An elder person ties together small fingers of the bride and groom with a sacred cotton thread chanted with Pirith and pouring holy water on the tied fingers invoke blessing

Groom dresses the bridegroom with clothes and jewelry during the Poruwa ceremony of a wedding

The Darangen is an ancient epic song that encompasses a wealth of knowledge of the Maranao people who live in the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao. This southernmost island of the Philippine archipelago is the traditional homeland of the Maranao, one of the country’s three main Muslim groups.\nComprising 17 cycles and a total of 72,000 lines, the Darangen celebrates episodes from Maranao history and the tribulations of mythical heroes. In addition to having a compelling narrative content, the epic explores the underlying themes of life and death, courtship, love and politics through symbol, metaphor, irony and satire. The Darangen also encodes customary law, standards of social and ethical behaviour, notions of aesthetic beauty, and social values specific to the Maranao. To this day, elders refer to this time-honoured text in the administration of customary law.\nMeaning literally “to narrate in song”, the Darangen existed before the Islamization of the Philippines in the fourteenth century and is part of a wider epic culture connected to early Sanskrit traditions extending through most of Mindanao.\nSpecialized female and male performers sing the Darangen during wedding celebrations that typically last several nights. Performers must possess a prodigious memory, improvisational skills, poetic imagination, knowledge of customary law and genealogy, a flawless and elegant vocal technique, and the ability to engage an audience during long hours of performance. Music and dance sometimes accompany the chanting.

The Darangen is an ancient epic song that encompasses a wealth of knowledge of the Maranao people who live in the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao. This southernmost island of the Philippine archipelago is the traditional homeland of the Maranao, one of the country’s three main Muslim groups.\nComprising 17 cycles and a total of 72,000 lines, the Darangen celebrates episodes from Maranao history and the tribulations of mythical heroes. In addition to having a compelling narrative content, the epic explores the underlying themes of life and death, courtship, love and politics through symbol, metaphor, irony and satire. The Darangen also encodes customary law, standards of social and ethical behaviour, notions of aesthetic beauty, and social values specific to the Maranao. To this day, elders refer to this time-honoured text in the administration of customary law.\nMeaning literally “to narrate in song”, the Darangen existed before the Islamization of the Philippines in the fourteenth century and is part of a wider epic culture connected to early Sanskrit traditions extending through most of Mindanao.\nSpecialized female and male performers sing the Darangen during wedding celebrations that typically last several nights. Performers must possess a prodigious memory, improvisational skills, poetic imagination, knowledge of customary law and genealogy, a flawless and elegant vocal technique, and the ability to engage an audience during long hours of performance. Music and dance sometimes accompany the chanting.

Qarsak (literally, “handclap”) is a widespread and popular song genre, folk dance-game of Uzbek and Tajik people of Uzbekistan.Qarsak is performed by men (and later – by a mixed group of participants). It currently represents musical and dance traditions of Samarkand and very popular in Bukhara, Surkhandaryo and Kashkadaryo regions. Different folk poems ( a verse) are used as texts of mavrigi. Melodies of Qarsak are simple with low range and developed through primary melody .Qarsak, in the past, was a song that performed by men in a circle, which was accompanied by playing on doira, handclap, voices s and dances.It usually was performed during wedding ceremonies and public events.

Qarsak (literally, “handclap”) is a widespread and popular song genre, folk dance-game of Uzbek and Tajik people of Uzbekistan.Qarsak is performed by men (and later – by a mixed group of participants). It currently represents musical and dance traditions of Samarkand and very popular in Bukhara, Surkhandaryo and Kashkadaryo regions. Different folk poems ( a verse) are used as texts of mavrigi. Melodies of Qarsak are simple with low range and developed through primary melody .Qarsak, in the past, was a song that performed by men in a circle, which was accompanied by playing on doira, handclap, voices s and dances.It usually was performed during wedding ceremonies and public events.

