Kyrgyz Children's Future

2013 Heritage Weekend

We organized our second Kyrgyzstan Heritage Weekend to take place over Memorial Day weekend near Washington, DC. Families with children adopted from Kyrgyzstan came from all corners of the United States to participate, and a fabulous group of enthusiastic volunteers came to lead numerous Kyrgyzstan-related cultural activities.

Friday Afternoon

Reception at the Kyrgyz Embassy

To start off the Kyrgyzstan Heritage Weekend, on Friday, the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan held a wonderful reception for the families with children adopted from Kyrgyzstan. Ambassador Djumaliev and staff were on hand to meet with families and show the children the Embassy. There were balloons and gifts for the children, and delicious refreshments.

Saturday

Saturday morning activities included Kyrgyz felt crafts, Kyrgyz language and games, and music and folklore.  The children were organized into 3 groups by age, and each group had 2 counselors (high school students) who stayed with them throughout the morning.

Crafts

Aynoor and Gulya helped the children put together some beautiful Krygyz felt designs.

Kyrgyz Language

Kyrgyz Culture and Traditions

Boutique

Beautiful Kyrgyz handicrafts were also for sale.

Cooking

The kitchen was also a very busy place on Saturday morning, as delicious dishes were being prepared for lunch.

Just Before Lunch

Lunch

Lunch was a delicious feast of dishes popular in Kyrgyzstan, including besh barmak.

Performances

After families were given a chance to go back to their hotel to rest for a couple hours, we reconvened in the late afternoon for several wonderful performances.

The Kyrgyz Ambassador to North America, Muktar Djumaliev opened the afternoon of performances.

Sunday

Picnic and Games at the Park

On Sunday, families and volunteers met at a local park for lunch that included shashlik!

After lunch, the Kyrgyz volunteers taught the families two Kyrgyz games which were lots of fun for all the participants and for those observing!