Turkmen wedding: photo, description, traditions and customs

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Wedding is considered to be one of the most important holidays in life. Many prepare for it in a special way, and some begin preparations in just a few weeks. There are families that do not celebrate this event, but there are those that celebrate with their families. If we talk about Turkmenistan, then in national families this event takes place in a special way. A Turkmen wedding is a long-awaited holiday in the life of every girl of this nationality.

If urban residents celebrate it in more modest conditions, then in the villages the wedding takes place according to all traditions. The Turkmens observe all the conditions for the holiday.

Ancient traditions

A long time ago, the Turkmen wedding, according to traditions and customs, was slightly different from the modern one. Marriages were concluded even when the bride and groom were at an early age. Parents independently chose couples, so there was no matchmaking, everything was already decidedfor them. The council of relatives, which was called "genesh toy", decided on the date of the wedding and the conditions for the celebration.

Most often, they tried to make a wedding on Monday, because this day was considered the most successful. Heralds - "dzharchy" - informed almost the entire neighborhood about the festive event. After that, the next day, the most respected woman in the village came to the bride in order to start sewing the wedding attire. They also collected all the necessary things for the future life of the young: carpets, household items and more. In order to sew a dress, a special day was also chosen.

But the fabric for his tailoring had to be delivered from the groom's house. A respected woman, who was also a mother of many children, was engaged in opening the dresses. The remnants of tailoring the dress were taken apart by young brides, it is believed that this will bring happiness in family life.

Bridesmaid dress

In the Turkmen wedding, the girl's dress was always decorated with a lot of jewelry. They were sewn in the chest area, usually this was done not only for beauty, this location served as a talisman.

When the bride walked, the dress made a characteristic ringing, it scared away the evil spirits that always surrounded the girl, because they were amazed by her beauty. In Turkmenistan, they always tried to protect the bride from evil forces not only with melodic sounds, but also with various amulets, such as braids made of camel hair, pig teeth, and the bride also put protective bracelets on her hands. In this way,a wedding dress could weigh up to 40 kg.

Place of celebration

Often a wedding in Turkmenistan takes place at the groom's house, but it starts at the bride's. There they slaughter as many heads of cattle as they will later slaughter in the groom's family. Most often it was about 10 heads from each family.

On the solemn day, friends came to the bride early in the morning, they sang cheerful songs and saw her off to family life. The daughters-in-law of the girl also sang songs, but their manner was comic, they discussed the various qualities of the groom in them. But his relatives, on the contrary, tried to praise him, and talked about the best character traits.

There was a joke tradition that said that the bride should wear a wedding cape-robe. They called her "purenzhek". All this happened before the arrival of the wedding caravan.

Wedding costs

All funds for the wedding are provided by the groom's family. The tradition of ransoming the bride still exists today. In a modern Turkmen wedding, it is also customary to give kalym. It is different in every region. It can range from three to ten thousand dollars.

Playing a traditional Turkmen wedding is very expensive. Usually a large number of people are invited, even in the smallest villages it is not customary to invite less than 300 people. After all, if someone is not invited, it will be an insult for the rest of your life. In large cities, the number of invitees can reach a thousand. Usually named famousthe singer, who also needs to be paid, plus the cost of the toastmaster.

Bridal dowry

Most often it includes gold jewelry. But not only them, also various types of fabric belong to the dowry: velvet, satin and large scarves, they differ in size and color. It also includes carpets, rugs, coats, and more recently even plasma TVs and other equipment and appliances.

Preparing for the celebration

According to the traditions of the Turkmen wedding, young people married for love. All preparation required significant material and moral costs. In rare cases, the bride was taken from distant relatives.

If before the girl's permission was not asked, now parents consult with their son or daughter, after which the matchmaking takes place. Young people are allowed to see each other, agree on any issues and on the date of the wedding. Very important on a special day is the role of the priest, they call him a mullah, it is he who makes the engagement before the young people go to the registry office.

Wedding Planner

A semblance of chaos is happening in the groom's house. Many guests also take part in the preparation. National dishes are prepared in the yard: pilaf, shurpa, katlama and cholpek are baked. Indeed, without these dishes, a Turkmen wedding will not be considered real.

By this time, the groom is dressed in national clothes for the wedding: boots, Turkmen papakha "silkme-telpek", belted with a sash. Only after that, with his close friends and relatives, he goes to the house of the bride forlavishly decorated cars.

At this time, the bride is already dressed in her special outfit. It's time for a ransom, then the young people go to the registry office and to local attractions. A visit to the "Eternal Flame" is considered obligatory, where they lay flowers, leave coins and, at the end, release doves into the sky. This is done for family happiness. For Europeans, this is also a common thing.

The most interesting moment is the atgulak - a ceremony in which guests examine the gifts and dowry of the bride. During the wedding, sweets are placed everywhere, coins and toys are scattered. Gifts for guests of the event and relatives are also prepared. The bride's wedding decorations are very heavy, they can reach up to 30 kg. Her outfit is special, because after the wedding she turns into a woman.

During the celebration, the newlyweds sit with the guests, while the girl's face is closed. But every time, many want to open it slightly to see at least a little young. At the same time, wishes for a happy life are pronounced. After the guests have eaten, they leave the groom's house, and the heroes of the occasion go to the restaurant to continue the evening.

By evening, young people change into a more familiar modern outfit. Usually it is a black suit for the groom and a white dress for the bride. After the celebrations, it is customary to cut the wedding cake, this is done by the newlyweds. The first pieces are given to parents, and only after that to all other guests. This is how a new family appears in Turkmenistan.

Wedding is one of the most importantevents in life. You can see the Turkmen wedding in the photo in this article.