To get married and give birth to at least two children is the dream of every Tajik woman. But not everyone knows what she needs to go through to become a happy wife and mother. But a Tajik wedding is not only a bright and unforgettable event, but also a complex of rituals that you simply cannot pass by.
Nikah in Tajikistan
Let's start with nikah (marriage). Without nikah, of course, nowhere. No nikah - no family. The wedding ceremony is obligatory and has several conditions, the most important of which is the answer of the bride. This is where chaos always sets in.
According to Islamic traditions, the consent of the trustee is enough to perform nikah, but for greater persuasiveness in secular Tajikistan, the consent of the bride is also asked. And at this very crucial moment, stubbornness and intractability turn on among Tajik women.
Once they ask her, she is silent, two times she is silent, on the third, relatives and friends join with persuasion, who pinch the hand of the silent beauty to the point of pain, but she does not make a sound. Silence is golden, of course, but in this case it is just a sign of embarrassment and also a Tajik tradition: the bride should not immediately give consent and throw herself on the groom's neck. All this is not in Tajik.
And here the most interesting thing begins: in order to "sweeten" the girl, witnesses from the groom's side put expensive gifts on the festive dastarkhan, and then money. Otherwise, do not squeeze out a positive answer from the beauty, and the process of persuasion will drag on for a long time.
And finally, once again, when the mullah is already rather nervously asking the question whether she agrees to become the wife of that very guy behind the dastarkhan, the beauty sitting with her head bowed under the veil, under the onslaught of her relatives, says in an undertone: "Yes."
From the outside, this may seem feigned, since she would hardly have said “No”: if she were against it, the matter would not have come to nikah at all. But no matter what the traditions say, a true Tajik woman is still ashamed to answer such an important question so quickly right away.
Tukuz and the rite of obedience in Tajikistan
So she confirmed her desire and should, in fact, go to her husband, but it wasn’t there - now the neighbor kids don’t let her leave, who pulled a cable before the wedding procession and demand a ransom for the beauty. Yes, it's so hard to take a Tajik girl home with you!
In the big cities of Tajikistan, of course, this is no longer practiced, but in remote areas the custom has been preserved.
They ask a lot for a bride. There must be enough for everyone. However, especially insolent adults are still dispersed. And then the side of the groom may in the future remember her how much she cost them and not very pleasant days will await her ...
But long before all this "struggle" with moving to her husband, the future wife also needs to report to her friends and neighbors in a couple of days. On this occasion, her parents call everyone to a mini-party called "Tukuzbinon".
At this event, everything that the groom's parents brought as a gift to the bride is evaluated. Basically everything is put in a chest. By the way, they give a lot of things - from underwear and cosmetics to expensive dishes and gold. And yes, all this is shown to the guests.
This is done, by the way, not for fun, but to show in which hands the daughter goes. If the gifts are good, it means that he will not live in poverty, he will live in abundance, and if not, he will share everything with his husband: both difficult days and good ones.
Further, when, finally, the bride arrives at the house of her future spouse, a suzani stretched half a room (a hand-embroidered wall carpet) is waiting for her there. Behind it, an interesting event should occur. Not what you think, but simply a rite of obedience.
A girl from the hands of the elders of the family tastes honey, and then she must let her betrothed step on her foot. So she makes it clear that she is going to be an obedient daughter-in-law and wife and that her husband is the head of the family. Sometimes this process, of course, turns into a fun game when the bride removes her leg. But it is desirable not to do so. This will again be not in Tajik.
And only after all this, she heals with peace and love in a new family, where love for the younger and respect for the elders are the basis of all foundations.
Wedding ceremony in Tajikistan
It just so happened that a traditional wedding in Tajikistan is an event that requires serious financial costs. In addition to the standard expenses for a wedding dress, groom's suit, flowers, car rental, a banquet hall and, of course, organizing a rich festive table, in Tajikistan you need to take care of the gifts of the bride and groom.
So, it is assumed that a man will provide his young wife with living space - a house or an apartment. And she, in turn, must furnish their family nest - make repairs, buy furniture. All this, of course, requires a lot of money.
In addition, all friends and relatives should be invited to the wedding. The number of invitees can easily exceed two hundred people.
Sometimes the wedding costs up to 5 thousand dollars. For many in Tajikistan, such spending is an unaffordable luxury. Tajiks often cannot afford to spend a holiday on a grand scale, but, as they say, in order not to lose face, they take loans.
To stop the negative practice, the President of Tajikistan signed a law on rituals. Now there are restrictions on lavish and pompous weddings.
