Folk traditions related to water and glacier protection
Author(s)
Title
Folk traditions related to water and glacier protection
Alternative Title
Анъанаҳои мардумӣ марбут ба об ва ҳифозати пиряхҳо
Publication Type
Language
tgk
Number of Pages
12
Location
Tajikistan
Keywords
Ritual
Water
Glacier
Badakhshan
Beliefs
Relevance to ICH Safeguarding
ICH Genre
Description
In this article, the author pays attention to the traditions and religious aspects of Badakhshan of Tajikistan related to water and glacier protection. Author in reference to scientists, sources, and her own fieldwork experiences, note the main features of these aspects in traditions and religions of Tajiks and Afghans of Vakhan in accordance with famous Tajik ethnography scholar Ikromiddin Muhiddinov's materials.
Ancestors’ of Tajiks, relying on the practical knowledge of hundreds of years ago, concluded that man can save nature and is able to protect and preserve it. People in the Badakhshan mountains respect water, which is one of the four elements, and consider it sacred. There have been imaginations, beliefs, worships, and some prohibitions among people in different historical periods regarding the respect of water. According to the animistic beliefs and customs of the people of the Badakhshan mountains, water, like a person, is able to understand good and bad actions and show its power over them. In addition, among the inhabitants of the Badakhshan mountains, there are various legends about the origin of the water from the springs of this mountainous region, which have been passed down from generation to generation and have survived to this day. It is worth noting that there are springs, lakes, waterfalls, and large streams in all regions of Badakhshan in Tajikistan, about which there are legends, stories, and folk beliefs.
Folk rites and traditions reflect the connection between man and nature, their harmony and unity on the way to achieving the goal.
Ancestors’ of Tajiks, relying on the practical knowledge of hundreds of years ago, concluded that man can save nature and is able to protect and preserve it. People in the Badakhshan mountains respect water, which is one of the four elements, and consider it sacred. There have been imaginations, beliefs, worships, and some prohibitions among people in different historical periods regarding the respect of water. According to the animistic beliefs and customs of the people of the Badakhshan mountains, water, like a person, is able to understand good and bad actions and show its power over them. In addition, among the inhabitants of the Badakhshan mountains, there are various legends about the origin of the water from the springs of this mountainous region, which have been passed down from generation to generation and have survived to this day. It is worth noting that there are springs, lakes, waterfalls, and large streams in all regions of Badakhshan in Tajikistan, about which there are legends, stories, and folk beliefs.
Folk rites and traditions reflect the connection between man and nature, their harmony and unity on the way to achieving the goal.
Book/Journal Title
Publisher
Institute of Humanities named after academician Bahodur Iskandarov
Place of Publication
Tajikistan
Date of Publication
2024
Issue
1
Pages
137-148
ISSN
2708-308X
Academic Field
Ethnography
History
Community/Ethnic Group
Shughnan, Ishkashim
Peasants
Contributor
Active Contribution
Tajikistan, FY 2024