Wedding traditions and customs of the Kazakh people

Wedding traditions and customs of the Kazakh people Kazakh customs related to marriage are diverse. In the old days, Kazakhs usually got married by prior arrangement. Moreover, the fathers never asked the children. This is not surprising, since the agreement was made when they were young or not yet born.

Kyz koru

If there was no agreement, then the young people were brought together during the "Kyz Koru" ceremony. In fact, we are talking about "bride show".
The girl's family could not refuse to hold it. During the ceremony, the girlfriends who made up the retinue of the potential bride criticized the suitor out loud. Those who accompanied the guy did not remain in debt.
If the young people liked each other, they immediately agreed on a wedding. It was preceded by a number of ceremonies.

Kuda tusu

azakh traditions and customs required formalization of relations with new relatives. Therefore, the "Kuda tusu" rite was held, that is, matchmaking. The groom's family notified the bride's father in advance about its holding. He organized a feast and called his family members.
Matchmaking was performed by the main representatives of the bride and groom — "bas kuda". Usually these were the heads of the clans. Fathers of the young received the honorary title of "bauyzdau kuda", after which they became close relatives.
The bride's father and herself were presented with valuable gifts. In response, the groom's representatives were presented with "kuiryk bauyr" — a dish of liver and bacon. After that, the marriage contract was considered concluded. The bride's relatives gave gifts to the departing matchmakers.

Kalyn mal

When mutual consent to the marriage was reached, the rituals of the Kazakh people demanded to pay a ransom for the girl being taken away from home. The price of the bride was determined by agreement, and bidding was not only allowed, but also welcomed.
As a rule, the payment was received in kind: they took cattle, furs, gold and silver jewelry, etc. The bride brought a dowry — "kyz zhasauy". They were mostly household items, clothing, and sometimes cattle.

Kyz uzatu

This holiday was arranged in the girl's house. It was her sending-off event.
Custom has ordered all the bride's relatives and matchmakers to gather at a bountiful table. The feast was accompanied by music, dancing and songs. It lasted all night, and in the morning the girl left for the groom.

Kelin tusiru

Neke kiyu

The main Kazakh wedding ceremonies were completed after the wedding, which was carried out according to the norms of Muslim law.
This ceremony was held the day after the wedding feast. The bride and groom dressed in festive clothes and, accompanied by a couple of witnesses, went to the mosque. A prayer was read here, after which the young were given a bowl with water and silver. They drank from the cup, and the ceremony was completed.

Post-wedding and other traditions of the Kazakh people

When the celebrations dedicated to the wedding were over, it was the turn of other rites:

Zholdyk

This ceremony was performed by the spouse of the groom's older brother on the wedding night. She made the bed for the young and explained to them in an ironic way how to behave at night. Her work in the morning was rewarded with a gift.

Kudalyk

The arrival of a young relative in her husband's house. Those who arrived brought gifts and received gifts from the hosts. The gifts were presented to the new wife. It was called "onir salu".

Yessik ashar

This is the name of the newlywed's visit to the father-in-law's house. He went there alone, since his wife was forbidden to see her parents for a year. The woman had to visit all her husband's relatives.