Several “Weddings” in Kazakh culture

Dear readers,

Today I would like to take you with me on a trip to Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is a fast developing country, which lies directly between Europe and Asia. Most people around the world have very poor knowledge about the Kazakh culture, and some may do not even know where this country is located. But since I’m studying at AUBG, which has many international students, I was lucky to meet people from all over the world, and Kazakhstan was not an exception. So, during 3 years of studying in Bulgaria, I met very nice people from Kazakhstan. One of those people is Aida Kentassova, who comes from North-Western part of the Kazakstan. Aida kindly agreed to answer all my questions about Kazakh culture and their wedding traditions.

«Kazakhstan is quite a big country, each region celebrates weddings differently. We have quite different customs and traditions…but the basics are usually the same»

First, we want to keep in mind that the main religion of Kazakhstan is Islam. So, many Islamic traditions have been preserved for centuries. For example, like marriages in most Muslim societies, Kazakh marriage often involves a contract between families which requires negotiation. In some cases, the fathers of the future bride and groom negotiated their marriage immediately following the birth of the children. Today, most of Kazakh parents reconsidered those strict rules and now allow their children to choose future wife or husband. However, for most Kazakh families, it is still preferable to marry someone the same nationality and religion.

Kazakh wedding usually consists from several wedding ceremonies which could last for days. First one is «qyz uzatu toy» and it is celebrated in the house of the bride’s parents.

«…«qyz uzatu toy», which symbolizes the last day of a bride being a member of the family where she was born and raised in»

Because Kazakh people believe that once a girl got married, she should leave the house of her parents and «become a daughter» for her husband’s parents.

«The father of the bride would usually talk to the groom and make a statement that he is trusting his daughter to her future husband, and that from now on the groom becomes responsible for the bride.» 

Due to coupled “weddings” Kazakh bride would usually have different wedding dresses, one for each ceremony. For example, during the «qyz uzatu toy», bride should wear a special headdress which is called saukele. Saukele is probably the most important part of the bride’s wedding costume. It is often embellished with precious stones. When a girl wears saukele, it means that she is taking leave of her juvenility, and from this moment she starts to become a woman.

Early in the morning, the bride with matchmakers is sent to the groom’s house.

Upon arriving to groom’s place, the “betashar” ceremony, the wedding on a groom’s side, takes place. “Betashar” means a “revealing the face” of the bride to groom’s family. You can learn more about the ceremony from the video down below, where Aida is giving more details on “betashar”.

Here is a video, in which Aida explains about the meaning of “betashar”.

So, when the face of the bride is finally «revealed», the next step of Kazakh weddings is Neke Qiyu. Neke Qiyu is the religious part of wedding ceremony, and it usually takes place on the evening. Neke Qiyu is considered to be an intimate ceremony, so close relatives of the couple are invited only.

Neke Qiyu starts with several hours a feasting, and continues when a mullah arrives. So, the teacher of Islam recites some verses from the Quran and asks the couple to confess the faith of Islam. When this Neke Qiyu is over, it is time for couple to become husband and wife officially. For that reason, they would register their marriage at the state registry office, and such a practice has its roots from the Soviet times.