On Thursdays, the bridge would be woken up and be embellished, applied make-up on; her hair would be curled and her diamond crown would be placed on her head. On Thursday, the bridge would show up in the living room before the guests gathered there, wearing her special “Bindallı” bridal gown.

 

After the goods were carried and placed, food would be served and then the traditional “bridal bath” would take place. Bridal bath was just like the marriage bath; the only difference was that more women would be invited to the bridal bath than the marriage bath for which only the female members of the family would be invited to.

 

Summer months are wedding months. The ones who will get married in North Cyprus organize their wedding dates mostly between June and end of August. Weddings in Cyprus are also changing as the majority of our traditions are getting lost. Weddings with henna nights, flourish of trumpets and plethora of food that used to last for days became a thing of the past. Elderly always say “Where are those old weddings?...” and in reality, today’s deluxe weddings could not replace the old weddings.

 

Generally the weddings would start on Mondays

In the old times weddings would start on Mondays and continue for a week. On Monday, quilts that the bride would take as dowry were started to be covered. Back then, there were no bedclothes so the covers of the quilts were needed to be hand sewn. When the quilts of the bride would be covered, a woman who married only once would start the sewing and then other women would help her. Covering the quilts would be continued by filling the beds. After filling the bed, a white sheet would be spread on it topped by a red sheet. Beds that were ready would then be silvered. If the money collected is a lot, it would be divided between the bride and the musicians, if not, it would be given to the musicians only. After the money on the bed was removed, a boy would topple over the bed with the hope that the first child of the family would be a boy.

On Tuesdays nothing was done, people would only eat and drink. “Whatever is started to be done on Tuesdays totters” was predominant way of thinking. Moreover, some people would not even like being on the road on Tuesdays.

Wednesday, the colorful day of city weddings

Wednesday was a colorful day of city weddings. The goods of the bride would be transferred to her new home on Wednesdays, same day that the bridal bath would take place. Wednesday nights were also fun with henna nights lasting until the morning. Wednesday days and nights were busy times of the Turkish Cypriot city weddings. All of the goods of the girl would be transported to her new home with music. Heavy goods would be carried with camels, glassware and quilts would be carried by best men on their shoulders and on the baskets made out of wheat stem placed on their heads. In front of the camel wagon that carried the heavy goods, there was an embellished horse leading the way.

 

Goods of kitchen would be mostly carried on the camel behind the camel wagon. It is also one of our old traditions that the people standing in the streets as the goods were being carried would give out incense. As the goods were being transported, plethora of food and deserts would be prepared in the wedding house and the ones present there would be served an elaborate lunch.   

 

Bridal Bath

Food would be eaten and after the goods were carried and placed, food would be served and then the traditional “bridal bath” would take place. Bridal bath was just like the marriage bath; the only difference was that more women would be invited to the bridal bath than the marriage bath for which only the female members of the family would be invited to.

 

It was part of the custom that the women invited to the bridal bath and the musicians would go to the bath before the bride and take their places in the changing room of the bath. After the guest ladies would take their places on the ottoman clothed, the bride would be greeted with music as she was entering through the door of the bath.

 

On one hand welcoming songs were being sung and on the other hand bride’s abaya and veil would be removed and replaced by white veil as the folk songs with lyrics “My rose pink heart is committed to white fez” would be sung. Afterwards, the bride would be seated to a high spot at the right of the entrance of the bath, accompanied by one of her best friends as the custom called. Meanwhile, women bath attendants with waist clothes would enter the room from the bath side dancing with the music. If there were belly dancers hired from before, they would also dance and entertain the women. After the bride was washed and covered in shiny towels, her face would again be covered with the veil and everyone would go back to the hall.

 

The girl would kiss the hands of her mother, mother in law and old ladies and be taken to her place behind the cage to be clothed. It was part of the tradition for the relatives of bride and groom to give silver to the musicians. After this very entertaining bath session, the bride and the women of the family would go to the house in embellished cars and the rest of the invitees would go back to their homes. At night, food was served to the members of the family and the musicians.

 

Henna Night

Whether the wedding would take place in a village or a city, henna nights would be part of Turkish Cypriot weddings that took place in old times and were regarded as the most fun part of the weddings.

 

Nowadays, some families here and there go back to the past and try to organize henna nights in the halls of luxurious hotels.

