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.
Traditional courtship starts when the bridegroom calls on the bride's family with a roasted sheep.
The relatives of the bride then tie the couple to posts in front of the tent. The wedding is presided over by an imam who cuts a baked cake into two, dips the pieces in salt water and puts them into the mouths of the newly-weds as a wish for the couple to share weal and woe and be together for ever. The bridegroom then takes the bride and her betrothal gifts back to his home. Before liberation, the male was predominant and decided all matters of inheritance and property distribution. When the son got married, he was entitled to a portion of the family property which was usually inherited by the youngest son.