| Description |
Kyrgyz people worshipped natural objects from antiquity, deeming that it is in the nature the visible and invisible worlds may coexist harmoniously. One of such practices is the Obo ceremony. It is a worshipping practice that was spread in a pre-Islamic period, when people equally worshipped the Sun and the Earth. It was understood that the Sun represents the fatherly beginning, and the Earth represents the motherly one. Sacred sites are visited by people, who need to be treated from illnesses, both physical, and spiritual; or those who want to make a prayer in memory of the dead relatives.
Other widely spread practices are zikir chaluu and shamanic ritual korum zikir. In addition, other varieties of spiritual practices include talma bii and oiun. Roles of bakhshi (in Turkic tradition) and dubana (Muslim dervishes) are merged in many ways in Kyrgyz practice.
Zikir chaluu represents emotional prayer, which is made because of pragmatic reasons, and as a rule, people ask for prosperity, welfare, healing, fertility or peace. Fire purification ceremony sham is performed often along with zikir chaluu during festive rituals as the Kyrgyz believe that the spiritual and visible worlds are unified in the fire.
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| Social and cultural significance |
The environment was not only a place of the subsistence for the Kyrgyz, but also a place of spiritual practices. Natural objects, mazars and tombs of ancestors, not the mosques, served as the temples for the nomads of Central Asia for a long time. These are evidenced by customs and rituals, which are performed during visits to sacred places: near springs, small rivers, boulders, and trees, considered as the non- human-made mazars. Mazars link a current state of culture with antiquity, by embracing its Islamic and pre-Islamic layers and affecting various spheres – from traditional medicine to performing arts.
Near the mazars, in case of any natural disasters (drought, loss of livestock, epidemic), Kyrgyz people held public prayers, accompanied by sacrifices (tuloo). Family rituals were also performed in the event of one of the family members falling ill, as well as when there were no children in the family.
Today, the worship of sacred sites continues to play an important role in the spiritual culture of modern Kyrgyz people. The graves of especially prominent personalities continue to serve as an object of worship to this day.
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| Transmission method |
Traditional knowledge concerning the element has been transmitted orally and in a natural way through demonstration,
Continuity is one of the main factors in the transfer of traditional knowledge. The learning system of ustat-shakirt (mentor and student) in spiritual and storytelling practices has always been and still is the most important in the formation and development of carriers of spiritual traditional knowledge.
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| Community |
Bearers of traditional knowledge, caretakers of sacred sites.
Cultural Research Center "Aigine" makes a great contribution to the research of the sacred sites of Kyrgyzstan.
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