The last weekend, on 4-5 May, the VI Festival of Traditional Culture Asrlar Sadosi took place in the picturesque region of the Sarmish-say gorge. This grandiose event unprecedented in Uzbekistan took place in the hills strewn with poppy and iris flowers. Hundreds of dancers, musicians, singers, circus artists and representatives of different Uzbek traditional sports presented the whole people’s cultural legacy different from region to region.
The first festival day attracted attention of people, numbering from 80,000 to 100,000 - the exact quantity seemed impossible to count, the flood of audience was endless. And there was much to be seen at.
The brightest and most colorful were the dance floors of different Uzbekistan’s regions which “fire up” the audience with its theatrical dancers and hot music, making it just shake a leg. Every mount featured not only a dance type and music but also with coloring of national costumes. The whole wealth of cultural legacy of country’s regions: Namangan, Surkhandarya, Samarkand, Jizak etc, could be seen there. Anybody who wished could not only watch and dance but also walk out on the stage to find himself in the center of the festival.
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Near the ground of circus performance, there could be seen an unusual visitor standing barefooted at a bicycle and videotaping the tricks. That is what Miryakub Kabilov, aged 67 told us:
“I got to the “Asrlar Sadosi for the first time and very happy with it. There is a joyful and festive atmosphere prevailing here that even a strong wind does not disturb but only brought a positive energy. I came by bike to the festival from Tashkent. I have been riding for four days and in the morning of the fifth day I was already here. On my way here I had many adventures, my bike broke down several times. My friend from Samarkand who set off together with me, got tired and stayed behind on the way. But I managed to get here and I am very happy”.
The battles held as part of the Asrlar Sadosi Festival caused equal interest of its guests.
Uzbek Kurash which already gained world recognition brought together many men to watch thoroughgoing fights of sportsmen who came there from all regions of Uzbekistan. Each of them wanted to know in which regions the best fighters lived, and during two days all champions were identified in all weights.
The cockfighting drew an equal attention as kurash: the audience sealed off the ground hiding from the onlookers an eye-popping fight of the birds urged by their owners.
Great interest was also caused by ram fights. There were so many people who wished to watch them that they filled the nearest slopes, from where they were still able to watch the fight of these heavy horned animals. In fact, the sight was really fascinating: two rams rushed at a breakneck speed one upon the other, butting their heads – it was impossible to withdraw eyes from it.
The second festival day was equally interesting. The majority of people got already to know the places for holding fights, performances of circus artists and darboza (rope-walkers), and where they can have the most popular Uzbek dishes – shashkyk and pilau. The people seemed to be fewer, but in actual fact everybody just went to the place which was interesting for him.
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The second day featured new performances. Traditional horse racing “ulok” and “kupkari” took place far off, in the poppy fields. And the most long-awaited and delicious event was festival of national cuisine, where one could taste all kinds of pilau, shashlyk and other popular dishes of Uzbek cuisine.
A notable event was a fashion parade represented by Uzbekistan young and ambitious couturiers, who demonstrated their collections which combined modern style and traditional elements of Uzbek décor. Photographers, journalists and tourists surrounded the podium to capture new trends of Uzbek fashion. Among the spectators there was Axel Porsch, the well-known German blogger, who said about the Uzbekistan couturiers:
“It was a remarkable fashion show. I liked the original models, bright, unusual colors and fabrics. The collection presentation and music background rendered a special mood and I am impressed. I should said that I am very interested in fashion in general, and I think that Uzbek motifs with a serious attitude to their promotion, can become very popular in the world’s fashion industry. For example, I live in Berlin and would wear this clothing myself with pleasure there. I am very thankful to Fund Forum for the initiation to take part in the Festival".
And on top of everything else, the Asrlar Sadosi Festival hold an auction of jewelries and other pieces of art, and for the guests invited from other countries, it arranged an excursion to the ancient petroglyphs of Sarmish-Say.
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The final accord of the Asrlar Sadosi Festival was a grandiose gala-concert featuring performance of pop stars and honored artists of Uzbekistan, as well as music ensemble from China and famous Turkish singer Mustafa Sandal. At the end of the concert Gulnara Karimova awarded the Festival laureates in different nominations with diplomas.
The Sixth Festival Asrlar Sadosi became the largest one in its whole history and will stick in everybody’s memory for many years. The festival was a success, and now we are looking forward to meeting Asrlar Sadosi -2014 exactly in a year.
