Which wedding is considered one of the most expensive? If you do not take into account the noisy and often indicative weddings of stars, the answer is obvious: Dagestan wedding. In Dagestan, this event was never cheap. The ransom given for the bride (simply a kalym) is a drop in the sea of the groom's parents' expenses. And the bride’s parents often do not lag behind. But the point here is not in general expenses, but in the fact that the Dagestan wedding is played twice. Once with the groom, and the second with the bride. More precisely, the women, gathering separately, "walked" their wedding, and men (also gathering separately) - their own, but in a different place. And then, in a coaxed time, friends of the groom came to the women's wedding, from where they took the bride away.
A sparsely populated Dagestan wedding is an exception to the rule. Usually more than one hundred people gather at weddings. At an "average" wedding - about five hundred people on one side only. The revered customs of Dagestan include hospitality. Each guest should be fed and watered. A wedding in the Caucasus has always been distinguished by a simple and at the same time elegant table. And rich, I must say. What can I say - they know how to set tables in the Caucasus.
But the Dagestan wedding is not an abundant treat for guests. Rather, not only in it. One of the most difficult and long processes is collecting dowry. Usually parents begin to cook it from their daughter's childhood. And now you still need to give your beloved daughter equipment, furniture, carpets, and linen. Otherwise, the people can then condemn. The groom (the groom's parents) is preparing housing in which he will bring his young wife, and a dummy.
But this was so until the Dagestan wedding took to the rails. The tradition has not yet been completely lost, but close to that. Today at the Dagestan wedding, both the bride and groom are sitting together, next to each other, at the same table. And two weddings (funny, but true) still continue to play.
According to custom, an engagement is held before the wedding, which supposedly should check the feelings of the future couple and the commonality of their views. At the pre-wedding ceremony, the couple is officially announced as the bride and groom. Then the wedding date is appointed , the nuances are discussed. The matchmaking ritual is performed by matchmakers. Gifts are given to the bride, an application is submitted to the registry office, and pre-wedding efforts begin.
After the registry office, the couple goes to the mosque, where another rite is held, or rather, the Sharia marriage is concluded (this, perhaps, can be compared with the Orthodox wedding). After the rite in the mosque, the wedding ceremony holds the way to memorable places for laying flowers, and only after that they go to a decorated room with laid tables to celebrate the greatest event in the life of both.
The wedding begins with reverence for the father and mother. Young people bow and thank for everything that their parents gave them. A low bow to Dagestanis, like to many, means respect, love, reverence and, of course, filial duty.
At the generous Caucasian tables with national dishes, the first toasts, good jokes, and then dances begin. On the same day, young people receive gifts from guests indicating the date when these gifts can be opened. Usually, cards with many wishes are put in gifts.
The wedding ends late in the evening or at night, and everyone escorts the couple to the groom's house. Here it’s worth mentioning another beautiful and rather bright moment of the Dagestan wedding: the bride’s entry into her new house, the groom’s house, or now her husband’s house: the couple is showered with nuts, coins, sweets. The custom symbolizes the peculiar wishes of a well-fed, comfortable and sweet life. The next day (or at another scheduled), the celebration continues.
Given the scope, as you know, the average Dagestan wedding "flies a penny" with six zeros. Of course, I want to remember such days forever. Yes, and the wedding is usually only once ...