Polina_E_Manners

Kalmyk social taboos
In our Kalmyk tradition there are a lot of social taboos. Most of them are related to women. After the marriage a woman was prohibited to call the father-in-law by his name. She had to call him by a different name, given by her husband's family. This was appropriate not only towards the father-in-law but to the whole family. There are more taboos for a woman towards her husband. For instance, she was forbidden to wear her husband's belt and shoes. It was also banned for a woman to dry clothes upside-down on a rope after the washing.These all taboos are explained due to the fact of paying respect to her husband and his family, i.e. her respected attitude to her husband’s family. More taboos that have kalmyk people are showing respect to older people, that still exists till nowadays. For example to give way toa senior, give first a cup of tea, give the first word to say yoryal (good wishes) to the gods, person who cooked that very tea, that she/he drinks. These all create a good impression for respect people. And it can be as a good example of enforcement of morality for younger generation.