CultureKinnect2014*Tajikistan

*Flag

The crown represents the Tajik people (tajvar means “crowned“). In traditional Tajik culture, the number "seven" is a symbol of perfection.Red - unity of the nation and the symbol of the sun and victoryWhite - purity, cotton, the snow on the mountains and the unity of the peopleGreen - the spiritual meaning of Islam and the generosity of nature of the country.

1:2 ratioAdopted 1992

*Quick Facts

*Capital: Dushanbe*Major religion: Islam*Currency: Tajikistani somoni*Government: Republic *Ethnic Groups: Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%,

Kyrgyz 1.1%, other 2.6%*Most of Tajikistan's population belongs to the Persian-

speaking Tajik ethnic group, who share language, culture and history with Afghanistan and Iran. *Once part of the Samanid Empire, Tajikistan became a

constituent republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic (Tajik SSR). *Mountains cover more than 90% of the republic.

*Food

*With over 80 percent of the population living below the poverty line, food is scarce.

*A basic breakfast consists of tea and bread. A wealthy family may eat butter and jam and perhaps eggs or porridge.

*Soup often is served for dinner*Osh, a rice dish made with carrots, onions and meat, is

served two or three times a week. At other times pasta, meat- and onion-filled pastries, and tomato and cucumber salads may be served. All meals are accompanied with large rounds of flat bread.

*Restaurants usually offer Western and Russian food, and choihonas (teahouses) serve traditional foods. Guests often sit on a platform with a low table surrounded by thin mats.

*Pork is never eaten. *Bread may not be placed upside down*Tea is served to the host first to show that it is safe to drink. * Islamic law forbids the consumption of alcoholic beverages,

but this prohibition often is ignored.

*Art

*Economy

*Rural people depend almost entirely on what they produce themselves. Seventy-five percent of households grow food for their own use, and people in the cities plant gardens in vacant lots. *The dominance of cotton has limited the

growth of food products.*Tajikistan’s economy grew by 7.4 percent

in 2013

*Week’s Groceries

*The father has gone to Russia to find work

*Clothing

*Secular Holidays

*Consolidation Day (17 June)*International Labor Day is celebrated on 1

May*Victory Day on 10 May*Independence Day is celebrated on Sept.

9*Constitution Day on 6 November.

*Etiquette

*The elderly are always given the place of honor.* A man must never enter a home where

there are only women, and a girl must never be left alone with a boy. *At large social gatherings, men and women

often are separated. *Bargaining is accepted in the marketplace. *Personal space is not respected in either

private or public places.