Uzbek for weddings (toʻy) and holidays: what to say

Sooner or later a colleague, a neighbour or another parent invites you to a toʻy, or a holiday arrives and everyone around you says the same short sentence. This page gives you that sentence, and the one pattern behind it: bilan, the little word that says what you are congratulating someone on.

This page is part of Uzbek for life in Tashkent, the guide for relocants and families.

Congratulating

Wishes and invitations

The holidays on the calendar

Congratulating with bilan

Bilan means “with”, and it is also how Uzbek says what you are congratulating someone on. It comes after the word, never before it:

• Bayramingiz bilan! Happy holiday! (literally “with your holiday”, short for “I congratulate you on your holiday”)
• Tugʻilgan kuningiz bilan! Happy birthday! (literally “with your birthday”) The -ingiz is “your”, as in toʻyingiz (your wedding).
• Sizni toʻyingiz bilan tabriklayman. I congratulate you on your wedding. Sizni is “you” as the person being congratulated, and tabriklayman is “I congratulate”, with the -man ending you know from introductions. Drop sizni and the sentence still works.
• Oilam bilan kelaman. I’ll come with my family. The same bilan, now in its ordinary meaning of “with”.

The other pattern is muborak, “blessed” or “happy”: the occasion, then -ingiz, then muborak. Toʻyingiz muborak, bayramingiz muborak and hayitingiz muborak are all built the same way.

Navroʻz, Hayit and the table

Navroʻz falls on 21 March, the day of the spring equinox, and it is a non-working holiday in Uzbekistan. It marks the new year and the start of spring. It is not only an Uzbek holiday: UNESCO has inscribed it as shared heritage of several countries (in 2009, and again in 2016 with twelve countries), so a friend from elsewhere in the region may greet you with a different version of the same word. In Uzbekistan the main dish of Navroʻz is sumalak. It is cooked overnight in a huge cauldron while the whole mahalla gathers, mostly women taking turns to stir, and it is shared with neighbours, relatives and friends the next morning.

The two Hayit holidays are different: the first day of Ramazon Hayit and the first day of Qurbon Hayit are non-working holidays, but the Labour Code gives no calendar date. The exact dates are announced each year by the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, so ask a colleague or check the announcement rather than counting on last year’s date. When a weekly rest day falls on a holiday, the rest day moves to the working day after it.

At a wedding, expect palov. UNESCO describes it as served as a gesture of hospitality and to celebrate special occasions such as weddings and New Year.

A short dialogue

A: Shanba kuni qizimizning toʻyi. Sizni taklif qilamiz.
On Saturday it’s our daughter’s wedding. We invite you.

B: Taklif uchun katta rahmat! Albatta kelaman.
Thank you very much for the invitation! Of course I’ll come.

A: Oilangiz bilan keling.
Come with your family.

B: Rahmat! Toʻyingiz muborak, baxtli boʻlishsin!
Thank you! Congratulations on the wedding, may they be happy!

A: Katta rahmat! Sizni kutamiz.
Thank you so much! We’ll be waiting for you.

Uzbekcha is being built to help you say the right thing at a toʻy or on a holiday. At launch, lessons are in English and compare Uzbek with your first language. Join the waitlist.