Maskharaboz

an actor of the Tadzhik folk theater; a folk comedian that performs in the streets. Maskharabozy performed comic and satirical scenes; they recited tales, danced, and sang. Improvising words on the basis of the plot, amateur and professional maskharabozy created characters and scenes filled with the cheerfulness of folk art. The best-known maskharabozy of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were Khakberdi, Kholik, Dzhuma, and Tuda. Since the 1920’s the maskharabozy have to a considerable degree been supplanted by professional actors.