From the proposal to the wedding celebration - Turkish wedding
customs are still very traditional and simply fascinating today. It is
particularly nice that the bride and groom's family is very intensively
involved in the preparations from the start, because solidarity is very
important in Turkish families! Whole books could certainly be lled
with
these exciting . We have summarized some highlights for you
here.
The marriage proposal and the engagement party
Traditionally, the future groom tends to propose a
his loved one . If the lady of his heart has happily said "Yes", the groom's
parents must then ocially
ask the bride's father for his daughter's
hand. For this purpose, the bride's family invites the groom's parents to
tea, coee
and biscuits. At this meeting, the groom's parents bring small
gifts. After the bride-to-be has served coee
and drunk it, it is time to
ask the question. formal dresses online
Only when the bride's father agrees does the "Söz kesme" follow on the
same day or some time later, in which the engaged couples put rings on
their right ring ngers.
The rings are connected by a silk cord which is
cut by a male family member of the groom.
After this solemn act, it is time for the bride's parents to organize a
joyful celebration; because what has meanwhile gone out of fashion in
Germany is still celebrated according to Turkish custom: the
engagement party. In addition to family members, friends and
acquaintances are usually invited. If the home of the bride's parents has
enough space for 100-200 guests, there is dancing and dining here,
otherwise in a larger hall. For the bride, the engagement party is the
rst
opportunity to present herself in a pompous dress and to take a
seat with her groom at a nicely decorated table.
The henna night or Kina Gecesi
According to old tradition, the henna night takes place on the day
before the wedding with family and friends. All female (men have no
place here) guests are invited to the house of the bride's parents or to a
rented hall, where a happily married wife of the bride decorates her
hands and feet with henna.
The henna night is a rather melancholy festival in which the bride
symbolically says goodbye to her family. For this reason, the bride is
made to cry with sad chants. In the course of the evening, however, the
atmosphere should loosen up and lead to a happy party.
Pompous, more pompous - the Turkish wedding dress
The word "simple" is out of place in most Turkish weddings. Turkish
wedding dresses are often very expansive, richly decorated and full ofglitter. The clothes are often bought in Turkey or in special Turkish
shops, which are now also widely used in Germany. A well-known
example of this is Weseler Strasse in Duisburg, where Turkish bridal
shops are lined up.
Not only the bride, but also the female guests usually appear in
elaborate princess dresses. Not least for the bachelors, weddings
always oer
an opportunity to present themselves. After all, wedding
celebrations are always a good exchange for potential future couples.
However, things are often a bit more traditional here: It can happen that
a guest's phone rings a few days after a wedding and an interested
father asks about a potential bride for his son.
The actual wedding ceremony
The civil wedding is necessary so that the marriage becomes legally
eective
and can either be carried out in the German registry oce
or
the Turkish consulate. She often nds
her full a few days before the big
wedding celebration. It is only celebrated with the family, for example
with a meal in a restaurant.
If the ceremony takes place on the day of the wedding celebration, the
entire crowd is not gathered here. This has usually already arrived in the
ballroom. The bride only wears the "right" wedding dress for the big
party.
For many bridal couples of Turkish origin, religious weddings are
important. The Islamic wedding is called "Imam Nikah" or "Hoca Nikah"
and can only be performed after the civil marriage. It is carried out by
an imam / hoca and takes place either at home or in the mosque.
The feast day: picking up the bride on the wedding day or
Gelin Alma
On the morning of the wedding celebration, the bride is lavishly put on
and done with her hair. In contrast to what is typical at German
weddings, the bride and groom don't just see themselves in front of the
altar, because the groom picks up his future wife from her parents'
house. But before he can take her with him, the bride's family demands
a dowry in the form of "money or gold" from the soon-to-be son-in-law.
When the bride and groom leave the bride's parents' house, rice and
wheat are pelted at them. The bride wears a red, embroidered scarf
over her head and face. The color red has several meanings: It stands
for fertility, prosperity and deep love. If the bride is still a virgin, her
father also wraps a red cloth around her waist, which stands for purity
and unaectedness.
The bride has also written the names of unmarried
friends or sisters / cousins under her shoe. Those whose names cannot
be read at the end of the day will soon get married themselves.
On the street in front of the parents' house, people are already
celebrating with Turkish folklore music, so that the last neighbors can
also nd
out about the wedding party. The newlyweds and the family
then drive to the ballroom in a car convoy. The cars are marked with
white towels, which are usually attached to the exterior mirror.
The wedding party
After the bride's parents have funded the engagement party, the
groom's parents traditionally pay for the wedding party. Turkish
weddings take place in a very large setting, according to the motto "The
more guests, the better the celebration". Relatives, friends, distant
acquaintances - they are all very welcome and some of them are even
own
in. The invitees in turn bring guests along. The bridal couple
seldom has fewer than 400 guests, even the thousand mark is regularly
exceeded. To keep costs down, the wedding menu itself is down-toearth
but tasty: Chicken, rice, salad and the wedding cake are a must.
In order to oer
space for all the guests, a large hall is rented, which is
often lavishly and solemnly decorated. The bridal couple receives a
place of honor on a pedestal.
And fun is not neglected either. With musical accompaniment by an
orchestra and Turkish singers, people often partake and dance until late
at night. Belly dancers can be booked for an oriental dance.
Gift ceremony
A special highlight is the gift ceremony.
mostly (large sums of) money, close relatives usually give gold
jewelry or travel. The gifts are given one after the other and a
spokesperson tells the entire society what has been given. Nobody
wants to stand out as stingy, of course. The order of the donation is set
in such a way that rst
the bride's parents, then the groom's parents and
then the other guests pass on their gifts.
The time after the wedding
According to conventional Turkish custom, the newly married couple
only move in together after the wedding. While the bride's dowry
includes the bedroom and kitchen utensils, the groom bears the
remaining costs of furnishing the home.
And what do both bring with them? Right - your mutual love and the
memory of an unforgettable wedding party!
Photo source 3 Photo on this page: wedding on travel by active way formal dresses with sleeves
