Festival of nomadic civilization in Astana on June 4-7

On the Day of Astana, a festival of nomadic civilization Millenniums around Astana opens doors into the ancient culture and lifestyle of nomadic people, Tengrinews reports citing the organizers of the celebration.

The visitors of the festival will have a glimpse into the ancient traditions and lives of nomads through a colorful stuntmen show, sports competitions, a holographic theatre of traditions and a fair of craftsmen of the Great Steppe.

“The highlight of the event is the performance of a legendary stuntmen group directed by Dikambayev brothers from Kyrgyzstan. The audience will be immersed into a fascinating world of legends and depths of passion by the one-hour theatrical performance where warriors will fight for the right to win the heart of a beauty,” the organizers said.

The stuntmen will compete in traditional Kazakh horse competitions such as Kok Par, Kyz Kuu and others.

In addition, a Kazakh national sport competition of Zhamby Atu will be presented where participants will showcase their mastery and aiming accuracy.

For the first time the festival guests will witness a holographic theatre of Kazakh traditions. Actors and actresses will perform traditional rituals and ceremonies in holographic decorations. Every ritual or ceremony will have a separate set of holographic decorations that will bring the viewers into ancient riverbanks set with yurts and other places. Along with the actors the audience will experience a step by step life of a nomad.

Fair grounds will host craftsman from different countries. This year, the celebration will feature Uzbekistan (wood carving, metal and textile), Turkey (calligraphy), Kazakhstan (jewelry, carpet weaving, embroidery, felt making, wood carving), Azerbaijan (carpet weaving) and Yakutia (jewelry, humus making). Workshops in traditional art will be taking place as a part of the fair. The visitors will be able to join in and try kiiz basu (felt pressing), syrmak zhasau (felt wall-cover making), shi toku (traditional door blinds weaving) and other crafts.

On the last day of the festival, July 6 Mura (Heritage) campaign will take place. Guest craftsmen will present their pieces of art created during the festival to local foster homes and schools to create awareness and inspire interest in art among the youth.

No festival of nomadic civilizations not pass without a music concert. Ethnic musicians and dancers from Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Yakutia will perform for the festival visitors and guests.

Moreover, no real nomad will let his guests go on an empty belly. A great variety of traditional food stalls of Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek and other cuisines will be open to pamper the taste buds of the visitors.

The festival of nomadic civilization Millenniums around Astana takes place on June 4-7 in front of Khan Shatyr shopping mall in Astana.

By Gyuzel Kamalova