Turks love weddings! The most popular time for weddings in Turkey has always been the summer months. Traditional weddings in Turkey, especially in rural areas, come with a long list of customs and traditions for a happy marriage. Almost every region of Turkey has its own unique wedding traditions.
Henna Night or Henna Night
Henna night is a Turkish tradition for centuries. A day or two before the wedding, families and friends gather for a small celebration. Traditional folk songs are sung, henna is applied on the bride's palm and the groom's pinky finger.
Henna has always been associated with devotion. Therefore, it has a symbolic meaning for those who are going to get married. It is also believed that henna protects married couples from evil. Henna night traditions may differ in each region, but one common thread is to make the bride-to-be cry to show her true sadness at leaving her family. The bride sits in a chair and traditional songs are sung as the single girls spin around holding candles in their palms. And everyone expects the bride to cry. According to tradition, the purpose of this is to make the bride go from crying to laughing with her life. Another custom of the henna night is that the bride does not open her hand. When the person applying henna says, "The bride does not want to open her hand," the mother-in-law puts a piece of gold in the bride's palm as a henna gift.
Jewelry Wearing Ceremony
In many cultures, it is customary to give gold to newlyweds on their wedding day. Also in Turkey, when a couple gets married, gold jewelry is gifted by their friends and family to help them start a good and prosperous future. The reason for this is to support the couple who have just started a new life. Since weddings are an expensive event, their close circles try to help the young couple and contribute to their economy. The jewelry gifted at the wedding is chosen to exchange gold for money. And these gifts are actually glued on the bride and groom! Of course, kissing the guests one by one and performing the jewelry-wearing ceremony at large weddings can take a lot of time. And it can be very tiring for the bride and groom. But totally worth it!
Stepping On Each Other's Feet
One of the most obvious superstitions attached to the moment after "yes" is about newlyweds stepping on each other's feet. Supposedly, whoever takes the first step will have the final say in the marriage.Grooms can also step on the bride's feet, but usually the brides are faster. This tradition has its origins in Ancient Rome. Considering that shoes represent freedom in almost every culture, this custom can take place in our lives so that spouses do not abandon each other. Whether you believe in this tradition or not, you'll have fun cheering for the duo to step on the other's toes as soon as possible!
Writing Names of Singles on the Bottoms of Shoes
One of the wedding customs is to write the names of single friends and relatives on the bottom of the bride's shoes. However, writing a name under the bride's shoes is interpreted differently in Turkey. Some believe that if the name wears off at the end of the night, that person will marry within the same year. Others think that even if his name doesn't get old, he will meet a man very soon, even at the wedding!
Keskek
Known all over Turkey for its different recipes, Keskek is a dish that is widely prepared at weddings and holidays. It is a traditional but demanding dish consisting mainly of cracked wheat and meat. Wedding cooks do it collaboratively. As a result of forging, meat and wheat come together to create an overall smooth texture. The longer and more vigorously it is beaten, the better the Keskek taste will be! Keskek is an indispensable part of weddings, perhaps because it represents marriage. So much so that in some regions, young girls and boys of marriageable age ask "When will we eat your cupcake?" it is asked. aims to motivate them for marriage.
Bridal Decoration
Another folkloric tradition in Turkey is to adorn the bride with sparkly tinsel. These are called "bride's tinsel". Single girls are attracted to these tinsel. The shorter it is, the closer the marriage will be. It seems that these tinsel pieces were made of real silver during the Ottoman period. Nowadays, it is made of high quality copper.