Kumyk weddings - a complex of customs and rituals

Kumyk weddings, like all the festivities of the eastern peoples, are distinguished by hospitality, merry dances and songs. On a holiday all villagers are often invited. However, this is not the only feature of the marriage 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 a while with close family friends. The Kumyk weddings themselves begin with the preparation of treats, decorating the daughters of the groom's parents (this is where the main part of the ceremony takes place). 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 entered the dwelling is removed from her head with a headscarf. This custom is very similar to the wedding rite "lifting the veil", popular with the Slavic peoples. It symbolizes parting with a carefree maiden's life and transition to a new family. Remove the handkerchief should the parents of the groom or special people in charge of the entire celebration.

In the meantime, the bridegroom celebrates her marriage at a friends' house. Here the festivities are more modest. However, also there are generous treats, decoration of the wedding table with their own hands, dances and chants.

After some time after the wedding, the husband, accompanied by the retinue, makes official visits to his father's house. As usual, the young spouse, in addition to such visits, can not meet with parents and older brothers. With his wife, he must see him secretly.

After the festivities, one of the most important rituals, embodying the introduction of the spouse to the husband's family, is held. It consists that the girl through certain time after wedding, accompanied by girlfriends enters into an economic room of the house of father-in-law where her relatives of the husband wait. Each of them a young wife should hug. Present women in turn give the girl a pinch of salt, which is a kind of amulet and a symbol of fertility. A young wife's retinue distributes sweets to all the relatives, and gives the groom's parents a small rug for reading prayers.

The next rite, without which the Kumyk weddings can not do, is called "walking for water," after which the wife is allowed to go outside the husband's house. To this event the named one prepares gifts: pouches, embroidered scarves, sweets and so on. On the day of the ritual the young woman goes for water together with friends, relatives and acquaintances. Along the way, the culprit of the celebration distributes to the passers-by the guests, previously prepared, and the best present is presented to the first person on the counter. Having come to the source, the girl tries to get water, and the present guys try to prevent her in every possible way. Having overcome all the obstacles, she picks up water in the pitchers of all those who come.

This custom tests the patience, patience, obedience and economic skills of the young wife. After it, the girl gets permission to go out and attend various social events.

Following the above-described rituals, a series of visits of the newlyweds to their new relatives begins. As it was already written above, Kumyk weddings are held in two houses. The owner of the house, in which the groom's festivities passed, is entitled to call the young family first. Only after this visit, the spouses begin to invite all relatives.

Particularly popular are the visits of the parents of the wife to the Kumyk peoples. Having come to them on a visit, the young husband hides under the tablecloth the money that is meant for his mother-in-law. And the groom's friends, in turn, try to steal something from the bride's house unnoticed.