Traditions and Customs

[Chechen]

The word "Nokhchallah" does not lend itself to translation. But it may and must be explained. "Nokhcho" stands for Chechen."Nokhchallah" brings together all the specific properties of the Chechen character. It implies a whole gamut of moral and ethical norms. It may be described as the Chechen code of honor.

Chivalry, gentility, diplomatic skills, manliness, generosity and reliability are the qualities which a child of a hardline Chechen family imbibes with, as they say, his mother's milk. And the Chechen code of honor is rooted in the remote days of Chechen history.

In the severe conditions of bygone years a refusal to open the door to a stranger could lead to lethal frostbites. He could succumb to fatigue or famine, fall prey to a wild beast or highway robbers. The ancestral tradition which has been held sacred, demands that a stranger be welcomed in, seated by the fire, offered food and shelter for the night. Hospitality is, thus, "nokhchallah." The narrow roads and paths of Chechnya zigzag around mountain cliffs and on the brink of precipices. A fight or a heated argument may send one down into the abyss. Politeness and willingness to compromise are "nokhchallah." The strenuous conditions of their life taught the highlanders to help and support one another, which is also "nokhchallah." But "nokhchallah" has nothing to do with the Table of Ranks. There have been neither princes nor serfs among the Chechens.

"Nokhchallah" is an ability to deal with people without showing your privileged position. The privileged should be extra polite and accommodating to avert hurting anyone's feelings. If two men meet and one of them is riding on horseback and the other walking, the one who is riding shall be the first to utter words of greeting. If the one who is walking is older that the one who is riding, the rider shall dismount to greet the older man.

"Nokhchallah" is friendship that lasts all life: in joy and sorrow. Highlanders hold friendship sacred. Inattentiveness or impoliteness shall be forgiven if they are displayed to a brother, but to a friend - never!

"Nokhchallah" is special respect for women. A man dismounts his horse before entering the village where the relatives of his mother or his wife live. And here is a story about a man who asked to spend a night in a house that stood on the outskirts of a Chechen village, without knowing that she was alone. The hostess could not reject his request. She gave him something to eat and made a bed for him. In the morning, the man realized that the woman was alone and that she had spent the night sitting by a lit lantern in the anteroom. As he was hurriedly washing up, he brushed the woman's hand with his small finger by accodent. The man cut the finger off with his knife before leaving that place. Only a man brought up in the spirit of "nokhchallah" will go to such pains to protect a woman's honor.

"Nokhchallah" rules out all attempts at subjugation. Male Chechens have, since times immemorial, been brought up as protectors and trained to bear arms. "Come at liberty" is the oldest of the greetings in actual use in Chechnya. The freedom of spirit and readiness to fight to protect it is "nokhchallah."

"Nokhchallah" demands that Chechens respect all other men, regardless of their social origins, family background and religious beliefs. The bigger the difference between a Chechen and someone else, the more respect the Chechen shall accord that someone. You have a chance to be forgiven for hurting a Moslem's feelings because, people say, you may meet the person whose feelings you have hurt on Judgement Day. But all is lost if you have hurt the feelings of a person of a different creed, because there is no chance of ever meeting him. The sin will stay with you forever.

"Nokhchallah" is no book of do's and don't's. It is of their own free will that the Chechens obey its rules. It is a condensed formula of a Chechen way of life.

I would be interested to find out about traditions and customs of people from other countries and maybe compare them to my ones which I have grown up with and been educated with. The text above is an example of some Chechen traditions.

[~Sam~]

''Nokhchallah'' is an english word?, rather not. Very intresting this is but any proof of word would also be added as this makes me ponder it's false statment. "Nokhchallah" is special respect for women''

[Chechen]

No Nokchallah is not an English word it is a Chechen word. Nokhcho means "Chechen" in the Chechen language.

[~Sam~]

I did read the message you sent and have you got any proof of this?

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[Fishman]

:sl:
This is indeed interesting, but I doubt that the values of Chechens are any different to the values of most other people. Nobody likes rude jerks whatever the culture, no culture or people wants to be subjected to foreign rule, and all cultures have some sort of belief in honour or justice.

One thing I find interesting is this:

There have been neither princes nor serfs among the Chechens.

How did the Chechens get on when the Czars were ruling? The Czars had a big thing about serfdom and nobles and mistreating peasants and all that, how were the Chechens to cope with something which goes against their basic values?
:w:

[Chechen]

I did read the message you sent and have you got any proof of this?

I don't understand. What would you want proof about?

[Chechen]

:sl:
This is indeed interesting, but I doubt that the values of Chechens are any different to the values of most other people. Nobody likes rude jerks whatever the culture, no culture or people wants to be subjected to foreign rule, and all cultures have some sort of belief in honour or justice.

One thing I find interesting is this:

How did the Chechens get on when the Czars were ruling? The Czars had a big thing about serfdom and nobles and mistreating peasants and all that, how were the Chechens to cope with something which goes against their basic values?
:w:

Well when the Russians arrived the Chechens obviously didn't want to subject to foreign rule especially when they saw that the Russians had tsars and slaves and all that. The Chechens could have never imagined that a man can be considered superior to another one or that one could be inferior to another. Chechens always considered all men equal. Never in Chechen history had there been a king or a queen or anyone that could be considered superior. So when the Russians tsars arrived the Chechens never considered them as kings or superior. They always rejected them. As soon as the Russians said they wanted to rule Chechnya the Chechens straight away picked up arms and fought the Russians. So even if the Russians finished by invading Chechnya and the Caucasus the Chechens had to live under Russian rule but never did a single Chechen accept any of the tsars as his king or being superior to him. Even though the Russians controlled Chechnya they never tried making any of the Chechens nobles or giving them positions which would make them "superior" or try turning some into slaves because they knew Chechen mentality very well so they just let Chechens continue living their lifestyle and didn't dare try to impose all that tsar stuff. So basically Chechens lived by their own laws and acted as if the Russians weren't there and the Russians were afraid of trying to impose their lifestyle.