KBSU students got acquainted with the customs and traditions of the Azerbaijani people

November 10, 2022 at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H.M. Berbekov within the framework of the project “It is easy to love all mankind, to love a neighbor to the sumey”, implemented by the University Center of Balkar Culture named after K.S. Otarova, a meeting was held with members of the Azeri National Cultural Center. Representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora live in our republic, the students were told by the chairman of the women’s committee of the public organization «Azeri», a member of the Union of Culinary Workers of the North Caucasus Adel Musaeva-Kalmykova and a teacher of additional education of the regional House of creativity in Kashkhatau Rena Ulbasheva.

In 2003, the Azerbaijan National Cultural Center «Azeri» was founded under the Kabardino-Balkarian Cultural Fund, which makes a feasible contribution to strengthening interethnic ties between the peoples of the republic and maintaining peace and tranquility on its territory. «Azeri» is the name of one of the Turkic-speaking tribes that were part of the Azerbaijani Union. Subsequently, this was how the country was called — Azerbaijan, — said Adel Musaeva-Kalmykova.

The guests noted that many Azerbaijanis living in the KBR are connected by family ties with the indigenous peoples of the republic. For example, Adel Musaeva-Kalmykova and Rena Ulbasheva themselves once came to study in Nalchik, and then got married and stayed in Kabardino-Balkaria. In the early 70s of the 20th century, many Azerbaijani families chose Nalchik as a place of rest, and eventually moved to the capital and other settlements of the KBR, Rena Ulbasheva added. KBSU students learned why Azerbaijan is called the Land of Fire. Due to oil and gas deposits lying close to the surface of the earth. As Adel Musaeva-Kalmykova noted, on the famous Azerbaijani carpets, flames are one of the main elements of the pattern. And three more torches of natural fire are depicted on the coat of arms of the city.

In the capital of the republic — Baku — three high-rise buildings in the form of flames were built, — added Adel Musayeva-Kalmykova. Representatives of the NCC «Azeri» also explained to the audience the symbolism of the State Flag of Azerbaijan: The crescent means that the main part of the population of the state belongs to the religion of Islam, the eight-pointed star indicates eight letters that make up the name of the country in the Arabic alphabet, blue color is a symbol of belonging to the Turkic group of languages, the red color indicates the course towards the development of democracy, the green color indicates belonging to the Islamic faith. Students asked many questions to the guests regarding the customs and traditions of the Azerbaijani people.

With great interest, the children listened to how Novruz Bayram, an ancient spring holiday, is associated with the renewal of nature, the onset of warm days and the start of agricultural work. Chants, jumping over a fire, lighting torches, children’s caroling, girls’ fortune-telling are essential elements of the holiday. Especially for Novruz, grains — “seeds” are germinated on large dishes.

Bright green sprouts of wheat or barley symbolize the awakening of the earth, the beginning of a new life. The symbol of the holiday is a branch (“shah tabag” or “beg-dag”), decorated with scarves and sweets. The main heroine of the performance is the daughter of spring, or Bahar-gizi in Azerbaijani, which all the participants call in unison. Bahar-gyzy sings a song in which spring and the beginning of the calendar year are famous. A pleasant culmination of the meeting of the representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the KBR with the students of the KBSU was a tea party with oriental sweets made by Adel Musaeva-Kalmykova.

Saying goodbye, the author of the project «It’s easy to love all mankind, love your neighbor» Svetlana Tyubeeva thanked the guests for an interesting conversation and reminded that the goal of the project is to develop friendship between people of different nationalities through acquaintance with the peculiarities of their traditions and customs.