Kyrgyzstan Culture

Kyrgyzstan culture has really much to see and to learn. It is expressed in traditional nomadic melodies, national horse games, beautiful mountain patterns in handicrafts and jewellery, great historical epic poems, colorfull national clothing, delicious cuisine, etc. Below we have highlighted a few most attractive cultural activities of Kyrgyz people.

Music of Kyrgyzstan

In general, Kyrgyz folk instrumental music, as well as vocal one, is divided into two brunches. The first is the folk music itself, or so called mass instrumental folklore. The second brunch is the professional instrumental music of oral tradition. This dividing is conditional, but has a real foundation, as in Kyrgyz instrumental music along with mass folklore creative works, which decorate everyday life, there are a lot of highly artistic classical examples, created by outstanding professionals as concert genres.

Performing arsenal of Kyrgyz people can be divided into instruments that have an artistic function, applied and ritual purposes that combine both of functions. At the same time the borders between groups are very conventional. Already in ancient time some wind and percussion instruments have enlarge their functions from signal to artistic. Nowadays the instruments of applied and ritual type either vanished along with previous mode of life, or used in concert practice, for example, bell - "konguro" or ceremonial "musical staff"-"asa-musa". Childish "musical toys" (chopo cho'or) became solo and ensemble instruments.

All Kyrgyz musical instruments are classified into four main groups:

• Stringed instruments - the source of sound is the tense string.
• Wind instruments - the source of the sound is the column of air in the instrument.
• Percussive instruments - the source of the sound is the tensed membrane.
• Self - sounding instruments - the source of the sound is the instrument body.

Kyrgyzstan traditional clothes

Kyrgyz clothes are characterised by many definite features, typical for the clothes of nomadic people. That can be explained by their historical mode of life, related to nomadic cattle breeding. Also very large mark on the character of clothes left the mountain climate with its temperature excursions. This required to have different kinds of warm clothes, sometimes used even in summer time, such us wool robes or sheepskin coats. Very widely were used clothes made of wool burlap, or fells of domestic or wild animals.

In 18-19 centuries, the Kyrgyzes made most of their clothes from the fabrics imported from China and other Central Asian Khanates, they also wore imported clothes and footwear. In the north Kyrgyzstan were imported the fabrics from Russia (chintz, calico, muslin, nankeen etc.) Basic type of the clothes and its cut were spread everywhere.

The male clothes consisted of chintz or coarse shirt and wide trousers. Over shirt wore sleeveless jacket, while in cold weather - wool robe and wide robe made of homespun cloth. In winter wore sheepskin coats and trousers with fleece side down. The most popular footwear were boots with flexible soul but without heels.

The female clothes consisted of long and wide shirt, which at the same time could serve as the dress, long wide trousers, worn under dress and sleeveless jacket or camisole. Girls and young women wore camisoles from colorful velvet over the dress. Married women also wore original skirts with wide belt and bright embroidery. Such skirts were often made of sheepskins with fleece side down and worn mostly in cold part of the year.

Yurta - National Dwelling of Kyrgyzstan

Yurta for the Kyrgyz people is more than just a comfortable dwelling. It was created more then thousand years ago. Today it is difficult to say which of the nomadic tribes in the ancient history gave rise to the idea of this unique residential contraction. In present days yurta is an obligatory part of the nomadic people and shepherds of Central Asia. Despite the time has altered the appearance of big cities and small villages, this ingenious creation did not sink in oblivion in our days.

Yurta is separated for two parts. On the right side, there is a corner separated for a “women’s work”, the eptchi zhak. The place for kitchen stuff and washing dishes. On the kerege fasten up the bags in which the mistress and her daughters keep their needles, threads, needle-work, knitting and all sorts of woman knickknacks. The part for male, the "er zhak", is on the left side. On the kerege there the one can see fasten harnesses, kamcha (whips), hunting knives- all the necessary tools the one needs to breed cattle, hunting and handcraft. In the Kyrgyz families children are taught to help their parents in house work- a tradition which comes from generation to generation.

Traditional Food of Kyrgyzstan

Every nation carefully keeps and develops all the best from native culture it got from the ancestors: songs and fairy tails, legends and secrets of various crafts, and of course the traditions of national cuisine.

At the ancient times the food for the guests of Kyrgyz governors and khans was served on the golden and silver dishes. Delicious and melting-in-the mouth meat of lamb and foal, Kazy-Karta - national dishes prepared from horse intestines and stomach, astringent Kumys - national beverage made of fermented mares milk, chagyrmak - vodka made of Kumys and other delicacies adorn the tables of nomadic noble people. Many years have passed since that time, people and their lifestyle have changed but the lows of hospitality, traditions and customs keep unchanged till present time.

All the national dished might be separated into several brunches: everyday dishes, holiday dishes and ritual or rite dishes. Everyday dishes are Kesme - noodle soup with potatoes and meat, Shorpo - hot, rich meat broth with potatoes, peas and carrots. It is served in individual bowls and eaten with a spoon while large chunks of meat on the bones can be eaten with hands, Kulchetai - noodle soup with meat. Lagman -rich spicy stew with chopped meat, vegetables and spices, poured over long hand-made noodles. The noodles can be eaten with a fork and the gravy with a spoon. Lagman is served in individual bowls. Chuchvara - meat dumplings - minced meat, onion and spices in dough. It is boiled in a tasty broth, served hot in bowls and eaten with a spoon. Sour cream can be served as a dressing. Holiday dishes are Beshbarmak, Plov -cooked meat, rice, onion, garlic and spices. Plov is always served hot, Manty - meat, onion and chopped fat of lamb's tail covered in dough and steamed. Manty are served on individual plates (3-5 pieces) and dressed with sour cream. Shashlyk -marinated pieces of mutton threaded on metal skewer and cooked over hot coals. Always served hot with chopped onion. Samsa -pastry with meat, onion and the fat of lamb's tail cooked in a special clay oven called tandyr. Samsa is served straight from the tandyr and eaten with hands.

The traditions of hospitality of Kyrgyz people created through the centuries are something without which would be lost the originality of people and its cuisine.

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