Nardoqan Facts for Kids

A table decorated for Nardugan, featuring pomegranates.

Nardoqan or Nardugan is an old holiday concept from the Turkic cultures. Today, it often means the winter solstice in many languages spoken in Central Asia and Siberia. It is also sometimes used as another name for the Christian holiday Christmas.

The name Nardoqan comes from different Turkic languages:

In Kazakh: нардуган
In Turkish: Nardoğan or Nardugan
In Azerbaijani: Narduqan

What Does Nardoqan Mean?
The Story of Nardoqan
- The Christmas Tree Connection
See also

What Does Nardoqan Mean?

The exact origin of the word "Nardoqan" is not fully clear. However, it is linked to words that mean "Sun":

In Old Turkic: Nar meant "The Sun."
In Mongolian: Нар (Nar) means "The Sun."
In Oirat: Нарн (Narn) means "The Sun."

The Turkic verb Doğmak means "to be born" or "to rise." When combined with "Nar," the word "Nardoğan" can mean "Newborn Sun."

The Story of Nardoqan

Nardoqan was a special celebration for Turks on December 21. This day is the winter solstice, which is the longest night of the year. During this time, the days get shorter in the Northern Hemisphere. People believed the old sun became smaller and weaker.

On December 22, the sun was thought to "die," being defeated by dark powers. But on December 23, a "new sun" was born. This new sun brought longer days and the promise of spring. This rebirth was a reason for celebration.

The Christmas Tree Connection

Some people believe the idea of decorating a Christmas tree comes from ancient Turkic traditions. While many think the Christmas tree started with pagan rituals in Europe, Turkish archaeologist Muazzez Ilmiye Çığ has a different idea.

She suggests that the tradition of decorating a tree comes from the ancient Turks of Central Asia. This idea is not accepted by all scholars. However, Çığ believes it shows how much Turkic culture influenced Europe.

The "Wish-Making Tree"

According to Çığ, the Turks had a custom of decorating a special tree. They would put gifts under a white pine tree to thank God for good things that happened during the year. They also tied pieces of cloth to the branches to make wishes for the next year.

This tradition was part of a bigger celebration linked to the sun's importance for Turks. Families would clean their homes, sing folk songs, eat special foods, and wear festive clothes.

Ülgen and the Tree

In Turkic mythology, the god Ulgen was believed to live at the top of a special tree. This tree stretched from the Earth to the sky. Ülgen's job was to decide when day and night would arrive.

Day and Night were always arguing about who would come first. Finally, on December 22, Day defeated Night. After this, Turks celebrated this day as a festival of rebirth.

How the Custom Spread

Muazzez Ilmiye Çığ points out that white pine trees are mostly found in Central Asia. She believes this is a sign that Christians might have learned this custom from the Turks. This happened even though Jesus' religion began in the Middle East.

In A.D. 325, a big meeting called the First Christian Council took place in Nicaea (now Iznik, Turkey). At this meeting, bishops decided to celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 24. This was when the custom of celebrating Christmas started to become part of Christian culture.

At first, Christmas was celebrated without decorating a tree. But as Turkic traditions became more known in Europe, the first Christmas tree was decorated in Germany in 1605. Similar practices then appeared in France. This custom slowly spread around the world from France. Çığ believes that Hunnish warriors first brought this tradition to Europe.

Some writers agree with Çığ's idea. They say that Turkic tribes moved to Europe from the Black Sea area starting in the seventh century B.C. They gradually became an important part of European culture. As Christianity spread, Turkish culture influenced Christian traditions.

However, not everyone agrees with this theory. Some researchers say that more study is needed to prove this claim. They note that historical sources usually say the Christmas tree custom is a Nordic tradition from the 19th century.

Nardoqan facts for kids

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