Avar wedding: the indomitable traditions of the mountain people

Caucasus ... How many people only hear about its beauties! And yet, someone who has not been there personally, can not convey in words how perfect he is. Amazing landscapes, unspoiled mountain rivers, full of abundance of green valleys and starry sky above your head. And this wonderful world could not have survived until today, if not for the people caring for it. Those who are not indifferent to the condition of their home.

Overall Impression

The Avar people, who are the most numerous part of the population of Dagestan , are also caring . Until now, they have managed to carry through the centuries the ancestral traditions of their ancestors, which became well-known in other countries and became their attraction. So, a huge role in the life of Avars is played by a wedding rite, not only for the bride and groom.

The Avar wedding is a holiday for the entire settlement, and therefore about a thousand people gather on it occasionally. And all these people sincerely want to celebrate this important event together with the young and see their joy and happiness. And they all participate in numerous rituals, thereby showing their wish for well-being and love to the newlyweds.

Avar wedding is an incredibly colorful noisy spectacle, where people of any age are having fun, and all these are managed by the toastmaster - a man specially appointed before the festival. In some places it is also called "shah". Usually they are asked to become a respected family member or an important friend. He is in charge of the entire process, making sure that the traditions of the Avar wedding are observed, so that all guests actively participate and enjoy the fun, and it lasts for more than one day.

Matchmaking

One of the important surviving customs is marriage on a preliminary conspiracy. The essence of it lies in the marriage of the bride and groom with their parents, even if the young people themselves are completely unfamiliar with each other. Almost all Avar weddings in Dagestan were played that way, and often became the moment of the first meeting of the newlyweds.

However, if for European countries this may seem wild, all such marriages are extremely strong and bring only happiness to both. Such an outcome is also achieved by unquestioning respect and confidence in the parents' opinion, which was to some extent lost by modern Western nations. A special part of the wedding is paid by the kalym - a kind of payment to the bride, which can be both full-fledged material and purely symbolic.

It depends on the agreement of the matchmakers, but in any case, this marriage gift is an important attribute of marriage and issued by the mullah. According to the Qur'an, the bride is paid to the wife as a certain guarantee for the marriage, but the sharia prefers to give the ransom to her parents.

How to choose

To the choice of a future bride or groom for their child, parents come very carefully. This involved also the next of kin, and when looking for a girl, first of all, her diligence, restraint, good breeding and health were taken into account. After all, a wife by their definition should not only be an excellent hostess in a house that can keep it clean and always receive guests properly, but also strong enough to bring healthy children, future heirs to the world. Of course, its origin was taken into account, so they searched for it usually among its class.

Stages

Avar wedding is usually held in two stages. The first - in the house of the bride, the second - in the house of the groom. And before that, matchmaking certainly takes place, which is a rather interesting and interesting process. To do this, the groom's family must repeatedly invite the future bride's father to visit him, conditionally, "until the shoes of matchmakers wear out," treat them to the best dishes and delicacies and offer their daughter's hand.

Then there was a betrothal, at which the groom visited the house of the girl with many gifts and treats. At the same time, they should be valuable, because later they are put on public display of neighbors so that they can evaluate them and the person who is getting married. Also Avar wedding as a holiday of the Islamic people can not pass without a religious ceremony. However, she passed without a bride and was performed on the previous or the present day of the wedding.

Farewell to parents

And, of course, like any important celebration, the Avar wedding was lavish and fun and required a long preparation. Almost all the women of the village are involved in this, because it is impossible to attack food for so many guests, and so everyone starts to cook in a few more days. However, even if the Avar wedding in the mountains is fun, noise and joy, the final stage of it - bringing the bride to the groom's house - is the culmination and the most sad moment of the whole holiday. As far as the steps of the newlyweds, they are tossed with sweets and coins, so that their further journey is sweet and comfortable. And this peak means that the girl leaves her parents' house forever and goes to her husband's family.