Chirköö Toi

A chirköö toi (Iradi, "church feast") is the patronal feast of an Iradi parish, chapel or clan shrine, kept on the day of its saint or of its dedication. It begins with the liturgy (Qurbana) at the hilltop chapel or spring, followed by a horse race, ulak and a shared cauldron of meat. Neighbouring clans are invited, and elders use the gathering to settle disputes.^[1]

Most patronal feasts fall in summer and autumn, while the herds are on the high pastures, and in the Chatkal valley riders go from one feast to the next through the season. The largest is the Feast of St. Janyl at Iyık Janyl on 24 August.^[1]

References

1. ^ Talas State University Press (2023). Sacred Toponymy and Ecclesiastical Monasteries of Iyık Janyl, pp. 78–95.