Qarsak (literally, “handclap”) is a widespread and popular song genre, folk dance-game of Uzbek and Tajik people of Uzbekistan.Qarsak is performed by men (and later – by a mixed group of participants). It currently represents musical and dance traditions of Samarkand and very popular in Bukhara, Surkhandaryo and Kashkadaryo regions. Different folk poems ( a verse) are used as texts of mavrigi. Melodies of Qarsak are simple with low range and developed through primary melody .Qarsak, in the past, was a song that performed by men in a circle, which was accompanied by playing on doira, handclap, voices s and dances.It usually was performed during wedding ceremonies and public events.

Qarsak (literally, “handclap”) is a widespread and popular song genre, folk dance-game of Uzbek and Tajik people of Uzbekistan.Qarsak is performed by men (and later – by a mixed group of participants). It currently represents musical and dance traditions of Samarkand and very popular in Bukhara, Surkhandaryo and Kashkadaryo regions. Different folk poems ( a verse) are used as texts of mavrigi. Melodies of Qarsak are simple with low range and developed through primary melody .Qarsak, in the past, was a song that performed by men in a circle, which was accompanied by playing on doira, handclap, voices s and dances.It usually was performed during wedding ceremonies and public events.

Qarsak (literally, “handclap”) is a widespread and popular song genre, folk dance-game of Uzbek and Tajik people of Uzbekistan.Qarsak is performed by men (and later – by a mixed group of participants). It currently represents musical and dance traditions of Samarkand and very popular in Bukhara, Surkhandaryo and Kashkadaryo regions. Different folk poems ( a verse) are used as texts of mavrigi. Melodies of Qarsak are simple with low range and developed through primary melody .Qarsak, in the past, was a song that performed by men in a circle, which was accompanied by playing on doira, handclap, voices s and dances.It usually was performed during wedding ceremonies and public events.

Qarsak (literally, “handclap”) is a widespread and popular song genre, folk dance-game of Uzbek and Tajik people of Uzbekistan.Qarsak is performed by men (and later – by a mixed group of participants). It currently represents musical and dance traditions of Samarkand and very popular in Bukhara, Surkhandaryo and Kashkadaryo regions. Different folk poems ( a verse) are used as texts of mavrigi. Melodies of Qarsak are simple with low range and developed through primary melody .Qarsak, in the past, was a song that performed by men in a circle, which was accompanied by playing on doira, handclap, voices s and dances.It usually was performed during wedding ceremonies and public events.

Qarsak (literally, “handclap”) is a widespread and popular song genre, folk dance-game of Uzbek and Tajik people of Uzbekistan.Qarsak is performed by men (and later – by a mixed group of participants). It currently represents musical and dance traditions of Samarkand and very popular in Bukhara, Surkhandaryo and Kashkadaryo regions. Different folk poems ( a verse) are used as texts of mavrigi. Melodies of Qarsak are simple with low range and developed through primary melody .Qarsak, in the past, was a song that performed by men in a circle, which was accompanied by playing on doira, handclap, voices s and dances.It usually was performed during wedding ceremonies and public events.

Khalfa is a woman-performer of folk songs and instrumental music, a poetess in Khoresm Oasis, who embodies traditions of oral folk art. In terms of activity, there are the following types of khalfas: khalfa sozi (khalfa-musician), who performs folk instrumental melodies; khalfa yodoghiy (khalfa-singer and khalfa-poetess), who performs folk songs at wedding ceremonies and festivities, while accompanying her singing by playing on a musical instrument; khalfa kitobiy (khalfa-book lover), who reads old books of religious themes during commemoration and rituals events ("mushkulkushod" – literally "relief"); khalfa dostonchi (khalfa-narrator); khalfa raqqosa or khalfa oyinchi (khalfa-dancer).\nIn Khoresm two directions of khalfa performance became widespread, i.e. ensemble performance and solo performance. In ensemble performance it is possible to see a leading woman-performer, who sings songs under accompaniment of accordion (i.e. Russian diatonic accordion, which has been existence in Khoresm since XIX centure and which is called "qol soz"), doira player (who accompanies singing by playing on doira; sometimes she can act as a dancer as well) and dancers (who accompany singing with their dances; they usually dance with kajraks (castanets), or sometimes, sing along and play on doira).