Vadush, the traditional ritual of the people of Golestan for participation in animal husbandry
Economic poverty, lack of security, and difficult climatic and geographical conditions have made Iranian villagers and nomads increasingly interdependent. The methods of participation and assistance in exploitation in different regions of Iran have been adopted in accordance with the culture and environmental conditions of that region and ultimately creates a sustainable exploitation system that is rooted in indigenous knowledge and work experiences of past centuries.
In the villages of Shahkooh region of Gorgan city, this can also be confirmed by holding traditional ceremonies such as “Wadush”. This ceremony is held at the end of spring. Since most of the villagers’ income comes from livestock activities and the cattle are kept by shepherds, and because the sheep of a herd belong to different people, the herders come together to determine the share of each sheep owner on one day of the year to milk. Milk their own to achieve this important. In the meantime, hold a feast for the owners and guests who come together to thank them on this day.
In this way, the peak of livestock participation is observed. In this system, ranchers gather their cattle in a herd with common shepherds, jointly graze, milk, make dairy, pay expenses, and finally divide all income according to each share of the common herd. . This traditional ceremony in Shahkuh region is called “Wadosh”. “Wa” means to open and separate the sheep, “shower” also means to milk.
Wadosh is also one of the livestock festivals of this region, it is also one of the most important traditional livestock cooperatives. This ritual represents a kind of participation and assistance that farmers have used in the optimal use of manpower.
At the beginning of the day, a space is prepared for milking the sheep next to the “shit” (place where the livestock is kept) and then with the help of the shepherds and the characteristic that each livestock owner has for himself, which is called “dershem” (sheep identification mark They are said to be milking their sheep. Meanwhile, a group of people are preparing lunch for the property owners and guests who are invited by different people to gather in gratitude for this day. After milking, the sheep are released and the amount of milk collected is weighed and the notes are read. After that, the milk is boiled in a special container called “Berker” to be turned into other products, and it is poured into containers such as Kandil or Telem, and fine dough and..
On the day of Vadush, the ranchers entertain the guests with dairy products such as buttermilk, butter, cheese and صبح for breakfast and at lunch with food called “Kamajdan” and “Raw Tahchin”.
The traditional Wadosh ritual was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage in September 1400 and was registered.
* Report from Maryam Mansouri, Intangible Cultural Heritage Expert of Golestan Province
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