Chechen wedding

Contents

The rich traditions of the eastern peoples of the Caucasus are reflected not only in everyday life, but also in large-scale holidays. For Chechen nationality professing Islam, the indisputable truth is the fact of holding a celebration in accordance with the strict rules of Sharia and Adat. The Chechen wedding is no exception - this nationality takes this nationality extremely seriously, because it’s not customary to get divorced. A Chechen couple creating a family goes through a series of interesting rites and customs before the start of the wedding, in its process, after the end of the solemn part.

Bride choice and acquaintance

According to Chechen customs, the future spouse chooses the bridegroom. The choice of a girl for procreation is not an easy task, requiring the consciousness of a young man. Traditionally, a man does not have the right to marry a woman who has the same surname as the father or mother of the bridegroom, grandmother by mother or father, and so on - up to three generations. When choosing a bride, the solvency of her parents, the position of her family in society, the antiquity of the family, the health of the future wife also play a role.

After the choice is made, the man will get to know the girl and get her location. Acquaintance can happen in several ways:

  • Wedding meeting. According to the old tradition, a decent number of people gather at the wedding of Chechen families, unmarried boys and girls also appear there. Girls embroider handkerchiefs before the celebration, men come up with ingenious jokes or phrases to win the girl’s heart. During the celebration of a wedding in Chechnya, a lady he liked through an intermediary gives a young man some refreshments. If a girl gives a return gift - a scarf or two cigars - the acquaintance is considered valid.

  • Date. If the future spouse did not happen to meet her lover at one of the weddings, there is another way - to invite a neighbor's girl for a date. Communication of the narrowed in the presence of elders is a shameful activity, so young people during the meeting will have to hide from the eyes of adults. To invite a future spouse for a date, the young man uses an intermediary: usually this is a friend of the bridegroom or a child who will transmit a message to the girl. If a girl is interested in a proposal, she goes to a meeting with a Chechen guy.

Provided that several joint dates are successful, the young people like each other, the future spouse talks about getting married. As a rule, the girl does not refuse, since a long number of visits speaks of the location of the narrowed one. Then the young man needs to ask for a peculiar «pledge» that she will not give her heart to anyone else - it could be her ring, necklace or other valuable item.

After the choice is made, an acquaintance takes place, ending with the consent to marriage. The groom announces his decision to the female half of the Chechen family, while addressing men will be extremely indecent. Mom, grandmother or sister of a young man makes their decision about the bride: as a rule, a negative attitude towards the girl even now can change the opinion of the future spouse. If they are happy with everything, then there will be a wedding. Young stipulate the date, and the family is engaged in the message of matchmakers.

Chechen matchmaking is a matchmaker’s dinner with men of the bride’s family: a feast is being prepared for the guests, an informal conversation takes place, after which the matchmakers inform about their intentions and say the date. The father of the bride, the decision maker, first talks about what needs to be considered. Only on the second or third visit does he bless the union of Chechen lovers. By the way, it’s not shameful if the Chechen bride herself decides on marriage earlier - this will only help to avoid unnecessary expenses.

Wedding day

The wedding day in Chechnya is, first of all, a holiday for the groom’s family, because the bride’s family is not involved in the process. During the celebration, only those relatives are present who arrived with the bride in the same car. The organization is undertaken by the father of the future spouse, the female half is engaged in the preparation of the festive table. First, a car with a mullah (Islamic priest) drives home to a Chechen bride, there are discussions about spiritual things. Only after some courtesies, the guests proceed to the next stage of the wedding visit..

Ransom bride

The ransom of a Chechen bride (kalym or Urdu) is a certain amount of money or equivalent valuables paid by the side of the Chechen groom to the family of the future spouse. The amount is determined by the Islamic priest, it is affected by the well-being of the parents of the narrowed, the position of this Chechen family in the community, the positive qualities of the girl. Urdu should not be confused with the redemption of a valuable employee or «by purchase» - the Chechen people have a different interpretation.

The Chechen bride is respected and respected, so such a fee should be the culprit of the celebration as a reminder that instead of money, he received something much more valuable - a close faithful wife, future mother of children, beloved life partner. They consider a deed to be a good deed when a future Chechen spouse pays more than the assigned amount of the ransom: this means that he really appreciates the addition to his large family. Money after the wedding usually goes to the bride.

Dress of the Chechen bride

While in the next room there are spiritual discussions with the mullah, the bride gets ready - puts on a beautiful wedding dress, prepares an outfit that should not be white by the next day. Dresses for Chechen weddings are a mixture of the national costume with a modest European outfit - it looks rich and beautiful, see photo:

Oaths of the bride and groom, conversations with the mullah

Although modern spouses can not do without official registration in the registry office, according to Islamic traditions, such a marriage is not recognized - a couple turns from a bride and groom into a husband and wife only after a ceremony conducted by a mullah. Registration itself can be carried out both on the same day and after several months. The ceremony takes place as follows:

  • For woman. According to the Chechen tradition, the bride remains in her room with two witnesses - she is already dressed, packed up her suitcases, which she will carry to her future spouse. Before going to the bride, the mullah makes sure that the men of her family are not against marriage. Then the mullah conducts the ceremony: he reads the agreement from the Koran, which must be accepted by the culprit of the celebration - her public rights and obligations are announced there. After following the mullah, the girl reads the scriptures.

