Kumyk weddings, like all the celebrations of the eastern peoples, are distinguished by hospitality, cheerful dances and songs. All fellow villagers are often invited to the celebration. However, this is not the only feature of the wedding ceremony, it is much more remarkable that special wedding ceremonies are performed for several months after the festival itself.
A few days before the wedding, the future husband leaves his father's house and settles for some time with close friends of the family. The Kumyk weddings themselves begin with the preparation of refreshments, the design of the home of the groom's parents (it is in it that the main part of the ceremony is performed). At this time, guests come, bringing all kinds of gifts for the young. Then the bride is brought into the house. The young girl who has entered the dwelling is removed from the head a scarf. This custom is very similar to the wedding ceremony "removing the veil", popular among the Slavic peoples. It symbolizes parting with a carefree girl's life and the transition to a new family. Remove the scarf should the groom's parents or special people who are responsible for holding the whole celebration.
The groom, meanwhile, is celebrating his marriage at the house of friends. Here the festivities are more modest. However, there are also generous treats, do-it-yourself wedding table decorations, dances and chants.
Some time after the wedding, the husband, accompanied by his retinue, makes official visits to his father's house. According to custom, the young spouse, in addition to such visits, cannot meet with parents and older brothers. He should see his wife, supposedly secretly.
After the festivities are completed, one of the most important ceremonies is held, personifying the marriage of the spouse to the husband's family. It consists in the fact that the girl, after a certain time after the marriage, accompanied by her friends, enters the utility room of the father-in-law’s house, where her husband’s relatives are waiting for her. Each of them must be embraced by a young wife. The women present, in turn, give the girl a pinch of salt, which is a kind of amulet and a symbol of fertility. The retinue of the young wife gives sweets to all relatives, and a small rug for prayers is passed to the groom's parents.
The next rite, without which Kumyk weddings can not do, is called "going for water", after it, the wife is allowed to leave the house of her husband. For this event, the cook prepares gifts: pouches, embroidered shawls, sweets and more. On the day of the ceremony, the young woman goes for water with her friends, relatives and acquaintances. On the way, the hero of the occasion gives passers-by the previously prepared gifts, and the first person presented is presented with the best gift. Having come to the source, the girl is trying to get water, and the guys present are trying to stop her in every way. Overcoming all obstacles, she draws water into the jugs of all who came.
This custom experiences endurance, patience, humility and economic skills of the young wife. After it, the girl receives permission to go out and attend various social events.
Following the above rites, a series of visits by the newlyweds to their new relatives begins. As already mentioned above, Kumyk weddings are held in two houses. The owner of the house in which the festivities took place has the right to be the first to call a young family to him. Only after this visit, spouses begin to invite all relatives.
Visits to the wife’s parents are especially popular with anyone from the Kumyk peoples. Having come to visit them, the young spouse hides under the tablecloth the money that is intended for the mother-in-law. And the friends of the groom, in turn, are trying to quietly pick up something valuable from the bride’s house.