Culture

Culture

The tribes of Kyrgyz people lived in Siberia in the beginning and then later they came down to Central Asia. They were mainly occupied with cattle- breeding, they also took care of sheep and horses, which were the most important domestic animals, but also cows and goats were raised. Horse - back riding is one of the most noteworthy part of nomadic culture and therefore there are many traditional horse games.

There are different types of horse games played by locals. It is possible to see during the festivals or shows, and the high skill of riding the horses, where the moves are mostly derived from every-day life. Boys learn how run the farm by helping their parents and they start from the early ages.

Girls also learn how to sew and knit since they are very small, the colorful carpets that they make take months or years of work. The most popular carpets are called Shyrdak and Ala-Kiyiz , which are both made of felt on top of which they embroider different kinds of patterns , that are naturally extracted.

These wonderful carpets are not only the best manufacturing production of Kyrgyz people but also they are the main national symbols of the Kyrgyz life. For example the yurt is made of felt only except the inner wooden part. Yurts still remain part of every-day life of the people in living Kyrgyzstan even in big cities: street-cafés can be easily found serving local meals. Yurts are still erected yurt on the most important holidays, such as the child's birth, weddings and funerals. The implication of it can be seen in the flag of the Republic: It is red with a circle in the middle part. It is the roof crown of the yurt, with its distinctive wooden circle and the crossed sticks in its middle.

Yurt is portable nomadic residence that functions as bedroom, dining room, kitchen at the same time. It has a wooden construction covered with felt. This whole structure is fixed with small short leather-ribbons instead of using nails and ropes made from animals' hair. Women like decorating their yurts with these carpets the walls and banquet on the floor, and the "Djuk" which takes at the far end of the yurt, opposite to the door: at this place there are bed sheets and soft blankets that are spread at night on the floor and offer a soft and warm place for spending overnight, but throughout daytime they staple and covered with a beautiful cloth, forming the back part of the place for the guests.

There is a little fireplace in the middle of the yurt for culinary and warming the house. People use them all year round in these high-altitude regions, especially if the weather is cold.