Kazakh wedding ceremony

A Kazakh wedding ceremony in a mosqueA wedding party in Independent Square, Almaty

The religious part of the Kazakh wedding ceremony is called Neke Qiyu. The wedding process may take up to many weeks and even months to complete. This is because a Kazakh marriage, like marriages in most Muslim societies, involves a contract between families which requires negotiation. The Neke Qiyu is a small portion of the whole, and usually takes about a half an hour to complete.

The Neke Qiyu usually takes place on the evening of the day the bride is revealed to her groom's family. This festive ceremony is called betashar (Kazakh: Беташар) or "revealing of the face." After she shows respect to her groom's family, the veil is lifted and the bride receives a kiss from her mother-in-law. The mother-in-law then puts a white scarf on her head to symbolize her marital status and then welcomes her into the groom's family.

After several hours a feasting, a mullah arrives. A mullah is a teacher of Islam who knows how to recite the Quran. He performs the Neke Qiyu. Even though the betashar is performed outside in the garden in the presence of many relatives and friends, the Neke Qiyu is performed inside with close relatives only. The mullah and the couple sit facing one another. He briefly recites some verses from the Quran and asks the couple to confess the faith of Islam. When this ceremony is done, the couple must go and register their marriage at the state registry office, a practice introduced in the Soviet period.

The brief ceremony at the registration office is called a AHAZH. The AHAZH also features a procession of cars decorated in ribbons, which stops to take pictures along the way. In the city of Turkistan in southern Kazakhstan, the photos must include one of the couple at the Yasawi Shrine. For many progressive families the AHAZH has almost replaced both the Neke Qiyu and the betashar.

Modern Kazakhs doesn't use Islam at the basis of its wedding ceremony. First of all, the groom's family prepare the presents for bribe and her parents. Usually it might be gold or/fur coats. And presents for all members if she might has sisters, brothers, grandparents, etc. Before passing to the bribes home, guests and groom must give to children or women some money as a payment for entrance (this tradion used as a game). After that, both families chose the proper date of wedding, and take with them their new daughter-in-law to their home, also taking 2 women from bribes family, that she wont feel "home sick" till marriage ceremony. At the date of official registration of the marriage, couple usually wear normal wedding dresses: bribe wears white beautiful dress, groom wears classic suit. The date of marriage bribe might be stolen as a game by one of the groom's friends, and then groom must pay for his bribe - [Kalym] old traditional national payment for bribe. There is no doubt, that wedding must pass with rich national dishes, the evening must pass with songs, dancing and happiness!