Culture

The culture of Kyrgyzstan has a wide mix of ethnic groups and cultures, with the Kyrgyz making the majority group. It is generally considered that there are 40 Kyrgyz clans, which are symbolized by the 40-rayed yellow sun in the center of the flag. The lines inside the sun are said to represent the roof of a yurt. The dominant religion of Kyrgyzstan is Sunni Islam (91%). The Russian population is Russian Orthodox.

The tribes of Kyrgyz people lived in Siberia and then later they settled down to Central Asia. They earned their life with cattle- breeding, they also took care of sheep and horses, which were the most significant domestic animals, but also cows and goats were raised. Horses are one of the most striking part of traveling culture and therefore there are many traditional horse games.

There are different types of horse games still played. They organize them during the festivals or shows, and the high skill of riding the horses, where the moves are mostly derived from every-day life and approved to their children. Boys learn how run the farm in the process of helping the adults and they start from the early ages.

Girls also learn how to sew and knit since they are little; the colorful carpets that they make take months or years of work. The most prevalent carpets are known as Shyrdak and Ala-Kiyiz , which are both made of felt on top of which they embroider different kinds of patterns , that are naturally extracted.

These wonderful carpets are not only the best business manufacture produced by Kyrgyz people but also one of the main national symbols of the Kyrgyz life. Yurt is all made of felt. Yurts still remain part of every-day life of the people living Kyrgyzstan even in big cities. Yurts are still founded yurt on the most central holidays, such as the child's birth, and funerals. The importance of it can be seen in the flag of the Republic: It is red with a circle located in the middle of it. It is the roof crown of the yurt, with its typical wooden circle and the traversed sticks in its middle.

Yurt is portable nomadic dwelling that serves as bedroom, dining room, kitchen at the same time. It has a wooden structure covered with felt. This whole structure is fixed with small short leather-ribbons instead of using nails and ropes made from animals' hair. Women like decorating their yurts with these attractive carpets the walls and spread on the floor. At the opposite part of the door there are bed sheets and soft blankets that are spread at night on the floor and offer a soft and warm place for spending the night, but during daytime they staple and cover with a nice blanket, starting the back part of the place for the guests.

There is a small fireplace in the middle of the yurt for cooking and heating the house. People use them all year round in these alpine regions, especially if the weather is cold.

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