The Rites Stuff: A Dungan Wedding In Kazakhstan

Dungans get married between the ages of 18 and 20. In Sortobe, people say that after reaching 24, a girl has little chance of getting married. The bride, Roza, was 18, while the groom, Shafur, was 24.

The main wedding day starts at 8 a.m. with orze -- a traditional hot dish of meat, carrots, radish, and tripe. The wedding will end at 2 p.m. The newlyweds will be visited by relatives for the next two weeks. 
 

The traditional bride's hairstyle is made using hair gel and threads that hold the hair together. This art is passed from generation to generation of Dungan women.

The bride's hair is decorated with flowers and wedding accessories. In old times, these accessories were made of silver and only brides from wealthy families could have them. 

The dowry stands in the courtyard, each piece decorated with flowers and ribbons. It usually includes utensils, pillows, and blankets, but also modern items such as a refrigerator or washing machine.

The dowry is taken to the groom's house a day before the bride arrives. The photo shows Gashchim Dzhinlir, the father of Shafur, admiring the gold jewelry of his future daughter-in-law.
 

The wedding pilaf is cooked in large kazans (cooking pots) in the street. Dungans say their pilaf has more meat in it than the traditional Uzbek one.

For the Dungan shashu (a ritual during which guests are showered with money and sweets), the Kyrgyz currency, the som, is used -- due to the village's proximity to Kyrgyzstan. This shashu was held at the bride's house the day before the main wedding celebration.

In the meantime, Shafur is getting ready to pick up the bride. Friends help to put red and green ribbons on his suit -- the distinctive emblems of the groom.

The groom's relatives are getting ready to pick up the bride. In this photo, a woman decorates the car in which Roza will be taken to the house of her future husband.

The groom's best friends plan the entertainment. As well as songs and dances, people's faces will be daubed with soot. After the wedding, the groom will host his friends to thank them.

Shafur and his friends stop at a distance from Roza's house, waiting for a relative of the bride to wave a red shawl -- the signal that they are allowed to enter.

At the house of the bride, a mullah holds the nikah, or Islamic marriage ceremony.

Before she leavers her home, the bride's face is covered with a shawl, and another shawl is put on top of it. The first shawl is from the groom's house, the second from her mother's.

Another tradition -- a relative of the bride from the mother's side takes the bride out of the house and takes her to the car.

The bride is led into the groom's yard. There's another shashu with dried apricots and nuts. These are later given to young women planning to have a baby. If the woman wants a boy she takes nuts, if a girl -- apricots.

The bride wears five kinds of jewelry -- national rings, earrings, bracelets, chains, and brooches. Dungan jewelry often depicts the phoenix as a symbol of happiness and a bright future, and the pomegranate, which symbolizes well-being and prosperity.

Dungan women take photos of the bride.

The bright suit of the Dungan bride consists of two shirts (short and long), a sleeveless shirt, a festive cloak, pants, brocaded socks, and special wedding shoes -- all embroidered by hand.

A careful record is kept in a special notebook of how much money each guest has given to the couple as a wedding gift.
 

The guests are welcomed by the relatives of the inviting party. Dungan courtyards are large and have canopies for bad weather. Men and women are seated separately at Dungan weddings, with male guests served by men and female guests by women.

At about 2 p.m., the wedding ends and only the closest relatives remain in the groom's house. In the evening they gather, read the Koran, and have dinner.