Each nation has its own wedding traditions. Much has changed with the influence of European culture. But the Dagestanis have not abandoned their traditions, and the wedding in the Caucasus remains a magnificent celebration with a huge number of guests.
Dagestan wedding
In the Caucasus, they have been preparing for the wedding since childhood. As soon as a child is born, parents begin to collect dowry and save money. The wedding is a very noisy feast with up to 1500 guests. If the village where the wedding is being celebrated is not very large, all residents come to the celebration, even those who were not invited.
Wedding preparations begin with the engagement. The groom with his retinue and gifts comes to the bride and proposes to her. After that, the newlyweds apply to the registry office and go to the mosque in order to conclude a Sharia marriage. Then the bride and groom visit memorial sites and lay flowers.
It is customary to celebrate a wedding in several days. There is usually a week difference between them. First, the celebration takes place in the bride's house, since it was previously forbidden for the bride's parents to attend the daughter's wedding. The bride says goodbye to her home and family, the groom redeems her, and she goes to a new home.
The second wedding can last for several days and takes place on the day of the official wedding. The wedding begins with a bow to the young parents as a sign of their deep respect and gratitude. The celebration can take place both in a restaurant and at home or even outdoors. The table is served with traditional Caucasian dishes: dolma, khinkali, barbecue. All guests dance, congratulate the young, give gifts. If you give an envelope with money, they write on it when it should be opened. An orchestra and a toastmaster are usually present at the festival. The wedding ends late at night, after which everyone goes to the groom's house. Bringing the bride into a new home is a whole ritual that gets a lot of attention. This is one of the brightest moments of the wedding, because it is customary to sprinkle the bride with nuts, sweets and coins. Depending on the possibilities of the newlyweds, the wedding lasts several days.
Newlywed outfits
The bride's clothes are given special attention. The dress should be very festive, elegant and rich. Often the bride prefers to have two outfits: a national costume and a white wedding dress. The white dress symbolizes her virginity and purity. The groom can also have several outfits.
Interesting Facts
Previously, when all traditions were strictly followed, before the wedding, the bride was sent the groom's clothes, and she had to sew a wedding suit for him with her friends. The groom immediately put on this suit and wore it until the end of the wedding.
In the old days, when the groom was from a different class or his family simply did not have money for a magnificent wedding, and both newlyweds wanted to get married, the bride was stolen. Now this is also practiced, but rather rarely.
