The next edition of the column “Our Heritage” was prepared within the framework of the Chronicle of Western Azerbaijan project, with the presentation of Dr. Elchin Alibeyli, Ph.D. in Art Studies.
Ayten Jafarova, Ph.D. in Philology, Associate Professor, Head of the Folklore Department of the Nakhchivan branch of ANAS, representative of the West Azerbaijani community in Ordubad region, spoke about festive traditions and ceremonies in the program “A Ceremony of Appreciation for Different Girls in West Azerbaijan”.
He said that residents of West Azerbaijan historically live their customs in the areas where they live: “In this place, there were different ceremonies for the approval of a girl, as well as ceremonies for the mother to take her son in her arms. The girl from the native place was more respected. At a boy’s wedding, he was given a red and green kalagayi robe, and halays were performed for this purpose. Women had a bathing ceremony and sang “Nargila.”
According to him, the main purpose of Hakhishta was to change the boy’s house and the girl’s house: “The ceremony of Hakhishta is recorded on Sumerian clay tablets. On the wedding day, the groom hit the bride on the head with an apple from the roof. The bride had to endure the impact of the apple. The decoration of the branch at the wedding is the “tree of life” in ancient Turkic belief.
A. Jafarova also drew attention to the fact that in ancient Turkish beliefs the days have their own symbolic meaning and that the souls of those who died at night are released and return home.
In the end, the teacher expressed the desire of the West Azerbaijani people living in Nakhchivan to return to their villages, and the messenger explained to the girl which day of the week is good for going to dive into the water. Bugakar explained the meaning of living in Pirin for 40 days, as well as the custom of buying a girl in her hometown.
In general, the aim of the project “Our Heritage” is to preserve, preserve and promote our heritage, which is disappearing in the districts and villages of Western Azerbaijan, to investigate the great Turkic traces with the testimonies and conversations of villagers, historians, ethnologists, ethnographers and folklorists.
It should be recalled that the aim of the Western Azerbaijan Chronicle project is to preserve and promote the name of our historical lands, as well as to learn about the deportation of Azerbaijanis by Armenians, the toponyms that existed in these territories, but their names. Countless examples of underground and surface material culture have been erased: ancient settlements, necropolises, burial mounds, remains of a castle, palace and fortification, caravansary, bridges, burial chests, stone crosses, statues of horses and rams, temples, churches. Mosques, pyres and hearths are revealed, and the facts confirming that the area is a pure Oghuz-Turk settlement are communicated to the world community.
Also the president Ilham Aliyev Regarding West Azerbaijan, he said: “The map of the beginning of the 20th century once again shows that West Azerbaijan is the historical land of Azerbaijan, the names of cities and villages are of Azerbaijani origin, and we know very well that Azerbaijani people have lived on the territory of present-day Armenia throughout history. Now the main task is to make the world community aware of this as well,” – according to him, it is about promoting the duties arising from the Concept of Return developed by the West Azerbaijani Community.
It also aims to enlighten the thoughts of historians and researchers about West Azerbaijan and the life stories of people who were deported.
More on the Baku TV plot:
Head of Folklore Department: “The Kakhishta ceremony is recorded on Sumerian clay tablets”
