What amazing rituals did our ancestors use to develop in girls love for and the ability to do needlework?

From time immemorial, Uzbekistan has been the realm of interesting rituals, some of which symbolically secured a successful future for a carpet embroideress. 

One unusual rite was associated with the head of a ram. The ram has a film on the palate of its mouth, which has an interesting appearance: it consists of very neat small folds. In Tashkent, it is called chevari or chevar. When cutting a cooked sheep head, the mother or grandmother tore off this film and hit the girl's palm with it until she grasped it, saying all the while "Chevar bul" ("Be a master!"). 

Another rite consisted in the burning of a girl's first inept work, for example, on an old skullcap, in a fireplace in the house of the most skilled craftswoman, thereby burning the "inability" of the disciple together with the embroidery.

To teach girls embroidery, special nuskadon (Arabic nuska – drawing, recording) "albums" were used. These were pieces of fabric sewn together, each bearing a specific set of patterns and stitches. However, adult women also consulted to these "albums".

Other interesting rituals related to the creation of carpets and embroidery can be found in the book Embroidery and Carpets of Uzbekistan in Foreign Collections from the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections series.

The general sponsor of the project "Cultural legacy of Uzbekistan in the world collections" is the oilfield services company Eriell Group.