The first ritual of childrens haircut in the Shugnan, Rushan, Wakhan and Ryn village of the Ishkashim district of Tajikistan
Author(s)
Title
The first ritual of childrens haircut in the Shugnan, Rushan, Wakhan and Ryn village of the Ishkashim district of Tajikistan
Alternative Title
Маросими бори аввал тарошидани мӯйи сари кӯдакони хурдсол дар Шуғнону Рӯшон, Вахон ва деҳаи Рини Ишкошими Тоҷикистон
Publication Type
Language
tgk
Number of Pages
6
Location
Tajikistan
Keywords
Ritual
Children
Hair-cut
Beliefs
Tradition
Sartaroshon
Relevance to ICH Safeguarding
Description
In Badakhshan, according to ancient custom, in Shugnan, Rushan, Vakhan, and the center of Ishkashim, the ceremony of shaving a child's hair for the first time was performed after reaching the age of 1-2 or 3 years. When a child's hair was shaved for the first time, a special ceremony was performed in Shugnan and Rushan in the Shugnan language "kaltekht," in Vakhan in the Vakhan language "sarringak," and in the Rin in the Ishkashim language called "sarkali.".
During this ceremony, the child's father invites one of his fellow villagers to shave his child's hair for the first time. He also informs his neighbors about this ceremony. The main meal on this occasion was bread and soup. The women were seated separately from the men, and the men were served separately on two sofas in traditional houses. When the people had eaten their food and the caliph or mullah recited a special prayer to end the meal, then the ceremony of shaving the child's hair began.
Before the ceremony began, the mother stood by the fireplace with the child in her arms. At the beginning of the ceremony, the young barber would cut a small section of the child’s hair with scissors, and then the barber would hand the scissors to the most respected old man invited to the ceremony. The old man would then cut a few sections of the child’s hair and hand the scissors to another person. In this way, 10-15 of the old men who had gathered for the ceremony would take part in cutting the child’s hair.
After the barbers had performed this ceremony, the young barber would take the scissors again and cut the child’s hair completely. The reason why so many people gathered with the barber during the cutting of the child’s hair was that the owners of the house hoped that by doing this, the child would live a long life, and God would grant him a long life like all the old men. The ceremony of shaving a child's hair for the first time sometimes lasted a whole day in the villages of Badakhshan. They sang and danced, and in the past, wrestling was organized as part of this ceremony. The winners of the games were awarded prizes by the owner of the house. The ceremony of shaving a child's hair for the first time exists not only among the people in Badakhshan but also in other regions as well.
During this ceremony, the child's father invites one of his fellow villagers to shave his child's hair for the first time. He also informs his neighbors about this ceremony. The main meal on this occasion was bread and soup. The women were seated separately from the men, and the men were served separately on two sofas in traditional houses. When the people had eaten their food and the caliph or mullah recited a special prayer to end the meal, then the ceremony of shaving the child's hair began.
Before the ceremony began, the mother stood by the fireplace with the child in her arms. At the beginning of the ceremony, the young barber would cut a small section of the child’s hair with scissors, and then the barber would hand the scissors to the most respected old man invited to the ceremony. The old man would then cut a few sections of the child’s hair and hand the scissors to another person. In this way, 10-15 of the old men who had gathered for the ceremony would take part in cutting the child’s hair.
After the barbers had performed this ceremony, the young barber would take the scissors again and cut the child’s hair completely. The reason why so many people gathered with the barber during the cutting of the child’s hair was that the owners of the house hoped that by doing this, the child would live a long life, and God would grant him a long life like all the old men. The ceremony of shaving a child's hair for the first time sometimes lasted a whole day in the villages of Badakhshan. They sang and danced, and in the past, wrestling was organized as part of this ceremony. The winners of the games were awarded prizes by the owner of the house. The ceremony of shaving a child's hair for the first time exists not only among the people in Badakhshan but also in other regions as well.
Book/Journal Title
Publisher
Khorog State University
Place of Publication
Tajikistan
Date of Publication
2023
Issue
3 (27)
Pages
68-73
ISSN
2664-5696
Usage
copyright cleared
Academic Field
Ethnogrpahy
Sociology
Community/Ethnic Group
Shughnan, Rushan, Vakhan, Rin, Ishkashim
Children
Contributor
Active Contribution
Tajikistan, FY 2024