The population of the Dagestan Republic is multinational. For centuries, representatives of a variety of peoples settled on a small piece of land, including the coast of the Caspian Sea, the foothills and the majestic ridges of the Greater Caucasus. They lived surprisingly amicably, accepting each other’s culture and traditions, creating mixed families. Dargins are one of the largest ethnic groups in this country. A Dargin wedding has absorbed all the richness of national traditions and beliefs, ranging from respectful respect for elders and guests to carefully preserved family values.
The ancient way of life of the Dargins
For the Dargins, clan and family meant and mean a lot. To be a useless exile was one of the most terrible punishments. With their mother's milk, the Dargins absorbed respect for folk customs, adats, and respect for their elders. Preserving family traditions was a matter of honor.
Before getting married, a young man had to prove that he was worthy of respect and could support his family. Having your own home was mandatory. Parents tried to persuade their children from birth so that the party they formed would be close in social status. If there was no prior agreement, the young man could choose his own girl from among those who were available. However, the choice was limited: misalliance was not welcomed, and older relatives could resist quite harshly. Also, the bride’s parents may not have given consent.
Conspiracy and matchmaking
Having decided on the chosen one, the young guy’s family began to prepare for matchmaking. People with a sense of humor and a good tongue were chosen - after all, the bride’s parents had to be “talked out”. From the threshold, of course, no one made serious speeches; at first, a certain etiquette was observed, with mutual respect and lengthy speeches.
It was no secret to the girl’s relatives why a friendly company showed up to visit them, but everything was done to respect their dear guests. The guests praised the successful young hunter, and the bride's parents gradually succumbed to persuasion. If she agreed, the groom had to send the girl expensive jewelry. The engagement was considered concluded, and the guy and the girl could see each other in the presence of relatives.
Preparation period
The order of the celebrations was agreed upon in advance. Senior representatives of both families gathered and discussed all the details, the size of the dowry and ransom for the girl, where and how the feast would be held.
It was customary to celebrate weddings in Dagestan on a grand scale. They called both close and distant relatives, neighbors and acquaintances. Any person on this day could come and congratulate the newlyweds and sit at the table. These days, big weddings are, unfortunately, gradually becoming a thing of the past. They prefer to celebrate in restaurants, inviting their closest people.
Maiden farewell
To say goodbye to her youth, the girl organized a “Women’s Day” for all her friends and relatives. It was a purely girlish, women's holiday. Ladies and girls came and came with gifts for the young woman, which later became part of her dowry: clothes, bed linen, fabrics, kitchen utensils. The bachelorette party was buzzing in the women's quarters for 24 hours. They sang songs, treated themselves to food, taught the girl how to properly run the household, and gave wise advice.
TRADITIONS OF MOUNTAIN DAGESTAN WEDDING
Local residents say that traditions are dying and it is now customary to celebrate a wedding in the city.
They invite several hundred guests and party to the fullest. And even if a wedding is celebrated in a village, they no longer try to follow all the rules as they did before, even before cars and electricity appeared. But somewhere the stars aligned, so much so that during my trip through the mountains, a wedding was celebrated here exactly as it was before. Therefore, instead of a well-deserved rest in Makhachkala, I spent the last two days in the mountain village of Balkhar. I liked everything, but I would add the number of torches, while I followed the procession through the narrow streets between the houses, I almost broke my legs on the stones, which were probably specially thrown there so that people like me wouldn’t walk. Weddings used to last for three days; in some places they still celebrate in full, starting to taste cognac in the morning, while others reduce it to two. Not the point. I came to the most interesting events, which begin just in the evening. The village has a gorgeous clearing at the very top of the village. I can’t think of a better place to celebrate; there are gorgeous views of the meadows, mountains and sky all around. I would celebrate my wedding here too.
Next door to us.
A line of women carries the dowry for the bride (to the groom's house). Nowadays, the dowry is often transported by car, but it does not look so beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.
They carry all sorts of carpets, blankets, jugs, caskets, in short, everything that can be useful in the household. Of course, there are jewelry and money.
