Customs and customs in Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan (Turkmen: ④ ркменистан) is a Central Asian country. It was once a member of the former Soviet republics. It was named the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic during the Soviet period and became independent in 1991. The country is located north of Iran, bordered by Afghanistan in the southeast, Uzbekistan in the northeast, Kazakhstan in the northwest, and the Caspian Sea in the west. It is a landlocked country. The capital city, Ashgabat. The official language is Turkmen.
Turkmenistan flag is also one of the most complex flags in the world. There is also a flag day. Since 1995, February 19 has become the National Flag Day of Turkmenistan every year, which is the same day as the birthday of the late President Niyazov. Various activities will be held across the country to celebrate the festival on this day, and leaders and government members will lay wreaths at the National Independence Monument. The government may also pardon prisoners on the occasion of Flag Day.
The total population of Turkmenistan is approximately 6.836 million (as of the end of 2011). The main ethnic groups include Turkmen (94%, which is the same ethnic group as the Salar people in China), Uzbek 2%, and Russian 1%. In addition, there are more than 120 ethnic groups (1.5%) including Kazakh, Armenian, Tartar, and Azerbaijan.
Islam is the main religion, accounting for 89% of the total population, mainly Sunnis (who strictly follow Islamic teachings), while the other 9% are Orthodox. However, under the rule of powerful President Sapalmulati Atajevich Niyazov, Islamic culture was vigorously promoted and a small number of Russians who believed in the Orthodox Church gradually moved out of Turkmenistan, resulting in the decline of the influence of the Orthodox Church in the country. The Shamanism and Zoroastrianism of the ancient Turks also had a certain influence on the religious concepts of the Turkmen, such as forcing sick children to jump over fires and spraying ashes on the heads of patients. These rituals are not characteristics of Islam.
Today, all Turkmen live in houses with brick and concrete structures, and some nomadic Turkmen still live in yurts known as "Karaoi"(black houses in the Turkmen language). In accordance with traditional custom, the door of their houses always faces in the direction of Mecca. The houses are covered with carpeting, and there are also tapestries and pockets and bags for clothing and other items on the walls.
The national costumes of most Turkmen are high hats sewn from black, white and brown sheepskin (in the high-temperature desert areas, wearing this hat is warm in winter and cool in summer, and is also a decoration for beautiful women in Paris and Moscow), long shirts with carefully trimmed necklines, fat pants and oriental robes. Turkmen women often wear ankle-length long skirts with carefully embroidered necklines. Turkmen girls also like to wear turbans, braid braids and decorate their hair with various decorations. Girls usually sew clothes with bright materials such as green, purple and blue, and love to wear oriental robes in winter and spring.
Moreover, the decorations of Turkmen brides are known for their uniqueness and complexity. These ornaments are usually made of metals such as gold, silver, copper, and iron. The more important ones are headdresses, forehead ornaments, hair accessories, breast ornaments, wrist ornaments and rings. The bride's dress is an Oriental-style silk robe, and she also wears a triangular sachet used to ward off evil spirits. It is usually written with poems or aphorisms and is made of leather and silk.
On important days such as the birth of a child, the shaving of the first bundle of fetal hair, the naming of a child, and the marriage of a child, Turkmen often gather together to celebrate. Especially weddings are the biggest event for Turkmen families. Traditionally, the man's parents should bring gifts to visit the woman's house. If both parents are satisfied, they should leave the gifts and start discussing the wedding date. Turkmen think weddings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are unlucky, so weddings are often scheduled for weekends.
Five days before the wedding, relatives gather together to discuss how to handle it. On the wedding day, oxen and sheep will be killed to entertain guests. When the bride leaves her home, people throw candies, coins and small gifts on the bride's head. The bride wears silver forehead ornaments and headdresses, and puts on a hijab with red patterns on a white background, which cannot be removed until the end of the wedding. Weddings are often presided over by mullahs, and sometimes events such as horse racing are held. Nowadays, young people often get married in a motorcade decorated with flowers and ribbons carrying relatives and friends for a ride around the city to celebrate.
In terms of eating habits, the Turkmen people retain the habit of sitting on the ground and eating. Turkmenistan people also widely use pepper, onion, fennel, mint and other condiments, and they are a major feature of cooking skills in Turkmenistan and even Central Asia. The more famous traditional Turkmen foods include barbecue, pilaf, roasted naan, barbecue cakes, fried dumplings and steamed buns. Tea is the main beverage, and people often drink sour camel milk to cool off in summer.
According to Turkmen custom, in Turkmen homes, cakes that have been bitten off are often placed in the most obvious position. This ancient custom is intended to commemorate those relatives who went to war but failed to return home. Moreover, as long as the guests who eat at the table do not start talking, the host will not ask the guests questions, because they think it is polite to let the respected guests talk first after they have eaten their fill. During conversations, Turkmen never interrupt each other's conversation. Don't shout loudly when talking about problems, thinking that making noise is unseemly behavior.