Over 1000 years old SOGDIAN traditions preserved by Tajiks (Artuch Village, near Panjakent)

1.𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆 (𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵)

The first part of the ceremony involves placing honey 🍯 in the mouth of the newborn 👶. This practice was believed to soften the child's speech, implying that the child would grow up to be eloquent and persuasive. The Sogdians placed a great emphasis on good communication and speech, and being able to express oneself effectively was considered an important skill.

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙜𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙨 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘶𝘱, 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨..."

New Book of Tang, Official chronicle of Tang, 1060 (≈ 4th-8th century AD)

According to these chronicles, the Sogdian merchants also learned to read and write at the age of five 📚✍️:

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 & 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝟱..."
"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙...”

New Book of Tang, Official chronicle of Tang, 1060


2.𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆 (𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱)

The second part of the ceremony involves giving a coin 🪙 to the child 👶. This may symbolize the wealth and prosperity that the Sogdians aspired to achieve, or the merchant mindset that was prevalent in their culture. The coin may have also represented good luck and fortune, as it was a valuable and tangible object that could be passed down from generation to generation.

"...𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦… "


3.𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆 (𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲) - 𝗻𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀


In the beginning the narrator mentions a purification 🔥ceremony for newborn babies 👶, which involves the use of fire. This practice is based on the ancient pre-islamic belief in the power of fire as a purifying element. The fire is meant to purify the baby's spirit and protect them from evil spirits and diseases. During the ceremony, the parents and guests also offer prayers and blessings for the baby's health and prosperity. 🍀🍏

From a Sogdian Fragment from Panjakent we know that the Sogdian equivalent for

Arabic :
Bi-sm-i-’l-lāhi- l-raḥ(m)āni-l-raḥīm
“in the name of god, the merciful the gracious”
(see during the purification)

Would be
Sogdian: ət βəγú “to the lord”


4.𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆 (𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗲) - 𝗻𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀

the act of finding the "right place" in the cradle for the baby could have been seen as symbolically important for the child's future. In some cultures, the placement of objects or people in specific locations is believed to have spiritual or mystical significance.

In the case of the Sogdians, it's possible that finding the right place in the cradle for the baby was seen as important for the child's health and well-being, both physical and spiritual. The idea could be that the "right" place would provide the child with a sense of security and comfort, which could help them grow into a strong and successful adult.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻:
Overall, these birth ceremonies were likely intended to set the stage for the child's future success in life. By emphasizing the importance of speech and wealth, the Sogdians sought to imbue their children with the skills and mindset needed to thrive in their society.