Everything brought is stored in the newlyweds’ room. And now everyone is waiting for the most important thing to begin. And the most important thing is a procession through the village at night with torches (not because it is necessary to light the road, but because this is how they used to do it) from the groom’s house to the bride.
We had to wait two hours. To somehow kill time, everyone gathered in the backyard, and dancing began to the music of the visiting musicians.
But the torchbearers began to fuss, which means the parade will soon take place. Several torches were taken out of the house. A torch is a tin can with dung inside (does everyone know what dung is?) generously sprinkled with kerosene. All this is set on fire and voila, you can start!
Trying not to fall, I followed the crowd of joyful men who accompanied the groom with shouts and whistles. Looking at the ceremony, I couldn’t help but feel like I was in the Middle Ages. I recommend everyone who wants to experience something like this to visit these lands while such traditions are still alive.
The bride's house appeared. Thank God, it was a short walk through the dark streets.
We were greeted as heroes. Near the entrance to the house, probably the whole village had gathered, there was no crowd.
Then everything is simple, boys to the right, girls to the left. The girls gather in the room where the bride is sitting, and the guys gather at the table. Cheers and toasts were made from around the table every now and then, but the most interesting thing happened with the girls. They dressed up the bride.
As a result, the bride is covered with her head and now she will move only with the help of two friends who are always with her.
A special lamp was brought into the room for the bridesmaids to light the way.
And below, in the courtyard of the house, there was smoke like a rocker.
Everyone is waiting for the procession to begin. And as usual, the wait drags on. I don’t know, maybe this is how it should be, but in general, the bride is in no hurry.
We waited, the girls finally came out. From behind, someone started throwing candy and at the bottom of the procession there was another stampede, this time of boys collecting candy. At that moment, from the street I saw strong reflections, at first I thought that the neighbors had started a fire, but no. They began to make fires.
The bonfires are lit by the residents of the houses the bride passes by. And they divorce if they have good relations with the house of the groom and daughter-in-law, and the fire means a wish for well-being. This is me briefly describing the essence. If the fire is not lit, this means that there are serious disagreements between houses/families.
A huge crowd formed behind the bride. The crush was such that I didn’t risk being in the thick of it, the guys were pushing each other, and this is probably also part of the ritual.
The procession reached the groom's house, where the bride was brought in. There she must pass another test, roll bread into the room. I didn’t try to get there and film this process.
The next day, after a long and stormy night, the residents gather again. About two o'clock, not earlier. People are slowly flocking to the clearing, and a line of relatives with food and drink flows from the house of the bride and groom.
Again the grandmothers come forward and one with a tambourine. They sing and lead the bride to the people. She's in a new outfit, but her best friends are still with her.
Probably the whole village is gathering in the clearing. During the entire time the people are having fun, dancing and making toasts, the bride dances three dances.
The rest of the time, music plays non-stop and someone is in the center of the circle.
Dargin wedding celebrations
They started walking the day before the wedding ceremony. They celebrated at the girl's parents' house, moving to the groom's parents' house in the evening.
On the day chosen for the wedding, the groom and his relatives came to the bride’s house singing and dancing, accompanying the procession with all kinds of noise effects. They carried or carried gifts that were intended for the girl’s relatives and herself. Guests were not allowed to enter the door without a small ransom.
The groom had to bring a wedding dress for the bride, shoes and jewelry, and in return he was presented with gifts. The girl was dressed in a separate room, while farewell songs were sung. Then everyone went to the mosque to perform the sacrament of marriage. Then the young people had to visit their parents’ houses and show them their respect.
They celebrated at separate tables - for the male and female halves. We were only allowed to dance together.
Weddings took place over several days, in entire villages. Tables were usually set outside, under awnings or fabric tents.
After the wedding, the girl entered under the roof of the groom's parents. Her mother-in-law always treated her with honey - so that family life would be sweet and prosperous. The girl remained in the women's quarters, and the guests continued the celebration. In the evening, her husband came to her, performing the sacrament of the first wedding night.
