Login
On November 22, the traditional folk period of "garagysh" (literally "black winter") began in Turkmenistan and will last until December 7.
This short transitional season between autumn and winter has long been considered a time of heightened vigilance for herders and farmers. According to folk wisdom, "Winter has forty faces, and all forty are temperamental," so the ancestors of the Turkmen urged careful preparation for the cold during this period.
According to long-standing observations, the "garagysh" season is characterized by sudden weather changes: a clear sky can suddenly become overcast and bring snow. Folk omens helped predict the severity of the coming winter: if cranes scream loudly and chaotically in the sky, ungulates gather in large herds, and ants dig deeper into their burrows, a cold winter is to be expected.
The "garagysh" period reminds us of the importance of timely preparation for winter, because ahead lies the big chille, the harshest part of the winter season.