Elements
The telling tradition of Nasreddin Hodja/MollaNesreddin/Molla Ependi/Apendi/Afendi Kozhanasyr/ Nasriddin Afandi anecdotes
marks_1
-
Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright Manage No EE00002509 Country Turkey,Uzbekistan,Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan,Turkmenistan,Azerbaijan ICH Domain Oral traditions and representations Performing Arts Social practices, rituals, festive events Address The element has been practiced in a wide geographical area and spread in various parts of the world especially from Balkans to Central Asia. The geographical location of the element in the Submitting States is indicated below: In Azerbaijan, the element exists in all the regions, in both rural and urban areas, especially in the capital city Baku, and the regions of Absheron, Sheki, Gubadli, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Gabala, Zaqatala, Shirvan, Ganja, Karabakh, Zengilan, Aghdam, Kalbajar, Lachin, Guba, Khachmaz, Shamkir, Yevlakh, Saatli, Oghuz, Neftchala, Salyan, Nakhchivan and many others. In Kazakhstan, the element has been practiced since the Middle Age in most geographical regions of the country through the traditional cultural events and seasonal festive competitions. In Kyrgyz Republic, the element is practiced in all seven regions of the country: Batken, Chui, Issyk-Kul, Jalalabad, Naryn, Osh and Talas. In Tajikistan, anecdote telling is popular across Tajikistan as a folklore tradition. People in the cities of Dushanbe, Khujand, Bokhtar, Panjakent, Hisar and other areas tell each other and listen to traditional Afandi anecdotes. In Turkey, the element has been renowned and practiced in all the geographical regions of Turkey and it is especially kept alive in Akşehir (district of Konya province) and Sivrihisar (district of Eskişehir province) through the activities organized annually. In Turkmenistan, the element is very popular in all regions of Turkmenistan and especially in Baherden city of Ahal region, Gorogly city of Dashoguz region, Turkmenbashy, Tagtabazar city of Mary region and southern cities of Balkan region. In Uzbekistan the element has been developed and reached the level of art in Ferghana, Andijan, Namangan,Tashkent, Navoi, Bukhara, Kashkadarya, Jizzakh, Surkhandarya, Khorezm regions and the Republic of Karakalpakstan.
| Description | The Telling Tradition of Nasreddin Hodja/Molla Nesreddin/Molla Ependi/Apendi/Afendi Kozhanasyr/Nasriddin Afandi Anecdotes is an intangible cultural heritage element on social practices and festivals related to the tradition of telling anecdotes. It is transmitted orally among generations and is shaped around Nasreddin who became a symbol of humor and wisdom. Although there are slight differences about images, names and anecdotes of Nasreddin in communities, the main features of the element have been shared as a common heritage in the Submitting States. Communities acknowledge that he was a wise person who analyzed the society well and gathered shared intelligence, thought and life experience of people in his own personality. The anecdotes of him are short and intensive narrations transmitted through oral tradition and written sources, attributed to Nasreddin whose reputation spread to the wide geographical area. Some of the anecdotes have become classic, and the epigrams of these anecdotes have turned into idioms and proverbs in time. His anecdotes are intensely practiced in the printed and visual media as well as in the oral tradition and especially in the programs prepared for children. In the anecdotes of Nasreddin, the components of wisdom, repartee, witticism, common sense, absurdity and surprise merged firm and these are distinguishing features of the anecdotes. Nasreddin breaks very often accepted norms and concepts, while finding an extraordinary way out of the situation, where he is always the winner, by the power of word. Anecdotes call for humor, satire, sarcasm, and cynicism, to reveal the negative traits of people. However, the anecdotes is a genre with an instructive, entertaining function, a profound meaning that ends with moral, intellectual, and logical results. His anecdotes include relations of different people and their behaviors in various situations. Through his anecdotes, all kinds of unpleasant behaviors are being criticized and judged through humor. Communities in the Submitting States enrich conversations with his anecdotes and support speeches with his witticism. His anecdotes are narrated easily by everyone to strengthen any thought by giving examples in the dailylife, to convince other people or to explain a situation. In some Submitting States, although there is no specific narrator or teller of these anecdotes, the artists of traditional theatre use the element to enrich their narratives and to entertain people. On the other hand, there are specific tellers of the anecdotes in some Submitting States (Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). The anecdote tellers select words and perform with great care. In this sense, it mostly depends on knowledge, understanding, thinking, performance culture and skill of the performer to tell anecdotes in meaningful, impressive and funny way. It is important for performer to know various life situations, possess an impressive culture of speech, and make use effectively and skillfully his face, eye, hand, and body movements. In Submitting States, local administrations, municipalities, universities and NGOs which play significant roles in transmission of the element, organize various activities and festivals periodically for commemoration of Nasreddin at local, national and international levels. Public participation in these festivals and activities is considerably high. |
|---|---|
