Contents
- Features of the wedding traditions of the Chechen people
- Tradition and rules of a Chechen wedding feast
- Video: custom at a Chechen wedding - shooting in the air
Caucasians are preparing carefully for marriage, since the creation of a young family and the continuation of the family is considered a particularly important event on everyone’s life path. The ancient traditions of the Chechen wedding are present in modern weddings. This great holiday is shrouded in original rites, colorful elements of Caucasian culture. The girl gets married, and the man marries strictly by consent of the parents of both families.
Features of the wedding traditions of the Chechen people
According to the traditions of the Chechen wedding, the name of the future bride is carefully checked on the maternal, paternal side of three generations in order to avoid possible incest. In addition, they evaluate the bride, given the viability of her relatives, the reviews of neighbors and acquaintances. The groom must accumulate a decent amount of money, since his family will treat all guests invited to the wedding, a lot of finances will be required for the matchmaking and ransom of the bride.
Cheating among Chechens is peculiar. Even during the acquaintance, the guy who liked the girl, the intermediary handed her a candy as a sign of interest, attention to her. Girl «reciprocated» - gave away the man with two handkerchiefs. Such courtship was repeated two more times, after which the young man learned from the girl the final decision on the creation of an alliance between them. The last word was for the father of the Chechen.
Redemption of the bride and kalym
There is an erroneous opinion that the bridegroom is in the literal sense of the word «buys» with her parents. In fact, this is a psychological step, the essence of which is to show one’s worth and generosity. By ransom, Chechens demonstrated their gratitude to the bride’s parents for their daughter, extolling the essence of man over material values. The sum of kalym is said by the mullah. But the relatives of the young always give more money, demonstrating their good intentions, a positive attitude towards the bride and her family. Kalym is usually given to the bride as the first capital to start a married life.
Rite of passage “Chokhi”
On the eve of dressing the bride in a wedding outfit, ritual bathing was carried out. The bath was fumigated with aromatic herbs, and infusions of medicinal herbs were added to the water. On the clean and fresh skin of the girl, symbolic drawings were applied - stripes on her back and hands. Then they performed the rite «Chokhi». Native aunts of the newlywed, girlfriends pinned a new needle to the hem of the wedding dress from the evil eye and evil forces. To the dowry of the newlywed, they secretly hid beans, an ear of corn, apricot kernel or peach. This action was a wish that the girl became a mother with many children..
The newlywed was handed a beautiful handkerchief, inside which a silver ruble and a ribbon were wrapped. Together with a needle on the hem of the dress, the bride kept these gifts all her life as an expensive relic. Next, a young friends ransom of the groom was carried out. Fun, resounding laughter, eloquent arguments on both sides (the bride and groom) about who owns the newlywed, reigned in the young courtyard. The culprit of the celebration was collecting the dowry, then the wedding procession was heading to the house of the bridegroom. The guests went home, there were only relatives of a young man who came from far away.
Mullah's arrival for marriage
The mullah, a representative of the Muslim clergy, performs the marriage ceremony according to the Qur'an, first in the newlywed's house, then at the groom. All outsiders left the house, except for the bride herself, the best man and two already married women. The ritual was performed from the evil eye, leaving indoors only the above listed participants of the rite. The best man three times drove the young one around the hearth, after breaking the iron chain or rope. This rite symbolized the break of the daughter with her family.
Mullah performed the same procedure in the newlywed's room, where two men were present. It didn’t matter who testified with the groom — young men or married men. The mullah’s task is to complete the ceremony of the marriage of the groom with his bride, before the wedding procession with the bride arrives at the house of a young man. After the ceremony in both families, it was believed that the young were already married.
Wedding train
A wedding procession is being prepared in the groom's yard, the purpose of which is to bring the bride and groom to her future home. A wedding train is formed from a large number of cars. The first and most attractive car is the bride. The wise old men, the sister of the betrothed, the Muslim priest (mullah) are going on a journey. The wedding train quickly rushes to the bride's house, and each driver tries to overtake his neighbor on the road. Such «race» suspends the first car for the bride, slowing down to avoid accidents.
Guests of the bride and relatives are looking forward to the wedding procession of the groom. And when «a train» already arrived, the guests get to know each other. Everywhere reigns fun, laughter. Parents of the bride treat guests who have arrived with various delicacies. Then begins the symbolic «matchmaking» and zaohalol - Chechen dances. After some time, the procession takes the bride, the wedding train takes the bride and groom to the house of the upcoming holiday. There, the bride is shown the angle where she will stand until the end of the wedding.
Tradition “Rug with a broom”
Upon arrival of the wedding train, the bride will have another test - a rug with a broom. The newlywed, with joyful exclamations and congratulations from the guests, goes onto the carpeted carpet to her mother-in-law's house. In front of her are a broom and a small rug. Her mission is not to miss these «gifts», showing their thriftiness, take them aside. Chechens from the narrowed side shower the young with money, sweets, present in-law a spoonful of butter and honey, and then give the daughter-in-law a try.
Custom «Mott bastard» - «untying the tongue»
With the onset of the evening, the bride becomes involved in the ancient rite «untying the tongue». There is always a mother-in-law, adult men. A wedding elder presents a bowl with water. To his question, is it possible to drink, the young one answers: «Drink it». But before that, the young guys laugh, entertain the bride, trying to talk to her. The girl must endure so as not to utter a word. Groom after hearing «drink» also tries to talk to her spouse. Bride «unleashes the tongue» only after giving her the groom money. This amount, according to tradition, she transfers to mother-in-law.
Tradition - taking the daughter-in-law to the water
After a noisy wedding celebration, a young Chechen daughter-in-law was to enter the groom's family in a special rite. An already married woman in a cheerful environment of youth was taken to the nearest body of water. The daughter-in-law carried a large jug, and had to draw water after the ritual. The day before, they baked a cake inside with a needle, which was on the hem of the bride’s dress during the wedding. This cake was thrown into a pond, then shot at a culinary product. All cheerful and happy with water in a jug returned to the village.
Tradition and rules of a Chechen wedding feast
Chechens celebrate the wedding event for two to three days, regardless of the weather - in the yard. These days the groom is with his friend. The bride, according to the tradition of the Chechen wedding, should stand at the celebration, never crouching. Near her is only a friend who was allowed to eat. Inal-tamada, respected people of the village sat on the most honorable place of the wedding table. Girls were seated on one side of them, men on the other, moreover by age. Children and teenagers stood at the festive table..
After congratulations to the parents of the young, dancing began. Everyone was walking at the wedding. The dance floor was divided into two parts - men and women danced separately in semicircles. The dance master hosted the dances, organized pairs of dancers. The bride stood modestly and silently in the corner. A few hours later, the mother-in-law opened the veil to her sister-in-law. Later, the young were presented with gifts, then sent home to the groom.
Video: custom at a Chechen wedding - shooting in the air
Chechens are an ancient warlike people, but even in peacetime they can break the silence with the loud sounds of their weapons. Not a single Chechen wedding is complete without shots in the air. What symbolizes the cannonade of weapons, find out in the video below
