Tajik Water Diversion Festival
2 min readWater Diversion festival
The Water diversion Festival, which is called zuwur in tajik language with the meaning of”water diversion”, is one of the traditional festivals in Tajik. The Water Diversion Festival is held when the spring comes and the snow melts This is an agricultural festival, reflecting the natural environment in Pamirs and the production activities of Tajik which are corresponding to the environment.
The area of Taxkorgan where Tajik people live has a cold climate and small population. In the winter, the mountain and water freeze, and in the spring the people need to split the ice cakes to divert the water into the irrigation canals for sowing and cultivating.
The power of one household is limited to divert the water for cultivating and it needs all the people in the village to Work, on the basis of which the Water diversion festival is formed when the spring comes, people sprinkle some soil on the ice face to accelerate melting of e and prepare various tools for splitting the ice cakes.
Every family bakes 3 festival naans On the Water diversion Festival, all the men of the village, led by the mirap(water officer), come to the position for water diversion, riding horses, and participate in splitting the ice cakes and fixing the channels Having diverted the water into the channels, all the people get together to enjoy the festival naan they bring and the children frolic in the water. then such as goat grabbing and horse racing will be held. On this day the /ak s people pray for the fine weather and good harvest together. At last, activities herdsmen living in Pamirs all open the skylights which have been closed for a whole year, letting the sunshine shining into the rooms.
