Maxsus ta’lim vazirligi nizomiy nomidagi Toshkent davlat pedagogika universiteti qoshidagi akademik litsey Nurmatov J. N, Kudratov K. X

WEDDING HELD AT BRIDE'S HOME

According to custom, Uzbek wedding ceremonies are held at the bride's parents' home at night. Lamps and lights illuminate the darkness of the beautiful night. The bride's family must treat their guests to shouzhuafan (rice eaten with hands). The wedding ceremony will be presided over by an imam. The imam will read the Koran and ask if the couple are willing to marry each other. After the couple exchanges their vows, the imam will distribute a part of the salted nang (a kind of crispy flat bread) to the bride and groom. This action is regarded as the most meaningful part of the whole wedding ceremony.

The Uzbeks highly value salt and they think salt can improve a relationship between a couple; on the other hand, Nang is the indispensable staple food of the Uzbeks. For this reason, the combination of nang and salt implies that the newlyweds will remain emotionally bonded to each other forever. After the wedding ceremony, the bride will go to the groom's home accompanied by the groom and guests from the groom's side.

When the bride arrives at the groom's home, a "moving bride ceremony" will be held there. For this ceremony, friends and relatives of the bride come to the groom's house to take the bride away from her new home. If the groom is unwilling to let his wife go, he has to bring more gifts to his parents-in-law's in order to "win back" the bride. According to traditions, the bride should hold her mother and cry aloud to show her reluctancy to leave her mother. The bride's father, at this moment, should pray to Allah to bless on his daughter. After the whole process is finished, the bride will happily move to her parents-in-law's home. This time, the bride will be accompnied by an highly-esteemed old woman from her own family or her sister-in-law to the groom's home. After the groom wins back his bride, his family members will set up a bonfire in the courtyard. The bride is supposed to circle around the fire before stepping on the white cloth which leads into the room. This demonstrates her ending of the age of innocence and her starting of a lifetime love relationship with her husband. When the bride enters the room, hosts from the groom's side will throw fruit and candy at the guests. Guests will eagerly gather up the fruit and candy in order to express their congratulations towards the newlyweds, wishing them to settle down and start a happy family soon. Those people who have escorted the bride, except the esteemed elder woman, will leave the happy crowd this moment.