Gashtak

One of the options on the hatch table

Men on the gashtak

Festive hastak in Tajikistan in honor of Navruz holiday

Gashtak with alcohol

Gashtak ( Uzbek Gashtak ; Taj. Gashtak ), also known under the names Gap ( Uzbek Gap ; Taj. Gap ), Gapkhurlik / Gapkhuri ( Uzbek Gapxoʻrlik ; Taj. Gapkhӯrӣ ), Utirish ( Uzbek O`treishish ) - one of the species spending time together with Uzbeks and Tajiks in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan , as well as in southern Kazakhstan , southern and western Kyrgyzstan , northern and eastern Turkmenistan , as well as in northern Afghanistan , where large Uzbek and Tajik diasporas live. Gap or gashtak are also common in Russia among the same peoples.

The name of this event varies depending on each region. Gashtak and Gap variants are widespread throughout Uzbekistan and Tajikistan , the Gapkhurlik variant (from the Uzbek language literally translates as Eat communication / words ), in some regions of Uzbekistan, guphuri (from Tajik also translates as Eat communication / words ), respectively, in some regions of Tajikistan, and option utirish (translated from Uzbek as a gathering ) only among the Uzbeks. These terms usually mean the joint meeting and pastime of both men and women , but separately from each other. People usually gather at someone’s house , or in a teahouse , cafe or restaurant , or in nature (in the mountains , on the banks of rivers or lakes ), around a table with various dishes . As a rule, all participants of the gashtak or gap are discounted by a certain amount, depending on the quantity and price of food on the table, and the price of the rented room or establishment. Gashtaks or gaps usually take place in a friendly atmosphere, the topic of communication can be completely different, from everyday things to politics. Disputes and jokes are not rare in these gatherings. Also recently men have been gathering in gashtaks or gaps for watching football matches or boxing fights or other sports on TV together. In gashtaks, at least one main course is usually served, as a rule pilaf , additionally kebabs , chicken or fish can be served. In addition, various dishes are served, such as samsa , shurpa , chuchvara , manti , fruit , sweets , etc. In recent years, the presence of alcohol on the table ( wine , vodka , cognac or whiskey ) is not uncommon. Moreover, often alcoholic beverages are served on the table in teapots for tea .

In antiquity and in the old years, men usually gathered in a teahouse or at someone’s house, during gatherings they told jokes and legends, read poems, played musical instruments, sang folk songs, exchanged news. There was a minimum of meals on the table, usually only pilaf or another main course, flat cakes and tea, sometimes fruits, as well as chillim (the Central Asian version of the hookah ). Alcohol was not present.

Hashtaks can usually be carried out without reason, but there are also festive hashtags, for example, in honor of the Navruz holiday, or in honor of the Islamic holidays of Kurban Bayram and Uraza Bayram , in the pre-wedding or after-wedding time, on the eve or during birthdays, etc.

Women usually gather in gashtaki at someone’s home, but restaurants or cafes have also been popular in recent years. In teahouses, women are usually never assembled, since in Central Asia the teahouse is an exclusively male establishment. Like men, women also take off for the gashtak, and women have a special “technology”. Usually, everyone transfers money for the next gashtak to a certain woman, whose turn has come this time to organize this event. The woman, at her discretion, orders seats in the restaurant (if they are not going to go home), chooses the types of meals served. Usually, the circle of regular participants of the gashtaks is formed during the gashtaks, and this circle can both increase and decrease. Women usually gather for hashtacks every month, sometimes every few months, and sometimes even several times a month.

Gashtaki was popular only among the older generation (60-80 years), and generations with an average age (30-50 years), but in recent years, gashtaki are gaining popularity among young people, as one of the types of entertainment. True in other cases, such as a joint trip to the center of fast food , a hookah , or a night club , or a trip to nature.