ALL
customs
ICH Elements 141
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Traditional craftsmanship of the Mongol Ger and its associated customs
For thousands of years, nomadic herders of Mongolia roamed across the country-side from season to season. Dry, windy areas close to rivers are best for summers while areas away from river-bank wind and close to mountains or hills are best for winter stays. In the country where pasture always was and still is a public domain, the herders moved freely to the best locations for the season. With this lifestyle of freedom of movement and pastoral animal husbandry was invented the national dwelling called the ‘Mongol ger’. It is a round structure of easily dismantle-able walls, polls and a round ceiling covered with canvas and felt, tightened with ropes. The ger was designed to be light enough for Mongolian nomads to carry, flexible enough to fold-up, pack and assemble, sturdy enough for multiple dismantling and assembling as well as easy for regulating temperatures within. Over many centuries the mongol ger was modified into a perfectly aerodynamic structure which can withstand Mongolia's fierce spring winds ranging up to 18-20 meter/sec. It can be dismantled in half an hour and assembled in an hour by a small family with 2-3 adults. The Mongol ger has many varieties. The most common “5-wall ger” consists of five lattice segments forming a circular wall, a door, a toono (round window ceiling), two bagana (columns that hold the toono), and 88 uni(long poles that connect wall lattices and toono which forms the roof of the ger). There are also several accessories attached to the ger.
Mongolia 2013 -
Mongolian knuckle-bone shooting
Mongolians revere certain parts of bones of their domestic livestock animals and use them in their religious rites, plays and traditional games. One such popular team-based game is knucklebone shooting. Players flick thirty domino-like marble tablets on a smooth wooden surface towards a target of sheep knuckle-bones, aiming to knock them into a target zone. Each shooter possesses their own (arrow, chair, etc.) adjusted shooting tools and instruments especially made by hand and wear costumes embossed with distinguished characteristics depending on their rank and merits. All the equipment is made by traditional craftsmen. Its technique demands high levels of endurance and accuracy. Singers communicate their opinions to the shooters by singing traditional Knucklebone Shooting melodies and songs. Each competition's opening and closing ceremony has several specific rituals. National competitions tournaments involve 400-600 shooters; there are 30 or more competitions per year. Shooters build their own communities depending on their interest and affinity. This community is recognized as part of the cultural heritage. According to established rules teams consist of six to eight men, among which one or two have to be youngsters. Team members are tied by unbreakable internal bonds and follow clear ethical rules of mutual respect and dignity. A senior member who possesses well ethical and traditional knowledge and experiences will become the team leader. The Association is the principle representatives of bearers, preserving and promoting this heritage and ensuring continuous training and transmission of knowledge from senior to younger shooters.
Mongolia 2014 -
Dragon Boat festival
Beginning on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, people of several ethnic groups throughout China and the world celebrate the Dragon Boat festival, especially in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The festivities vary from region to region, but they usually share several features. A memorial ceremony offering sacrifices to a local hero is combined with sporting events such as dragon races, dragon boating and willow shooting; feasts of rice dumplings, eggs and ruby sulphur wine; and folk entertainments including opera, song and unicorn dances.
China 2009 -
Foal weanling ceremony
When the summer ends and the cold days of autumn starts, Mongolians do this custom as weanling or release the baby foals and mares to their flock of horses. Mongolians release the foals from their tethers on the Dog Day of autumn and do the ceremony of folding the ropes and tethers or foal branding ceremony in that day. In order to do this ceremony, they make a fire near the tether of foal for firing the horse brand, and start branding foals. After branding they put the brand into airag in vessel and come to the ger and have an airag. They do an airag libation to the blue sky and mother earth. Depending on the weather and landscape, the weanling ceremony is done differently in Mongolia. After the libation, the feast starts with general proceeding of other feast.
