Brief Encyclopedia Signs and symbols of Kazakh culture

Dastarkhan / table

One of the most distinctive symbols of Kazakh culture is the traditional round dastarkhan (table) on low legs, placed exactly in the center of the yurt. Its shape in the form of a circle – represented by the sun, the source of life – symbolized the unity of the family, the family, the people. Dastarkhan has a sacral meaning: one of the constant prohibitions is disrespecting it; eating together behind the dastarhan means rapprochement, building friendly, amicable relations [4, p. 156]. In the tradition of Kazakhs the dastarkhan together with the hearth, the threshold and the shanyraq must not be desecrated, i.e. it is impossible

Encyclopedia More Item

ШайгОзова Ж.Н., Наурзбаева А. Б.

Краткая энциклопедия знаков и символов казахской культуры.

Алматы: КазНИИК, 2023.