Traditions of Central Asia and the Caucasus
Nowruz, the yurt, felt and falconry, and the supra table of Georgia. 50 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
🇦🇲 Yerevan, ArmeniaArmenian carpetՀայկական գորգ
A handwoven textile tradition of knotted pile rugs and sacred geometric symbolsCraft
🇹🇲 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan and 2 moreTurkmen rugTürkmen haly
Handmade textiles woven by Turkmen tribes, featuring geometric patterns and natural dyes.Craft
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan and 3 moreAitysh
Two improvising akyns trade rhymed sung verse in a contest on dombra and komuzPerformance
🇬🇪 GeorgiaTamadaთამადა
The toastmaster who leads the Georgian supra, guiding toasts and conversation at feasts.Etiquette
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan and 1 moreKyz kuu
A horse racing game where a man chases a woman to win a kiss or faces her whip if he fails.Game
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan and 1 moreArmudu tea glassArmudu stəkan
A pear-shaped glass used in Azerbaijan to serve and drink black tea.Table custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇰🇬 Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan and 2 moreWorld Nomad GamesДүйнөлүк көчмөндөр оюндары
A two-yearly contest of Central Asian nomadic sports, first staged in Kyrgyzstan in 2014Game
🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaGeorgian danceქართული ცეკვა
Martial, courtship, and celebratory regional dances from across GeorgiaPerformance
🇬🇪 Tbilisi, Georgia and 4 moreGeorgian polyphonic singing
Several voices at once, sung without instruments at Georgian feasts and weddingsPerformance
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan and 1 moreTush kyizтуш кийиз
An embroidered wall hanging made for a child's wedding in Kyrgyz and Kazakh homesCraft
🇦🇲 Yerevan, Armenia and 6 moreArmenian Genocide Remembrance DayՄեծ Եղեռնի զոհերի հիշատակի օր
An annual day of mourning and remembrance for the victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.Spiritual
🇬🇪 GeorgiaRtveliრთველი
A Georgian harvest festival marking the grape picking season with feasts and folk songs.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇦🇲 Armenia and 2 moreVardavarՎարդավառ
An Armenian midsummer festival where people playfully douse each other with waterFestival
🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaChichilakiჩიჩილაკი
A shaved hazelnut branch crafted as a Georgian Christmas tree and burned at EpiphanyFestival
🇦🇿 AzerbaijanNovruzNovruz Bayramı
The Azerbaijani spring equinox festival of bonfires, sweets and sprouted wheatSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇦🇿 Goychay, AzerbaijanGoychay Pomegranate FestivalGöyçay nar festivalı
An annual gathering in Azerbaijan honouring regional pomegranates, crafts and musicFestival
🇹🇲 Ashgabat, TurkmenistanMelon Day
A nationwide summer holiday in Turkmenistan honoring the country's prized melonsTable custom
🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaTbilisobaთბილისობა
An annual October festival celebrating the culture, harvest, and history of TbilisiFestival
🇺🇿 Bukhara, UzbekistanNavruzNavroʻz
The spring equinox festival celebrated across Uzbekistan with sumalak and family visits.Seasonal · Sweets given and shared
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan and 2 moreAla kiyizала кийиз
Patterned felt carpets pressed by hand for the tents of Central Asian herdersCraft
🇺🇿 Tashkent, Uzbekistan and 1 moreDoppaدوپپا (Uyghur); doʻppi / дўппи / دوپا (Uzbek)
An embroidered cap, square or round, that Uyghurs and Uzbeks wear across Central AsiaDress
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan and 5 moreKurashкөрәш
Central Asian traditional upright folk wrestling using cloth belts or towelsGame
🇬🇪 GeorgiaBerikaobaბერიკაობა
An improvised Georgian folk theatre and masquerade of fertility, satire and dramaPerformance · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇿 Bukhara, Uzbekistan and 2 moreShashmaqamШашмақом
A classical song cycle of Central Asia, built on six modes and Sufi love poetryPerformance
🇬🇪 GeorgiaAlaverdobaალავერდობა
A harvest and saint's feast celebrated at Alaverdi Cathedral in eastern GeorgiaSpiritual
🇦🇲 Armenia and 1 moreTrndezտրնդեզ
An Armenian fire feast forty days after Christmas, kept with bonfires and shared sweetsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇬🇪 Georgia and 5 moreChokha
A high-collared wool coat of the Caucasus, worn by men for battle and ceremonyDress
🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaSupraსუფრა
A Georgian feast led by a toastmaster, where toasts, wine and food carry the mealTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇦🇲 Armenia and 1 moreKochariՔոչարի
A circle dance from the Armenian Highlands, danced at weddings and gatheringsPerformance
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan and 1 moreShyrdakшырдак (Kyrgyz); сырмақ (Kazakh)
A hand-stitched felt rug of contrasting colour, made by Kyrgyz and Kazakh familiesCraft
🇬🇪 Georgia and 2 moreKvevriქვევრი
A buried clay jar, and the Georgian way of making wine inside itCraft
🇦🇲 Yerevan, Armenia and 5 moreKhachkarխաչքար
A carved stone cross raised as a memorial, a grave marker and a prayer in stoneCraft
🇦🇿 Baku, AzerbaijanAzerbaijani carpetAzərbaycan xalçası
Handwoven floor and wall coverings from Azerbaijan, made by women in regional designsCraft
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan and 4 moreBeshbarmakбешбармак
