Kazakh Traditions and Holidays

Nowadays we live in the independent state of Kazakhstan that is why our holidays are different from those that we had in the soviet period of our history. We don’t have any longer most of Soviet holidays dealing with communist ideology like the First of May and the Seventh of November .On the contrary now we have many new holidays that returned from the past.

The most popular holiday in Kazakhstan is Nauruz, the ancient holiday of spring, the oriental New Year. Nauruz, the modern Kazakh word for NEW YEAR, comes from Persian '”nau-new, ruz-year”'. Before that New Year was called ”Ulys kuni”' meaning tribe or clan day. The beginning of the year is announced by the appearance of greenery. The patient resistance to the winter hardships has come to an end, and now, with the coming of spring it is time to participate in the life -giving festival. The main ritual dish is nauryz-kozheh. Nauruz -kozheh always includes seven ingredients, signifying the seven life beginnings- water, meat, salt, fat, flour, cereal and milk. They symbolize joy, luck, wisdom, health, wealth, speed growth and Heavenly protection.

“Koktem tudy” say Kazakhs today and meet Nauruz in the streets, squares, parks and stadiums. Thousands of people witness sharp verbal competitions of akyns, contests in national sports-kazakhsha-kyres, toguz kumalak, horse competitions like Kyz-Kuu, Baiga. Various dramatized shows and theatrical marches presenting national customs and rituals attract people and teach them to respect national culture and native land, promote rapprochement and mutual understanding of different nations.

Customs and traditions in England

When foreigners come to England, they are struck at once by great number of customs and traditions in English life. They may seem strange to visitors but the English still keep up these old customs and traditions, which mix with everyday life in the streets of busy London. Traditional uniforms are still preserved in Great Britain. You can see a group of cavalrymen riding on black horses through the central streets of London. They wear red uniforms, shining helmets, long black boots and long white gloves. They carry swords. These men are Life Guards and special duty is to guard the king or queen. In the Tower of London you can see the warders with their funny flat hats.

On each second Saturday in November, the newly elected Lord Mayor of London rides in procession through the streets of the city in his medieval carriage. This Lord Mayor’s show is a great traditional event for Londoners. There are a number of other formal ceremonies, such as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Trooping the Colour which is performed on House Guards Parade every year on the Queen’s official birthday.

Among other traditions that most Englishmen observe is 5 o’clock tea which people can have at any time between 4 and 6 p .m. It is a very light meal and the time when “everything stops for tea” in England and this became a kind of ritual.

The English people are great pet lovers .Practically every family has a dog or a cat, or both. They have special dog shops selling food, clothes and other things for dogs. There are dog hairdressing saloons and dog cemeteries