  • For a man. After the ceremony with the bride, the groom goes through the same marriage procedure with two male witnesses. Also announce the amount of Urdu, which he must pay for the hero of the occasion.

After the events, the Chechen bride and groom are considered married, they are given a certificate of marriage, which has liquidity in many countries. After a while, the young will exchange silver rings.

Wedding procession. The road to the groom's house

Before the movement of the wedding procession begins, the Chechen bride needs to be taken out of the house - this honor, as a rule, goes to the brother of the hero of the occasion or the cousin of the father of her betrothed. At the right time, the relatives of the Chechen bride will let you know that the girl is ready to leave, then the escort comes in. Before taking her to the car, he must follow a small custom: to give a Chechen narrowed bill of the greatest value (now 5,000 rubles).

A man escorts the Chechen beautiful bride to the car, helps her to get in, and sisters or girlfriends go with the girl. The escort himself gets behind the wheel, and after that the real race begins. When there were no cars, horses were traditionally carriers, on which Chechen men held a contest for the right to take the second place of the motorcade after the cab with the bride, it was considered honorable. Now wedding horses have been replaced by the horsepower of cars, and people continue the ancient tradition.

Often such a dangerous game leads to casualties or even deaths, this is more true for those who have drunk or have inexperienced drivers. To avoid such troubles during a Chechen wedding, the leader of the motorcade, traveling in front with the bride, usually slows down the dangerous speed, reducing the likelihood of an accident. However, this is not the only road test: anyone can stop the Chechen wedding procession and demand a ransom.

Pays, as a rule, the brother of the groom or cousin of the father accompanying the Chechen bride to the wedding. When the motorcade returns to the groom's house, the driver of the car, who managed to take an honorable second place behind the car with the bride, receives a valuable gift - it can be a chic carpet or a separate wedding table, where only the people chosen by the winner can sit.

Bride meeting

The meeting of the girl, who will soon assume the role of wife, is an event that all guests are waiting for, so it is interestingly held. There are several ceremonies held after the arrival of the Chechen bride:

  • Bite off the candy. Immediately upon arrival, the husband is met by the mother of the groom, helps her out of the car, so as not to wrinkle and not stain the dress. After leaving, the mother-in-law extends the candy to the hero of the occasion, she must bite off half. The second half is eaten by the mother of the future spouse - this will become a guarantee «sweet» the life of a daughter-in-law and mother in law.

  • Shots or automatic bursts. While the mother of the hero of the occasion conducts a sweet ceremony, loud shots are heard, notifying the district about the arrival of the bridegroom. Previously, this custom served to drive away evil spirits..
  • Housekeeping test. Often during the entrance to the house, the culprit of the occasion could wait for unexpected trials. For example, the groom's mother could leave a rug with a broom lying on it. If the betrothed guessed theatrically sweep him, then she should have become a good mistress after the wedding.
  • Angle. After the future spouse arrives at the wedding, they put her in a corner and let her hold a little boy - this will ensure that the first male child is born. The bride should caress him, and then award him candy or money. In the corner she will have to stand until the end of the wedding, sit in front of the elders is forbidden, however, anyone can come and look under the veil.

Tongue unleashing custom

The custom at a wedding in Chechnya - the unleashing of the tongue (mott bastar) - is held during the celebration. At a certain point, friends of the future husband approach the narrowed, teasing her, trying to succumb to stinging jokes, but the wife silently suffers their attacks. Then, in the same manner, wedding guests try to beg a glass of water from a Chechen bride, and after that they ask permission to drink. The task of the bride is to remain silent until the last moment, but in the end, sparingly tell men «Have a nice drink».

This phrase is a sign that «untie the tongue» managed. The guests of the Chechen wedding drink water, and then they are obliged to return the girl a glass, but filled with money. If they don’t pay her, according to tradition, the Chechen bride has every right to never speak to the offenders again..

Wedding songs and dances

After the Chechen bride entered the threshold of her husband’s house, Lovzar begins - this is the celebration of the wedding. An important role is played by the host of the Chechen event, who manages to make pompous speeches, wrap up skillful turns, shine with metaphors and make toasts in honor of the wedding attendees as if he knew everyone personally. The feast is interspersed with Chechen folk songs and cheerful dances, the main of which is Lezghinka.

Toastmaster makes sure that in the center of the hall a man and a woman dance at a lezginka wedding - first, he selects a Chechen man who goes out and makes several movements, using his movements as a sign of respect, then the dancer turns to the guests of the female wedding. By this time, the host has already managed to choose a girl for the dance, gradually the couples change. Chechen guests dance while there is mood and desire.

Watch the video of a fun Chechen Lovzar wedding, where guests dance an energetic Lezgin:

Chechen wedding video 2016

2016 Chechen weddings are great events that are still strictly subject to the laws of the Holy Scriptures. The tradition of the wedding, the richness of customs, rituals of the holiday, following the clear rules of the Koran makes the celebration a unique event in the life of everyone who visited it, leaves an unforgettable experience for all guests.

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