Abstract:

In this study, beliefs and practices related to birth, one of the rites of passage which are belong to the province of Turkmenistan Mary (Marı-Merv) and its surroundings, were examined. The research is limited to the Mary city and its surroundings. For this reason, other provinces of Turkmenistan were excluded from the study. However, the opinions of people registered with the population of Mary living outside of Turkmenistan were also consulted. A brief information was given about Turkmen history in the introduction part of the research and the subject, purpose and method of the research were mentioned. In the development part of the study, beliefs and practices related to birth were discussed, and beliefs and practices before, during and after birth were examined. For this reason, prenatal beliefs and practices consist of beliefs and practices in eliminating infertility - conception, contraception, healthy birth, craving, determining the sex of the child, birth preparation and birth stages. The practices performed during the birth are those related to the child's navel and placenta. After birth, there are practices such as puerperium, kırklama (which means the fortieth day ritual performed for mother and child on the day the puerperium ends),naming, first teething, first hair cutting and circumcision. Considering the beliefs and practices in the city of Mary and its surroundings, prenatal practices are more related to the mother, while postnatal practices are related to both mother and child. In the study, assuming that beliefs and practices related to birth in and around the city of Mary of Turkmenistan are parts of Turkish culture, it is aimed to introduce these beliefs and practices to the literature and to transfer them to future generations. In this field study, observation, question-answer, face-to-face interview and descriptive methods were used.