 

In the old times, two women members of the family would greet the ladies coming to the henna night at the door and take their abayas. Musicians would greet the guests with “Mevleci Peşrevi” as part of the custom. According to the information provided by the elderly, the welcoming song in the past was “Mevlevi Peşrevi” instead of “March of Kozan.” After the songs associated with henna were sung and the musicians were given silvers, the bride would be taken to bed with the first lights of the day. Thus, the most colorful day of the wedding, Wednesday day and night, would be finalized.

 

On Thursday the bride would wear a special gown (bindallı) and go before the guests

On Thursdays, the bridge would be woken up and be embellished, applied make-up on; her hair would be curled and her diamond crown would be placed on her head. On Thursday, the bridge would show up in the living room before the guests gathered there, wearing her special “Bindallı” bridal gown.

 

The musicians would welcome the bride as she was entering the living room with associated songs and meanwhile “dressing” would start. Firstly the father would tie and unfasten a belt three times to the waist of the girl and put jewelry on. Girl’s eyes would be watered as she was kissing her father’s hands. After the father her mother would “dress” her daughter and other relatives would follow. An important point to be stressed here is that family of the groom did not attend the “dressing.” Groom’s parents and relatives would dress the bride on Friday. On this day, there is the event of “showing sheets” that would disclose whether the bride was virgin or not. If the bride was not a virgin, relatives of the groom would not attend the dressing and the wedding would be off.

 

After the dressing is finalized on Thursday, the bride would take a car embellished with satin and embroidered fabric and take the road to go home. Of course her relatives would be with her during this journey. Groom would then welcome the bride at the door of their house, take her in and seat her in a place prepared for her and then the groom would leave.

 

Groom would see the bride for the first time after prayers

At night, the groom would come home after the night prayer with imams (leading the way), best men, friends and members of the public accompanied by torches and chants. At the door, people would go their own ways after praying for the happiness of the home and the groom entering the house with punches. The bride would greet the groom astir; meanwhile the groom would say a two-rakat prayer for god’s sake. After the prayers the aunt woman present in the house gives the bride to the groom’s arm and leaves the room to bring back a tray full of food and leave the room again. In those years the groom would see the bride for the first time after the prayers. They would eat the food presented in the tray together. This food that was presented to the bride and groom on the wedding night would mostly be a cooked young pigeon. First the groom feeds the bride with this food and later the bride would help the groom to eat. It was said that this food was prepared with the wish that the newlyweds would be as convivial as pigeons.

 

It was among our old traditions that the groom would gift a diamond to the bride who was thought to be “clean” in the wedding morning. In old times, it is also said that grooms that would enter the nuptial chamber would be fed with zucchini, seven different kinds of zucchini, due to the fact that it is easy to digest it and prevents one from feeling sluggish.

 

 

Traditions that is common with Anatolian Turks

As we were talking about the wedding night, we briefly mentioned that the aunt woman gives the bride to the arms of the groom. This tradition called “Koltuklama” is a widespread tradition in the entire Turkish world. This tradition can be observed in Turkmens, Uzbeks, Kazakhs and Kirgiz on the last of the wedding, the day of taking the bride. The slight difference of execution of this tradition by the Anatolian Turks is the people doing it. While it is the aunt woman who does this in the Turkish community in Cyprus, in the Kirgiz community they are the actual aunts and some relatives who do it. Turkmens take the bride to the left and the groom takes the bride by her right arm and takes her home. It is believed that it would bring bad fortune to take the bride to the right. It is also believed that the relatives of the bride would tie red belts to the bride on the last day of the wedding in the Turkmen community.

 

Friday was also called Trotting Day

In the old times this day was called the trotting day. As the ladies of the family and the guests took their seats the bride would get ready and show up. Groom’s family would dress the bride on the trotting day.

 

Family would have lunch together. Another importance of the day is that sheet showing would also take place on this day. Aunt women would show the sheet spread to the bed of the bride on the wedding night to the senior members of the family and get tipped generously. The Greek Cypriot tradition of showing this sheet with the blood of virginity to everyone was not done by the Turkish Cypriots. As this sheet was the honor of the bride, it could only be shown to the elderly of the family. As the trotting day was over, the wedding was also regarded as over.

 

After this, the bride was expected to accept guests for a week according to the tradition. During these days, the bride would accept congratulations by getting ready and wearing a differently colored bridal gowns every day. On the last day, it was customary to wear a black gown. Guests would be served various sweets, sherbets, Turkish delights. Thus, a new home would be established. In the old times it is known that very rich families would organize weddings to their children lasting 40 days and 40 nights.

 

 

 (Extract from Şevket Öznur’s article. Photos were complied by Mustafa Hacıarif.)