They kept centuries-old traditions alive at the village wedding

For the first time in 35 years, ancient traditions were included in a village wedding in the Zara district of Sivas. Tansu Bulut and Hasan Şimşek from the village of Eymir in the district got married following the village wedding organized according to traditions. The groom rode on a horse, paraded around the village, invited the villagers to the wedding, had a young boy dressed in the same clothes as the groom ride behind him on the horse, left fabric and tips on the horse, recited prayers when passing by the cemetery and houses that had recent condolences, and had wrestlers display their skills at the front of the wedding convoy. During the event, the bride was taken from her home on horseback to her new home, and the groom climbed to the roof to shower single guests with fruits and nuts, among other customs that captured the attention of the participants. The tradition of dyeing chicken feathers known as ‘gelin tozağı’ (bride’s flail) also didn’t go unnoticed by the guests. Zeki Şimşek, the father of the groom, explained, ‘We wanted to organize a village wedding that was once common but now forgotten. My son and daughter-in-law supported my idea. In our Turkmen wedding, the groom would be paraded around the village on a horse to invite the villagers to the wedding. Those who couldn’t attend would place their gifts in the saddlebag on the horse, and fabric gifts would be hung around the horse’s neck. The guests following the horse would form a procession on foot. In the past, there used to be Karakucak wrestling matches at weddings, and the wrestlers would walk in front of the groom’s horse, symbolizing strength.’ Şimşek mentioned that when passing by the cemetery, mosque, and houses with recent condolences, group prayers were recited out of respect. He added, ‘When we took the bride from her parents’ house to her new home on a horse, upon seeing the bride, the groom would climb to the roof of the house and shower fruits and nuts to open up the luck for the singles and wish prosperity for the newlyweds. Then, the bride would break a pitcher containing nuts and candies, take out a piece of candy, symbolizing a sweet and prosperous life together.’