The Kyrgyz people love to celebrate and they would like to share this joy with the tourists. Thus, they held a summer festival in August in Jyrgalan. It is a mixture of culture, art, skilled crafts and sports.
But right from the beginning!
The persons responsible for the village and Kyle Gunther, on behalf of USAID, welcome the guests and thank the organizers. Afterward, one honors and awards the dignitaries.
Of course, the horsemen are also introduced. They will then compete against each other in the horse games.
Kyrgyz wedding
Following this some riders gather around the bridal couple on horseback, to accompany them to the fairground.
A fast galloping horseman with a veil in his hand circles the guests, indicating the beginning of the wedding celebration.
An accident almost happened. The bride’s horse is afraid to be taken to the fairground and wants to walk towards the small river. Only the quick reaction of a companion of the bride prevents worse. He follows the horse and can grip the reins to bring it back.
After that, a singer introduces the bridal couple to the guests, while some bridesmaids dance around the couple.
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More InformationAll participants wear colorful festive robes that underline the importance of the ceremony.
Following the introduction, one leads the bridal couple to a table where the documents and wedding rings are ready. Parents, parents-in-law, and the mayoress, who will carry out the marriage, line up around the two. After signing the documents and exchanging the wedding rings, the bride and groom bow before their parents, presumably in gratitude.
A kiss, as is customary in Western cultures, is not exchanged, but the two seem very touched. We want to wish both of them the very best for their future lives.
The people spread out again now and take some souvenir pictures or enjoy the food at the stands.
Apart from entertaining the guests, the Summer J-Fest festival brings the local people and tourists together. So games with the guests and the participants are organized.
Between, singing or an instrumental piece, as well as dance, is performed.
Worth seeing is the fashion show promoting unique garments created by local fashion designers.
Toward the end of the day, one comes to the highlight of the celebration, the horse games.
For their physical well-being, the women prepared delicious homemade Kyrgyz food.
It becomes clear that the Kyrgyz culture and mentality is characterized by tradition, joy, and fun.
Music, Dance and Fashion Show
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More InformationImpressions and Manatschi
Many impressions of the Jyrgalan Summer Festival in the following video appear also in other videos but from different perspectives. Even so, we want to publish them because we appreciate this festival as particularly beautiful.
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More InformationSpecial in this video is the appearance of a Manaschi. A Manaschi is a man to whom the narration of the Epic of Manas appears in a dream. Many of the Manastschis have never read the epic. Although most of it is now available in written form.
What sounds unreal in our Western world of thought is obviously daily practice in Kyrgyzstan. Often a Manaschi falls into a trance during the narration and thus transmits his feelings to the listeners.
The Epic of Manas is part of the immaterial cultural heritage of mankind and protected by UNESCO. This is the basis of the Kyrgyz national feeling. Unfortunately, we do not understand the language so that we do not have the access to the stories which one wants.
Read on > Kok-Boru – horse games at the Summer Festival
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Disclosure: Our trip was organized in cooperation with Discover Kyrgyzstan, and made possible by the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). All opinions are our own.
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