Mongolia -
The Custom of “Dismantling The Kitchen” for Women After Giving Birth
The Custom of “Dismantling the Kitchen” is a passed down practice by women after giving birth to look after their health and to forgo the abstinence ties during the abstention period of 40 days or 44 days. The community calls it as abstinence or ‘heat one self’ (Berdiang) period which means the said women are to rest from doing their normal household chores that may affect their health. The period too can discipline the mothers by taking nutritional food and to manage one self so that to be continually healthy. According to the Terengganu community, the Berdiang is a process to heat the mother’s body, cleanse the dirty blood, stimulate blood flow and shrink the womb. The mother who has just given birth lie down on a sleeping bed of which underneath it is placed a heated stove filled with firewood and charcoal. This heat is needed to heat up the body, shrink the womb and to dispel dirty blood. The ingredients for this ceremony are rice flour, water, lime, raw thread and woven coconut leaves that are blessed before hand by the midwife. The flour is to heal any illness that might be inside the mother’s body. All these ingredients are used to bathe the mother, the baby and all the equipment used during the abstention period like the stove, sleeping bed and wrapping cloth. The sleeping bed and stove will then be dismantled after the ceremony. The next process is the Forgoing Ceremony that is to release the official tie between the mother and the midwife. The ingredients are woven coconut leaves and raw thread. The woven coconut leaves are placed on the mother’s head and then pulled accompanied with prayers and mantras. The raw thread are wrapped around the body from the head down to the feet and then removed from the body. The end of this ceremony marks the end of the official tie between the mother and the midwife. They have been released from the abstention period and given the ‘healer’ against any threats or evil ‘wind’. This custom is believed to avoid the mother from getting body illness or illness of the nerve in future. It is also believed that it can avoid disturbances from evil elements within the surrounding during abstinence that might return to disturb both mother and baby. This ceremony is indirectly giving the mother a chance to appreciate the midwife’s service in managing both mother and baby during the abstinence period. This custom can still be practiced even if the midwife was not the one receiving the baby and the mother did not undergo the heating up process. If the newly-given birth mother who is released from hospital requests the service of the midwife during the abstention period, then indirectly there established a tie between the mother and the midwife. As such, to release this official tie then the custom of ‘dismantling the kitchen’ needs to be conducted.
Malaysia -
NISHALLO, nishollo, nishavlo
A traditional sweetness of Tajiks similar to halva. It is prepared with white of egg, sugar and bekhi – a kind of plant. That is special sweet for Ramadan month and other celebrations.
Tajikistan -
KHUCHOB, khuchow
A traditional kind of dish, which is mostly prepared during winter season. It consisted of dog-rose, walnut, onion, oil and fatir (a kind of bread).
Tajikistan -
PIYOZDOGHAK, piyozbiryon
Fried red anion. This kind of dish will be prepared for breakfasts in winter season.
Tajikistan -
FARBECH, farbesh
Farbech also is a traditional spring dish prepared with wheat, onion, carrot, fresh herbs.
Tajikistan -
GHUBAY
A kind of dish of the mountainous people of Badakhshan. It is prepared with bread baked from bean flour, yogurt and butter.
Tajikistan -
AYRON
A kind of traditional drink of farmers and people’s mountainous areas, which is prepared with milk of horse, sheep and goat. Especially ayron is prepared in summer pasture.
Tajikistan -
“Sanjyra”
Sanjyra is the oral listing of ancestors on the straight male-line. It was compulsory for everyone to know his ancestors as the Kyrgyz identified themselves through a link with clan and tribe. Sanjyra provided answers to the questions such as: “Who are you?”, “Who were your father, grandfather?”, “From which family are you?”. That is why there is a saying: “Those who do not now their ancestors will become slaves”. The Kyrgyz genealogy consists of three large groups: right wing (on), left wing (sol) and the ichkilik (inner) group. Similar to many genealogies of other nations, it represents a sprawling crown of a tree (tree of life). Intertribal hierarchy was built on the male-line by giving the male names to the titles of tribal clans.
Kyrgyzstan