Customs and traditions of Chechnya

The special figures 7 and 8

One of Chechen fairy-tales tells about a young Sultan, who courted his girlfriend for exactly 8 years. According to Chechen traditions, a baby must not be shown a mirror until he is eight months old. The Vainakh version of the myth about Adam and Eve the first man and woman went in different directions to find a pair; Eve said she had crossed eight mountain ridges on her way. Chechen tradition requires the woman to know eight generations of ancestors on her mother's and father's sides. The man must know seven ancestors.

This shows that the figure 8 is associated by Chechens with woman and 7 - with man. The figure 7 consists of ones and the figure 8, consisting of four twos (or pairs), reflects motherhood and the principle of giving birth to one of its kind. Hence, digital symbols reflect the special, prevalent place of woman in society as compared to man and this has come from ancient times. A popular Chechen saying reads as follows: "A spoilt man spoils a family and a spoilt woman spoils the entire nation".

Chechens attach much importance to heredity on maternal side. The phrase "mother tongue" is used to indicate decent behaviour and "mother milk" - to reprimand for unseemly behaviour. A Chechen man has every right to take a wife of any nationality but a Chechen woman marrying a foreigner is considered no good at all.