HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR TO ALL PEOPLE LIVING ON THE WORLD. HAPPY NEW YEAR

  WHILE SANTA CLAUS WAS NOT AVAILABLE, AYAZ ATA SEARCHED IN TURKS

                        In Turkish, Altai and Central Asian mythology; "Ayaz Ata", also known as the "god of cold", is a part of an important ritual, especially among Kazakhs and Kyrgyz people. Uzbek “Ayoz Bobo” or “Ayaz Ota”, Kyrgyz: Аяз Ата, Kazakh “Аяз Ата”, “Cold God” or “Ayas Khan” in Turkish, Altai and Central Asian mythologies, especially in the Kazakhs and Kyrgyz, “ It is also known as “White Ayas”. Because it is created from moonlight, it causes cold weather. “The six stars of the Pleiades are the six holes of the sky. Ayaz Baba blows cold air from there. So winter comes. According to the belief of the Turks, he is a saint who appears in the cold of winter and helps the homeless and the hungry. (**)

The White Pine Tree (Tree of Life) Integrated with Ayaz Baba and Believed to Be Located in the Middle of the Earth

In fact, Central Asia, where Turks lived densely, had a climate that was cold in winters and warm and hot in summers. The Turks, who lived as nomads and did not lead a settled life, were a society that had strong rituals and lived in accordance with these rituals, even before accepting monotheistic religions. The sun, on the other hand, had a meaningful place in the lives of the Turks, which they gave meaning to and cared about. Ayaz means "burning cold" in the entire Turkish geography. It was thought that it was sent by the "Moon God" (or Ayas Khan affiliated with him) because it occurred in clear weather when the Moon was easily seen in the sky.

During cold and long winter nights and extreme frost events, they lost their animals and their families, including the elderly, children and young people. Such situations naturally caused demoralization among people. Whatever the Turks have adopted and continued as rituals until today, it should be understood that such celebrations come from strong roots for a meaningful reason. Perhaps these losses and the excuses given to these losses may be due to the belief that day and night were fighting each other on December 22, when the nights became shorter and the days began to lengthen. After this long war between day and night, the day was victorious by defeating the night. In the face of the loss of life and demoralization experienced during this period, people's hopes and joy of life gained meaning by ending with the day beating the night: this caused people to embrace these rituals more deeply and return to their normal lives...

Traditions that were made to transform the negative environment that people experienced during the cold and painful winter days into joy and fun, turned into rituals over time. And as the years passed, the Turks became very attached to these celebrations. However, they added a white pine tree to make this belief stronger and to further reinforce their belief in the continuity of life. As it is known, Turks valued everything that exists in nature and tried to give meaning to it in their own lives. One of them is the tree. The white pine tree, which is of great importance to the Turks and symbolizes the continuity of life, has become one of the most important sacred things over time. According to the belief of the Turks, white pine symbolized the middle of the earth. The white pine tree, which grows only in Central Asia, has taken a very strong place in the lives of Turks as the "tree of life". So much so that the tree of life, which symbolizes the continuity of life and the deep-rooted power of life, appeared as a motif in all the manual labor and eye-catching works done by women. They used the tree of life motif in everything they did, from the clothes they made for themselves to the carpets and rugs they wove to use in their homes. And while they lived for centuries, depending on both their roots and traditions, like the Trees, they kept these beliefs alive with them.

NARDUĞAN (Nar = Sun, Tugan/Dugan = Rising)

The Turks, who celebrated their victory under the white pine tree after defeating the war between day and night on December 22, celebrated the victory of the sun and the rebirth of the sun. The rebirth of the sun was perceived as a "new birth". Turks called the Sun "pomegranate". Tugan, which comes to our language today as falcon and means "to be born", has had the same meaning for centuries.

Prayers to God Ulgen during the Nardugan Festival and Rituals That Have Existed to the Present Day, Tied to a Tree for the Acceptance of Wishes

They were cleaning their houses when the Nardugan "Sunrise" Holiday, which the Turks traditionally celebrate every year, approached. On the day of the Eid, they would wear their most beautiful clothes, take with them the gifts they would present to God Ulgen, sing songs in groups and go to the highest and most magnificent evening pine tree. When they arrived under the white pine tree, they were leaving gifts and praying for their gifts to reach God Ulgen. In fact, in this ritual, besides Ayaz Ata, "Snow Girl", who was considered as his grandchild, was also present. Young girls and women sitting on tree branches