Sözchü

The sözchü (Iradi, "word-master") leads the toasts at an Iradi wedding feast (toi), memorial or other gathering. The host chooses an older man or woman known for eloquence, who proposes toasts in a fixed order and calls on guests to speak.^[1]

Order of toasts

1. To God and the White Rider.
2. To the land, often with the legend of The Kept Land.
3. To the dead; the first drops are poured on the ground or on the felt.
4. To Janyl and the saints.
5. To the parents.
6. To the guests.
7. To the children.
8. To the road (jol), last, before the guests leave.

Kymyz is drunk in the Autonomous Tribal Regions and brandy or vodka in the cities; Evangelical and many Muslim Iradis toast with tea. Changing the order is either a joke or an insult.^[1]

References

1. ^ Central Asian Cultural Studies Review (2018). 'Roads, Refuge and Reputation: Honour Customs of the Iradi Clans.' Vol. 11, pp. 5–29.