Every nation has its own traditions and customs regarding marriage, and the Kazakhs are no exception. Kazakh wedding customs and traditions are still observed by modern newlyweds. And although they have undergone some changes over time, they still have a special symbolism and meaning for the newlyweds, like many traditions at a Muslim wedding. The website Svadbaholik.ru will tell you about the most important stages of a Kazakh wedding, which have been unfolding over many years.
Bride and collusion
In a Kazakh family, it is the parents who choose the groom for their daughter, and the bride for their son. Collusion implies a preliminary agreement between parents about the betrothal of their children. If parents of one family are friends and want to become related to another family even before the birth of children, then such a conspiracy is called “bel kuda”. And if the children were wooed in the cradle, then “what a mess.”
This stage of the celebration previously included not only a conspiracy, but also a bridesmaid ceremony. Only children of noble and wealthy people could choose brides for themselves. The sons came to the so-called “bride shows”, where brides competed with each other in various forms of art. If the couple suited each other, then they unfoundedly confessed their feelings, and the guy sent matchmakers to the bride’s father.
An authorized representative from the groom's side was sent to the father of the prospective bride to arrange the wedding. After the bride's father's approval, both parties exchanged gifts.
Matchmaking (“where to hang out”)
Many couples still prefer to perform this ritual.
Its essence lies in the arrival of a young man to the house of his chosen one with matchmakers and meeting his parents.
Previously, this was preceded by a conspiracy (“kyz aittyru”): the parents themselves looked for a partner for their child in advance. Sometimes the bride or groom was chosen even before the children were born.
Modern couples get to know each other and figure out each other's intentions themselves.
Acquaintance with parents is often traditional: the matchmakers and the future groom are solemnly received by the bride's family. The matchmaking party gives gifts, and the receiving party responds with hospitality and treats.
A traditional dish from the bride’s relatives is “kuyryk bauyr”, which is prepared from liver and fat tail fat.
When the groom and matchmakers departed, the bride's parents, as a rule, also presented gifts. Once upon a time it was precious metals, jewelry, clothing and animals.
Nowadays, gifts mostly have a symbolic meaning, although some strictly follow traditions.
In Kazakh wedding traditions, there is also a return visit from the bride’s parents to the matchmakers and groom, called “bata ayak”. It symbolizes the final wedding agreement.
Matchmaking
This stage includes direct matchmaking. The bride's father, who inquired in advance about the arrival of the matchmakers, invited all relatives and friends. The groom's father, the groom himself, as well as their relatives and friends came to the bride's house. The groom's entourage presented gifts to the bride and her loved ones according to Kazakh traditions. Both parties ate from the same dish, and the receiving party presented a treat of lard and cookies.
At the end of the matchmaking, the parties exchanged various gifts: clothes, jewelry, animals. The final stage of matchmaking was the arrival of the father to the groom's house. The wedding date, bride price and gifts were agreed upon. To notify all relatives, both parties sent them invitations to the Kazakh wedding.
Holiday at my husband's house
According to the ancient tradition, at a Kazakh wedding the bride was not taken directly to the groom’s house, but the caravan was stopped in advance. She was met by young girls and escorted to the groom's house, covering her with a large scarf; there they were seated behind a screen, because Before the official presentation of the bride, no one was supposed to see her face. In this case, it was necessary to cross the threshold with the right foot. During this, the bride was showered with sweets and coins.
After all the invited guests were gathered, the bride was taken out from behind the screen and introduced to the groom's relatives. The bride bowed to each family member, receiving a gift from him.
The mother-in-law approached her daughter-in-law and wished her happiness and health, and at the end of the feast, she took off her saukele and put a scarf on her. This meant that the girl was now included in the list of married women.
The next day, the wedding ceremony itself took place in the mosque, where, according to the traditions of a Kazakh wedding, the newlyweds drank water from a sacred bowl. After which the marriage was considered officially concluded.
Kalym mal - payment for the bride
According to the customs of a Kazakh wedding, the groom’s side, after the matchmaking, was obliged to pay a bride price, the amount of which depended on the well-being of the couple. If they are poor, then the dowry could be limited to 4-5 heads of livestock. However, if the children of noble and rich people are wooed, then the bride price could reach 200 thousand heads of livestock.
Kalym mal is a distinctive tradition that has been preserved by the Kazakh people to this day. The presence of a kalym is an integral custom for the subsequent celebration of the wedding, since with this gesture the groom showed his respect and generosity towards the bride and her relatives.
Arrival of the groom to pick up the bride
On the wedding day, the groom, in full dress, came to pick up his betrothed at her parents' house.
According to tradition, the young man must be dressed in national attire, the richest among his retinue, in order to immediately stand out from their background.
Some modern couples pay tribute to this ritual and wear traditional costumes to their wedding. For the groom, this is a headdress (borik) and a festive shapan.
