The Religious and Philosophical Meaning of Traditional Rituals in Kazakh Culture

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Abstract

This article examines traditional rituals, folk beliefs, and prohibitions that occupy an important place in the spiritual culture of the Kazakh people from a religious and philosophical perspective. The study aims to identify the origins, symbolic meanings, religious foundations, and social functions of these cultural elements transmitted from generation to generation over centuries. Particular attention is given to the meanings and interrelationship of the concepts yrym (folk belief) and tyiym (prohibition), as well as their connections with mythological thought, pre-Islamic beliefs, and Islamic values. Traditional practices associated with pregnancy, childbirth, child-rearing, protection from the evil eye, and naming are also analyzed through specific examples. The study demonstrates that folk beliefs and prohibitions are not merely cultural practices inherited from the past but constitute a worldview reflecting morality, education, social solidarity, notions of sacredness, and the relationship between humans and nature. The findings indicate that traditional rituals played an important role in shaping the religious and philosophical worldview of Kazakh society, regulating everyday behavior, and contributing to the preservation and transmission of national cultural memory to subsequent generations.