Customs and habits of the Kirgiz (Kyrgyz) ethnic group
The Kirgiz (Kyrgyz) of China is a ethnic group with a long history. Our country's Chinese historical books have long recorded the activities of its ancestors. The "Li Kun" or "Gekun" first seen in the "Records of the Historian" is the name for the ancestors of this tribe. Historically, Chinese historical books have different translations of the name of this ancestor. For example, during the Han and Jin Dynasties, it was often called "Jiankun"; from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Sui Dynasty, it was called "Jiegu","Hegu","Qigu" and "Hugu"; In the Tang Dynasty, it was often called "Xiajiasi", sometimes called "Jiankun" or "Hebaisi"; in the Liao, Song, and Jin Dynasties, it was called "Jiajiasi","Xiajiasi", and "Heli Zisi"; During the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties, it was generally called "Jijisi" and sometimes called" Qierjisi"; It was called "Bulut" or "Buyrut" in the Qing Dynasty. Bulut was originally the name given to the Kirgiz people by the Junggar Mongolians, and was later used by the Manchu, Han and other ethnic groups. In 1935, the Xinjiang Provincial Government officially confirmed the name of the ethnic group. It was translated as "Kirgiz" and has been used to this day.
The vast majority of the Kirgiz people in China speak the Kirgiz language, belonging to the Altaic and Turkic languages. The Kirgiz people belong to the mixed type of the Mongolian ethnic North Asian type and the Caucasian ethnic group. Among them, the paternal genes are mainly Caucasian, and the maternal genes are mainly Mongolian. Most of them are in Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, and the rest are distributed in Ili, Tacheng, Aksu and Kashgar areas.
Kirghiz people were originally totemic. Famous totems are snow leopards and deer. In addition to this, there is also faith in the goddess "umai ene"(umai ene). They worship their ancestors and angels, pray to the south, worship the sun, and think Mars is unlucky. In the Qing Dynasty, he converted to Islam and belonged to an orthodox Sunni. The vast majority of the Kirgiz people believe in Islam. They began to believe in Islam as early as the mid-16th century. They believe in the Sunni Hanafi faction of Islam. The Ribao Temple is the main place for religious activities. Most of the Ribai temples are built in cities. The five merits of the canons are: "reciting merit","praying for merit","teaching merit","fasting merit", and "morning merit".
Kirgiz people are mainly engaged in animal husbandry production, and also engage in agriculture and handicrafts; traditional arts and crafts include embroidery, carpet rolling, carving, flower weaving and gold and silver ware, and they are accustomed to using weapons, mountain eagles, clouds, and beasts to make patterns. I like horse racing, sheep hunting, horse shooting, horse shooting, and horse picking. Its material life is closely related to the operation of animal husbandry, and its diet and daily life are also characterized by a nomadic lifestyle.
The Kirgiz people live by water and grass. In summer, they live in tents and in winter, they often settle in valleys with warm climate and live in square earthen houses.
The Kirgiz family is monogamous. In the past, influenced by religion, the rich also had polygamy. Men have great power, the elderly have the highest prestige, and women are treated equally with men. Old marriages have a feudal nature and are generally arranged by parents. There are three forms of engagement: belly marriage, childhood engagement, and adult engagement. A bride price requires at least a dozen (nine) livestock. The scope of intermarriage is not limited by clans and tribes. Immediate relatives and close relatives are not allowed to intermarry, but there are marriages of aunts and aunts, and there are also intermarriages with foreign nationalities.
The wedding ceremony of the Kirgiz youth was carried out by an imam. There was an interesting episode related to diet. The imam divided a naan in half, dipped it in salt water, and distributed it to the two newlyweds. The meaning is to share weal and woe and never separate.
Kirgiz people are very hospitable and polite, and there is a famous saying that "Friendship and enthusiasm are the gold of the Kirgiz people." When the two met on the road, they had to touch their chest and bow to say hello to each other. Whenever guests visit, whether they know each other or not, they will warmly entertain them, taking out the best food in the house and inviting them to eat, and sheep's head meat is the most respected. When inviting guests to eat mutton, please eat mutton tail oil first, and then please eat mutton bone meat and mutton head meat. Guests also have to give some to the women and children of the host family to show their gratitude.
The daily diet of the Kirgiz people also includes naan, pot stickers, Kuimak (oil naan), Baoershak (fried noodles), Quyi Baoershak (fried fruits), pancakes, oil cakes, milk dough noodles, fried dumplings, Shamusha (baked buns), Quer (dumplings), oil dumplings, cream porridge, pilaf, mixed noodles, etc.
With the improvement of people's living standards and the coexistence, production and life with people of all ethnic groups, the Kirgiz people's dietary structure has also undergone great changes. Vegetables have begun to enter the families of farmers and herdsmen, and the variety of meals has become increasingly colorful.
Kirgiz men often wear a white felt hat (ak kalpak) made of sheepskin or felt. Wear a collarless "loop loop" long dress with a round neck shirt embroidered with lace inside, a belt on the outside, and a knife on the left. Wear a stand-collar and short loop loop in summer, and wear wide-leg trousers with corvee and silk in spring and autumn. Women usually wear dresses with small black vests, and southern women wear small vertical collared shirts. Women wear headscarves and like to wear decorations.
There are many taboos in life. Avoid the blood of pigs, donkeys, dog meat, self-dead livestock and all animals; it is strictly forbidden to urinate and defecate near homes; it is not allowed to blow your nose while talking; it is forbidden to ride a fast horse to the door and get off the horse, because it means announcing a funeral or having bad news; it is forbidden to lie, deceive and swear at the most. Wash your hands before and after meals. After washing your hands, you must not spill water on your hands. Dry them with a cloth. When you are a guest, you should leave some food behind and not eat it all to show that the host treats him generously. When eating, you are not allowed to rub food with your hands, smell food with your nose, and touch other people's bowls and spoons. In terms of clothing, clothes with open chest and back should be avoided, and pants and vests should be prohibited for outdoor activities and guests. When guests are eating, others are not allowed to enter or spy. When guests say goodbye to the door, they must exit with their backs facing the door.
the funeral, the body will be wrapped in white cloth around the head and the whole body, and the burial will be carried out in the ground, and the man will be buried. Funerals are usually held in mosques. After the imam chanted scriptures and delivered a eulogy, the body is transported to the cemetery on a wooden frame (Tawuti) or camels. During burial, the deceased faced his head north, his feet south, and his face west. On the 3rd, 7th, 40th and 1st anniversary of the death of the deceased,"Naizir" will be held to express the memory and condolences for the deceased. In homes in mourning, weddings and other cultural activities cannot be held within one year.
In addition, for weddings and funerals, the Kirgiz people in Tacheng Prefecture and Fuyu County in Heilongjiang Province perform according to either Lama rules or Shaman rules.