Danlech-Adyghe knot of happiness and good luck

Each nation has historically developed its own understanding of state of happiness and wishes for good luck. For fixing and promoting them, the people identified signs, symbols, ornaments or talismans which would bring happiness and good luck to their lives. Gradually, they became traditional, sometimes religious and even acquired a sacred sense. Over time, knowledge about them began to be passed down from generation to generation. Among such signs there are widely known:
- rainbow - which is mentioned in the Old Testament as a sign, created by God after the Flood for understanding such a cataclysm would never happen again;
- ladybug -  a symbol of good luck and prosperity, which is associated with many folk marks;
- four-leaf clover - a popular sign of happiness and good luck among the Europeans;
- horseshoe - an object that attracts happiness and good luck, scaring away evil spirits;
- hand of Fatima, beloved daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, this symbol is given to young girls among the Muslims for the well-wishing for happiness and good luck in life;
- number 7 – which is considered a lucky number among many nations, etc. (1)
Like any superstitious people, the Adyghes (the Circassians) also have long had their own symbols of happiness, good luck and prosperity: silver buttons-bells, braided tassels-pendants, metal tops on women's hats and others. Protecting themselves and their loved ones from evil eye, evil spirits and misfortune, they decorated their clothes with wonderful ornaments, embroidered as well-wishes, using different motifs of the gold embroidery art. But, in addition, the Adyghe (Circassian) craftswomen supplemented such patterned compositions with accessories, made by them in braiding technique, the meaning of which supported the general artistic idea of embroidery. The most popular of them was and still is DANLECH which could be considered as a national symbol of happiness and good luck among the Adyghes (the Circassians).
What exactly does the Danlech knot symbolize? And why did the Adyghe (Circassian) craftswomen chose it as well-wish for happiness and good luck?
According to the electronic dictionary of the Kabardino-Circassian language, "Danlech is a braided element of various types, made with kanitel thread, it serves as an ornamentation of the Adyghe national clothing" (2). At the same time, Danlech was made in form of a ball with a rigid cord which looked like a wire, as it is noted in the art album "The Gold Embroidery of the Adyghes (the Circassians). From the collection of the National Museum of the Republic of Adyghea". Such balls served as clasps or bases of tassels and sometimes replaced silver tops on women's hats. The size and shape of the Danlech were determined by an object wich could form their base. They could be a poppy seed, a millet seed and a cherry or plum stone. Skilled craftswomen were able to turn them into gold or silver balls, giving them a symbolic meaning (3).
Symbolizing happiness and good luck among the Adyghes (the Circassians), cord knots or Danlech had their own varieties. So, a simple "Danlech" is an ornamental ball, made on a twig, "Danlech huray " is a circled ball, and "Danlech puagh " is a flat ball (4). This is noted in the scientific researching work of Nuriet Teuchezh "The Gold-embroidery art of the Adyghes". According to the researcher, the flat ball is an expanded shape of the knot-ball. In her opinion, all these types of Danlech were made as knots of happiness and as a sign of wishing for a happy life. Such an ornament also served as a talisman for its wearer, and for this purpose the threads - a symbol of life- were entangled in a pattern to protect the fate from misfortune and evil spirits. A large pattern around the circle can be compared with sign of sun which also symbolizes happiness, good luck and well-being. And if the Danlech pattern looked like a trefoil, it was considered as a symbol of life, fertility, a sign of three worlds (4).
Azertali Kishev, a researcher and master from Kabarda, wrote about the hollow movable ball Danlech which could move up and down and back along the cord. This type of cord knot was used as a movable locking device and was called- tshyku degezhey. And a hollow ball, called teuhuane - "braid element", was attached to knout of a whip. The same researcher presented methods of Danlech ball braiding with gold and silver threads: one- with three turns on two fingers; other - with four turns (5).
Modern Circassian craftswomen still use the knot of happiness and good luck to decorate traditional Adyghe clothing and ethnic accessories (handbags, hats, fans, etc.). Often, it is done by them not just for the sake of reconstructing old items or imitating them. Like their skillful predecessors, they complement their elegant works with a reliable talisman, proven over centuries. Larisa Gumova, well-known Circassian gold embroidery craftswoman from Adyghea, makes such braided elements, in the main pattern of which, according to her, there aren’t beginning and end of a thread, as a symbol of an infinite happiness (6). And the master of braiding Anzhela Isaeva specially makes such gold and silver balls - Adyghe "knots of happiness" - and decorates them with red woolen threads which are usually tied on the wrist as amulet threads. Master Ruzana Churmyt creates modern accessories, using the traditional technique of braiding and decorates them with balls.
Really, the Adyghe knot of happiness and good luck Danlech is like the Turkish eye from the evil eye, the Arabic symbol of happiness - the hand of Fatima or the Israel Hamsa and the Buddhist symbol of the infinite knot - the "knot of happiness" which is one of the most magical and most favorable symbols and has no beginning and end. And while the positive impact of such ancient talismans and amulets largely depends on the person's own belief in their power, the Danlech can also reflect the strength of their trust in the entire Adyghe culture and the Circassian ethnic roots.
The Adyghes - people of the sun - knew well from ancient times where to look for their infinite happiness and how to find their faith in good luck. After all, it is no coincidence that the Adyghe wisdom says: "Day gives birth to day, and happiness gives birth to happiness." So, the Danlech or the Adyghe knot of happiness and good luck can make anyone infinitely happy and bring everyone a great luck in life.

Bibliography:
1. 50 symbols of good luck and happiness from around the world/ 2. "Danlech" / Kabardino-Circassian dictionary/ https://kabard_cherk.academic.ru/3158/дэнлъэч
3. The Gold embroidery of the Adyghes (the Circassians). From the collection of the National Museum of the Republic of Adyghea. Maykop, 1998
4. The Gold embroidery art of the Adyghes: The historical and ethnographic study. thesis of the candidate of Historical Sciences Nuriet Teuchezh, 2005 5. Ivanokova M. M.. Adyge Ide. Gold embroidery of the Adyghes. Nalchik, 2018
6. Symbol of happiness. Larisa Gumova speaks about the gold embroidery of the Adyghes/ 7. Dmitriev V. A., Mastafov V. B. Objects of Adyghe culture in the collection of the Russian Ethnographic Museum. St. Petersburg, 2016.