Before seeing the bride, the groom is required to complete a number of tasks. If he cannot or refuses to do so, he pays a fine.
The tradition in the form of a kind of quest on the way to the bride is still alive among young people: friends and relatives of the couple come up with tasks for the newlywed.
Photo: Organizing the perfect wedding yourself: UGC
Bride's arrival at the groom's house
Traditionally, the bride with her face covered was taken to a place that was located at some distance from the village. Then young girls came out to meet her, and together they entered the village and sat behind a screen. Those who greeted the bride showered her with sweets and coins.
When everyone gathered in the village, the bride was taken to the center and the ceremony of unveiling the bride’s face was performed. At the same time, a woman of noble years took off her shawl. She wished the girl family well-being and happiness. The shawl was passed on piece by piece to the young girls, and a scarf was put on the bride’s head, which meant farewell to girlhood. At this stage, Kazakh wedding songs were sung, which sang about the happy family life of the newlyweds.
Wedding in the newlywed's house
According to Kazakh traditions, the wedding itself began with the arrival of the groom at the bride’s house. The young man dressed brightly and impressively, so that he could be immediately recognized from the crowd of horsemen: on his head was a headdress with eagle owl feathers, on his feet were high-heeled boots, and on his shoulders was a national chapan (nowadays Kazakh grooms limit themselves to only a spectacular chapan). The groom had to complete a number of tasks, just like at an Old Russian wedding. If something didn’t work out for him, he had to pay a fine.
Creating a beautiful image of the bride was also given special importance: a Kazakh headdress (saukele) was placed on her head with a unique veil (zhelek) on top of the wedding dress. These elements were the most expensive in the image of the newlywed! Many people were present at the bride's preparations, including matchmakers who checked her dowry.
According to Kazakh wedding traditions, when coming for the bride, the groom brought a kind of ransom: cattle for a feast, expensive fabrics, sugar, fruits, etc. The authority of the son-in-law directly depended on the quantity brought.
At this stage of the celebration, various competitions and games were organized: wrestling, horse racing, single combat among horsemen, etc. They also sang choral songs, congratulating the newlyweds. Many guests tried to choose beautiful toasts in advance in order to congratulate the newlyweds in an original way.
On the eve of departure, the bride and her friend or the groom’s older brother walked around their relatives, saying goodbye to them, they, in turn, presented gifts as keepsakes, and the bride sang a wedding song to them. The girl was taken away early at sunrise, and as a farewell, she also sang a traditional song to her parents and relatives. On the way to the husband's village, village residents could meet the wedding caravan, asking for treats from the future spouses.
Marriage ceremony
If the couple belonged to Muslims, of whom there are about 70% in Kazakhstan, then they entered into marriage according to the laws of Islam. The bride and groom sat on their knees in front of the mullah, who had a bowl of water and silver coins. The mullah read a prayer three times, after which the bride and groom drank water in the same place. Then the witnesses brought a bowl of water not only to the newlyweds, but also to everyone present, who caught the coins with a teaspoon.
What followed was a celebration. In terms of the format of the celebration, modern Kazakh weddings are very different from those weddings when all traditions and customs were respected. However, the dance at a Kazakh wedding remained unchanged, without which it is impossible to imagine any celebration among this people.
The most memorable weddings in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstani weddings are not always remembered only for strange competitions and scandalous behavior on the roads. Ztb.kz invites you to remember the most interesting celebrations that took place in the country.
Wedding in heaven
In 2011, an unusual wedding took place in Almaty. The bride's father surprised the newlyweds by putting them on the plane, and at an altitude of 13 thousand meters he himself registered the newlyweds as the captain of the ship.
Subaru fans got married at a car dealership
Another Almaty resident surprised everyone by having a long convoy of blue Subarus drive through the city at their wedding. The couple held the celebration itself right at the car dealership where they sell their favorite cars.
The bride and groom Ivan Kulebyakin and Yulia Duncheva thought of everything themselves, from the groom’s suit, the bride’s wedding dress and the guests’ outfits to the decoration of the hall and the wedding cortege of ten blue cars.
Wedding at a service station
And again in Almaty, newlyweds Egor and Anastasia Savchenko were different from everyone else. They drove out to the guests in an old open car, then, according to the scenario, they were stopped by a traffic police officer and said that he could not drive such a car into the city. The guests and the heroes of the occasion themselves began to decorate the wedding car using spray paint.
But the most surprising thing happened later, when the newlyweds sealed the bonds of marriage with their signatures not on the official registry office document, but in the so-called “technical passport of family life.” And the wedding rings were in gold-plated car tires.
City bus instead of a limousine
In Aktobe, the groom came to pick up his beloved not in a limousine, like everyone else, but on public transport, which was decorated with hearts, balloons and photographs of the newlyweds.
