Uzbekistan wedding custom

Uzbekistan, is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asian, formerly part of the Soviet Union. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south.

Wedding plays an important role in social life of the Uzbek people and usualy celebrates very solemn. Having the same features, the ceremony has some peculiarities in different regions of Uzbekistan. The main part of the wedding ceremony is then the bride leaves her parents house and arrives to her fiance house.

On wedding day in bride's house arranges the wedding party called wedding palov (pilaff), which is cooked in fiance house and then sends to Bride. In fiance's house also holds wedding party.

On wedding day Imam (Mullah) read to the couple "Hutbayi nikoh" (prayer of marriage), and then proclaimes them husband and wife. After Mullah explains them rights and obligations of family life. After that they drive to the Civil registration office to obtain the certificate of their relationship.

On wedding day the fiance put on "sarpo" - the clothes gifted to him specially for wedding day and then along with the friends goes to his bride parents house to greet them. As soon as they arrive back home, comes the bride accompanied with her girl friends, but before she holds the ritual of seeing off with her parents. The wedding celebration begins from Bride and Fiance meeting in fiance's house. By the end of the ceremony, the fiance accompany his bride up to the door of the special room. In the room the bride is met by "yanga"- related to bride woman. The bride changes the clothes and prepares to meet her husband staying behind curtain-"gushanga". After some time comes the fiance with his friends, and then along with "Yanga" goes up to the curtain. Before getting behind the curtain he has to bathe the bride, therefore he negotiates with "Yanga". After, "Yanga" leaves the couple for a night.

Next day early morning begins the ritual "kelin salomi" - the bridal greeting. Before the begining, in the yard gather the parents of the fiance, relatives, his friends and neighbours. Everybody approach the bride with wishes, gifts and blesses. The bride greets everybody with a bow. On this, the celebration consider finished, and from this moment begins family life.

In the wedding bride usually wears a white dress. In Uzbek it is “kelin kuylak”. The girl often cries a lot when she says “bye” to everyone. Usually new “kelin” goes from her parent’s home forever. By the way to the boy home kelin’s relatives sing a song. Usually kelin’s relatives go to the boy’s home by bus. On the bus they sing our traditional song. This is “yiglama yor-yor to’y saniki yor yor”. It means “don’t cry, this is your day, why are you crying, on this day you should be happy”. When the bus comes to the boy’s house, boy’s mum gives sweet water. Then the boy bride carries her down the bus. If the boy side doesn’t give a knife to the girl’s brother, the bride will not get off the bus. Near the boy’s home, there will be often a fire and new brides should walk around the fire three times. It means that new brides’ life will be as warm as fire.