The traditions of Tajikistan: clothing & weddings

[kasymov]

During our travels some of us collect souvenirs, some stamps, some other clothes and traditions. Today we’d love to tell you more about the traditional clothing and the wedding traditions of Tajikistan. Curious?

Just stay tuned!

The traditional Tajik clothing is different from region to region, but it still has many unique things in common. The main points are similar for men and women. Men wear – shirt tunic cut, wide trousers, quilted coat, belt, scarf, turban or skullcap, leather boots, galoshes with a pointed nose (which are often worn over boots). Women – tunic cut dress, wide trousers, and the head should be covered with a scarf or skullcap. Modern villagers still adhere to a national style of dress.

Skullcaps and headscarves are warn mostly on holidays (weddings, birthdays).The national decorations are essentially made of very massive silver, this includes hammered necklaces, rings, earrings and pendants.

Toki – kallapush (skullcap) is a traditional part of the national Tajik costume. Especially popular “Chust” – men’s black and white skullcaps: normal pattern – bodom (almond) or kalamfur (capsicum) are embroidered on a white silk. In many regions of Tajikistan there are light, hemispherical skullcaps – arahchin made by machine embroidery. There are several types of traditional compositions and ornamental patterns. There was widespread female quadrangular skullcap with a bright “vegetable” pattern made with a cross. In the Pamirs known Tajik flat-bottomed round skullcap embroidered with coloured silk thread embroidery.

As about the wedding traditions, there are some essential rules and ceremonies, which is important to follow as given.

In the wedding day, in the early morning, the families are preparing a big amount of pilaf, while the bride and groom are preparing for the ceremony itself. The relatives of the bride start inviting to the wedding women from the neighbourhood, that once being invited, have to give to the bride a cup of flour, so the marriage will be happy. The bride during the first part of the ceremony is sitting in a corner in front of the door with a hanged curtain in front, waiting the cleric to come and to take her approval. After the approval is given, the groom with his friends is coming to take the bride.  Before the door of the house where the bride was the bridegroom jumped over the fire of flax straw (as would be purified by fire).

The second part of purification is before entering the groom’s house. The bride as well has to jump through fire.

After this, the bride bowed to her in-laws and becomes officially part of the new family. Officially the celebration is ongoing and the guests are eating the remaining plov.

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