Twin brothers married twin sisters
An unusual wedding took place in Aktau. There, twins Torebek and Zholdasbek Tolepbergenuly married twins Asyl and Ayim Binazarov. This was reported by the elder brother of the twins, Sultanbek Uzakbaev.
The young people met in Uralsk.
The amazing incident interested all Kazakhstanis; the newlyweds became the heroes of many television shows, where they demonstrated love and respect.
Invitation for Nursultan Nazarbayev
In Kostanay, the couple dared and invited the president of the country himself to the wedding.
As a result, Akim of the Kostanay region Nuraly Saduakasov came to the wedding and conveyed congratulations from the President of the Republic to the newlyweds.
Wedding in an orphanage
The celebration that the newlyweds Meirman and Sania organized in the South Kazakhstan region is worthy of respect. Instead of a lavish wedding and senseless expenses, they celebrated the main day in their lives in an unusually kind way: they set the festive table not in a restaurant, but in one of the orphanages. On this important day, Meyirman and Sania wanted to share their happiness with someone else. And they certainly succeeded.
Original article: https://www.nur.kz/973690-samye-zapominayushchiesya-svadby-v-kazakh.html
Wedding suits for grooms and dresses for Kazakh brides
The main color of wedding fabric for the Kazakh bride’s dress was red. However, for a modern Kazakh celebration, the bride can also wear a white wedding dress.
The main element in the bride's image is the saukele - a high headdress, which is made of expensive and high-quality fabrics, decorated with precious jewelry, beads, coins, and fur. This headdress is mandatory according to the wedding tradition that has developed among the Kazakhs since ancient times.
The groom's suit should be the richest and look more elegant than other horsemen, so that it is clear from the crowd who is getting married. The groom wears a red chapan on his shoulders, and his headdress is decorated with eagle owl feathers. At a modern Kazakh wedding, the groom can wear a regular formal suit.
The portal www.svadbagolik.ru told you about the Kazakh wedding with its unique traditions and customs. If you are interested in learning about celebrations in other countries, then on the site you can find a lot of interesting things: both about the features of a wedding in Azerbaijan and about the unique features of a celebration in India.
Wedding preparations
As noted earlier, Kazakhs begin to prepare for the wedding of their children long before the celebration. After the matchmaking, the young girl gave the groom a scarf, which was a symbol of the bride’s innocence.
After this gesture, the guy could secretly visit his beloved.
The preparation process necessarily includes preparing outfits. The bride's dress was traditionally red.
But the main role among the Kazakhs belongs to the headdress, which was made by hand from expensive fabrics, embroidered with beads, and decorated with coins and fur. Saukele (headdress) directly testified to the wealth and prosperity of the family. The Kazakh groom’s outfit was chic and luxurious. But despite all this, the young man’s behavior had to be modest. Currently, newlyweds do not dress themselves in traditional dresses; only the headdress remains unchanged.
Before the wedding, the groom must bring livestock, which was intended for the wedding table.
An interesting fact is that the attitude of the bride’s family towards the groom is directly determined by the quality and quantity of gifts given.
Most often, Kazakhs choose the end of summer to celebrate their wedding day. Seeing off the bride is a mandatory custom. This day has a dual meaning for the bride's family. On the one hand, parents and relatives rejoice at the fact that the girl has become an adult and is getting married, but on the other hand, there is sadness that from now on the young woman will live in another family.
Early in the morning at sunrise, matchmakers pick up the bride from her house. Before giving away their daughter, the family traditionally sings a farewell song, the name of which is “Koshtasu Heat”. The number of matchmakers must be odd. The whole process is led by the bass kuda (the main matchmaker).
The young girl had to show him maximum respect and honor throughout her life.
Stages and folk customs
In Kazakhstan, weddings are taken very seriously, so there is no custom there to marry for love. The parents of the bride and groom, even before they both come of age, decide who will become the other half of their child. Moreover, the choice is based on many indicators.
First of all, this is the status of the family itself, their wealth, moral qualities.
In addition, Kazakhs are of the opinion that relatives cannot be married to each other. Therefore, kinship is determined up to the seventh generation.
The traditional wedding ceremony does not happen just like that. It lasts in several stages at once.
This only makes her more solemn.
- Kyz uzat.
- Matchmaking.
- Bride.
- Ransom.
- Wedding.
- Farewells to my father's house.
Many stages are very similar to Russian weddings. They differ in ritual, but the overall semantic load for all stages remains the same.
Only those young ladies who had a decent family and good heredity could get married. Accordingly, girls from prosperous and wealthy families were the first to be married off. They were looking for a match at the same level.
There is also a tradition that indicates the age of the bride and groom. A man should not be more than 25 years older than his girlfriend. A woman is allowed to be older than her husband by a maximum of 8 years.