Now the celebration should be celebrated on weekends from 8.00 to 22.00 and on weekdays from 18.00 to 22.00. The duration of the wedding celebration is set to three hours.
Protection from evil spirits
Navruz - Muslim New Year
Snowdrop Festival
Sayri lola - tulip festival
Wedding customs and traditions
Of the weddings, which are associated with a number of customs and rituals, the marriage of a son or the marriage of a daughter was especially solemnly arranged: hostgori (matchmaking), fotiha (engagement), parchaburon (cutting clothes for the newlywed), sartaroshon "(groom's haircut), ruibinon (bride newlywed).
The wedding traditions of Tajiks living in the plains are different from those living in the mountains. But, in general, as with other Asian peoples, everything begins with the matchmaking and betrothal of a girl and a guy. In the old days, "betrothal from the cradle" was practiced, it was called "talking" and "matchmaking of minors", when parents themselves decided the fate of their children. In adolescence, parents could also choose a bride or groom for their daughter or son at their own discretion, and also used the services of a matchmaker (sovchi). A month before the wedding, the young man was told who was betrothed to him. His mother, along with a dish of pilaf and freshly baked cakes, was heading to the bride's house. In response, the girl's parents set the table and invited relatives and neighbors to a meal, where they announced their engagement. A girl and a guy were considered officially engaged after the venerable old man broke the cake before the meal and prayed for the happiness of the bride and groom. The collusion was preceded by preliminary negotiations between the parents of the bride and groom, if everything suited both parties, then matchmakers were sent. A special day was appointed for the transfer of kalym (bride price) to the father of the bride. The wedding was usually scheduled for autumn, when the harvest was over.
A suzani (wedding veil) was considered an obligatory gift for a wedding, which women-needlewomen covered with ornate embroidery (special ancient magical patterns), which later would protect a happy family life from evil spirits and the evil eye. During the preparation of the dowry, it was obligatory to read the Koran. Sewing was always started by a respected mother of many children.
A modern Tajik wedding lasts for seven whole days. On the first day, the newlyweds announce their decision to get married, after which dinner parties take place on one side and the other for three days. On the fifth day, the groom with a wedding procession of friends and relatives goes to the bride's house, where the newlyweds take an oath before the imam, the ceremony is fixed by a meal of the bride and groom, consisting of a cup of water, some meat and bread with salt. From now on, the newlyweds can be together. The holiday begins, where guests are treated, sing and dance. At midnight, the groom takes the bride on his horse to the parental home. The wedding ceremony ends with the reception of the bride's family in the house of the groom's family, where they spend the whole night. During the honeymoon, the newlyweds live with the groom's parents so that they can help the young family at first with all the problems that arise.
In the family rituals of the Tajiks, regional differences have been preserved. So, for example, among the Tajiks of the northern regions, according to the ancient wedding ceremony, the newlywed is transported to her husband's house after sunset, by the light of torches and is circled three times around a fire lit in front of her husband's house. For a long time in South Tajikistan this crossing takes place only during the day. Only a widow or a divorcee is transported at night.
During the Soviet period, such holidays as International Women's Day (March 8), Victory Day (May 9), New Year's Day (December 31) entered and became established in the life of the people of Tajikistan. In the same period, such customs arose as the solemn celebration of the civil act of marriage, seeing off to the army, silver and gold weddings.
The same group includes international holidays, such as, for example, June 1, International Children's Day, etc. On September 9, 1991, Tajikistan acquired state independence. Along with the new country, new holidays and new customs were born.
The official US budget for assistance to Tajikistan is $41.9 million (USAID). For comparison, Afghanistan receives $5.7 billion, neighboring Kyrgyzstan - $61.7 million, Uzbekistan - $20.6 million. Top 10 countries receiving the most US aid: 1. Afghanistan: $5.7 billion 2. Iraq: $3.7 billion 3. Israel: $3.2 billion 4. Jordan: $1.5 billion […]
Global Terrorism Index 2018 – Tajikistan ranks 74th The Vision of Humanity website (a publication of the Institute for Economics and Peace) has published the annual Global Terrorism Index-2018 ranking. According to this rating, Tajikistan ranks 74th, between Finland and Kazakhstan. The first places in the ranking of the Global Terrorism Index-2018 are occupied by Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria, Pakistan. From […]
The Legatum Prosperity Index is a composite indicator of the British analytical center The Legatum Institute, which measures the achievements of the countries of the world in terms of their prosperity. https://www.prosperity.com/
Tajikistan is the third in the world in terms of the share of remittances of labor migrants in GDP. Neighboring Kyrgyzstan is in the first place. Between them is a tiny state in Polynesia - the kingdom of Tonga.
