This post is part of the crossblog survey “2007 in retrospect”. You can also vote for the most important event of 2007 in our online poll.

This year was full of many interesting events in our life which had a great influence. However, I think 2007 will be remembered in the history of our country as year of cultural reforms. We already do not have lavish weddings and big funeral ceremonies, our students are not allowed to have festivities on “ABC book day” and graduation day, also they are prohibited to carry cell phones and drive cars, all newly born babies are no longer able to use Russian endings in their family names.

Ben made a very good roundup where he linked to several posts about the cultural reforms in the country which symbolized the rise of “bashism” in Tajikistan after the death of Turkmenbashi.

Once Turkmenistan’s former dictator Saparmurat Niyazov, or Turkmenbashi (”Father of all Turkmens”), died last December, the other Central Asian strongmen stood suddenly deprived of the “ne plus ultra of Central Asian dictators.”

After the small steps made in the beginning of the year, which were mainly directed to students with an aim to draw their attention from materialistic values to their education, there were some other bigger steps. To all these “bans” were added two more. President Rahmon in republican conference on regulation of national traditions and customs proposed fines for the lavish weddings and funerals. This proposition was immediately formed into a Law “On Regulation of customs and traditions”.

During this conference president of Tajikstan Emomali Rahmon criticized many things in everyday life of the Tajiks. Besides proposing a ban on lavish weddings and big funerals Rahmon laid structures on clergies for being “out of date”. This proposition also found its place in the legislation of Tajikistan.

Everyday on TV and other media outlets you can observe reports of governmental agencies on how good is the law on regulation of customs and traditions and that people are living a better life now then they did before the law. For example, according to official reports the frequency of marriages has been increased and people are getting married now two times more than they did last year. Even the local banks are referring to this law in their advertisements.