Programación de actividades de Gestión

,QWKHYLOODJHRI$N7HUHN2 _{north of Jalal-Abad in southern Kyrgyzstan, where I}

lived for about a year in 2011 and 2012 to conduct my PhD-research, feasts are YHU\IUHTXHQW$N7HUHNLVVLWXDWHGLQDQKLOO\DUHDDWWKHIHDWRIWKH)HUJDQD Mountains. This region is considered particularly conservative. The village and its surrounding villages are inhabited mainly by Kyrgyz. Its inhabi tants

1 )LUVW,ZRXOGOLNHWRWKDQNWKHKDMMLVWKDWOHWPHREVHUYHWKHLUKDMMLIHDVWVDQGH[SODLQHGWRPH in detail their experience of the pilgrimage and the organisation and meaning of the feast that IROORZHGLW,DPYHU\JUDWHIXOWRWKH9RONVZDJHQ)RXQGDWLRQIRUȴQDQFLQJP\3K'UHVHDUFKRQ ZKLFKWKLVSDSHULVEDVHG7KDQNVIRUFRPPHQWVVXJJHVWLRQVDQGGLVFXVVLRQVJRWRLQDOSKDEHWL- FDORUGHU%HQMDPLQ%HFKWROG5RODQG+DUGHQEHUJ<DQWL+¸O]FKHQ6WHIDQLH.LFKHUHU$QQDEHOO .¸UQHU&DUROLQ0DHUWHQV7RELDV0DUVFKDOO8ZH0¾OOHU%DNW\J¾O7XOHEDHYDDQG/LVD=¾ȵH

2 ,KDYHFKDQJHGWKHQDPHRIWKHYLOODJHWRȆ$N7HUHNȇLQRUGHUWRSUHVHUYHWKHDQRQ\PLW\RI the people described throughout this article.

mainly live from animal husbandry and from remittances of labour migrants ZRUNLQJ LQ 5XVVLD (VSHFLDOO\ LQ DXWXPQ QR ZHHN SDVVHG ZKHQ P\ KRVW mother and I were not visiting a wedding or a commemoration feast for a deceased. These feasts are subsumed under the rubric of ash-toylor, which are organised at happy events (jakshïlïk) and sad events (jamandïk). During au- WXPQHYHU\ERG\LVEXV\RUJDQLVLQJSUHSDULQJȴQGLQJPRQH\DQGVKRSSLQJ for these important feasts and celebrations. A feast that has gained special prominence in southern Kyrgyzstan since independence is the hajji feast.

In recent years, doing the hajj has become increasingly popular in Kyrgyzstan. This corresponds with the general tendency of an increasing inter- HVWLQUHOLJLRQLQ&HQWUDO$VLDGHVFULEHGE\+DUGHQEHUJ+¸O]FKHQDQG7XOH- baeva regarding Kyrgyzstan in this volume. In 2011, 5060 citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic made the pilgrimage to Mecca (Payaz 2013). The hajj is considered as an obligation for every Muslim who has the possibility of performing it. It contributes to the pilgrim’s accumulation of religious merits (soop)3 _{and trans-}

forms his personhood. Pilgrims from Kyrgyzstan usually travel and perform the pilgrimage in groups of 40 pilgrims, led by a spiritual leader. The pilgrims spend about one month in Saudi Arabia, where they perform the hajj and also YLVLWSODFHVRIUHOLJLRXVVLJQLȴFDQFHHJWKHWRPERI0RKDPPDGLQ0HGLQD The hajj is performed by millions of pilgrims in unison, who all do the same symbolically and emotionally charged rituals, creating a feeling of communitas (Bianchi 2004; Turner 1975).

'XULQJWKHVSHUIRUPLQJWKHKDMMZDVRɚFLDOO\EDQQHGDQGWKHVRXWKHUQ ERUGHURIWKH8665FORVHG1XUWD]LQD(YHQSLOJULPDJHWRKRO\VLWHV (ziyarat) inside the territory of the Soviet Union was prohibited as part of the anti-religious policy. Along with the independence of the Central Asian states in WKHVSLOJULPVVWDUWHGYLVLWLQJKRO\SODFHVRSHQO\DQGKRO\VLWHVOLNH6XOH\- man Too in Osh became popular places of pilgrimage (Zarcone 2012, 254).

When in rural southern Kyrgyzstan a pilgrim (ajï, often a male elder aksakal4_{) returns from his hajj he is welcomed by his relatives with a big feast.}5

3 The Kyrgyz concept ‘soop’ originates from the Arabic ‘WDZÃE’. It may be translated as

‘religious merits’ or ‘meritorious deeds’.

4 Female hajjis are not all treated similarly to male hajjis upon their return. Their status also depends on the question whether they performed the pilgrimage together with their husbands or not. A study of female hajjis and their position in society is an interesting topic that cannot be dealt with here. In this paper I will restrict my description and analysis of hajji feasts to the ones organised upon the return of male hajjis. Since I am discussing male hajjis only, I will use male forms in referring to them.

5 The hajji feast analysed in this paper is one of three hajji feasts that I was able to study in $N7HUHN,QP\GHVFULSWLRQV,UHO\RQP\RZQSDUWLFLSDWLQJREVHUYDWLRQYLGHRPDWHULDORIWKH

$PRQJWKHIHDVWVRUJDQLVHGLQWKHYLOODJHRI$N7HUHNajï toys (lit. ‘hajji feast’) were comparable to other big feasts conducted at weddings (üylönüü toy), or commemoration ceremonies (ash) in terms of the number of guests (up to DQGWKHDQLPDOVVDFULȴFHGDKRUVHRUDFRZ$OOSHUVRQVWRZKRPWKH pilgrim is related in the broadest sense may be invited to his hajji feast. They DUHRIIHUHGKRVSLWDOLW\DQGDOORIWKHPGULQNIURPWKHKRO\ZDWHUIURPWKH well of Zamzam6 _{(Zamzamdyn suusu) brought by the pilgrim from Mecca. In}

addition, each guest receives a souvenir from the pilgrim, such as a scarf, a VPDOOSUD\HUUXJRUSUD\HUQHFNODFH$WWKHKDMMLIHDVWWKHKDMMLLVWUHDWHGZLWK special veneration and respect, expressed through the association with the colour white, by gift giving, and in address. The guests show their respect by JLIWLQJZKLWHFRDWOLNHFORDNVjelek) to the pilgrim, and white headscarves to his wife. In this way he is honoured and his new status as a hajji is accepted. Both the hajji and his guests mutually exchange good wishes and blessings. For the hajji and his children the feast is on the one hand a social, moral, or religious obligation, on the other hand an opportunity to present the pilgrim as a pious Muslim, as economically successful, and surrounded and supported by his children.

Ritual Economy, Cosmic and Social Resources,