Uzbekistan is a country of new various emotions, changes, one of the countries, where you will meet such people as; hardworking, open, but most of all, are hospitable. If you find yourself as a guest in any Uzbek family, then you may consider yourself very lucky. The Uzbeks say, - "Mehmon otangdek ulug", which means; - "Appreciate guests at the level of your father." That is, how a guest is very respected person. The Uzbek people honor and respect their relatives, parents, their family. In bide and joy, they always support and care each other. On holidays they gather in large families and unite even more. In Uzbek families, children are raised, put on their feet, educated, married, almost all the savings of the parents are spent on the weddings and for the future of the children. Growing children take a great care of their parents in old age. The youngest child, usually, stays and lives in the parental home. One of the most beloved holidays of the people, is the spring holiday NAVRUZ - a new day. This ancient event is celebrated before the beginning of the new year. According to the customs, all people celebrated together in ancient times, as we know, they made cherished wishes, asked the Almighty, that this up coming year would bring an abundance of harvests, so there was a lot of food, the land was more fertile, there was a lot of water. And hardworking people always knew, that without diligence and without love for the land, you will not achieve anything. It is not in vain, that they say, that ; "What you sow, you will reap)"
One of the most popular interesting events in the life of Uzbek people, is the "Cradle holiday"
Traditions of the Uzbek people.
Beshik toy - Cradle holiday;
The birth of the first child in a young family, is a great long-awaited event, not only for the newly-made father and mother, but also for their relatives. First of all, for the new grandparents, on both sides. Everyone begins to prepare for the first big celebration, in the family of the newlyweds, after the wedding – beshik toyi (cradle holiday).
According to Uzbek traditions, the main burden of holding beshik toy is carried out by the bride's parents. They prepare several sets of clothes and shoes for the child, with the expectation of using them for their intended purpose, until school age. That is, until the age of seven, various toys, depending on the child's gender, an Uzbek cradle with decorations and ornaments, sarpo (clothes) for the daughter, her husband, two kudos (matchmakers), other close relatives (brothers and sisters, grandparents, uncles and aunts) of their son-in-law. As well as food for the feast: rice, flour, meat, butter, etc. This large dastarkhan (table) is prepared in advance, from the moment, the news of the daughter's pregnancy are known. The host party, the future father and mother, and the parents of this father also begin to prepare for beshik toy...
On the day of the beshik toy celebration, the groom's house is clean, tidy, cozy and festive, ready for the arrival of guests. Everyone is dressed for the holiday, with smiles on their faces. The bride's mother with 15-20 relatives and gifts, in their hands, come to her daughter's new house. The karnai-surnai are loud, the tambourines are thundering. The women raising the beshik sing alla (a lullaby song).
Beshik is an Uzbek cradle. Beshik is made of mulberry, willow or poplar wood. The length of the beshik is one meter, the height is 40-60 centimeters. Beshik is painted with natural dyes. The child is placed on his back in the beshik. Pressing the child's little arms to his body, we tie the body with a cloth made of bakhmal (velvet, ivy) and tie it to the bottom of the beshik. The child's legs require the same operation. The child is placed so that his buttocks, not covered with cloth, are arranged directly above the pot, made of ceramic clay and therefore always warm. In this situation, the child does not get dirty when urges and defecating.
