Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TEA ETIQUETTE
Tea is the drink of hospitality, ofered irt to every guet, and almot always drunk from a
piala
(small bowl). Bear the following tips in mind.
¨
From a fresh pot, the first cup of tea is often poured away (to clean the
piala
) and then a
piala
of tea is poured out and returned twice into the pot to brew the tea.
¨
A cup filled only a little way up is a compliment, allowing your host to refill it often and
keep its contents warm (the offer of a full
piala
of tea is a subtle invitation that it's time to
leave).
¨
Pass and accept tea with the right hand; it's extra polite to put the left hand over the
heart as you do this.
¨
If your tea is too hot, don't blow on it, but swirl it gently in the cup without spilling any. If
it has grown cold, your host will throw it away before refilling the cup.
Vegetarians &
Vegans
Central Asia can be difficult
for vegetarians; indeed the
whole concept of vegetarian-
ism is unfathomable to most
locals. Those determined to
avoid meat will need to visit
plenty of farmers markets.
In restaurants, you'll see
lots of tomato and cucumber
salads.
Laghman
or soup
may be ordered without
meat, but the broth is usu-
ally meat-based. In private
homes there is always bread,
jams, salads, whole greens
and herbs on the table, and
you should be able to put in a
word to your host in advance.
Even if you specifically ask
for vegetarian dishes you'll
often discover the odd piece
of meat snuck in some-
where - after a while it all
seems a bit of a conspiracy.
'Without meat' is
etsiz
in
Turkmen;
atsiz
in Kazakh and
Kyrgyz;
gushtsiz
in Uzbek;
and
biz myasa
in Russian.
this is a reflection of Asian
culture rather than homosex-
uality. Whether you're straight
or gay, it's best to avoid public
displays of affection.
¨
In Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan and Tajikistan,
gay male sex is illegal, but
lesbian sex does not seem to
be illegal (it is seldom spoken
about).
¨
Kazakhstan and
Kyrgyzstan have lifted
the Soviet-era ban on
homosexuality.
¨
The website www.gay.kz
has information on gay life in
Kazakhstan, but in Russian
only.
tral Asia, though you will find
some restaurants closed dur-
ing the day, reopening in the
evening as families convene
to break the day's fast.
Moulid an-Nabi
(13 January
2014, 3 January 2015, 24
December 2016) The birth-
day of the Prophet Moham-
med. A minor celebration
in Central Asia, though you
might notice mosques are a
little fuller.
Ramadan
(28 June 2014,
18 June 2015, 7 June 2016)
Also known as Ramazan, the
month of sunrise-to-sunset
fasting. Dates mark the
beginning of Ramadan.
Eid al-Fitr
(28 July 2014,
18 July 2015, 7 July 2016)
Also called Ruza Hayit in
Uzbekistan and Orozo Ait
in Kyrgyzstan. This involves
two or three days of celebra-
tions at the end of Ram-
adan, with family visits, gifts,
a great banquet (known as
Iftar) to break the fast and
donations to the poor.
Eid al-Azha
(4 October
2014, 23/24 September
2015, 13 September 2016)
Also called Eid-e Qurban,
Kurban Bayram, Qurban
Hayit or Kurban Ait in Cen-
tral Asia. This is the Feast
of Sacrifice. Those who can
afford it buy and slaughter
a goat or sheep, sharing the
meat with relatives and with
the poor. This is also the
season for the
haj
(pilgrim-
age to Mecca).
Holidays
Turkmenistan has some
particularly wacky holidays,
including Melon Day, Horse
Day and 'A Drop of Water is a
Grain of Gold' Day.
The following Islamic
holidays are observed lightly
in ex-Soviet Central Asia and
are cultural, not public, holi-
days. Dates are fixed by the
Islamic lunar calendar, which
is shorter than the Western
solar calendar, beginning 10
to 11 days earlier in each
solar year. Dates given here
are approximate (within a
day or two). The holidays
normally run from sunset to
the next sunset.
Ramadan is observed with
little fanfare in most of Cen-
Gay & Lesbian
Travellers
There is little obvious gay/
lesbian community in Cen-
tral Asia, though there are a
couple of gay clubs in Almaty
(Kazakhstan). It's not unusual
to see young women showing
affection towards each other,
nor is it uncommon to see
men holding hands. However,
