Rain is associated in world culture with the blessings of heaven, with fertility and purification. In traditional Turkic cultures, the worship of rain as the source of water (water life) is widespread. The most revered is the first warm rain, which occurs at the beginning of spring and is called Läysän. The Kazakh scientist A.K. Bisenbayev [3] believes that among Turkic peoples one of the ancient deities is Burkut-ata, to whom clouds are subordinated.When he lashes them with kamcha, thunder and lightning strike, and the tears of the clouds rain on the earth. In ancient times, to have a rain used to sacrifice on the high hill to Burkut (Burkut-baba).
Historical and ethnographic works testify to the existence of a ceremony to bring rain by Turkic kam and Kazakh baqsy, who used “magic” stones – dzede, tash, yada. The ritual of bringing rain is called “tasattyq” among Kazakhs: To perform it, people gathered at a pond (river/lake) in hot, dry weather and made a sacrifice. After a common prayer, people ate the food prepared by a sacrificial animal. The ritual is still practiced in some places today.
