Title Image: Close Call- Victory Day celebrations with a match of At Ordysh
May 9th known as Victory Day marks the Soviet Union’s triumph over European fascist forces in 1945 during “The Great Patriotic War” known in the west as World War Two. This important holiday celebrated throughout the former Soviet Republics and Israel commemorates the sacrifices made by those who served during this bloody conflict, which cost the lives of over 25 million people within the Soviet Union.
Yet even after independence, Victory Day is still observed in all of the former Republics but in a country like Kyrgyzstan it has taken on a distinctly Central Asian flavor with entire communities coming together, paying homage to veterans during a day full of eating, drinking, and traditional games.
On May 9th, in the northern province of Chui near the city of Kara-Balta, a typical day of festivities took place with 6 villages gathering to pay respect to their veterans and to compete for several cash prizes in traditional Kyrgyz games ranging from horse races called At Chabysh to old fashioned wrestling.
One of the most popular games, At Ordysh or horse wrestling is a spectacle of brute strength and agility rooted in the Kyrgyz people’s nomadic traditions. In this game two riders face off, trying to either dismount their opponent or remove a colored sash tied around his opponent’s stomach. Horse bites and broken limbs are a fairly common occurrence making this sport not for the faint of heart.
The highlight of the day’s celebration is a match of Ulak Tartesh known as Buzkashi in neighboring Uzbekistan, where two teams of riders fight over a goat carcass in a game that marries the rules of polo and brutality of rugby. Ulak Tartesh requires excellent horsemanship and balls the size of pumpkins as riders gallop full speed while trying pick up a beheaded goat to throw in a goal. Several games are usually played in a series with match ending once a team scores 3 points.
Behind the Libations.
Yet behind the games and libations remembrance of the “The Great Patriotic war” has become an important reminder of a not so distant communist past that influenced traditional ways of life within the Central Asian region.
A legacy of forced military conscription under the leadership of Joseph Stalin has made military service a common narrative for an entire generation of men and women. In all of the Central Asian states, traditional cultures and ways of life were disrupted in order to continue the fight against fascist forces and advance the reach of Marxist-Leninist ideology. One often hears stories from surviving Kyrgyz veterans of a nomadic upbringing disrupted by forced conscription in a foreign land.
In nearly every Kyrgyz village monuments have been erected bearing the names of living veterans and fallen soldiers – a constant reminder of the true cost of war.
