IOI participants visit Kazakh ethnic village in Almaty

Early in the morning the guests went to the camp where they were placed in several yurts. Foreigners were met by girls and boys in national costumes. They were greeted in accordance with the ancient Kazakh custom - shashu (people threw shashu - candies, dried fruits, sweets - on honorable guests). An exciting program was prepared for the special guests. The schoolchildren had an opportunity to see a fancy riding. Boys and girls while riding a horse showed some gymnastic and acrobatic stunts. In addition, the IOI's participants were showed an old Kazakh custom called Tusa kesu (cutting a string which tied a baby's legs). Afterwards, the guests tasted Kazakh national food - beshbarmak, baursaks, kurt, mare's milk and shubat (camel's milk). The same day the students took part in a master class in dancing. They were taught to dance Kara zhorga - traditional Kazakh dance. Recall that over 630 delegates from at least 80 countries gathered in Almaty city for the IOI 2015. This is the first time Kazakhstan hosts this event.