Boiled meat and noodles, eaten by hand from one platter, with a set cut for each guestTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇦🇲 Yerevan, ArmeniaYarkhushtaՅարխուշտա
A men's row dance from Sasun, where pairs clap palms as the lines advancePerformance
🇦🇲 ArmeniaHoly TuesdayMegali Triti
A day of church services in Holy Week that remembers biblical parables about vigilance and readiness.Festival
🇦🇿 Shusha, AzerbaijanVictory DayZəfər Günü
Azerbaijan's day off on 8 November, marking the 2020 taking of ShushaCeremony
🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaIndependence Dayდამოუკიდებლობის დღე
Georgia's national holiday marking the 1918 declaration of sovereignty from the Russian Empire.Ceremony
🇰🇿 Astana, KazakhstanIndependence DayҚазақстан Республикасының Тәуелсіздік күні
A national holiday marking the end of Soviet rule and the birth of the modern state.Ceremony
🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaSoviet Occupation Dayსაბჭოთა ოკუპაციის დღე
Georgia's annual day of remembrance, held on 25 February for victims of Soviet ruleCeremony
🇦🇲 Armenia and 5 moreFeast of the TransfigurationՊայծառակերպութիւն
A Christian holy day marking the revelation of Christ's divine glory on Mount TaborSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇿 Tashkent, UzbekistanIndependence DayOʻzbekiston Respublikasi Mustaqilligi kuni
A state holiday on 1 September marking Uzbekistan's break from the Soviet UnionCeremony
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan and 1 moreJeti ataЖеті ата
A Kazakh custom requiring knowledge of seven direct ancestors to ensure healthy marriages and tribal identity.Folklore
🇦🇲 Armenia and 4 moreBlessing of the Throats
A Christian prayer rite touching throats with crossed candles for protection from illnessSpiritual
🇺🇿 Bukhara, UzbekistanAsrlar Sadosi
An annual outdoor festival celebrating Uzbek folk arts, sports, crafts, and heritageFestival
🇦🇲 ArmeniaAgra HadigԱգրա Հադիգ
An Armenian ceremony for a baby's first tooth, featuring symbolic items and wheat.Rite of passage
🇺🇿 Namangan, UzbekistanFlower Festival in UzbekistanGul bayrami
An annual spring celebration of floriculture and floral art held across several cities in Uzbekistan.Festival
🇦🇲 ArmeniaIşlic
A tall felt cap worn by Danubian boyars to show their rank and public officeDress
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kvevri: Levan Totosashvili, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- World Nomad Games: Save the Dream, CC BY 2.0, source
- Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day: This photo was made by Hayordi . Այս լուսանկարի հեղինակը Հայորդին է :, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Doppa: Jasper Lee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rtveli: Grigory Gagarin, Public domain, source
- Vardavar: Камалян001, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chichilaki: Mostafameraji, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kurash: IlshatS, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Novruz: Abutalub, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Goychay Pomegranate Festival: Moonsun1981, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Melon Day: AltynAsyr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tbilisoba: DDohler, CC BY 2.0, source
- Navruz: dalbera, CC BY 2.0, source
- Shashmaqam: Шухрат Саъдиев, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Agra Hadig: Աբգարյան Անի, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Alaverdoba: Grigory Gagarin, Public domain, source
- Tush kyiz: Photo User:Zenwort, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Armenian carpet: VincentKeers, Public domain, source
- Turkmen rug: AltynAsyr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tamada: Niko Pirosmani, Public domain, source
- Kyz kuu: SSGT JEREMY T. LOCK, Public domain, source
- Trndez: Armineaghayan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chokha: Pyotr Gankevich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Armudu tea glass: Interfase, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Supra: Public domain Public domain false false This work is in the public dom, Public domain, source
- Kochari: Hayordi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shyrdak: Firespeaker, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ala kiyiz: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pbarry/, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Khachkar: Arantz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Azerbaijani carpet: Dmitri Yermakov, Public domain, source
- Beshbarmak: NataAllice, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yarkhushta: Hablabar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Victory Day: Toghrul Rahimli, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Independence Day: Kober, Public domain, source
- Independence Day: Вачи, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Soviet Occupation Day: Jeremy Teigen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Independence Day: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Işlic: Louis Dupré, Public domain, source
- Holy Tuesday: Brothers Dalziel / John Everett Millais, CC0, source
- Feast of the Transfiguration: Unknown artist, Public domain, source
- Blessing of the Throats: © Ralph Hammann - Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, source
- Asrlar Sadosi: Patisserie, CC BY-SA 3.0, source