Customs and traditions
According to Abbreviationfinder, Persian cultural heritage and Islam characterize customs and customs in Tajikistan. Pre-Muslim practices that are often associated with Zoroastrianism (Old Iranian religion) are also alive, not least in the form of widespread belief in rock and supernatural forces.
Many Tajiks use amulets and it is common to turn to businessmen. Burning herbs is considered to keep away or cure diseases.
- Countryaah: Overview of the capital city of Tajikistan, including information about its population, economy, geography, history and map.
Hospitality, humility and respect, especially for the elderly, are regarded as fundamental values. The elderly always get the place of honor. Everyone gets up when a guest enters a room. In a greeting, when shaking hands, it is good practice to put your left hand over the heart and bow easily.
A man must never go into a house where there are only women, and a girl must not be left alone with a boy. In larger social contexts, it is common for women and men to live separately. Even married couples should be restrained with public tender certificates.
Eating on the floor
Some items should not be handed from one hand to another, but placed on a table in between. This includes scissors, needles and keys. Standing in a doorway is considered to make you fall into debt.
When guests come to visit a Tajik home, a tablecloth – a dasturkhan – is laid out on the floor or on a low table. You sit on cushions or pillows on the floor. Honorary guests are placed furthest from the door.
The national dish is osh, or palav (plow), a rice dish with meat, carrots and onions that is fried in a lot of oil in a pot. Other vegetables may also be included. In the countryside, the dish is still sometimes cooked over an open fire and eaten from a common dish, with its hands. As an appetizer or accessory, you often eat small salads, in addition to the fatty rice dish. Lamb and mutton are very common, while pork is not present. Soup, sometimes with noodles, is ordinary food.
Important to be well dressed
For the food, flat bread, similar to Indian naan bread, is always served. A Tajik who has no bread says he has no food. According to tradition, bread must not lie up and down, because it means bad luck. Also, nothing may be placed on top of the bread, except more bread. Bread crumbs are collected and handled ceremoniously.
Green tea is the most common drink and tea houses are common gathering places. Tea should be served to the host first, which flavors the tea to show that it is harmless to drink. Alcohol is not allowed according to Islam, but quite common nonetheless.
For Tajik, it is important to be well-dressed, no matter what style. Western clothing is common, not least in the cities. However, one should avoid acting too undressed. Many schoolchildren wear school uniforms. Above all, older men often dress in kaftan and turban or traditional hat. Women have wide skirts. In recent years, among women, it has become more common with a Muslim veil, even the traditional paranoia that is reminiscent of a burka. The government that wants to curb Islamization has banned the use of comprehensive veils in, among other schools, and has called for the use of “national attire” instead of imported “Islamic” ones.
Traditions and holidays
According to Countryaah, the biggest celebration is the Persian New Year, nouruz, which is celebrated for several days during the spring equinox in March. In connection with nouruz, sumalak (or samanu) is prepared, a special dessert made on wheat germs. Sometimes only women gather in a special ceremony as they read poems, sing and dance.
At nouruz, as well as at other festivals and festivals, sports competitions and performances are common. Wrestling – gushtigiri – is a national sport. Another is buzkashi when you pull a goat (without a head) from other horses that other participants try to take.
There are laws relating to traditions and rituals and they also regulate private events. In 2010, the authorities decided that wedding parties may have a maximum of 300 guests. The aim is to prevent people from spending too much money at parties. According to President Rahmon, some people are otherwise ruined because of social pressure on parties with up to 1,000 participants. By law, the authorities have the opportunity to exercise control over both the practice of religion and the larger public.
Two Muslim feasts are observed: idi ramazon (in Arabic id al-fitr), which is the feast that ends the fasting month of ramadan, and the sacrificial feast of idi qurbon (id al-adha). They fall on different dates as they follow the lunar calendar.
Furthermore, a number of non-religious holidays are celebrated: New Year, January 1, International Women’s Day, March 8, Labor Day, May 1, Victory Day (after World War II), May 9, National Unity Day June 27, Independence Day September 9, and Constitution Day November 6.
2008
April
Borrowed money is repaid to the IMF
The head of the central bank announces that Tajikistan will repay $ 47 million to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after it was discovered that the country received loans based on false information about its finances.
February
Famine during cold winter
Severe lack of food and electricity contributes to famine and difficult conditions, not least in isolated mountain regions. Food prices have risen steeply and winter is extremely cold.