About two thousand Tatars live in the Kyzylorda region, some of whom celebrated Sabantuy-2026 on Saturday, reports Todayinfo news agency.
The festival took place in the evening at Batyrkhan Shukenov Park in Kyzylorda, where more and more guests gradually gathered. The Tatar public cultural center organized the traditional celebration. Sabantuy is usually celebrated when the first green shoots appear in the fields. In Kyzylorda, this moment has already arrived, so the holiday is held earlier than in other regions.
Before the official part, guests tasted national Tatar dishes, learned about traditions, participated in games, and socialized. After the concert program, the key moment of the holiday arrived — the ritual of breaking a pot with a stick, symbolically associated with the future harvest.
“Usually, the regional akim does this. Today, instead of the akim, we have Artur Kambarov (deputy head of the public development department). Today, our harvest depends on him. If he breaks the pot, the harvest will be good; if he doesn’t, we will know who to blame (she smiled). Let’s see the result — whether the pot is broken or not. What our harvest will be like this year,” said Galiya Gizatullina, chairwoman of the Kyzylorda regional Tatar public-cultural center.
After that, she blindfolded the guest as tradition requires. Artur Kambarov struck with the stick, but the blow was too strong — the stick broke, causing laughter among those gathered. Galiya Gizatullina suggested trying again. “For the first time in 21 years (she didn’t finish), — then, shocked, she commented on the broken stick, — and for the second time in 21 years (of celebrating Sabantuy) we broke the stick. What a huge stick,” the chairwoman of the Tatar center marveled. Despite the incident, the pot was eventually broken, and the event was met with jokes and applause. After that, the celebration continued in its usual format.