Dushanbe. September 29th. TajikTA - On October 11, at a meeting in Sochi, the heads of state of the Commonwealth of Independent States will consider about 20 issues, the Information and Analytical Department of the CIS Executive Committee reported.
“At a meeting of the Council of the Heads of State of the CIS (hereinafter referred to as the CHS), it is planned to consider about 20 issues aimed at further developing cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian fields and in other key areas of the Commonwealth’s activity,” the message on the executive committee’s website says.
In particular, in a narrow format it is planned to exchange views on cooperation within the Commonwealth, to discuss issues of chairmanship in the CIS, the date and venue of the next meeting of the CIS CHS.
At the expanded meeting, it is expected to consider important issues aimed at further developing cooperation in the economy, cultural and humanitarian fields, in the areas of defense policy, protecting external borders, countering terrorism, as well as a number of projects aimed at adapting the Commonwealth to new realities.
Thus, the most significant is the draft statement of the heads of the CIS member states on support for the institution of the family and traditional family values.
A draft convention on cooperation in the field of exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes will also be considered, which defines various areas of cooperation.
The most significant humanitarian projects included in the agenda are the decisions: on declaring 2019 as the Year of the Book in the CIS, 2020 as the Year of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The draft decision also provides for the implementation of the interstate program "Cultural Capitals of the Commonwealth" in 2018 in Armenia, in 2019 - in Belarus, in 2020 - in Kazakhstan. At the same time, it is planned to include the city of Goris (Armenia) in the list of cultural capitals of the Commonwealth in 2018; in 2019 - Brest (Belarus); in 2020 - Shymkent (Kazakhstan).
The agenda of the CHS meeting also includes issues aimed at ensuring security and countering new challenges and threats, issues of military-technical cooperation and joint operational and combat training activities. The concept of cooperation in the field of combating the legalization (laundering) of proceeds from crime, the financing of terrorism and the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction will be considered.
A draft agreement on cooperation between the member states of the Commonwealth in the fight against crimes in the field of information technology will also be considered, where the list of intentional criminal acts in this area has been significantly expanded; identified offenses related to child pornography, as well as the implementation of terrorist activities or justification of terrorism.
Meanwhile, the draft decision of the Council of CIS Heads of State on the delimitation of powers between the Council of Heads of State and the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth, on the Regulations on the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States and on the Regulations on the CIS Economic Council is proposed to include the issues of determining the strategy and directions for further development within the competence of the CHS Commonwealth, cooperation in the areas of defense policy, protection of external borders, the fight against crime, countering terrorism and other challenges. Issues related to the implementation of the provisions of the Free Trade Zone Treaty, the adoption of joint programs and plans in various areas of economic, social, cultural and humanitarian cooperation are proposed to be submitted for consideration to the Council of CIS Heads of Government, and the creation of basic organizations of the CIS member states - to the Council of Foreign Ministers and the CIS Economic Council in order to unload the agenda of the CIS Council of Heads of Government.
In turn, the powers of the Council of Foreign Ministers and the Economic Council of the CIS are proposed to include the establishment of basic organizations, as well as the adoption of final decisions on a number of issues of cooperation in various fields, including the possibility of signing international treaties at meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers and the Economic Council of the CIS .
The heads of the CIS member states will also consider a number of other documents.
Dushanbe. September 29th. TajikTA – In Tajikistan, the organizer of the terrorist attack in Kurgan-Tyube (Khatlon region) was sentenced to life imprisonment, the Tajik Telegraph Agency (TajikTA) reported on Friday.
“The main defendant in the criminal case on the explosion in the city of Kurgan-Tyube, Sharifjoni Zokir, was sentenced by the Supreme Court of Tajikistan to life imprisonment,” a court source said.
He was found guilty of organizing an explosion that thundered on March 12, 2017 near the buildings of the military prosecutor's office and the military court of the Khatlon garrison in the administrative regional center.
The day before, Tajik television broadcast a story about a court hearing in this case. It noted that the explosion was organized by Sh. Zokir and his schoolboy brother Rajabjon Zokir. In addition, Sh. Zokir was found guilty of promoting the ideas of the banned "Islamic State" and the murder of a homosexual and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
His brother Rajabjon, a 9th grade student Rajabjon, received 5 years in prison, and his accomplices Ravshan Fayziev, Rustam Amirkhodzhaev and Sady Saidov received 13 to 15 years in prison, the Khovar state agency reported.
Recall that in Kurgan-Tube on March 12 this year, late in the evening, an explosion thundered in the city center. Khasanboy Rakhmonov, 67, a resident of the Bokhtar region, who worked as a watchman at the Technological Lyceum, became an accidental victim of the terrorist attack.
