Xorazm ma’mun akademiyasi axborotnomasi – /2019 Ўзбекистон республикаси фанлар академияси минтақавий бўлими

XORAZM MA’MUN AKADEMIYASI AXBOROTNOMАSI –6(2)/2020  
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celebrations. The word “jubilee” - anniversary was derived from the ancient Jewish language and means 
“celebrated year in every 50 years”. In Khorezm, anniversaries are celebrated mostly at the age of 40 or 
50 years for men and women. It is widely celebrated at the age of 40 and the elderly say that from that 
time on, the outlook and attitude of the person changes and he becomes more constrained. At the jubilee 
ceremony close friends and relatives of the jubilee’s owner are invited. Guests give different presents 
and present their best wishes for the owner of the anniversary. In Khorezm there is a ceremony of 
wearing a lachak. Lachak has been formed as women's headdress for centuries and has gained new 
essence with the effection of natural, economic and social factors. The traditional headdress lachak of 
Uzbek women in Khorezm fulfilled two main functions: 
1. In the cold winter of Khorezm and in dry heat (in sharp continental climate) in the winter, it 
prevents the head from cold and from the sun light in the summer. 
2. The woman wearing a lachak had a special responsibility and honor in her neighborhood. 
Dressing lachak is one of the rituals traditionally preserved in Khorezm women. There are several 
conditions for wearing lachak: 
1. The woman who wishes to wear lachak must be an honest and clear woman with belief 
2. Must be worthy of respect among the neighborhood. 
3. She must married of course must have a child. 
4. There must be consent of her father-in-law, mother-in-law and husband to wear a lachak[1]. 
It was considered that women should wear lachak when she was without any wonder i.e. when her 
sons and daughters had married. When Khiva women wear this head clothing for the first time, a special 
ritual – the “Lachak party” was held and a ram was slaughtered[2]. Lachaks were divided into “a rich 
lachak” and “a poor lachak” according to its material. It showed the economic status of women, their 
role and status in society. Because of its name, it is possible to say that “a rich lachak” was worn by 
mostly rich, elegant women. It is made of various colorful, original silk fabrics. The poor lachak was 
worn by women in the middle and the poorest parts of the population, mainly made of gauze (soft 
marley), white coarse calico and large scarves. When asked about how old women can wear a lachak, 
two versions of answers were answered by Khiva’s elderly ladies. Some say that a woman of 20 or 24 
years of age – double tvelwe years can wear lachak after having one or two children, and some say that 
women can wear it mainly when they are 50-55 years old after seeing four tvelwe years or 63 years old, 
that is, after the Prophet's age. In fact, both of these options were true, and at the beginning of the 20
th
century women wore lachak after having been married and given birth to a child; and this time 
corresponds to the second tvelwe years of a woman. Nowadays, however, only the elderly women wear 
the lachak. 
In some districts (e.g. Khazarasp), masters of lachak were busy with preparing or wounding some 
of the parts of the lachak. The lachak could only be worn by elderly honored women living in the 
mahalla, namely, who mastered and know the Karan, who has gorwn a pious child and who are 
respectful. The lachak wearing ceremony was made in Khiva as follows: saying “First of all 
Bismillahirrahmonirrahim: we taking the devil’s shawl off and wear the skull-cap of the Rahman” a 
skull-cap was worn on a woman’s head. It means that now it is impossible for her to gossip or she turns 
up an elderly honored woman. She is wrapped around her neck and wrapped in a red, white cloth behind 
her neck. The red fabric reminds youth, white fabric (mattress) reminds oldness. The white scarf is 
covered on. A woman wearing a lachak leans to everybody and everyone greets her with presents 
wishing long life. Her husband, on the other hand, gives his presents to her and the elderly woman who 
has worn lachak on his wife. Handkerchiefs were delivered in the sense that let the participants of the 
lachak party reach such a day too.
Lachak was worn at least for three days and it was worn forever if it was possible. Then it was 
taken off without breaking and kept till the last day of life and worn on that day when seeing her off to 
the last address – when she was dead. Traditionally, in Khorezm, all women (except for those who have 
no children, if they didn’t adopt an orphanage and brought him up as a perfect person), were obliged to 
wear a lachak. If it was impossible for somebody to wear lachak or didn’t manage it, a lachak was made 
up and put above her head when she died. If this is not possible, a piece of cloth for a single dress and 
drawers, a skull-cap, two or three scraves should be applied to the dead body washer. 

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