TRADITIONS AND HOLIDAYS OF KAZAKHSTAN



 

Kazakh folk customs are discovered in the wedding ritual. The attitude of the bride’s parents to the bridegroom is free from many customs dictated by Islam. After the engagement and the first payment of kalym the bridegroom has a right to visit the bride “secretly”, usually at the brother’s place orat the house of the bride’s relatives. The second visit is open. When Islam didn’t have great influence on the family life of Kazakh people, the family ties were secured by the people’s common approving, singing chorus songs “zhar-zhar” performed at the wedding celebration. “Zhar-zhar” is a song-competition. It is usually sung by two groups of young people. The men’s group is headed by the bridegroom and the women’s one by the bride. The tradition demands that the bride accompanied by her friends and singing a farewell song should visit every yurta of aul and the neighboring ones.

In the bridegroom’s aul the bride is greeted by traditional singing, which is called “bet ashar” (opening of the bride’s face). Besides kalym the bridegroom’s relatives prepare different presents for bride’s relatives. The bride’s parents are not in debt either. During the engagement they have to give the pledge of the engagement’s validity and presents for proposing people. The bride’s trousseau is very expensive, sometimes exceeding the cost of the kalym.

 

Nauryz

Nauryz, the modern Kazakh word for New Year, comes from Persian “nau – new, ryz – year”. Before that New Year was called “Ulys kuni” meaning tribe or clan day. Nauryz is celebrated on the 22nd of March. The tradition of reconciliation between relatives around a festive table, exchange of presents and good wishes was set for this day. The beginning of the year is announced by the appearance of greenery. The patient resistance to the winter hardships has come to an end, and now, with the coming of spring it is time to participate in the life-giving festival. Every has to visit seven houses and invite seven guests to his home. The main ritual dish of this ancient holiday is Nauryz Kozhe. It includes 7 compulsory elements: water, meat, flour, millet (rice, wheat), milk, salt, butter. These components symbolize happiness, luck, youth, health, wealth, quick growth, the heavens patronage. In spring people try to get renewed physically and spiritually – give debts, throw away old things, brush clothes, housing, canals.

“Koktem tudy” (spring I born) say Kazakh today and meet Nauryz in the streets, squares, parks and stadiums. They take part in verbal competitions of akyns, in national sports – kazaksha-kyres, togus kumalak, horse competitions like Kyz-Kuu, Baiga.

All these holidays and knowledge of customs and traditions make people closer to each other, teach them to respect national culture and native land.

 

Kazakh Traditional Dishes

The mode of life of people, traditional craft, interrelations, customs and traditions are well comprehended through traditional dishes. The strict nomadic life laws have created moral and ethic norm. Any unexpected traveler was an honored guest. Every host regarded the ritual of hospitality as sacred rule and welcomed guests warmly and with all attention and kindly saw them off with good wishes.

The main traditional dish of Kazakhs is besbarmak. It is mostly served for the guests and eaten by hands (bes barmak means five fingers). Besbarmak is usually cooked of fat mutton and parts of smoked horse meat and horse delicaties like kazy and shyzhyk. The meat is boiled and separately is boiled thin paste. Boiled parts of meat are put on the paste and spiced with a special flavoring called tuzdyk.

EDUCATION IN BRITAIN

Common school education

In Britain the school year begins in September, but not always on the first day of the month, as school never begins on Monday. The British think that Monday is not good day to start school. Children go to school 5 days a week. They don’t go to school on Saturdays and Sundays.

All state schools in Britain are free, and schools provide their pupils with books and equipment for their studies.

Education is compulsory from 5-16 years. Parents can choose to send their children to a nursery school or a preschool play group to prepare them for the start of compulsory education. In Britain many children begin to attend nursery schools from the age of 3 to 4. Nursery schools develop a child in body and mind. Children increase their knowledge of words by means of rhymes, songs and stories and they do physical exercises in playgrounds. They also “construct” different things of bricks and wood, modeling materials, water and sand. But this type of education is not compulsory. Compulsory education starts from the age of 5. From this age children go through two main stages of education: primary and secondary education.

Secondary education

There are two main types of secondary schools:

Comprehensive Schools

Grammar Schools

At 11 most pupils go to secondary schools called comprehensives which accept a wide range of children from all back­grounds and religious and ethnic groups. A comprehensive school combines all types of academic and technical education. The majority of children go to such schools. They study there from the first form to the fifth form.

A grammar school is a type of secondary school which pro­vides academic (contrasted to technical) education.

 Ninety percent of secondary schools in Britain are co-edu­cational.

At 16 pupils take a national exam called "GCSE" (Gen­eral Certificate of Secondary Education) and then they can leave school if they wish. This is the end of compulsory edu­cation.

Some 16-year-olds continue their studies in the sixth form at school or at a sixth form college. The sixth form prepares pupils for national exams called "A" levels (Advanced Levels) at 18. You need "A" levels to enter a university.


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