Culture

Culture

The tribes of Kyrgyz people inhabited in Siberia and then later they moved 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 striking part of nomadic culture and consequently there are many traditional horse games.

There are different kinds 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 resulting from every-day life from one generation to another. Boys learn how run the farm by helping the adults and they start from the early ages.

Girls also learn how to sew and knit since they are very minor children; the colorful carpets that they make take months or years of work. The most current carpets are known as 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 industrial production produced by Kyrgyz people but also one of 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 found almost everywhere, serving local meals. Yurts are still created yurt on the most important holidays, such as the child's birth, weddings and funerals. The consequence of it can be seen in the flag of the Republic: It is red with a circle situated in the middle part. It is the roof crown of the yurt, with its typical wooden circle and the crossed sticks in its middle.

Yurt is portable nomadic dwelling that functions as bedroom, dining room, kitchen at the same time. It has a wooden construction covered with felt. This whole construction is fixed with small short leather-ribbons in its place of using nails and ropes made from animals' hair. Women like decorating their yurts with these type of carpets the walls and spread on the floor, and the "Djuk" which is 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 the night, but during the daytime they staple and cover with a beautiful blanket, forming the back part of the place for the guests.

There is a tiny fireplace in the middle of the yurt for cooking and heating the house. People use them all year round in these high-altitude areas, especially if the weather is cold.