Why Do Turkish Brides Look Sad? | Turkish Wedding Traditions

Marriage customs can be different from one city to another and from one country to another. So sometimes you may see things in weddings of other countries that are strange to you.

Turkey has a rich tradition and culture in its cities, provinces, and villages. Like other people, Turks get married and hold wedding ceremonies, but one thing that is bound to happen in Turkish wedding ceremonies is the crying of the bride, which rarely happens in other countries.

Therefore, for those who participate in Turkish weddings for the first time, the question arises, why do Turkish brides cry? And why do Turkish brides look sad? If you are also looking for answers to these questions, stay with Traveling Topic until the end of this article to learn about the customs of Turkish weddings.

When I was in Turkey, I was invited to two weddings: one in the village and the other in the city, both of which were different from each other. Here, I will share my experience of attending Turkish weddings and all I have learned.

Why do Turkish brides look sad?

Most Turkish girls live with their parents until they get married, which makes them dependent on their families. Since the dependence of Turkish girls on their families is high, it causes them to cry at their wedding due to being separated from their parents.

When I went to a wedding in a Turkish village, I noticed sadness on the bride’s face and thought that the reason for her sadness was being separated from her parents, but after talking to the guests, I realized that this wedding was an arranged marriage.

There are many arranged marriages in small towns and villages in Turkey. In these types of weddings, girls have no control over choosing husbands, and their fathers choose husbands for them, which I feel very sorry for.

Wedding stages in Türkiye

On the morning of the wedding day, the bride leaves her father’s house for the last time, which also has a special ceremony.

After the makeup in the hairdressing salon, she returns to her father’s house and waits for the groom and his family to follow her. They play music and dance in front of the bride’s house until the bride leaves. The last obstacle that stands in the way of the bride and groom is a boy holding the country’s flag, standing in front of the door, and saying that the door will not open. They give him some money to open the door and leave. Then the guests wish the bride and groom happiness and sing songs, and they leave the house. It is the moment when the bride and the wedding family cry because they are sending their daughter to a new life, and their daughter is going to be away from them, so we will witness the tears of the bride’s family and the bride herself.

Of course, they believe that the tears shed at this time guarantee happiness in married life.

Then, this couple goes to the groom’s house with the guests to hold the wedding ceremony and then to the hall. After all the guests have arrived, the singer announces the bride and groom’s names, and they enter the hall. If the legal steps of the marriage have not been completed, the notary at the ceremony ends the work, and two or more people testify that the marriage has taken place.

Before the guests dance and celebrate, they present gifts to the bride and groom, and the celebration continues with serving food such as kebab and flaky.

Finally, the bride says goodbye to her family and goes to the honeymoon with the groom after the ceremony.

Other interesting Turkish wedding traditions

Another interesting Turkish wedding tradition is choosing a dress. The choice of dress in Turkish weddings depends on the city and region to which you are invited. But in the important cities of this country, the covers are usually similar to European countries. For more information about how to dress at Turkish weddings, refer to the article ” What To Wear To A Turkish Wedding “.

Another interesting tradition of this ceremony is between the bride and her daughter’s friends and relatives. The bride’s unmarried friends write their names on the soles of the bride’s shoes. During the ceremony, the bride moves a lot with her shoes, dances, and stomps, and spends the night. At the night’s end, the girls look at the soles of the bride’s shoes to see whose name was erased and whose name remained on the shoe sole. If your name is erased, you will get married soon; also, if your name is not erased, you will not get married soon.

Turkish marriage rules

In Turkey, there is a law that a woman is called by her husband’s last name after marriage, and in legal and official circles, her husband’s last name also knows her. In Turkey, men cannot have multiple wives, which is a crime. Also, marriages must be completely formal and legal, and it is illegal if they are done according to Sharia but not registered anywhere.

At the end of the line

In this article, I discussed and explained the interesting traditions and rules of Turkish weddings. Today, the culture and traditions of Turkey have been influenced by Western and European cultures, and you may not see such ceremonies at some weddings. But still, in some families and regions, these customs and traditions are implemented best, showing Turkey’s rich history and culture.