| Social and cultural significance | The Nasreddin anecdotes, which strengthen cultural ties among generations, constitute an important source that reflects social and cultural life concisely and humorously in Submitting States. Common sense, hardwork, sincerity, respect, patience, understanding and optimism are the main features of his anecdotes. Being a quick-witted person, his power of humor makes people think while they are laughing. The expressions in the anecdotes later turned into idioms and proverbs that considered as a part of cultural memory of society. His anecdotes guide people from past to present by giving moral lessons. The element which has become a common way of communication today, frequently used in daily conversations, brings people who laugh at the same facts, criticize and ultimately reach a shared opinion together and gives them a sense of identity and belonging. The element is important as an expression of social memory. People give his name to newborn children; his statues are located in parks and public spaces, couples getting married go to his tomb for the wedding ceremony, people have organized many festivals for his memory. All these aspects keep the element alive. The element also has special social and cultural meaning at national level in each submitting states: In Azerbaijan, a popular tradition says that if someone is not thankful to people, he/she should say seven Molla Nasreddin anecdotes. Another tradition also tells that the one mentioning Nasreddin’s name should tell seven anecdotes. Everyone who hears should also tell seven stories in return. In Kazakhstan, Kozhanasyr/Qojanasyr’s anecdotes of and its modern life reflection and humor sketches are shared colloquially on occasions such as common food and tea consumption on family gatherings or wedding parties. In Kyrgyz Republic, the element is a part of the cultural heritage, which expresses creativity, intellectual richness of the society, solidarity, hospitality, fairness, and respect to other people with different social and cultural backgrounds. The element depicts rich knowledge about history and traditions. |
| Transmission method | Knowledge and skills related to the element in the first place are transmitted and inherited verbally from generation to generation. Apart from the oral tradition, the element has also been transmitted through written sources in the Submitting States. Particularly social groups as the families, elders, teachers, anecdote tellers, local comedians commonly use Nasreddin anecdotes to explain social values to the young generations. These groups share their knowledge about Nasreddin by telling stories about him, demonstrating good and bad deeds of characters and teaching children social and cultural values. In some submitting states, Nasreddin anecdotes are transmitted through formal education curriculum, publications, TV programs, animations, cartoons, social media and internet websites. The related communities conduct thematic projects to transmit the element to children through performing and telling Nasreddin anecdotes accompanied by traditional children's games in cultural spaces where shared cultural memory is kept alive, i.e. parks, applied museums, birthplace and tomb of Nasreddin. Traditionally, as individual training and transmission of the knowledge, techniques and skills related to the element from master to trainee are combined during public performances (wedding ceremonies, festivities, celebrations, short theatre performances and grand national holidays etc.). Local administrations and NGOs contribute to transmission of the element by organizing various activities. Due to these activities carried out at the local, national and international levels, they contribute to the transmission of knowledge and raising awareness related to the element in broad masses. In addition, secondary schools, conservatories and institutes of culture play significant roles in the transmission of primary knowledge and skills related to the element to the younger generation within the formal educational norms in submitting states. A number of books and manuscripts were published with various short anecdotes of Nasreddin by researchers, academicians, NGOs and governmental institutions. Some additional information related to the element which enables transmission is available in the published scientific sources and audio/video recordings of performances of the local comedians, humorous and satirist groups. |
| Community | In Tajikistan, some popular concerned communities and groups are: Satiristical groups “Shakarkhand”, “Gharibsho Kompaniya”, “Lahzahoi Guvoro”, “Khandinkamon” “Shukhihoi Aloviddin”. Also, there are social settings of friends’ gathering called “Gashtak” in Dushanbe City and Hisor valley and “Gapkhuri” in Soughd province, which are proper context for telling Afandi anecdotes. In Turkmenistan, groups and individuals concerned with the element consist of representatives from various strata of the Turkmen society without gender, age or professional restrictions, including tutors and amateurs, artists, bagshys (folk storytellers), members of comedian groups and researchers. At present time the bearers of the element are male performers Ashyr Gurbanov, Akhmet Halykov, Chary Dolyev, O.Gelenov, A.Didarov, K.Ashyrov, K.Berdivev, S.Sabyrov, H.Bayramov, A.Baymyradov, M.Tuvakov, R.Godarov as well as female performers Aynabat Silapova, Oguljan Bekieva, G.Menglieva, G.Chommyeva, A.Nazarova, G.Ylyasova, A.Durdyeva. In Uzbekistan, humorists, their trainees, apprentices and individuals associated with humour constitute the concerned community. There are many prominent individuals who practiced and succeeded in the art of curiosity, such as Mukhiddin Darveshov, Khojiboy Tojiboyev, Obid Asomov. Nowadays, such people as Mirzabek Kholmedov, Zakir Ochildiev, Avaz Ahun, Ortik Sultanov are involved in this art and making a significant contribution to the development and popularization of Afandi anecdotes. |
| Type of UNESCO List | Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List | 2022 |