Cultural traditions of Kazakh people

Vocabulary
Lush- fields or gardens have a lot of very healthy grass or plants.
Matchmaking is the activity of encouraging people you know to form relationships or get married.
Consent-to give assent or permission (to do something); agree;
Endurance is the ability to continue with an unpleasant or difficult situation, experience, or activity over a long period of time.

Introduction
Kazakhstan’s territory is immense, occupying an area about half the size of the United States. Most of the vast expanses are steppe; semi-arid land, desolate and frozen in the winter that turn to lush, green meadow beginning mid-spring. The steppes are invaluable pastureland for the sheep, horses, cattle, and camels that are essential to the Kazakh people.

History
The ancestors of modern-day Kazakhs were nomadic or semi-nomadic, and many of their customs reflect that lifestyle. Nowadays, people live mostly in cities and villages, although many still lead an agricultural life.

Kazakhstan - Kazakh Culture, Customs and Traditions
Kazakh Hospitality
The Kazakh people have a long tradition of peace, tolerance and co-existence. Children learn hospitality and respect from a very young age, and this is reflected in the wonderful hospitality offered to all guests and travelers. If you visit a Kazakh household - whether or not you are expected - those present will stand up in greeting as you enter the door. You will be seated on the tor - the special guest seat and offered a cup of either kumiss or tea.

Kazakhstan Weddings
According to Kazakh custom, a wedding lasts 40 days, beginning with the matchmaking. The fiance's relatives act as matchmakers, bringing gifts to the bride's parents and asking for their consent to the marriage. Sometimes it is the bride who chooses whether to accept the offer, using diplomacy and tact to avoid an unhappy situation.

Kazakh Weddings
One such case is described in legend: Abilah Khan fell in love with a beautiful girl from a poor family, but she was already promised to another man - an ordinary warrior. In order to avoid hurting Abylai Khan's feelings and angering him, she set a task for him. She promised to marry him if he could shoot an arrow higher than a certain mountain near a lake.

Kazakh Weddings
She sat on a rock in the middle of the lake to watch his efforts, and no matter how hard he tried to shoot the arrow into the sky it would not rise beyond the mountaintop. Her plan had been that, should Khan have been able to fulfill the task, she would jump from the rocky island to the stones below. This mountain is now known as Okzhetpes “Unachievable with an arrow”, and the lake is called Zhumbaktas Riddle-stone”.

Kazakh Festivals
The first day of spring begins the Muslim New Year. In Kazakhstan, this holiday is known as Nauryz, and it is said that the more you celebrate at this time, the greater will be your success throughout the year. In fact, the celebration goes on for nearly a month! It’s a time to visit and congratulate friends and neighbors, and also a time to forgive each other. Guests are met in beautifully decorated yurts where they enjoy a traditional dish of Nauryz koshe, which is made with seven different grains, representing the seven days of the week.

Kazakh Festivals
Many Kazakh festivals feature horse racing or other games that are played on horseback. One endurance race features as many as two hundred participants, with riders going around a mile-long track for about thirty laps. Other games include Kokpar - a type of polo, Kumis Alu, where riders attempt to pick a handkerchief off the ground while galloping at full speed, or Kyz Kuu – “catch the girl”, where the boys try to best the girls in a race.