruz is the festival of spring, the first day of the New Year, the day of the Vernal Equinox. It is considered the most famous and widespread holiday in Tajikistan.
Hospitality
For Tajiks, receiving guests is always a pleasant procedure. The place of honour in the house is called mehmonkhona — usually a large-sized living room.
