The Wedding of Salar

Marriages of Salar young people should be decided by their parents after recommendation of the matchmakers. Though many young people now enjoy free love in life and labor, their wedding ceremonies are also carried out according to the traditional practice.

If a young man takes a liking of a girl, his family shall first ask a matchmaker to make a proposal to the girl's family. If her parents agree, her uncles should all come to see and opinions from uncles on the mother side are especially important. When they all agree, the young man's family entrusts the matchmaker to send betrothal tea and a pair of big earbobs.

The wedding ceremony is always held in the midwinter, when people have little farm work and sufficient meat and are easy to get together because those who are out all gradually come home. Before the wedding, the bridegroom's family should send various kinds of betrothal gifts to the bride's home and then decide an auspicious date for the formal wedding.

On the wedding day, the bridegroom and his male relatives leave for the bride's home on horses and mules to escort her to the wedding. When they arrive at the bride's home, the bridegroom and his relatives do not enter the house but sit at the backyard outside. The bride's family first treat them with tea and so on, and then ask them to stay in her uncles' houses. The next day, the bride's family prepare a banquet for them on the backyard.

The next day, the bride's parents display the dowry for her in public and ask her to salute to the close relatives and elders on the bridegroom's side. In order to express deep affection for the bride's parents and close relatives, the bridegroom's family will present some money as gifts to thank them.