Earlier, on January 30 of this year, the same group in the village of Lomonosov near Kurgan-Tyube organized the explosion of a Hyundai car belonging to an employee of the Beeline mobile company, the owner of the car was not injured.
The story also reported that Zokir, along with his brother and underage cousin, hung a black ISIS flag on Kurgan Hill in the administrative center of the Khatlon region last summer, and the video was sent by militants of the terrorist group.
The story also reported that on August 13, 2016, Sh. Zokir committed a brutal murder of a homosexual - a resident of the village of Elti, Bokhtar region.
Dushanbe. September 29th. TajikTA – US President Donald Trump called Afghanistan the “Wharton School of Business for Terrorists” during a speech at a private charity dinner, the Afghan Telegraph Agency (AfTAG) reports.
The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing sources at the event, that the American leader compared the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1968.
“The people [who hijacked the planes and sent them to the towers] of the World Trade Center [in New York] were trained in Afghanistan,” Trump said Tuesday. "It's like the Wharton School of Business for terrorists."
The president admitted that he wanted to stop spending money on military operations in the republic. However, he was persuaded by the generals, who believe that the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is not the best option due to the large number of terrorist groups operating in the country.. TASS notes.
After receiving classified information from them, the head of state came to the conclusion that the United States had no choice but to "knock them all [terrorists]" out of Afghanistan, otherwise another attack similar to the September 11, 2001 attacks could occur in the United States.
“When the generals showed me things that you will never be allowed to see, it’s all so disgusting and terrible, I said we are going to stay [in Afghanistan] and we are going to knock them out, we really have no choice,” Trump said.
Last week, the United States decided to send more than 3,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.
Now the number of the American military contingent in Afghanistan will be approximately 14 thousand people. The United States began its current military operation in Afghanistan in the fall of 2001. In 2011, the number of US troops in Afghanistan was 101,000.
Dushanbe. September 29th. TajikTA - The best industrial companies are selected in Tajikistan to represent the republic at an exhibition in Tashkent, the Tajik Telegraph Agency (TajikTA) reported on Friday.
“Tajikistan is determined with the final list of industrial enterprises that will present their products at the exhibition in Tashkent. A demonstration of Tajik industrial products in the capital of Uzbekistan will take place on October 11-14 this year,” the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tatarstan reported.
The preliminary list included more than 130 enterprises - potential applicants for exhibitors from all regions of the republic. However, after a rigorous selection, this list can be reduced by almost half.
As Minister of Industry and New Technologies Shavkat Bobozoda noted earlier, more than 64 Tajik enterprises will present their products in the capital of the neighboring republic.
He noted that at the first exhibition of manufactured goods of Tajikistan in Tashkent, which will be held on October 11-14 on the territory of the Uzexpocentre exhibition center, products of the Ministry of Light Industry, machine-building, mining, aluminum and other industries will be presented.
“We have experience in holding exhibitions. I think that the event will be held at the required level,” the head of the Ministry of Industry concluded.
An agreement to hold industrial exhibitions of the two countries in Dushanbe and Tashkent was reached at the beginning of this year.
It should be noted that the upcoming event in Tashkent was preceded by the holding on April 17-20 this year. exhibition of industrial goods of Uzbekistan in Dushanbe. Then more than 160 Uzbek manufacturers presented their products there.
Do not be rude, do not allow yourself too much and be faithful to the end - these are the pillars on which the majority of Tajik families rest. Thanks to the preserved traditions, house building still reigns in Tajikistan with rather strict rules, which in many respects are similar to the traditions in other countries of Central Asia.
In honor of the International Day of the Family, which is celebrated today, May 15, our partner Open Asia Online talks about the main rules of behavior in Tajik families.
RESPECT FOR ELDERS
This is the basis of the foundations of all Tajik families, on which everything else is built. Any act or intention must be agreed with the head of the family. The choice of a profession, a long trip and especially the creation of a family are possible only after the approval of the father.
The situation in which a 40-year-old son is not allowed to go to work abroad, and he refuses to travel, is completely standard in Tajik society. And it does not matter at all whether this family lives in a city or a village.
SEARCH FOR THE BRIDE
Even the most advanced young Tajiks, when the time comes, turn to their parents with a request to pick up a bride. Moreover, in the north of Tajikistan, the guys do not dare to directly ask their parents about finding a bride, and in order to demonstrate their readiness for the wedding, they throw carrots in their parents' shoes.
