Cultural traditions play an important role in the preservation of the ethnic identity of Kazakhs abroad. Many generations of Kazakhs have passed on their accumulated experience to their descendants, while the main way of transferring experience is considered to be the path “from father to son”. We should not forget about social experience, when the heritage of the people is passed on to the whole community, and the public way of transferring experience is usually called traditions. This method of transferring experience involves the transfer of time-tested attitudes that help society to survive effectively.
Translated from Latin, the word “traditio” literally means “to transmit”, that is, it represents an action. In ancient times, it was used in the transfer of any material values, for example, when a daughter was married or a certain object was transferred. Later, non–material phenomena were added to material objects – skills and abilities. Accordingly, traditions are understood as something that is transmitted in a certain environment (society, group) and does not belong to a specific person.
Traditions are one of the important regulators of public relations. It is something stable, unchangeable, connected with the past, not needing to be comprehended. This is something that has developed historically, is transmitted in the form of a set of cultural and social heritage. Traditions are defined as “what has passed from one generation to another, what is inherited from previous generations (for example, ideas, views, tastes, ways of doing, customs).” Traditions are “a multitude of ideas, rituals, habits and skills of practical and social activity, passed down from generation to generation, acting as one of the regulators of public relations.”
The power of traditions is embedded in people’s minds and does not allow them to act differently, sometimes even the threat of legal responsibility does not stop them. Otherwise, how can we explain the strength of such Kazakh national traditions as “toy”, “kudalyk”, “kyz uzatu” and others, which cannot be stopped even in conditions of sanitary quarantine and which has been the subject of news broadcasts in the media for a year and a half. In this work, traditions are understood as national cultural traditions, since if we keep in mind traditions as such, it will be impossible to cover the topic within the article. In this sense, it is appropriate to cite the definition of the concept of “cultural tradition”, which was given in Soviet times by the researcher E.S. Markarian: “Cultural tradition is a group experience expressed in socially organized stereotypes, which is accumulated and reproduced in various human collectives by spatial-temporal transmission.”
The value of this definition lies in the fact that it helps to justify a comparative analysis of the experience of Kazakhs in observing national cultural traditions, taking into account the “space-time transmission”. At the same time, we are talking about Kazakhs living in different countries, in different political and economic conditions, at different times. The purpose of this analysis is to study the transformation of Kazakh national traditions within the framework of preserving national identity, their role in preserving the cultural code, the impact of scientific and technological progress and modern technologies on the content of national traditions.
There are many different scientific concepts about traditions “in general” today, but among all scientific views, the following ideas should be highlighted: firstly, cultural traditions are closely related to social reality and cannot remain unchanged over time; secondly, cultural traditions are not created by a specific individual, respectively, are not the product of his individual creative imagination, and therefore are transmitted to others. Therefore, speaking about traditions, the article mentions both traditions themselves and other “traditional” components: customs, rituals, norms and rules, behavioral habits, tastes, views, modes of action, skills and abilities. These components reflect the consciousness of a particular people and make it possible to identify people, dividing them into “one’s own” and “someone else’s”. A variety of cultural traditions are folk traditions.
Most often, the synonym of “tradition” is “custom”, sometimes the words “heritage”, “tradition” are used. Keeping in mind the tradition, we say “so it is accepted”, “so it happened”, “so it is established”, which means an unwritten law that everyone or almost everyone adheres to. For example, it so happened that during the national ceremony “kudalyk” Kazakhs necessarily make their “kudalar” gifts, and the transformed or “modernized” idea of this tradition is that today these gifts are becoming more expensive and more valuable in monetary terms, sometimes it is even competitive. The reasons for this transformation of this tradition are mainly the economic living conditions of Kazakhs, the development of technologies in various spheres of public life. In particular, it is always possible to find differences when holding a “toy” by Kazakhs of Mongolia, China, Turkmenistan or Kazakhstan, for this it is enough to watch videos on the Internet. The difference begins with the names of the gifts themselves and ends with the names of national dishes on the festive table. If in Mongolia Kazakhs living in rural aimags can still use livestock as a gift, then carpets and jewelry are mainly valued among Kazakhs of Turkmenistan as gifts.
