ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Commun.
Sec. Culture and Communication
UNDERSTANDING NAURYZ AMONG KAZAKHS AND NOGAIS: THE CYCLICAL CONCEPT OF TIME AND CULTURAL RENAISSANCE
Provisionally accepted
Raimbek Zeinullin1*
Kudaibergenova Nazgul2*
Zeinabil Aidarbekov2,3*
Asset Kuranbek2*Margulan Alpysbay1*- 1Department of Religious Studies and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Philosophy and Political Science, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 2Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy and Political Science, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 3Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy and Political Science, Samarkand State University named after Sharof Rashidov, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
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This study investigates the Nauryz holiday in Kazakh and Nogai cultures, focusing on its cyclical conception of time and social-symbolic significance. Traditionally, Nauryz marks the transition from the old year to the new, restoring harmony in nature and society. Drawing on structural anthropology (C. Lévi-Strauss), functional anthropology (B. Malinowski), ritual theory (V. Turner), semiotics (Y. Lotman), and the invention of tradition (E. Hobsbawm), the research analyzes the holiday's mythological origins, symbolic structures based on binary oppositions (dark–light, winter–summer, stagnation–renewal), and its role in social integration. Despite restrictions during the Soviet era, Nauryz was preserved in collective memory and experienced a revival by the late 20th century. In contemporary urban settings, it functions as a key element of national identity formation, while also undergoing commercialization and adaptation to new sociocultural contexts. The study highlights how Nauryz mediates temporal, social, and ritual dimensions, connecting historical traditions with modern practices, and illustrates the resilience and reinterpretation of cultural knowledge. Comparative analysis of Kazakh and Nogai practices provides insights into the broader role of cultural festivals in maintaining community cohesion, negotiating historical transformations, and fostering social integration, demonstrating the dynamic interplay between tradition and contemporary cultural environments.
Keywords: Nauryz, Cyclical time, Kazakh culture, Nogai culture, ritual, symbolism, invention of tradition, Social integration
Received: 27 Aug 2025; Accepted: 10 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zeinullin, Nazgul, Aidarbekov, Kuranbek and Alpysbay. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Raimbek Zeinullin
Kudaibergenova Nazgul
Zeinabil Aidarbekov
Asset Kuranbek
Margulan Alpysbay
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