Qashqai Tribal Customs: Marriage
Celebration of marriage among the Qashqai people, according to their traditional customs, are held in the open space and derive from the Iranian-Islamic tradition. Qashqai people invite their relatives and acquaintances to the tents they have already set up in nature, local pastures and plains, and celebrate by playing such instruments as sāz and dohol and dancing.
The Iranian Qashqai’s dancing and playing to the sound of instruments follow tradition as well as sounds in nature and have been transmitted from generation to generation. The food that is served in such ceremonies and other festivals is a kind of stew, always containing fresh meat, and is known as Boz-Qorme.
One of the common customs among Qashqai people is to give such gifts as sugar, rice, and sheep to the new family, gifts that in recent years have been substituted by cash.
We want to introduce the Qashqai’s wedding customs to you:
In this post, we describe some points about marriage and wedding arrangements among Qashqai people.
Celibacy among Qashqai people is unacceptable and marriage is therefore an essential principle of life.
The consent of the daughter’s parents (especially her father) is necessary for marriage.
Marriage between relatives or between members of different Qashqai tribe is more common than marriage between Qashqai people and non-Qashqai ones. However, some Qashqai families prefer to extend the range of their relationships by having their children marry other ethnicities.
Polygamy among Qashqai men is censured except in cases such as the first wives’ infertility, betrayal, consent, etc. In the case of a woman’s infertility, the custom allows her to choose a second wife for her husband.
Among Qashqai people, sons are usually considered to be the guardians of the family’s legacy. The more sons in a family, the more hands to take care of the family’s livestock.
In Qashqai families, patriarchy is dominant and it is the husband or the father of the family whose words are unchallengeable. However, in certain cases, the man of the family may allow his wife and children to comment on and make suggestions about important family issues.
Among Qashqai people, it is common for the groom’s family to largely provide the couple with appliances and furniture.
The groom is always older than the bride, and marriage between a 35-year-old man and a 20-year-old girl is not weird.
The marriage proposal is transmitted from the boy to his mother or another family member who in turn tell the father about it.
The marriage proposal is always offered by the boy’s family to the girl’s, and it is too unpleasant if the reverse condition happens.
Since the past, the boy’s family has been providing for the wedding arrangements (including home appliances and furniture, tents, the wedding place). A family holds the wedding ceremony just as the minimum means of the event have been provided for.
The wedding date is usually chosen to be on special days that are believed to be holy in Qashqai beliefs. It is also chosen by agreement between the two families.
