Qurban Hayit in Tashkent

Today people in Uzbekistan celebrate Qurban Hayit – Eid-al-Adha- one of the most important holidays in the Islamic World. It is celebrated at the end of the traditional Hadj to Mekka and 70 days after the Ramazan Hayit. In Tashkent people follow the same traditions as everywhere in the Islamic Culture. But there are also special local traditions.

On the evening before the Qurban Hayit – named Arafa – a sheep is slaughtered. At least one third part of the meat has to be distributed to people in need in the neighborhood. From the rest traditional Uzbek Plov is cooked.

In oder to dedicate to the deceased relatives two different types of special fried pastries are prepared. „Qushtili“ and „Bugursak“. For „Bugursak“ people use sheep fat. The name Qushtili“ is given because they look like the tounge of a bird. „Qush“ means bird and „Til“ means tounge. A plate with plov and Qushtili on the top is given to the neighbours who do the same so that at the end every family has a more or less big collection of different styles of Qushtili.

In the early morning time of Qurban Hayit the man go to the mosque for Qurban Hayit Namaz (Prayer). On this day the mosques are full, cannot even accomodate all visitors. There also people give donations. Later they visit their relatives and bring gifts for the children, nowadays mostly money, before usually sweets.

If a couple married within the 70 days between Ramazan Hayit and Qurban Hayit the parents of the young married woman (Kelin) peprare plates with food and bring to the house of the daughter who prepares a table. All women and girls in the neighborhood can go to her house and eat. The Kelin has to do again the Kelin Salom (Greeting of the bride). Means she will wear her bridal veil and do the ritual bows. A young woman prepares a lot of traditional dresses before her marriage which she will wear in the first 40 days of her marriage and again on Qurban Hayit. On the Hayit she will change her dress every view minutes to show all her Kelin dresses.