Situations when a man finds his wife on his own, now, of course, also occur, but most often the choice of a future daughter-in-law falls on the parents. And they are looking: they ask acquaintances, consult with relatives. Often, the betrothed is among the closest relatives: for example, she may even be the groom's cousin. Although they are trying to fight this tradition in Tajikistan.
As for the choice of a groom for a girl, it is still more difficult here: matchmakers can be refused, no matter what, and an obedient daughter must agree with the family's decision.
PARENT CARE
In Tajikistan, there are practically no examples of an elderly mother and father left alone. Parents are not abandoned here, moreover, they are not taken care of at a distance - the children are always nearby.
For example, according to tradition, the youngest son stays in his father's house, brings his wife there and looks after his parents. Therefore, when all the children still live together, the elders take care of the youngest son very reverently, because it is he who will subsequently be responsible for caring for the parents. However, this does not mean that other children will not take care.
FAMILY LOYALTY
Second cousins or sisters, and even fourth cousins - in Tajik families not only know about their existence, but also try to keep in touch. Relatives are sacred, no matter if they are distant or close.
For example, several people can come to relatives from a village to the city and settle in their apartment for a couple of weeks, or even months. And no one will dare to say, they say, it's time and honor to know: they will feed, drink and endure - these are relatives.
MAN'S RESPONSIBILITY
A lot falls on the shoulders of a Tajik man, even going to grocery markets. Ask any Tajik about the cost of food, and he will give you an alignment no worse than a professional statistician. Naturally, to go to the markets, you need to earn.
This is the direct duty of the Tajik man, and women here very rarely earn more or even on an equal footing with their husbands. And even more often they do not earn at all, because they sit at home and do housework. But only for those domestic issues that are within the boundaries of the house, the husband is responsible for everything else. And after all this, how not to refer to him exclusively as “you”?
Of course, all these rules are far from the know-how of Tajiks. But it is in this republic that they are still obeyed as laws, and perhaps that is why there is an average of only one divorce per thousand marriages in the country.
Photo: Nozim Kalandarov, Evgenia Kutkova
A guide to holding mourning events, behavior and observance of mourning was printed in a circulation of 500 thousand copies (the population in the republic is 8.6 million people) in a printing house in Dushanbe.
The memo, consisting of eight sections, was developed by the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Government of Tajikistan together with the Ulema Council and the Center for Islamic Studies of the Republic of Tatarstan, Asia-Plus reports.
According to the regulations, the rite of burial and mourning should be carried out by the inhabitants of the republic in accordance with the Hanafi madhhab of Islam (professed by the majority of the population of the country), the traditions of all local peoples and nationalities of the Republic of Tatarstan, as well as other legal acts and laws.
In addition, the brochure defines the concept of "funeral ceremony" and regulates the time of the funeral prayer for the deceased (janoz) depending on the segment of the day when the person died (before or after each of the five prayers), describes in detail the rules for washing and dressing the deceased in a shroud (kafan ), preparing the coffin (tobut) and conducting the funeral rite.
During the farewell to the deceased and during the period of mourning, according to the new rules, you can cry for comfort, but loud lamentations, sprinkling earth on your head, pulling out your hair, scratching your face are prohibited. Also, special mourners cannot be ordered.
From now on, it will be necessary to pay off the gravedigger only in the presence of authorized persons on the ground. 
The brochure also regulates who can stay overnight at the home of the deceased during the period of mourning. It can only be his parents, children, spouses and other close relatives (bride, son-in-law, grandchildren, or, in their absence, aunt and uncle), who, by the way, can only mourn for three days (previously they kept it up to one year) .
Guests who came to express their condolences are "not recommended to sit in the house of the deceased for a long time."
The clothing has not been overlooked either. So, men in mourning can wear a blue robe (joma / chapan), a skullcap and gird themselves with a sash (ruymol) or, if desired, simply wear a belt over a shirt without a robe. Women are allowed to wear a large blue scarf on their heads, wide dresses and blue pants and gird themselves with a scarf. It is forbidden to wear black clothes during mourning.
All events should be held without slaughtering livestock and offering food, which is prescribed in the law “On streamlining traditions, celebrations and rituals in the Republic of Tajikistan”, proposed by President Emomali Rahmon, which was unanimous in August. The law also limits the number of weddings even further, which deputies believe could reduce the need to go to Russia to work and, consequently, reduce the number of Tajik migrants in the Russian Federation. 
After the appearance of changes in Tajikistan, a campaign to promote national clothes was also intensified, within the framework of which the Committee on Women and Family Affairs under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan sent a letter to the country's mobile operators with a request to send them to Tajik women by phone. They are invited to write “Respect national clothes”, “Let's observe national traditions”, “Wearing national clothes is obligatory!” and other phrases.
