“Centuries-old traditions of Nauryz” ethnographic museum festival  

On the eve of the celebration of Nauryz-Mairamy, the museum festival “Century Traditions of Nauryz” was held within the walls of the museum. This traditional New Year’s holiday is also under the auspices of UNESCO. Nauryz is a holiday of fertility and universal human values. This celebration was attended by students of grades 4-9 of the secondary school named after. S. Ergaliev, and residents of the village of Ayet were also invited. The museum staff treated the guests to traditional Nauryz-kozhe, threw shasha, talked about the meaning of this holiday, recalled the customs of the Kazakh people, one of them “Tusau keser” was demonstrated to the invited guests. Tusau keser is the oldest Kazakh ritual dedicated to children, which has survived to this day. The “Tusau Keser” ritual is performed when the child begins to take his first steps. Either a family relative or a good friend should cut the bonds. A respected, accomplished, energetic person with good health and good intentions is better suited for this honorable task. The ancestors believed that the baby borrows the qualities of the person who cut his bonds. For this reason, you need to choose the best candidate available. The hero of the occasion is showered with sweets and money so that he can swim through life in money and chocolate. The assembled guests congratulate the parents on this event and bless the first steps of their son/daughter. When the “tusau keser” custom ends, the last thing left is to choose your path in life. This ritual is called “zhol tandau” among the Kazakhs. At the end of the white path in front of the hero of the occasion there are objects. Whichever one the child chooses, such will be his fate. They put in anything, money, books, musical instruments, jewelry. Each of the items has its own meaning. At the end of the traditional ritual, “ak zhol” – a white cloth – is given to a young childless couple. The holiday ended with fun games, singing songs, dancing and treating the guests to the main dish of this holiday, “Nauryz kozhe”.