In the morning, when the young wife’s innocence was confirmed, she was dressed in the best clothes. She had to bring water from the source and give her new relatives a drink.
Interesting customs of the Dargins
- At the conclusion of the engagement, the groom's relatives and friends had to present the bride with gifts. But the bride’s parents did not accept any gifts or bride price: they showed that they did not want to give their little blood to strangers.
- The young wife entered under her husband's roof with her head covered. The men of the clan performed a sacrifice - they slaughtered a ram to ward off misfortunes.
- The more expensive the gift for a young wife, the happier she will be in her marriage.
- The number of guests was considered directly related to the future well-being of the new family.
- If the young bride went out to dance, the men present had to shower her with gold. This was considered a wish for well-being for the spouses.
A Dargin wedding still surprises with its national flavor and truly oriental generosity and hospitality. Despite the many changes that modern life brings, the Dargins consider it their duty and honor to carefully preserve the traditions of their ancestors and follow their wise advice.
Wedding ceremony – “Dargin wedding”
— Dagestan is a unique region where rituals and ritual folklore still exist - an integral part of folk culture.
Ritual songs created by the popular masses are not only performed during certain rituals, but are also brought to the club stage by amateur performances of various villages, districts, and cities.
— Rituals arose in ancient times along with the formation of human society as a necessary element of its social existence and spiritual culture. A ritual is a special way of transmitting to new generations a set of certain ideas, norms of behavior, values and feelings
- Weddings. It is impossible to imagine our life without them. Marriage is one of the most ancient solemn and important events in a person’s life, which marks the creation of a new family. In Dagestan, every nation, and every village, has its own wedding customs and traditions, which date back to ancient times. They are enriched with many rituals, fun, and ideological content. Weddings serve as a means of transmitting folklore knowledge, social experience, moral norms and cultural traditions from generation to generation.
— And tradition is what the people are alive and strong with, what is absorbed with mother’s milk and supported by the centuries-old way of life of society, family, what determines our lives for years and decades to come, what allows us to see moral guidelines before our inner gaze, to draw spirituality from them strength.
— One of the many traditions that are significant in our lives is the wedding tradition. In Dagestan - the most multinational region of Russia - wedding traditions developed many centuries ago, under the influence of hard and difficult life in the mountains, by the sea, on the plains and in the steppes.
“So, dear guests, dear students, today we want to show you the staging of the Dargin wedding ceremony,” the director of the Center for Traditional Culture, B.G. Vagabova, opened the event with these words.
Participating in the ceremony: Chairman of the Dagestan Republican Branch and member of the Coordination Council of the Interregional Youth Public Organization “House of Peace”, Director of the Children’s Educational Institution at the IBO DO DDT – Musanabieva O.A., Head of Branch No. 4 of the Central Botanical Society – Radjabova P.Sh., teacher of the association “Chirah” » at MBO DO DDT - Ramazanova A.A., Head of the technological department of the College of Mechanical Engineering and Service named after. S. Ordzhonikidze - Magomedova A.Z., teacher at the College of Mechanical Engineering and Service named after. S. Ordzhonikidze - Kuyaeva S.A., musicians: the famous zurnach, musician - Dibirov S. Sh. and drummer - Magomedov A.M., as well as students of the College of Mechanical Engineering and Service.
The ceremony took place in ancient national Dargin costumes, ancient utensils, national Dargin cuisine, and also accompanied by national music (zurna, drum, accordion).
The wedding party stopped, dancing and comic competitions began. Nuts, rice and sweets fell on the bride's head. They exchanged gifts, and those who brought a gift to the bride were given expensive, beautiful scarves in return. The bride's dance was accompanied by a money "rain", and the ceremony was also accompanied by songs, dances and toasts. The ritual ended with the bride being brought to the groom's house and before the bride leaves, the mother gives instructions and smears her daughter's lips with honey so that her family life is as sweet as honey.
The event was held at a high organizational level.
