A wedding is considered to be one of the most important holidays in life. Many prepare for it in a special way, and some begin training in just a few weeks. There are families who do not celebrate this event, but there are those who celebrate with their families. If we talk about Turkmenistan, then in national families this event takes place in a special way. 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 there is a wedding according to all traditions. Turkmens observe all conditions for the holiday.
Ancient traditions
For a long time, a Turkmen wedding, according to traditions and customs, was slightly different from the modern one. Marriages were made even when the bride and groom were at an early age. Parents chose couples on their own, so there was no matchmaking, everything had already been decided for them. The Council of Relatives, which was called "Genesh Toy", resolved questions about the date of the wedding and the conditions for the celebration.
Most often, they tried to make the wedding on Monday, because this day was considered the most successful. The heralds - the "dzharchs" - notified almost the entire neighborhood of the holiday event. After that, the next day, the most respected woman in the village came to the bride in order to start sewing wedding attire. Also, all the necessary things were collected 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 on his tailoring should have been delivered from the groom's house. The dress was opened by a respected woman, who was also a mother of many children. The remains of sewing the outfit were sorted out by young brides, it is generally believed that this will bring happiness in family life.
Bride's dress
In a Turkmen wedding, girls were always decorated with a lot of jewelry. They were sewn in the chest area, usually this was done not only for beauty, this arrangement served as a talisman.
When the bride walked, the dress made a characteristic ringing, this frightened off the evil spirits that always surrounded the girl, because they were struck by her beauty. In Turkmenistan, they always tried to protect the bride from evil forces not only with melodious sounds, but also with various charms, such as pigtails made of camel hair, pig’s teeth, and the bride also wore protective bracelets in her arms. Thus, the wedding dress could weigh up to 40 kg.
Place of celebration
Often, a wedding in Turkmenistan takes place in the groom's house, but it begins at the bride's house. So many cattle are slaughtered there, how many then will be slaughtered in the family by the groom. Most often it was about 10 goals from each family.
On a solemn day, friends came to the bride early in the morning, they sang funny songs and escorted her to family life. The girl’s daughters-in-law also sang songs, but their manner was comic, they discussed 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 comic tradition that said that a bride should wear a wedding dressing gown. They called her "purple." All this happened before the arrival of the wedding caravan.
Wedding Costs
All funds that go to the wedding are provided by the groom's family. The tradition of redeeming the bride exists today. In a modern Turkmen wedding, it is also customary to give kalym. In all regions it is different. 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 you do not invite someone, it will be an insult to the rest of your life. In large cities, the number of guests can reach thousands. Usually the name of the famous singer, who also needs to be paid, plus the cost of the host.
Dowry for the bride
Most often it includes gold jewelry. But not only they, 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 apparatus and equipment.
Celebration preparation
According to the traditions of the Turkmen wedding, the young 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 was not asked permission, now parents consult with their son or daughter, after which there is a matchmaking. Young people are allowed to see each other, agree on any issues and the date of the wedding. The role of the priest is very important on a special day, they call him a mullah, it is he who makes the engagement before the young go to the registry office.
The Wedding Planner
A kind of chaos is happening in the groom's house. Many guests also take part in the preparation. In the courtyard, national dishes are prepared: pilaf, shurpa, katlama and chelpek are baked. Indeed, without these dishes, a Turkmen wedding would not be considered real.
By this time, the groom is dressing in national clothes for the wedding: boots, the Turkmen papak Silkme-Telpek, belted with a sash. Only after that, with his close friends and relatives, he goes to the bride’s house in smartly decorated cars.
At this time, the bride is already dressed in her special outfit. The time comes for a ransom, then the young 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 finally release doves into the sky. This is done for family happiness. For Europeans, this is also a common thing.
Atgulak is considered the most interesting moment - a rite in which guests consider gifts and the 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. Wedding decorations of the bride 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 to see at least a little young. At the same time, wishes are expressed for a happy life. 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, the young dress up in a more familiar modern outfit. Usually this 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 all other guests. This is how a new family appears in Turkmenistan.
A wedding is one of the most important events in life. You can see the Turkmen wedding in the photo in this article.