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Hasan Gülday - Full Time Tour Guide \ Turkey Specialist
I was born in Izmir in 1986 and fell in love with the beauties of nearby Ephesus ancient city during a school trip when I was around 9. Today I hold a nationwide tour guide license which gives me the chance to lead tours not just to Ephesus but to attractions all around Turkey. So far I have toured with 1000+ guests and also 35.000+ visitors came to read my articles about Turkish tourism on toursaroundturkey.com since 2008. Enjoy my website and contact me to hire a tour guide for a tailored travel experience in Turkey.
10 Interesting Wedding Traditions of Ancient Turkey
May 25, 2021
Estimated Reading Time: 2minutes
10 Interesting Wedding Traditions of Ancient Turkey
Brides were gifted many valuables and gold by the groom’s family. All these treasures were kept in the bride’s family home. This money would be used to secure the bride’s survival in case of an early death of the groom.
The bride was seated in a car, and the wedding songs (hymenaeos) played from the father’s house accompanied by the harp and flute were sent off to the groom’s house, also decorated with wreaths.
People could enter the new couple’s bedroom during the party. Later in the evening when the bride and the groom entered in their bedroom, some privacy was given and only a close friend of the groom waited at the door as a guard.
The groom would travel in the car with the bride. While the mother of the bride would send off the wedding convoy with torches and shouts, the groom’s mother would also wait for the convoy and accompany her bride, whom she greeted at the door.
Girls had to bring a dowry with them. Dowry could be anything of value such as cattle, money or property.
Type and amount of dowry was written on stone and also some eyewitnesses were ready during the transfer of dowry into the groom’s possession.
Roman brides used to cover their house’s threshold with oil for good luck and fertility. Roman man used to carry their wives over the threshold just like we do today since having a dirty dress would bring bad luck to the new couple.
Bride was moving in with her married female relatives about a week before the wedding. This tradition was called ”Proaulia”. Elder married women were training the young bride in the needs of her future husband.
Menander the philosopher once said: ”I give you this woman (my daughter) for the making of legitimate children”. This sentence makes us understand that the main idea of marriage was having children in the ancient world.
It used to be a very shocking moment for many teenager girls to get married. They mostly didn’t know that they will be married till the eve of the wedding night when they used to sacrifice their toys and swore in the name of Goddess Demeter who was the goddess of the married women.
Hasan Gülday. Professional licensed tour guide working in Turkey.
I have more than 15 years of experience in guiding and also working in various travel agencies. Having experienced all positions of travel industry made me to understand expectations of my guests and tailor made my services regarding their wishes. I currently live in Kusadasi (Ephesus) with my wife and two daughters. I will be pleased to share my experiences with you!
