Undying Culture Of Hospitality In Kazakhstan

The culture of hospitality is supreme among the people of Kazakh in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Linguists say that “Kazakh” decodes “free, independent nomad”.

The culture of hospitality among the people starts with a cup of tea by a host to any person who visits. A Kazakh is not pleased when a guest offered with a cup of tea declines the offer.

Kazakhs are dominant in Islamic religion, and known as the second largest Muslim population in the world, yet Kazakhstan is regarded as the most peaceful and respectful country on earth, having by the end of the 15th century, had a unified Kazakh Khanate.

A writer at the Spectator, Jonathan Aitken, said of Kazakhs culture of hospitality in September 2009: “Kazakhstan is virtually unique in its willingness to welcome all faiths. So in the capital city of Astana, Jewish synagogues, Taoist temples, Buddhist shrines, Christian churches, and many other religious establishments coexist alongside Islamic mosques and madrassas.”

A Kazpravda.kz correspondent said on June 5 2015 that the anchor of Muz-TV Andrey Malakhov, a Russian showman expressed at a press conference in the Central Communications Service under the RK President that he was impressed at the way he was met at the airport in Kazakhstan.

Not minding the Russian Civil War of the 1920's and 1930's, which nearly annihilated about half of the Kazakh population and led to many of them fleeing to China and Mongolia, the culture of hospitality still runs in their blood like a virus wherever they are found. Regarded as the most leading various Central Asian ethnic groups, theseTurkic people chronicled as the second largest Muslim people group of Central Asia, have abodes also in Ukraine and Russia.

The Russian Civil War was barely few years after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and that was the birth of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which later became independent with about 14 other Soviet coalition countries with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Not even the forceful rule by Russia moving the Kazakhs out of their nomadic dwellings to cities (for settled lifestyle) and making them to speak Russia as official language changed the hospitality spirit imbedded in the Kazakhs from the time immemorial.

Not even the ecological catastrophe that the people are facing due to the mismanagement of natural resources, which has led to what analysts have described as "the near desolation of the Aral Sea and contamination of much of their drinking water" have led to the churlish of their hospitality culture.

Before the 15th century every Kazakh has been implanted with the codes of reverence of guests thereby making hospitality the epicentre of their national culture and tradition. There is a matrix which every Kazakh person pronounces: “Meet a guest as the God's messenger.” Attitude of hospitality among the Kazakh people predates the modern times and the people hold it dearly to themselves.

"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,” reported the Central Asia Cultures of 2009-2014.

The report goes further to express that, “You will be seated on the tor – the special guest seat – and offered with a cup of either kumiss or tea. It is considered extremely poor manners to disturb the weary or hungry guest, so the host often remains silent until you are refreshed!"

There is Kazakh proverb which says of their immeasurable culture of hospitality: “If someone offends you, serve him a meal.” Another saying among the people is: “Kazakhs will feed a guest first, and then ask his name.”

What makes their habit of hospitality alluring is that there is no national law that commands the people towards exhibiting that. The people are not stingy in offering a guest with cuisines at the dastarkhan (the low table) in yurts such as kumis, shubat or ayran, baursaks, raisins, irimshik or kurt. A tea with milk or cream, snacks made from horsemeat or lamb – kazy shuzhuk, zhal, zhaya, sur-et, karta, kabyrga and others are among what they welcome a guest on a visit with.

“Hospitality is considered a sacred duty in the Kazakh society. At all times, the steppe inhabitants did their best to please their guest. Therefore, each traveller knew that he or she would be welcomed anywhere in the Kazakh land,” reports an official tourism website of Kazakhstan.

-Odimegwu Onwumere is a Poet/Writer; he writes from Rivers State. ([email protected]). Tel: +2348057778358.