CULTURE benevolent and favourable to his or her descendants and offspring .
Another feature of Kazakh people was and is hospitality . Kazakhs have many hospitality related customs and traditions . It has always been the hosts ’ obligation to welcome and feed their guests , and a Kazakh kitchen has always been famous for creating a variety of tasty meat meals and delicacies ( beshparmak , manty , kazy , shuzhuk , etc .) and useful beverages as kumyz , shubat , ayran , and of course tea . Kazakhs have a whole ceremony for the correct meat cutting process while serving it to the table . People traditionally set a festive table , sing songs , dance , and play musical instruments in the decorated yurt . It would have been shameful if the host did not provide tea and a meal in the house to the guest . It was impolite to show a guest your bad mood . Kazakh people have many proverbs and sayings related to hospitality , one of them is : ‘ If a guest comes to your house , he brings happiness along ’. Hosts would always make sure the guest leaves their house in a good mood , by providing some food to go or a gift . If a child was among the guests , the hosts would make sure to give him something delicious or a present . There ’ s a traditionala belief that if a child leaves your home unjoyful , he takes happiness away from your home with him .
There are certain peculiarities in raising children for Kazakhs , and the roots of such an upbringing go deep into ancient times . For instance , the custom of not revealing a baby for 40 days after birth is related to the ancient idea that a child is highly influenced by evil spirits at this early stage of life . These spirits might send illnesses upon him or dwell in the child . Even the first Kazakh lullabies mostly remind of spells , not songs , to fool the evil spirits and fight them away from a child .
As another key feature to Kazakh families that grandmothers and grandfathers play a significant role in children ’ s upbringing as the main holders of traditions , customs , experience and wisdom of the nation . The first born children in families have traditionally been considered to belong to the in-laws ( the husband ’ s parents ). Children adopted by their grandparents typically become the family ’ s sweethearts ( beloved ). National folklore played a huge role in children ’ s upbringing . As soon as a baby started speaking , he or she would be taught songs , proverbs , and poems , as Kazakh people have always valued eloquence and the ability to improvise or ad lib poetry and singing . It is for this reason that aytys ( competing in improvisation ) is still popular nowadays . Many things were learnt by children in the form of games starting from a very early age . Everybody knows that the norms of community , household living and core values are founded in family . Children watching their elders ’ work – girls after mothers ’ crafts , sons after fathers ’ household jobs – would be wishing to participate in the process and help . Gradually getting the vital fundamental skills towards the first mushel zhas ( 12 years old ), girls would become good helpers to their mothers , and boys – young men of honor – djigits . Traditionally a girl ’ s upbringing was mainly focused on the family and its values , education of boys would be given more attention since he was to become the head of the family and solve complex household issues .
One more feature of Kazakh people is their value of unity and mutual help .
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