Betashar

Betashar in southern Kazakhstan

Betashar ( Kaz. Betashar , Kyrgyz. Betachar , Uzbek. Betochar - lit. Revealing the face ) - the rite of acquaintance of the bride with her husband’s relatives ^[1] , one of the wedding ceremonies among Kazakhs and Uzbeks ^[2] .

In ancient times, the face of a bride who arrived at the house of her father-in-law was not shown to him or her mother-in-law ^[3] . For three days she spent the night without a husband in the company of other girls, and on the morning of the fourth day her face was covered with a large shawl and brought out to the wedding guests in solemn wedding clothes. During the rite, the bride is held in her arms by daughters-in-law ^[4] and young women with a good reputation ^[5] . One of the ends of the bedspread is attached to the dombra or to the cane and the improviser ( zhyrshy ) begins to perform the betashar of the zhyra , simultaneously introducing the bride to her parents and her husband's relatives. The bride greets each of them with a bow, and they in turn declare a gift that they will give to the newlyweds. After the betashar, the rite shәy ishu begins (drinking tea ), during which the husband’s parents and other guests drink tea from the bride’s hands for the first time.

Due to the fact that the husband’s parents manage to get to know the bride before the rite, in modern Kazakhstan the betashar ceremony has lost its former significance ^[1] .