The Kazakh people have rich material and spiritual cultural heritage. The culture of Kazakhstan is based on the nomadic past of the country’s inhabitants. For many centuries Kazakhs roamed the endless steppes, settling new territories and forming their unique traditions and customs. They had a tremendous impact on the creation of trade links between civilizations and the spread of progressive ideas and innovations. Thus, the Kazakh culture absorbed new values and ideas from the life of neighboring people and states.
Yurt
The traditional dwelling of Kazakh nomads is the yurt. It represents the image of the family, the earth, and the universe. A yurt is a portable home made of wood and felt. Its wood structure is produced of willow and includes three main elements: wall “kerege”, long poles “yuk” and a round hoop “shanyrak” that forms the roof of the yurt.
After building the wooden structure, it is covered with felt which protects the yurt from cold, heat, wind, and precipitation. A properly installed yurt is easy enough to cool down in summer and warm up in winter. In general, it takes less than one hour to build it, for the same time it can be disassembled.
The central part of the yurt is a hearth. Behind it close to the back wall blankets, carpets, and other things are stored. On the right side of the entrance is the female zone. Dishes, groceries, and household utensils are stacked here. The left side is an area for men where you can find a saddle, harness, weapons. The walls of the yurt are decorated with fancy handmade felt carpets, patterned ribbons, embroidered wall bags, and other elegant decorative elements.
The yurt for nomads is not only a dwelling but also symbolizes life itself and the entire world. The shanyrak was a symbol of the sun. Through it Kazakhs contemplated the sky and communicated with the spirits of their ancestors. It is no coincidence that its image is used on the national flag of Kazakhstan.
Felt carpets
The interior decoration of the yurt and modern houses in Kazakhstan is represented by a variety of felt carpets, made by skilled craftswomen throughout the country.
One of the brightest felt products is syrmak, a patterned carpet. It is made by sewing two identical ornaments of contrasting colors on one common base. These patterns are usually cut from a single piece of felt. Syrmak is known for its durability, some of them could be used more than 50 years. The carpet-making process is quite simple. A felt of one color is put on the second and the desired pattern is applied. Then, both layers of felt are cut simultaneously according to this pattern. Then one felt is inserted into the other, forming two carpets with mirror patterns. Finally, they are stitched together on the dense felt base.
Another important element of the material culture of the Kazakhs is tekemet, a felt national carpet with colored ornaments. Tekemet differs from syrmak in less distinct patterns and less laborious manufacturing process. Work begins by putting wool of the same color on a thick felt base lying on a mat. It will serve as the background. Then, in the form of various patterns, felt of other colors are laid out on it. To keep the pattern, the felt is covered with a piece of fabric and gently poured with hot water. After, the tekemet is pressed with the legs and elbows for several hours, periodically it is turned over and poured with hot water. This is how this felt carpet has been made for hundreds of years. It still decorates the houses of many Kazakh families.
National clothes
The Kazakh national dress was adapted to the nomadic way of life and the climate of a particular region. With these clothes, the person should be able to move loosely on horseback and it should be easily made in conditions of nomadism. Warm clothing convenient to the harsh climate of the Kazakh steppes occupied an important place in the wardrobe. For its production wool, felt, and animal skins were used.
On holidays, Kazakhs wore expensive clothes made from luxurious fabrics brought from Fergana or Kashgar.
The main element of outerwear was a chapan, a kind of coat with a collar and colorful buttons. It had several varieties: a winter chapan with camel or sheep wool, a light sleeveless chapan made of camel wool (chekmen), a felt chapan, and a quilted chapan. Both men and women had boots with slightly curved toes and wooden heels.
An important role had a headgear, which helped to determine the tribal affiliation. Popular men headgears are a traditional earflap, a tubeteika with patterns, a triukh-tymak, and others. The most popular, however, is kalpak, a mountain-shape hat made of thin white felt. Women wore saukele (a cone-shaped headgear), karkara (a headgear with feathers), kun dik (an elderly woman’s headgear), zhaulyk (a headgear of a married woman).
Women’s clothing was also very diverse. Young girls preferred fitted clothes with collars and sleeves and beautiful patterns. Elderly women mostly wore loose-fitting dresses without buttons.
National musical instruments
In Kazakhstan, there are more than 20 varieties of national musical instruments, which emphasizes the rich culture of the Kazakh people. The Kazakhs used musical instruments not only to convey their emotions and feelings in songs, but they were also needed in rituals, ceremonies, and even in the household.
The most popular instrument is the dombra. The dombra is a pear-shaped plucked instrument with a long neck. Kazakh musician and composer Kurmangazy is considered as one of the outstanding dombra players who had a great influence on the musical culture of Kazakhstan. Currently, the inhabitants of the country celebrate the National Day of Dombra, which falls on the first Sunday in July.
Kobyz is another common musical instrument. It is a two-stringed bowed instrument with a bucket body and a short curved neck. The strings are made from horsehair. It is played like a cello with a small bow and by squeezing it at the knees. Kobyz is distinguished by a rich timbre.
Dabyl is a percussion folk instrument. It is covered with leather on both sides. Dabyla makes a loud sound. In ancient times it was used to give signals.
Sybyzgy is popular among wind musical instruments. It is made of reed and has three holes. There are two different types of sybyzgi existing in the country. In the east of Kazakhstan, it is shorter and narrower, while in the west the instrument has a larger and longer shape.
National equestrian games
The life of a nomad in the steppe is impossible to imagine without a horse. It represents a significant part of Kazakh people’s culture. To improve the important skills of the horse rider, such as strength, endurance, and agility, the nomads organized various national games. These sports games were also an integral element of the entertainment program for the holidays and celebrations.
Tymak uryp zhygu is a national game suitable for everyone who is good in the saddle. A low pole with a tumak (hat) on the top is shown to the participant. Then his eyes are covered tightly with a strip of fabric and he makes a few circles in place and starts to move. The goal of the rider is to knock down the tumak in three attempts. At the same time, the number of players is not limited and everyone who has a horse can try his luck.
Another fascinating national equestrian game is kyz kuu. The game is played by young men and women competing in pairs on horseback and usually dressed in colorful traditional clothing. In the first round, the young man must catch up with the girl. If he succeeds, he gets the right to kiss her. In the second part of the game, the participants change places. The girl chases the young man, and in case of victory, she may beat him with a horsewhip.
Kokpar is considered one of the most spectacular games. In ancient times, young men from the nearby pastures took part in the Kazakh game of kokpar. The competition was the best way to test riders for strength, agility and edurance. Two teams of participants line up on the field. A few meters away from the players, a carcass of animal was left. Thus, the fight for the carcass began, and the game could continue until the evening.
Audaryspak is a popular type of Kazakh wrestling on horses. According to the rules of this game, the participant must throw his opponent off the saddle. It is forbidden to use kamcha (horsewhip) in wrestling, an attribute of each rider. The selection of the horse plays a huge role in audaryspak. The wrestler has an advantage if he has a strong, short, and agile horse.
The Kazakh equestrian game alaman baiga tests not only horseman for strength and riding skills, but it is also a great test of endurance for horses. Aman baiga is long-distance racing. The fact is, through these races, the Kazakh people were preparing horses for a long journey, selecting the strongest and most persistent horses to improve the breed.
