Khojaly (Xocalı) massacre...25-26 February 1992...Azerbaijan...

...Another year has passed. Azerbaijanis are remembering victims of Khojali tragedy. More than 600 innocent people including old people, women and children killed...victims of cruelty, politics, aggression. The event became the largest massacre in the course of Dağlıq Qarabağ (Nagorno-Karabakh) conflict...

Where do people find all the anger to kill another human, a child...where do they find all the hatred...how do they order to proceed...how do they all live with all that responsibility on their shoulders...

May all victims rest in peace...

P.S. You can find my last year posts on Khojali tragedy here and here.

Novruz..."Su Çərşənbəsi"..."Water" Tuesday...

February is considered the toughest month in Baku in terms of weather. "Tough" implies a day or two of snow when many Bakuvians look out of their windows and take a deep sigh for all the

things they could potentially achieve if not the snow :). Sheki as it should be in mountainous areas is covered with snow for much longer and heavier during winter and usually nobody complains that much. Actually religious and older people in Sheki consider inappropriate complaining about the weather..."who are mere mortals to complain about the weather"...

Baku also has strong "khazri"s (north/cold wind coming from Caspian (Caspian is called Khazar in Azeri)) in February when its almost impossible to walk and wind finds its way anywhere no matter how well everywhere is closed and anybody is buttoned up...

Thus in all this wind and cold when February is still trying to show its character we have first Tuesday of Novruz called "water Tuesday". It's like first warble of birds that one can't really hear yet but wants to hear. It's like a sign of beautiful spring to come. Four weeks in advance of Novruz first Tuesday reminds us to start enjoying anticipation of a greener (but not burnt with sun) and warmer (but not unbearably hot) nature.

Here is what I wrote on "water" Tuesday last year, post that actually talks more about our spring holiday Novruz and how we celebrate awakening of nature, starting from water.

Qircana (Qirjana) river of Sheki
P.S. Let's not waste the water...

To blessed memory of Leyla khanum Akhundzada...

Last week art community (and not only) of Azerbaijan suffered big loss – Professor, art critic, supporter of many artists in Azerbaijan, curator of numerous exhibitions and projects, including "Aluminium", International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Baku Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan pavilion in Venice Art Biennale, promoter of modern art in Azerbaijan, Leyla khanum Akhundzada, tragically died in a road accident.

This gentle, full of charm and charisma khanum was the professional who was using every opportunity to grow and develop...not only personally but developing, guiding and creating opportunities for people - many artists around her...painters, sculptors, photographers and many more...anyone who had something special to say...show...create...

She was one of rare I would say personalities in Azerbaijan who was not complaining about things that still need to change and develop but saw and noticed, listened and heard, brought up and supported talents, turned ideas into projects, opportunities to realities, knew history, literature and art of her country and was not only the critic, artist, curator, mentor but true cultural ambassador of Azerbaijan. Such an untimely death...

The only thought that somewhat soothes the pain is that Leyla khanum was lucky to leave behind students, projects and ideas...Fortunately her friends and colleagues surrounded her with love, friendship and respect when she was around them...she knew that we all loved her...

Allah rəhmət eləsin...May she rest in peace...

"Beşik"...old-fashioned...no...vintage cot...

There is a saying in Azerbaijan “aşıq gördüyünü çalar” what translates as - “aşıq”, a musician that plays the instrument called “saz”, sings what he sees, meaning that people talk about what they see or what is “close” to them.

Thus I will continue the subject of children and motherhood and traditions in Azerbaijan :)

Today I will be talking about “beşik”, kind of swinging bed (cot) used for babies in Azerbaijan historically. How long ago? Well, I was a baby in late 1970s and we didn’t have “beşik” in our house in Baku but to bring up children in Sheki “beşik”s were still used then and earlier.

To use “beşik” mothers had to kind of fasten the baby to “beşik” for safety reasons and since babies were swaddled (as everyone believed that swaddling was the proper thing to do as babies wouldn’t wake themselves when moving their hands)…Today in era of democracy and liberalism people might consider “beşik” as the first try to bind and limit babies thus infringing their rights :)

“Beşik” has a kind of accessory where babies can pee and poop, what is very considerate and comfortable; women then had quite a lot to do in their households and diapers were not invented yet (don't ask me how the accessories looked/worked since it is a bit complicated to describe but everything was well thought through and working!) “Beşik”s are quite low and they were comfortable when women would sit on the floor and swing “beşik”s, as well as breastfeed the babies without unwinding them.

Nowadays “beşik”s are mainly kept as family relic and used very rarely (I am not sure about all the regions but I think this is the case for Sheki)…

It was not easy to find picture of “beşik” in internet, this is what I was able to find.

I must say that beautifully made “beşik”s are real pieces of art....and...history...