The second competition at the horse games in Murghab is the bride’s race, Kyz-kuumai. Here a woman rides against a man. If the man wins, he may marry the bride, or gets a kiss (one says). It is doubtful whether one follows these rules in this way. Nowadays it is probably more about who wins. […]
Horse Racing at Murghab Horse Festival
In the meantime, the Horse Festival has become known far beyond the borders of Tajikistan. It consists of three disciplines: the classic horse race the bride’s race the horse wrestling In this article and video, we show the first part, the classic horse race. After the riders have completed their preparations, they gather at the […]
Preparation at Murghab Horse Festival
The annual At Chabysh Festival, also known as Murghab Horse Festival, is organized by the French Embassy, the Christensen Fund, and the Kyrgyz Ate Foundation. One celebrates Kyrgyz horsemanship and traditions with horse races and games. Kyrgyz Ate is a Kyrgyz NGO, founded in 2004 by Jacqueline Ripart in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan). She developed an extensive […]
Kok-Boru – Horse Games at Summer J-Fest
The highlight of the summer festival in Jyrgalan is the horse and rider competition, Kok-Boru. Kok-Boru is the Kyrgyz national sport. The riders and the audience are looking forward to the event and a victory is associated with great honor. The games start with horseback wrestling. The riders try to pull the opponent with their […]
Summer Festival in Jyrgalan Valley
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, […]
Village festival at Pentecost in Eckfeld
Already in 2014, we attended the Village festival at Pentecost. It is staged by the volunteer fire department in Eckfeld. This year we decided to visit it again. Eckfeld, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatine, became known for his prehistoric excavations. The Pentecost festival is famous beyond the village limits, especially because of the freshly baked bread. […]