A wooden tube, sumak, similar to a smoking pipe, goes to the potty; it will take the baby's urine straight into the potty. This is very important, because the baby's body, in the beshik, is always clean and dry. Inside the beshik, there are pads for the baby's head and feet, also made of velvet material that absorbs sweat and moisture. The lower part of the beshik is made in the form of semicircular runners, allowing you, to gently, but smoothly swing the cradle. The upper part is like two domes, high enough, from the base, where the baby lies, so that when these domes are covered with thick fabric, there is plenty of air left in the cradle for the baby to breathe. In summer, a light decorative fabric is thrown over the beshik - a blanket, in winter - a velvet dress. The sumak (a tube for urine drainage) comes in two types, depending on the baby's gender. The kovuz (mattress) placed in the beshik, is stuffed with millet husks, so that the body does not stick to the mattress and moves freely. Uzbek alla (song) are intended to calm and lull the child with simple, uncomplicated chants of the mother, to the rhythm of the beshik, swaying from side to side. These allas show all the love of a mother to her little child, express all the dreams and hopes connected with his future life, great wishes and wonderful experiences. Alla, is a result of a folk art. No poet creates them specially. But mothers create them: despite the monotony of the well-known musical melody, each mother has her own words. The gifts for the child and the beshik, are given to the child's mother and grandmother. If the firstborn is a boy, the gifts include a wooden horse on runners, and if the firstborn is a girl, among other things, a large toy house, where all the toy furniture, kitchen utensils, bedding and clothes for dolls are visible inside. Both parties, both the guests and those who meet, hug and kiss, congratulate each other on such a significant event - the birth of a child, and say long pleasantries. The hostess of the house - the grandmother of the firstborn, showers the guests with sweets. Here the children have a feast day, pushing their rivals and collecting who is faster and more. Everyone is invited to the dastarkhan, a long prayer for the health of the child is said. Adult women retire for a while to the inner chambers to teach the young mother, in a solemn atmosphere how to handle the beshik in compliance with all the signs, how to tie and untie the child (in principle, she knows this, but the ritual must be observed). The beshik is in the middle of the room. All the brought decorations, bells, chimes, amulets, beads and necklaces are put on the frame of the beshik. Coverings are put on the beshik, pillows and the pot are put inside in place. A large onion and a small stone - a cobblestone - are placed on the side of the baby's head under the bottom of the beshik. This is to ward off evil spirits and evil forces. Then, in three places near the baby's head, his feet and in the middle of the beshik, clumps of cotton wool are placed, they are set on fire, and without letting them flare up, are quickly extinguished. This also comes from the superstition, that the beshik can catch fire, God forbid, but must be immediately extinguished by the angels, who are present here and having watched, how they extinguish it, have learned too. The grandmother, who brought the beshik, takes the baby in her arms, lifts him high and sings:
"This child is my life,
Higher than me, higher than me.
God gave it for love,
Now enter the golden cradle."
Then she, deliberately, puts the baby down incorrectly and asks: “Should we put it like this?” Everyone: “No, no!” Then again incorrectly: “And like this?” In response: “No, no!” Only the third time, does everything work correctly with the same question. Everyone: “Yes, yes!” the baby is placed inside the cradle and gently tied. Untied and tied again, and so on several times, so that the mother learns, to cope without mistakes, that can cause injuries or discomfort to the baby.
The song is sung:
"Go away, go away, bobo (stranger),
The owner has come, bobo,
Heard a cry, don't be afraid,
Heard a barking , don't be afraid,
Heard a meow, don't be afraid."
During the singing, right now the walnuts start to break and fall on the beshik. There is also a sign here: so that the child in the beshik, is not frightened: what is that noise there, and then falls on him?, and so that he will be fertile in the future. At the end, a burning isirik (harmala) is brought in, for ritual fumigation, fragrances and against the evil eye. The woman who brought in the isirik sings a spell:
"Isirik, Isirik,
Let the Isirik burn,
To protect the child from the evil eye,
To bring misfortune to enemies."
Under the song alla, the baby is placed in the cradle. The feast is fun, lively, with melodies, songs and dances, with cheerful conversation and jokes. At the end of the feast, each guest can go to the beshik, with the child and mother, to give her own special gift or simply congratulate the mother, say something nice. The groom's side presents, are dear guests, with sarpo gifts. This is done in a solemn, semi-official setting, with the guest's name being called. With a few respectable phrases about her, the child's grandmother, introduces the public to her and gives her gifts or puts on a sarpo.
Yes, my dear, I almost forgot to tell you the main thing: an important feature of beshik tuyi, is that men do not participate in it. There are generally few of them in the house and all as assistants, who do not participate in the feast: some cook food, some boil water, in a large samovar, and some sing songs and play musical instruments. We also wish the baby happiness and health. So that he grows up to everyone's joy.
It continues.....)