It should be noted that the cultural traditions of the Kazakhs contain the full depth of knowledge of a particular country and state where they permanently reside. These are unique values that manifest themselves in everyday life. Kazakhs, regardless of their country of residence, were able to learn the language and culture of the local population and become worthy citizens of that country. The cultural customs of Kazakhs from different countries can vary greatly: what is normal for some Kazakhs may be unacceptable for other Kazakhs. For example, in some Eastern countries, tea drinking is a special procedure, so you should not refuse an invitation to tea at a party, as this may be perceived as disrespect. Whereas Kazakhs living in Russia will take it easier. Russian traditions also contain the process of tea drinking, no one will consider the refusal of tea drinking inappropriate.
Kazakhs are an indigenous people in the Russian Federation, the tenth largest among all ethnic groups of the country. The largest number of Kazakhs live in the Astrakhan and Orenburg regions of the Russian Federation. The difference in Kazakhs’ observance of national traditions is also influenced by the degree of urbanization. Urban residents burdened with public service, entrepreneurship and other forms of employment are less susceptible to observing national traditions than rural residents with a different mentality. Thus, the observance of national Kazakh traditions can manifest itself in clothing, speech, nutrition, worldview, psychology, and sometimes religion. It should be noted that all the listed criteria for the difference in the cultural traditions of the Kazakhs are as relevant as possible today. Of course, the gradual erasure of the difference between urban and rural life leaves a certain imprint on culture and traditions, however, the production of homemade butter and dried cottage cheese “irimshik” is more characteristic of the life of rural Kazakhs than urban ones who have the opportunity to purchase these products in the store.
The same can be said about the lifestyle of Kazakhs. To this day, many Kazakhs of the Bayan-Ulga aimag of Mongolia, the XUAR of China lead a nomadic lifestyle, engaged in animal husbandry, while ethnic Kazakhs living compactly in the Balkan and Dashoguz velayats of Turkmenistan are more engaged in plant growing. This way of life has an impact on the traditions that they observe, primarily on food traditions. It is important to note that cultural traditions are gradually changing, objectively they cannot remain unchanged, because due to the development of science and technology, people’s economic living conditions are changing, as a result of migration phenomena, the social environment is changing.
Traditions do not arise just like that, they appear at the moment when there is a need for them. They can change in parallel with the human consciousness and the needs of people, disappear and be reborn in a new guise. A striking example of such a national cultural tradition of the Kazakhs is the celebration of “Nauryz Meiramy”. Historians do not know the exact date of the holiday, but it is known that it was celebrated before the VII century BC. The celebration began with the traditional meeting of the dawn associated with the ancient ritual of cleansing the source of the spring. After performing the ritual events, the heralds went around all the streets, courtyards and called everyone to the holiday. A lot of food was being prepared these days, which symbolized prosperity and abundance in the coming year. In addition, the celebrations were accompanied by fun, games, horse races, songs and competitions, in which everyone took part, regardless of age and gender. The main dish of this day is “Nauryz kozhe”, which consists of seven ingredients: water, meat, salt, fat, flour, milk and cereals, which symbolize the seven elements of life.
In Kazakhstan, “Nauryz meiramy” was not always celebrated. From 1926 to 1988, the holiday was not celebrated publicly, being banned by the Soviet government. Officially, the holiday was revived by the Decree of the President of the Kazakh SSR dated March 15, 1991 “On the national holiday of spring – “Nauryz Meiramy”, according to which March 22 was declared a holiday. In 2001, the holiday was declared a state holiday, and since 2009 it has been celebrated three days in a row. In February 2010, the 64th session of the UN General Assembly declared March 21 the International Day of Nauryz. This means that historical events in Kazakhstan had a serious impact on how modern Kazakhs around the world celebrate “Nauryz Meiramy”.
