Elechek, Kyrgyz female headwear: traditional knowledge and… (Kyrgyzstan)
Nomination: Representative List 2023
EN: A ritual of wrapping the bride's first elechek in the Chong-Alay district. Exclusively women from the bride's family conduct this ritual. A long piece of fabric which is up to 40 meters is wrapped in many layers. The wrapping process is accompanied by blessings, rhyming chants and good wishes for the bride.
EN: The process of creating video lessons based on the inventory activities. The lessons show the elechek styles and introduce tradtional knowledge and rites related to elechek.
EN: Community-based inventory organized in all regions of the country helped to document the diversity of knowledge, rites and skills related to elechek.
EN: Many women living in mountainous areas of the country prefer to wear elechek in everyday life. Elecheck is a very practical headwear as it keeps the head cool in summer and warm in winter.
EN: Flash mob organized by communities on Ala-Too Square. More than 100 women from across the country took part in the event. They shared their knowledge with the participants and showed their skills in wrapping elechek. The flash mob attracted the attention of the general public through the media platforms.
EN: The elder woman in the community is giving a blessing to a newly married couple. These blessings ususally convey best wishes, such as wishes of good health, longevity, fertility, interpersonal harmony in the family, mutual respect, shared love, etc.
EN: Capacity building training for active youth, organized by the Kyrgyz National Commission for UNESCO in cooperation with communities and CRIHAP (UNESCO category 2 Centre). The training built a dialogue between the youth and community representatives, fostering the transmission and promotion of the element.
EN: Community representatives and a student from vocational school during the demonstration classes. Such classes allowed students to learn more about the elechek, wrapping techniques, making of decorative elements, such as elechek jewellery and embroidery, etc.
EN: Elderly women in the community conduct various rituals from wrapping elechek at the wedding ceremony to rituals dedicated to children. Marriage and a childbirth mark the significant transitions in a woman's life; guidance and assistance of elder women in these matters is highly valued.
EN: The ritual of elechek wrapping starts with burning the juniper to purify the physical and spiritual space.
