The growing attention to processes related to the revival of Islam throughout Central Asia leaves in shadow some no less interesting tendencies associated with the westernization of the daily life. These processes have been recorded across the entire Central Asia but presently they manifest themselves to the greatest extent specifically in Kazakhstan, where interweaving of traditional elements of the East and the West created a remarkable distinctive culture of the 21st century. The voluntary or involuntary neglect of these processes undoubtedly leads to serious misrepresentation in our understanding of further routes of development of the traditional rites. Equally important is the fact that problems of Islamization itself undoubtedly appear more prominent when taking into account factors linked with the new ‘westernized daily routine’. In this regard, very interesting are the new secular rituals and festivities which appeared in modern Kazakh culture not long ago: gender reveal party, baby shower, tilashar (Kaz., literally ‘opening of the tongue’), constituting the subject of this research. This study employs methods of historico-cultural and ethnographic approaches, and it is based on fieldwork data obtained during the ethnographic studies in Western Kazakhstan in recent years and data from monitoring personal profiles of users of social networks and services. Gender reveal parties and baby shower celebrations are widespread in the entire world, and they are of a secular nature. The analysis of evidence from Kazakh culture shows an example of how modern Kazakhs attempt to fit the ‘westernized’ practices into the universal matrix of present-day Kazakh ritual activities based on three constituents: a repast with an indispensable national dish of ‘meat in Kazakh style’, a symbolic exchange of presents between members of socially kindred group, and bata beru i.e. ‘best wishes from senior relatives’. This is also supported by the search for parallels in the rites, conventional synonymity of the new practices and established family rites. Thus, the secular celebrations of gender reveal and baby shower are acquiring a national colour. The culture is adapting the ‘westernized’ practice; copying of the original example and its re-interpretation at a new level is taking place. In contrast to family rites, the gender party and baby shower are not obligatory; following of such practices is rather a fashion of its kind — a response of the modern Kazakh young people to cultural globalization. The author is trying to find an answer to the question: why indeed the Kazakh culture is so readily accepting and adapting practices of this kind? The answer seems to lie in the specifics of the social organization of the Kazakh society, in the emergence of new channels for storing and broadcasting of information, and in the overall orientation of modern Kazakhstan towards globalization.

Keywords: Kazakhs, family rituals, ‘gender reveal party’, ‘baby shower’, adaptation of a tradition.

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Accepted: 18.12.2023

Article is published: 15.03.2024