Girls in some areas wear on their chests round silver pieces carved with patterns. The diet of the Kirgiz herdsmen mainly consists of animal byproducts, with some cabbages, onions and potatoes. They drink goat's milk, yogurt and tea with milk and salt. Rich herdsmen mainly drink cow's milk and eat beef, mutton, horse and camel meat, wheat flour and rice. They store butter in dried sheep or cattle stomachs.
All tableware is made of wood.
The tents are made of felt, generally square in shape, fenced around with red willow stakes. The tent is tied down with thick ropes to keep it steady in strong winds and snowstorms. The nomad Kirgiz live on the plains near rivers in summer and move to mountain slopes with a sunny exposure in winter. The settled Kirgiz mostly live in flat-roofed square mud houses with windows and skylights. The Kirgiz family is generally composed of three generations, with married sons living with their parents.