Rituals of the Agricultural Cycle of the Kazakhs: Rite of Calling for Rain

2015

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DOI 10.1080/09720073.2015.11891915
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

This paper is devoted to the ancient agricultural Kazakh rite – tasattyq“call for rain”, which has not lost its significance till date. This is evidenced by numerous ethnographic data collected by researchers for several years of field research in different regions of Kazakhstan. The Kazakh people have retained a wide range of relicts of rituals and rites, dated back to pre-Islamic traditions, which were influenced by Islam. The Rite “tasattyq”, which is important in ceremonies of the annual cycle of calendar rituals, reflects the close relationship between human beings or communities and nature and is permeated by the idea of fertility, prosperity, rich harvest and good offspring of cattle. These ideas and practices have been preserved for the ceremonies associated with agricultural activity of the Kazakhs in our days.