FAMILY AND HOUSEHOLD ISSUES, HOLIDAYS, WEDDINGS AND NUPTIALS IN WESTERN AZERBAIJAN

The term “ethnography” emerged in the Middle Ages as a field of study that focuses on the people, describing their customs, traditions, everyday life issues, and being more familiar with their desires and aspirations, as well as being closer to them. Therefore, the primary task of ethnography as a scientific discipline is to study the people, their history, ethnography, lifestyle, customs and traditions, wedding and mourning ceremonies, as well as national, religious, and calendar holidays, and to enrich this knowledge further through scientific research. Although ethnography as a scientific discipline has been practiced since ancient times in the global community, the systematic collection of ethnographic data regarding the life and activities of the peoples living on the territory of Azerbaijan began in the XIX century. Nevertheless, the origin of acquiring ethnographic knowledge about the life and activities of the people living on the lands of Azerbaijan dates back to the ancient and medieval periods. The article examines the traditions, everyday life issues, ethno-cosmic customs, trials, and the continuation of mythical conceptions in the ritual behavior acts of the modern era in Western Azerbaijan, with analyses conducted on these aspects. The research reveals that the study of historical and cultural heritage rooted in ancient traditions inherently demonstrates the close interconnection of the territories of Western Azerbaijan—such as the city of Iravan, Vedibasar, Zangazur, Daralayaz, Aghbaba, Shorayel, Loru, Pambak, Goycha, Garagoyunlu, and Shamshaddin—with other regions. It has been documented as a historical fact that the customs, traditions, and lifestyle of the Turks living in the Shamshaddin, Garagoyunlu, Dilijan, and Goycha regions were nearly identical to those of the indigenous population of Ganjabasar.