TRADITITIONAL TURKISH AND COSSACK WEDDING CEREMONIES: GENERAL AND PECULIAR (SAFRANBOLU AND COSSACK VILLAGE NIZHNE-KUNDRYUCHENSKOJ EXAMPLES)

Abstract

A comparative analysis of a traditional wedding ritualism in Turkish and Cossack cultures on the example of Safranbolu region and Cossack village Nizhne-Kundryuchenskoj. A wedding ritualism is regarded as inherent human need in ritualization important vital events, the preservation of the ancestral memory of wedding traditions in songs, tales etc. Turkish and Cossack principles of marriage proposal in these regions are analyzed. Cossack wedding traditions of the 19th century combined pagan beliefs and Christianity. Such a synthesis is typical for the traditional Turkish wedding, where along with the Islamic traditions there are remnants of the preIslamic period. For thousands of years, the traditions of many peoples of Anatolia, the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and, of course, the ancient world have merged into an unexpected amalgamation, which today is commonly called the Turkish, or Asia Minor culture. This paper explores special features of rituals and traditions accompanying marriage ceremonies in Safranbolu and Nizhne-Kundryuchenskoj. Community rituals historically accompanied the most important events in a human life in Ancient Russia and Turkey. They were sacred being carefully passed through the generations. Many strange traditions were perfectly kept up to now. A contemporary challenge nowadays is to optimize cooperation of cultures and rituals between nations with different upbringing and development of the person based on local traditions.