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Kyrgyz trace roots to nomads
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KYRGYZ literally means the nomads in the mountains who take white as their favorite color for its purity.
With a total population of 186,708, the Kyrgyz ethnic minority in China mainly live in the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, in the western part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Some also reside in Ili, Tacheng, Aksu and Kashgar areas and Heilongjiang Province.
The ancestors of Kyrgyz were nomads in the upper Yenisei River area. Some of them gradually moved to the Tianshan area, fusing with the local tribes of Tujue and Mongolian tribes. In the 17th century, invaded by Mongolians from the Zhungeer Basin and Russians, they moved to the area of Isser Lake in today’s Kyrghyzstan. Gradually, the modern Kyrgyz people were formed.
Kyrgyz was recorded as “Gekun”, “Jiankun”, “Jilijisi” and “Bullute” in different Chinese dynasties until they were officially named as “Kyrgyz” in 1953.
The Kyrgyz have their own language, belonging to the Turkic group of Altaic family. There are two dialects — Jiegai and Tesikai. Many Kyrgyz people also use languages of their neighbor ethnic groups, such as Kazakh, Mongolian, and Han.
The Kyrgyz mostly believe in Islam, while some also believe in Lamaism or Shamanism.
Most Kyrgyz people live on animal husbandry, subsidiary with agriculture and handicrafts.
The Kyrgyz in the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture mainly produce wheat, rice, cotton, muskmelons, watermelons, grapes, Badan apricots and apples. Their best-known produce is figs from Atush, which are juicy and flavorful. In addition, the Muna’ge grapes and Hu’anna apricots are very popular.
The county has far-reaching pastures, grazing sheep, goats, bulls, yaks and horses, as an important base of husbandry in Xinjiang.
The Kyrgyz diet consists mainly of mutton, flour and dairy products. Lamb pilaf, barbecue, lung sausage, stuffed intestine, and common sausage are among the common meat foods for the Kyrgyz. Flour is often made into nang, fried dumplings, fried pies, noodle soup and wumashi (porridge made of wheat or highland barley).
“Naren,” eaten with the hands, is a special food for guests, made of meat and flour slices. The dairy products include horse milk, cream yogurt and cheese.
When serving the guests, the Kyrgyz show their respect by presenting the goat’s head. For a guest to eat the lamb, he should first eat the fat on the tail, then scapula meat and head meat. They have the same fasting rituals as other Muslim peoples.
Kyrgyz have traditional arts and crafts like embroidery, rolling carpet, sculpture, weave figure and gold and silver ware decorated with patterns of weapons, mountain eagles, colorful clouds and beasts. Men always wear white shirts with embroidery and long coats made of sheepskin or cotton cloth. The white hat made of wool is their sign to be distinguished from other groups.
Young women love red dresses and caps, but the old women prefer white. Unmarried girls queue hair into many plaits, which they decorate with silver chains and beads. Once they get married, they will change the plaits to two.
Kyrgyz has a rich culture of folk music and poems. Mana, an epic of 220,000 lines, is considered one of the three major national epics in the world. It tells the story about how Kyrgyz people bravely fought against invaders and pursued a peaceful life.
The Kyrgyz have some interesting marriage customs. White is their favorite color, for it is the color of sheep which they rely on for living. The man will go to his lover’s house to propose a marriage along with a horse carrying all the betrothal gifts on its back. The horse will wear a pure white cotton flower on its ear, which attracts lots of attention from passers-by. If the woman’s parents agree to the marriage, he will receive a warm welcome and a big meal. In some areas, the woman will sprinkle some flour on the man’s face to bless him as being pure as white flour.
“The Nuoluzi Festival” is a key time for the Kyrgyzs, similar to Spring Festival for Han Chinese, on which they pray for a friendly climate, longevity and a great harvest.
A pile of grass is burned in front of the house, over which people and animals leap as a sign of avoiding disasters and mishaps. Colorful programs apart from singing and dancing will go on as part of the celebration. The Islamic Kyrgyz also observe the traditional Muslim holiday: Korban, or the Passover sacrifice.
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