A rare household item sold at a flea market in the Jayil District

Last Sunday, a yoke was put up for sale at one of the flea markets in the Jayyl district. This was reported to the Turmush correspondent by local historian Maxim Podgorny.

According to him, the yoke is a wooden arc with hooks or notches designed for carrying buckets of water on one's shoulders.

The price of the yoke was 1,500 soms, and it was sold in just two hours.

“Fifty years ago, such household items were widely used in Kyrgyzstan. Today, young people do not always understand how and for what purpose they were used. The main function of the yoke was to allow carrying two buckets of water simultaneously over significant distances, switching them from one shoulder to the other. Some preferred to carry water on both shoulders at once. This was especially important in rural areas, where tap water was most often available at street fountains or wells,” Podgorny said.

Moreover, the yoke has a symbolic meaning, embodying the relationship between a man and a woman. If both buckets are full, they are easier to carry, but if one bucket is empty, it can lead to difficulties. This can be compared to family life, where the buckets on the yoke symbolize balance in family relationships.

Carrying water has traditionally been considered a woman's task. The yoke served not only as a helper but also as an object of jokes directed at men who used it. Usually, yokes were made of wood, and sometimes they were decorated with painting and carving. This particular specimen was created at one of the factories in the 1950s-60s. Yokes were often given as gifts: fathers to daughters, grooms to brides, and husbands to their wives. Studies have shown that using yokes helped prevent back injuries associated with lifting heavy weights. Additionally, the yoke contributed to the formation of a woman's figure, making the walk smoother, shoulders rounded, and arms strong, while maintaining feminine charm,” added local historian M. Podgorny.