Postcard from Bishkek

There seems to be a universal fascination with celebrating anniversaries … and no less so here than in the West.  All the same, I was somewhat surprised the other day to see a reference to today as the “Birthday of Blue Jeans“. What started out as heavy duty work clothes have also served as a […]

There is an old adage that you shouldn’t judge a horse by the harness. The Kyrgyz sage Toulbai wouldn’t have been fooled by harness – he was renowned for his knowledge of horses.  People would bring him their horses and ask for his advice. For example, they might ask if a particular horse was good […]

The second Sunday in October is another of the professional holidays that are a feature of the calendar here in Kyrgyzstan … it’s National Crafts Day. One of the aspects of traditional Kyrgyz crafts was the manufacture of jewelry both in precious metals and stones (for example, corals and turquoise) .  Unlike most of the traditional crafts […]

International Women’s Day was back in March, but in certain circles – today is Ladies’ Day.  It’s all to do with a four day race meeting that takes place back in Good Old Blighty that has become a traditional event in the cultural calendar: Royal Ascot.

  The jewellery of ancient Central Asia often made use of coins … It was thought that they had magical characteristics in that they were round, (which is a mark of the Sun, which was considered to bring good luck and success in everyday affairs), and that they were often made of silver (which, according to […]

The custom of wearing earrings is found in many diverse cultures; according to the Chandos portrait William Shakespeare sported one and it is said that Pirates used to wear Golden earrings in order to have the wherewithal in order to pay for their funeral when they died. According to epic poem “Manas”, Kirghiz men wore earrings (Iymek, […]

In ancient times, the breast was considered a receptacle of the human soul, and should be protected with the greatest zeal and so amulets and talismans were hung over them, to be closer to heart – “the home of soul” – in order to protect the person from influence of malicious spirits. Amulets are found in many […]

In yesterday’s post, I wrote about the importance of hats in Central Asia and concentrated on the headgear worn by men.  Women also have distinctive styles of traditional headgear and I suppose that I ought to mention these as well.

Whenever we have a spell of cold weather, I am taken to task by my friends and colleagues about why I don’t wear a hat.  It isn’t just hats, I tend not to wear a scarf or gloves.  The reason is simple, I have a habit of loosing them.  I put them down in a […]

The Kalpak, properly called the “Ak Kalpak” (=”white Kalpak”), is a hat usually made from four panels of white felt with traditional patterns stitched into them as decoration. It is worn by males of all ages – especially in rural Kyrgyzstan – and is a symbol of the nation. (One writer has even written that […]