In many ways, the traditions of the holiday “Nauryz Meiramy” have been preserved to this day, transformed into modern life. Now there are more theatrical performances, concerts, charity events, folk sports games. However, one thing remains unchanged – the feeling of a new year, renewal and good wishes.
Each Kazakh tradition has its own personal meaning, which is reflected in its functions – it is the stabilization and development of relations in society by influencing the spiritual world of a person through moral norms and rules; ensuring the transfer of cultural and spiritual relations to descendants, maintaining communication between generations. An example is the tradition of Kazakhs to celebrate “Nauryz Meiramy”, when Kazakhs living in different countries of the world revive and pass on to the next generations a model of relations, their national customs (clothes, national dishes, music, songs, etc.).
National and cultural roots play an important role in the history of the people. “You should never forget your past, your roots, you need to know and honor the deep history of your people. The characteristic features inherent in every nation of the world can be determined by national music, handicrafts, customs and traditions. By studying these features, one can understand the principles of life, the soul of the people. Traditions and customs form the strong thread through which the connection and continuity of generations is established. The heritage of the past, traditions, customs, language, family, lifestyle and holidays are all that personifies the cultural and genetic code of the nation. These are historical and cultural foundations that have been developing for centuries.”
The customs and traditions of the Kazakhs, which have come from the depths of centuries, are very important for the younger generation. Such customs as: respect for elders, reverent attitude towards the younger, special respect for mother and father, and others are embedded in our genes.”
The observance of national traditions by foreign Kazakhs begins with the use of their native language, since all the names of traditions, as well as their attributes, have their historical names. Studies of the life of Kazakhs in Mongolia and China have shown how foreign Kazakhs carefully respect the observance of national traditions. For example, the Kazakh diaspora in Mongolia does not just seek to preserve its social circle, representatives of the diaspora want their children to know the history, culture and customs of their ancestors. They require their children to observe Kazakh traditions, first of all, they require knowledge of their native language and adhere to the traditions established in the family.
Mongolian Kazakhs annually organize the festival “Altyn Burkit” (Golden Eagle), during which they hold exhibitions, musical competitions, as well as aitys, baths. The main condition in this case is the use of exclusively Kazakh instruments. Such a condition is precisely aimed at preserving the national traditions and culture of the Kazakhs living in Mongolia[9].
The Kazakhs of China, unlike the Kazakhs of Mongolia, use Arabic script when writing [10], while the Mongolian Kazakhs are good at Cyrillic. However, when speaking, the Kazakh speech of both of them differs little from the language in Kazakhstan. The adult generation of Chinese Kazakhs speaks a fairly pure Kazakh language, but young people sometimes mix Kazakh words with Chinese when talking, which is already a consequence of assimilation. Language, as the main element of national culture, is influenced by modern life.
Politician Dosan Baymolda notes that “Kazakhs in Mongolia feel more confident than in China, because in the last five or six years China’s policy towards national minorities has become unpredictable”[11]. Nevertheless, the older generation of Chinese Kazakhs tries to preserve the Kazakh language in everyday life, strives to teach the native language to representatives of the younger generation. The preservation of national identity is manifested, first of all, in the family circle: when children are born, they are called by their Kazakh names; when children reach a certain age, various Kazakh national rituals are performed; various family celebrations are held in compliance with Kazakh traditions (matchmaking, weddings, funerals, etc.); Kazakh national dishes are prepared for the holidays.
However, the Kazakhs of China and Mongolia, along with the Kazakh language, need knowledge of the language of the country of residence, since it is almost impossible to study in schools, higher educational institutions, or get a job without knowledge of the local language. It is fair to note that objective reality does not allow avoiding the transformation of the Kazakh language and the influence of modern living conditions on the language.
Автор – Дина Ораз
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