Kurdish culture

Kurdish culture is a group of distinctive cultural traits practiced by Kurdish people. The Kurdish culture is a legacy from ancient peoples who shaped modern Kurds and their society.

Kurdish (کوردی, Kurdî) is part of the North-Western division of the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. Because they are both part of the same language family, according to Izady, "Many Kurdish words are cognate to English, such as gama = game, mâra = marry, stâra = star, rubâr = river, dol = dale or valley, brâ = brother, mong = moon, snoy = snow, firo = free (of charge), standin = to stand, sur = sure, and the like." There are three main dialects, Kurmanji, Soriani and Pehlewani

Kurdish folk music is an important part of Kurdish culture and has traditionally been used to transmit stories about Kurdish history by Dengbej (bards). According to thekurdishproject.org, 'The word ‘deng’ means voice and ‘bej’ means ‘to sing.’ Dengbej are best known for their “stran,” or song of mourning.' Many popular Kurdish musicians of the 20th century like Hassan Zirak and Ahmet Kaya sang in Turkish or Farsi as well as in Kurdish. Apart from the language it is sung in, Western Kurdish music has a more Anatolian, Turkish, Greek or Balkan sound, whereas Southern Kurdish music is influenced by Arab musical styles, Eastern Kurdish music by Persian styles and North-Eastern by Armenian and Caucasian styles.

Food is widely recognised to be a fundamental part of what it means to be Kurdish. Foods such as Dolma (vegetables stuffed in grape leaves), kofta (spiced meatballs or meatloaf), Ser u pe (goats tongue and feet), shifta (meat patties), kofta (spiced meatballs or meatloaf) are traditional Kurdish foods. As nomads and herders, lamb and chicken have been staple meats in Kurdish cuisine for centuries. Vegetables, pilaf and dairy products also comprise a large portion of traditional Kurdish food. Tea is also staple to a Kurdish diet. It is commonly drunk 2-3 times a day, commonly a social activity. Kurds also drink Mastaw/Do'h/Ayran, a yogurt-based drink.

The Kurdish people have different religions depending on the country in which they live in or they have cultural and ethnic links to that religion, the most common religion among Kurds is Sunni Islam, practiced by 98% of Kurds living in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurds of Turkey are 30% Alevi out of a population of approximately 15-22 million Kurds and 68% follow Sunni Islam. Religion has become a fundamental part of what it means to be a Kurd. The first known religion of the Kurds was Zoroastrianism, an ancient Iranian religion. As Zoroastrianism was fading from the ancient areas of Mesopotamia and Anatolia Yezidism was becoming more accepted as the main religion of the Kurds in the Shingal area (Sinjar) the 12-13th Century and more Yezidi tribes expanded into South-eastern Anatolia. The areas where the Kurds consider their homeland have a wide variety of religions including Islam, Christianity and Judaism which have all at one point existed in the Kurdish areas. The Religion of the Kurds has been changing constantly throughout history.

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Wikipedia