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Turkmen Weddings have always been accompanied by numerous customs and ceremonials. One of the leading roles in them was played by clothes. It was thought that they even possess magic properties of protection and purification.
Kerchief
A scarf meant a lot in wedding rituals. On "gelin toi" day (wedding of the bride) women from entire brought their wedding gifts and sweets wrapped in kerchiefs. When they were about to leave they got their kerchiefs back full of presents equal to those they had brought. A big kerchief itself was considered a kind of a gift. A kerchief was the most valuable prize to win during men's contests. Read more...
Dress
Only certain "lucky" days which were suitable for cutting and sewing of a wedding dress. The well-being of the bride depended on this to the great extent. A dress was sawn in the house of the bride from the fabric presented by the groom. The most respected woman of the village, a mother of many children, along with the bride's dear friends, was to cut the dress. They were allowed to take away scraps of fabric - for good luck. Read more...
Charms
Nearly all wedding clothes of Turkmen women besides their direct purpose also fulfilled the role of charms. The bride's outfit consisted of various amulets designed to protect her from evil forces, helped her to stay healthy and wealthy. For example, even the wedding dress itself, which was made of traditional red fabric could arouse envy, attract an "evil eye"; therefore, it was supposed to protect the bride by all possible means. To escape alien eyes the bride wore a cape covering her head along with amulets and charms which were believed to possess guarding forces. Read more...
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